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Vol. 47 • No. 30 • July 27-August 2, 2017

Trump bans trans troops by Cynthia Laird

hock, disgust, and anger greeted President Donald Trump’s announcement Wednesday that he was banning transgender people from serving in the military, reversing a Reuters policy of former PresiDonald Trump dent Barack Obama. Trump took to Twitter as people were waking up on the West Coast, blasting out inaccurate information about the cost of trans health care as he issued his directive. “After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.” Reaction from local LGBT leaders and allies was swift and unsparing. “I’m disgusted by this bigoted move by President Trump,” gay state Senator Scott Wiener (DSan Francisco) said in a statement. “First, Trump attacks transgender children trying to use the restroom. Now he’s attacking trans soldiers who are putting their lives on the line for our country. This man has no shame.” Senator Kamala Harris (D-California) called Trump’s action “un-American.” “The president’s decision to force transgender individuals out of the military is discriminatory, wrong, and un-American,” Harris stated. “The president’s claim that the service of transgender people impacts military readiness is not backed up by facts, nor is it publicly supported by our military leadership,” Harris added. “Removing thousands of transgender individuals currently serving would damage our security and make it more difficult to recruit the best possible fighting force going forward. Indeed, [Defense] Secretary [James] Mattis recently reaffirmed that all service members should be treated with dignity and respect. The White House is playing politics with our national security, plain and simple.” Shannon Minter, legal director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said, “In three tweets, Trump is purporting to fire 15,000 transgender service members bravely serving our country and to prevent other patriotic transgender persons from enlisting.” Minter said that while the impact of Trump’s tweets is unclear, “banning transgender service members would erode military readiness and contradict our country’s values and ideals.” The Palm Center, an independent think tank that has studied LGBT military issues for decades, said that Trump was flat wrong about the financial issue. According to the Rand Corporation, the cost of medical care for trans service members is about See page 10 >>

SOMA leather alley dedicated

Dignitaries including former state Senator Mark Leno, left, developer Amir Massih, San Francisco Planning Director John Rahaim, Gayle Rubin, supervisorial aide Sunny Angulo, and developer Tony Deplisse cut the ribbon to officially dedicate the improvements to Ringold Alley that honor the leather history of the South of Market area.

by Alex Madison

oday, Ringold Alley is barely recognizable from its golden age of the 1960s, when it served as a beacon of sexual freedom for San Francisco’s leather community. Although it has been years since gay and bisexual men cruised the industrial, dark alley looking to get lucky, the area once again experienced a landmark moment Tuesday afternoon.

After some 11 years in the making, a leather ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for the South of Market redevelopment project that includes LSeven, a 420-unit apartment complex, a public park, and a $2 million installation honoring leather community luminaries that began with an idea from Jim Meko, who died in 2015. Officially known as the San Francisco South of Market Leather History Alley, the

installation includes bootprints honoring men and women who made a lasting contribution to the city’s leather community. Developer 4Terra Investments paid for the leather historical elements as part of the capital improvements it was required to fund. More than 300 people gathered in the park under the late afternoon sun July 26 to hear the See page 10 >>

Man faces hate crime trial in SF

Rick Gerharter

by Seth Hemmelgarn

man who’s accused of repeatedly punching a gay San Francisco man is facing trial. Marquis Deon Joyce, 24, is charged with felony counts of assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury and battery causing serious bodily injury, misdemeanor battery, and hate crime and other allegations. In a June court filing, Deputy Public Defender Cindy Elias, an attorney for Joyce, said that the alleged incident started at about 3 p.m. May 6 after the victim, who’d drunk “all of the alcohol in his house,” went to a liquor store at 8th Avenue and Geary Boulevard to buy more. Joyce said that the victim approached him at a nearby bus stop and “propositioned him, offering to pay him $500 for sex,” according to Elias. Joyce claimed that he repeatedly told the victim to leave, but the victim, “undeterred, approached Joyce and put his arms around him. Joyce pushed [the victim] away and punched him several times.” Elias said that “several hours later,” the victim’s husband came home with two co-workers and found him sleeping on the couch. The husband assumed that the victim “had once again passed out from drinking too much.” After he saw blood on the victim and thought he’d “fallen or been mugged,” he took him to a hospital.

Courtesy SFPD

Marquis Deon Joyce

Changing stories

But the victim “has provided several different versions” of what happened, Elias said. During a May 6 interview, the victim said that he’d been smoking a cigarette at the bus stop when two men approached him. “He claims one man approached him, calling him a faggot, and the other man took his phone and wallet,” but the victim’s husband told police at the hospital that the victim had lost his wallet before the incident, Elias said. A week later, the victim said that he’d had

“a brief conversation” with just one man, who’d then attacked him. He said that afterward, he’d bought more bourbon, and on his way home, “the same man approached him and took his phone,” according to Elias. Joyce was arrested June 1. Joyce claimed that on that day, “the victim was making sexual faces and blowing kisses at him on the 38 bus,” Elias said. The victim said that he’d been “playing with his phone when he heard a black male say, ‘I beat that guy a couple of weeks ago.’” The victim said that Joyce then followed him off the bus and said, “You remember me, right?” punched him, and told him to leave him alone. The victim said that Joyce then punched him again. The victim called his husband and police from a nearby restaurant, Elias said, while Joyce “remained at the scene to tell his side of the story to witnesses and the police,” who arrested him. “Joyce denies making derogatory statements or stealing [the victim’s] cellphone,” according to Elias. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. In a June 1 interview, Elias said, the victim claimed that “while Marquis was punching him, he said, ‘Do you like that faggot?’” The victim also said that Joyce had taken his phone “immediately after the attack, not after purchasing bourbon from the corner store.” The next day, the victim reportedly shared See page 10 >>

{ FIRST OF THREE SECTIONS }

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2 • BAY AREA REPORTER • July 27-August 2, 2017

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4 • BAY AREA REPORTER • July 27-August 2, 2017

Volume 47, Number 30 July 27-August 2, 2017 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman BARTAB EDITOR & EVENTS LISTINGS EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • Seth Hemmelgarn CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ray Aguilera • Tavo Amador • Race Bannon Erin Blackwell • Roger Brigham Brian Bromberger • Victoria A. Brownworth Brent Calderwood • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Belo Cipriani Richard Dodds • Michael Flanagan Jim Gladstone • David Guarino Liz Highleyman • Brandon Judell • John F. Karr Lisa Keen • Matthew Kennedy • Joshua Klipp David Lamble • Max Leger Michael McDonagh • David-Elijah Nahmod Michael Nugent • Paul Parish • Sean Piverger Lois Pearlman Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota Bob Roehr •Donna Sachet • Adam Sandel Khaled Sayed • Jason Serinus • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith • Sari Staver • Jim Stewart Sean Timberlake • Andre Torrez • Ronn Vigh Charlie Wagner • Ed Walsh Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood ART DIRECTION Max Leger PRODUCTION/DESIGN Ernesto Sopprani PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • FBFE Rick Gerharter • Gareth Gooch Jose Guzman-Colon • Rudy K. Lawidjaja Georg Lester • Dan Lloyd • Jo-Lynn Otto Rich Stadtmiller • Steven Underhil Dallis Willard • Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge • Christine Smith ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION Colleen Small Bogitini

Trump’s transphobic tirade P

resident Donald Trump announced that he is banning transgender people from serving in the military. His shortsighted and discriminatory policy reversal is deeply rooted in his transphobic attitude shared by the military generals he referenced in a series of tweets. “After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military,” Trump wrote on Twitter Wednesday. “Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender [sic] in the military would entail.” There’s a lot to unpack here, but we’ll start with the obvious: it’s a blatantly transphobic policy change that won’t make the military stronger. There are thousands of transgender people serving on the front lines. The matter has been extensively studied, and, like the years of study regarding open gay and lesbian service, there’s no indication that allowing trans people to serve openly will affect unit cohesion or morale. They are already serving. As for the “tremendous medical costs” associated with gender confirmation surgery and other services, Trump is lying. According to the Rand Corporation, it’s estimated that the cost of medical care for transgender troops is approximately one one-hundredth of 1 percent of the military annual health care budget, or at most, $8.4 million per year. “This is a shocking and ignorant attack on our military and on transgender troops who have been serving honorably and effectively for the past year,” said Aaron Belkin, director of the Palm Center, an independent research institute that has studied LGBT military service for decades. Once again, Trump has shown he does not support the LGBT community. Once

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Ellis should drop Dem chair appeal

The election for California Democratic Party chair was two months ago but defeated candidate Kimberly Ellis cannot let go. This week, she announced that she will appeal a determination that longtime Democratic Party leader Eric Bauman won the contest, a precursor to a lawsuit. Meanwhile, Bauman has begun serving as state party chair, and has a lot of work to do to unify California Democrats. Ellis, though, has not conceded. First she asked for a recount of the ballots. Then a hearing on that issue occurred last weekend, and the Los Angeles Times reported that the review commission did invalidate 47 votes – 25 for Bauman and 22 for Ellis, meaning that the election result didn’t change. The bitter race mirrors the split between supporters of Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders that played out during last year’s primaries. But six months into the term of President Donald Trump, Democrats in

California and across the country need to explain to voters why their candidates deserve support in next year’s midterm elections. Democratic control of at least one body of Congress is critical to stopping Trump’s horrid agenda, and there are several congressional seats in the Golden State that the Democratic Party is working to flip in 2018. But an organized state party is vital to electoral success, and with the distraction of an intraparty fight, it’s going to be that much tougher to unite. Ellis isn’t helping anyone, including herself, with her stubborn refusal to accept her loss. “While I, perhaps more than anyone, want immediate closure, I also understand my tremendous responsibility to the thousands of delegates and supporters who are counting on us to see this through to its final conclusion. No doubt, this is not the easier path, but often times the righteous one is not,” she wrote in a fundraising plea to supporters, according to the Times. “To turn away now would be a betrayal to my own sense of integrity and ethics.” Yet conceding the race is exactly what Ellis should do – she should be putting the party ahead of herself and so far, she has not done that. In fact, Ellis’ actions have been entirely counterproductive and she runs the risk of appearing a sore loser. Ellis may have a future in state Democratic politics, but not if she refuses to accept reality. Her responsibility to her supporters would be better served by working with grassroots organizations to make the state party more responsive to their needs, not continuing to bash party leaders and stoke doubt about the election’s outcome. Democrats are busily recruiting candidates to run in congressional districts currently represented by vulnerable Republicans. More outreach is needed in inland areas of the state; in short, there’s plenty to do, even in deep blue California. Ellis fell short of votes. She needs to move on to focus on strengthening her base to make the party stronger.▼

Book group works to highlight racism

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again, Trump has reversed a policy enacted by former President Barack Obama. It’s appalling that Trump’s transphobia is used to denigrate trans troops, who are putting their lives on the line for their country. His action is inexcusable and wrong.

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consisted of black people of all ages, genders, and sexual orientations, as an Francisco Black Community well as white people. When discussMatters is a new book group ing the direction of the book club, that seeks to give a voice to Africanwe thought about creating a blackAmericans in the city. A couple only space, seeing that there are months ago, we held our inaugural not too many left in San Francisco. meeting to discuss Michelle AlexHowever, seeing that the imbalances ander’s 2010 work, “The New Jim of the criminal justice system afCrow: Mass Incarceration in the fect us all, we decided to open the Zak Westbrook Age of Colorblindness.” book club to all races and ethniciLeRon Barton Because the goal of SFBCM is to ties. Being that “The New Jim Crow” is highlight the racism and inequities such an expansive and deep work, the that many black people face in the city, we first meeting covered the introduction and the thought that “The New Jim Crow” would be first three chapters. a great selection to discuss. However, we were As we read through the chapters and disnot prepared for the impact that the conversacussed the context, I was taken to a place tion would have. when I was younger. Drugs, no opportuniSFBCM was founded by activist and San ties, and poor role models surrounded Francisco native Shaun Haines, a gay man, us. The allure of making money and includes gay board members DeAnwhere there was no legal way of thony Jones, Anietie Ekanem, and John making money had gotten some Weber. I also serve on the board and am a of us. We were all susceptible to straight ally. The idea of the book club came indulging in crime for tempofrom asking, “How can we engage the comrary satisfaction. That attracmunity in a discussion about race and the tion, however, was fool’s gold. criminal justice system in San Francisco?” Neighborhoods that were once In a city that is less than 4 percent black, populated with young men and African-Americans represent 40 percent of women wearing flashy jewelry the arrests made and 44 percent of the city’s and dreams of “making it big” jail population. With staggering numbers were replaced with adults addicted to drugs that clearly show discrimination toward San or people recently released from prison, Francisco’s black population, we felt that Alstruggling with how to survive in a country exander’s work would be the perfect way to that had locked them out. What many of us spark a much-needed dialogue. Called “the found out is the game was rigged the moment most important book published in this cenwe decided to play. tury about the U.S.,” the brilliance of “The Recidivism, the concept of people being reNew Jim Crow” is that it is easily digestible: leased from prison and returning after being it conveys a very complex problem in a way arrested for a crime, is the cornerstone of “The that anyone can understand it, and many New Jim Crow.” However, after discussing the have. This, we felt, would be the best way to theory of mass incarceration with the book kick off our book club and the organization club, I realized that it, and not “free enterto the public. prise,” was the true engine that drives America. In the small but packed conference room In 2016, Prison Policy Initiative, an advocacy in the main San Francisco Public Library, group that focuses on how mass incarceration we began the book club meeting. The group affects the country, published a report that

states over two million people are currently locked up in federal, state, local, and youth facilities. One in five are incarcerated from drug offenses and while black people make up 13 percent of America’s population, they represent over 40 percent of those imprisoned. These statistics only count people that are currently held in custody and not those who are on probation or supervised release. According to the San Francisco Adult Probation Department, in 2015 there were 4,600 people on probation, post-release community supervision, and mandatory supervision. In the inner cities, we call it “being on paper.” With these restrictions, you will have difficulties finding housing, employment, and gaining government services due to your conviction, all due to legislation such as the 1994 crime bill that was championed by former President Bill Clinton. Decades later, many people view that law as a mistake. With few opportunities, many experience hopelessness and some may relapse on drugs to cope or “go back to the streets” to survive, only to become incarcerated again. It is a cycle, or as Alexander writes, “Creating a permanent underclass.” Our meeting concluded with everyone giving their impressions of the event and their pledge to do what they could to fight injustice. In all, the first SFBCM book club was a success. Bringing people together to discuss an influential book that highlights some of the most important issues that face us not only as a city, but as community, is something that is greatly needed, but sorely missed in San Francisco. The SFBCM will continue to create forums such as this to push this necessary conversation for change and understanding.▼ For more information on the next SFBCM book club meeting and the organization, go to www.sfbcm.org.

▼

Politics>>

Gay man runs to be Sonoma County sheriff by Matthew S. Bajko

first become friends in college. Leffew is a gay man who is a deputy stay-at-home dad as sheriff in San Francisco the couple provides is running to become the emergency foster care next sheriff of Sonoma for the county. They County, which includes the have taken in babies gay Russian River resort area. just a few months old Santa Rosa resident Jay to teenagers. Foxworthy, 46, publicly They also are the announced his candidacy parents of two chilfrom the main stage of Sodren they fostered noma County Pride in early then adopted who June. He held his first funhave the same mother Courtesy Jay Foxworthy draising event with family but different fathers. and friends Friday, July 14, Sonoma County Sheriff’s candidate Jay Foxworthy, left, Their son, Daniel and his husband, Bryan Leffew. and also recently went live Martinez Leffew, 17, with his campaign website. will be a senior this fall Assistant Sheriff Rob Giordano “I want to replicate some of the at Santa Rosa High, and their daughwill serve as the acting sheriff until programs in San Francisco in Sonoma ter, Selena Leffew, is 12. the county supervisors name a reCounty. The jails here are ridiculously In 2008 the family received national placement to fill out the remainder full with people in jail who don’t need attention for its YouTube channel, of Freitas’ term through early January to be there,” Foxworthy told the Bay called “Gay Family Values,” it created 2019. Giordano is not among the six Area Reporter in a recent phone inin opposition to Proposition 8, the candidates who have filed to run in terview from his home. same-sex marriage ban voters adoptthe June 2018 primary, where the top He is one of two gay men who have ed in November of that year that was two vote-getters will advance to the announced sheriff bids in California. later struck down by the courts. The November runoff. David Myers, a commander with the family was also profiled in the 2012 “I think it’s great news as long as the San Diego County Sheriff’s Departdocumentary “The Right to Love: An placeholder does not decide to jump ment, where he has worked for 32 American Family.” into the race,” Foxworthy told the years, is challenging his boss, Sheriff In 2013 the San Francisco LGBT B.A.R. in response to Freitas’ decision Bill Gore, who is seeking a third Pride Celebration Committee awarded to retire. term, in the June primary. the family its inaugural Jose Julio SarTwo current department emMyers decided to enter the race beria History Maker Award. The Pride ployees, Captain Mark Essick and cause he believes his department “is in board said it created the honor, named Lieutenant Carlos Basurto, who is a state of stagnation due to a reactive after the first out gay man to run for serving as the city of Windsor’s police and outdated policing culture.” public office in California, specifically chief, are in the race. Freitas earlier It is believed that Myers and Foxto recognize the family for its advocacy this month endorsed Basurto to sucworthy would be the first out elected around marriage equality. ceed him, while the Sonoma County sheriffs in California were they to win Their videos have had close to 1 Deputy Sheriffs’ Association is backtheir races. In the 2011 sheriff’s race million views. The family still uploads ing Essick. in San Francisco, two gay men, thennew ones, though less regularly due to The other candidates include Santa police officer Michael Evans, and the children losing some of their interRosa City Councilman Ernesto Oliformer sheriff’s deputy Jon Gray had est in making them, said Foxworthy. vares, retired sheriff’s Captain Dave pulled papers to run, but both opted “With the sheriff race I plan to Edmonds, and retired Los Angeles not to officially enter the race on the make it more active so people can see Police Captain John Mutz. city’s November ballot that year. what it is like to run for office,” he said. Foxworthy considers himself the There have only been a few out “On the same page I will upload my most progressive person in the race elected sheriffs in the country, one of experiences running for sheriff and and is hoping the two department inthe first being Margo Frasier, a lesuse it as a way to talk about my views.” siders will split votes from more modbian elected in 1997 as sheriff of Travis One area he would re-examine erate to conservative voters, allowing County, which includes Austin, Texas. should he be elected sheriff is the dehim to advance to the November Another Texan, lesbian Dallas County partment’s relationship with the U.S. election. He was encouraged to run Sheriff Lupe Valdez, won her fourth Immigration and Customs Enforceby other progressives in the county he term last November. ment agency. has met working on past campaigns. In Arizona, former Pinal County “I would only release inmates to “They said we need a progressive Sheriff Paul Babeu won re-election in ICE when it is determined by the in the race. The other candidates are 2012 after being outed as gay by an excommunity and sheriff’s department pretty much the same old, same old. boyfriend. His term expired January 1 they are a risk to our community,” No one there is willing to change the of this year. said Foxworthy. “The most important department,” he said. “There are a lot One of Foxworthy’s primary reathing about law enforcement for the of things going on with this departsons for running is to diversify the Socounty is it should be protecting the ment I don’t agree with and want to noma sheriff’s department, which he people who live here. Undocumented change. I also decided to said has no out gay men individuals should trust their law enrun to make sure the and only a few lesbian forcement and not worry about them other candidates don’t deputies among its 650 reporting them to ICE.” get away with easy anemployees. Foxworthy would also work to enswers and answer things “One of my big goals sure transgender inmates in Sonoma appropriately.” is diversity and getting a County are treated with respect while Born and raised in department that reflects in custody in the county jails. He said Windsor, about 10 miles and looks like the comdeputies should be using people’s prenorth of Santa Rosa, munity we serve. That ferred pronouns and names as soon as Foxworthy has lived means having out gay they are in their custody. in Sonoma County his people, women, and “It is all about respecting the indiwhole life, except for the more Latinos,” said vidual as soon as they come into custhree years he served in Foxworthy. tody,” he said. the Army. The middle child of five The race for sheriff will be the first Three years away from retirement siblings, Foxworthy’s oldest sister is contested election for the position the in San Francisco, Foxworthy has a lesbian and his second youngest county has seen in 25 years, according pledged to serve as Sonoma County brother is gay. to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. sheriff for 12 years, three four-year His parents divorced when he was Sonoma County Sheriff Steve Freiterms, if he is elected, because the 6 years old, and his mom, who was a tas, who had announced earlier this changes he would like to make “are drug addict and had mental health isyear he would not seek a third term in not going to happen overnight.” sues, was in and out of jail during his 2018, plans to retire effective August To learn more about Foxworthy childhood. Several times his family 1. He cited health reasons for his deciand his platform, visit his campaign was homeless, and Foxworthy ended sion, which was made public July 6. website at FoxworthyForSheriff. up in the foster care system. The announcement brought to com.▼ After leaving the military, he an end a recall campaign against the worked as an unpaid reserve officer embattled sheriff, who has dealt with Political Notes, the notebook’s at the Santa Rosa Police Department staffing shortages amid deep budget online companion, will return while attending Santa Rosa Junior Monday, July 31. cuts. And as the local paper reported, College, where he received his asthe sheriff’s department has faced sociate degree in criminal justice. He Keep abreast of the latest LGBT a number of civil rights and exceshad applied with the Sonoma County political news by following the sive force cases, including a lawsuit Sheriff’s Department but wasn’t Political Notebook on Twitter @ brought by the family of Santa Rosa hired, he believes because he was out twitter.com/politicalnotes. teen Andy Lopez, who was shot and of the closet, and joined the San Frankilled by a deputy, and a criminal cisco Sheriff’s Department in 1994. Got a tip on LGBT politics? Call investigation of a former deputy acHe and his husband, Bryan LefMatthew S. Bajko at (415) 829-8836 cused of beating a man during a door e-mail m.bajko@ebar.com. few, met nearly 21 years ago, having mestic violence call.

July 27-August 2, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 5

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<< Travel

▼ NYC offers a revolutionary visit from past to present 6 • BAY AREA REPORTER • July 27-August 2, 2017

by Heather Cassell

uring this tumultuous and wacky political year, it was only fitting that my girlfriend and I journeyed to New York City to see “Hamilton.” During our long weekend, we also took in a few historical landmarks and exhibits of artistic movements that shaped America and, of course, ate our way through the city’s latest foodie trends. It was our shot to finally see the musical of this century during a recent trip to the Big Apple. “Hamilton,” which tells the story of Alexander Hamilton, one of the nation’s lesser-known founding fathers, didn’t disappoint. It was an excellent history lesson wrapped up with catchy rap dialogue and hiphop and R&B lyrics and – oh, and a hysterical King George III of Britain. It truly is a game-changer, much like “Rent” and “Wicked” were in re-envisioning the musical genre. Hamilton was President George Washington’s right-hand man before becoming the first U.S. treasury secretary, establishing the U.S. Mint and the nation’s first bank. (The touring production of “Hamilton” is currently playing at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco.) If we didn’t do anything else in New York our trip would have been complete. Yet, I couldn’t resist thinking about presidents who hailed from New York.

Where greatness resides

The Empire State has given the U.S. seven presidents, including two Roosevelts: Theodore Roosevelt, who remains the nation’s youngest president and until recently the only one

who came from New York City (President Donald Trump now lays claim to being the second), and Franklin D. Roosevelt, the longest-serving president. Theodore Roosevelt grew up on East 28th Street in New York. His former home is now the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site and offers tours. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s childhood home is in Springwood, about a two-hour train ride up the Hudson River near the last stop in Poughkeepsie. Other presidents who came from the Empire State were Martin Van Buren, Millard Fillmore, Chester A. Arthur, and Grover Cleveland. It’s well worth the day trip to tour FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt’s stomping grounds, known as the Hyde Park Trail, especially in the autumn when the leaves are turning. About a decade ago I ventured up the Hudson to Hyde Park. It has been one of the most memorable trips to New York I’ve ever taken. The trail includes FDR’s childhood home and is now the site of his presidential library and Val-Kill, the only national park dedicated to a first lady, located two and a half miles from Hyde Park. The area includes mansions owned by famous wealthy families, like the Vanderbilts. One of the mansions, which was auctioned off last year, inspired at least two of Pulitzer Prizewinning author Edith Wharton’s novels. Hyde Park is also home to the original Culinary Institute of America. I recommend going for lunch, but make reservations far in advance as it’s difficult to get a table at either Hyde Park or its other location in St. Helena in the Napa Valley.

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New York loves the Roosevelts. In the middle of the East River is Roosevelt Island with the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park, and in Riverside Park stands the Eleanor Roosevelt Monument. Four Freedoms Park is a modern park that offers a quiet escape from the hustle and the bustle of the city. A tram, which is the cost of a Metro ride, takes visitors over to the island that spans two miles in length and is less than a mile wide. The island once housed the city’s undesirables in the lunatic asylum and the smallpox hospital. Rubble from the island’s history still marks where these buildings once stood and are noted with plaques, but the island is now undergoing a resurgence with families who have found luxury living in proximity to the city. Couples push strollers as children run along the tree-lined grassy grounds of the waterfront leading up to Four Freedoms Park that overlooks the East Side of Manhattan, the United Nations, and, in the distance, Freedom Tower. New York’s ties to the Revolutionary War remain somewhat in obscurity because the city didn’t inspire poetic romanticized imagery of the battle for independence like Boston and Philadelphia did until “Hamilton” hit Broadway. Many of the battles fought against the British in New York and its boroughs and islands were bloody and brutal. The city also was lost to the British and soon after burned down, according to the New York Freedom Trail. The trail offers a virtual and selfguided tour of 19 of the city’s most important revolutionary sites, such as Trinity Church, the gravesite of many of those who fought in the Revolutionary War, sandwiched between today’s titans of commerce on Wall Street.

Heather Cassell

Theatergoers wait in line to see “Hamilton” at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway.

However, nearby Trinity Church is Fraunces Tavern, which served as Washington’s headquarters during the war. Flashing forward nearly 170 years, my auntie and I left my girlfriend to her own adventures as we explored the Museum of Modern Art. Two exhibits are worth checking out: “Making Space: Women Artists and Postwar Abstraction,” and “Robert Rauschenberg: Among Friends,” which are on display through August 13 and September 17, respectively. Bisexual artist Rauschenberg is often noted for being on the cutting edge of the Pop Art movement as it emerged. The exhibit follows the evolution Rauschenberg and works of his friends – dancer Merce Cunningham and his partner, composer John Cage; artists Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Jasper Johns, Susan Weil, and Lee Krasner, who was married to painter Jackson Pollock, among others of the period. Rauschenberg, who

“Untitled c. 1955,” a brass wire, iron wire, and galvanized iron wire sculpture by artist Ruth Asawa on display as a part of the “Making Space: Women Artists and Postwar Abstraction” exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

died in 2008, was one of the last survivors of this era of artists. On the floor below the Rauschenberg exhibit is a collection of women artists’ postwar abstraction works. The styles and materials the artists use is traditional in retrospect to gender and perhaps, philosophy. Rauschenberg and his friends were more interested in constructing and deconstructing man-made materials and objects while the women artists’ works were more craft and textile, utilizing materials that could easily be absorbed back into the earth. It was interesting to see the juxtaposition of the two unique artistic styles.. ▼ To read the full story, visit us online at ebar.com

Former SF mayoral candidate David Scott dies by Cynthia Laird

avid Scott, a gay man whose 1979 campaign for San Francisco mayor ended in defeat but had an influence on San Francisco and California politics for decades to follow, died July 18 at his home outside Petaluma. He was 82. The cause of death was leukemia, his friends said. The 1979 mayor’s race featured major contenders Dianne Feinstein, who had become mayor a year earlier after the assassinations of Mayor George Moscone and gay Supervisor Harvey Milk, and Supervisor Quentin Kopp. Alarmed by what many in the community said was a lack of choice, friends said that Mr. Scott entered the race, knowing he likely wouldn’t win. Mr. Scott did indeed come up short, but his presence in the race forced a runoff between Feinstein and Kopp, and in order to secure his endorsement, Feinstein pledged to appoint a gay or lesbian to the city’s Police Commission. According to a pre-election ad in a 1979 issue of the Bay Area Reporter, Feinstein had promised to appoint a gay to the police oversight panel, but Mr. Scott’s friends said that he was able to secure that commitment from her in return for his endorsement in the runoff. “She essentially made that promise when she came before the Milk club,” recalled Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club member Gwenn Craig. “We waited and waited.” Craig said that what the club really wanted was the appointment of gay men and lesbians to city commission posts “in proportion to our numbers in the population.” “It was not just the police

David Scott

commission,” she told the B.A.R. in an interview this week. The B.A.R. endorsed Mr. Scott in the mayor’s race, as did its late political editor, Wayne Friday. During the campaign, Mr. Scott participated in the mayoral debates, which gave him exposure as he had a small budget. Randy Alfred, a retired journalist and friend of Mr. Scott’s, said people at what was then called the Harvey Milk Gay Democratic Club urged Mr. Scott to run. “David decided that he was willing to do that,” Alfred recalled. “It was a successful strategy.” Craig also said that despite misgivings, she and others applauded Mr. Scott’s decision to enter the race. “In the end, it was good,” she said. “It was good somebody had a voice and talked about things that [Feinstein] was not doing as mayor. He’d speak of things progressives wanted.” The Milk club endorsed Mr. Scott with 84 percent of the vote.

In the runoff, most of the city’s LGBT voters went for Feinstein, propelling her into Room 200 at City Hall. In 1992, she was elected a U.S. senator, a position she continues to hold. “If Feinstein had not been elected, it might have been the end of her political career,” Alfred said. In a statement, Feinstein said, “I have fond memories of campaigning with David Scott in 1979. He was a powerful voice for San Francisco’s gay community and a leader, and he’ll be missed.” For his part, Kopp, a retired judge, told the B.A.R. that he believes he would have won had Mr. Scott endorsed him. The New York Times reported that Mr. Scott finished third with 10 percent of the vote; Feinstein finished with 42 percent and Kopp garnered 40 percent. Mr. Scott met with Kopp after the election, and indicated he wanted a seat on the airport commission. Kopp said that he was advised to do it, but refused. “She beat me 52 percent to 48 percent,” Kopp said of the runoff election four weeks later. “I would have won with his support.” Kopp said that Mr. Scott “was a substantive candidate.” Gay former Supervisor Tom Ammiano, who himself came up short in the 1999 mayor’s race after launching a successful write-in campaign but falling to incumbent Willie Brown in the runoff, said Mr. Scott was a serious candidate. “What he did was so transformative,” Ammiano said in an interview. “He brought Dianne and Quentin to heel. He was kind of under the radar, but pivotal.” See page 10 >>

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<< Commentary

8 • BAY AREA REPORTER • July 27-August 2, 2017

Refuse Fascism takes to the streets by Christina A. DiEdoardo

he weeks between the Fourth of July and Up Your Alley can often seem like a slow time in the city. However, Refuse Fascism Bay Area shattered that conventional wisdom July 15, when it drew about 250 to 300 people to Civic Center for a rally and march demanding the removal of the Trump-Pence regime. “The Trump-Pence regime must go,” Rafael Kadaris, one of the organizers of the event in San Francisco, told the crowd, before asking rhetorically “You want to have four years of this?” The rally featured a host of speakers from community groups and individual activists, from El/La Para Trans Latinas and Collectiva De Mujeres and the Revolutionary Communist Party to criminal defense attorney Tony Serra and San Francisco Pride grand marshal Alex U. Inn. Anti-Fascist (Antifa) and members of the newly organized Red Guards Bay Area, an anti-Nazi Marxist-Leninist-Maoist collective, were also in attendance. Despite a threat from a group calling itself Bay Area Alt-Right to “counterprotest” the event, Deplorables, or self-described Trump supporters, were mostly conspicuous by their absence. Two men, one carrying an ID from the Oathkeepers, a right-wing organization that the Southern Poverty Law Center

classifies as “one of the largest radical anti-government groups in the U.S.,” attempted to videotape the marchers, especially those from the Red Guards and Antifa who covered their faces, after being repeatedly asked by those marchers to stop. As many activists are aware, there’s an ongoing effort by several Deplorable organizations and individuals to gather as much information as they can on anti-Trump protesters for purposes of intimidation and harassment, including but not limited to “doxxing,” which is the act of publishing personal information about a person. This is one of the reasons some attendees choose to cover their faces and hair at demonstrations and why it’s considered good etiquette to avoid taking photos of anyone who is masked up. Of course, the “identification” game works both ways – and the Resistance now has new photos of said Oathkeeper and his sidekick if they appear at future events, which have been publicly distributed. After leaving Civic Center, marchers performed a “die-in” at 18th and Mission streets to represent the casualties that would result if the Affordable Care Act was repealed, before ending the march at 24th and Mission streets.

Take a bite out of bigotry

Sometimes, one can make a

positive difference just by having a meal. Reem Assil has long been a popular vendor at the Old Oakland Farmers Market and the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco, where she serves up traditional Arab street food with a California twist. Recently, she opened a brick and mortar location – Reem’s – at 3301 E. 12th Street in Oakland near the Fruitvale BART station and shortly thereafter ended up on the Deplorables’ radar. On June 20, Breitbart.com, one of the right-wing’s favorite sources for bigoted propaganda, slammed Reem’s for having a mural of Rasmea Odeh, one of the organizers of the “Day Without a Woman” strike earlier this year (and whom Breitbart describes as a “convicted Palestinian terrorist”) on its wall. Of course, Breitbart conveniently forgets to mention that Odeh was tortured by Israeli authorities for over 40 days before they obtained what she and her supporters describe as a false confession. Sadly, Breitbart’s dog-whistles of racism and Islamophobia have already had an effect. According to a July 17 story in Mundo Obrero Worker’s World, the newspaper of the Worker’s World Party, on July 8 Reem’s was attacked by several individuals who unsuccessfully tried to keep customers out and shut it down. The restaurant has also been repeatedly targeted by trolls on Yelp. One of the best ways to help

▼

Christina A. DiEdoardo

Protesters demand President Donald Trump’s removal at the July 15 Refuse Fascism Bay Area demonstration in San Francisco’s Civic Center.

Reem’s – which, by the way, sources and hires locally – fight back against the Breitbart bigots is to patronize it. It’s open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Proceed to the building up of socialism

At 6:30 p.m. on July 28, at the Women’s Building, 3543 18th Street, the Democratic Socialists of America: San Francisco and several other groups will host a talk on “Municipalism: Building a Socialist Movement to Create People Power.” The focus will be on using lessons learned in Richmond, California

and Jackson, Mississippi for more effective organizing and activism in San Francisco. Admission is free.

Don’t just be a bystander – act

The San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, is offering a free training on how bystanders can best protect targets of hate crimes at 2 p.m. July 30, at the Muslim Community Association. 3003 Scott Boulevard in Santa Clara. Admission is free and all are welcome.▼ Got a tip? Email me at christina@ diedoardolaw.com.

Bike trip recreates early AIDS ride compiled by Cynthia Laird

group of bicycle riders will follow the route of one of the original AIDS rides when it takes place next month, and interested people can sign up to participate. The Double Bay Double 6/Dolly Renegade Ride, produced by Different Spokes San Francisco, will be held August 12-13. The route goes from San Francisco to Guerneville and back, said Emily Mariko-Sanders, one of the organizers. Funds raised from the event will benefit Project Inform. Mariko-Sanders said this is the sixth ride the group has organized, and the second that benefits Project Inform. (The event did not take place last year.)

“This year’s marks the 35th anniversary of Different Spokes San Francisco and this ride recreates one of the first AIDS rides they did 30-plus years ago, which went from San Francisco to Guerneville,” she said. The ride begins at Sports Basement Presidio, 610 Old Mason Street. The group is hoping for a maximum of 50 riders. The fundraising minimum is $300, according to the event’s website. Riders are urged to raise at least $1,000 so that $50,000 can be raised for Project Inform, which provides HIV/ AIDS and hepatitis C treatment information and does advocacy work. Most of the participants have done the AIDS/LifeCycle ride, which raises money for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation

volunteers are asked to pay for their own meals and lodging. The first day officially ends at the Casini Ranch right on Russian River, just outside Guerneville. The campsite has been paid for the group so that people can camp together. Riders and roadies simply pay a $15 camper fee. A catered meal is also planned, organizers said. For more information and to register, visit doublebaydouble.org/.

Muni subway shutdowns in progress

Courtesy Emily Mariko-Sanders

The Dollys is one of the teams that will participate in next month’s Double Bay Double 6/ Dolly Renegade Ride.

and the Los Angeles LGBT Center. In addition to raising funds for Project Inform, the riders and other

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency wants to remind riders that the Muni Metro subway is shut down at night and on the weekends as new train cars are being tested. This will likely affect people going to the Up Your Alley street fair in the South of Market neighborhood Sunday, July 30.

Underground stations from West Portal to Montgomery close at 9:30 p.m. weeknights (last trains at 9) and weekends through August 20 (with the exception of August 11-13 because of the Outside Lands festival). During the closure, SFMTA said that bus bridges will operate between Embarcadero station and St. Francis Circle, making stops at the subway stations. Riders will need to allow extra time to get to events. The new train cars are already being tested at street level. The underground testing is necessary before the cars can be put into service. For more information, visit www. sfmta.com/calendar/alerts/new-traintesting-muni-metro-subway. See page 10 >>

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<< Community News

10 • BAY AREA REPORTER • July 27-August 2, 2017

Trump

From page 1

$8.4 million per year, or one one-hundredth of 1 percent of the military’s health care budget.

LGBTQ aging studies

From page 2

research with practice. He discussed the benefits of participatory action research, where subjects of research projects are treated as collaborators to create a more direct impact to their lives. “We need to break down barriers between subjects and researchers,” he said. “It’s not just about researchers. It’s a mutually constituted engagement imbedded in context. These practices promote a better understanding.” Some of his other strategies included engaging the community in the design stage of research, developing a better understanding of a diversity of experiences among

David Scott

From page 6

A copy of Mr. Scott’s campaign material refers to Feinstein as “Tweedledee” and Kopp as “Tweedledum.” His message was “Make your vote count. For a change.” Ammiano said that at the time, the gay community “was reeling from the Milk-Moscone murders.” “People looked at their choices ‘Tweedledum’ and ‘Tweedledee’ and it

News Briefs

From page 8

LGBTQ group launches trans mental health survey

The National LGBTQ Task Force has partnered with Trans Lifeline to launch the nation’s first transgender mental health survey. The research is intended to provide a deep insight into the mental health care experiences of trans people in order to improve advocacy efforts. All people over the age of 18 living in the U.S. that identify as transgender are encouraged to take the online survey. “Forty-one percent of transgender people have attempted suicide, yet not enough is known about the experiences

Leather alley

From page 1

story of this collaborative project and to honor the leather community’s influence and contributions to the neighborhood. Many were dressed head-totoe in leather, including people from the Mr. S Leather contingent, Society of Janus, San Francisco’s Leathermen’s Discussion Group, along with members of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, local officials, and people from LSeven’s various teams. “This gives me a warm feeling inside,” said Rio Spooner, a lesbian proudly decked out in her leather pants and vest that read “The Exiles” on the back, a women’s leather club. “As a community we’re so used to being in the shadows and being overlooked. It’s very validating to be recognized for our contributions to the community.” Before speakers of the event like gay former state Senator Mark Leno and leather historian Gayle Rubin came

Hate crime

From page 1

yet another story, stating that he’d “asked Marquis if he wanted to drink with him.” He said Joyce asked if he was gay, and when he told him that he was, “Marquis started punching him with a closed fist and asking him, ‘What

▼

Aaron Belkin, a gay man and the longtime director of the center, said Trump is “creating a worse version of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’” and said that discrimination harms military readiness.

Earlier this month, Mattis requested and received a six-month extension for trans recruits to enlist in the military, moving the deadline to January 1. Trans service members already in the military have been serving, openly

and authentically, since October 2016, when Obama revised the policy that previously prohibited out service. Lesbians and gays have been serving openly in the military since October 2011, when the repeal of DADT went

into effect. It was unclear what prompted Trump’s trio of tweets Wednesday morning. But civil rights groups and others were caught off guard and reacted harshly. ▼

LGBTQ aging communities, transforming organizations, and removing access barriers to research. “We want to link research to practice to produce better and more impactful change in older LGBTQ peoples’ lives,” Hughes said. Another international panel member Boya Hua, who is finishing her master’s degree in mental health and social work at the University of Washington, spoke about the impact the process of cross-cultural research can have on developing countries like her home country, China, where only 1 percent of LGBTQ adults come out to their parents. For China and other countries, the process of cross-cultural research can help build supportive environments and networks, help

gain funding, and increase visibility of the LGBTQ community, she said. “Cross-cultural research can act as an impetus to social change in developing countries like China,” Hua said. After her presentation, Hua commented on the importance of representing international voices of countries where LGBTQ research faces great challenges. Hua is a coorganizer of Shanghai Pride, the longest existing LGBTQ festival in China. “This is a great opportunity to represent a different kind of race, to represent China,” she said. “It’s important to let people know the process of research can make a great impact, not just the results of the research. It already has created a large impact among the LGBTQ

community.” Rebecca Jones, Ph.D., a researcher and senior lecturer at the Open University in the United Kingdom, spoke about ways to better include bi-plus communities in research, among other panel presentations. As the preconference workshop concluded, Karen Fredriksen-Goldsen, Ph.D., a lesbian and the workshop chair and professor at the University of Washington, talked about the success of the workshop and the soon-to-come, four-day IAGG conference. Fredriksen-Goldsen is also a principal investigator in the first federally funded, longitudinal national project designed to better understand aging, health, and wellbeing of LGBT midlife and older adults, which has more than 2,000 participants.

“I see so much promise here. I’ve heard everyone talking about the importance of building community-based collaboration to ensure we can make a difference with our research,” she said. “We still have a lot to learn regardless of how long we’ve been doing research, but we must be willing and want to continue learning.” Hosted by the Gerontological Society of America and held at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis and Moscone Center, the IAGG World Congress occurs every four years. It brings together a community of aging scholars and professionals from around the world. More than 6,000 professionals in gerontology and geriatrics from medicine, nursing, social science, psychology, and various policy fields are attending.▼

didn’t look that gay-friendly,” he said. Larry Myers, Ph.D., a fellow Penn State graduate who knew Mr. Scott for 30 years, said he should have been mayor of San Francisco. “David got many votes when he ran against Dianne Feinstein and was prophetic, consummately political, and a powerful presence,” Myers, a bicoastal professor, playwright, and director of Playwrights Sanctuary, said in an email. “He wasn’t just a person but an energy field.”

Mr. Scott was born April 5, 1935 in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Penn State University in 1958 and attended George Washington University Graduate School in business administration. He moved to San Francisco in 1960 after his honorable discharge from the Navy. He served as a vice president for the old Bank of California, and worked as a Realtor. He was elected to the San Francisco Board

of Realtors but “because of his deep concerns for people problems, he is often the minority on board votes,” an old campaign flier stated. At the time of his entry into the mayor’s race, Mr. Scott served on the San Francisco Board of Permit Appeals. Alfred said that Feinstein asked him to resign once he became a candidate, and he did. After the election, Feinstein appointed him to the powerful San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, which at the

time included the Hetch-Hetchy Reservoir and Muni. Feinstein appointed the late Jo Daly, a lesbian, to the police commission. “David was a nice guy,” Alfred said. “He may have been too nice for politics.” Craig said that Mr. Scott was affable. “You couldn’t dislike the guy,” she said. Per Mr. Scott’s request, there are no plans for a public memorial.▼

of transgender people when seeking or receiving mental health care,” Victoria Rodriguez-Roldan, trans/gender non-conforming and disability justice projects director for the task force, said in a statement. Rodriguez-Roldan noted that other studies have revealed information about medical discrimination faced by trans people. Now, the task force wants to gather mental health information. According to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, 33 percent of trans people report negative experience with health providers, but it is not known how this data correlates to mental health care. To take the survey, visit www. transmentalhealthsurvey.org. It takes between 15-30 minutes to complete.

Gay rights retrospective in San Jose

the five supervisors at the time for an interview with Terry Christensen on CreaTV’s “Valley Politics.” It’s that episode that will be screened next week, and looks at Measures A and B on the 1980 ballot. There is no cost to attend. To register, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ equality-gained-equality-lost-a-freeretrospective-screening-receptiontickets-36423422437?aff=mailchim p0721&mc_cid=83a6f56e84&mc_ eid=860f9c050a.

The event, which observes World Hepatitis Day, will feature current hep C updates in the city and discussions around hep C treatment experiences and advocacy. As the Bay Area Reporter noted in an article a few weeks ago, End Hep C SF recently released a report estimating that nearly 13,000 people in San Francisco are living with hepatitis C, with people who inject drugs, gay men, and baby boomers being disproportionately likely to carry the virus. There is no cost to attend; refreshments will be provided. People are asked to RSVP by contacting jsilvis@ glide.org.▼

to the podium, people walked the alley, which runs between Eighth and Ninth streets, to get a glimpse of the new installation. Vibrant black, blue, and white stripes adorn several newly built bulb-outs on the sidewalk of the oneway alley representing the leather flag. Stone plinths, recycled curbstones that once lined city streets, come up from the ground of the bulb-outs bearing the names of iconic leather businesses. Bronze bootprints, made from the left and right soles of a pair of Dehners boots owned by Mike McNamee, the founder and former owner of Stompers, also grace the sidewalk bearing names of 30 significant leather figures. After viewing the installation, three men sat together reminiscing about the time they cruised Ringold Alley and what today’s event means to them. “I used to hang out here all the time. I was here a lot,” said Jason Macario, a member of the Bears of San

Francisco. Macario sat with Steve Holst and Mike Caffee. “I knew all those guys. I was in a relationship with Peter Hartman for 10 and a half years,” he said. Macario said it was Hartman, owner of 544 Natoma art gallery and theater, who brought Alan Selby, founder of the Mr. S Leather store and known as the “Mayor of Folsom Street,” to San Francisco. Both men’s names are represented in the installation. Macario and Holst went on to tell stories about how the industrial area was quiet during the day, but after the bars would shut down, the gay scene came alive; the significance of the monument; and how the leather community was hit hard by AIDS. “It’s important to have something to remember them by,” Holst said of the people memorialized. The installation also includes a rendering of a mural by Chuck Arnett once found on the wall of the Toolbox and shown in a photo in the June

1964 issue of Life magazine that accompanied the now infamous article “Homosexuality in America.” An image of Caffee’s sculpture, “Leather David,” a rendering of the famous biblical character decked out in a leather outfit, also adorns the marker. Caffee is one of the men pictured in the “Homosexuality in America” photo and proud to have attended the ceremony on Tuesday. He also talked about what Ringold Alley used to be like. “Cars were wrapped around the corner, there were so many people,” he said. During remarks, Amir Massih, northern California president of 4Terra Investments, served as host. He thanked everyone involved in the project, including the San Francisco Planning Commission; Folsom Street Events, which agreed to maintain the leather installation; and the West SOMA Task Force. Leno spoke about the city’s increasing housing shortage. He

emphasized the redevelopment’s low-income housing, retail and makers’ space and said that the project is an exemplary way to create housing without displacing those who have been living here for many years. “This is a great project that represents so many community voices,” Leno said. “So much of the history of what the neighborhood used to be is here today.” Rubin talked about the community’s history, including the start of the Up Your Alley Fair, which began in 1985 and will hold its 33rd iteration Sunday, July 30. She said although this is a significant moment in leather history, there is still more work to be done. “There is nothing else like this anywhere in the world,” she said of the installation. “But we haven’t done everything there is to be done. We need to make new stories of durable public art, especially of stigmatized communities.” ▼

do you want faggot?’” In a summary released the day after the May 6 incident, police referred to it as a robbery and gave no indication that a hate crime had occurred. The victim, who’s 47, was at a bus stop when two black males in their 20s punched him, took his phone, and fled, police said.

The victim, whose name the Bay Area Reporter isn’t publishing, couldn’t be reached for comment. Elias indicated in her court filing that Joyce, who faces another battery charge stemming from a previous incident, is homeless but he’d been getting help from Larkin Street Youth Services,

which has many LGBT clients. Max Szabo, a spokesman for the district attorney’s office, declined to discuss details of the case but noted that earlier this month, retired Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge John J. Garibaldi found there was sufficient evidence to hold Joyce for trial on all charges in the hate crime case. ▼

Joyce remains in custody on $90,000 bail. His next court date is Thursday (July 27).▼

Gay Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager will hold a retrospective screening and reception on early South Bay gay history Monday, January 31 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Isaac Newton Senter Auditorium at the Santa Clara County Government Center, 70 West Hedding Street in San Jose. In an email to constituents, Yeager said that in 1979, the year after the assassination of San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk, equal rights were at the forefront of debate nationwide. When an LGBT antidiscrimination ordinance was put for a vote in Santa Clara County, the supervisors were at a crossroads. Yeager gathered together four of

Hep C meeting

End Hep C SF will hold a community meeting, “Tales from the Cured” Thursday, August 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Glide building, 330 Ellis Street in San Francisco.

▼

Legal Notices>>

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-17-553143 In the matter of the application of: CINDY WONG DASTIDAR, 325 BERRY ST, #616, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94158, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner CINDY WONG DASTIDAR, is requesting that the name CINDY WONG DASTIDAR, be changed to CINDY VAN WONG. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 22nd of August 2017 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted. JULY 06, 13, 20, 27, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037662400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TIP TOP BEAUTY SALON, 1547 CHURCH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NGA TU LAM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/29/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/29/17. JULY 06, 13, 20, 27, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037634700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: COGNIGENCIA, 2355 LEAVENWORTH ST #405, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed RYAN HANAU, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/05/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/12/17. JULY 06, 13, 20, 27, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037660400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PARTRIDGE, 575 10TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed CLARA ROSE, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/01/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/28/17. JULY 06, 13, 20, 27, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037661700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SAN FRANCISCO INSIGHT AND INTEGRATION CENTER, 4257 18TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed GREGORY WELLS INC, (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/29/17. JULY 06, 13, 20, 27, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037658300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE WORTHINGTON LAW CENTRE, 582 MARKET ST 17TH FLR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104. This business is conducted by an unincorporated association other than a partnership, and is signed BRIAN M. WORTHINGTON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/08/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/27/17. JULY 06, 13, 20, 27, 2017

July 27-August 2, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 11

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037659800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NOE VALLEY FAMILY CHILDCARE, 309 30TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed NOE VALLEY FAMILY CHILDCARE 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 06/27/17. JULY 06, 13, 20, 27, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037660900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ROCKSTAR CELLPHONE COMPUTER REPAIR, 2601 SAN BRUNO AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed CELLPHONE DEVICE REPAIR LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/27/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/28/17. JULY 06, 13, 20, 27, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037668500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CONTAINER SURVEYOR SERVICES, 4308 IRVING ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BEHZAD SADEGHI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/05/17. JULY 13, 20, 27, AUG 03, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037674000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE HUMMINGBIRDS, 155 BORICA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ADELA MACMILLAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/01/07. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/10/17. JULY 13, 20, 27, AUG 03, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037669000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ILL-MONOTONOUS ENVOY, 11555 VISTA PLACE, DUBLIN, CA 94568. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ROBERT ANDERSON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/04/2017. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/05/2017. JULY 13, 20, 27, AUG 03, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037672100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GLC CONSTRUCTION, 2420 TARAVAL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed GLC AND COMPANY (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/07/2017. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/07/2017. JULY 13, 20, 27, AUG 03, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037659700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: UNCLE JOE, 2101 21ST AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed UNCLE JOE, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/27/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/27/17. JULY 13, 20, 27, AUG 03, 2017

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037661300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ZANELLO PROPERTIES, 1869 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed ARTHUR ZANELLO & SYLVIA ZANELLO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/01/00. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/28/17. JULY 13, 20, 27, AUG 03, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037664800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BUCHANAN’S BIRTH AND BABYCARE, 124 DARTMOUTH ROAD #4, SAN MATEO, CA 94402. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed BUCHANAN’S BIRTH AND BABYCARE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/03/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/03/17. JULY 13, 20, 27, AUG 03, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037667700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: REVEILLE COFFEE CO., 937 HARRISON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed EVER88 LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/05/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/05/17. JULY 13, 20, 27, AUG 03, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037663700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: EMPORIUM SAN FRANCISCO, 616 DIVISADERO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed EMPORIUM SF, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/30/17. JULY 13, 20, 27, AUG 03, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037670500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TRUE LAUREL, 753 ALABAMA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed FLOWER SHOP, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/06/17. JULY 13, 20, 27, AUG 03, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037678400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DESKABLE, 6923 CALIFORNIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121 . This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ZAREH SARKISSIAN . The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/12/17. JULY 20, 27, AUG 03, 10, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037676700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JENNY’S RESTAURANT, 91 6TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SHI YAN YAO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious

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San Francisco’s Top Rated Guest House

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Notices>> – THANK YOU ST. JUDE –

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

business name or names on 07/11/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/11/17. JULY 20, 27, AUG 03, 10, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037658700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PERPETUAL GARAGE DOORS, 1728 OCEAN AVE #236, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JONATHAN CHOW. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/15/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/27/17. JULY 20, 27, AUG 03, 10, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037658600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MERITAGE CELLARS, 254 JULES AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JONATHAN CHOW. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/16/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/27/17. JULY 20, 27, AUG 03, 10, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037673800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE PARTNERS TRUST; PARTNERS TRUST; PT COMMERCIAL, 1699 VAN NESS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed PACIFIC UNION INTERNATIONAL, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/10/17. JULY 20, 27, AUG 03, 10, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037675500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FEVE ARTISAN CHOCOLATIER, 2210 KEITH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed FEVE CHOCOLATES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/11/17. JULY 20, 27, AUG 03, 10, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037661200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ESSENTIAL INVESTMENT CAPITAL, 2820 PACIFIC AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed KAC FAMILY INVESTMENTS, LLC. 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 06/28/17. JULY 20, 27, AUG 03, 10, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037684100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MOSHI MOCHI CREAMERY, 945 TARAVAL ST #281, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SAY YA! PHOTOBOOTH, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/17/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/17/17. JULY 20, 27, AUG 03, 10, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037691000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MAIKU, 1574 BUSH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MICHEL JEW. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/20/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/20/17. JULY 27, AUG 03, 10, 17, 2017 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-031517200 The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: YOGA MAYU, 2051 HARRISON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business was conducted by a married couple and signed by ROBERT DONALD & GIZELLA DONALD. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/20/08. JULY 27, AUG 03, 10, 17, 2017 AMENDED NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF OTTO E. HOFFMAN IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, 400 MCALLISTER ST., SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102 COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES-17-300996 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of OTTO E. HOFFMAN. A Petition for Probate has been filed by WERNER HEISSERER in the Superior Court of California County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that MARIO ALBERTO AVILA AND WERNER HEISSERER be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: August 16, 2017, 9:00 A.M. Dept: Probate, Rm. 204, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing

or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: Aaron M. Palley 260544 & Howard D. Neal 058772, Neal & Associates, 6200 Antioch St. #202, Oakland, CA 94611; Ph. (510) 3390233. JULY 27, AUG 03, 10, 17, 2017 PUBLIC NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLICIT BIDS WITH NOTICE INVITING BIDS Sealed bids will be received by Golden State ADHC at 738 La Playa, SF, CA 94121 until 08.21.17 The contract will be for meals (Breakfast, Lunch, Supplement) for 1 year period beginning 10.01.17. Bulk type for meal will be used based on a 6 weeks menu cycle. The contract will be awarded to the Responsible bidder whose bid is responsive to this invitation and its most advantageous to the Golden State ADHC, price and other factors considered. Any questions regarding this proposed contract may be referred to Dmitry Margusov at 415-387-2750. JULY 27, AUGUST 03, 2017 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO 400 MCALLISTER STREET, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102 FILE CNC-17-553186 In the matter of the application of: LEONORE SABATINO, 1283 5TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner LEONORE SABATINO, is requesting that the name LEONORE SABATINO AKA LEONORE FAITH CONNER AKA LEONORE CONNER AKA LI MOON, be changed to LI MOON. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 14th of September 2017 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted. JULY 27, AUG 03, 10, 17, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037695400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DOMA SUSHI BAR, 433 PRECITA AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ADRIANA HONG. 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 07/24/17. JULY 27, AUG 03, 10, 17, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037691600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PHUNG YAM ASSOCIATES, 1946 GREAT HIGHWAY, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed PHUNG YAM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/01/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/20/17. JULY 27, AUG 03, 10, 17, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037692400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PACROBAN, 6254 GEARY BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed FARAHIM ALILI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/20/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/21/17. JULY 27, AUG 03, 10, 17, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037678300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ALEX GONZALEZ US PHOTOGRAPHY, 59 LEE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ALEX GONZALEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/12/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/12/17. JULY 27, AUG 03, 10, 17, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037668800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JULIT’Z CLEANING, 60 KENT CT #8, DALY CITY, CA 94015. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOSE MENA POLO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/05/17. JULY 27, AUG 03, 10, 17, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037688800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CATHERINE PYNE INTERPRETING SERVICES, 530 17TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CATHERINE PYNE. 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 07/19/17. JULY 27, AUG 03, 10, 17, 2017

Cage bred

Wives' tale

Late Show

More Maurice

The

Vol. 44 • No. 30 • July 27-August 2, 2017

www.ebar.com/arts

Kristen Loken

Sarah Rice

Resistors: Power to the people!

by Sura Wood

In a photo by Sarah Rice, protestors climb on top of a semi truck at the ports as part of Occupy Oakland’s general strike in Oakland, Calif., Wed., Nov. 2, 2011. Thousands of protestors marched to the Port of Oakland and blockaded it, shutting down maritime operations.

he Bay Area has a storied history of grass roots agitation and progressive politics, as well a legacy of social movement photography whose leading light, Dorothea Lange, had her epiphany in San Francisco during the Great Depression. So it’s inevitable that “Resistors: 50 Years of Social Movement Photography,” a well-thought-out, handsomely installed exhibition on the subject at the Berkeley Art Center, would come to be. A valuable primer on our ongoing

and not-so-distant activist past, this edifying show was curated by documentary photographer Ken Light, a professor at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, and Melanie Light, who notes that photographers have been instrumental in “bringing the voice of the people to the insulated offices of government, and waking up sleepy communities to their outmoded ways of thinking.” The commitment of social change agents, she adds, “is nothing without the visual record.” A portion of that essential record is supplied here by more than 30 front-line photojournalists who have See page 14 >>

Opera triple play by Philip Campbell

he second event in the Merola Opera Program’s 2017 Summer Festival featured three one-act operas performed last week on a single bill, at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Loosely connected by a theme of connubial love (before, during and after the nuptials), the program looked a little long on paper. The production actually flew by with exuberant assurance and professionalism. Director Peter Kazaras added many deft touches to the trio of short operas – a delicious sight gag here and a meaningful glance there, aided by Chris Lundahl’s subtle lighting design. The appropriate and attractive costumes by Kristi Johnson were also in synch with the effective

Merola Opera Program’s Daniel Noyola (bassbaritone) and Jana McIntyre (soprano) in “La serva padrona” at San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

See page 19 >>

{ SECOND OF TWO SECTIONS }

t Theatre>>

July 27-August 2, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 13

Hiding the gay in luxe St. Tropez by Richard Dodds

as Les Cagelles. The eternal headliner is the fabulous Zaza, no longer an ingenue, who offstage is Albin, Georges’ partner in show business and the business of their lives together. When the can’t-pass-don’task-me Albin is asked to do just that, it sets the path to the musical’s comedic climax that even manages to steamroll a high-profile moralizing politician into submission. One overriding asset of this production is the belief created by Ryan

Drummond and John Treacy Egan that their Georges and Albin are true soulmates – who also just happen to be good singers. Drummond has a confident affability as Georges, who has learned how to keep the diva he lives with in a temperate zone. In both his guises as offstage Albin and onstage Zaza, Egan finds authenticity in relative understatement – although a brief appearance as straight “Uncle Al” is a marvel of burlesque transformation – but perhaps his “I Am What I Am” has room for a few more dramatic flourishes. For the most part, the other characters in Harvey Fierstein’s adaptation of a 1973 French play are stock figures providing the necessary support to roll out the jokes amid occasional heart-tugging sentiment. These roles are played as needed by Nikita Burshteyn as Georges’ personable son from a one-off liaison, Samantha Rose as his sweet-as-canbe fiancee, Christopher Reber as her harrumphing politician-father, and Adrienne Herro as his dutiful wife. One exception to the paint-bynumbers performances is provided by Brian Yates Sharber’s Gallic variation on Pearl Bailey as Georges and Albin’s outrageous butler, who’d rather be the maid. Director Bill English’s produc-

3. “Barihunk Malte Roesner is making his US debut next month with West Edge Opera in the very sexy role of Doristo in Soler’s ‘The Chastity Tree,’ playing Aug. 6-19. The two-time winner of the Richard Wagner Foundation scholarship will be joined by an all-star cast led by sopranos Christine Brandes as Cupid and Nikki Einfeld as Diana. The gifted accompanist Robert Mollicone will conduct. “Roesner just made his recital debut at Dashe Cellars in Oakland last weekend, singing songs that he unearthed out of old European archives. He’s also trained as a musicologist, and this music had not been performed since the 18th century.” 4. “‘Memories of a Penitent Heart’ will have its national television debut on the PBS series ‘POV’ on Mon., July 31. Filmmaker

Cecilia Aldarondo suspected that there was something ugly in her family’s past. ‘Penitent Heart’ excavates a buried conflict around her uncle Miguel, who died at a time when AIDS was synonymous with sin. As she searches for Miguel’s partner decades later, the film, both a love story and a tribute, offers a cautionary tale of how faith can be used and abused in times of crisis.” 5. Finally, we offer this CD cover of Spanish operatic countertenor Xavier Sabata’s latest release, “Catharsis,” from Aparte Music.

here are occasional opportunities missed in San Francisco Playhouse’s production of “La Cage aux Folles,” but this musical – which has always had its own share of lumps – continues to transcend enough of all of that to convince us, at least briefly, that these are the best of times, as one of Jerry Herman’s inescapable melodies so ardently insists. When it first opened on Broadway in 1983, the musical was both ahead of and behind the times. In many ways, it was the last hurrah for the kind of musicals that had once dominated Broadway. On the other hand, at the worst moments of the AIDS crisis, it was all about homosexuals triumphing over the people who would have them disappear. But it did so in such unthreatening fashion – set in a farcical exotic world far apart from mainstream audiences – that it could at least briefly melt most homophobic resistance. The novelty of men convincingly performing as women in a highkicking chorus line was part of the original production’s allure – during the curtain calls there was the gasp-worthy reveal of who were the one or two female ringers – but by the time the musical was back on

Jessica Palopoli

John Treacy Egan, right, decides to take over the role of the missing mother to his surrogate son (Nikita Burshteyn) when his fiancee (Samantha Rose) brings her priggish parents to meet their potential in-laws in “La Cage aux Folles” at San Francisco Playhouse.

Broadway in its third incarnation in 2010, the focus on the prancing Les Cagelles had been reduced, with the 20-year relationship between Georges and Albin offering more of the comic and sentimental center of the show. The debonair Georges is the can-pass-for-straight operator of the St. Tropez nightclub that gives the musical its name, and where the nightly entertainment includes the featured drag chorines known

tion moves well and generally in the right directions, but with some key sight-gags missed, among them the supposed transformation of Georges and Albin’s apartment from gay shrine to monastic simplicity for the sake of the potential father-in-law, which seems limited to removing one flamingo and adding two crucifixes. Jacquelyn Scott’s massive rotating set must offer a variety of locations, which it does so dutifully and with an odd peepshow inset into the edge of the set every time it revolves. Kimberly Richards’ choreography for the reduced presence of Les Cagelles seems at least partly designed to camouflage uneven dancing skills, though they are an enthusiastic lot who are just one showcase for the wide variety of costumes Abra Berman has provided. The ubiquitous music director Dave Dobrusky, often toiling away alone at the piano, is the able leader of a six-piece ensemble for this production that may lack finesse around the edges, but has a steady bead on the musical’s heart. t “La Cage aux Folles” will run through Sept. 16 at San Francisco Playhouse. Tickets are $30-$125. Call (415) 677-9596 or go to sfplayhouse.org.

Five easy pieces by Roberto Friedman

he vulgar Orange Carbuncle disfiguring the backside of the American body politic once insulted our national intelligence by calling the free press “the enemy of the people.” It’s a poisonous phrase that was also used by his apparent role models Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong, but we doubt that the Idiot-in-Chief knows its history, since he can’t be bothered to read. But Out There believes our reading public knows that the free press is not the enemy of a well-educated democracy, we’re your best friend. In that spirit, we present a column that’s nothing but News You Can Use. Behold, our content curation of the week’s best press releases: 1. “San Francisco Opera is looking for adult supernumeraries (extras) to appear in the company’s upcoming Fall 2017 Season. An open audition will be held on Mon., July 31, beginning at 6 p.m., at the War Memorial Opera House. No previous experience is required, and there is no fee to audition. “Supernumeraries, also known as supers, act as extras (in costume and make-up) on the stage in nonspeaking, non-singing roles. Supers have the unparalleled opportunity

to work alongside some of the most acclaimed artists in the world, and help bring SF Opera’s dazzling, large-scale productions to life on the stage of the historic War Memorial. Supers are volunteers, but an honorarium is provided to those cast in productions. “Supers will have the opportunity to rehearse and perform in one or more of SF Opera’s fall season operas, including a visceral production of Richard Strauss’ ‘Elektra,’ Jules Massenet’s enchanting ‘Manon,’ the highly anticipated world premiere of John Adams’ ‘Girls of the Golden West,’ and two repertory favorites, Giacomo Puccini’s ‘Turandot’ and Giuseppe Verdi’s ‘La Traviata.’ Supers can be any age (adults only), shape or size. No previous experience required. These roles are non-speaking, nonsinging and volunteer.” 2. “Flyaway Productions artistic director Jo Kreiter is the first choreographer named as a Rauschenberg Foundation 2017 Artist-as-Activist Fellow. As part of a two-year grant, Kreiter’s work, along with the other fellows’ work, will encourage people to move beyond awareness and take action on the injustices that mass incarceration causes generations of immigrants and people of color in the United States.”

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<< Books

14 • BAY AREA REPORTER • July 27-August 2, 2017

Building a smarter resistance by Erin Blackwell

any people are very upset that Donald Trump won the presidential election last year, but few know what to do about it. There are three possible responses, not mutually exclusive: actively hate Trump and focus on his impeachment, ignore Trump’s existence and focus on the simple joys left to us, or get in touch with your inner activist and take steps to thwart not the Trump brand per se but the forces that brought us this Trump moment. Okay, sure, but where to start? Tune into best-selling political thinker and activist Naomi Klein’s wavelength via her latest book, “No Is Not Enough,” published by Haymarket Books at $16.95. Klein is easily mistaken for an “American” in the U.S.-centric sense of the word. Currently a resident of Toronto, she was actually born in Montreal, which is of course in North America, of USA parents who’d deserted the homeland during the Vietnam War. Growing up, she got tired of being dragged to demonstrations, but two things shocked her into taking up the ac-

Resistors

From page 12

collectively documented a half-century of causes that prompted local citizens to take to the streets. Many of the pictures – the Lights oversaw production of the high-quality, mostly black & white prints – are allthe-more remarkable when one considers the chaos and potential danger that must have swirled around the

tivist torch she was born to. First, her mother had a series of strokes, and Klein experienced the hardship of dealing with crisis. Then, on Dec. 6, 1989, an anti-feminist maniac massacred 14 women at Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique. That horror flipped Klein’s political activist feminist men and women wielding the camera; with few exceptions, they put the viewer in the middle of the action. Though there are sure to be visitors who will feel a meaningful issue didn’t get the attention it deserved, the show covers a lot of ground, and wisely, doesn’t try to be definitive and all-encompassing. Every photo has a caption identifying the event portrayed, augmented, in some cases, with helpful background.

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switch to “on.” Her new book’s subtitle, “Resisting Trump’s Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need,” refers back to Klein’s 2007 book, “The Shock Doctrine,” an extremely useful analysis of the way profiteers exploit natural disaster to push their own selfish agendas to the detriment of communities already victimized by shock. It’s basically smashand-grab by neoliberals. She pointed the finger at 1976 Nobel Laureate Economist Milton Friedman of the University of Chicago, beloved advisor to USA President Ronald Reagan and UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who did what they could to scupper the safety nets of their respective countries. Klein’s first chapter, “How Trump Won By Becoming the Ultimate Brand,” opens with an anecdote about where she was when she heard who won the 2016 presidential election. She was in Australia, meeting with heads of environmental, labor, and social justice organizations, seeking a way to combine their efforts. Everyone thought Trump would lose. Then they got the results. “I

can’t shake the feeling that there is something important to learn from the way Trump’s win was able to cut short our conversation, how it severed plans for a forward-looking agenda without so much as a debate.” Trump as the ultimate shockmeister: “He keeps everyone all the time in a reactive state,” Klein told the Guardian. “It’s not like he’s taking advantage of an external shock, he is the shock.” To better understand the man-brand Donald, Klein reaches back to her anti-brand treatise “No Logo” (2000). That breakthrough book focused, she now writes, on the “seemingly innocuous idea developed by management theorists in the mid-1980s: that to be successful, corporations must primarily produce brands as opposed to products.” She revisits her analysis, then applies it to Trump’s evolution, continuing in Chapter 2, “The First Family of Brands,” to explain exactly what the whole parasitic clan is up to in the White House. Klein is a journalist, not an academic, and her prose is designed to go down easily. She doesn’t waste the reader’s time, in 266 pages, with arcane theories or personal obsessions. She’s extremely skillful at wrapping the hotdog of radical political thought in the bacon of pop-cultural savvy, media-critical,

current-event reporting, with some personal anecdotes on the side. That doesn’t make her message any less scary. “Acknowledging that Trump’s presidency is being produced like a reality show in no way diminishes the danger it represents,” Klein writes in Chapter 3, “The Mar-a-Lago Hunger Games.” She cites Trump’s use of USA’s largest non-nuclear munitions on a cave in Afghanistan last April as a chilling indicator of just where this show might be headed. After Part One’s history lesson, Klein describes the present “Climate of Inequality,” opening with a quote from James Baldwin: “I imagine that one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, that they will forced to deal with pain.” Part Three forecasts “How It Could Get Worse: The Shocks to Come,” before the final part describes “How Things Could Get Better.” The hardest work for the political thinker or social visionary is to get creative with solutions. Klein appends “The Leap Manifesto,” a collaborative statement calling for “a Canada based on caring for the Earth and one another,” which practices “energy democracy” within a “nonpolluting economy.” These goals, applicable here and now, must underpin any hopes for advancing the social justice we crave. t

Starting off in 1967 with the Free Speech Movement, the same year when over 100,000 people marched against the Vietnam War in San Francisco, the show touches on demonstrations on the UCB campus, AIDS and LGBTQ rights, and Black Lives Matter, among other political actions, including the run-up to the war in Iraq. Mima Cataldo, an artist, social-justice photographer and feminist activist, snagged a piercing theatrical tableau at a 2003 demonstration, where “Women in Black” protestors, one with her breast exposed, veiled their faces in mourning and cradled dolls in bloodied swaddling representing the innocent casualties of war. For a decade beginning in the mid-1960s, Nacio Jan Brown, whose images were widely circulated in the underground press at the time, photographed nearly every major anti-war and social protest in the Bay Area. He took a chilling picture of a helicopter emitting clouds of tear gas near UCB’s Campanile. The bombing, which impacted not only demonstrators but faculty, passers-by, neighborhood residents and their children, was authorized by the university to quell an episode at People’s Park in 1969, when students took over and reclaimed university land for a park. During the ensuing riot, several were killed

after police fired into the crowd. Award-winning photo-essayist Stephen Shames shot a jarring image of helmeted county sheriffs taking a break on a playground after the melee, one of them laughing and gesturing expansively as he leans back against a kiddie slide. In another picture by Shames, a student wearing a gas mask throws a canister over his shoulder at the police as he runs toward the camera, staying steps ahead of the smoky haze at a 1970 campus protest against the U.S. incursion into Cambodia. John Storey captured a dark day of fury in his 1979 photograph of the White Night Riots, which erupted after former city supervisor Dan White was convicted for manslaughter instead of murder, and given only a seven-year sentence for his assassination of Harvey Milk and George Moscone. The image is among a number of pivotal moments of rage, sorrow and elation in the city’s LGBTQ’s community: Milk with a fist raised in giddier days, riding on top of a car on Market Street at the 1978 Gay Freedom Day parade (Terry Schmitt); Women on the Verge in black gloves and muscle shirts, cooling their heels on motorcycles, right before the start of the Gay & Lesbian Freedom parade in 1988 (Saul Bromberger/Sandra Hoover); and Sarah Rice’s photograph of a pair of

brides in backless wedding dresses and fright wigs in the Castro at the Day of Decision rally in 2015, which celebrated the Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage ruling. Chronicling Black Lives Matter protests in 2014 are powerful images such as Kelly Owen’s color depiction of an African American man in a red hoodie, face down on a crowded Berkeley street. He lifts his eyes to a camera discreetly positioned at ground level. On the scene at protests triggered by the failure to indict the police officer responsible for killing Michael Brown in Ferguson, Noah Berger caught both a panicked undercover officer aiming his gun at protestors after some of them attacked him and his partner, and another demonstrator posing in an eerily lit Guy Fawkes mask. And finally, there’s Rosa Furneaux’s living-color picture portrait of triumph: teenagers Lael Jones and Naia Rodarte-Young in a transcendent moment, standing tall above a raucous Oakland crowd holding up a sign that reads: “Fight Like a Girl” at the Women’s March, attended by over 80,000 the day after Trump’s inauguration in January. Resistors all.t Through Aug. 21. berkeleyartcenter.org.

Kelly J. Owen’s

Kelly J. Owen’s photo of Black Lives Matter protests, Berkeley, CA, 2014.

July 27-August 2, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 15

Books>>

Less happens to be more by Tim Pfaff

f there are beach books in San Francisco – brrr – this summer’s ought to be “Less.” The latest novel by San Franciscan Andrew Sean Greer, “Less” (Lee Boudreux Books/ Little, Brown) is a book that has found its beat as well as its voice. Few other things are as subjective as “funny,” which is mostly in the ribs of the be-tickled, but Greer has sidestepped ungainly pratfalls by focusing his wit on the rich comedy of travel in foreign cultures (camels are ridden) and, particularly, on the haplessness of its protagonist, the nebbish-y WASP failing novelist Arthur Less. The wit, while keen, is mild-mannered and well-behaved, always hinting that the author is making fun of himself first and foremost, and only then of the comedy of errors that is all of us. Humor is a high-wire act at the best of times, but since ours are not the best of times, Greer’s fast-reading 250-page literary caper is particularly welcome. But the novel is both more and less than it appears, and while it signals from the start that the reader would err in taking it too seriously – or seriously at all, really – Greer’s ambition in this, his sixth novel, shows. The art of the avoidance of writing has never been mined more deeply

Kaliel Roberts

San Francisco author Andrew Sean Greer.

for its humor than in Geoff Dyer’s “Out of Sheer Rage.” In “Less” Greer gives us the well-trodden ground of a novel about a failing and flailing novelist – and pulls it off. Early on, his protagonist, whom his creator will only call Less, commits, on the page, what he acknowledges as the novelist’s – any novelist’s – fatal error: talking about his book. It has the predictable result of making Less’ novel sound lame – and the payoff for Greer of keeping attention off it, of getting the reader to care almost as little as Less whether a second go at the book will whip it into shape. Only as “Less” (not Less) settles down, and with it the reader, does Greer ven-

ture more advanced writerly moves – multiple narrative points of view, elastic plot-lines, some flirty, mildly postmodern winking directly at his audience – and then with something less than the wingspan of an albatross, to use his own expression. “Less” is more ur- than metanovel, and from his likely subgenre choices, the epistolary and the picaresque, Greer has shrewdly chosen the latter. The conceit is that Less, whose latest novel has been declined by a publisher who previously hoped he would become “family,” has also been unmoored (whether dumper or dumpee varies) by his boyfriend Freddy – that abandonment hard on the heels of his older long-term lover’s having gone back to his wife. To avoid the horror of attending Freddy’s surprise gay wedding, Less accepts all of his recent, rum offers to speak, read, interview and give and receive dubious prizes abroad, a back-of-the-napkin sum of which tells him he could travel around the world more or less expense-paid (a key consideration). In short, it is a planned misadventure. The devilish humor is in the details. His older lover is Robert Brownburn, unofficial poet laureate of the “Russian River School,” a self-designated aggregate of writers and other artists from the wider 1970s and 80s Bay Area scene whose

principal achievement was staying wasted. A putative “genius” but selfacknowledged rolling financial crisis, Robert has, in the breakup, given Less their rickety artist’s garret on the Vulcan Steps. Readers not steeped in San Francisco geography or the city’s gay arts scene of the last half-century will be able to follow the jolly goingson (AIDS is but the remotest of shadows), but, like the readers of Michael Chabon’s “Telegraph Avenue” who did not also live in the East Bay in the same time period, they will “get,” well, less. There are regular reminders, and narrative evidence, that Less is bad in bed – not that that has left his belt or the headboard of his bed un-notched, or curbed his infidelities. The most wounding thing he is told during his travels is that he is a bad gay. But Greer shelters the reader from the full impact of the “bad gay” charge by making Less ever likeable, a lesser Parsifal of the Grail sandcastle built on the gay beach at Lands End. As a young Freddy’s father Carlos (don’t ask) tells Less at an upscale resort in India (ditto): “I remember when we met [at Lands End]. You were so skinny, all clavicle and hipbone! And innocent. The rest of us were so far from innocent, I don’t think we even thought about pretending.

You were different. I think everybody wanted to touch that innocence, maybe ruin it. Your way of going through the world, unaware of danger. Clumsy and naive. Of course I envied you.” The laughs subside in hallucinatory everyday India, and we feel ourselves moving toward – what? Innocence recaptured? The landing is messier and softer than that, but you see why Armistead Maupin is wild about “Less.” t

and their brief marriage. As with “Blue,” Molaskey searches her soul as she finds the deep emotional layers in Mitchell’s lyrics, supported by a simple piano backup. What listeners get is the story of a woman as she remembers a lost love. Does she still love him?

After appearing in a dozen Broadway shows and performing in thousands of concerts, Jessica Molaskey is no slouch when it comes to singing. Her voice is strong, and her musical emotions run deep. Though she falters slightly on tracks where she tries to “update”

Mitchell, most of “Portraits of Joni” is beautifully done. This CD will no doubt fascinate Molaskey’s fan base, not to mention the many of us for whom Mitchell remains one of pop music’s greatest and most poetic songwriters. t

Both sides now by David-Elijah Nahmod

oni Mitchell and Jessica Molaskey are as different as night and day. Mitchell is the legendary confessional singer-songwriter who wrote poems about her life and set them to music. Molaskey is a well-known cabaret artist who often appears at New York’s Cafe Carlyle when she’s not performing on Broadway. Their musical styles have little if anything in common. Fans of both women might therefore be surprised by Molaskey’s latest CD, a tribute to the now-retired Mitchell. In the just-released “Portraits of Joni,” Molaskey offers 14 tracks in which she puts her own unique stamp on several of Mitchell’s better-known songs. Some of the tracks are as lovely as the Mitchell originals. On the deeply intimate “Both Sides Now,” in which Mitchell wrote about the changes and maturity that came into her life as she got older, Molaskey sings quietly and plaintively. She’s supported on this track by a simple piano back-up, and the results are quite lovely. Other tracks might surprise listeners. In the iconic “Chelsea Morning,” Mitchell recalled her salad days at the legendary Chelsea Hotel in New York, which many famous artists (and members of the Andy Warhol Factory) called home. Mitchel sang the song simply and nostalgically, with a minimum of instrumentals. Molaskey performs her rendition with a jazzier beat, combining Mitchell’s lyrics with a few bars from “Aquelas Coisas Todas,” a Latin jazz number performed by her husband John Pizzarelli. The result is a bizarre hybrid of Mitchell and the sound of Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66 (who did not record “ACT”), the Latin American

jazz band that rose to prominence around the same time as Mitchell. Though Mitchell and Mendes both employed unique musical styles that made them rise above the rest, they don’t necessarily go together. Molaskey, with her offbeat cover, might have some listeners applauding her strange melding of two different types of music. Others might not be as pleased with the unexpected combo. Molaskey again attempts to get differing musical styles to meet in the middle when she combines Mitchell’s “The Circle Game” with “Waters of March,” a folk ballad by Susannah McCorkle, a few lines of which are again performed by Pizzarelli. Both songs glide in and out of each other with the kind of jazz beat one might expect during happy hour. It’s Mitchell again performed in a style not necessarily suited to her unique tunes. Fortunately, the moments of heartfelt loveliness on “Portraits of Joni” are in the majority. On one memorable track Molaskey performs the hauntingly sad “Blue,” the title track from one of Mitchell’s unforgettable earlier albums. As Mitchell did, Molaskey sings from her heart, weeping with her voice on a selection that might leave some listeners wiping away a tear or two. Molaskey achieves similar heights with Mitchell’s “The Last Time I Saw Richard,” the songwriter’s homage to her first husband

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16 • BAY AREA REPORTER • July 27-August 2, 2017

Maternity ward

by David Lamble

an uptight, obstinate worka“It doesn’t matter.” holic could abide the mere “Yes, it does. I want to see n “The Midwife,” director presence of an irresponsible him.” Martin Provost (“Seraphine”) individual who mocks her “He was cremated. Mother aims for a tough-minded dramvalues and who was, at the and I tossed his ashes in the edy about a stiff-necked woman, very least, a catalyst for the Seine.” Claire (Catherine Frot), whose greatest tragedy of her life. On the face of it, this reoccupation and temperament are Warning: “The Midwife” is lationship appears kaput. all business. Beatrice (Catherine not for the squeamish. In fact, But that’s just where writerDeneuve), her late father’s aging the first five minutes push us director Provost provides a mistress, is told she is dying, and as close as technically possible succession of subplots, innow is desperate to reconnect with to several actual live births, cluding an improbable roClaire, the daughter of the man with which actress Catherine mance for Claire with a midshe considers the true love of her Frot is actually assisting (with dle-aged long-distance truck life. the permission of the mothdriver Paul (tough guy OlClaire, now alone in the world ers). I have always hated the ivier Gourmet, taking a rare except for infrequent visits from sight of real operations, but cream-puff turn as an unMusic Box Films her handsome medical-student these realistic delivery-room usually empathetic available son Simon (Quentin Dolmaire), scenes didn’t put me off, are Catherine Deneuve and Catherine Frot in director Martin Provost’s “The Midwife.” bachelor). Claire’s son Simon at first hates the very idea of Beaessential to the story, and are also slips in as social glue. trice, a libertine free spirit whom reprised several times, constiIn the end, “The Midwife” she considers responsible for her whom Claire orders to stop filmpapers. It’s on Wikipedia in blacktuting the filmmakers’ illusremains an at-times awkward dad’s suicide. If “The Midwife” is ing and assist in the birth of his and-white. He committed suicide. tration that life does indeed go on, two-hander, sanctifying relationto work its Gallic charms on you, son. “Sir, I’m going to need you. Shortly after you left.” irrespective of our wishes. (The ships that most Americans would you must invest, for at least 117 Put your hands under her but“I don’t read the papers. I never funniest of these scenes involves consider fit only for the grist of tabminutes, in the movie fantasy that tocks and lift up.”) have. And I’m lost with Internet. the cellphone-video-wielding dad loid TV, and only then if the particiThis film is nothing without How?” pants were hugely famous or notoriFrot and Deneuve, whose frosty “You really want to know? He ous. When does a soap-opera-style sparring sessions are well-launched shot himself in the heart. I found plot transcend its seedy origins and in a restaurant scene where Beahim at home. The apartment where deserve to be taken seriously? To trice orders herself a hearty lunch, we all lived.” get his characters over that hump, complete with the right wine, while “I’m so mad at myself. You can’t Provost exceeds the film’s appropriClaire silently fumes until she imagine, Claire. I thought that after ate running time of by at least 20 breaks the news that the man of all this time, we’d meet up, forget minutes. The baby-delivery scenes, their lives is no more. all that nonsense, and make peace. which will doubtless be a hit on Best Wedding Photographer Beatrice: “You don’t want to eat?” What a fool I am! You must hate YouTube, will soften the blow for as voted by BAR readers Claire: “He’s dead. It was in the me. Where’s he buried?” art-house audiences. t

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he Umbrellas of Cherbourg,” writer-director Jacques Demy’s musical masterpiece, continues to defy expectations. So daring in 1964 no studio wanted to distribute it, it became a worldwide sensation, made lead actress Catherine Deneuve an international star, and film composer Michel Legrand a blockbuster success. When it was digitally restored under the supervision of Demy’s widow, director Agnes Varda, in 1995, a new generation rediscovered how innovative it was. Just last year, director Damien Chazelle admitted what a huge influence the film was on his own hit “La La Land,” especially its combination of fantasy and realism. Now Criterion has released “Umbrellas” on Blu-ray, reimagining its iridescence to more spectacular heights. Recognized as one of the most romantic films of all time and a significant achievement of the French New Wave (1958-64), it is Demy’s homage to his beloved Hollywood musicals, but also a critique of their saccharine content. “Umbrellas” probably has the most melancholic, bittersweet ending of any musical, a radical proposition in 1964, when Hollywood gave us treacly staples such as “My Fair Lady” and “Mary Poppins.” Demy and Legrand set out to make a movie that would make audiences cry, and succeeded brilliantly, despite the anti-theme that true love doesn’t conquer all. The dialogue is entirely sung, with no interruptions. It has been called a jazz (loosely termed because of Legrand’s musical style) opera, a film in song. Still it was unique because it was sung ordinary conversation (the words don’t even rhyme) rather than songs. The plot, reflecting everyday crises, is divided into three acts: departure, absence, and return. In 1957, 16-year-old Genevieve Emery (Catherine Deneuve) is madly in love with 21-year-old local garage mechanic Guy Foucher (gorgeous Nino Castelnuovo). Genevieve’s mother (Anne Vernon), who owns an umbrella shop, disapproves, saying she’s too

young to know what true love is, but also doesn’t want her to repeat the same mistakes she made. Her shop is seriously in debt, and out of desperation she goes to sell her valuable pearl necklace to the local jeweler, which he declines, though a visiting diamond merchant, the debonair Roland Cassard (Marc Michel), offers to buy it, because he is immediately smitten with Genevieve. Guy lives with his godmother, his sickly Aunt Elise, cared for by the devoted Madeleine (Ellen Farner), who is secretly in love with him. Guy receives his military orders and must serve two years in Algeria (undergoing its war for independence from France). Genevieve and Guy make love for the first time the night before he leaves. Their tearful parting at the railroad station, with undying promises to wait for each other, is a justly famous scene. Genevieve discovers she is pregnant (in the film’s funniest line, when her mother asks how this could have happened, Genevieve replies, “The usual way, I assure you”), and in two months receives only one letter from Guy. Her mother wants her to accept Roland’s marriage proposal. He is wealthy and will provide nicely for her. Guy returns, but his wartime experiences have rendered him broken and bitter, unable to adjust to civilian life. He doesn’t know about his daughter Francoise with Genevieve (who has married Roland) after he agrees to raise Francoise as if she were his own. Meanwhile Guy’s aunt dies, leavings him money so he can buy his own gas station. He asks Madeleine to marry him. In 1963, during a winter snowy night (in a scene so artfully shot it seems to take place inside a snow globe), Genevieve stops with her daughter at Guy’s gas station, the first time the two former lovers have seen each other

since he left for his military service. This leads to the wistful conclusion. “Umbrellas” uses a kaleidoscopic palette of pastel colors that Demy called a singing Matisse. The colors of the costumes match the wallpaper, which contrasts with gritty scenes of the port city Cherbourg in dreary grays and washed-out blues. The production design (the props matching the sets) is visually splendid. Legrand’s lyrical score yielded the hit “I Will Wait for You” and the popular “Watch What Happens.” Deneuve, only 20 when she made the film, is so luminous she seems to glow. None of the actors could sing, and they are lip-synching with doubles doing the actual crooning, but it’s so fluidly executed, audiences adapt quickly. “Umbrellas” won the Palm d’Or at Cannes, and was nominated for five Oscars, including Best Foreign Language Film, Best Original Score, and Best Original Screenplay. Demy went on to make a worthy sequel with Deneuve, “The Young Girls of Rochefort,” but “Umbrellas” was the apex of his career. Bisexual Demy died of AIDS in 1990. Fifty years later, “Umbrellas” remains a ravishing reinvention of the musical never equaled. t

Film >>

July 27-August 2, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 17

Gay classic romance returns by David-Elijah Nahmod

n celebration of its 30th anniversary, the classic gay romance “Maurice” returns to Bay Area theaters. The film opens on July 28 at Landmark’s Opera Plaza in San Francisco and at the Shattuck in Berkeley. It’s difficult when viewing “Maurice” today to realize how groundbreaking, even shocking, the film was in 1987. A tale of gay love lost and found in Edwardian England, the film was made 10 years before Ellen DeGeneres’ historic coming out. “Maurice” is based on the novel of the same name written by E.M. Forster around 1913, the era in which the story is set. Forster would not allow the book to be published during his lifetime, so it was not in print until 1971, the year after he died at age 91. James Wilby stars as the title character. While attending Cambridge University in 1909, he enters into a romantic albeit platonic relationship with classmate Clive (Hugh Grant). Maurice

wants their relationship to be sexual, but Clive refuses. A few years later, when one of their classmates is sentenced to six months in prison for trying to pick up a man in a bar, a terrified Clive ends their relationship. The two men don’t speak for a year, until Maurice is invited to be an usher at Clive’s wedding. Against his better judgment, Maurice accepts. He finds himself battling his gay urges while at Clive’s palatial country home. One day he notices that Scudder, a young gamekeeper (Rupert Graves), is paying a great deal of attention to him. At first Maurice treats this servant with contempt, but late one night, Scudder brazenly climbs into Maurice’s window. “I know, sir,” Scudder whispers. “I know.” The two men proceed to make love. It’s an unforgettable sequence. “Maurice” was directed by Bay Area native James Ivory, who received his greatest fame with a trio of big-screen Forster adaptations. “A Room with a View” (1985) and “Howards End”

(1993) were highly successful films, nominated for eight and nine Academy Awards respectively. “Maurice” could be considered Ivory’s coming out film – his producing partner, Ismail Merchant, was also his life partner for 44 years. Throughout their career the men worked with screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, a trio that the Guinness Book of World Records cited as the longest partnership in independent film history. As with Ivory’s other Forster films, “Maurice” was shot on location in England. The film’s elegant settings, period costumes and stage-trained cast effectively capture the England of a century ago. But most importantly, “Maurice” captures the beauty of gay love. Maurice and Scudder might not seem like a well-matched couple. Scudder is a foul-mouthed servant, while Maurice is a “gentleman.” Their attraction to each other transcends class. They’re soulmates, unable to resist their deep need to be with each other, unable to

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Scene from director James Ivory’s “Maurice.”

do anything other than make personal sacrifices so they can be together. “Maurice” also reminds us that it wasn’t always as easy to be gay as it is in today’s Bay Area. In Maurice’s world, being gay is a crime punishable by jail time. The parts of the film dealing with these issues are a sobering reminder of

the horrible things currently being done to gay men in places like Chechnya, Iran and Saudi Arabia. “Maurice” is certainly one of the best films in queer cinema. If you haven’t seen it, do. If you have, consider taking this opportunity to see the film on the big screen, as it was meant to be seen. t

ited turns from Jay Duplass (“The Puffy Chair”) and Finn Wittrock (“The Big Short”). With a dab

of techno irony, “Landline” is an Amazon Studios release, R-rated for sex, language and drug use.t

Spirit of the 1990s

by David Lamble

he new social comedy “Landline,” opening Friday, is a real treat for fans of smart family dramedies, films that are neither “Father Knows Best” retreads, clueless dad cliches, nor momcoping-with-womanizing-hubby sagas. As the title suggests, the action is set in 1995. The film focuses on the taffy-pull ties between two strong-willed teen sisters from an upscale Italian-Jewish clan. Older sis Dana (Jenny Slate) is newly engaged while still undergoing her own internal struggles about fidelity vs. the last gasp of relationship freedom. Younger sis Ali (Abby Quinn) is a wild girl with a no-holds-barred approach to her dating choices. Gillian Robespierre (“Obvious Child”), with co-writer Elisabeth Holm, helms this tale of sisters coming of age. The girls discover their dad’s affair. It turns out that Pop (John Turturro) is not the only member of this Manhattan clan cheating on their marriage vows. Everyone still smokes indoors, no one has a cell phone, and the Jacobs mostly connect through lying, cheating and hibachi. Without indulging in too much pre-9/11 nostalgia, the filmmakers have fun with a Big Apple adolescent playground where audio cassettes are the musical currency, and mix tapes lure a favorite someone onto your musical planet. FM dance-music radio stations, with their appeal to the burgeoning gay and minority disco crowd, are a big deal, while baby boomers are still recovering from the loss of their AM-radio trainer wheels. “Landline” has the offbeat spir-

it of Coen Bros. films, and benefits from an astonishing supporting cast, many with roots in indie

film or quality narrative TV. Mom is Edie Falco (“The Sopranos”), and the boyfriends are given spir-

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18 • BAY AREA REPORTER • July 27-August 2, 2017

Brought to you by the letter P by Victoria A. Brownworth

ast week was Russia Week on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” While Trump was asking his everchanging legal team of mob lawyers about pardons and Rachel Maddow deconstructed more minutiae, the irascible comedic thorn in Trump’s side began his visit to Russia on July 17, but deemed July 20 his favorite. Thursday night was “pee pee tape” night. Colbert acknowledged this was what he had gone in search of, the site of the much-vaunted MI6 dossier alleging Trump had had a golden romp with some Moscow “hookers,” to quote James Comey. “This might be my favorite night of the entire Russia Week,” he began. “This is why I really went.” All of Russia Week was fun. We enjoyed The Oligarch quite a bit. But the golden night was, well, golden. “The wildest accusations in that dossier have never been confirmed,” said Colbert. He told an eager audience that since the MSM had decided the “real news” in the MI6 dossier was “too salacious,” he was going to investigate himself, because “it’s the only part we care about! Well, guess what! There was one man brave enough to go to Moscow and check it out.” Then Colbert led a chant of “Pee pee tape,” which must have made Trump furious, if he was still awake. There were interviews on the street, with Colbert asking everyone he met: Did anyone know of the tape? Then he explained he had rented the same room where the incident had allegedly transpired: Room 1101, the presidential suite of the Moscow Ritz-Carlton. Then he rolled the footage of his stay. Wow. Those who were addicted to MTV’s “Cribs,” like we were, would recognize the “and here we have” tour of the suite’s 10– (yes, 10) rooms with various views of the Kremlin. A voiceover explains, “But there’s only one room you want to see in this suite,” and then we see Colbert in the doorway of the bedroom. This is what we came to see: Where Trump allegedly paid prostitutes to urinate on the bed used by former Pres. Obama and Mrs. Obama during an official state visit to Russia. “The room we’ve heard so much about, yet no one has come to check it out. I don’t know why,” said Colbert. “This room is soaked in history. It just washes over you. It’s not even like it’s in the past – ur-ine history.” Oh my. Since any tell-tale laundry would have been long gone, Colbert took a page from “CSI” and demanded, “Hit the lights!” Then, with a black-

Courtesy the subject

Russia Week on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”

light, he searched for clues. Finally he found what he was looking for, scrawled on the wall: “Fake news. Never happened.” “Join us as our investigative journalism continues,” Colbert said, as he jumped on the bed chanting, “Peepee tape.” The biggest TV news of the week was the reveal of the 13th Dr. Who. The first female Dr. Who will be played by “Broadchurch” alum Jodie Whittaker, who succeeds Peter Capaldi, who took over the role in 2013 and leaves in the forthcoming Christmas special. Whittaker was thrilled, noting being chosen for the role was “overwhelming, as a feminist.” She will be working with “Broadchurch” creator Chris Chibnall, the new showrunner for “Dr. Who.” Whittaker said, “I’m beyond excited to begin this epic journey with Chris and with every Whovian on this planet. It’s more than an honor to play the Doctor. It means remembering everyone I used to be, while stepping forward to embrace everything the Doctor stands for: hope. I can’t wait.” While Whittaker was embracing the Whovians, not all Whovians were reciprocating. What happened to Whittaker after the July 16 announcement was straight out of every woman-hating playbook. We were still surprised at the levels not-all-men will go to reclaim any of their lost turf. This is, btw, why we are certain there’s a peepee tape somewhere. The territory must be marked. The choice of Whittaker was exalted by women and girls. But many male Dr. Who fans flipped out, just as they had when “Ghostbusters”

was re-made with women. Some of the hysteria was a call for a boycott of the show until the producers come to their senses and fire Whittaker. But as always, much of it was threatening and violent, claiming that the “evil bitch” Whittaker was going to kill the show. “Dr. Who” is one of those cult franchises that has been around for so long it’s deeply embedded in British culture specifically and sci-fi culture globally. There’s no one who doesn’t know “Dr. Who,” even if they are (what’s wrong with you?) not a fan. The show began on BBC in 1963, and ran without interruption through 1989. It had an unsuccessful reboot in the late 90s, then began anew in 2005, and has been golden ever since. No doubt Whittaker, who’s a superb actress with a long resume, will be ace as Dr. Who, and the furor will tamp down. But the effort to undermine her talent and the impact of a woman in the role has been disheartening, and has gone well beyond social media trolls to editorials in various dailies. Vanity Fair’s Joanna Robinson contextualized the vile backlash against Whittaker, BBC and the “Dr. Who” franchise succinctly: “The Sun paired a derisive editorial about Whittaker with a collection of nude screencaptures from her previous work, including the 2006 Oscar-nominated film ‘Venus.’ The Sun’s Adam Postans wrote via editorial: ‘It is frankly nauseating that [the BBC] should now get on their sci-fi high horse and gallop into Right-Onsville to plonk a woman sheriff in town.’ The editorial is regressive in its own right, but the decision from The Sun, The Mail Online, and more to pore over Whittaker’s filmography for out-of-context stills of the actress in a state of undress is in even worst taste.” The language used to describe Whittaker was appalling. One piece says Whittaker “has a saucy screen past, a trip back in time reveals. At 24, she flashed her boobs at film legend Peter O’Toole in the 2006 movie ‘Venus.’” As if this were Whittaker’s “saucy” idea and not a scripted part of the role she was playing. “O’Toole’s character licked her neck three times as she posed naked for a painting.” Then there was, “She also performed a raunchy sex scene in an episode of the satirical TV show ‘Black Mirror.’” Really, guys? On July 21, two former Drs. Who clashed at a panel at San Diego’s Comic-Con in discussing the casting of Whittaker. Peter Davison, who played the Doctor from 1981-84, said he “liked the idea” of a male Doctor, and that he felt “a bit sad” the character might no longer be “a role model for boys.” His successor, Colin Baker, was succinct. “Rubbish. You don’t have to be of a gender to be a role model,” said the actor, who portrayed the Doctor from 1984-86. “Can’t you be a role model as people?”

Such enlightenment from Baker, who has four daughters and who asserted, rightly, that “Dr. Who” had presented “54 years of male role models” and it might be time for a female. The TARDIS did right by him. Ironically, the original showrunner back in the 1960s was female, Verity Lambert. She in turn chose a gay Asian director, Waris Hussein, for the pilot and subsequent episodes. So the handkerchief-twisting is a bit ahistorical. Whittaker responded to the drama in perfect “Dr. Who” character. “I want to tell the fans not to be scared by my gender. Because this is a really exciting time, and ‘Dr.Who’ represents everything that’s exciting about change. The fans have lived through so many changes, and this is only a new, different one, not a fearful one.” That she had to say it at all in 2017, though: Sigh.

Misting up

We love Spike TV’s newest rendering of Stephen King’s “The Mist,” and a gay scene in the July 20 episode surprised and shocked us. Back in episode 1, Tyler (Christopher Gray) called Adrian (Russell Posner) a “faggot” at the party Adrian and Alex (Gus Birney) attended. Adrian was hot for the blond tight end, and had told Alex so at the football game earlier. Now that the mist has taken over the town, things are dicey, and people are taking all kinds of risks. As Kevin deals with a stricken family member he discovers at the hospital, Adrian spies Tyler and follows him into the men’s room. Once there the boys stand side-byside at the urinals, and there’s some small talk about what brought them there. Then, hand-washing completed, Adrian kisses Tyler. We see the moment where Tyler responds. Then we see fear take over (there really is a gay panic thing for some closet cases). Tyler pulls back. He starts yelling at Adrian, then punches him. Once Adrian is sprawled on the white tile floor, Tyler kicks him. It’s an ugly, violent scene as Tyler, sobbing, demands to know why Adrian kissed him as he beats him. In the End Times, people take myriad risks. Adrian staggers to his feet. Tyler hasn’t left. He’s flattened himself against the wall and is in a state of selfrevelation. Adrian, his face bloodied, walks over to him and softly kisses him again. And again. And again. Real kisses. Tender kisses. Passionate lip-upon-lip, mouths-eager-for-eachother kisses. Soon the boys are making out, and if we could ever get past the “OMG, boys kissing on TV!” aspect of such scenes, we would be able to be more in-the-moment and appreciate the depth of their connection. Then “The Mist” cuts away from the boys to show some more horrific stuff, because this is a dystopian thriller. Later we see Adrian lounging in a chair. Mia (Danica Curcic), who’s having a very bad time of it and has had some kind of epiphany we don’t yet understand, comes up to him. Seeing Adrian’s bloodied face, she asks, “What happened to you?” Adrian responds, “I had sex.” Mia pauses, then says, “Remember your safe word next time. Mine is dolphin.” Adrian makes a dolphin sound. It’s a moment of wry levity between the two always-snarky characters in the midst of the hellishness that is their new mist reality. It feels real. We like Adrian’s cat-who-ate-the-canary look, and we like Mia’s totally accepting riposte. We hope we see Adrian and Tyler again. Can it be true? Is “The L Word” returning for a reboot? The beloved series ran for six seasons between 2004-09, and we still miss Bette, Shane, Kit, Papi and the rest of the lesbo WeHo gang. In the best news of this week, creator Ilene Chaiken and Showtime are talking. Three of the show’s original characters

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– Bette (Jennifer Beals), Shane (Kate Moennig) and Alice (Leisha Hailey) – will be bridging the gap between the old cast and the new storyline. Beals, Moennig and Hailey will be producers. Chaiken, who’s been working with Lee Daniels on “Empire” since it debuted, will executive produce. There’s no overstating how important “The L Word” was as queer TV, and how desperately a reboot is needed in this era of murdering lesbian characters. GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis agrees with us. She told Deadline, “The past few years have seen lesbian and queer women characters killed off in shockingly high numbers. It’s refreshing and exciting to see ‘The L Word’ returning to TV, where it can tell nuanced, entertaining and beautiful stories of a largely underrepresented community.” There’s no group in the LGBTQ sandwich less represented on the tube than lesbians, so we hope all goes well with this revival, as it has for “Will & Grace,” which returns on Sept. 28 to NBC as the pivot to their Thursday night comedy lineup. The wake for “True Blood” actor Nelsan Ellis, who died suddenly on July 8, was held in Chicago on July 21. Ellis had been trying to detox on his own from alcohol addiction, according to his family. Heart failure was the cause of death, but alcoholism, which his fans didn’t know he suffered from, killed him. He was 39. We adored Ellis from the first time we saw him as Lafayette Reynolds, the gayest character on TV, on HBO’s “True Blood.” Ellis, who later was a judge on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” created a character we hadn’t seen on television before, although all of us have known a Lafayette in real life. Lafayette was the only black gay male character on scripted TV in 2008 when the show debuted. While it would be several seasons before Lafayette would get someone to be gay with, as Ellis played him, Lafayette’s gayness filled up all the missing space where other gay characters should have been. The head wrap. The heavy eye makeup and false eyelashes. The mannerisms. The voice. The exuberant, natural gayness that was Lafayette the short-order cook who always had some soupcon of mama-done-toldme to add to your meal. There were bigger roles on “True Blood,” but there was no more central character than Lafayette, and that was down to Ellis. In a tribute he wrote for his former castmate, Stephen Moyer said, “I think it would be fair to say that [Ellis] taught all of us that intent, courage, fearlessness and freedom are the aspects of playing make-believe that spark the corners of the room where the dark is most impenetrable. Nelsan had that electricity in an abundance I have rarely seen. I can’t believe he’s gone.” Ellis was a gifted actor and playwright, a graduate of Julliard and of intense poverty. He’d been a ward of the state from the age of eight, and he explained in a series of interviews with Chicago Sun Times columnist Maudlyne Ihejirika the ways in which it scarred him. Ellis’s portrayal of Lafayette was real, true, and something to behold. He said he put on the makeup, listened to Rihanna, channeled his mother, and he was there. Ellis was an actor’s actor. That was as apparent from watching him as it is from Moyer’s touching tribute. His Lafayette was one of those gay characters who could have devolved into stereotype and one-dimensionality. Instead, Ellis’ Lafayette was a fabulous, larger-thanlife character whom Ellis imbued with a fierce realism that was utterly captivating. So for the tragic and the comic, the courageous and the cowardly, the Doctor and the TARDIS, and the varied views of the Kremlin, you know you really must stay tuned. t

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July 27-August 2, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 19

Music>>

Merola

From page 12

minimalism of Donald Eastman’s scenic design. “La serva padrona” (“The Maid Turned Mistress”) (Giovanni Battista Pergolesi); “Savitri” (Gustav Holst); and “The Bear” (William Walton), based on the play of the same title by Anton Chekhov, were all staged on an elevated platform, facilitating vocal projection for the singers and improving sight-lines for the audience. Their voices sailed over the wonderfully alert orchestra, seated on the floor, but the youthful casts really didn’t need much help. Their fresh and resonant singing and surprisingly sophisticated acting skills would have filled any auditorium with ease. The opening comedy by Pergolesi showed why it was a big hit in its day, flying solo after being uncoupled from a longer work, and where other composers of opera buffa found witty inspiration. A breezy fight between Venus (the shrewd servant Serpina), abetted by silent colleague Vespone, and Mars (the cranky master Uberto) is sustained by Pergolesi’s catchy tunes and silly comic ruses. The maid becomes the mistress with outrageous guile, but it turns out the old goat needed a push, and everything turns out well. Returning to Merola, soprano Jana McIntyre (Santa Barbara, CA) made a believably seductive Serpina, mining the part for every laugh, and charming with her bright and liquid coloratura. David Weigel’s miming of Vespone’s complicity was hilarious. As the annoyed Uberto, bassbaritone Daniel Noyola (San Luis Potosi, Mexico) convincingly changed the aging master to a younger and more clueless nerd. His reactions to some of Serpina’s maneuvers were laugh-out-loud funny, even as his rich voice managed to maintain a straight face.

Kristen Loken Loken Kristen

Kristen Loken

Merola Opera Program’s Ashley Dixon (mezzo-soprano) and Cody Quattlebaum (bass-baritone) in “The Bear” at San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Merola Opera Program’s David Weigel (bass-baritone) and Kelsea Webb (soprano) in “Savitri” at San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

trayed by impressive bass-baritone David Weigel (Asheville, NC) in an about-face from his earlier comedic appearance. In the title role, soprano Kelsea Webb (Anderson, IN) movingly tried to save her husband from his clutches and triumphed with her shining example of selfless love. Her warm and measured tone was beautifully nuanced. Tenor Addison Marlor (Salt Lake City, UT) was a poignant and clear-toned Satyavan. Setting the scene in WWI attire added to the universality of the message, and conductor Daniel Ocasek encased

a tour de force conclusion to the evening. Mezzo-soprano Ashley Dixon (Peachtree City, GA) tore the house down as the recently bereaved Popova. Her accuracy never wavered regardless of the considerable range of physical comedy required. Her initial smugness, seething anger and eventual surrender to the literally bearish Smirnov was wonderfully achieved by the fine young singing actress. Returning to Merola, bassbaritone Cody Quattlebaum (Ellicott City, MD) matched Dixon’s

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the performance with lovely orchestral support. Ocasek again showed his remarkable range in the next one-acter, the fizzy and wildly kinetic “The Bear.” Chekhov and William Walton were allowed the final say on the trials and benefits of marriage, with their humorously sexy and far more jaundiced take on love. Skewering blustering, testosterone-driven males and simpering widows, with music running the gamut from traditional opera to modern musicals, Walton’s knockabout tussle between the opposing male and female planets provided

spirit with fire of his own. His long mane of brown hair and sly good looks added conviction to his portrayal of Smirnov. We already know he has a great voice from previous recitals. We also got a terrific reminder of his excellent comic timing. It was not hard to understand why the feisty widow would succumb. One of the many joys for Merola audiences is the chance to hear often overlooked works. Enabling promising young singers to get their public performance chops as they recover neglected gems is the biggest joy of all. t

Marriage album

The next opera took a much more sober look at married love. Holst’s “Savitri” is based on an episode from The “Mahabharata.” Director Kazaras started the act in silence as young wife Savitri reflects on her marriage to Satyavan. Supertitles informed the audience of the work’s significance in the context of the premiere, shortly after the horrific Battle of the Somme during World War I. As the story unfolded, we could share in the comfort Holst’s tender and emotional confrontation with death must have provided. The young wife engages in a battle of her own against Death, por-

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6/6/17 11:28 AM

On the Town\

Betcha bottoms

Vol. 47 • No. 30 • July 27-August 2, 2017

Gareth Gooch.

www.ebar.com ✶ www.bartabsf.com

Diego Tovar

by Race Bannon

wice a year, San Francisco is home to a street fair catering to the kinky among us; Up Your Alley in July and Folsom Street Fair in September. This coming weekend is Up Your Alley, the smaller of the two fairs, but it’s growing every year and is truly unique in its own right. Over time, a plethora of events and happenings have emerged surrounding these street fairs. Some are directly connected to the host organization, Folsom Street Events, and some are not. There is something for everyone and this year there’s more available to do than ever. There is a calendar that accompanies this column on which you’ll find gobs of events to attend. See page 20 >>

Kinky Boots hit the streets The annual Up Your Alley street fair attracts kink and leather fans from around the world.

Gareth Gooch

njoy the multitide of nig htlife events this week, some of them in broad da ylight! Shocker! For kink and Up Your Alley events , see the Leather events.

in on page 27 >> Listings beg

July 27 - Aug 3

Sat 29 Bay of Pigs, the official dance party of Up Your Alley Weekend @ Public Works

{ THIRD OF THREE SECTIONS }

t <<

Leather >>

Leather

From page 21

Start making plans. Aren’t we in the Bay Area lucky to have all these kink event options! Let’s start with the main event and the other official Folsom Street Events. Of course, the street fair itself is a must-attend. Thousands of mostly gay men gather, many leathered or geared up, to revel in their hot fetish kinkiness. For those for whom a more concentrated gay male energy environment is appealing, you’ll like Up Your Alley. The preponderance of gay men at Up Your Alley makes sense when you consider that unlike its big brother, Folsom Street Fair, Up Your Alley was a gay and leather event from the start since it was first held on August 25, 1985 on Ringold Alley. It began as a fundraiser and the two fairs, and all the officially associated events, continue to be fundraisers for community nonprofits The fair takes place Sunday, July 30, 11am to 6pm, and happens on Dore Alley between Howard and Folsom, continuing on Folsom from 9th to Juniper and the adjoining block of 10th. I hope to see you there. I’ll be the guy in leather (grin). Folsom Street Events hosts three more events this weekend that all contribute to increasing the monies they can annually donate to their nonprofit beneficiaries. First up is Hog Wild at the SF Eagle on Friday. Then Saturday night you can dance late into the night at Bay of Pigs at Public Works. That takes you right into Up Your Alley street fair Sunday followed immediately by the official closing party, Rough, at Mezzanine. Patrick Finger, Managing Director of Folsom Street Events, had this to say about the upcoming weekend. “2017 marks the 32nd Up Your Alley, and Folsom Street Events couldn’t be more excited to bring San Francisco another epic weekend,” he said. “Given the current U.S. Administration, there’s a great deal of talk about making sure our voices continue to be heard. Equally important is that we, as a community, continue to be seen. Our events give everyone that opportunity. Whoever you are, whatever you’re into, be proud, be seen!” So, that’s what’s to do among the official events. But much like Leather Week that grew up around Folsom Street Fair, the week leading up to Up Your Alley is growing equally busy for leathermen and kinksters. If you’re a kinky gay man and can’t find something fun to do, you’re not looking very hard. I can’t mention every possible event you can attend, but here’s just a few of the more unique options for those guys closely aligned with the leather and kink scene. One of the most iconic leather-

July 27-August 2, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 21

men to ever live in San Francisco is the late Alan Selby who founded Mr. S Leather many years ago. Alan was friend and mentor to many and was one of the most beloved leathermen in town. Jordy Tackitt-Jones has written a much-anticipated biography about Alan and the book’s launch and author signing is taking place at Mr. S Leather on Thursday from 4-8pm. Stop by, buy one of the first available copies, and have the author sign it. I’ll never forget the first time I walked into Mr. S Leather years ago and was immediately greeted by Alan. He smiled at me and said, “I have just the hat for you.” He plopped a beautifully crafted leather cap on my head and I was instantly sold. I own and cherish that hat still. On Friday, I’ll be on a panel with Rajat Dutta, Jordy Tackitt-Jones and Gayle Rubin, facilitated by Greg Pennington, at the GLBT Historical Society Museum on 18th Street in the Castro for a presentation titled Leather: Where We Came From, Where We’re Going. This event is being held in conjunction with their South of Market: San Francisco’s Leather Scene display in the Queer Past Becomes Present exhibition. The panel is 7pm-9pm with a social hour starting afterward at 9pm. I try to always support the sober leatherfolk among us and in addition to the regular weekly Sober Kink Together meetings at the Castro Country Club held every Friday there’s also a Clean and Sober Munch being held on Saturday at Wicked Grounds from 6-8pm. One way our kink communities maintain their strength and solidity is by supporting those among us who struggle with substances. I’m glad to see our city have such support mechanisms in place for our kinky brethren. After the Fair on Sunday, do you want to play? The men of BLUF SF in collaboration with SF Catalyst are opening their dungeon space to men from 6-9pm at 1060 Folsom Street. They’re also hosting social time for men prior to that and that social time will progress into play time at 6pm. Many other events could be pointed out here. Again, check out the calendar that accompanies this column. I’ve never seen this many varied events being offered at this time of year before. My recommendation? Go to as many as you can! You can catch up on sleep next week. Grab these opportunities. We only have these big leather weeks twice a year. See you around! Again, I’ll be the guy in leather. Race Bannon is a local author, blogger and activist. You can reach him at www.bannon.com.

www.442parties.com

Leather Events July 27 - August 12

Sat 29

Bay of Pigs @ Public Works Official Saturday night event with up Your Alley, including DJs Eddie Martinez, Alexander and Asheton Lemay (house, electro), Deviants loft play space, leather kink sex shows, play space, gogos and cash bars. $40-$45. 9pm-4am. 161 Erie St. folsomstreetevents.org

Beer Bust @ SF Eagle

Steven Underhill

Local porn and gogo studs strike a Charlie’s Angels pose at the popular Strip Twister games sponsored by Steamworks, at last year’s Up Your Alley street fair.

Thu 27 In Gear BLUF Dinner @ Don Ramon’s Mexican Restaurant Join the men of BLUF SF for their eighth annual dinner with attendees in leather, gear and uniforms. 225 11th St, 6-10pm, see site for ticket pricing. bluf.com/events/1998

Play Party @ Blow Buddies Official play space of Up Your Alley Fair. Blow Buddies. Dress code encourages fetish gear, but not required. 933 Harrison St., Doors open 8pm-2:30am, play till wee hours. blowbuddies.com

Premiere Launch, Book Signing @ Mr. S Leather

The 15 Association hosts a monthly BDSM play party for all male-identified people interested in BDSM and are 18+. This party sells out every year. Buy your ticket early. 1060 Folsom St., 6pm-12am, see site for ticket pricing. the15sf.org

Clean & Sober Munch @ Wicked Grounds A welcome munch for visitors to SF for Dore Alley focusing on those in recovery their family and friends. Everyone is welcome (recovery not a requirement for attendance). 289 8th St., 6pm-8pm. wickedgrounds.com

ONYX x Dore: @ Powerhouse Gear up and get with the men of ONYX. Wear your hottest gear, fetish wear, or cruise shirtless in the darkened back room. NorCal/NW and ONYX SoCal/SW are hosting. 1347 Folsom St., 5-9pm. onyxmen.com

Play Party @ Blow Buddies

Launch and author signing for Jordy Tackitt-Jones’ new book about the late Alan Selby, The Mayor of Folsom Street: The Auto/Biography of “Daddy Alan” Selby aka Mr. S. 385 8th St., 4-8pm. mr-s-leather.com

The Tool Box @ Underground SF

Sneaks @ Club Six

A tribute to one of San Francisco’s first leather bars. Featuring Bézier (Honey Soundsystem) and Matthew_XO (Kosmetik). 424 Haight St., $5, 9pm-2am. bit.ly/TheToolBox

Welcome Party, Cigar Social @ SF Eagle Grab a smoke and meet the locals and greet the tourists in town for a raucous weekend. DJ Dano will blaze up the decks. Sponsored by HotCigarMen.com and Blow Buddies. 398 12th St., 9pm-2am. sf-eagle.com

Fri 28 Finding Dore @ Powerhouse Kick off your fetish filled weekend with Haus of StarFish. GoBang’s Prince Wolfe DJs and Beth Bicoastal hosts. 1347 Folsom St., 7-9pm. powerhousebar.com

Fog City Pack’s BETA @ Club Six Gear up and get down for some pre-Dore foreplay. Featuring seductive sounds by San Francisco sensation Juanita MORE. 60 6th St., 10pm-4am. eventbrite.com/e/ fog-city-pack-presents-beta-2017-tickets-34833769743

Gear Party @ 442 Natoma

Polyglamorous’ notorious sneaker fetish party returns. 48 Hills described this event as “an athletic gear fetish party that turned into the underground gay rave of the year.” Dress code strictly enforced. No photographs. 60 6th St., 10pm-4am. eventbrite.com

Sun 30

BLUF SF: Engage @ SF Catalyst Engage and get dirty in a fully equipped dungeon play space. This men’s play event is a collaboration between BLUF SF and SF Catalyst. 1060 Folsom St., 6-9pm. tinyurl.com/bluf-engage

BLUF SF: Escape @ SF Catalyst Get away from the fair for a bit and enjoy the company of geared men at this event that’s a collaboration between BLUF SF and SF Catalyst. Socialize with old and new friends. Beer, soda, water, and snacks are provided. A gear social for men. 1060 Folsom St., 1-6pm. tinyurl.com/bluf-escape

Daddy Daycare: Dore Edition @ Driftwood

Gear play party (leather, rubber, harnesses, etc.) for gay men. 442 Natoma St., $15 (requires $5 membership), 10pm. 442parties.com

Find out how your dad can have fun with other furry friends in this group care session. 1225 Folsom St., 1pm-11pm.

Hell Hole SF @ SF Catalyst

Play Party @ Blow Buddies

Fisting party for men; advance purchase recommended. Doors open 8pm-12am. Party ends 2am, $30, Students and Military with ID $10. 1060 Folsom St., www.hellholesf.com

Official play space of Up Your Alley Fair. Dress code encourages fetish gear, but is not required. Glory holes, mazes, slings, jail cells and more. 933 Harrison St., Doors open 4pm-2:30am, play till late. blowbuddies.com

Hog Wild @ SF Eagle It’s an old school kind of leather party. The music is pumping, throbbing, and hot, bringing you the heyday of leather, and bringing it back for you with uniforms and old school attire. Get in gear and get off your phone. 398 12th St., 9pm-2am. folsomstreetevents.org Greg Pennington facilitates Leather: Where We Came From, Where We’re Going, a discussion about the leather scene from the 1960s to the present and beyond, with panelists Race Bannon, Rajat Dutta, Jordy Tackitt-Jones and Gayle Rubin. 4127 18th St., panel 7pm, social hour with light refreshments 9pm. glbthistory.org

Play Party @ Blow Buddies Official play space of Up Your Alley Fair. Joint party of Blow Buddies and Leather Buddies. Dress code encouraged fetish gear, but not required. 933 Harrison St., Doors open 8pm4am, play till 6am. www.blowbuddies.com

Prime: Daddy Alley @ Club Six DJ Neon and lighting designer Glowgobear, with host Race Bannon, present the third annual house music, dance and cruise event for men in their prime and their admirers, with gogo men, clothes check. $15-$20. 10pm-4am. 60 6th St. trophydad.eventbrite.com/

Sober Kink Together @ Castro Country Club

Full-body rubber suits are one of many kink coutures seen at the Up Your Alley street fair last year.

BDSM Play Party @ SF Catalyst

Official play space of Up Your Alley Fair; a joint party of Blow Buddies and Golden Shower Buddies. Dress code encourages fetish gear, but it is not required. Space for Water Sports and glory holes, mazes, slings and more. 933 Harrison St., Doors open 8pm-4am, play till 6am. blowbuddies.com

Leather Panel @ GLBT Historical Society

Steven Underhill

Fundraiser for the completion and development of The Ringold Alley Leather History Project. 398 12th St., 2-7pm. sf-eagle.com

Officially a CMA meeting, but open to all Anonymous 12-step Fellowship members, 4058 18th St., 9:30pm.

castrocountryclub.org

Raunch @ SF Catalyst A men’s dance party with a play space. 1060 Folsom St., 2:30-9:30am. raunchdpparty.eventbrite.com/

Rough @ Mezzanine Official closing party for Up Your Alley weekend, with DJs Russ Rich and Bret Law spinning kinky grooves for the leather/kink dance event. $40-$60. 6pm-2am. 444 Jessie St. folsomstreetevents.org

Up Your Alley Street Fair @ Folsom & Dore Enjoy kink and leather folks, drinks, food, DJed music and outdoor dancing, nudity and dozens of BDSM product booths, plus open kink demos and spontaneous kinky acts, at the annual street fair. Gate donations. 11am-6pm. Folsom St. from 9th to 19th. folsomstreetevents.org

Mon 31

Ride Mondays @ Eros A motorcycle rider and leathermen night at Eros; bring your helmet, AMA card, MC club card or club colors and get $3 off entry or massage. 2051 Market St. erossf.com

Thu 3 CineKink: Oakland - The Kinky Film Festival @ The New Parkway A special evening of films that celebrate and explore a wide diversity of sexuality. 474 24th St., Oakland, 9-10:30pm. www.cinekink.com

<< On The Tab

22 • BAY AREA REPORTER • July 27-August 2, 2017

On the Tab

Steven Underhill

party. $10 in gear, more if not. 9pm2am. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

iCandy @ The Cafe Gus Presents’ weekly dance night, with DJ Deft, cute gogos and $2 beer (before 10pm). 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

Latin Explosion/Club Papi @ Club 21, Oakland The Latin dance night also includes drag acts hosted by Lola and Dorys, with half a dozen gogo studs. $10$20. 9pm-4am. 2111 Franklin St., Oakland. www.club21oakland.com

July 27 August 3

FRI 28 Bearracuda @ Public Works

Planet Booty & Friends @ Starline Social Club, Oakland The groovy fun funk band performs live with HiScores, Parentz and DJ Jordan. $12. 9pm. 2236 MLK Jr. Way, Oakland. www.planetbooty.org https://www.starlinesocialclub.com/

Red Hots Burlesque @ The Stud

Thu 27 After Dark @ Exploratorium The hands-on science museum’s adult cocktail parties include drinks, music, and a lovely Bay view. July 27: FullSpectrum Science, demos on heat and temperature. $10-$15. 6:30-9:30pm. Embarcadero at Pier 15. www.exploratorium.edu

Beer Bust @ Lone Star Saloon Weekly beer bust and benefit for local charities. 9pm-11pm. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Cigar Social @ SF Eagle Cigar dudes and DJ Dano’s rock music at the Up Your Alley weekend kickoff party. $5. 9pm-2am. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Debbie Does Dallas @ Oasis Nancy French stars in the title role of Erica Schmidt and Andrew Sherman’s acclaimed campy musical adaptation of the classic ‘70s football-cheerleader straight porn flick. $25-$35. Wed-Sat 7pm. Thru Aug. 5. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

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

Junk @ Powerhouse MrPam and Dulce de Leche cohost the weekly underwear strip night and contest, with sexy prizes. $5. 10pm2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Literary Speakeasy @ Martuni’s James J. Siegel’s monthly authors & drinks night, with authors Alex Dolan and Shawn Wen, poets Ari Moskowitz and Jan Steckel, and singer-songwriter Derek Lassiter. 7pm. 4 Valencia St.

The Monster Show @ The Edge The weekly drag show with host Sue Casa, DJ MC2, themed nights and hilarious fun. $5. 9pm-2am. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

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

Queer Sex Trivia @ The Stud Monthly game night with sex toy prizes from Good Vibrations. 7pm9:30pm. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Rock Fag @ Hole in the Wall Enjoy hard rock and punk music from DJ Don Baird at the wonderfully divey SoMa bar. Also Fridays. 7pm-2am. 1369 Folsom St. www.hitws.com

Thursday Night Live @ SF Eagle Music night with local and touring bands. $8. 9:30pm. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Tubesteak Connection

@ Aunt Charlie’s Lounge Disco guru DJ Bus Station John spins grooves at the intimate retro music night (July 20, guest DJ Steve Fabus). $5. 10pm-2am. 133 Turk St. at Taylor. www.auntcharlieslounge.com

Fri 28 Ain’t Mama’s Drag @ Balancoire Weekly drag queen and drag king show hosted by Cruzin d’Loo. 8pm10pm. No cover. 2565 Mission St. www.balancoiresf.com

Arturo Sandoval @ Yoshi’s Oakland

The saucy women’s burlesque show hosted by Dottie Lux will titillate and tantalize: July shows feature Dulce de Leche, Miss Savvy, Shells Bells and Lez Purr plus special guests. $10$20. 8pm-9:30pm. 399 9th St. Also Sunday brunch shows at PianoFight Theatre.144 Taylor St. www.redhotsburlesque.com

Shenanigans @ Oasis The monthly costume dance party takes on a Diagon Alley theme; menagerie, fantasty and mythical creature/kink costumes encouraged. $7-$10. 10pm-2am. 298 11th St.

Sat 29 Bay of Pigs @ Public Works

The ten-time Grammy-winning jazz trumpet player performs with his band for concerts at the elegant restaurantnightclub. $32-$70. 8pm & 10pm. July 29, 7:30pm & 9:30pm. July 30, 7:30pm. 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. www.yoshis.com

Official Saturday night event with Up Your Alley, including DJs Eddie Martinez, Alexander and Asheton Lemay (house, electro), Deviants loft play space, leather kink sex shows, play space, gogos and cash bars. $40-$45. 9pm-4am. 161 Erie St. www.folsomstreetevents.org

Bearracuda @ Public Works

Bulge @ Lone Star Saloon

DJs Matt Consola and Collin Bass pump up the bear underwear dance event for Up Your Alley weekend. $10$20. 9pm-3am. 161 Erie St. www.bearracuda.com

Big Boy @ Lone Star Saloon DJ Boyshapedbox spins grooves at the dance party for bears. $5. 9pm-2am. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Black Fridays @ The Stud

Grace Towers’ monthly bulge contest ($100 cash prize), with DJs Adam Kraft and Chelsea Starr. 9pm-2am. 354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

The Dickies @ Slim’s The classic punk band headlines a bill with Agnostic Blunt, the Raskins, Crane Song, and Toxic Energy. $18$35. 8:30pm. 333 11th St. www.slimspresents.com

The monthly queer People of Color variety show takes on Up Your Alley’s kink themes, with stage acts, BDSM demos, DJs Cinnamon Maxxine and Shawna Shanté. $5-$10. 10pm-4am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Hog Wild @ SF Eagle

Finding Dore @ Powerhouse

James Taylor @ AT&T Park

Haus of Starfish presents a preDore weekend fundraiser for the SF LeatherWalk, with host Beth BoCoastal, DJ Prince Wolf. $5.7pm-9pm. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Friday Nights at the Ho @ White Horse Bar, Oakland Dance it up at the historic (and still hip) East Bay bar. 9pm-2am. 6551 Telegraph Ave. whitehorsebar.com

DTF Fridays @ Port Bar, Oakland

Official opening party for the Up Your Alley street fair, with leather/kink gear strongly encouraged. $10-$15. pm2am. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com The folk-pop singer performs with Bonnie Raitt. $55-$145. 7pm. 24 Willie Mays Plaza. www.apeconcerts.com

Love Hangover @ Lone Star Saloon Ziggy Phunk, Lotus Disco, Justime, Effervescence Jackson spin grooves at the T-dance. 3pm-9pm. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Mother @ Oasis

Various DJs play house music, and a few hotties gogo dance at the new gay bar’s weekly event. 9pm-2am. 2023 Broadway. (510) 823-2099. www.portbaroakland.com

Heklina hosts the fun drag show with weekly themes. July 29 features porn stud Boomer Banks and an Up Your Alley kink theme. DJ MC2 spins dance grooves before and after the show. $15-$25. 10pm-3am (11:30pm show). 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Hard Ball @ SF Eagle

Nayland Blake @ The Stud

DJ Jerry Bonham spins at the hardcore leather Dore Alley Weekend party, with leather-clad gogos. $10. 9pm2am. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

The acclaimed gay artist DJs a Happy Hour set for the Up Your Alley weekend. 6pm-9pm. 10pm-4am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Hella Gay Comedy @ Club OMG

Nutz @ Powerhouse

Queer joke night, with host Nasty Ass Bitch. $15. 7pm. 43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

Glamamore and Dulce de Leche’s gogo-filled Up Your Alley night. $5. 9pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Hog Wild @ SF Eagle

Teenage Dreams @ The Stud

Official old school leather and kink

The Ships in the Night crew embark

on a queer weekend night of techno and house. 10pm-3am. 399 9th St.

Sun 30 Beer Bust @ Lone Star Saloon Beer, bears, beats at the weekly fundraiser. $15. 4pm-8pm. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Compound @ Oasis Enjoy a roofdeck view of the Up Your Alley street fair, with no cover. 2pm7pm. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

GlamaZone @ The Cafe Pollo del Mar’s weekly drag show takes on different themes with a comic edge. 8:30-11:30pm. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

Hard French @ Oasis The popular R&B crew invades SoMa, with DJs Majority Whips, Bézier, Looky Looky, Carnita, Brown Amy. $12. 6pm-2am. 298 11th St.

Jock @ The Lookout Enjoy the weekly jock-ular fun, with DJed dance music at sports team fundraisers. 12pm-1am. NY DJ Sharon White from 3pm-6pm. 3600 16th St.

Party on the Patio @ SF Eagle Special Up Your Alley Weekend event replaces the weekly beer bust, with all-star DJ lineup from 12pm to 2am, including Sergio Fedasz, Steve Fabus, Nark, Paul Goodyear and others. 398 12th St. at Harrison. sf-eagle.com

Resist: An Action in Drag @ The Chapel Drag lipsynch and live music show set to the classic 1992 Rage Against the Machine debut album, with Glamamore, Miss Rahni NothingMORE, Lysol, Qween, Persia, Profundity and several others. $20. 8pm. 777 Valencia St. www.thechapelsf.com

Sundance Saloon @ Space 550 The Country-Western line-dancing two-stepping dance night. $8. lessons at 5:30pm, dancing til 10:30pm. Also Thursdays. 550 Barneveld Ave. www.sundancesaloon.org

Trik 2 @ The Stud VivvyAnne ForeverMORE and Kelly Lovemonster’s ‘hella nasty’ Up Your Alley after-party, with DJs CarrieOnDisco, boy_friend, Siobhan Aluvalot and Jibbz. $10-$12. 10pm4am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Mon 31 Gaymer Meetup @ Brewcade The weekly LGBT video game enthusiast night includes big-screen games and signature beers, with a new remodeled layout, including an outdoor patio. 7pm-11pm. 2200 Market St. www.brewcadesf.com

Musical Mondays @ The Edge Sing along at the popular musical theatre night; also Wednesdays. 7pm2am. 2 for 1 cocktail, 5pm-closing. 4149 18th St. www.edgesf.com

Piano Bar 101 @ Martuni’s Sing-along night with talented locals, and charming accompanist Joe Wicht. 9pm. 4 Valencia St. at Market.

Spanglish @ Club OMG Spanish and English drag shows and dance music with DJ Carlitos. $5-$10. 9pm-2am. 43 6th St. clubomgsf.com

Tue 1 Cocktail Time

@ Ginger’s Trois Enjoy drinks in the intimate tribute to the original dive bar; Tue & Wed 5pm-12am. Thu-Sat 5pm-2am. 86 Hardie Place.

High Fantasy @ Aunt Charlie’s Lounge Weekly drag and variety show, with live acts and lip-synching divas, plus DJed grooves. $5. Shows at 10:30pm & 12am. 133 Turk St. at Taylor. www.auntcharlieslounge.com

Hysteria Comedy @ Martuni’s Open mic for women and queer comics, with host Irene Tu, Tess Barry, Dom Gelin and Wonder Dave. 6pm8pm. 4 Valencia St.

Wed 2 Comedy Showcase @ SF Eagle Kollin Holtz hosts the open mic comedy night. 5:30pm-8pm. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Girl Scout @ Port Bar, Oakland The weekly women’s happy hour and dance night with DJ Becky Knox. 6pm10pm. 2023 Broadway. www.portbaroakland.com

Juicy @ Club OMG New weekly women’s event at the intimate Mid-market nightclub, with DJ Micah Tron. 9pm-2am. 43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

Pan Dulce @ Beaux The hot weekly Latin dance night with sexy gogo guys, drag divas and more.$7. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Po Hoe @ Powerhouse Nikki Jizz offers cheap drinks and cheaper men. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Thu 3 10,000 Maniacs @ Yoshi’s Oakland The alt. rock band returns to perform classic hits and new music at the elegant restaurant-nightclub. $49$89. 8pm. 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. www.yoshis.com

Kingdom of Sodom @ Nob Hill Theatre Strip down at the interactive sex party with live stage shows. $20. 9pm-1am. 729 Bush St. at Powell. 397-6758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com

Leanne Borghesi @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko The powerhouse cabaret and musical theatre singer-actor performs her new solo show, What is This Swing Called Love?, celebrating the Summer of Love. $21-$45. ($20 food/drink min.). 8pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. www.LeanneBorghesi.com www.feinsteinsatthenikko.com

Mark Powers @ Lone Star Saloon Opening reception for the artist’s exhibit of canvas art. 7pm-9pm. 354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Mary Go-Round @ Lookout Mercedez Munro and Holotta Tymes present saucy and unusual drag acts. $5. 10pm-2am. 3600 16th St. www. lookoutsf.com

Puff/Love @ The Stud The pot-friendly night with DJ Dank, Maria Konner and her band Not From Jersey, with special guest Marga Gomez, and DJ Sergio Fedasz. $5-$10. 7pm-10pm. Followed by Love, the eclectic new drag show, hosted by Pristine Condition, Ultra and Mama Dora 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Out & About>>

July 27-August 2, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 23

Out &About

O&A

We Came to Sweat: the Legend of Starlite @ Grace Cathedral

July 27 August 3

Screening of the 2014 documentary about the historic Brooklyn Blackowned gay bar. 3:30pm. Part of the Summer Social Justice Film festival. 1100 California St. https://www. gracecathedral.org/summerfilms/

Mon 31 Fantasy Life @ SF City Hall

Mon 31 Tabitha Soren’s Fantasy Life @ SF City Hall

o many summertime delights on stages, in galleries and concert halls. See full arts listings on www.ebar.com.

Thu 27 The Black Woman is God @ SOMArts Opening reception and performances with 60+ artists in various media challenging Eurocentric notions of God. 6pm-12am. Performances also Aug. 25 & 26. Thru Aug. 26. Tue-Fri 12pm-7pm. Sat 12pm-5pm. 934 Brannan St. somarts.org

Each and Every Thing @ The Marsh Dan Hoyle’s acclaimed solo show about searching for community in a fractured world. $25-$100. Thu 8pm, Fri & Sat 8:30pm. Thru Aug. 26. 1062 Valencia St. themarsh.org

Sat 29 Celebrate Community @ Harvey Milk Photo Center Group exhibit of LGBT communitythemed prints by prominent local photographers (Rick Gerharter, Gareth Gooch, Mick Hicks, Sandra Hoover, Dan Nicoletta, Bill Wilson and more). Thru July 23. 50 Scott St. harveymilkphotocenter.org

GAPA Rising @ Concept 190 Gay Asian Pacific Alliance’s mixer with food, drinks, entertainments and schmoozing. 3pm-6pm. 190 King St. www.gapa.org

ODC/Dance Summer Sampler @ ODC Theater

Midsummer of Love @ Strawberry Hill

The acclaimed company performs world premieres by KT Nelson and Kimi Okada, and a remount of Brenda Way’s 1978 work, Format II. $20-$35. 8pm. Also July 28 & 29. 3153 17th St. www.odcdance.org

We Players presents another site-specific environmental play, this time an arboreal adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. July 27-30 in Golden Gate Park’s Strawberry Hill, 6:30pm ($40-$80). weplayers.org

SF Jewish Film Festival @ Various Cinemas 37th annual festival of short, feature and documentary films by and about Jewish people and culture. Thru Aug. 6 at Castro Theatre, Landmark Albany Twin (Albany), CineArts Theatre (Palo Alto), Rafael Film center (San Rafael), and the New Parkway (Oakland). www.sfjff.org

Fri 28 La Cage Aux Folles @ SF Playhouse New local production of Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein’s award-winning musical. $30-$125. Tue-Thu 7pm. Fri & Sat 8pm. Sat 3pm, Sun 2pm. Thru Sept 16. 450 Post St. sfplayhouse.org

MacBitch @ Exit Theatre All-women adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Scottish play,” with an 80s high school Heathers meets All About Eve take, A Breadbox theatre production. $15-$20. ThuSat 8pm. Thru Aug. 19. 156 Eddy St. www.breadboxtheatre.org

Older and Out @ North Berkeley Senior Center

SF Hiking Club @ Matt David Trail Join GLBT hikers of the SF Hiking Club for a 9-mile hike on Mt. Tam. Carpool meets 8:45 at Safeway sign, Market & Dolores. 845-4940. www.sfhiking.com

The Summer of Love @ de Young Museum New exhibit about San Francisco’s historic 1967 groovy era. Also, a beautiful Stuart Davis retrospective, and amazing modern and historic art. Free/$15. 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, Golden Gate Park. www.famsf.org

Sun 30 David Mertens @ Castro Country Club Opening reception at the LGBT sober space for the artist’s new collection of evocative urban landscape paintings. 5:15pm-7pm. 4058 18th St. Thru Sept 10. www.castrocountryclub.org

Edvard Munch: Between the Clock and the Bed @ SF MOMA

Weekly group discussion about problems for elders in the LGBT community. 3:15pm. 1901 Hearst Ave., Berkeley. pacificcenter.org

New exhibit of 44 works by the misunderstood painter, known most for “The Scream.” Also, exhibits of Pop, Abstract and classic Modern art Free-$25. 10am-8pm. 151 Third St. www.sfmoma.org

Roz Chast: @ Cont. Jewish Museum

Homopolis @ SF Public Library

Exhibit of the wry cartoons by the award-winning artist and author; thru Sept. 3. Free (members)-$12. Fri-Tue 11am-5pm, Thu 11am-8pm (closed Wed). 736 Mission St. 6557800. www.thecjm.org

Photos from Gay San Francisco in 1981, a new exhibit curated by Ken Maley. Thru Aug. 24. James Hormel Center, 3rd floor, 100 Larkin St. www.sfpl.org

Tabitha Soren’s 15-year project photographing Oakland A’s players through their careers, 5:30pm-6:30pm. Thru Dec. 15. Ground Floor & North Light Court. sfartscommission.org

Unearthed @ California Academy of Sciences Exhibits and planetarium shows with various live, interactive and installed exhibits about animals, plants and the earth; new exhibit, From Stone Age to Space Age, showcases minerals through time. Special events each week, with adult nightlife parties many Thursday nights. $20-$35. Mon-Sat 9:30am-5pm. Sun 11am-5pm. 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park. calacademy.org

Tue 1 Tiny Bubbles @ SFAC Gallery

Best Wedding Photographer as voted by BAR readers

Group exhibition curated by Steven Wolf includes several works by the late Jerome Caja, and others with adult themes. Thru Aug. 19. SF Arts Commision Gallery, 401 Van Ness Ave. www.sfartscommission.org

Wayne Goodman, Rick May @ Dog Eared Books The two authors (and partners) read from and sign copies of their new works ( Better Angels and Inhuman Beings: Monsters, Myths, & Science Fiction) , with Lori Ostlund and Anne Raeff; door prizes, champagne, chocolates, too! 7pm. 489 Castro St. www. dogearedbooks.com

Wed 2 Queerest Library Ever @ SF Public Libraries Hormel at 20: Celebrating Our Past/ Creating Our Future, a dual exhibit of archival materials celebrating two decades of the LGBTQ collections. 100 Larkin St., 3rd floor, and at the Eureka Valley Branch, 1 Jose Sarria Court at 16th St. www.sfpl.org

Ugo Rondinone @ Berkeley Art Museum The World Just Makes Me Laugh, an exhibit of wistfully interpreted various-media works featuring clowns and childhood toys. Also, Charles Howard: A Margin of Chaos; both thru Aug. 27. 2155 Center St., Berkeley. http://bampfa.org/

Thu 3 Blues is a Woman @ Custom Made Theatre The acclaimed new musical tribute to women composers and singer (from Ma Rainey to Bonnie Raitt) returns in a theatre setting. $30-$50. Thu-Sat 8pm. Sun 3pm. Thru Aug. 27. 533 Sutter St. bluesisawoman.com

Ira Watkins @ Tenderloin Museum Opening reception for the “outsider” artist’s new exhibit of endearing portraits and landscapes portraying Black Americans. 6pm9pm. Thru Oct. 11. 398 Eddy St. tenderloinmuseum.org

WINNER Best Wedding Photographer

Best Wedding Photographer as voted by BAR readers

Steven Underhill

PHOTOGRAPHY

415 370 7152

WEDDINGS, HEADSHOTS, PORTRAITS

stevenunderhill.com · stevenunderhillphotos@gmail.com

<< On The Town

24 • BAY AREA REPORTER • July 27-August 2, 2017

That’s entertainment by Donna Sachet

n 2002, when San Francisco created the Entertainment Commission, a pet project of Audrey Joseph, Terrance Alan, Bevan Dufty, Mark Leno, and many others, regulatory procedures over bars, clubs, restaurants, outdoor festivals and events were largely transferred from the Police Department to a panel of commissioners, creating a new, more supportive dynamic for the industry. In 2012, when the City published the results of an extensive study, it was revealed that these businesses provided 52,000 jobs and generated 4.2 billion dollars in spending by 80 million customers annually, giving new recognition to the importance of this industry and the Entertainment Commission. Through it all, Jocelyn Kane was an active player, eventually becoming the Executive Director of that commission. On Tuesday, July 18, club owners, managers, entertainers, and friends packed Mezzanine for Jocelyn’s retirement party after 30 years of public service. A short program of speakers lauded her contributions as an ongoing slide show highlighted moments from her career. Among the crowd were The Mix’s Larry Metzger, Badlands’ and Toad Hall’s Les Natali, SF Pride’s George Ridgely, AT&T’s Cammy Blackstone, Positive Resource Center’s Demetri Moshoyannis, Bar Fluxus’ and Madrone’s Michael Krouse, singer Caroline Lund, and many of the commissioners with whom she had served. As the cake with a photographic image of the honoree was cut, the crowd burst into applause. Without

a doubt, San Francisco is more sparkling, more dynamic, and certainly grateful, because of the tireless efforts of Jocelyn Kane! Over the Top, the exhibit featuring the Imperial Court of San Francisco at the Oakland Museum of California, ended its four-month run this month. But before it did, nearly forty historically-minded members and friends of the Court boarded a bus in front of Beaux and made the journey across the Bay. The last Friday of each month, the museum adds to their visitors’ experience with various musical entertainers, craft vendors, portable food trucks, and cocktail bars. After making a rather grand entrance, our group quickly merged into the larger group, mixing amiably with a diverse and friendly crowd. Imperial Court members were quick to answer questions and to share the mission of this historic and incredible organization. Much credit goes to Absolute Empress XLVI Saybeline for organizing this final visit and the vivid memories of this stunning display will never fade. We were never so conscious of our remarkable history than when we celebrated our 50th anniversary in 2015. Some of you may remember the glorious party at City Hall, supported by the Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band, the SF Gay Men’s Chorus, Beach Blanket Babylon, City Swing, the Klipptones, and hundreds of visitors from across Canada, the United States, and Mexico. What other organization can boast a continuous fifty-year history of fund-raising, civil rights advocacy, event production, and leadership development? As hard as we tried to find a place to exhibit memorabilia from that

Lianna Moore

Members of the Imperial Council again visited the Over the Top exhibit at the Oakland Museum.

history, appropriate locations were unavailable or restricted by liability issues. Then, in 2016, Christina Linden from the Oakland Museum approached the Imperial Court about curating a show. After much communication back and forth, the deal was struck and on March 31, 2017, Over the Top opened and attendees included the Reigning Emperor of San Francisco Nic Hunter and Reigning Empress Mercedez Monro and Queen Mother of the Americas Nicole Murray Ramirez. We have heard much discussion lately about carefully preserving and accurately telling the history of our LGBTQ movement, and this exhibit was a great step in that direction. From robes and crowns to pins and other jewelry, from Court banners to monarch portraits, and

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Erin-Kate Whitcomb with birthday boy Jason Brock at Martuni’s.

from member quotes to well researched museum descriptions, the Oakland Museum of California did an excellent job of portraying our amazing history. We applaud the efforts of the San Francisco GLBT Historical Society and its museum on 18th Street, films like Dustin Lance Black’s Academy Awardwinning Milk, ABC television’s When We Rise, and recent efforts with City cooperation to officially recognize neighborhoods for their significance to the transgender and Leather Entertainment Commission Executive communities. We must Director Jocelyn Kane was honored with a continue to find ways to retirement party at Mezzanine last week. honor our illustrious history as a people and then his special guest. Perhaps you reto draw the interest of fumember her as Dame Edna’s sideture generations. Remember, it is up kick during her last tour or as one to us to get it right! of the stars of the local production Last Thursday’s Mary-Go-Round of Ruthless at the historic Purple at LookOut offered a lively lateOnion. This audience couldn’t have night show headed by Mercedez been more thrilled with the variety Monro and a number of newer of musical talent and the cozy atperformers, including Vicodonia mosphere and attentive staff of the Nightingale. Philip Grasso was DJ lovely Martuni’ piano bar. and the always friendly staff made Two big weekends coming up everyone feel welcome. Don’t forwith Up Your Alley or Dore Alley get LookOut’s drag brunch every Street Fair this weekend and Lazy Saturday starting at noon, starring Bear Weekend in Guerneville next. Carnie Asada. They promise a Also on Saturday, August 5, the fabulous show, delicious menu, and Empresses of San Francisco host a lots of champagne! benefit from 4-7PM at Midnight Sun. It seems that drag brunches have You know that will be spectacular! become quite the thing in San FranSupport the LGBT Asylum Projcisco. Could rumors be true that ect at a Ducal fundraiser on Sunday, the long-shuttered Patio on Castro August 6, 4-7PM, at QBar. Street could soon reopen and feaAfter that, be at the Castro Theture another drag brunch? atre on Monday, August 7, for the We joined a jolly group for the secpremiere of Stilettos for Shanghai, ond show on Saturday night at Marthe film documentary about the Sistuni’s, celebrating the 40th birthday ters of Perpetual Indulgence’s Asian and singing talents of Jason Brock. goodwill tour. The VIP reception What a spectacular musician and starts at 6PM and the entire event showman! We’re sure you remember benefits organizations confronting him as a finalist on television’s X Facthe recently publicized atrocities in tor. Chechnya. The very talented Dee Spencer Wherever August takes you, accompanied Jason on piano and be kind, be generous, and be the very funny and musically disfabulous!t arming Erin-Kate Whitcomb was

Karrnal Knowledge >>

July 27-August 2, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 25

Betcha bottoms - Kinky flicks and fisting tricks by John F. Karr

ight you be in need of some kinky porn after the Up Your Alley Fair? It’s traditionally been as shameless and salacious as you can get on a city street. Talk about licentious! Is there licentious porn? Sure there is, and some I find pretty scurrilous. But is there kink porn? Oh, mais oui my Master, certainement Sir, you betcha Bottom. Since I covered the surfeit of content at Kink.com a while back, we won’t go there today. There are two juicy sites I haven’t previously written up. There are the locally-based Raging Stallion boutique sites, ClubInfernoDungeon.com and its even feistier companions, the intertwined FistingCentral.com and FetishForce.com. And beaming in from Berlin, there’s CazzoClub.com. Surveying the quantum of scenes these kink sites offer got me all seized up, just like Job in 7:4, “full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day.” At my age, that left me feeling like Heidi’s grandfather. I have great empathy for Jean Mounet-Sully, famed actor of the Comédie Francaise, and lover of Sarah Bernhardt, who remarked in his senior years, “Up to the age of 60, I thought it was a bone.” I don’t need to put a splint on it just yet (although I will if you find that kinky). But as I find my personal dabblings in kink are dribbling away, I don’t mind watching others do it for me on film. ClubInferno offers 675 scenes

Cocky Cody Winter.

from 135 movies, and is slightly more mainstream than the two other RS sites. They both have 550 scenes from 144 movies, but there are some differences in the offerings. FistingCentral is all about ass, with all the Fistpack movies, all the Hole Busters. The scope broadens at FetishForce. Besides an obsession with rosebuds, producer Chris Ward liked to put sounds in his dick. I’ve tried ‘em, and they made me wince; felt like rug burn in my penis. But yeah, these site≠s are rife with domination, bondage, rubber, punishment, pissing, puppy play, hardware, sling sex. You crave a kink, it’s here. These three sites have an admirable level of gloss, with a polished expertise in cinematography and especially art direction. You know, the socks match the jocks, which match the leather gear’s piping, and the generally abstracted settings just reek of atmosphere. You’ll notice that many of the performers at the three RS sites are porn professionals. Back in the day, if a guy appeared in any sort of kink porn, that was the sort of sex he was committed to. Today’s performers are committed to having the sort of sex they’re paid to have. I guess that goes hand in hand with the commodification of kink itself. Once underground, it’s now thoroughly codified in practice and all over the streets. Why, our sexually abandoned street fairs are even chronicled in The Chronicle. One of my kinks, or perhaps it’s merely a fetish, is that I get hard for small guys. My BF of 20 years was 5’5”. Columnist Robert Gottlieb once commented about Harry Houdini that “Although he was very short, he was definitely masculine.” It’s obvious Mr Gottlieb wasn’t hanging with the short guys I’ve known, who weren’t short on Butch at all. Which brings us to an RS darling, that 5’5” butch ginger bunny, Seamus O’Reilly. He’s a skinny little guy, pale, hung as heavy as another shortie, Sebastian Kross, but neither as buff nor as glossy. It’s his reality quotient and responsiveness that get right to ya. Oh, how I dote on his big, hard and decidedly pink prick. Although versatile, Cazzo Club he’s a bottom specialist. You can see him in

FetishForce

Seamus O’Reilly’s gettin’ it good from Rocco Steele, in a scene at FetishForce.

ClubInferno

Jacob Peterson is proving handy to both Brian Bonds and Seamus O’Reilly, at ClubInferno

seven scenes at ClubInferno, and in three at FetishForce, getting spanked, dildoed, fisted, penalized, and plugged (and don’t miss him strung up and abused in a sizzler at MenOnEdge.com). He’s generally in some state of distress in his videos, so check out his twitter feed for the happy, too cute and smiling Seamus. He smiles while proffering his big boner, and he smiles when the most girthiest things are gracing his hallowed hall. Happy while smutty, that’s Seamus. Now, across the ocean to the 536 scenes from 72 movies at Cazzo, where the house style has a lot more grunge (although, like the RS sites, there’s scant nipple play). It’s quaint to see “beefcake” in the site’s scene synopses rendered as “beef-cakes.” But there’s nothing quaint about these nearly feral Berlin-bred brutes. They’re frequently shaved, and cockringed; almost uniformly uncut. They’re hungrily prowling for kinky sex, not waiting for some casting agent to book them any old shoot. While few of the men strike me as porn professionals, a handful of the company’s performers have had international careers, like Geoffrey Paine, Harley Everett, Milan Gamiani with seven scenes, and Mark Metzger in two, with his fully inked body and capaciously engorged sexuality. Another guy who’s just becoming international is Cody Winter. He started at Cazzo, showed up once at gritty MenOnEdge, and once at full gloss LucasEntertainment.com, before settling into scenes I happily discovered at two of the RS sites. This foxy-looking newcomer is a Nordic sort of blond with a Nordic sort of asshole; you know, perfectly pink. At Cazzo, he’s top and bottom for Dolf Dietrich; At ClubInferno, top and bottom for solemn D Arclyte; and at FistingCentral, he tops Issac Lin in a scene from Fisty’s Barber Shop, a new movie whose four scenes are evenly split between Cody and Seamus. Other than the stark difference in their types of men, the major difference between these sites is that Cazzo permits downloading, while the Raging Stallion sites maintain proprietary rights. You can watch, but you can’t own. Okay, you can, if you purchase them at the Raging Stallion store. But owning just a couple equals the price of the membership that permits streaming of 600. There’s no barrier to ownership at Cazzo, where High-Definition films download quickly. t ClubInferno.com; FistingCentral.com; FetishForce.com; www.CazzoClub.com

26 • BAY AREA REPORTER • July 27-August 2, 2017

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Diego Tovar - Smart sex-positive stud at Nob Hill Theatre you’d been booked to perform at this legendary venue? Diego Tovar: It was a surprise! I’ve been doing porn for less than two years and work is coming my way very easily. I have to say that the owners of the theater have been treating me very well. It’s always a pleasure work with people like them. What sort of mood to you want create for the audience when you perform, and how do you create it? I want to create a sexy, homoerotic mood. I’ll be wearing some leather stuff (I think leather is hot), and I will interact with the crowd. I want them to feel comfortable, as if they are part of the scene.

Trevor Ott

Diego Tovar

by Cornelius Washington

iego Tovar’s personal journey, as a vibrant Latino man, is to be understood and embraced. The Nob Hill Theatre will feature this very brave and controversial stud, with a

weekend of torrid performances, with his beautiful co-star, Teddy Bryce. Cornelius Washington: . Congratulations on your Nob Hill Theatre debut! How did you feel when you were told that

I understand that you’re currently studying to become a criminal attorney. Tell my readers why you chose that career path and what it takes to do that and travel, etc., for a porn career. My first choice was Med school, but, I had to be a ‘24 hours a day’ student in order to be where I wanted to be, and again, family wasn’t there for me. I went to law school in Mexico because I wanted to do what is right and help those who could not afford a lawyer. I never wanted to be rich or famous; I just wanted to be a voice for those who did not have one. That is the same reason why I am studying the same career in this country. About being an attorney and a porn actor, well...sadly there are people out there who would un-

derestimate my potential, just because I am in porn. They think of Elle Wood from Legally Blonde. If a blonde can do it, I definitely can. It’s all about overcoming and proving that stereotypes don’t always hold to be true. I know it is going to be a challenge, butI’m doing this to help people to find justice and peace, not because I want public recognition. How will your criminal attorney practice tie in with the LGBTQ and immigrant communities? I would like to be part of a foundation dedicated to the protection of the LGBTQ community in the legal and political environments. Most of the LGBTQ community have been victims of adversity for most of their lives. I want to transform all that suffering into protection for the next generations. I want to pay attention to young gay homeless people. I didn’t have anyone to help me when I was in that situation, and I don’t wish that for anyone. We need to protect them from the outside world, where you can easily be sexual assaulted or beaten, just because. There is a lot that we have to work on. We can’t keep separating families and destroying children’s lives, saying that they aren’t good enough, just because of their race. We all deserve to be happy, in a safe place with our families and if someone rejects you, that’s when we, as a community, must reach out as positive role models.

How and why did you choose to contact Treasure Island Media first, and what was it like to film your first scene with them? I was watching TIM porn and, you know, enjoying my time. When I saw a link on the bottom of the page, “Become a Model.” I thought it was a stupid idea to apply. I mean, I’m just an average guy. Ten minutes after I sent my application, I received a call from Nick, one of the producers. He wanted to meet me and that’s how everything started. My first scene was a solo. It went great. Nick made me feel comfortable, honestly. He is super handsome, and that helped a lot. (Laughs). What sexual hang-ups or fears have you discarded, since you became a porn actor? Porn has helped me realize that I am attractive, in some way. Before porn, I was scared to even talk to people at the bar. Talking about sex preferences was never an option with my friends. Now I can talk about anything with anyone, without the fear of being judged. What stereotypes about Mexican men, if any, have you had to conquer in the porn world? Well, I use my race as a hook in my scenes. Come on, I am Mexican and I’m proud of it! I have a thick accent and some people think that it’s sexy. I’m not going to pretend be something different. Many people in the LGBTQ community are still really shy about exploring their true sexuality. As someone who’s doing that openly, can you say something encouraging to my readers, to help them? Yes! As a porn actor I’d tell you this, porn is not real! If you are shy because you don’t look like a porn star, you are wrong. We are all people, and you’re worth it for who you are and not how you look. I encourage you to have a healthy lifestyle for sure. But don’t pretend to be someone else in order to fit into gay community standards. Read much more with Diego at www.ebar.com/bartab. t Diego Tovar performs at The Nob Hill Theatre July 27 for Circle Jerk With a Porn Star ($15, 9pm) and on-stage with Teddy Bryce July 28 & 29. $25. 8pm solo and 10pm sex shows. 729 Bush St.

Shining Stars>>

July 27-August 2, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 27

Shining Stars Steven Underhill Photos by

Max SF @ BEAUX M

AX SF, the gay men’s social organization, held its regular third

Thursdays event at Beaux last week. MAX events provide a fun, open, diverse and welcoming community for gay men via social and philanthropic events, including theatre nights, beneﬁts, outdoor trips and art exhibits. Their next event at Beaux is August 17. www.maxsf. org Beaux, 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com More photo albums are on BARtab’s Facebook page, www.facebook. com/lgbtsf.nightlife. See more of Steven Underhill’s photos at www. StevenUnderhill.com