June 11, 2020 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter by Bay Area Reporter

New PrEP study

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Castro protest expresses solidarity with BLM by John Ferrannini Screengrab via Zoom

Clockwise from upper left: Niki Solis, Sheriff Paul Miyamoto, police Chief William Scott, District Attorney Chesa Boudin, and Public Defender Mano Raju appeared on a Zoom meeting Monday.

Panel discusses defunding SFPD by John Ferrannini

he Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club held a panel discussion Monday night featuring elected officials and San Francisco Police Chief William Scott discussing what can be changed in light of a tumultuous week in the public’s relationships with law enforcement. “A Conversation with San Francisco’s Criminal Justice Policymakers” featured Scott, Sheriff Paul Miyamoto, District Attorney Chesa Boudin, and Public Defender Mano Raju. It was moderated by Niki Solis, a lesbian who’s a deputy public defender. Many of the questions regarded how different elements in the criminal justice system affect LGBT people; the second touched upon an incident that occurred just last Thursday, when as the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, a nonbinary officer was reprimanded for wearing earrings in violation of a transphobic police dress code. The officer – Rubin Rhodes – had worn earrings for years with only one previous incident. The day prior to being sent home for insubordination, however, Rhodes took a knee in front of the police department’s Mission Station in solidarity with protesters demanding justice for black people killed by law enforcement. While Scott could not speak to that incident specifically, he said he is open to changing police department policies that are outdated in the 21st century. “Absolutely, it’s time to revisit, and as a matter of fact, we’ve been investigating that for a while now,” Scott said. Before the novel coronavirus outbreak led to stay-at-home orders, Scott said he had “already started to put together focus groups and met with hundreds of people on these topics – earrings, beards, tattoos.” Scott said he is reopening these meetings virtually. “It’s a way more far-reaching issue than just earrings,” Scott said. “We are at a different time as a society and so these things need to be reconsidered.” Solis pushed back, however, regarding the focus groups – “should the public be dictating gender expression?” she asked – but told Scott he didn’t have to come up with a response to that question See page 8 >>

undreds of people marched to the Castro district the evening of June 5 to call attention to discrimination that black people face in the LGBTQ community. Once demonstrators arrived at Jane Warner Plaza – at the intersection of Castro and Market streets, where historic protests have been held for decades – they saw performances and speeches from black LGBT artists and drag performers standing in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. On their way to the Castro, protesters chanted the name of George Floyd. It was Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police May 25 that sparked nationwide protests against police violence on a scale not seen in the United States in decades. Floyd, a black man, was killed when white former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes. Three other officers, all since fired, watched. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has since upgraded the charges against Chauvin to second-degree murder and charged the other ex-officers with aiding and abetting murder.

John Ferrannini

Drag performer Afrika America emceed Ready to Listen, an event in the Castro Friday, June 5, to address anti-black racism in the LGBT community. A rally in Jane Warner Plaza occurred at the conclusion of a march from San Francisco City Hall early Friday evening.

“I’m here for Black Lives Matter, and I hope this isn’t misconstrued, but that’s a step for equality for all of us, for all people regardless of their race, gender, or sexual orientation,”

Stephen Fambro said as he marched up Market Street. “You can’t celebrate Pride without protest.” See page 8 >>

Russian River readies to welcome summer guests

by Matthew S. Bajko

he summer season is slowly revving up in the gay-friendly Russian River resort area centered around the town of Guerneville, which is marking its 150th anniversary this year. But vacationers will find a drastically different environment from years past as businesses institute new procedures to keep guests safe. Most of the local businesses that cater to tourists shuttered in mid-March when the shelterin-place orders were instituted to help contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. Over recent weeks Sonoma County officials have been allowing more shops, wineries, and restaurants to open their doors while adhering to new safety protocols to keep both their customers and staff socially distant. The ever-popular Johnson’s Beach is preparing to welcome back beachgoers next Friday, June 19, for the first time this season ahead of the Father’s Day holiday. But it will no longer be able to accommodate the upward of 1,000 people per day it normally sees in the summer and will be chalking out rows of beach spots available only by advance reservation. Those closest to the river will cost $30, middle row spots will run $20, and those farther back will cost $10; all come with an umbrella.

Courtesy Sonomacounty.com

The Russian River area is known for being gay-friendly and has outdoor recreational activities such as kayaking and canoeing.

“We can’t create a socially distant environment that can accommodate that many people,” owner Dan Poirier told the Bay Area Reporter Tuesday. “I will know by Thursday how many people we will be able to let in.” This Friday, June 12, winery tasting rooms in Sonoma County will be allowed to open without the need to also be serving food. Next to open will be hotels, resorts, and private vacation rentals, which county leaders could give the

go-ahead to do so as early as 5 p.m. Friday, June 19, according to an email sent late Tuesday night by Sonoma County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, whose District 5 includes the Russian River area. The opening date for tourist accommodations has been in flux and remains uncertain. Earlier Tuesday Hopkins had told the B.A.R. that county officials were looking at Monday, See page 8 >>

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Study: No new HIV cases among PrEP 2-1-1 users by Liz Highleyman

ay and bisexual men taking PrEP before and after sex – known as the 2-1-1 regimen – reported good adherence and none were diagnosed with HIV, according to a new study from Kaiser Permanente San Francisco. Based on these findings, on-demand PrEP could be an attractive option for men who can plan ahead for sex. “Some of our patients have been reluctant to take a daily medication, and enabling our patients to choose the dosing strategy that is right for them is very empowering,” study co-author Dr. Jonathan Volk, of the Permanente Medical Group, said in a press release. “We now have different dosing strategies that can meet the needs of different patients.” PrEP 2-1-1 involves taking two doses of Truvada (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine) between two and 24 hours before anticipated sex, one dose 24 hours after the initial double dose, and a final dose 24 hours after that. A pair of French studies has shown that PrEP taken before and after sex is highly effective for men who have sex

with men, regardless of whether they have sex frequently or less often. But so far, there has been little data from the United States. Although the World Health Organization and the International Antiviral Society-USA have endorsed on-demand PrEP for gay and bi men, this regimen is not yet approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration. The 2-1-1 regimen has not yet been studied in women or transgender men who have vaginal or frontal sex. Study results for cisgender (nontrans) gay and bi men only apply to Truvada, not the Descovy (tenofovir alafenamide/emtricitabine) pill that was approved last year as a second daily PrEP option. Kaiser San Francisco began offering on-demand PrEP in February 2019. Volk and his colleagues followed 279 men who were prescribed the new regimen through the end of August 2019. Clients who were already on daily PrEP were told about PrEP 2-1-1 and given the opportunity to switch, while those starting PrEP could choose between the ondemand or daily regimen. More than half of the men (56%) were white, 22% were Asian, 12% were Latino and 3% were African American. (The proportions of these groups in the San Francisco population are about 52%, 36%, 15%, and 6%, respectively). Three-quarters had previously used PrEP, including 11 men who had used the 2-1-1 regimen before Kaiser started offering it and six who had used other nondaily schedules, such as taking PrEP only when on vacation. The most common reason for wanting to use PrEP 2-1-1 was infrequent

Courtesy Kaiser Permanente

Dr. Jonathan Volk is an infectious disease specialist with the Permanente Medical Group.

sex, reported by 58% of the men. Other less common reasons included concerns about the potential side effects of daily dosing, the cost of daily PrEP, and difficulty with daily adherence. About 14% of the men reported challenges using the 2-1-1 regimen, including issues related to adherence or getting the dosing pattern right, difficulty planning sex in advance, and side effects. More than half of these men switched to daily dosing on their own. Twenty men discontinued PrEP altogether due to loss of health insurance, reduced sexual risk, or side effects. All but six of the men who were prescribed on-demand PrEP completed their three-month follow-up visit. Of these, 51% exclusively used the 2-1-1 regimen during that period, while 19% opted to take Truvada daily, 15% used a combination of the two regimens and 3% never actually started PrEP. Among the 181 men who used the 2-1-1 regimen exclusively or in combination with daily dosing, only 4%

reported missing a dose of Truvada the last time they had sex. On average, they used one course of PrEP 2-1-1 – or four pills – during the past month. No one was newly diagnosed with HIV. “Our findings suggest that 2-1-1 is an appealing alternative for some men, especially those who have infrequent sex,” said study co-author Carlo Hojilla, RN, Ph.D. “Offering 2-1-1 alongside daily PrEP will help provide individuals with an additional option to tailor their HIV prevention strategy based on their needs.” Kaiser is not the only San Francisco provider offering PrEP 2-1-1 prior to FDA approval. As the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation’s Magnet sexual health service at Strut in the Castro began offering the new regimen in March 2019. “In France, almost half of the people starting PrEP elect this strategy,” former Strut director of nursing Pierre-Cédric Crouch, RN, NP, Ph.D., wrote in a Facebook post at the time. “We’ve been behind in the USA and we need to catch up!” Since then, about 23% of Magnet clients have opted to use the 2-1-1 method at least part of the time, SFAF director of clinical services Janessa Broussard, NP, told the B.A.R. “With proper counseling on how to take it, it’s been easy for clients to understand and use,” Broussard said. “During the shelter-in-place order [due to COVID-19], some clients have transitioned to 2-1-1 dosing with the intention of switching back to daily dosing once they feel safe to resume a more normal sexual routine.” t

Arrest made in alleged Castro burglary by John Ferrannini

olice have made an arrest in the case of an alleged burglary in the Castro early Wednesday. Alexander Phillips, 24, was booked at San Francisco County Jail on suspicion of possession of burglary tools, receiving stolen property, and resisting arrest, according to San Francisco police. Police stated they responded to a report of a burglary on the 4100 block of 19th Street (between Collingwood and Castro streets) at 4:33 a.m. June 10. “A witness reported that they observed an unknown male exit a business located on the 4100 block of 19th Street though a door that had been

Sari Staver

A police officer investigates an alleged break-in on the 4100 block of 19th Street early Wednesday morning.

broken down,” police spokesman Officer Adam Lobsinger stated to the Bay

Area Reporter in an email. “Officers arrived on scene and determined that one business was broken into and an adjoining business sustained damage. Officers located and arrested the suspect on the 3900 block of 17th Street [between Hartford and Noe streets].” The property allegedly broken into is Yankee Clipper Travel at 4115 19th Street. Police stated that while an arrest has been made, the incident remains an open investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the San Francisco Police Department 24-hour tip line at 1-415-575-4444. Callers can remain anonymous. t

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EMPOWER! the erment. In these pages of born as a movement of self-empow and survival. The personal he LGBT community was of courage section, we feature stories they are Bay Area Reporter’s Pride empowerment, whether marshals are portraits of In the end, we stories of Pride parade grand or entertaining the masses. working for social change, voice, a people others. young giving order to inspire our stories must be told in all seek empowerment, and

all that you need to know In the news section, you’ll find and Sunday’s parade and about Saturday’s new Pink Party coverage. festival, along with other local at the Frameline film The arts section includes a look happenings. festival and other arts events, we Along with our coverage of multiple the BARtab section with have expanded nightlife listings in event this week, and an information on every notable LGBTQ stage headliner, Steve Grand. exclusive interview with Pride main Court decides in Supreme U.S. the what No matter still has much the marriage case, the LGBT community violence, and workplace work ahead combating bias, hate still unable to serve openly in discrimination. Trans people are as San Francisco, in one the military. Even in a city as diverse country, the Bay Area, there the of areas liberal most the of read our story about a gay are those who abhor us. Just that’s been hit by graffiti Latino mural in the Mission district vandals – three times this month. weekend, keep in mind that So as you celebrate this Pride effort to achieve this is just the beginning of a renewed

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of our varied communities ride, viewed as a puzzle, lets all gay, bisexual, come together. We identify as lesbian, Asian, Jewish, drag, transgender, queer, black, white, more. We are all pieces of leather, daddy, older, younger, and fit into the puzzle that is life society, and making those pieces we have to confront those is our challenge – and oftentimes second-class status or who whose aim is to relegate us to lead to discrimination. support outdated ideologies that in the cover art by gay local The puzzle analogy is visualized graphic artist Kenshi Westover. you will find stories of Inside this special Pride section, adversity, and challenging success, perseverance, overcoming the status quo. articles on a gay social These themes are illustrated through Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi’s club, the Billys, and San Francisco transgender inmates groundbreaking policy to stop classifying to their birth sex, meaning who have not had surgery according with women in jail. housed be would women that trans community grand marshals This year’s San Francisco Pride led – they are a diverse group and other honorees are also profi own businesses, fostered of people who have started their lives of others. social change, and improved the

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Volume 50, Number 24 June 11-17, 2020 www.ebar.com

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SFPD’s dress codes outdated A

San Francisco Police officer who ize his being sent home as retaliation identifies as nonbinary reportbut did call it “nonsensical.” edly was sent home last week after Scott, who is also a black man and he was reprimanded for wearing took a knee alongside Mayor London earrings while on-duty. The officer, Breed during a demonstration against Rubin Rhodes, took a knee outside police brutality in front of City Hall SFPD’s Mission Station during a recently, is working to revise the dress June 3 protest that was organized by code policy, according to a statement youth to demonstrate solidarity with from Matt Dorsey, the department’s Black Lives Matter after the killing of communications director. Rick Gerharter George Floyd by a Minneapolis police San Francisco Po“While the San Francisco Police officer who kneeled on his neck for lice Chief William Department can’t comment on spemore than eight minutes. cific personnel issues, Department Scott The reprimand of Rhodes caused General Orders governing SFPD’s swift backlash and police Chief Wiluniform and equipment requireliam Scott responded that the department’s ments and grooming standards are in the process dress codes would be revised. As we reported of being updated at this time,” stated Dorsey, a last week, department policy prohibits male ofgay man who formerly was the spokesman for ficers from wearing earrings on-duty. Rhodes, City Attorney Dennis Herrera. who uses male pronouns, told the San FrancisJeff Cretan, a spokesman for Breed, also told the co Examiner, which first reported on his being B.A.R. that the dress code policy would be updated. reprimanded June 5, that he has worn earrings “The mayor is a strong supporter of the rights to work most days over the last five years and his of all people to be free from discrimination and doing so had only unequal policies in the workplace. This policy been an issue once is out of date and needs to be updated to reflect before. According to consistent standards regardless of gender identhe article, Rhodes tity,” he stated. “If earrings are acceptable for one wouldn’t characterindividual, they should be acceptable for every-

ack in 2010, a video recording was made of the San Francisco federal trial that decided the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the samesex marriage ban approved by California voters in 2008. Then-federal Judge Vaughn Walker, who presided over the trial (and came out as a gay man after it concluded), determined that Prop 8 was unconstitutional. His ruling paved the way for the 2013 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that restored marriage equality in the Golden State. The videotapes have been under seal ever since. Now, as the 10-year anniversary of Walker’s rulling approaches on August 4, Prop 8 opponents and media outlets want the videotapes unsealed – not surprisingly, proponents of Prop 8 want them to remain unseen. Federal Judge William H. Orrick is scheduled to hold a hearing on the matter next week. Two years ago, Orrick ruled the videotapes should remain under seal after August 12, 2020 only if “compelling reasons exist to continue to seal them.” We don’t believe there is any compelling reason to prevent the public from viewing the trial and urge him to order the videotapes unsealed.

Prop 8 supporters fear that marriage equality supporters will harass them if the recording of the trial is made public. But 10 years later, advocates of same-sex marriage have moved on to other priorities, like a public health pandemic and police brutality against black people. Besides, over the years supporters of Prop 8 and donors to the Yes on 8 campaign have already been called out. Additionally, a trial transcript has been released so no new information will be revealed; but a visual record would allow more people to experience the trial. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C., filed an amicus curiae brief May 13 stating that the videotapes should be released. “The court’s decision in Perry v. Schwarzenegger has already been the subject of a documentary, a Broadway play, and a network TV docuseries,” the brief states. “The historical significance of the case ensures that it will continue to be studied, documented, adapted, and reported on for years to come – further underscoring the significant public interest in the recordings.” The trial transcript ended up being the basis for

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“8,” a play by gay screenwriter Dustin Lance Black that featured A-list celebrities like George Clooney and Brad Pitt. A special recording of the production can be purchased for download through the L.A. Theatre Works Pride Collection. Proponents of making the videotapes public have stated in legal filings that there is no new evidence that Prop 8 supporters would be harassed. Caitlin Vogus, an attorney with the Reporters Committee, told the Bay Area Reporter last month that there is no new information brought forward by the Proposition 8 proponents that would override the public interest. “They are arguing the recordings need to remain under seal but don’t bring any new evidence,” Vogus said of Prop 8 supporters. “They say there is a risk of harassment of the people who testified in favor of Proposition 8 but don’t have any new evidence of this.” The position of the Prop 8 proponents, that same-sex marriage is detrimental to society, needs to be seen by everyone. Visual evidence of the trial will broaden the historical record and expose the poor arguments against marriage equality.t

Lessons learned in the pursuit of justice F

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one. Additionally, we are asking all of our departments with uniformed personnel to review their policies for any other similar inequities. We have to continue our work, like the mayor did with requiring nonbinary options on all city forms, to update our policies and procedures to be inclusive of all our workers and residents.” During a panel discussion Monday night with members of the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club, Scott said that he had been in the process of holding focus groups about the dress code before the novel coronavirus outbreak led to stay-athome orders. He said the meetings would resume virtually, and that beards, tattoos, and other jewelry would also be considered. It’s about time that these dress codes are updated for law enforcement departments. SFPD is working to recruit LGBT and other minority candidates, and conforming to rigid dress codes that are unevenly enforced is a distraction from the goal of diversifying the department. We need more officers from underrepresented communities as well as better training on de-escalation techniques, improving community relations, and a reallocation of resources to where they might be more effective. The general orders need to be swiftly revised and approved so that officers like Rhodes feel that they belong to the department, not ostracized from it. t

Unseal the Prop 8 videotapes

by Kiki Monifa

Bay Area Reporter

irst of all, I am talking about the peaceful protests. I live in Oakland, California and during 1967’s Summer of Love it was our neighboring city of Berkeley that garnered the media attention for demonstrations and protests. Now it is Oakland and the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Area in the forefront. The latest catalyst was the cellphone video of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month after a nowfired police officer kneeled on Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds. One officer epitomizing police brutality and that #BlackLivesMatter is an enigma to him. Three officers stood by and did nothing to prevent the death by the hands of their colleague for Floyd’s crime of allegedly passing a counterfeit $20 bill. (Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison charged Derek Chauvin, the officer who kneeled on Floyd’s neck, with second-degree murder. The other three ex-officers were charged with aiding and abetting murder.) The cry again was “I can’t breathe.” We heard it before in 2014 when Eric Garner uttered the words as a New York police officer put him in a chokehold while arresting him. Garner died. The Reverend Al Sharpton, in his memorialization of Floyd, noted that white folks have had their knees figuratively on the necks of black folks for 401 years. “Get your knee off our necks,” Sharpton said during his powerful eulogy. The message is clear through the protests behind the chants of “Fuck the police” and “All cops are bastards” – it is a call for justice. After all of the ex-Minnesota police offices had

Cynthia Laird

A mural pays tribute to George Floyd in downtown Oakland.

been arrested, the chant was “We got all four.” Floyd’s death came on the heels of the killings of Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. And before social media in 1955, Emmett Till, who was lynched in Mississippi. It has been said that black folks are killed or harassed by police and other white people for driving, shopping, jogging, sleeping, birdwatching, and simply living while black. And white folks know that whatever lie they might tell about a black person will be believed – from Till in 1955 to Christian Cooper, the gay New York birdwatcher that a white woman called the police on, in 2020. It’s racism and white privilege about the denial of 401 years of abuse, torture, and murders since we were forcibly brought to the United States. And it is more than the literal color of our skin; it is that we are black regardless of our skin tone. We come in all colors but our

blackness unites us and simultaneously subjects us to these outrageous acts. It is said that “silence equals compliance” and “silence is violence.” White people, we need you as our allies. Many folks think LGBTQ is tantamount to white, but of course, people of color are LGBTQ as well. Tony McDade, a black transgender man, was shot and killed by Tallahassee Police officers on May 27. Here’s to hoping that the collective voices of the thousands of protests against police violence and racism will be heard. The call for action is for justice for those who perpetuate violence and to prevent these acts from recurring. We need you to talk among yourselves, and put an end to racism and acknowledge your white privilege and be the change. We need more than your marching and signs. Figure it out, we did not have to teach you how to be racist and use and abuse your white privilege, so we should not and are not going to help you dismantle racism and deal with your privileges. Google, listen, and read. For starters, check out “How White People Can Help;” “75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice;” “Now is the time to listen;” and “100 ways you can take action against racism right now” . The ultimate call for action is for love and peace and seeing each other as human beings and not “the other.” t Kiki Monifa is a writer, editor, blogger, vlogger, and podcaster for numerous outlets including www.blackhistoryeveryday.com, http://www.kikiposts.com, and http://www. Anchor.fm/Kikipodcasts.

Politics >>

More Bay Area cities fly Pride flag during June

by Matthew S. Bajko

he number of Bay Area cities flying the rainbow flag during June continues to grow, putting added pressure on their municipal counterparts that have yet to follow suit. It comes as LGBTQ leaders in San Mateo and Contra Costa counties expect to see every city and town in their jurisdictions celebrate Pride Month in some manner for the first time this year. As of Wednesday, June 10, the Pride flag is now flying in the Peninsula cities of Belmont, Brisbane, Daly City, Half Moon Bay, Redwood City, San Carlos, San Mateo, and South San Francisco. It will soon be flying in front of San Bruno’s City Hall, as its City Council adopted a flag policy at its meeting Tuesday, June 9, and instructed city staff to raise the international symbol for the LGBTQ community on the flagpole in front of their civic building. A previous mayor had made the decision on their own to fly the rainbow flag, noted current Mayor Rico Medina,“and it did not go over well.” Thus, he said he requested that the city adopt a policy regarding requests to fly ceremonial flags going forward that would require a vote by the full council. “In talking to some other elected officials, it was clear having a flag policy was important,” said Medina. The council on a unanimous 5-0 vote adopted both the flag policy and approved raising the Pride flag this month. “It is time to be fully inclusive of everybody, and I support this,” said City Councilman Marty Medina, no relation to the mayor. “I look forward to its placement at City Hall if we can get to that. That is where it should be.” Praising the decision was San Bruno resident Stephen Seymour, who used to live near the Stonewall Inn in New York City, whose patrons rose up against police harassment in 1969. Their doing so kicked off both the modern LGBTQ rights movement and annual Pride parades held the last Sunday of June in Manhattan and San Francisco to commemorate the historic event. During the council’s meeting, Seymour noted he had been asking the city to fly the Pride flag for the past five years in support of its LGBTQ residents. “We live in the Bay Area not far from San Francisco. This flag should fly proudly in front of City Hall,” said Seymour, noting that he has “many family members who are gay and I love dearly.” Another resident, Kris Perez, a “momma bear” of a gay son who was bullied in school due to his sexual orientation, stressed how important it is for LGBTQ people and their families to see not only their city government but local businesses and other institu-

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June 11-17, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 5

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the B.A.R.’s inquiries on if their cities would be raising the flag for the first time this year. Both councils are expected to issue Pride Month proclamations when they meet June 23. The following night, June 24, Moraga is expected to issue its Pride Month proclamation. But unlike its neighboring Lamorinda cities, it will not be flying the rainbow flag. “My understanding is that it is not the Town’s practice to fly any nongovernmental flag. Instead, we find other ways to demonstrate our commitment to various issues,” the city’s current mayor, Kymberleigh N. Korpus, told the B.A.R., pointing to the Pride proclamation as one example. Lafayette Mayor Mike Anderson, in a video message posted last week, noted how the city would normally hold a ceremony June 1 to raise the rainbow flag. But that was canceled due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. And Anderson, who is black, noted the parallels between the LGBTQ community’s fight for equal rights to the current protests led by Black Lives Matter activists outraged by the continued killings of African Americans at the hands of the police. “This is another part of our community that has suffered for many, many generations both ridicule and discrimination,” he said, adding that LGBTQ people need “to know that we are not judging them on a daily basis. It is the same issue, it just has a different label on it.” Based on the comments of a majority of the San Ramon City Council members at their meeting Tuesday, the city southeast of Mt. Diablo is likely to approve flying the rainbow flag later this month. The city issued a Pride proclamation this week, has added pro-LGBTQ messages to a city-controlled bulletin board, and is lighting its City Hall in the colors of the rainbow. It was expected to have adopted a flag policy earlier this month, but the item was pushed back to the council’s June 23 meeting. More than a dozen people beseeched the council during public comment at this week’s meeting to raise the rainbow flag in front of City Hall. In response to the suggestions that the town was not supporting LGBTQ people by not flying the flag, City Councilman Dave Hudson suggested a special meeting be held so the matter could be addressed sooner. “This is not what people were looking for tonight. I will leave it at that,” said Hudson, after being advised by the city’s mayor and city attorney that they could not discuss the flag matter since it had not been agendized for the meeting. City Councilman Phil O’Loane also expressed his frustration that the flag request had been delayed. “This is not an item that should have been held off until the end of June,” said O’Loane. “That is like talking about Christmas in January.” t

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The city of Orinda is flying the Pride flag this month.

tions displaying the rainbow flag to show their support and acceptance. “When we saw the rainbow flag ... it let us know we were welcome and included,” said Perez, adding that she only hears “good comments” from people about her Pride flag she flies in front of the family’s home.

Rainbow flags fly throughout East Bay

Across the bay in Contra Costa County, the rainbow flag can now be seen flying in Antioch, Clayton, Concord, El Cerrito, Hercules, Lafayette, Martinez, Orinda, Pinole, Pittsburg, Pleasant Hill, Richmond, and Walnut Creek. It should be raised in San Pablo next week, as the City Council there adopted a flag policy in May. “Following adoption of said policy, and in accordance with the new policy procedure, the City Council will be reviewing a formal request from one of our councilmembers to fly and post the LGBTQ Rainbow Flag at the current Civic Center Flag Pole at the upcoming June 15, 2020 City Council meeting for the remainder of the month of June, “ replied San Pablo Mayor Arturo Cruz in an email to the B.A.R. After the Antioch City Council Tuesday adopted a Pride proclamation, Mayor Sean Wright said the rainbow flag would go up the next morning and invited people to come as long as they adhere to the orders to “wear a mask and social distancing.” Flying the flag has become a flashpoint this year in a number of cities in the two counties, as LGBTQ advocates press Pride Visibility campaigns in both. As the B.A.R. reported last week, the City Council in Foster City’s denial of the request to fly the flag was met with criticism from the gay pastor of one of its churches, while Danville council members ignored requests from several of their constituents to raise the flag. City Council members in Brentwood and Oakley did not address

Public records on file with the California Secretary of State reveal that the Legislative LGBTQ Caucus in the past three years has accepted $40,000 from the Peace Officers Research Association Committee PAC, and $3,000 from the California Association of Highway Patrolmen. A member of the caucus, gay Asian American Assemblyman Evan Low (DCampbell), has received just over $171,000 since 2012 from those police unions and other cop-affiliated political action committees. I am demanding that the caucus and Low redirect those funds to Black Lives Matter-endorsed nonprofits and grassroots projects, and to reject future donations

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Letters >> LGBT pols should redirect police donations

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from these law enforcement unions. My efforts to get such pledges have been ignored up to now, but I remain optimistic that the caucus and Low will do the right thing and just say no to cop union money. There is no Pride in LGBT elected officials taking money from these unions. June is the ideal month for our gay caucus and Low to not only redirect and reject these funds, but to also enact legislation to defund the police. I encourage everyone to follow the money flowing to state officials from all PACs here: http://dbsearch.sos.ca.gov/. Pride does not equal funding from the police. Michael Petrelis San Francisco

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<< From the Cover

8 • Bay Area Reporter • June 11-17, 2020

Castro protest

From page 1

Tatiana Balaba, a black woman, said she was marching for the safety of those she cares about. “I’m out here for my family’s right to exist and live in this community,” she said. Balaba was marching with Akshay Ramaswamy, who added: “Enough is enough. It’s time for a change.” The Jane Warner Plaza event was emceed by drag artist Afrika America, who said that using the phrase “all lives matter” as a response to the insistence that “black lives matter” misses the point. “All lives do matter,” Afrika America said. “But right now, we are talking about black lives.” Afrika America asked the crowd to thank the San Francisco police officers who showed up to the protest, and who on this occasion did not respond to criticism with violence. “That’s the way it’s supposed to be,” Afrika America said. “They’re supposed to protect and serve.” Afrika America thanked allies who were not black who showed up, but said that San Francisco’s LGBT community has a long way to go. “When people ask ‘how are you doing?’ I tell people that ‘I’m physically fine, but mentally exhausted,’” Afrika America said. “I know people say San Francisco is such a nice place – so fabulous, there must not be racism. Lies. Is it as bad as Jackson, Mississippi, or Jacksonville, Florida? Not necessarily, but it should be better.”

Defunding SFPD

From page 1

during the panel discussion, though it was something to think about going forward. The four law enforcement officials discussed the training that their departments give relating to the transgender community. Boudin said that while his office has not given any trainings specific to that topic, he added that “we just hired a new manager, a queer woman of color, for trainings, including the one addressed in the question.” Boudin did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the identity of this new manager. Boudin said that people who are marginalized – whether they are black, queer, or in another minority group – are more likely to be involved with the criminal justice system both as victims and people accused of crime. “All of the justice and equity issues we talk about in the community manifest in the criminal justice system,” Boudin said. “When we have discrimination in our society, the outcome of discrimination, often, is people are disadvantaged in ways that lead both to them becoming a victim of crime and being arrested and accused of crime.” An example Boudin gave of this dynamic comes from his time as a deputy public defender. Boudin’s client, a queer, black man, was “savagely beaten” as a child to make him straight.

Business Briefs

From page 1

June 22, as the potential date. That was then moved up to 12:01 a.m. June 20, and the even earlier opening time next Friday evening is now being considered at the request of the county’s hospitality industry, Hopkins told the B.A.R. Wednesday. A decision will not be made until early next week. Getting the hotels and other lodging open again is contingent on the county seeing new cases of the coronavirus remain relatively flat. “Assuming we don’t have a spike before then,” Hopkins had told the B.A.R. June 9.

Afrika America said that racism against the black community often comes not just from white people, but also from black people, too, and other people of color. A recent example of allyship gone wrong, Afrika America said, could be seen in a Facebook discussion about “Darth Karen” – a white woman, Amy Cooper, who threatened to call the police on a gay black man named Christian Cooper who was birdwatching in Manhattan’s Central Park the same day that Floyd was killed. Amy Cooper (no relation to Christian) called 911 on Christian Cooper – saying he was “an African American man threatening my life” – after he asked her to leash her dog while he was birdwatching. Local rules state that a dog has to be leashed while in the Ramble, the part of Central Park both were located at the time of the incident. Afrika America said that in the Facebook discussion, people seemed more worried about the state of Amy Cooper’s dog. “I commented: ‘People, can we stop talking about the damn dog and instead talk about how this white woman weaponized language about a black man?’ If you’re going to be an ally: focus,” Afrika America said. Afrika America encouraged police who see injustice and misconduct to speak up. “Everyone has a job here,” Afrika America said. “We all have jobs and in those jobs, you want to be the best you can be. And, you have other responsibilities beyond that job; so when you

see injustice, it’s your responsibility to stand the fuck up and talk about it.” The next speaker, named Sacred, wore a shirt that said “Dear Police: I am a White Woman.” Sacred said that the shirt was meant to convey the message that “we, as black people, deserve the same attention and respect that a white woman would get when she calls the police.” Sacred asked non-black people to try to understand the struggle of being black in America without condescension and explaining problems away. “Please don’t gaslight your black friends,” Sacred said. “There’s more to this than this bulge. Don’t open your mouth for black dick if you can’t open it for black issues. If we’re honest with you, just take it, because we have to bite our tongues every single day.” Sacred was one of at least two speakers who discussed Castro property owner Les Natali, who owns bars and eateries in the LGBT neighborhood. “It’s ironic we’re in the Castro,” Sacred said. “There are many businesses just a block away owned by Les Natali: Badlands, Toad Hall, Hamburger Mary’s. Don’t give them your money. Shut them down. ... If you spend your money there, you don’t give a fuck about me.” A 2004 report by the San Francisco Human Rights Commission found that Badlands was discriminating against African Americans, but the findings were never official because the HRC executive director at the time did not sign off on the staff report. Natali and the complainants eventu-

ally reached a confidential settlement. Natali later opened Toad Hall on the site of what had been the Pendulum, a bar that catered to black LGBTs. In an email Saturday morning, June 6, Natali wrote that the allegations “were found without merit and were dropped.” “We welcome people of all races and all colors and we probably have the largest, most diverse clientele of any bar in the Castro,” he added. The protesters sang “Happy Birthday” silently to Breonna Taylor, who would have been 27 years old June 5. Taylor was shot eight times in her bed and killed March 13 by police in Louisville, Kentucky when officers executed a no-knock warrant. According to reports, police were looking for a man who did not live there. Taylor was an emergency medical technician. “A frontline worker killed in this COVID-19 pandemic is gone,” Afrika America said. “It’s not right.” Afrika America also paid tribute to former President Barack Obama, questioning why people were yearning for former presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush when they presided over the height of the AIDS epidemic. Gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman appeared at the event and spoke with the B.A.R. “I think it’s beautiful,” Mandelman said. “I think it reflects the massive outpouring in the LGBT community of a national outpouring of revolution over the death of George Floyd and all that represents.”

Mandelman said he was supportive of police reform legislation being discussed by his fellow supervisors. District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen, along with District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney and District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton, announced a Right to Protest Safely Act June 5. If codified, it would ban the use of rubber bullets, flash bangs, tear gas, and military equipment as crowd control strategies during protests. Another measure, introduced by Walton, would ban the hiring of police who have previous records of serious misconduct. “I haven’t heard anything I wouldn’t support,” Mandelman said. “They have discussed legislation about codifying existing policy about not hiring police with bad records. [Police] Chief [William] Scott is committed to that work, and the mayor [London Breed] is committed to that work, and I’m grateful we have had relative peace in San Francisco.” Sister Roma of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence joined Mandelman in viewing the event. “This is absolutely beautiful to see,” Sister Roma said. “I’m so hopeful to see LGBT people for black lives. It’s long overdue to talk about these issues in our own community. They are uncomfortable, but this is important.” The event was organized by Tommy Trujillo and Cee Freedman, who is organizer of Mocaa Black Gay Night in the Castro, Mandelman said. The San Francisco Police Department did not give a crowd estimate for this event. t

“It was a traumatic upbringing that he likely wouldn’t have suffered if he’d been heterosexual,” Boudin said. Boudin went on to represent the man in an assault case. Scott and Miyamoto said they understood the importance of statistical data in determining where to focus the attention of their departments; however, they cited logistical challenges when it comes to obtaining data on the sexual orientation of crime victims, except when it relates to hate crime data. “To be quite frank, from a civil liberties perspective and from a policing perspective, I don’t believe that’s the best course of action,” Scott said. “For good reason, most people don’t want police officers prying into their personal lives.” Miyamoto said he agreed with Scott, but added that he wanted law enforcement everywhere to be more conscious of diversity. “With the criminal justice reforms we want to see, we have to look to ourselves to make sure we are more reflective of our communities,” Miyamoto said, adding he spoke to the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision about policies in San Francisco jails relating to trans and nonbinary inmates. “That’s part of reform,” Miyamoto said. “What can we do to cause reform on a larger scale, and not just here?” Raju said that he asks his public defenders to spend time in the communities where their clients live. “You have to be humble enough to know what you don’t know,” he said.

Defunding the police

In the wake of the May 25 Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, which sparked the last few weeks of nationwide protest over law enforcement killings of black Americans, the rallying cry of “defund the police” has gained traction. While an alternative suggestion to completely abolish police departments has also picked up steam, such as in Minneapolis, the call to reduce funding for police in favor of social services and on-ground investment in black communities and businesses has seen some success. In San Francisco, Mayor London Breed and District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton, who are both black, announced a plan June 4 “to prioritize the redirection of resources from the San Francisco Police Department to support the African American community in the upcoming budget” that will be submitted by the mayor to the Board of Supervisors on August 1. When asked about defunding the police, Scott, who is black, said, “I have an open mind on that.” “Every department head is going to be protective of their budget, but we’re at a time in policing where the whole world is talking to us, and we need to hear what’s being said,” Scott said. “What’s being said is that we have to change policing in this country,” he added. “We have to think this through, to make sure whatever changes are thought through. These are going to be some very tough decisions but I’m open to it. There are opportunities for other agencies and entities to make

communities safer. “No matter how we get there, we want to be less dependent on policing,” Scott said. Miyamoto expressed similar views, saying that law enforcement are often asked to participate in matters that do not involve violations of criminal statutes. “Both departments have staff who are first responders for medical issues – for saving people’s lives with Narcan,” Miyamoto said, referring to a drug given to people who are overdosing on opioids. “There’s types of calls we need to be part of and others that would be best handled by others.” Boudin said that 911 calls should not always be answered by police. “Daily life as an officer is responding to calls that are not actual crimes in progress,” Boudin said. “It’s evolved from violent crime and first response to social issues like overdoses, mental health crises, and disputes between neighbors.” In Eugene, Oregon, he said, dispatchers can call a program called Crisis Assistance Helping Out On the Streets, or CAHOOTS, that will send medical professionals to situations where that would be better called for. The San Francisco Police Officers Association – a union representing SFPD officers – expressed its opposition to the Breed-Walton announcement via Twitter on June 8. “Budget cuts to the police department,” the tweet states. “From where? Emergency response times are already too long, open-air drug markets, national records for property crime and

now gun crimes on the rise. Take it from where?” Tony Montoya, a gay man who is the union’s president, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Scott’s and Miyamoto’s statements. After the online publication of this story, Montoya sent a statement to the B.A.R. expressing continued opposition. “Every social experiment the city has tried has failed. Homelessness is worse. Drug dealing on our streets is worse. The calls to defund the police department will have a direct impact on the services we provide,” Montoya stated in an email Tuesday afternoon. “Chief Scott needs to be honest about what budget cuts will do to the department; because residents we talk to, they say we don’t have enough police services. They want their neighborhoods cleaned up and safe. Be honest. Be direct. And let the elected officials know what the impacts will be before you start taking an ax to the police budget. “They need to be clear because platitudes and press conferences are not cutting it,” Montoya added. Scott and Miyamoto said that they have informal liaisons to the LGBT community. Scott said he would be open to giving someone the formal title of liaison, and that until March he had been meeting with the San Francisco Police Officers Pride Alliance on a monthly basis. “I’m fully committed to continuing that discussion as the leader of this organization,” Scott said. t

As of Wednesday morning, the county had reported a total of 671 cases, seven of which were new within the last 24 hours, a drop from the 11 news cases seen during the prior 24hour period. The county has seen just four deaths and has so far conducted 32,125 tests for the virus. But Karin Moss, executive director of the Russian River Chamber of Commerce, stressed that nothing is yet set in stone. She said many hospitality industry leaders are waiting for a new update from Governor Gavin Newsom this Friday, June 12, to see if they will be allowed to open ahead of the busy Fourth of July weekend. “All of this is still fluid. Nobody really knows yet,” Moss said Tuesday.

“Everyone is in the same wait-and-see mode.” Even if the lodging sector is allowed to come back on line later this month, many properties will be doing so at reduced capacity and keeping rooms vacant at least 24 hours before checking in new guests. Overseas visitors and those from outside California are unlikely to return this summer in sizable numbers, with most guests expected to live in the Bay Area and Northern California who are looking to “nearcation” this year. “We are bracing for a very challeng-

ing summer economically, especially in our small rural towns like Guerneville that rely on tourism to support the local economies,” Hopkins had told the B.A.R. during a phone interview in mid-May when it was clear many of the business operating restrictions would not be lifted in time for Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start to the summer vacation season. Hopkins acknowledged the uncertainty for business owners has made it difficult for them to plan in terms of summer staffing and what to tell those with reservations. “It is kind of frustrating,” said Hop-

kins, who has being sending out emails updating her constituents about the latest rules at least twice a week. Poirier isn’t waiting for the official word on reopening his resort’s campsite, which he now hopes to be able to do Friday, June 26, though its 10 cabins will not be available until mid-July. He is trying to hire staff and change how the resort will handle the checkin process. “We will do everything online,” said Poirier. “We will be checking guests in before they arrive and collecting payment before they arrive. It is all with the intent to help protect them and our staff.” See page 9 >>

Community News>>

June 11-17, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 9

Castro memorial will remember Pulse anniversary

by John Ferrannini

for two years in the Castro. “Last year, people originally weren’t doing anything, and we agreed this year we needed to do it more justice,” Plungis said in a June 10 phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter. “Because of COVID, we put it on pause, but with the movement of Black Lives Matter, particularly Black Trans Lives, we renewed our commitment. Chris and I met two years ago and since then have stayed in contact.”

Plungis lost a friend, Christopher Leinonen, in the shooting. “I had just celebrated one year of living in San Francisco,” Plungis said, who added he had been visiting Orlando just days before the massacre. “It felt crazy,” Plungis said. “I remember driving by [Pulse] a few days before and wondering if I should go in.” Brandon Wolf, an LGBT activist and survivor of the Pulse shooting, stated that he hopes events such as this will keep the memory of what happened alive. “The shooting at Pulse continues to be an inflection point for our community each June. It is a reminder of what’s at stake in the fight against hatred and bigotry,” Wolf wrote in a June 10 email to the B.A.R. “Events like the one taking place in the Castro keep us grounded in our commitment to honor the 49 victims of Pulse by creating a world where everyone is safe to be who they are. We will always remember the victims and we will always honor them with action.”

Vasquez, who serves as the communications director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said that he has a friend who worked at Pulse but survived the attack. In a phone interview with the B.A.R. June 10, Vasquez said that he hopes the event will honor the 49 people who were killed at the nightclub, and also touch upon the tragedies that are now getting more focus. “We put together a coalition of organizations to make sure their voices are being heard and memorialize everyone lost due to police, anti-black, anti-trans, and anti-Latinx violence,” he said. These organizations include El/La Para TransLatinas, Instituto Familiar de la Raza, the Calle 24 Latino Cultural District, the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District, the Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District (in the South of Market neighborhood), and the Harvey Milk LGBTQ and Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic clubs.

“We’ve been booked for the Fourth of July for a year,” said Lynette McLean, who with her husband, Ken, has owned the Highlands Resort for 25 years. “We’ve been fielding a few calls from people who want to pre-book.” The uncertainty about knowing when they can reopen “is really confusing. That is the only way to really express it,” added McLean. “Maybe I will open June 22, probably. I hope to be open for July 4.” Like most resort and hotel owners, the McLeans have added a special page on their website laying out the new rules, check-in process, and cleaning protocols they will be putting in place when they do reopen. They bought a desk to use for outside check-ins and are adding a cover to it to protect the staff and guests. They cut in half the 10 campsites they will be renting out so there is enough space between the remaining five. For their 14 guest rooms, one fewer than in previous years, they will not be allowing single-night stays for the time being due to the extra cleaning involved, for which McLean said guests will not be charged extra. “We will have a two-night minimum through the summer on both weekdays and weekends,” she said. Nonetheless, she hopes people in the surrounding area will come to visit. “If you are tired of being at your place, come up and shelter at our place,” said McLean. “It is going to be

different than the sort of party town it is known for. You are not going to be able to do a lot of the types of things people came to depend on, like big drag shows or karaoke at a crowded bar. But there will be other stuff going on to do that will be cool and different. It is a great time to come up and get outdoors, go hiking in the hills.” Having reopened Big Bottom Market on Main Street in Guerneville for takeout orders in May, co-owner Michael Volpatt told the B.A.R. he now expects to welcome customers back inside the business starting Thursday. The market has also started supplying picnic baskets and food-to-go items to several wineries that recently reopened their tasting rooms, such as Iron Horse and Lambert Bridge, and is in talks with several more. “It is feeling like people are starting to go out again,” Volpatt, a gay man, said this week. To accommodate more outdoor seating, the market teamed with two local stores, King’s Sport and Tackle and the Guerneville 5 & 10, to put tables on the sidewalk in from of their establishments. “We have a lot more outdoor seating now. People love it,” Volpatt said. “I am really energized by how open all the other business owners have been to make sure we can all open in a way that is safe for our community.” Having bounced back from the floods during the winter of 2019, Rus-

sian River leaders were expecting a strong summer season this year. They remain hopeful about the coming months and are already looking toward the fall harvest season to recoup some of the losses from the spring shutdown. “I would say now, more than ever, we are poised to have a really successful summer,” said the chamber’s Moss, adding, “It is sincerely my hope in October we can do some celebratory event here for the 150th anniversary of Guerneville.”

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039069400

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039070500

memorial to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the Pulse nightclub massacre – the deadliest single incident of anti-queer violence in United States history – will take place at Jane Warner Plaza in the Castro on June 12 at 5:45 p.m. The event is being organized by Donnie Plungis and Christopher Vasquez, two gay men who both hail from Orlando, Florida, where on June 12, 2016 Omar Mateen killed 49 people and injured 53 others in what had been the deadliest mass shooting by a single gunman in U.S. history, before it was surpassed just one year later by the Mandalay Bay Hotel shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. Vasquez said that there had been spontaneous Pulse remembrances in the past; and according to Plungis, these “dissipated every year [in size].” A small group of people held vigils

Business Briefs

From page 8

He is hopeful that this Friday will mark the first time in months he hasn’t had to call people with upcoming reservations that they need to be canceled. “Our availability in July is pretty low,” said Poirier, as people booked camping spots back in February. “We are only about a month behind schedule in terms of opening. With July and August, I think we will have a decent season.” Michael Preaseau, who has owned The Woods Resort since 2004, has been renting out some of his 13 rooms to Caltrans employees working on a project out by the ocean in Bodega Bay. He is eager, though, to welcome back tourists and hopes to do so by early July. “I anticipate it will be a booming summer,” he said. “We are just getting a lot of calls. We are booking up solid.” Those looking to make reservations for later this summer may find themselves out of luck, as several resort owners told the B.A.R. this week that they remain booked for the Fourth of July and the period of late July into early August when the Lazy Bear weekend is normally held. Even though the event has been officially canceled this year, most people have maintained their room reservations for that week.

WalterPro4755/Flickr via SFGN

People left flowers and other items outside the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida in 2016.

Legals>> IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA IN AND FOR THE COURT OF YOLO JUVENILE DIVISION IN THE MATTER OF MALIYA EDWARDS, DEPENDENT NO. JV-18-13 CITATION To MICHAEL EDWARDS, you are hereby cited and required to appear at a hearing in Yolo County Juvenile Court, located at 1000 Main Street, Woodland, California 95695, on July 23, 2020 at 9:00a.m. in Department 5. At the hearing the Court will decide whether to permanently terminate your parental rights over the above-named minor child born Camay Law Taylor on August 20, 2014. If you wish to be represented by an attorney and are unable to afford one, the Court will appoint an attorney to represent you. Due to COVID-19 this hearing may be held through zoom, please contact the Health and Human Services Agency at (530) 661-2712 regarding your appearance. Dated 05/13/20, Tom M. Dyer, Judge of the Juvenile Court.

MAY 21, 28, JUN 04, 11, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039061100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HOHOL HOLDING, 2355 18th AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed VOLODYMYR KHOKHLOV. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/24/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/08/20.

MAY 21, 28, JUN 04, 11, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039067700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MIKECHEB, 310 TOWNSEND ST #312, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MICHAEL CHEN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/29/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/15/20.

MAY 21, 28, JUN 04, 11, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039067300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DOG TALES WALKING SERVICE, 2758 22ND ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DEBORAH ANN DEEGAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/01/03. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/15/20.

MAY 21, 28, JUN 04, 11, 2020

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LIMPRO, 5262 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112.This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOSUE GUTIERREZ REYES.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/15/20.The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/18/20.

MAY 21, 28, JUN 04, 11, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039061800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE NOE VALLEY VOICE, 55 ORA WAY #B101, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed JACK C. TIPPLE III & SARAH M. SMITH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/01/77. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/08/20.

MAY 21, 28, JUN 04, 11, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039062500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NOUVELLE TAILOR & LAUNDRY SERVICE, 1583 SANCHEZ ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by individual, and is signed BRENDA H. LAU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/01/05. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/11/25.

MAY 28, JUN 04, 11, 18, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039067500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ALCHEMY ARTS THERAPY, 510 26TH AVE #407, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed REBECCA MARTINEZ-THOMAS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/15/20.

MAY 28, JUN 04, 11, 18, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039064300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SAMS AMERICAN EATERY, 1220 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102.This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SAM INCORPORATED (CA).The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/15/20.The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/12/20.

MAY 28, JUN 04, 11, 18, 2020

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE ROOST, 613 YORK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MERCHANT ROOTS, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/20/20.

MAY 28, JUN 04, 11, 18, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039071500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CIRCLE AND STRIPE, 730A LIGGETT AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94129. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOREY HURLEY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/22/20.

JUN 04, 11, 18, 25, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039071200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE UPS STORE #4546, 2370 MARKET ST #103, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed DELBOM LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/27/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/22/20.

JUN 04, 11, 18, 25, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039073200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: EVERWISE, 1890 BRYANT ST #202, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed REDFISH LABS, INC (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/17/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/28/20.

JUN 11, 18, 25, JUL 02, 2020

Jeremy Allen/BearPhoenix Chocolates

BearPhoenix Chocolates has a special Pride Month flight of chocolates.

Chocolatiers offer sweet deals

Two local gay-owned chocolate companies are offering sweet deals during June. Noe Valley-based BearPhoenix Chocolates has a special Pride Month flight of white, milk, and dark chocolate bonbons that come in three ($10)

Vasquez said that the event will begin with indigenous dancers blessing the space. At 6:05 p.m. there will be a spoken portion, which will feature, among others, queer activist and drag performer Honey Mahogany, San Francisco Pride Executive Director Fred Lopez, Q Bar general manager Christian Gabriel, and two speakers from the San Francisco Office of Transgender Initiatives. There will be American Sign Language interpreters, and Vasquez said people should wear face coverings and remain six feet apart when possible. After the speeches, it is planned that the assembly will walk down Castro Street to the corner of 18th and Castro streets adjacent to the Bank of America building, which has traditionally served as a site for people to remember lost loved ones with posters and flowers (this area used to commonly be known as Hibernia Beach).

For a longer version of this article visit us online at ebar.com

or six ($20) per box. The trio of flavors are called “Fig and Fire,” a dark chocolate with fig ganache and spicy Habanero caramel mix, “Not your Mother’s Mimosa,” a white chocolate with orange and Cointreau light caramel layered with a champagne ganache, and “Diversity,” a milk chocolate with a vanilla mocha ganache mixed with hazelnut pieces and layered with a raspberry cream. Proprietor Jeremy Allen, who operates the small batch confectionery out of the home he shares with his partner, will deliver orders throughout the city or arrange to have customers stop by for pickup. To order online, visit https://bearphoenix.com/pride. For Father’s Day Michael’s Chocolates, launched by Michael Benner and his husband Curtis Wallis, is offering a specially priced Whiskey Lover’s Collection featuring two unique bonbon flavors. One is a 61% dark chocolate made with San Francisco’s own Old Potrero Rye Whiskey, and the other is a mix of bourbon, caramel, and pecan nut butter. Boxes come sized six, 12, or 24 pieces ($14 to $58) and can be ordered online at https://www.michaelschocolates.com/store/p92/Whiskey_ Lover%27s_Collection.html. t Got a tip on LGBT business news? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 829-8836 or e-mail m.bajko@ebar. com.

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 Yelp reviews

Don Harris

by Jim Provenzano

Sampson McCormick on finding humor in tumultuous times Performing Arts, Laugh Factory in Hollywood, San Francisco Punch Line, Harvard University, even the White House – not this administration, obviously). As fences and armored tanks now surround the current White House occupier, asked what he sees needs to change, McCormick said, “Unless we completely defund and dismantle the U.S. police department as we know it, nothing will change. We know what this country was founded on. In order for us to be able to really change, we’re going to have to have a rebirth.” We discussed related topics, from the D.W. Griffith’s silent film the Birth of a Nation and its blatant pro-Ku Klux Klan propaganda, to actress Angelica Ross’ recent online conversation

news.cn

n the new video of his recent full stand-up set, gay Black comic Sampson McCormick balances insight and wit with his usual dexterity. In these times of pandemics and protests, finding a balance of political and social justice insight with punch lines can be a tricky recipe, one that McCormick serves up with his usual panache. “I’ve been an activist since I was 15 years old,” said McCormick in a phone interview from his home in Los Angeles. Despite his performances blending social commentary with comedy, the 34-year-old writer, director and indie film producer said he doesn’t see big changes taking place just yet. Of the recent nationwide and global protests against police violence, specifically the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, he noted, “I’m not discouraged. But as an observer, it’s going to take something even more drastic for change to happen. “I honestly believe that I’ve become so numb to all the things that have happened to Black people in this country, the only thing we can do is have needed conversations. But as far as changing somebody’s mind about Black people or gay people? That’s how they’re going to feel. What I want is your respect.” Born in Washington D.C. and partially raised in North Carolina, in his comedy sets, McCormick discusses being raised by an abusive stepfather, and being expelled by his church for being gay in his stand-up act. His later successes in college, with two degrees, led to performing, and over the years he’s performed at universities, concert halls (Howard Theater, Kennedy Center for The

where she explained the growth of U.S. police departments as being specifically created after slaves were freed following the Civil War. “They called them patarollers, because they couldn’t call them patrollers, and were created to terrorize people of color. And that’s exactly what they’re doing today.” So, how does McCormick make such a sordid history funny? “In my stand-up, I do make it a point to make sure that we’re still laughing, as we face the dilemmas that we’re in,” said McCormick, who said he did have some friends and fans asking, after the release of his latest show, “’Do you think this is the right time to be laughing?’ But as someone who’s lived quite the roller

coaster ride, I know how important the power of laughter is. “If you look at every minority group in this country, whether it’s Black, Jewish, LGBT, we have the best sense of humor out of anybody, because we face the greatest tragedies and hardship. It’s about being able to acknowledge what’s going on, know what’s causing you pain, and finding truth to face those challenges.”t

Read the full interview on www.ebar.com Watch Sampson McCormick online at http://www.sampsoncomedy.com/

How to be an Anti-Racist: some readings by Victoria A. Brownworth

eorge Floyd was killed in Minneapolis on May 25. It was a gruesome killing, made more so by the fact that we all witnessed it, yet were powerless to stop it. The protests that have spread across the country in the days since have signaled what one hopes will be a radical transformation of the way this country deals with racist and racial violence. The slow recognition for most white people that there is a two-tiered justice system in America, that what are tantamount to lynchings still happen in broad daylight and at the hands of the very people tasked with protecting and serving, has been a harsh awakening. But such is the fact of privilege. Those of us who are white –even if we belong to other marginalized groups, like LGBTQ– have it.

There are many books to be read on race, many primers on how to be anti-racist. Ibram X. Kendi’s How to Be an Anti-Racist is stark and direct. Kendi, who is Director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University, notes, “It’s hard to understand antiracism without understanding what it means to be racist.” Kendi writes, “The only way to undo racism is to consistently identify and describe it — and then dismantle it.” He urges readers to explore what an anti-racist society might look like, how we can play an active role in building it and what being an anti-racist in your own life might mean.

Ijeoma Oluo’s So You Want to Talk About Race

Ibram X. Kendi’s How to Be an Anti-Racist

Now is a time for white Americans to listen and learn, to avoid defensive ‘Not all white people’ moments and to educate ourselves and others about race in an effort to be the best white allies we can be so that there are no more George Floyds, Breonna Taylors, Ahmaud Arberys or black trans women who never even get a Twitter hashtag when they are murdered.

In So You Want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo guides readers of all races through subjects ranging from intersectionality and affirmative action to “model minorities” in an attempt to make the seemingly impossible possible: honest conversations about race and racism, and how they infect almost every aspect of American life. Saeed Jones’ How We Fight for Our Lives: A Memoir, won numerous awards and was on every best of the year list for 2019. It is a brilliant, searing, lyrically written and breathtaking examination of coming of age black and queer in the South. Jones writes, “America was going to hate me for being black and gay, then I might as well make a weapon out of myself.”

Saeed Jones’ How We Fight for Our Lives: A Memoir

Jones also writes, “Being black can get you killed. Being gay can get you killed. Being a black gay boy is a death wish. And one day, if you’re lucky, your life and death will become some artist’s new ‘project.’” In Black Girl Dangerous on Race, Queerness, Class and Gender, Mia McKenzie writes succinctly, “White people, you need to get this: you are racist. You uphold white supremacy in big and small ways every day, whether you mean to or not. The first step is admitting that you are part of the problem. If you want to understand how and why, read a book. Read a hundred

books. Take a workshop. Read as many books and take as many workshops as you need to be able to stop pretending it’s other white people and not you. Trust me. It’s you.” McKenzie also asserts, “This country sees race and sexuality as mutually exclusive. You are black or you are gay. You are brown or you are a lesbian. White people are the only people allowed to be complex enough to be queer. Because white is the default, the normal, the expected, white people can be anything, and more than one thing simultaneously.”

Jacqueline Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming

Brown Girl Dreaming, is out lesbian poet, novelist and essayist Jacqueline Woodson’s National Book Award-winning novel cum memoir. Woodson tells the story of her childhood through poetry, detailing her experiences as a black girl growing up in 1960s South Carolina and New York. These works are not easy reads. But as James Baldwin wrote, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” t Mia McKenzie’s Black Girl Dangerous on Race, Queerness, Class and Gender

Read the full article on www.ebar.com

TV, Festivals & Books>>

June 11-17, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 11

From Ana, with love by Gregg Shapiro

on the idea that their son is gay and the unacceptance of that. That was the thing about Love, Simon, he was so accepted by his parents. In the Latin community, we don’t experience that as often as we would love to. In our community, machismo is still a big part of who we are. I think it would be a great way to crack through that ceiling and say, “Watch this show. It’s important.” And start to break those walls down.

f you loved Love, Simon, the 2018 movie based on Becky Albertalli’s popular Y/A novel, then you will most likely feel the same affection for Love, Victor, the new Hulu series set at the same high school from which Simon graduated and is still fondly remembered. As if being the new kid at school isn’t stressful enough for any teen, after his family, including mother Isabel (Ana Ortiz), unexpectedly relocates from Texas to Atlanta, Victor (Michael Cimino) is also questioning his sexuality. As Victor’s mother Isabel, Ana Ortiz is given an opportunity to stretch as an actress and play a wide range of emotions. In Ortiz’s more than capable hands, Isabel is a complex and multi-faceted character and it’s a pleasure to see such a talented actress give her all to her performance. Ortiz, whom many will also remember from her portrayal of Hilda on Ugly Betty, was kind enough to answer a few questions before the premiere of Love, Victor. Gregg Shapiro: What was it about Isabel that appealed to you? There’s an expression that’s been going around a lot; “Representation matters.” I don’t think we’ve ever seen a family like this. In my culture, the machismo is alive and well and so prevalent. It could be really powerful for people in the Latino community to be able to say, “Oh, that’s me. That’s my family.” For me, to play Isabel, I’m the polar opposite of her in so many ways. It was interesting to explore that notion that you could possibly not accept your kid because of who he loves. It’s something I’ve expe-

an interview with Ana Ortiz

Ana Ortiz in Love, Victor

rienced in my own family, so to be able to portray it and not keep it in the closet – pardon the bad pun – is an exciting prospect for me. I think our community needs it now more than ever and we do it in a sweet, humorous and honest way. That appealed to me incredibly. You have a few Emmy Award moments in Love, Victor, including the scene where the real reason why the family had to leave Texas for Atlanta is revealed. What would it mean to you win an Emmy for playing Isabelle? Oh, gosh, it would mean everything! It would also be an incredible moment not only for me as a Latin actress, but also for the LGBT community as a whole to have that recognition and to finally be recognized and to have our stories be told. I think we’ve heard a lot of gay stories from many different perspectives but I can’t think off the top of my head of a Latin family taking

As you did in Ugly Betty, you are once again playing the mother of a gay son in Love, Victor. What does it mean to you to be playing a character such as that? It has been life’s joy and honor to play these women. Hilda on “Betty” and Isabel. They are polar opposites. Hilda accepted Justin and him being gay before he even knew he was gay. She would fight for him and she never let anyone talk smack about him. Whereas Isabel is the other side of that coin. She’s very religious. It’s not that she doesn’t fully accept her son; she’s terrified that he will go to hell or that he’s a sinner and making a “choice” to live this life, when we know that it’s not a choice. To be able to go through her arc and that learning experience was so intense and crushing and also illuminating. It was this whole bag of emotions that I’ve gotten to play for the first time as an actress. Like I said, usually the moms that I play are superaccepting and wild. Isabel is much more conservative and straitlaced. But she’s still a creative person. She’s so layered. Both of these women were my absolute favorite characters to play.t

Read the full interview on www.ebar.com

Fresh Meat Festival 2020 showcases transgender & queer music, dance, performance

Essentially Wear a mask Maintain social distancing Wash your hands

by Jim Provenzano

The heart of a hustler David P. Wichman’s ‘Every Grain of Sand’ Author, sexual healer, and entrepreneur David Wichman has come a long way. His new memoir, a book humming with confidence, pride, and self-reflective wisdom, describes the lengthy road into and out of years of abuse, addiction, and rehabilitation. Read the full article on www.ebar.com

n previous years, the annual Fresh Meat Festival’s been sold out, so this year the 19th annual diverse shows of transgender and queer performance, music and dance offer a bonus; everyone gets a front row seat! Online, that is. Streaming June 18-27, the 19th annual multi-disciplinary arts festival of transgender and queer performance offers five programs of dance, theater and live music. All programs will be viewable on Vimeo, and will be closed captioned for deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences. In addition, five different #reFRESH programs feature performance highlights from revious festivals. All programs this year are free; donations will be accepted.

Find out more at freshmeatproductions.org

Shop at Cliff’s

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

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479 Castro Street, San Francisco, CA 94114

www.cliffsvariety.com

As San Francisco’s LGBTQ elected officials we are proud to support the campaign to ensure that the Bay Area Reporter continues to provide outstanding coverage of the issues affecting the LGBTQ community. If you can, please join us in this effort at www.igg.me/at/save-the-BAR Pride unofficially began when transgender women of color led patrons of the Compton Cafeteria and the Stonewall Inn to stand up against police harassment and brutality. In 2020, we show our Pride by fighting in solidarity with the Black Community, united against racism, transphobia and police violence.

Black Lives Matter Black Trans Lives Matter Black Queer Lives Matter Treasurer José Cisneros Senator Scott Wiener Supervisor Rafael Mandelman Mark Sanchez, President, Board of Education Alex Randolph, City College Trustee Shanell Williams, President, City College Board of Trustees Tom Temprano, Vice President, City College Board of Trustees Bevan Dufty, BART Board of Directors Janice Li, BART Board of Directors Photo by Steven Underhill Pride Face Masks are available at Knobs and Cliff’s Variety on Castro Street