March 19, 2020 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter

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SF reverses pot decision

SF Pride on – for now

ARTS

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16

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Lucie Arnaz

Homing's in

The

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SF SHUTS DOWN Serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities since 1971

Vol. 50 • No. 12 • March 19-25, 2020

Shelter in place ordered

Virus pauses California LGBT nightlife

by John Ferrannini

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by John Ferrannini

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lmost all LGBT nightlife spaces in California are shuttered after Governor Gavin Newsom’s Sunday directive that bars, nightclubs, wineries, and breweries should close in John Ferrannini response to the novel coronavirus outbreak. The Midnight Sun A health order was temporarily closed implemented in San last Friday.

Francisco and five other Bay Area counties Tuesday, March 17, telling people to shelter in place through April 7. (See related story.)

Bars are closed, and restaurants are open for take-out only.

Rick Gerharter

See page 21 >>

The intersection at Castro and 18th streets was deserted Sunday, March 15 at 4 p.m.

an Francisco Mayor London Breed announced several measures March 16 to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus, with the most dramatic being a shelter in place order also implemented in five Screengrab via John Ferrannini other Bay Area counties. San Francisco The “shelter in place” Mayor London order went into effect at Breed announces midnight March 17 and a shelter in place remains in effect tenta- order Monday. tively until April 7.

As of Tuesday, San Francisco officials reported that 43 people tested positive for coronavirus.

Under penalty of misdemeanor, San Franciscans and the residents of Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Marin counties will have to remain indoors unless they are conductSee page 13 >>

Amid coronavirus outbreak, LGBT seniors self isolate

by Matthew S. Bajko Steven Underhill

Drag artists and others enjoyed BoyBar March 6 at the Midnight Sun.

SF Bay Area Queer Nightlife Fund launched

by John Ferrannini

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everal prominent San Francisco LGBT figures announced the creation of the SF Bay Area Queer Nightlife Fund late March 16.

The fund seeks to blunt the economic impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak on LGBT nightlife workers in the Bay Area, which was effectively shut down by Governor Gavin Newsom’s March 15 directive that bars, nightclubs, wineries, and breweries should close in response to the outbreak.

See page 6 >>

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ven before San Francisco officials issued a stay-at-home order Monday, Bill Longen had decided to sequester himself in his apartment as much as possible due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. Longen, 73, a gay man and longtime survivor of HIV, started limiting his trips outside his home at the start of the month.

“I am keeping myself semi-sequestered.

Knock on wood, I am doing OK so far,” Longen told the Bay Area Reporter in a phone interview Tuesday. “I limited my ventures out of the apartment building over the last couple of weeks beginning March 1.”

The longtime resident of the city’s LGBT Castro district and former manager of the Castro Theatre, Longen last summer moved into a unit at the Marcy Adelman and Jeanette Gurevitch Community at 95 Laguna. It is part of the 119-residence LGBT-welcoming affordable senior housing project that Openhouse, a nonprofit provider of LGBT senior services in San Francisco, partnered on with affordable housing developer Mercy Housing.

Rick Gerharter

Bill Longen relaxed with his two cats, Darla, 14, and Wheezer, 15, in his apartment in the Marcy Adelman and Jeanette Gurevitch Openhouse Community in this July 2019 photo.

With health officials early on recommending that people over the age of 60 and those with underlying health issues avoid going out in public as the first wave of coronavirus cases began in California last month, Longen took

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the advice to heart. He told the B.A.R. that many of his neighbors had done the same and were also sheltering in place inside their apartments.

See page 13 >>

with DESCOVY for PrEP® DESCOVY for PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is a once-daily prescription medicine for adults and adolescents at risk of HIV. It helps lower the chances of getting HIV through sex.

DESCOVY for PrEP is not for everyone: • It is not for use in people assigned female at birth who are at risk of getting HIV from vaginal sex, because its effectiveness has not been studied.

• You must be HIV-negative before and while taking DESCOVY for PrEP.

DESCOVY® is the smallest pill approved for PrEP. Actual size: 13mm x 6mm

IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT DESCOVY (des-KOH-vee) This is only a brief summary of important information about taking DESCOVY for PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis).

This does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your medicine.

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT DESCOVY FOR PrEP Before starting and while taking DESCOVY for PrEP: • You must be HIV-negative. You must get tested for HIV immediately before and at least every 3 months while taking DESCOVY. If you think you were exposed to HIV, tell your healthcare provider right away. They may want to do more tests to confirm that you are still HIV-negative.

• Many HIV tests can miss HIV infection in a person who has recently become infected. Symptoms of new HIV infection include tiredness, fever, joint or muscle aches, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, night sweats, and/or enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or groin. Tell your healthcare provider if you have had a flu-like illness within the last month before starting or while taking DESCOVY. • DESCOVY does not prevent other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Practice safer sex by using a latex or polyurethane condom to reduce the risk of getting STIs. • DESCOVY by itself is not a complete treatment for HIV-1.

Do not take DESCOVY for PrEP unless you are confirmed to be HIV negative.

DESCOVY may cause serious side effects, including: • Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. Your healthcare provider will test you for HBV. If you have HBV and stop taking DESCOVY, your HBV may suddenly get worse. Do not stop taking DESCOVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check or give you HBV medicine.

Ask a healthcare provider if DESCOVY for PrEP is right for you.

To learn more, visit AboutDescovy.com.

ABOUT DESCOVY FOR PrEP DESCOVY for PrEP is a once-daily prescription medicine for adults and adolescents at risk of HIV who weigh at least 77 pounds.

It helps lower the chances of getting HIV through sex.

DESCOVY for PrEP is not for everyone: • It is not for use in people assigned female at birth who are at risk of getting HIV from vaginal sex, because its effectiveness has not been studied.

• You must be HIV-negative before and while taking DESCOVY for PrEP. To help determine your risk of getting HIV-1, talk openly with your healthcare provider about your sexual health.

Do NOT take DESCOVY for PrEP if you: • Already have HIV infection or if you do not know your HIV status.

If you have HIV-1, you need more medicine than DESCOVY alone to treat HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only DESCOVY, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat now and in the future.

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF DESCOVY FOR PrEP DESCOVY can cause serious side effects, including: • Those in the “Most Important Information About DESCOVY for PrEP” section.

• New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys before and during treatment with DESCOVY. If you develop kidney problems, your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking DESCOVY. • Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat.

• Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.

Eligible patients may pay as little as a $0 co-pay.*

Actor portrayals

HOW TO TAKE DESCOVY FOR PrEP POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF DESCOVY FOR PrEP (cont’d) Common side effects in people taking DESCOVY for PrEP include diarrhea, nausea, headache, fatigue, and stomach pain.

These are not all the possible side effects of DESCOVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking DESCOVY for PrEP. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with DESCOVY for PrEP.

BEFORE TAKING DESCOVY FOR PrEP Tell your healthcare provider if you: • Have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis.

• Have any other medical conditions.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: • Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist.

• Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with DESCOVY for PrEP.

• Take 1 tablet once a day, every day, not just when you think you have been exposed to HIV-1.

• Do not miss any doses. Missing doses may increase your risk of getting HIV-1 infection.

• Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months. You must stay HIV-negative to keep taking DESCOVY for PrEP.

HOW TO FURTHER REDUCE YOUR RISK • Know your HIV status and the HIV status of your partners. If your partner is living with HIV, your risk of getting HIV is lower if your partner consistently takes HIV treatment every day.

• Get tested for other STIs. Some STIs make it easier for HIV to infect you.

• Practice safer sex by using latex or polyurethane condoms.

• Talk to your healthcare provider about all the ways to help reduce HIV risk.

GET MORE INFORMATION • This is only a brief summary of important information about DESCOVY for PrEP. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more.

• Go to DESCOVY.com/prep or call 1-800-GILEAD-5 • If you need help paying for your medicine, visit DESCOVY.com/prep for program information.

*Advancing Access® co-pay support is available for commercially insured eligible patients only. Subject to change; for full terms and conditions, visit GileadAdvancingAccess.com.

DESCOVY FOR PrEP, the DESCOVY FOR PrEP Logo, the DESCOVY Blue Pill Design, DESCOVY, the DESCOVY Logo, STEP UP. PrEP UP., ADVANCING ACCESS, GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. ©2020 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. DVYC0244 02/20

<< Open Forum

4 • Bay Area Reporter • March 19-25, 2020

Volume 50, Number 12 March 19-25, 2020 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman BARTAB EDITOR & EVENTS LISTINGS EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • John Ferrannini CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ray Aguilera • Tavo Amador • Race Bannon Roger Brigham • Brian Bromberger Victoria A. Brownworth • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Belo Cipriani • Dan Renzi Michael Flanagan • Jim Gladstone David Guarino • Liz Highleyman Brandon Judell • John F. Karr • Lisa Keen Matthew Kennedy • Joshua Klipp David Lamble • Max Leger David-Elijah Nahmod • Paul Parish Lois Pearlman • Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota Bob Roehr • Gregg Shapiro • Gwendolyn Smith Sari Staver • Tony Taylor • Charlie Wagner Ed Walsh • Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood ART DIRECTION Max Leger PRODUCTION/DESIGN Ernesto Sopprani PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • FBFE Rick Gerharter • Gareth Gooch Jose Guzman-Colon • Rudy K. Lawidjaja Georg Lester • Dan Lloyd • Jo-Lynn Otto Rich Stadtmiller • Kelly Sullivan • Fred Rowe Steven Underhil • Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge • Christine Smith ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION Colleen Small Bogitini VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING Scott Wazlowski – 415.829.8937 NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

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Virus’ impacts affect LGBTQs

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veryone must comply with the unprecedented shelter-in-place order announced by mayors, county health officers, and other officials, even though it will significantly alter daily life, put many out of work, and increase economic hardship on small businesses.

Several crowdfunding campaigns have been started to support queer folks in the nightlife industry, and the city is expanding its sick leave policy to help more small businesses and their employees – but beyond the economy, we must not take the health risks we face lightly.

More than 100 organizations signed on to an open letter to media outlets and health officials pointing out that the LGBTQ community is in some ways uniquely endangered by the coronavirus. Our increased susceptibility is a direct result of three factors: 1. The LGBTQ+ population uses tobacco at rates that are 50% higher than the general population: COVID-19 is a respiratory illness that has proven particularly harmful to smokers.

2. The LGBTQ+ population has higher rates of HIV and cancer, which means a greater number of us may have compromised immune systems, leaving us more vulnerable to COVID-19 infections.

3. LGBTQ+ people continue to experience discrimination, unwelcoming attitudes, and lack of understanding from providers and staff in many health care settings, and as a result, many are reluctant to seek medical care except in urgent situations – and perhaps not even then.

“In addition, there are more than 3 million LGBTQ+ older people living in the United States,” the letter reads. “LGBTQ+ elders are already less likely than their heterosexual and cisgender peers to reach out to health and aging providers, like senior centers, meal programs, and other programs designed to ensure their health and wellness, because they fear discrimination and harassment. The devastating impact of COVID-19 on older people – the current mortality rate is at 15% for this popu-

Scott Wazlowski

Empty streets like this at Valencia and Market were the new normal in San Francisco beginning Tuesday morning.

lation – makes this a huge issue for the LGBTQ+ communities as well.”

The signers, which include several Bay Area nonprofits, ask that health officials routinely include LGBTQ demographic data in surveillance efforts and that health workers treat all patients equally, regardless of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity/presentation, immigration status, age, ability, and national origin. The letter also asks that all COVID-19 responses take into account exceptionally vulnerable members of the LGBTQ+ communities, including elders, bi people, and black and brown trans and gender-nonconforming/nonbinary people.

As coronavirus testing ramps up, it’s important for health care providers, hospitals, and clinics to adhere to these requests.

Gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and gay Assemblyman Todd Gloria (D-San Diego) also issued a joint statement this week that pointed to the higher

rates of cancer and HIV than the general population among queer people, who are also more likely to experience homelessness, which increases risks to health and sanitation challenges. The two lawmakers asked the community to “come together.”

“This is a time to come together in support of our most vulnerable communities, including vulnerable LGBTQ people,” they stated. “Resources should go to engaging and supporting everyone in need, and we’re committed to fighting for LGBTQ people – and anyone needing an advocate – in this difficult moment in our nation and world’s history.”

Now that so many are self-isolating or working from home, the social fabric of the Bay Area is frayed. Online communication is more important than ever. So is continuing to support LGBTQ businesses, including the B.A.R. Advertising, the lifeblood of our free weekly, is down as shops shutter and events are canceled or postponed. We’re going to have to revitalize our institutions and community when this episode passes.

Yes, in order to survive, we must all be in this fight together. t

Help for small businesses

by Manny Yekutiel

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an Francisco is in the midst of one of the most challenging times in recent memory.

Our theaters, schools, bars, restaurants, and places of gathering and community are closed.

Opentable has shown a 65% decline in reservations in the last few days with some restaurants showing a 60-80% drop in traffic. Wholesale businesses, catering operations, gyms, yoga studios, and music venues are all buckling under the weight of social distancing.

Our city is at a standstill.

All this at a time when small businesses are already dealing with high rents, the piling on of taxes and fees, skyrocketing payroll costs, and customers moving away from brick and mortar.

It will get worse before it gets better. But it will get better. I repeat: It will get better.

I was at the news conference held by Mayor London Breed and city leaders in Chinatown this past week where she announced the first round of measures to assist small businesses like mine during this time. She reminded us that San Francisco has been through tough times before – from the Loma Prieta earthquake to the AIDS epidemic. Our city has been defined since the very beginning by a shining resilience that emerges from tribulation.

This is in our blood, San Francisco. We are fighters and we are strong.

Small businesses are a major part of the rich cultural fabric of our beloved city and, right now, we need you. We’ve been here for you and now we need you to show up for us.

So, how can you support your small businesses in the midst of all this?

1) Choose the five (or 10) small businesses you love most in San Francisco. Actually write down their names. Got them written down? Great, now look up each of their websites and see if you can donate directly to them, buy gift cards from them, or become a monthly sustaining member.

Message them on Facebook and ask for a link to provide monetary support.

Courtesy Manny Yekutiel

In pre-COVID-19 days Manny’s usually has a full house for its events.

2) If your company has asked you to work from home find out if you get a per diem that you can spend getting delivery from a local restaurant or small business that is continuing to do delivery or take out.

3) Call your representatives and advocate for measures helping small businesses: fee relief, rate reductions for PG&E and Recology, temporary commercial rent abatement, and funds to go directly to support employees who have lost their jobs. Australia, for example, is giving out $25,000 grants directly to small businesses to provide relief right now.

4) When this is all over, our small businesses are going to need us to show up in a big way to bounce back. Get ready for that moment.

The city has already stepped into action, deferring business taxes and business licensing fees (Manny’s just got a $789 bill from the city which is now, thankfully, deferred), establishing a $1 million resiliency fund, which will grow, announcing a plan to provide paid sick leave, loan options, legal assistance, and more to come.

Our own state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) has already announced legislation to prohibit commercial evictions of small businesses for non-payment of rent, and support from the Federal government is on it’s way, likely in the form of low interest Small Business Administration loans.

All of this is good and every bit will help. But, San Franciscans, if we are going to pull through this like we’ve done before, it will be because of the strength of our community.

This moment is the challenge that will define our time here in San Francisco.

And, when the time comes to return to normalcy, small businesses will be waiting for you, our doors open, our glasses cleaned, our ovens fired up. Ready to bring you through our doors again, together. t Manny Yekutiel is the owner of civic gathering space and restaurant Manny’s, at 3092 16th Street, and is a commissioner on the San Francisco Small Business Commission.

Politics >>

t CA LGBTQ legislative group set to make historic gains

by Matthew S. Bajko

B

ased on the outcomes of the state Assembly and Senate March 3 primary races, California’s Legislative LGBTQ Caucus is set to make historic gains come the November election. Currently at seven members, the affinity group for out legislators could see its membership climb to as many as 10 lawmakers in December when the winners of the fall races are sworn into office.

It is also highly likely that the caucus will see its first bisexual member, with Alex Lee (D) winning his primary race for the open Assembly District 25 seat that includes parts of Alameda and Santa Clara counties.

He will face off against Republican Bob Brunton to succeed Assemblyman Kansen Chu (D-San Jose) in the heavily Democratic district.

As Lee turns 25 years old this summer, the Democratic legislative policy adviser would also be the youngest state lawmaker since 1938 if he wins. It would also mean he would be the first state legislator from Generation Z. “I definitely think having that strong commitment to a field campaign and canvassing put us over the top,” Lee told the Bay Area Reporter, as he quit his job in order to focus on running for office full-time. “It wasn’t just me; my campaign team and volunteers, we worked really hard to engage voters where they are at and I think the results speak for themselves.”

With lesbians Abigail Medina, a Democrat running for the 23rd Senate District seat, and Assemblywoman Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton), who is running for the 5th Senate District seat, both placing first in their contests, it is highly likely one or both will become the first LGBTQ women of color to serve in the state Senate.

Should Medina defeat her Republican opponent, Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, she would be the first person who identifies as queer and the first out lawmaker from San Bernardino County serving in the Legislature.

And the LGBTQ caucus could see its first member from Orange County, as gay Mission Viejo businessman Scott Rhinehart took second place in the race for the 73rd Assembly District seat. But the Democrat faces steep odds against his Republican opponent, Laurie Davies, who took first place in the primary for the currently GOPheld seat. Assemblyman William Brough (R-Dana Point), who was accused of inappropriate behavior by four women, lost his bid for reelection.

Altogether 15 out legislative candidates survived their primary races to advance to the November 3 general election. In races for a Senate seat and two Assembly seats, pairs of out candidates will now compete against each other, thus an LGBTQ winner is assured in the trio of races.

Seven other candidates are either expected to win their races or have a serious shot at doing so, while two out Assembly candidates are running against incumbents and seen as having little chance of ousting them from office in November.

Since its creation in 2002, the LGBTQ caucus has had at most eight members at one time. It has yet to see a transgender member and no transgender legislative candidate will be on the November ballot.

This year two LGBTQ caucus

Courtesy votealexlee.com

South Bay Assembly candidate Alex Lee

members will be departing, as gay Assemblyman Todd Gloria (D-San Diego) is running to be his city’s mayor and expected to win the race in November and lesbian Senator Cathleen Galgiani (D-Stockton) is termed out of office. Nonetheless, the LGBTQ caucus is expected to h a v e at least eight members in the next legislative session due to the primary race results.

Ahead of the primary the political action committee for statewide LGBT rights group Equality California spent $43,000 on Facebook and Instagram ads to help its endorsed candidates in a number of the Statehouse races and Gloria’s mayoral bid. In a statement the morning after the election, EQCA Executive Director Rick Chavez Zbur noted the “results clearly demonstrated that openly LGBTQ+ Californians and our allies are winning in every corner of the state with a broad, diverse base of support from voters.”

At the moment the state with the most out members in its legislature is New Hampshire with 12, hardly surprising since its lower chamber alone has 400 total members.

Washington state and Vermont both currently have nine members, while Colorado and Massachusetts each have seven like the Golden State, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund.

The group, whose aim is to elect LGBTQ people to public office across the country, only endorsed seven of the winning candidates in the California legislative races ahead of the state’s primary. It will reconsider endorsements for some of the other candidates in the coming months ahead of the fall election.

In a phone interview, Victory Fund CEO Annise Parker said the group has to be judicious in its endorsement process due to the historic numbers of LGBTQ people running for reelection. With its national focus, it is impossible for the organization to review every endorsement request it receives from out candidates, she noted.

“The number of candidates is skyrocketing,” said Parker, a lesbian and a former mayor of Houston.

“In all of 2018 we discovered approximately 720 out LGBTQ candidates. We have had more than that through the end of February.”

Parker stressed that because the fund didn’t endorse a candidate, such as Lee, Medina, and Rhinehart, ahead of their primary race, it doesn’t mean the Victory Fund won’t endorse them in their general election races. It had endorsed 168 candidates by March 1 and will likely endorse as many as 300 can-

didates across the country this year, predicted Parker.

“Because we haven’t endorsed doesn’t mean we aren’t interested or planning to endorse,” said Parker.

“Because we work nationwide, we have to prioritize our time.”

The Victory Fund changed its bylaws so it can endorse in races with more than one out candidate, which Parker noted “just a few years ago was unheard of.” In those instances, candidates endorsed by the fund in past races are likely to secure the group’s endorsement.

Thus, the Victory Fund endorsed gay state Senator Scott Wiener (DSan Francisco) in his bid for reelection; he will compete against queer educator Jackie Fielder in the fall for his 11th Senate District seat.

It also backed gay San Diego City Councilman Chris Ward’s bid to succeed Gloria in the 78th Assembly District; queer single mom and midwife Sarah Davis also advanced to the November race.

In Riverside County, the Victory Fund endorsed lesbian Assemblywoman Sabrina Cervantes (DCorona), who is seeking reelection to her 60th Assembly District seat.

After trailing in the early vote count, Cervantes pulled ahead of her gay Republican opponent, peace officer Chris Raahauge, to win their primary contest with 53% of the vote.

Along the Central Coast in the race for the 17th Senate District seat, gay former Assemblyman John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) won the Victory Fund’s backing in his bid to return to the Statehouse. He is expected to easily defeat Republican businesswoman Vicki Nohis, as Democrat Maria Cadenas, a lesbian single mother and nonprofit executive, failed to advance to the November ballot.

The Victory Fund also endorsed lesbian Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) and gay Assemblyman Evan Low (D-Campbell), who are both expected to be reelected this fall. And it had endorsed Eggman, who is expected to defeat her GOP opponent, Jim Ridenour, in November to keep Galgiani’s 5th Senate District seat in the Democratic column.

It is unclear if the Victory Fund will now endorse Lee, Rhinehart, and Medina in their races for open legislative seats. Nor is it clear if it will back the two out Assembly candidates who placed a distant second in their primary races against straight incumbents.

In the suburbs northeast of Sacramento, lesbian businesswoman and senior advocate Jackie Smith, who used to live in San Jose, is mounting her second bid to unseat Assemblyman Kevin Kiley (R-Granite Bay) from his 6th Assembly District seat.

And in Los Angeles, gay Koreatown resident Godfrey Santos Plata, an educator who emigrated as a child from the Philippines, is running to unseat Assemblyman Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) in the 53rd Assembly District. t

March 19-25, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 5

Barry Schneider Attorney at Law

family law specialist* • Divorce w/emphasis on Real Estate & Business Divisions • Domestic Partnerships, Support & Custody • Probate and Wills www.SchneiderLawSF.com

415-781-6500 *Certified by the California State Bar 400 Montgomery Street, Ste. 505, San Francisco, CA

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Celebrating our Sexuality and Love as Gifts of God Liturgy & Social: Every Sunday 5pm First Sunday Movie Night Second Sunday Potluck Supper Third Wednesday Faith Sharing Group 1329 Seventh Avenue † info@dignitysanfrancisco.org Follow us on Facebook!

Escape

to Palm Springs

Nestled between the San Jacinto and Andreas Mountains in S. Palm Springs this custom contemporary home boasts 3,556 sq ft of complete luxury. Custom build in 2015 with 3 bdrms, 3 ½ baths, media room, office w/closet + pocket doors. The attached casita consists of 2 rms, separate entrance & private patio. The exquisite combined dining/living room features a dramatic 9’ chandelier with custom lighting throughout. The entire home is built with imported Italian Tile. The chefs kitchen is outfitted with Professional Thermador appliances, Cambria slab countertops surrounded by Siematic kitchen cabinets. The extensive backyard consists of amazing mountain views and a large logia with misting system. Fee Land in gated community with low dues and fully funded HOA. The home is equipped with energy efficient HVAC systems, water heaters and a 10.33kw solar system with a 2 car garage and separate additional car garage.

Directions: From South Palm Canyon, East on Acanto.

Estancias South Canyon is the gated community on the left.

Call to schedule showings.

Michael Erives

Web Extra: For more queer political news, be sure to check http:// www.ebar.com Monday mornings for Political Notes, the notebook’s online companion. This week’s column reported that David Campos, the gay chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party, is set to be elected to a full fouryear term.

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

Realtor

michael@darceydeetz.com CalDRE#01954960

Call 760 409-1903 Michael Erives 2x10.indd 1

11/11/19 5:07 PM

<< Coronavirus Outbreak

6 • Bay Area Reporter • March 19-25, 2020

t

SF reverses course, cannabis dispensaries OK to open

by Sari Staver

S

an Francisco health officials late Tuesday afternoon reversed an earlier decision that had caused cannabis dispensaries to announce their closures as of March 17. In a tweet sent out via its Twitter account, the city’s Department of Public Health said such businesses are essential and can remain open for their customers, many of whom use cannabis for medicinal reasons.

“Cannabis is an essential medicine for many San Francisco residents. Dispensaries can continue to operate as essential businesses during this time, while practicing social distancing and other public health recommendations,” stated the tweet from DPH. Gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman hailed the move, as he had denounced the decision to close the cannabis dispensaries earlier in the day.

“We just got word from the San Francisco Department of Public Health that cannabis dispensaries can continue to operate as essential businesses during the shelter in place order while practicing social distancing and other public health recommendations,” he wrote on his Facebook page. “I couldn’t agree more with SFDPH – cannabis is an essential medicine for many San Francisco residents. I’m glad we were able to work with DPH, the Office of Cannabis and the mayor’s office to get this clarified.”

Officials at the Apothecarium said the Castro dispensary would reopen

<<

Nightlife fund

From page 1

Those eligible to receive a grant from the fund include bartenders and servers at nightlife establishments; entertainers such as DJs, dancers, and drag artists; vendors or contrac-

Sari Staver

Eureka Sky in the Castro had closed Tuesday due to the city’s shelter in place order and was looking to reopen by the weekend.

this week.

“Now that SF has decided dispensaries may continue to operate during ‘shelter in place’ we will be restarting sales as soon as possible,” representatives wrote Tuesday evening. “Our staff will be paid for any shifts missed due to the temporary shutdown. We will share details, including opening date and plans for safe operations, shortly.”

As the Bay Area Reporter had initially reported online Tuesday, following the March 16 San Francisco public health order to shelter in place except for essential needs due to the coronavirus outbreak, DPH clarified the regulation in a memo to the cannabis industry, ordering retail stores and dispensaries to close, effective March 17.

It was to have been effective

tors primarily serving the nightlife industry; producers and organizers of nightlife events; and production artists, lighting designers, and event photographers.

“To ensure that the fund provides sufficient relief to affected individuals, we are limiting the initial appli-

through April 7 and “may be extended,” the memo said.

“At this time, cannabis businesses and delivery services are not considered an essential business,” said a memo published Monday night by Mohannad Malhi, principal environmental health inspector with the cannabis program in the city’s health department.

The line was long at the Apothecarium on Monday, as people flocked to the Castro dispensary ahead of the temporary closure. Mandelman had written on Facebook Tuesday that the dispensaries should be open.

“I’ve heard from many cannabis consumers and businesses about the status of the city’s dispensaries as part of the COVID-19 shelter in place order,” he initially wrote. “I share their concerns and believe we must keep cannabis businesses open for the many San Franciscans who depend on them for their physical and mental health. Cannabis businesses should be treated the same as pharmacies and other essential businesses. I am working with the Department of Public Health, the Office of Cannabis and the mayor’s office to ensure continued access to cannabis in a way that maintains and supports public health.”

In the East Bay, Alameda County officials apparently have given cannabis dispensaries an exemption, enabling Cannabis Buyers Club Berkeley to remain open, said longtime employee Jimi Devine.

Debby Goldsberry, founder of

Oakland’s Magnolia Wellness, told the Bay Area Reporter that the dispensary reopened Wednesday after a one-day closure to plan for the transition.

Other East Bay dispensaries, such as Have A Heart, were also open Tuesday.

Harborside, a large dispensary with several locations in the Bay Area, said it was readying to add a curbside pickup program at some of its outlets.

“For your safety and convenience, we will be adding a curbside delivery option at our Oakland, San Leandro, and San Jose locations beginning Wednesday, March 18 at 10 a.m. PST, in addition to our existing home delivery service to Oakland, greater East Bay, Peninsula, and San Jose areas at www.shopharborside.com,” representatives wrote.

But for those in San Francisco, the situation up until DPH announced the change was a downer.

“Like all San Francisco dispensaries, the Apothecarium is closed through April 7,” wrote spokesman Eliot Dobris in an email to the B.A.R. earlier that day.

“We are in conversation with the city and are waiting to learn more,” he added. “We hope we can find a way to provide continuing access to our guess that is safe for them and our team members,” Apothecarium officials said they understand clients’ frustration.

“We are taking the COVID-19 shelter in place directive very seriously,” officials wrote in an email Tuesday, referring to the illness caused by corona-

virus. “We recognize the hardship this presents for so many of you. Rest assured, we will work tirelessly with city and county officials to explore safe options for providing you with continuing access to cannabis. Please check back to our website and social media for more updates as things progress.”

Purple Star, another San Francisco dispensary, sent an email to members Tuesday stating it had closed due to the shelter in place order. By Wednesday it had reopened, implementing social distancing by allowing one customer to enter at a time.

In an email to members, Erik Altieri, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, urged cannabis users to “be more mindful of our day-to-day consumption practices,” suggesting people not share “conduits” for marijuana, including bowls, pipes, vape pens, and joints.

NORML urged people to “continually keep your personal collection clean, using 90%-plus isopropyl alcohol ... to clear any germs or pathogens.

“Further, because COVID-19 is a respiratory illness, some may wish to limit or avoid their exposure to combustive smoke — as this can put undue stress and strain on the lungs.

Alternative delivery devices, such as vaporizer heating devices can significantly mitigate combustive smoke exposure, and of course, the use of edibles or tinctures can eliminate smoke exposure entirely.” t

cation cohort (due March 31) to 200 awards,” the fund’s website states.

“Only lifeline expenses will be considered for a grant.”

Lifeline expenses are defined to include rent, gas and electric payments, basic telephone and internet service, food, and medical and insurance payments.

A total of $10,000 had been raised as of Tuesday at noon, according to Race Bannon, a leather columnist for the Bay Area Reporter and longtime community leader, who helped put together the fund.

Bannon said that as of the same time, the fund had already received

47 applications out of the 200 slots available. To meet all the monetary requests already received, the fund would have to raise $55,651.

Bannon said that the fund is necessary to ensure the survival of LGBT nightlife in San Francisco and the See page 9 >>

New Affordable Homes For Sale In Dogpatch SLEEK AND MODERN CONDOS AT 2177 THIRD (2177 THIRD STREET, SAN FRANCISCO, 94107)

8 “below market rate” ownership homes available: studio, one-, and two-bedrooms priced from $239,805- $345,672 with opportunities for parking available.

6 parking spaces will be made available to BMR buyers by lottery rank.

H O W T O A P P LY

First, please sign up for a free Program Orientation. Visit HOMEOWNERSHIPSF.ORG/HOMEBUYERS for a complete list of housing agency homeownership class schedules and to sign up for a class. Next, obtain a loan pre-approval from one of the SF MOHCD approved lenders listed on their website. Then, download your application with instructions by visiting HOMEOWNERSHIPSF.ORG. Buyers must be a first-time homebuyer and must earn no more than the income levels listed below:

MAX IMUM A N N UA L I N COM E

PRICING

UNIT NO. BEDROOM COUNT

1 person

2 person

3 person

4 person

5 person

$86,200

$98,500

$110,850

$ 1 2 3 ,1 5 0

$133,000

BATH COUNT

SQUARE FEET

5 07

ST U D I O

One Bath

502

222

O N E BE D R O O M

One Bath

651

324

O N E BE D R O O M

One Bath

FLOOR #

HOA DUES HOA DUES WITHOUT PARKING WITH PARKING

PRICE WITHOUT PARKING

PRICE WITH PARKING

5

$ 74 2 .1 7

$915.26

$239,805

$251,697

2

$ 8 0 2 .07

$ 9 75 .1 6

$285,560

$303,899

644

3

$ 8 0 2 .07

$ 9 75 .1 6

$285,560

$303,899

4

$ 8 2 5 .7 8

$998.87

$ 2 8 1 ,1 1 4

$299,452

$285,560

$303,899 $341,380

403

O N E BE D R O O M

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719

504

O N E BE D R O O M

One Bath

680

2

$ 8 0 2 .07

$ 9 75 .1 6

214

T WO BE D R O O M

Two B a t h s

1 ,0 0 2

2

$941.84

$ 1 ,1 1 4 . 9 3

$316,594

301

T WO BE D R O O M

Two B a t h s

1 ,0 6 0

3

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402

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Two B a t h s

981

4

$918.95

$1,092.04

$320,887

$345,672

Complete applications must be received by MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2020 AT 5:00PM. Lottery drawing date is T UESDAY, MAY 1 2 , 2 02 0 AT 3 : 3 0PM at the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, 1 S. Van Ness Avenue, 5th Apply online through DAH LIA, the SF Housing Portal at H O U SI N G.SFGOV.OR G or mail in a paper application Floor. Please contact 415-701-5613 or visit SF MOHCD.ORG for more information with a self-addressed stamped envelope to: BM R 2 177 3RD ST., SA N FR A N CI SCO, CA 94107. Postmarks about lottery preferences. are not considered. Paper applications can be downloaded from HOU SI N G.SFGOV.OR G or picked up from one of the 5 approved housing counseling agencies listed at H O U SI N G.SFGOV.OR G/ HOU SI N G-COU N SELOR S Units are monitored through the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development and are subject to owner occupancy and other restrictions.

Applicants for 2177 THIRD must obtain a loan pre-approval from one of the approved participating lenders listed at For more information and assistance with your application, contact HomeownershipSF: SFMOHCD.ORG/MOHCD-AUTHORIZED-LENDER-LIST to apply. All adult household members who (415) 202-5464 or info@homeownershipsf.org. For questions about the building and will be on the title of the BMR unit must complete first-time homebuyer education through one of the City’s 5 units, contact 2177 Third: (415) 450-6343 or info@2177third.com. approved housing counselling agencies in order to apply.

All applicants are encouraged to apply. Lottery preference will be given to: *Certificate of Preference, **Displaced Tenant Housing Preference holders, ***Neighborhood O P E N H O U S E D AT E S Residents and households that currently live or work in San Francisco.

TH U R SDAY, M A R C H 12 , 1- 4P M Open Houses to be held at *Certificate of Preference (COP) holders are primarily households displaced in Redevelopment Project Areas during the 1960’s and 1970’s.**Displaced TH U R SDAY, M A R C H 19, 1- 4P M 2177 Third St.,

SAT U R DAY, M A R C H 2 1, 5 -7P M San Francisco, 94107

Tenant Housing Preference (DTHP) holders are tenants who were displaced by an Ellis Act eviction, Owner Move In eviction and tenants displaced by fire.***Neighborhood Resident Housing Preference (NRHP) are residents living in the same supervisorial district or within ½ mile buffer of the project. ordinance passed into law Dec, 18, 2004. The specifications are subject to change at any time and should not be relied on as representations, express or implied. Square footage or floor areas shown in any marketing or other materials is approximate and may be more or less than the actual size.

t

Community News>>

March 19-25, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 7

Advocates ask LGBTs, others to fill out census online

by Matthew S. Bajko

W

ith billions of federal funding at stake and California at risk of seeing its congressional representation diminish due to the 2020 census count, state and local leaders earlier this year launched outreach efforts aimed at getting as many Golden State residents as possible to fill out their census forms.

The push for people to take part in the decennial count of the nation’s population has taken on new urgency amid the novel coronavirus outbreak as the financial costs to cities and the state government mount by the day. With most of the Bay Area under shelter-in-place orders and other regions of the state imposing restrictions to limit public gatherings, businesses have shuttered and workers in myriad industries are being laid off without pay.

Federal resources will be key in helping provide relief, and how much California receives is determined by the census data. It impacts everything from how many seats in the House of Representatives are allocated to the state to funding for social services like food stamps, medical care, and housing assistance. Many social service agencies rely on federal funds determined by the census count.

“We really want to encourage everyone to be counted. For every person who is not counted that is a loss of $2,000 per year for the next 10 years,” noted Beatriz E. Valenzuela, a communications manager with Equality California, the statewide LGBT advocacy organization.

“It really adds up for communities.

Because the LGBTQ community also lives in and is a part of other marginalized communities, there is going to be a lack of funding for these programs that are so critical and important to us if people are

Courtesy Santa Clara County

Santa Clara County officials joined LGBT advocates and others in promoting the census during a March 12 news conference, before social distancing was widely implemented.

not counted in the census.”

People can take part in the census this year for the first time online via the website www.my2020census. gov. It went live Thursday, March 12, the same day households should have received a notification in the mail about the start of the census.

The mailing included a 12-digit census ID for people to use when filling out the census.

If one’s household didn’t receive such a mailing, there is a button on the census online portal for people to click that says, “If you do not have a Census ID, click here,” in order to complete their census. With so many people stuck at home through at least April 7, LGBT advocates and others are encouraging every household to spend the roughly 10 minutes it takes to fill out the census online.

“The mission in Santa Clara County is that everyone is counted,” said David Campos, a gay man who is the county’s deputy county executive, at a news conference South Bay leaders held March 12 timed with the launch of the census webpage.

It can be accessed either by computer or smartphone, while those who require assistance can call the toll free number 1-844-330-2020 to receive help in filling out their census form. As of Sunday, March 15, more than five million responses had been received online to the 2020 census, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The census forms cover everyone living in the same household, whether they are U.S. citizens or undocumented, family members or roommates. People should not mail in a printed form if they completed an online census for their household, and only one form per household should be completed.

Some same-sex data

As the B.A.R. noted in a story about this year’s census in late January, LGBT groups across the state began mobilizing last year to educate people about the need to fill out their census form and how it will and will not collect data on LGBT people. For example, same-sex couples this year can clearly mark their

relationship on the census.

The 2020 census forms include the options “same-sex husband/ wife/spouse” or “same-sex unmarried partner.” It is a marked improvement from the 2010 census, when the options for explaining the relationship of a couple living in the same household were the generic terms “husband or wife” or “unmarried partner.”

The decennial count of the nation’s population will fall short in terms of collecting exact data on the number of LGBT residents, since the 2020 census will not be asking people to specify if they identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. In terms of a person’s gender, the only choice one can select is either male or female.

“The census is not exactly perfect; it is not where we need it. We need to fight to ensure nonbinary, nonconforming identities are included in the census. That is not happening this year; I totally get it,” Sara Fernando, a transgender woman of color who is the chief diversity officer for Silicon Valley Pride, said at the South Bay news conference last week. “Pride here in Santa Clara County has been growing. To be able to do this, we need to make sure the LGBTQIA community is counted.”

Transgender individuals who have not legally changed their gender can select the option they identify most with on their census form and do not have to select the gender they were assigned at birth. People also have the option of not answering the gender question on their census form.

Transgender or nonbinary people can also use the name they currently use on their census form even if they have not legally changed it for use on their identification, such as a

passport or driver’s license. EQCA is encouraging people to fill out everything on their census form despite the lack of sexual orientation and gender identity questions, said Valenzuela.

“I know it doesn’t fit everyone’s needs,” she acknowledged. “But it is very important to have the census filled out because so much is at stake.”

No plans to postpone yet

April 1 is considered Census Day in the U.S. and the federal bureau so far has no plans to delay this year’s count. People have until April 15 to either mail in their census form or complete it online or by phone if they want to avoid having census workers later this spring come knocking on their front door and asking them to complete the census.

The last day census data is to be collected is July 31, and as of press time Wednesday, that has not been changed due to the coronavirus outbreak. But the census bureau has delayed its planned public assistance it was going to launch March 30 until April 13.

And it pushed back the start of its canvassing to households near college campuses from April 9 to April 23. The census bureau also changed its paid media campaign and messaging efforts this year to promote self-response.

“The key message right now for anyone with questions about how COVID-19 will affect the 2020 Census: It has never been easier to respond on your own, whether online, over the phone or by mail – all without having to meet a census taker,” stated the federal agency in its advisory Sunday, referring to the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus.

Both EQCA and Santa Clara See page 9 >>

New Affordable Homes For Sale In the Marina

6 “Below Market Rate” ownership homes available: 1 studio, 3 one-bedroom & 2 two bedroom homes priced from $279,619 to $374,416 without parking and $324,091 to $431,816 with parking

O P E N H O U S E D AT E S T UES DAY, M A R C H 24, 5– 7PM

W ED N ES DAY, A PR I L 1, 10A M – 12PM S AT UR DAY, A PR I L 4, 9– 11A M

Open Houses to be held at 2448 Lombard Street, San Francisco, CA 94123

First, please sign up for a free Program Orientation. Visit HO M E O W N E R S HI P S F. O R G / HO M E BUY ER S / for a complete list of housing agency homeownership class schedules and to sign up for a class. Next, obtain a loan pre-approval from one of the SF MOHCD approved lenders listed on their website. Then, download your application with instructions by visiting HO M E O W N E R S HI P S F. O R G. Buyers must be a first-time homebuyer and must earn no more than the income levels listed below: H O W T O A P P LY

MA X IMUM A NN UA L IN CO ME

1 person

2 person

3 person

4 person

5 person

$86,200

$98,500

$110,850

$123,150

$133,000

PRICING

UNIT NO. BEDROOM COUNT BATH COUNT

SQUARE FEET

FLOOR #

HOA DUES HOA DUES WITHOUT PARKING WITH PARKING

PRICE WITHOUT PARKING

PRICE WITH PARKING

202

T WO B ED RO O M

Tw o B a t h

978

2

N/A

$650.00

$373,852

204

T WO B ED RO O M

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961

2

N/A

$647.00

$374,416

209

O N E B ED RO O M

One Bath

667

2

N/A

$596.00

$326,606

$377,542

3

N/A

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$325,290

$376,226

$431,252 $431,816

301

O N E B ED R O O M

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741

303

ST U D I O

One Bath

429

3

N/A

$542.00

$279,619

$324,091

307

O N E B ED R O O M

One Bath

668

3

N/A

$596.00

$326,606

$377,542

Complete applications must be received by THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2020 BY 5:00 PM. Apply online through DAHL IA, the SF Housing Portal at HO U SIN G .SF G OV.ORG or mail in a paper application with a self-addressed stamped envelope to: BMR 2448 LOMB ARD ST, P.O. B OX 420847, S A N F RA N C I S CO, CA 9 4 1 4 2 . Postmarks are not considered. Paper applications can be downloaded from H O U S I N G . S F G OV. O R G or picked up from one of the 5 approved housing counseling agencies listed at H O U S I N G . S F G OV. O R G/HO USING-CO UNSE LO R S Applicants for 2448 LOMBARD STREET must obtain a loan pre-approval from one of the approved participating lenders listed at SFMOHCD.ORG/MOHCD-AUTHORIZED-LENDER-LIST to apply. All adult household members who will be on the title of the BMR unit must complete first-time homebuyer education through one of the City’s 5 approved housing counselling agencies in order to apply.

Lottery drawing date is THUR S DAY, M AY 21, 2020 AT 3: 30PM at the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, 1 S. Van Ness Avenue, 5th Floor.

Please contact 415-701-5613 or visit S FM O H C D.O R G for more information about lottery preferences.

Units are monitored through the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development and are subject to owner occupancy and other restrictions. For more information and assistance with your application, contact HomeownershipSF: (415) 202-5464 or info@homeownershipsf.org. For questions about the building and units, contact Maison au Pont: 415-413-1251 or info@maisonaupontsf.com.

All applicants are encouraged to apply. Lottery preference will be given to: *Certificate of Preference, **Displaced Tenant Housing Preference holders, ***Neighborhood Residents and households that currently live or work in San Francisco.

*Certificate of Preference (COP) holders are primarily households displaced in Redevelopment Project Areas during the 1960’s and 1970’s.**Displaced Tenant Housing Preference (DTHP) holders are tenants who were displaced by an Ellis Act eviction, Owner Move In eviction and tenants displaced by fire.***Neighborhood Resident Housing Preference (NRHP) are residents living in the same supervisorial district or within ½ mile buffer of the project.ordinance passed into law Dec, 18, 2004. The specifications are subject to change at any time and should not be relied on as representations, express or implied. Square footage or floor areas shown in any marketing or other materials is approximate and may be more or less than the actual size.

<< Community News

8 • Bay Area Reporter • March 19-25, 2020

SF Pride will ‘proceed as scheduled’ – for now

THIS IS THE

san francisco

Columbariu M Funeral Home

by John Ferrannini

F

ollowing the postponement of several California Pride festivities in light of the novel coronavirus outbreak, San Francisco Pride will “expect to know more about our event and what it will look like in the next few weeks, by about mid-April,” according to Executive Director Fred Lopez.

The 50th annual San Francisco Pride parade and celebration is scheduled for June 27-28.

“At this time, SF Pride’s Parade and Celebration will proceed as scheduled,” SF Pride spokesman Peter Lawrence Kane wrote in an email to the Bay Area Reporter March 13.

In an email to the B.A.R. the afternoon of March 16, Lopez wrote that “we will follow whatever directives the city gives us, in the best interest of the health and well-being of our communities.”

“The offices of SF Pride are closed for now, and like everyone else, we are working from home for the time being,” Lopez stated. “Wherever pos-

and

formerly the Neptune Society

We’ve got more bikes in stock & ready to ride than any shop in SF! MANY ON SALE!

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Rick Gerharter

Revelers marched in last year’s San Francisco Pride parade.

sible, operations are pausing, and we are working closely with health and city authorities during this challenging time.”

On Tuesday, SF Pride announced that community grand marshals would

by Liz Highleyman

R

esearchers are working around the clock to develop treatments and vaccines for the new coronavirus that continues to sweep the globe.

As of March 18, there were more than 201,000 confirmed cases worldwide, about 6,500 cases in the United States, 740 cases in California, and 356 in the San Francisco Bay Area. While 12:30 PM COVID-19 is mild for some people, in others it can potentially be fatal.

On March 16, the National Institutes of Health announced that the first U.S. clinical trial of a vaccine to protect against the coronavirus – officially named SARS-CoV-2 – is now underway.

This early-stage study will test an experimental vaccine called mRNA1273 that is being jointly developed by the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease, the biotechnology company Moderna, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.

Coronaviruses have spikes on their surface that bind to human cells and allow the virus to enter. The new vaccine contains a genetic sequence for the virus spike, which researchers hope will stimulate a robust immune response. It does not contain whole virus, so it cannot cause infection.

The first human trial plans to enroll 45 healthy adult volunteers at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle. This study will test different doses of the vaccine to see if it is safe and stimulates an immune response against the virus. If these results are promising, it will then move into larger trials to determine if it protects against infection.

NIAID director Dr. Anthony Fauci has estimated that the entire process could take at least 12 to 18 months – much shorter than the usual course of vaccine development.

“Finding a safe and effective vaccine to prevent infection with SARSCoV-2 is an urgent public health priority,” Fauci said in a statement.

“This phase 1 study, launched in record speed, is an important first step toward achieving that goal.”

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be Terry Beswick, executive director of the GLBT Historical Society, the Reverend Dr. Janie Spahr, a retired minister, and the LGBT Asylum Project.

Other California cities have already postponed their Pride events.

It was announced March 12 that all Los Angeles Pride events, which had been scheduled for June 12-14, would be postponed to a later date that has yet to be announced.

The reason, according to an article in the Los Angeles Blade, was that the city of West Hollywood had issued an order canceling any event requiring a city permit through the end of June, which is Pride Month.

The first Pride to announce its postponement in the Bay Area was Santa Cruz Pride, which announced it was being postponed on March 13.

Santa Cruz Pride was initially scheduled for June 7.

Following that announcement, Long Beach Pride announced March See page 13 >>

Researchers work on virus treatment, vaccines

We’ve expanded our services and kept the spirit and tradition.

Call (415) 771-0717 Fitness/Commuter Kid’s

t

pel Hill gave an overview of treatments and vaccines in development at

Courtesy Newsweek

Dr. Anthony Fauci spoke at a White House news conference on coronavirus.

a coronavirus special session last week at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, which was held virtually via webcast after the in-person meeting in Boston was canceled due to the growing crisis.

“Antivirals, monoclonal antibodies and other agents are being developed and tested in real time, literally as we speak,” Fauci said, noting the World Health Organization’s international clinical trials registry includes more than 260 studies related to COVID-19.

Among these are certain antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV. Some doctors have tried AbbVie’s combination pill Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir), based on the fact that it showed promising activity against a related coronavirus that caused the 20022003 SARS outbreak. There have been several reports from China that COVID-19 patients treated with Kaletra recovered, but a large proportion recover anyway, so this does not prove that the drug works.

Clinical trials of Kaletra alone and in various combinations are currently underway. In the meantime, there is no evidence that the medication can be used as a sort of “coronavirus PrEP,” nor is there any need for HIVpositive people who are currently taking Kaletra to switch to other antiretrovirals to preserve the supply for patients with COVID-19.

Another HIV protease inhibitor, darunavir (Prezista or Prezcobix), has also been used in the real world and is being tested in trials. However, its manufacturer, Johnson & Johnson, warned this week that doctors should

not treat COVID-19 patients with the drug based on “anecdotal, unsubstantiated claims.”

Further along in the pipeline is Gilead Sciences’ nucleotide analog remdesivir, originally developed to treat Ebola virus but never approved. Early studies showed that it improves respiratory function in animals infected with a coronavirus related to SARSCoV-2. Remdesivir is currently being tested in several trials in China and the United States, one of which includes people evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

Researchers are also testing the malaria medications chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil), influenza drugs such as oseltamivir (Tamiflu), immune-stimulating interferons, and antibody-containing blood plasma from COVID-19 patients who have recovered.

About 20% of people with COVID-19 develop severe disease, some of whom require intensive care and mechanical ventilators. As Baric explained at CROI, the lung damage is caused partly by the virus itself and partly by the immune system’s efforts to fight it. In some cases, patients develop a dangerous immune overreaction known as a cytokine storm.

Some doctors are successfully using tocilizumab (Actemra), an antiinflammatory drug from South San Francisco-based Genentech that is approved for rheumatoid arthritis, to manage cytokine storms. But another type of anti-inflammatory – corticosteroids like prednisone – may actually cause further harm.

WHO recommended this week that people with COVID-19 symptoms avoid corticosteroids and milder over-the-counter anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen after a cautionary tweet from French Health Minister Olivier Veran, but other experts say there is no evidence to support this.

While new treatments are critical for people with advanced COVID-19 illness, many experts predict that an effective vaccine will be the only hope for bringing the pandemic under control. To that end, in addition to the vaccine in the newly opened Seattle trial, several other candidates that work in different ways are now in earlier stages of development. t

t

Community News>>

March 19-25, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 9

CA tax deadline extended compiled by Cynthia Laird

C

alifornia state Controller Betty Yee announced Monday, March 16, that individual taxpayers will now have until June 15 to file their state returns and pay any taxes owed.

Yee made the decision due to the coronavirus pandemic and said allowing people additional time would help them focus on their health and well-being, according to a news release.

In addition to the changes for individual taxpayers, Yee wrote that partnerships and limited liability companies, or LLCs, will have until June 15 to file their state returns and pay any taxes owed.

According to the release, any taxpayer filing under this special deadline relief should note the name of the state emergency (COVID-19 or Coronavirus) in black ink on the top of the tax return to inform the Franchise Tax Board they are filing under the special extension period. The FTB also will waive interest and any late filing or late payment penalties that otherwise would apply.

For assistance, visit http://www. ftb.ca.gov.

On March 17, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin announced that federal tax returns would be extended 90 days past the April 15 deadline for most taxpayers.

<<

Nightlife fund

From page 6

wider Bay Area.

“Queer nightlife is a renowned and integral aspect of San Francisco Bay Area culture,” Bannon stated. “The people who produce and staff local queer nightlife have been financially devastated by the venue closures resulting from the coronavirus crisis.

The Bay Area is known worldwide as a center for amazing queer nightlife.

Let’s keep that nightlife alive by lending a helping hand to those who need our help in these trying times.”

Bannon said that Phil Hammack, also known as Pup Turbo, had the initial idea to put together a fund. It all came together in a few days because of the urgency. “(Hammack) emailed a few of us.

The few of us gathered on a quick web conference meeting. We got the ball rolling,” Bannon wrote in an email to the B.A.R. March 17. “Then we met a few more times each day until it was launched officially this morning.”

Juanita MORE!, a drag artist who serves with Bannon on the steering committee of the fund, has strongly urged people to “stay the fuck home” as much as possible during the shelter in place order that was issued Monday for San Francisco and five other Bay Area counties.

<<

Census

From page 7

County had planned to set up census kiosks in various locations accessible to the public where people could fill out the form online and receive help in doing so. But those plans have been scrapped in light of the orders for people to remain home as much as possible.

EQCA, which received $1 million mostly from the California Complete Count Office to fund its census outreach, had trained three people

Courtesy Wikipedia

State Controller Betty Yee

Give OUT Day opens early for online donations

In what turned out to be a fortuitous bit of timing, Horizons Foundation’s new platform for Give OUT Day will allow people to donate early to help LGBTQ nonprofits. Now that so many people are self-isolating or working from home due to the coronavirus pandemic, the online giving day is shaping up to be crucial for queer nonprofits.

Horizons has overseen the national Give OUT Day for the last few years.

This year the official day is Thursday, April 23.

However, people can start giving Thursday, March 26.

“On our previous Give OUT Day platform, folks were able to schedule their gifts in advance, which would process on Give OUT Day,” wrote Horizons senior communications See page 12 >> “We need to band together as a community to help support our friends who work in nightlife, now more than ever,” MORE! stated. “With COVID-19 just starting to affect our city, the newly instated quarantine is going to rapidly change the lives of those who help make the magic happen, night after night.”

Also coming out in favor of the effort is Cleve Jones, a longtime community activist who was one of the founders of the AIDS Memorial Quilt in the 1980s.

“All of us who still have jobs can support those who don’t,” Jones stated.

“We must all support our friends and neighbors as we face this new challenge to our community and our nation. We’ve been to this rodeo before and we know what to do,” he added, referring to the early days of the AIDS epidemic when the LGBTQ community rallied to help its own.

Those wishing to give a gift of more than $2,000 are asked to contact the organizers directly.

The Center for LGBTQ Economic Advancement & Research is helping to collect, manage, and distribute the donations. It became involved through Hammack, Bannon said. It has not responded to a B.A.R. request for comment as of press time.

To donate to the fund or apply for relief, visit https://sfqueernightlifefund.org/donate/. t last week to canvass about the census in Los Angeles County. But over the weekend it redirected their efforts from going door-to-door to making phone calls to households that had signed EQCA’s pledge last year to take part in the census.

Its ads on Facebook and the gay hookup app Grindr also now encourage people to fill out the census online. And EQCA is also plugging that message on its social media pages, such as a March 13 Facebook See page 13 >>

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<< Coronavirus Outbreak

10 • Bay Area Reporter • March 19-25, 2020

t

Mayor, supes respond to virus with orders, legislation

by John Ferrannini

S

an Francisco officials are taking a number of actions to blunt the economic impacts of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The impacts both stem from the public health implications of the spread of COVID-19 (the respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus) and the economic impact of businesses being directed by governmental authorities to shutter to slow the spread of the virus.

Mayor restricts evictions, provides public funding of sick leave

On March 13, Mayor London Breed announced a 30-day moratorium on residential evictions related to the impacts caused by the outbreak.

“The moratorium will prevent any resident from being evicted due to a loss of income related to a business closure, loss of hours or wages, layoffs, or out-of-pocket medical costs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” a news release from the mayor’s office stated. ‘“Under the order, a tenant must notify their landlord that they cannot pay due to a COVID-19 related impact. Within one week of this notice, the tenant must provide documentation or other objective information that they cannot pay rent.

Tenants will have up to six months after the termination of the emergency declaration to repay any back due rent,” it continued.

The move came as gay state Senator Scott Wiener and Assemblyman Phil Ting (both D-San Francisco) work on a halt to foreclosures and evictions in California.

Breed followed up that moratorium with another on March 17 that placed a moratorium on commercial evictions for small and medium-sized businesses related to impacts caused by the outbreak.

Breed was empowered to take this action after Governor Gavin Newsom issued an order March 16 authorizing local governments to halt evictions. The order also allows them to slow foreclosures and prevent utility shut-offs.

On March 16, Breed announced a plan to provide paid sick leave for workers impacted by business closures. (See related story.) Citywide and statewide orders in the previous week had forced bars, among other businesses, to close.

John Ferrannini

Supervisor Hillary Ronen spoke at a March 10 news conference that included fellow board members Shamann Walton, left, and Matt Haney.

Board of Supervisors works on resolutions

At its March 17 meeting, members of the Board of Supervisors followed up on their March 10 promise to introduce legislation to address the coronavirus outbreak.

As the Bay Area Reporter reported that day, five supervisors announced a legislative package to help those economically impacted by COVID-19 at a Civic Center Plaza news conference.

District 4 Supervisor Gordon Mar announced legislation to create a 14day period of paid leave and to use public funds to help small and medium-sized businesses comply.

“The emergency expansion of paid sick leave by Mayor Breed yesterday was a positive step,” Mar said at the board meeting. “But it’s not enough to leave it to employers to decide.”

Mar also said it was “shocking” that a bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives over the weekend to provide paid sick leave exempted employers who have 500 or more employees. Some 59 million Americans work for such employers.

Mar’s legislation also calls for the creation of a multilingual workers hotline. According to his legislative aide, Edward Wright, Mar’s office is working on that without legislation, too.

“We’re working with other departments – labor standards enforcement, workforce development – to do that,” Wright said, referring to the hotline, in a phone interview with the B.A.R.

March 17. “We are still moving forward to introduce legislation today for the whole breadth of paid leave policies.”

District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston is calling for the government to suspend all evictions, except those required for safety reasons.

Although the mayor halted COVID-19 related evictions, Preston said that this wasn’t enough.

“This was an important step – it’s a start,” Preston said. “But unfortunately, it’s not enough.

“As I speak today, evictions are still being served in San Francisco. This is exactly the last thing we need right now,” he added.

Preston also called for the housing at 555 Fulton Street – near the heart of the scandal involving disgraced former public works director Mohammed Nuru – be used to house the homeless during the emergency.

“There’s no reason there should be an eviction unless there’s an imminent health threat to landlords or tenants,” Preston aide Kyle Smeallie said in a phone call to the B.A.R. March 17.

“We are continuing to move forward with our legislation.”

District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen thanked Preston for his efforts.

“I’ve never been so happy to have a leading tenants rights attorney on the Board of Supervisors as I am right now,” Ronen said.

Ronen announced she was introducing an ordinance that allows the city treasurer to take out a line of cred-

it and distribute funds as no-interest loans to small businesses that would close down otherwise due to inability to pay rent or a mortgage.

“Ronen’s legislation authorizes the city treasurer to secure a $20 million line of credit to administer a Small Business Rent Stabilization Loan program,” a Ronen news release states.

“The program will provide nointerest loans up to $15,000 to businesses with receipts less than $1.1 million per year to cover three months of rent, mortgage, or fixed operating costs. Some businesses won’t survive without us,” Ronen said during the meeting. “They need our help and they need it right now.

“Businesses need more than a stopgap moratorium. They need income,” she added.

Ronen is joining gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman in calling for grocery stores to set aside time periods for the elderly and immunocompromised to shop, so they can maintain social distancing from people who are more likely to be asymptomatic carriers of the novel coronavirus.

“It’s particularly important that folks in the vulnerable age-range not be exposing themselves to the virus because of their vulnerable immune systems,” Mandelman said in a phone interview with the B.A.R. March 18. “I heard from constituents that they felt unsafe being in jammed grocery stores, particularly with young people who may not know they are carrying the virus. Thankfully, many grocery stores are already going in that direction.”

Gay Mandelman aide Tom Temprano said that he spent much of March 17 talking to grocery stores.

“I spent a lot of time talking to Safeway and Whole Foods and seeing where they were at,” Temprano said in a phone call with the B.A.R. March 18.

“Through multiple phone calls you could see the evolution of growing public pressure.”

Temprano said that as of Wednesday morning he had not heard back from Walgreens, wasn’t able to reach Trader Joe’s, and hadn’t had luck with Costco or Mollie Stone’s yet, but that Whole Foods agreed to open up one hour earlier for senior shopping hours and Safeway agreed to have 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. reserved for “vulnerable shoppers” on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Temprano said that Canyon Market at 2815 Diamond Street in Glen Park was having a shopping hour from 7 to 8 a.m. daily “no prodding from us necessary.”

District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safai, who co-sponsored with Ronen a resolution calling upon banks to suspend foreclosures, fees, and penalties to small businesses during the outbreak, said he was urging the federal government to write a one-time $5,000 check to every American so they can deal with the financial impact of COVID-19.

“People need to survive,” Safai said. “Without income, people won’t be able to do that.”

District 1 Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer introduced a resolution calling for everyone to do their part to fight coronavirus.

She added that she wanted the Department of Disability and Aging Services to speed up its volunteerapproval processes.

Fewer introduced another resolution calling for Newsom to change the rules so that businesses allowed to sell take-out food can also sell take-out alcohol, if they currently allow on-site alcohol consumption.

“We can provide them immediate, substantial help,” Fewer said.

District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney said he was introducing a resolution in support of efforts underway in the House of Representatives to ensure emergency assistance to every American and a resolution asking that the legislation that passed the House be amended to include employees who work for employers with over 500 employees, and that an assembly bill under consideration protect workers from retaliation for taking a leave of absence.

To avoid COVID-19, the city’s Department of Public Health is advising people to wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, avoid touching their faces, cover their coughs and sneezes, try alternatives to the handshake, and stay home if they are sick.

It is not recommended people wear face masks if they are not sick. The greatest risk is from droplets containing the coronavirus on surfaces.

People over 60, those with chronic medical conditions, and those with weakened immune systems are at particular risk if they contract the coronavirus.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms of COVID-19 include a fever, cough, and shortness of breath. More serious cases result in pneumonia. t

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<< Sports

12 • Bay Area Reporter • March 19-25, 2020

Blair Hardiek sets example

by Roger Brigham

D

uring times of crisis such as the one we are all staggering through right now, when our daily routines are disrupted, when we most feel the need to be close to each other but are warned by public health officials to keep our distance from each other, it is easy to get our values as confused and scrambled as those panic buyers raiding every shelf they can for rolls of toilet paper.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the sports world, with virtually the entire industry and its affiliates having been brought to a swift and grinding halt.

A year ago if people told you they’d gotten a virus, you’d probably ask them if their computers had shut down. Now you ask them if they’ve shut down their social lives and office hours.

But life goes on, and so too shall sports. When that happens, even if the Olympics get postponed a couple of years and the NBA season is lost, sports will once again have the chance to help us to reconnect socially, whether as participants or spectators, athletes or fans. In the meantime, we can appreciate the joys we have coming into our lives and the differences our work has made.

Take Blair Hardiek for example.

The wife of former Stanford basketball standout Jennifer Azzi, who played at Missouri and was an assistant coach at the University of San Francisco, started a job last November on the cable television show “Warriors Outsiders,” where she regularly discussed the Warriors and the NBA season with fellow anchors Grant Liffmann and Drew Shiller.

That job is now on hold, as is

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her work as global director for NBA International. It is uncertain when the prep level basketball camp she and Azzi hold will open.

But she’s proud of the work she was able to accomplish on “Warriors Outsiders” to date, and she’s looking forward to the arrival of a new baby girl in the family.

“I’m due at the end of April,” Hardiek told me when we spoke a couple of weeks ago. “Baby Hardiek Azzi arrives at the end of April and we could not be more excited to be a family of four.”

Hardiek and Azzi, who were married in August 2015, have a son, Macklin Roberts.

Hardiek said the idea for her to join “Warriors Outsiders” came from Rick Welts, a gay man who’s president of the Golden State Warriors.

“I was at a movie screening with Rick,” Hardiek said. “He paused in the middle of our conversation, looked at me and said, ‘Hey, we have this opportunity with NBC Sports.

I think you’d be great.’ I was very excited about an opportunity to talk about a sport I was already very passionate about.”

The folks at NBC Sports Bay Area reached out to her and put her in phone contact with Liffmann and Shiller.

“We talked and there was an automatic good chemistry,” she said.

“We had some good laughs. It’s been great working with two guys who are very knowledgeable about what they’re doing, so it’s been a match made in heaven.”

And a match made at an opportune time in basketball history, with visible signs that at least at the professional level, progressive efforts are being made to break down barriers such as sexism and homophobia.

Hardiek noted that NBA Commissioner “Adam Silver said he’d like to see the NBA have about 50% female referees. I think it’s going to take awhile to get to that number, but I think this is the first professional men’s sport where you see women brought in not just as to-

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News Briefs

From page 9

manager Curtis Lahaie in an email.

“On our new platform, folks can’t schedule gifts, but they can give during this new ‘early giving’ period. All gifts between March 26 and April 23 count toward the Leaderboard prizes for organizations.”

On Monday, Horizons sent a note to Give Out Day organizations, discussing the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.

“Although there’s been little publicity about it, many in our LGBTQ community fall among those especially vulnerable,” Horizons President Roger Doughty wrote. “Last week, Horizons joined dozens of LGBTQ organizations across the country in signing an open letter advocating for attention to the needs of LGBTQ people at higher risk, including people living with HIV, LGBTQ elders, and all those in our community for whom ‘staying at home’ or ‘frequent handwashing’ are not easy options – such as those without housing or who survive through sex work.”

Nonprofits can register for Give OUT Day at https://www.giveoutday.org/giving-events/giveout20/ registration.

To search for an organization to support, go to https://bit.ly/2TV9S17.

For more information, visit http:// www.giveoutday.org.

Artists sought for Milk project

This year’s Windows for Harvey project has issued a call for artists to participate in the observation of Harvey Milk Day in May.

t

Courtesy Facebook

Blair Hardiek, left, talked with Grant Liffmann during a November broadcast of “Warriors Outsiders” on NBC Sports Bay Area.

ken hires, and now you are seeing it more in other sports.”

There are currently 11 female assistant coaches in the NBA. Previously Lisa Boyer served a year with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2001-02, and Nancy Lieberman coached with the Sacramento Kings for two seasons, 2015-17. San Antonio’s Becky Hammon is the longest serving female NBA coach, having started in 2014, and was interviewed for the head coaching position with the Milwaukee Bucks.

“People ask, ‘What’s the difference between men coaching in the NBA and women?’”

Hardiek said. “And there isn’t any difference. The knowledge is the same. It doesn’t matter what gender you are as long as you know the game. Where we still need to see it happen is college basketball. You have a lot of men coaching women’s basketball in college, but you don’t see it vice versa.”

Hardiek said that perspective gave her an extra appreciation for her role with “Warriors Outsiders.”

“For people to see women talking about men’s basketball, and it’s with

gender neutral knowledge – I think it’s a step in the right direction for the NBA in general,” she said.

And as the NBA embraces a more inclusive culture, she thinks institutionalized or internalized homophobia are disappearing, too.

“There’s a saying that sports unites people,” Hardiek said. “I think in basketball now, it’s at the point where there is less of a care of what color you are, what religion you are, where you come from, who you date, or who you’re married to.

Now, it’s more, ‘Well, do you know basketball?

Great: there’s a roster spot for you. Great: there’s a coaching spot for you. Great: there’s an analyst spot for you.’ I think doors are now open to where it’s not about gay and straight anymore, and hopefully in the future we’ll see that it’s not about male-female any more at any level. There’s a plethora of different sports. It doesn’t matter what your gender is, who you are, what you are. It doesn’t matter who you’re married to. That’s the beauty of sports: it brings people together.”

And that, folks, is a nice new normal to work toward. t

Given the coronavirus pandemic, organizers noted that right now, they plan to go ahead because it is an openair type gallery event.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and accept the advice of city officials,” organizers wrote in a frequently asked questions list posted on the website. “We will let everyone know at a moment’s notice if there are any changes to established plans.”

The project consists of artists installing their pieces in Castro storefronts from May 15-24. Harvey Milk Day, a day of special significance in California, is observed May 22.

Organizers of the event said that this year’s theme is “Vote! For Harvey!”

Milk made history when he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977, becoming the first out gay man to win elective office in the city and state. He and thenmayor George Moscone were assassinated by disgruntled ex-supervisor Dan White in November 1978.

“Harvey understood the value of hope, but he also knew that change would only come if citizens took action,” stated the release.

To help offset some of the costs of creating the artwork, organizers are offering a stipend of $125 to each artist whose work is chosen to participate.

Submissions do not need to be completed works. But artists should indicate their design intent through work samples and sketches. Both 2-D and 3-D art is allowed. Artists provide their own supplies and materials.

The deadline is midnight Friday, March 27.

For more information, visit http:// www.windowsforharvey.com.

Community centers announce changes

LGBTQ community centers in Oakland and San Jose have announced changes due to the coronavirus.

The Oakland LGBTQ Community Center, at 3207 Lakeshore Avenue, announced that it has suspended all center-supported groups through the end of March.

“We will also be implementing an abbreviated schedule for our staff and volunteers ASAP, until we are confident that the center is safe from COVID-19,” center officials wrote in a March 15 email to supporters. “Our decision is being made out of an abundance of caution for the entire community.”

For more information, go to https://www.oaklandlgbtqcenter.org/.

In the South Bay, the Billy DeFrank LGBTQ Community Center, at 938 The Alameda, announced Monday that it is closed through April 7 because of Santa Clara County’s health order directing people to shelter in place and stay away from others.

For more information, go to www.defrankcenter.org.

In Contra Costa County, the Rainbow Community Center announced it has suspended all inperson programming, meetings, and trainings. Clinical sessions for clients have been moved online.

For more information, check out the center’s Facebook page.

Many other LGBTQ groups have also canceled or postponed events. For a list, see https://bit. ly/2QlhurP. t

t <<

Coronavirus Outbreak>>

Shelter in place

<<

SF Pride

From page 8

14 that it was being postponed. It had been initially scheduled for May 15-17.

As the B.A.R. previously reported, non-essential gatherings in San Francisco are severely restricted through April 30 and people have to shelter in place in six Bay Area counties – Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Santa Clara, San Francisco, and San Mateo – until April 7. That means only essential businesses, such as grocery stores, pharmacies, and several others are open. (See story, page 1.)

But as no orders currently apply to late June – the currently scheduled

<<

Census

From page 9

post that read, “Stuck inside because of COVID-19? Did you know that you can safely fill out the census from home? You can participate:

<<

symptoms, you may still be infectious, and it’s important that you stay inside to help slow the spread of COVID-19 and to avoid overwhelming our health care system. We know that people are hurting, financially and otherwise,” they stated (COVID-19 is the disease caused by the novel coronavirus). “This short-term pain will help us avoid much more severe longterm consequences.”

From page 1

ing essential activities, businesses, or government functions.

“Individuals may go on a walk, get exercise, or take a pet outside to go to the bathroom, as long as at least six feet of social distancing is maintained,” according to a news release from the mayor’s office. “People riding on public transit must maintain at least six feet of social distancing from other passengers.”

Businesses not covered by the order include media, health care operations, pharmacies, grocery stores and food banks, the operation of public transportation and utilities, gas stations and auto repair facilities, banks, garbage collection, laundromats, dry cleaners, and hardware stores.

Restaurants cannot have people dine in. They can offer take-out, however. Gyms and fitness studios shuttered at 5 p.m. Monday.

San Francisco Police Chief William Scott said at a March 16 news conference announcing the move that enforcement will be based on a “compassionate, common sense approach.”

“We are looking for voluntary compliance,” Scott said. “It is enforceable as a misdemeanor but it is an absolute last resort.”

At the same news conference, Breed urged people to remain calm and not panic – stressing people will still be able to get food and medicine and take care of family members.

“This will be disruptive to daily life but there is no need to panic,” Breed said. “It is the new normal temporarily in an effort to protect public health.”

Dr. Grant Colfax, a gay man and the director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, said that the order is based in science. Officials are trying to prevent the health care system from becoming overwhelmed with

March 19-25, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 13

LGBT seniors

From page 1

“It’s been OK. You always start to develop a little cabin fever after a few days in the apartment. I deal with it. I always find things to do,” said Longen, who ventured out Tuesday afternoon to see his doctor after confirming it would be safe for him to do so but took a ride share there.

“I am not going to take public transportation. It is a little bit too close to people at this point.”

To date, none of the residents at the complex have tested positive for COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus.

Because the complex is comprised of independent senior apartments, the restrictions on visitors and all emergency rules imposed on longterm care settings, such as nursing homes or assisted living facilities, don’t apply to Openhouse’s residential buildings.

“We are doing everything we can

Sick leave for out-of-work San Franciscans

Cynthia Laird

An empty J-Church Muni Metro car traveled outbound Tuesday morning.

coronavirus cases emerging all at once – an effort to, as some medical professionals have put it, “flatten the curve.”

“Our response has always been grounded in data, science, and facts and that continues to be the same today,” Colfax said. “The evidence tells us that now is the time to implement this step.

“The coronavirus is spreading in our community and we need to slow it down,” he added. “Every hour counts.”

Gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman backed the stronger measures in a Facebook post shortly after the news broke.

“This is the right decision to ensure public health,” he wrote.

The Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District suspended operations, including its Clean Team, according to an email March 17 from Castro Merchants President Masood Samereie.

“The Team’s dispatch number is not being staffed at this time,” he wrote. “We understand this will add to your concerns. However, we all need

to slow the transmission of the virus.”

San Francisco’s three Democratic state lawmakers, gay state Senator Scott Wiener and Assemblymen Phil Ting and David Chiu, issued a joint statement expressing their support of the six-county Bay Area shelter in place order. They also pledged their help in obtaining necessary state approvals and eliminating any state bureaucratic barriers to implement local measures needed to combat the pandemic.

“We are in unprecedented times.

The coronavirus pandemic poses a massive threat to our community’s health and well-being, to our economy, and to our way of life. We must confront it with firm and resolute steps to slow the contagion’s spread,” stated the lawmakers. “Today’s sixcounty public health order directing people to remain at home unless absolutely necessary, and to close all non-essential businesses, is a critical step to combat the pandemic.”

They asked that their constituents follow the directive.

“Even if you are not experiencing

time for the 50th San Francisco LGBT Pride festivities – Kane said that the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee is “working closely with our partners within the city and will follow their directives.”

“Undoubtedly, the breadth and severity of all the recent COVID-19 cancellations have been jarring to everyone nationwide, and we are very mindful of these concerns. But remember: This is U.S. civil society rising to the occasion now specifically so that these disruptions to the fabric of American culture – and to the financial security of everyone whose livelihoods depend on it – do not continue. We remain cautiously optimistic.”

(COVID-19 is the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus.)

“Our team has been in frequent contact with City Hall, SFDPH, and other city agencies, and we will abide by any and all directives they issue. Have talked multiple times a day with other Pride organizers on the West Coast. We are all pulling together and offering support in this uncertain time,” Kane added, referring to the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

In a related matter earlier Monday, Breed announced a plan to provide paid sick leave for workers impacted by closures stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.

The Workers and Families First Program includes “$10 million in public funding that will provide businesses with funding to provide an additional five days of sick leave pay to workers beyond their existing policies,” according to a news release from the mayor’s office.

If fully used the program would provide coverage for up to 25,000 people.

“All San Francisco businesses will be eligible, with up to 20% of funds reserved for small businesses with 50 or fewer employees. The city will contribute up to one week (40 hours) at $15.59 per hour (minimum wage) per employee, or $623 per employee.

The employer will pay the difference between the minimum wage and an employee’s full hourly wage,” the news release states.

“This program will be available only if the employee has exhausted their currently available sick leave, has exhausted or is not eligible for federal or state supplemental sick leave, and the employer agrees to extend sick leave beyond current benefits,” it continues.

The city has created a one-stop-

shop website both for employers and employees impacted by coronavirusrelated closures.

As the Bay Area Reporter reported March 13, Breed announced a 30-day moratorium on residential evictions due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

This came after District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston announced legislation to the Board of Supervisors establishing such a moratorium. As the B.A.R. reported March 10 a number of supervisors have been working on legislation to blunt the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak.

To avoid COVID-19, the city’s Department of Public Health is advising people to wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, avoid touching their faces, cover their coughs and sneezes, try alternatives to the handshake, and stay home if they are sick.

It is not recommended people wear face masks if they are not sick. The greatest risk is from droplets containing the coronavirus on surfaces.

People over 60, those with chronic medical conditions, and those with weakened immune systems are at particular risk if they contract the coronavirus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms of COVID-19 include a fever, cough, and shortness of breath. More serious cases result in pneumonia. t Matthew S. Bajko contributed reporting.

For more information on the city’s sick leave plan, visit https://oewd.org/assistanceguidance-businesses-and-workers-impacted-covid-19.

The Winter Party, a circuit party in Miami, took place from March 4-10 as scheduled – and at least one

partygoer tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to a statement

by Winter Party organizers.

“We are grateful to them for alerting us, particularly given that they were not experiencing symptoms during WPF (Winter Party Festival),” the statement reads. “We continue to encourage all WPF guests to monitor their health, practice social distancing, wash hands with soap, use hand sanitizer, and contact their doctor if they think they are exhibiting symptoms.”

To avoid COVID-19, San Francisco’s health department is advising people to wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, avoid touching their faces,

cover their coughs and sneezes, try alternatives to the handshake, and stay home if they are sick.

It is not recommended people wear face masks if they are not sick. The greatest risk is from droplets containing the coronavirus on surfaces.

People over 60, those with chronic medical conditions, and those with weakened immune systems are at particular risk if they contract the coronavirus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms of COVID-19 include a fever, cough, and shortness of breath. More serious cases result in pneumonia.t

✔ Online ✔ By phone ✔ By mail.”

“We are pivoting and putting larger emphasis on our digital outreach through social media and emails and also through text and phone banking,” Valenzuela told the B.A.R. Tuesday, March 17, in a

phone interview from her home in Southern California, where she is now working remotely as EQCA shut down its offices to protect its staff from the coronavirus.

A bisexual married woman, Valenzuela filled out the census online

for her eight-person household. She noted it took her less than 10 minutes to complete.

“We just really stress the census is very important,” she said. “This is done every 10 years so it’s not like you can say I will just participate

next year. There won’t be a next year until 2030.” t

to encourage folks to stay home, while doing everything we can to help people feel connected,” Openhouse Executive Director Karyn Skultety, Ph.D., told the B.A.R. “It’s such a hard experience for seniors who already feel ‘distanced’ and isolated from their community to be in this situation.”

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, Openhouse has canceled all of its inperson programs and lunch get-togethers, and other LGBT nonprofit service providers have followed suit.

In San Jose the Billy DeFrank LGBT Community Center has temporarily ended its senior lunch program, and the East Bay’s Rainbow Community Center in Concord has suspended all of its in-person programming and services until April 7.

“We are also working on creative ways in which to connect with our older adult community members and ensure they have what they need and mitigate further social isolation during this time,” wrote

Kiku Johnson, the rainbow center’s executive director, in an email Monday to clients and supporters of the facility.

the agency’s staff are calling seniors to check in with them from a list of 100-plus people they were assigned.

“We will get to those folks at least once a week if able. It is complicated, we shifted staff in more administrative roles to do the calling,” said Skultety, who held a video chat conference last Friday for the agency’s clients and supporters to explain what steps it is taking for the next several weeks.

Any senior wishing to be added to the call list can do so by calling Openhouse’s main number (415) 296-8995. The agency’s staff is providing housing and service navigation with referrals to services, noted Skultety, and are providing case management to both community members and residents of its campus on Laguna Street by phone and in-person visits in urgent/emergent situations.

“The number one thing is people feeling very isolated and worried and anxious,” Skultety said her staff

has been hearing from the seniors they reach. “We know this is a population of people who already feel isolated. It is a heartbreaking time to add self distancing and isolation on top of it.”

In an email District 2 Supervisor Catherine Stefani sent to her constituents this week, she noted anyone feeling anxious, stressed, depressed or isolated can call the San Francisco Mental Health Warm Line at (855) 845-7415, or chat with them online at www.mentalhealthsf. org/peer-run-warmline. She also reminded people they can call the San Francisco Suicide Prevention hotline at (415) 781-0500 for confidential emotional support or chat online with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/.

“I want everyone to know that you are not alone and there is help out there. There is absolutely no shame

Circuit party reveler tests positive for COVID-19

At risk

LGBT seniors are particularly at risk of being isolated, which can cause depression and other health issues. Many live alone, have frayed relationships with their families, and have lost loved ones, partners, and friends to AIDS and other diseases as their social cohort has aged. It is why organizations like Openhouse were created in order to address the needs of LGBT seniors.

Despite having shut down most of its programming and sending its employees home last Friday to work remotely, Openhouse is continuing to reach out to every senior that has walked through its doors since last July and provided it with contact information. Skultety, who was also working from home this week, told the B.A.R. that every day 16 to 18 of

See page 14 >>

<< Coronavirus Outbreak

14 • Bay Area Reporter • March 19-25, 2020

t

South Bay lesbian travelers caught amid virus pandemic

by Heather Cassell

S

ilicon Valley lesbian couples traveling abroad are trying to get home amid the global coronavirus pandemic.

Two couples, Leslie Bulbuk, 57, and her wife, Marta Donayre, 50, and Karin Bogliolo, 79, and her wife, Judy Rickard, 72, are attempting to navigate themselves home during their respective vacations.

Bulbuk and Donayre, who left on a three-week vacation to Spain February 24, are now locked down in their Barcelona Airbnb. Donayre only steps outside into the barren streets guarded by Spain’s military to take the couple’s Chiweenie, Ian, for a walk.

Spain went on a mandatory lockdown ordered by the country’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez March 15.

The country is now the world’s

<<

LGBT seniors

From page 13

in needing and seeking help with any of these issues,” wrote Stefani. “Taking care of your mental health is just as important as taking care of your physical health during this time.”

To keep busy while he remains at home Longen said he has been working on his film collection, rewatching some of the hundreds of movies in his DVD collection, and reading books. He continues to receive his weekly food delivery from

Courtesy Marta Donayre

Marta Donayre, left, and her wife, Leslie Bulbuk posed for a photo in Villanova i la Geltrú, south of Barcelona

fourth most infected nation as novel coronavirus cases spiked over the weekend with an estimated 8,000 people infected and nearly 300 dead from the virus, according to media reports.

Bogliolo and Rickard are aboard Meals on Wheels and relies on a friend to help him with his shopping needs.

“We have to deal with it on a dayto-day basis and do what we can to protect ourselves,” said Longen.

LGBT and civil rights activist Cleve Jones, 65, another longtime survivor of HIV, decided to relocate to Guerneville, the gay resort town in the Russian River region of Sonoma County out of an abundance of caution to protect his health. He canceled all of his upcoming speaking engagements, and after seeing

The women’s vacations were supposed to be dreams come true, but they have turned into nightmares for the couples as the pandemic exploded

around the world since February.

The World Health Organization officially declared the novel coronavirus a pandemic on March 11.

Bulbuk and Donayre’s journey through small Spanish towns along the Mediterranean coast was to celebrate their 20th anniversary.

Bogliolo and Rickard were celebrating a series of life events: Rickard’s birthday, their domestic partnership anniversary, and ultimately their wedding anniversary that has yet to be legally recognized because they are a binational couple, as they sailed around the world, they wrote in an email from the ship.

It was the couple’s second grand world cruise aboard Holland. They originally sailed around the world

in 2018. This time they were excited about the ship’s itinerary sailing to Antarctica, South American, and some African ports among others, they wrote.

Bogliolo and Rickard are disappointed and unhappy about how the cruise line is handling the situation, from not conducting health screenings to not helping passengers return home, especially for repeat customers who paid $50,000 or more.

“This is not just a trip cut short,” the couple wrote. “This is a health and safety risk and very bad on Holland and Carnival’s part.”

The couple are safe, they said. t

his doctor in San Francisco last week, moved up to the North Bay for the foreseeable future.

“There are quite a few of us older LGBTQ folk up here,” Jones told the B.A.R. by phone this week. “There aren’t big crowds of people up here. I also have a garden here so I can grow food. It is easier for me to be outside in the sun and walking around.”

He continues to work for UNITE HERE, the hotel, restaurant, and garment workers’ labor union, whose members have been particularly hit hard by the shuttering

of the businesses that employ them due to the outbreak. Many have either been laid off from work or seen their hours significantly reduced.

“We are being decimated by this thing. There have been so many layoffs in the hotel industry and airlines so our members are really, really suffering,” said Jones. “Everyone in our union is engaged full-time and trying to mitigate the harm our members and their families are experiencing.”

Having lived through the early days of the AIDS epidemic, and seeing

both the LGBT community and San Francisco officials rally to respond as the federal government failed to do so, Jones said he remains optimistic the same will be true today.

“All this we take for granted, meal delivery programs, counseling and grief support. Our community built that,” said Jones. “So when we look at all of our friends and neighbors facing unemployment or underemployment who are being quarantined, we have dealt with this before.

And I have no doubt we will rise to the challenge; that is what we do.”t

Holland America Line’s 128-day Amsterdam’s Grand World Voyage that departed Fort Lauderdale, Florida January 4. It is sailing toward Fremantle/Perth, Australia where all 1,300 passengers, including others who are LGBT, will end their vacation and find their way home when they disembark March 22.

Erik Elvejord, Holland America Line’s director of public relations, confirmed the decision to end the cruise’s journey in a statement to the B.A.R. March 17.

The cruise line is owned by Carnival Corporation, which is the parent company to Carnival Cruise Line, Cunard, and Princess Cruises.

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Legal Notices>> FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039000400

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038980000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WATCHERS SECURITY, 950 GILMAN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CURTIS THOMAS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/24/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/24/20.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SHE BENDS, 1340 BRYANT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MERYL PATAKY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/02/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/06/20.

FEB 27, MARCH 05, 12, 19, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038995900

FEB 27, MARCH 05, 12, 19, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038990300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TOISHAN IRONWORKS, 730 HURON AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SHI ZHU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/29/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/19/20.

FEB 27, MARCH 05, 12, 19, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038969800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE APERTURIST, 810 GONZALEZ DR., #4F, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed EKEVARA KITPOWSONG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/28/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/31/20.

FEB 27, MARCH 05, 12, 19, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038995200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ADVANCED CHIROPRACTIC CENTER, 155 VALENCIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed STEVEN BIEGEL. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/01/99. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/19/20.

FEB 27, MARCH 05, 12, 19, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038996300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NANI HEATING & AIR-CONDITIONING, 1075 QUESADA AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOVICA MAKSIMOVIC. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/13/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/14/20.

FEB 27, MARCH 05, 12, 19, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038998900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HEALGOOD, 1571 23RD AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed STACEY MICHAELS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/07/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/21/20.

FEB 27, MARCH 05, 12, 19, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038999000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HAPPY CHILDHOOD, 2268 17TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TATIANA SERGUNINA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/21/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/21/20.

FEB 27, MARCH 05, 12, 19, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038996100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SUGAR COIN PRESS, RISING CHIMERA PRODUCTIONS, 2261 MARKET ST #418A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOYCE Y. LEE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/14/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/20/20.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JL PAINTING, 79 REGENT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed ZHI XIN YANG & JOE LOC. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/01/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/19/20.

FEB 27, MARCH 05, 12, 19, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038965400

FEB 27, MARCH 05, 12, 19, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038994900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MERKADO SAN FRANCISCO, 130 TOWNSEND ST. SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed NO WALLS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/29/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/29/20.

FEB 27, MARCH 05, 12, 19, 2020

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: POLYGON VISUALS, 2750 42ND AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed POLYGON VISUALS INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/19/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/19/20.

FEB 27, MARCH 05, 12, 19, 2020

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039000300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: OTRA, 682 HAIGHT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed ONE TABLE MANAGEMENT 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 02/24/20.

FEB 27, MARCH 05, 12, 19, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038992200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE PATIO, 3232 SCOTT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123.

This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed ALPHA BAR 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 02/18/20.

FEB 27, MARCH 05, 12, 19, 2020 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-038361100

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: PARIGO, 3232 SCOTT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business was conducted by a limited liability company and signed by ALPHA BAR LLC (CA). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/17/18.

FEB 27, MARCH 05, 12, 19, 2020 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037886600

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: HAPPY CHILDHOOD, 2268 17TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business was conducted by a married couple and signed

by EDWARD ROMANOV & JANET ROMANOV. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/08/17.

FEB 27, MARCH 05, 12, 19, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-20-555633 In the matter of the application of: LYNNETTE GALIZA, 6 PORTOLA DR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner LYNNETTE GALIZA, is requesting that the name LYNNETTE GALIZA, be changed to LYNNETTE LAROCHE. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm 103 on the 7th of April 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MARCH 05, 12, 19, 26, 2020

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-20-555672 In the matter of the application of: KEVIN CHRISTOPHER LINGERFELT, 1954 15TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner KEVIN CHRISTOPHER LINGERFELT, is requesting that the name KEVIN CHRISTOPHER LINGERFELT, be changed to KEVIN COSTA INGELMAN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept 103N, Rm 103N on the 16th of April 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MARCH 05, 12, 19, 26, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-20-555673 In the matter of the application of: SAMUEL PATRICK TEPPERMAN-GELFANT, 1954 15TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner SAMUEL PATRICK TEPPERMANGELFANT, is requesting that the name SAMUEL PATRICK TEPPERMAN-GELFANT AKA SAM TEPPERMAN-GELFANT, be changed to SAMUEL PATRICK TEPPERMAN GELFANT INGELMAN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept 103N, Rm 103N on the 16th of April 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MARCH 05, 12, 19, 26, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-20-555652 In the matter of the application of: JOHNNIE SHANG TEH LIN, 1700 GOUGH ST #502, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner JOHNNIE SHANG TEH LIN, is requesting that the name JOHNNIE SHANG TEH LIN AKA JOHNNIE SHANG-TEH LIN AKA JOHNNIE S. LIN AKA JOHN SHANG TEH LIN AKA JOHN LIN AKA JOHN S. LIN, be changed to JOHN SHANG-TEH LIN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept 103, on the 7th of April 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MARCH 05, 12, 19, 26, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039010800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE TEAK, 2157 JACKSON ST #2, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed AGOTA KRAPAVICKAITE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/14/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/02/20.

MARCH 05, 12, 19, 26, 2020

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-20-555643 In the matter of the application of: RUFUS NATHANIEL WASHINGTON C/O NANCY M. CONWAY, LAW OFFICES OF NANCY M. CONWAY, 345 FRANKLIN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner RUFUS NATHANIEL WASHINGTON, is requesting that the name RUFUS NATHANIEL WASHINGTON, be changed to RUFUS NATHANIEL WATKINS. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm 103 on the 9th of April 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MARCH 05, 12, 19, 26, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-20-555666 In the matter of the application of: DIANNA LYNN WARE, 1407 BIRCHWOOD CT, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner DIANNA LYNN WARE, is requesting that the name DIANNA LYNN WARE AKA DIANNA LYNN MOORE, be changed to DIANNA LYNN MOORE. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm 103 on the16th of April 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MARCH 05, 12, 19, 26, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-20-555679 In the matter of the application of: NERIAH MICHELLE BOWERS, 900 INGERSON AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner NERIAH MICHELLE BOWERS, is requesting that the name NERIAH MICHELLE BOWERS AKA NERIAH BOWERS, be changed to NERIAH AHYOKA FOYE. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept 103N, Rm 103N on the 14th of April 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MARCH 05, 12, 19, 26, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038984500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FRESHITO, 4809 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ROSA E. ESPINOZA. 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 02/11/20.

MARCH 05, 12, 19, 26, 2020

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Legals >>

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-20-555675 In the matter of the application of: JASON DUANE MOORE, 1222 HARRISON ST # 2420, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner JASON DUANE MOORE, is requesting that the name JASON DUANE MOORE, be changed to JASON DUANE GREENMORE. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept 103N, Rm 103N on the 14th of April 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MARCH 05, 12, 19, 26, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-20-555676 In the matter of the application of: ANASTASIA MARIE GREENE, 1222 HARRISON ST #2420, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner ANASTASIA MARIE GREENE, is requesting that the name ANASTASIA MARIE GREENE, be changed to ANASTASIA MARIE GREENMORE. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept 103N, Rm 103N on the 14th of April 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MARCH 05, 12, 19, 26, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039008600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DIMA TRANSPORTATION, 1550 BAY ST #C243, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DMITRIY SHYNGEL. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/28/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/28/20.

MARCH, 05, 19, 26, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038989700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PEEK-ABOO LEARNING CENTER, 908 PARIS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed XIAO HONG XIE. 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 02/14/20.

MARCH 05, 12, 19, 26, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038977600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BAYFIT SF, 1363 30TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducte1d by an individual, and is signed BAILEY LIU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/05/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/05/20.

MARCH 05, 12, 19, 26, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039001000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LIFE THEATRE SERVICES, 1729 STOCKTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed CYNTHIA CRISTILLI & MOLLY GOODE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/04/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/25/20.

MARCH 05, 12, 19, 26, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038996200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MUSIC CITY ENTERTAINMENT, 1353 BUSH ST #112, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed MUSIC CITY ARTIST DEVELOPMENT (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/19/20.

MARCH 05, 12, 19, 26, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039004200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ALOHA HAWAIIN BARBECUE, 4935 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ALOHA HAWAIIN BARBECUE (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/26/20.

MARCH 05, 12, 19, 26, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038996800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GOODBYES CONSIGNMENT, 3483 SACRAMENTO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed HENMAR INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/09/91. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/20/20.

MARCH 05, 12, 19, 26, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039008800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PIZZA DUE, 489 CHURCH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed JOEL J. HADDAD & REHAM HADDAD. 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 02/28/20.

MARCH 05, 12, 19, 26, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039004700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BINGHAM RENTALS, 559 SHOTWELL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed EDWARD BINGHAM & MERYLEE SMITHBINGHAM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/14/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/26/20.

MARCH 05, 12, 19, 26, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039010000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CAMPUS, 2241 CHESTNUT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123 . This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed AVILA PARTNERS, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/20/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/02/20.

MARCH 05, 12, 19, 26, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039005000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BURMA GOLD, 695 3RD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed GLD MYAN MGT LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/03/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/26/20.

MARCH 05, 12, 19, 26, 2020

March 19-25, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 15

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-038773400

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: CAMPUS, 2241 CHESTNUT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business was conducted by a limited liability company and signed

by TELEGRAPH HILL ASSOCIATES LLC (CA). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/26/19.

MARCH 05, 12, 19, 26, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039021300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: COURIER SPECIALTIES, 679 46TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ERNEST LEE CROSSON. 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 03/06/20.

MARCH 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039016400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GRANT AVE GARAGE, 501 FILBERT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ZHENHONG HUANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/02/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/05/20.

MARCH 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039015900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: UNENCUMBERED, 1870 FULTON ST #1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CAROLYN HONIG. 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 03/04/20.

MARCH 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039021600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MGM TRUCKING, 68 SANTA FE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed OCTAVIO GALVAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/06/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/06/20.

MARCH 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039004400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JA JANITORIAL SERVICES, 775 GEARY ST #205, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOSEPH AHMED ALHAYAWA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/26/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/26/20.

MARCH 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039015000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MOTHER EARTH’S CLEANING, 950 GILMAN AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DANA HUNTER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/04/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/04/20.

MARCH 12, 19, 26 APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039013800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HUANCAINA PERUVIAN FOOD, 2301 MISSION ST, UNIT B, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JULIO MANUEL VIDAL SEDANO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/03/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/03/20.

MARCH 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039009200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MI MISSION PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO, 528 SHOTWELL ST #5, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANTONIO PERETE VILLANUEVA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/28/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/28/20.

MARCH 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039010400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SUNSET HEALING ARTS, 1395 31ST AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NATALIE TROUSDALE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/01/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/02/20.

MARCH 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039016700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: J SQUARED REALTY, 34 NIANTIC AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed JOEL GOMEZ & JAIRO PADILLA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/31/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/05/20.

MARCH 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039008900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ROMA’S, 489 3RD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SEAHORSE ENTERPRISES (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 02/28/20.

MARCH 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039007700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PRIMP, 391 SUTTER ST #307, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed CJH SALONS INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/29/05. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/28/20.

MARCH 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038995400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NEWNESS, 334 KEARNY ST #300, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed QP VENTURES, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/19/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/19/20.

MARCH 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038986000

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039026500

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039025400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SF THE DOG SPA LLC, 169 WEST PORTAL AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SF THE DOG SPA LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/01/07. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/12/20.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AVITAL WOLF THERAPY, 459 FULTON ST #105, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed AVITAL WOLF-PRUSAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/11/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/11/20.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NOVELA CAKES, 58 HANOVER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112.

This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed MARVIN SIGUA & ELOISA SIGUA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/10/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/10/20.

MARCH 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039014000

MAR 19, 26, APRIL 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039030100

MAR 19, 26, APRIL 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039016900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RUBY & ROSE, 99 CARMELITA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed RUBY & ROSE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/16/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/04/20.

MAR 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039005500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BUILDING SPECIALIST LLC, 1075 OAKDALE AVE #G, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94129. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed BUILDING SPECIALIST LLC (CA).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/27/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/27/20.

MAR 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039028500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BUSINESS LOGIC SOLUTIONS, 1140 HOLLOWAY AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed PATRICK O’BRIEN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/26/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/12/20.

MAR 19, 26, APRIL 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039002200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FERDEL STRUCTURAL STEEL, 1163 HOLLISTER AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed FERDEL BUILDER CONSTRUCTION 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 03/13/20.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: 1 HEART CAREGIVER SERVICES SAN FRANCISCO, 981 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed A.R.E. CARE SERVICES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/01/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/05/20.

MAR 19, 26, APRIL 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039027400

MAR 19, 26, APRIL 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038998500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AMERICAN INDIAN CUISINE, 138 CYRIL MAGNIN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed AMERICAN INDIAN CUISINE INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/11/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/11/20.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BLEW SKY DELIVERIES, 354 THORNTON AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SPHERES ENTERPRISE LLC (CA).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/20/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/20/20.

MAR 19, 26, APRIL 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039026300

MAR 19, 26, APRIL 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039014700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MARHABA INDIAN PAKISTANI HALAL CUISINE, 1109 FILLMORE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed MARHABA INDIAN PAKISTANI HALAL CUISINE (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/11/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/11/20.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JJ JANITORIAL SERVICES, 676 SILVER AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed JJ JANITORIAL SERVICES 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 03/04/20.

MAR 19, 26, APRIL 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039013200

MAR 19, 26, APRIL 02, 09, 2020 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-038048400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GENERATIONAL HEROES, 698 PERALTA AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KEANA L. ELZIE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/25/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/25/20.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ODSY WORKSHOP, 2039 IRVING ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122.

This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed YINA KIM & SOO JIN CHAE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/03/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/03/20.

MAR 19, 26, APRIL 02, 09, 2020

MAR 19, 26, APRIL 02, 09, 2020

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: GRANT AVE GARAGE, 501 FILBERT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by FONG CHOK CHEONG. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/19/18.

MAR 19, 26, APRIL 02, 09, 2020

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA RAPID TRANSIT DISTRICT NOTICE TO PROPOSERS - GENERAL INFORMATION The SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA RAPID TRANSIT DISTRICT (“District”), 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, California, is advertising for proposals to Provide Construction Management Services (RFP) N o. 6M8176, on or about March 11, 2020, with proposals due by 2:00 PM local time, Tuesday, April 21, 2020, to BART District Secretary, 300 Lakeside Drive, 23rd Floor, Oakland, CA 94612. All general questions regarding this RFP should be directed to Gloria Abdullah-Lewis at gabdull@bart.gov.

DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED

CONSULTANT shall assist and advise the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District in construction management, procurement activities and related issues associated with BART design-bid-build and design-build projects, or other project issues as requested. Professional services to be provided by CONSULTANT under this Agreement shall comply with the latest edition of all applicable codes, ordinances, criteria, standards, regulations and other laws unless otherwise specified by BART. CONSULTANT shall maintain required professional and business licenses throughout the duration of the Agreement, as appropriate. In accordance with the terms of the Agreement, the District will authorize work hereunder by the issuance of Work Plan(s). Tasks to Support Scope of Services to be provided by the CONSULTANT under this Agreement may include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following: Program management services to place WPs, assure quality deliverables, assign and Manage qualified staff, and ensure performance objectives are met by the team.

Design review services including constructability reviews, verification of existing field conditions, hazard analysis, safety analysis and cost effectiveness.

Construction management services to administer, monitor, inspect and interface with the construction contractor (“Contractor”) on BART construction projects in accordance with BART’s Resident Engineer Manual (as will be augmented for design-build projects) and the construction contract documents. CONSULTANT shall manage and monitor BART construction contracts by providing services which include project communications/record keeping, meeting coordination, cost and schedule management, technical support, safety support, environmental monitoring, coordination with other agencies, project reporting and project closeout. Consultant shall use BART’s chosen database software for document control, document preparation and recordkeeping.

Administrative tasks generally associated with the construction management services provided, which include documentation of work progress, progress reports, document control, correspondence, record keeping, payment verification, and conducting communications with BART and other agencies as required.

Cost management and scheduling for BART projects as well as the CONSULTANT Agreement.

Quality control/quality assurance to ensure the accuracy and quality of work products are provided by way of CONSULTANT procedures and controls.

Procurement services to administer, monitor, test, inspect, evaluate and interface with the vendor on BART procurement contracts.

Claims management and dispute resolution assistance to mitigate the size and number of claims.

Rapid or emergency response to BART as required.

The total value of the construction management agreements shall not exceed Three Hundred Twenty Million Dollars ($320 Million) over a five (5) year period. BART intends to award up to eight (8) Agreements under this RFP that shall not exceed the amount of Forty Million Dollars ($40 Million) each. However, there is no guaranteed minimum level of compensation.

REQUIRED REGISTRATION ON BART PROCUREMENT PORTAL

In order for prospective Proposers to be eligible for award of an Agreement being solicited on the BART Procurement Portal, such Proposers are required to be currently registered to do business with BART on the BART Procurement Portal on line at https://suppliers.bart.gov and have obtained Solicitation Documents, updates, and any Addenda issued on line so as to be added to the On-Line Planholders List for this solicitation.

If a prospective Proposer is a joint venture or partnership, such entity may register on the BART procurement portal with the entity’s tax identification number (TIN) and download the Solicitation Documents so as to be listed as an on-line planholder under the entity’s name prior to submitting its Proposal. If such entity has not registerd on BART procurement portal in the name of the joint venture or partnership prior to submitting its Proposal, provided that at least one of the joint venturers or partners registered on line on the BART Procurement Portal and downloaded the Solicitation Documents so as to be added to the ON-Line Planholders List for this solicitation, such entity will be required to register with the entity’s TIN as an on-line planholder following the submittal of Proposals, in order for the entity to be eligible for award of this Agreement.

PROPOSERS WHO HAVE NOT REGISTERED ON THE BART PROCUREMENT PORTAL PRIOR TO SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL, (OR FOR JOINT VENTURE OR PARTNERSHIP AS DECRIBED ABOVE PRIOR TO AWARD) AND DID NOT DOWNLOAD THE SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS FOR THIS SOLICITATION ON LINE SO AS TO BE LISTED AS AN ON-LINE PLANHOLDER FOR THIS SOLICITATION, WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR AWARD OF THIS AGREEMENT A Pre-Proposal Meeting will be held on Friday, March 27, 2020. Pre-Proposal Meeting will convene at 1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M., local time, located at Joseph P. Bort Metro Center 101 8th Street, Oakland, CA 94607. At the Pre-Proposal meeting, the District’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program and Small Business Entity (SBE) Participation goal will be explained.

Prospective Proposers are requested to make every effort to attend this only scheduled Pre-Proposal Meeting and Networking Session, and to confirm their attendance by contacting the District’s Contract Administrator, Gloria Abdullah-Lewis. telephone: (510) 464-6547, email:gabdull@bart.gov, FAX (510) 464-7650 prior to the date of the Pre-Proposal Meeting. Email is preferred.

Networking Session: Immediately following the Pre-Proposal Meeting, the District’s Office of Civil Rights will be conducting a networking session for subconsultants to meet with the potential prime consultants for DBE and SBE participation opportunities; and Fei Liu from the Office of Civil Rights is the point of contact for this effort. Prospective Proposers are requested to make every effort to attend this only scheduled Pre-Proposal Meeting Proposals must be received by 2:00 pm, local time, April 21, 2020at the address listed in the RFP. Submission of a proposal shall constitute a firm offer to the District for one hundred and eighty (180) calendar days from date of proposal submission.

Dated at Oakland, California this 11th day of March 2020

/s/ John A. Mazza John Mazza Director of Procurement Procurement Department San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District 3/19/20 CNS-3353040# BAY AREA REPORTER

18

Lammy finalists

18

20

19

Mango punch

Team player

Kinsey scaled

Vol. 50 • No. 12 • March 19-25, 2020

www.ebar.com/arts

Courtesy the artist

Here’s Lucie!

by Gregg Shapiro

T

alk about a living legacy. Singer and actress Lucie Arnaz is the daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Go ahead, try and top that! Arnaz, who has been married to actor Laurence Luckinbill since 1980, has been acting since she was a child, appearing alongside her mother in “The Lucy Show” in the early 1960s. Arnaz has appeared in movies and TV shows, starred in her own sitcom and hosted a talk show. She starred in the Broadway musical “They’re Playing Our Song” and the national tour of the “Pippin” revival. Lucie could also not be more fun to talk to. I recently had the pleasure.

See page 19 >>

Lucie Arnaz: “I think I have more LGBTQ friends and fans than straight people.”

MTT with composer Charles Wuorinen.

Insights w/MTT

Shoko Kashiyama

AP

“The Boys in the Band” playwright Mart Crowley.

Remembering Mart Crowley

by Philip Campbell

A

by Brian Bromberger

ny performance of a Mahler symphony with Michael Tilson Thomas promises to be an event. His lifelong commitment to the composer always produces fresh insight. Some works are so intertwined with MTT, it is hard to tell where composer ends and interpreter begins.

See page 19 >>

M

art Crowley, whose landmark 1968 play “The Boys in the Band” became the first American stage production to deal openly and candidly with gay lives, over a year before the Stonewall Riots, died March 7 at age 84, from complications following heart surgery after suffering a heart attack.

See page 18 >>

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<< Out There

18 • Bay Area Reporter • March 19-25, 2020

Lambda Lit Award finalists announced

by Roberto Friedman

T

he Lambda Literary Award finalists were announced last week, ahead of the awards presentation to take place on June 8 in NYC. With 23 categories ranging across genre and orientation, the list covers a lot of ground.

Its representation of the literary talent in our community is broad and far-ranging, with work from established publishing houses and small presses.

We have room to mention only a few of the nominees; the full list can be found at the end of this column online.

From Lesbian Fiction nominees, the B.A.R. reviewed “Patsy”

by Nicole Dennis-Benn (Liveright Publishing). From Gay Fiction, the B.A.R. reviewed both “Lot” by Bryan Washington (Riverhead

Books) and “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” by Ocean Vuong (Penguin Press).

From Transgender Nonfiction, this newspaper has covered “We Both Laughed in Pleasure: The Selected Diaries of Lou Sullivan, Ellis Martin and Zach Ozma” (Nightboat Books).

From LGBTQ Nonfiction, we have reviewed “In the Dream House” by Carmen Maria Machado (Graywolf Press).

From Gay Mystery, we have reviewed “ChoirMaster: A Mister Puss Mystery” by Michael Craft (Questover Press).

Our paper’s coverage has included, from Lesbian Memoir/Biography, “Sontag: Her Life and Work”

by Benjamin Moser (Ecco). From

Gay Memoir/Biography, we have reviewed “Disasterama! Adventures in the Queer Underground 1977-1997” by Alvin Orloff (Three Rooms Press); “The Light Years”

by Chris Rush (Farrar, Straus and Giroux); and coming soon, “In the

Shadow of the Bridge” by Joseph Caldwell (Delphinium Books).

From LGBTQ Children’s/Young Adult, we have reviewed “Pet”

by Akwaeke Emezi (Make Me a World).

From LGBTQ Science Fiction/

t

Fantasy/Horror, we have reviewed “Black Leopard, Red Wolf ” by Marlon James (Riverhead Books).

Good luck to all the nominees.

A full list of categories and finalists follows in this column’s online version.t

‘Don’t Eat the Mangos’: strange fruit

taboo subject matter, then wrenches nervous, relieving laughter from its own darkness. This production deserves to be brought back to the Bay Area so more audiences can savor its ripe intensity.

The Puerto Rico-set story features three grown sisters tending to their aging parents. Mami (Wilma Bonet) has cancer, recently returned, and terminal, after long remission. Bedridden, ventilated Papi (Julian López-Morillas) hacks and wheezes from a darkened bedroom

where he rings a bell to summon the women, all of whom he regards as attendants to his whims. Before the show’s 90 minutes are up, gruesome family secrets are spilled and messy revenge is taken in a plot that owes as much to Stephen King as it does to Julia Alvarez or Cristina García.

I loved being twisted between horror and laughter as an audience member, but I can hardly imagine how challenging it was for Pérez González, Mendizábal and their cast to tightrope-walk their way to just

the right tone for each scene, acknowledging that humor is part of what makes us human, even in the face of trauma. I can more clearly imagine other directors and other casts mounting this show without the playwright at hand and generating entirely different productions, erratically zig-zagging between tones or conservatively shying away from the razor’s-edge writing to yield a miserable, moralizing night at the theater.

That said, for some attendees, the gags (figurative and literal) in “Don’t Eat the Mangos” may forever feel “too soon.” Without giving away the plot’s twists, the biggest of which is masterfully foreshadowed in the script and in Elena Estér’s taut portrayal of mordant middle sister Yinoelle, I’ll mention that rape, abortion, murder, molestation and suicide are all part of the storyline’s kitchen-sink guignol.

Along with Estér, Yetta Gottesman as eldest sibling Ismelda, who still lives at home with their parents, and Marilet Martinez as the spunky youngest Wicha, offer a finelynuanced portrait of sisterhood. As different as their characters may be – Ismelda slumping into herself, resigned to the worst; Yinoelle balancing brittle contempt and heartbreak; and Wicha leaping from ignorance to outrage in a single harrowing moment – the actors exude

that bigoted city pronto. Graduating from Catholic University of America with a degree in theater, he moved to Hollywood to become a screenwriter. Instead he found employment as a gofer to director Elia Kazan, meeting his lifelong friend actress Natalie Wood on the “Splendor in the Grass” set. He later became her personal assistant.

He wrote several television scripts, including an unsuccessful pilot for “The Bette Davis Show.”

Despite being a mainstay in the gay Hollywood party scene, by 1967 he was unemployed, broke, drinking heavily, and depressed. He read a now-notorious, homophobic article

by New York Times drama critic Stanley Kaufmann, who claimed the three most successful playwrights (the unnamed Tennessee Williams, William Inge, and Edward Albee) were gay and masquerading homosexual themes through their standin straight characters. He suggested gay dramatists write about their own issues directly. Having reached a professional dead-end, Crowley

embraced Kaufmann’s challenge, feeling he had nothing to lose. While housesitting for actress Diana Lynn, he wrote “Boys” in five weeks, with its simple plot of friends meeting for a birthday party to honor one of their own. Crowley envisioned it as a gay version of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”

With the help of an agent through Wood, “Boys” opened Off-Broadway at Theater Four. It became an immediate sensation, drawing luminaries like Jacqueline Kennedy, Marlene Dietrich, and Rudolph Nureyev among its straight and gay audiences. It ran for over two years, totaling 1,001 performances, became a hit in London’s West End, and spawned two touring companies and a cast album. In 1970, with Crowley as producer and insisting against the studio that it star the original mostly gay/closeted cast (five of whom later died of AIDS, as did its director and producer), “Boys” was transferred into a film directed by the up-and-coming William Friedkin. Stonewall hap-

pened in the interim. “Boys” was then criticized as passe, featuring self-hating, drunken, pessimistic, unhappy, cruel gay men with unflattering, internalized homophobic dialogue (“You show me a happy homosexual, and I’ll show you a gay corpse”), while the new liberation movement wanted only positive, celebratory images. It became chic to mock the play.

Meanwhile, Crowley wrote several other dramas, including 1992’s “For Reasons That Remain Unclear,” about sexual abuse in the Catholic Church (he had been molested as a child) a decade before the scandal arose, and 2002’s “Men from the Boys,” a sequel to “Boys.” None were winners. Wood’s widowed husband, actor Robert Wagner, made him producer and executive script consultant on his hit 1980s TV series “Hart to Hart.”

Crowley also stopped drinking.

Enough time had passed that critics started reassessing “Boys,” acknowledging the same issues of fear, oppression, shame, and self-

Jennifer Reiley

Yetta Gottesman and Wilma Bonet in “Don’t Eat the Mangos” at the Magic Theater.

by Jim Gladstone

T

he fruit is forbidden, but the pulp is irresistible. That’s the tension that playwright Ricardo Pérez González, director David Mendizábal and a cast of five extraordinarily well-cast actors play with in “Don’t Eat the Mangos,” the dangerously delicious, pitch-black family drama that premiered at the Magic Theatre earlier this month before having its run cut short by COVID-19. It’s a show that takes on

<<

Mart Crowley

From page 16

Without “Boys,” other breakthrough gay dramas such as “Torch Song Trilogy,” “Love! Valour! Compassion!” and “Angels in America” would have been inconceivable, as its popular success opened doors for honest depictions of LGBTQ people in mainstream theater and films.

Its witty, acerbic banter (“Who do you have to fuck to get a drink around here?”) became part of gay vernacular. And its portrayal of gay men leading ordinary existences with similar issues such as the search for meaning and love, just like their straight counterparts, helped spur acceptance of queer folk in the prevailing cultural landscape.

Crowley was born in Vicksburg Mississippi, his father an alcoholic and his mother a drug addict. He later joked that Eugene O’Neill had stolen all his personal material for future plays. He found refuge in movies, realizing any chance for happiness lay in getting out of

a steady hum of emotional sorority, as if there’s a very fine, very strong wire forming a circuit among them.

When they spontaneously sing a children’s song together, their bond is joyfully palpable.

As Mami, Bonet is a reservoir of repressed feeling, her round, superficially smiling face surging and bubbling beneath the surface, like oatmeal on high heat. The extent of the sacrifices she’s made and continues to make for her family emerges late and painfully. As Papi, López-Morillas must be both moribund and malevolent, religious and sinister. His most self-deluded, self-excusing lines were met with an audible blend of anger and disgust from the audience.

Tanya Orellana’s beautifully detailed set of a long-lived-in rural home – there are tattered notes magneted to the refrigerator door and dirty dishes in the sink – is dominated by an ornamental wrought-iron gate, suggesting both domesticity and imprisonment, and the bending, fruit-laden boughs of a mango tree with secret history that is ultimately revealed. Chris Lundahl’s chiaroscuro lighting and sound designer Sara Huddleston’s crackling storms add to the air of melodramatic tropical noir.t Don’t Eat the Mangos played the Magic Theater through March 13.

loathing still beset LGBTQ people.

Also came the realization that these men were a family, comfortable enough with each other to be laceratingly candid, and force each other to confront their fears and lies so they could love themselves. The ending was seen as a denunciation of the closet, having given scores of audience members the courage to come out. It was okay to like “Boys” again, or as director Joe Mantello observed, “The people who criticize the play have the luxury to do so because of the play.”

Crowley felt vindicated by the 2018 all-openly-gay star cast Broadway production, which won the 2019 Best Revival of a Play Tony, with Ryan Murphy directing the same actors in the Netflix TV film to be shown later this year. Crowley received a 2009 Lambda Literary award for his “Collected Plays.” He lived long enough so that the LGBTQ community recognized “Boys” as the groundbreaking triumph it is, rather than the embarrassment it never should have been.t

t

Film>>

March 19-25, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 19

Straddling the Kinsey Scale

Strand Releasing

Scene from writer-director James Sweeney’s “Straight Up.”

by David Lamble

T

he new relationship comedy “Straight Up” pokes fun at an old situation: an effeminate gay man attempts to date women, with re-

<<

Lucie Arnaz

From page 16

Gregg Shapiro: You had been scheduled for concerts, now canceled, at Feinstein’s at the Nikko in San Francisco this month. Who are your inspirations when singing?

Lucie Arnaz: Oh, my god, the list is long! It’s kind of eclectic. I would say people who pay attention to lyric as much as their pretty voices.

You always want to sing on pitch and have a pleasant sound. But it’s the people who sell the stories I’m impressed with. That could be any number of people: Willie Nelson, Rosemary Clooney.

What can you tell me about your show?

It’s an idea that started 40 years ago, when my father was still alive.

He suggested that I put together a show from all the musicals I’d been in. I laughed at him because I’d only done like three! I said, “It’s a short show, Dad!” So I never did it. Now it’s many years later, and I’ve done a bunch of musicals. I looked back at them and thought, “I’ve got a great show here!” The stories about getting into the shows, and what I learned. Stories about why I even started getting up on stage in the first place. I call it “I Got the Job: Songs from My Musical Past.”

You played Berthe in the national tour of the revival of “Pippin,” singing “No Time at All.” What was that like?

You know it was the acrobatic revival of “Pippin,” right? My part was the dance trapeze number, at 63

<<

MTT

From page 16

Mahler’s tragic Symphony No. 6 is one of the strongest examples of an interpretation that continues to grow. It makes an almost supernatural nexus of composer, musicians, and listeners with contemporary history. In his final season as San Francisco Symphony Music Director, MTT’s performance at Davies Symphony Hall on March 6 still resonates.

Meant as something of a final local dress rehearsal before joining repertory for MTT’s last European tour with the Orchestra, the electrifying concert turned out to be the last SFS performance until the end of April, at least, as of this writing.

Cancellations due to Covid-19 are

sults both poignant and deliciously absurd. A hit at the 2019 Frameline film festival, “Straight Up” introduces us to Todd, a 20something man who dislikes bodily fluids and is currently experiencing a sexual

identity crisis.

With this fresh hook, AsianAmerican writer-director James Sweeney’s feature-film debut has reinvented a tired old subgenre of homo films that celebrate gay men

retreating back into the closet via cover marriages to straight-identified women. Sweeney, previously known to Frameline audiences for the short film “Before Midnight Cowboy,” introduces us to the visibly nervous Todd (Sweeney) during a session with his shrink (the talking cure paid for by Todd’s parents) as the boyish man attempts to explain his desire to jump into the boymeets-girl dating pool.

One of Todd’s male friends opines, “Todd, you can’t describe yourself as straight just because you don’t like the people you’ve been dating.”

The plot thickens when Todd, quite accidentally, meets Rory (auburn-haired, Canadian-born Katie Findlay), a witty young woman who quickly initiates an intimate friendship with Todd, who sees her as his last chance to avoid turning into a bitter old bachelor. Combining hilarious one-liners with frisky party games like Truth or Dare, “Straight Up” takes us on a wild ride with a younger generation who continually challenge each other to explore both ends of the Kinsey Scale.

My favorite scene has Todd and

Rory facing off in the stacks of a college library.

Rory: “Excuse me, do you work here?”

Todd: “No, but why do you ask?”

“You’re restocking the shelves.”

“Some of the books are out of order.”

“That’s not your job. You know what your problem is? You have a super-friendly demeanor, like you look super-helpful.”

“Can I fix that?”

“Sure. Don’t make eye contact, don’t smile. The more you can project an air of antipathy, the less you’ll be approached.”

Todd turns his back to her. “I’m ignoring you.”

“Convincing.”

Sweeney’s coup is a third act that leaves us up in the air about whether Todd and Rory have a future together, as professional housesitters or in separate states of desire. “Straight Up” manages both to recall the late-1950s comedy chemistry and innovations of stand-up comics and successful filmmakers Mike Nichols and Elaine May, and follow in the more recent comic footprints of Asian American actor-writer Justin Long.t

and coming to it completely flabby and untrained. You go up 20 feet in the air with a trapeze partner, and you hang upside down and he holds me just by my pelvis with no net, no wires, nothing. Hang over the stage! Do this gorgeous thing. I had to train to do that. Accomplishing it was as thrilling as singing Stephen [Schwartz]’s wonderful music, as thrilling as tap dancing alongside Tommy Tune in “My One and Only,” as thrilling as being in “Mack & Mabel” with Jerry Herman playing the piano.

An upcoming episode of “Will & Grace” is a tribute to “I Love Lucy.” What do you think about that?

I was in it! It’s one of the last shows of their final season. It was delightful. Max Mutchnick, the producer and writer, told me what they were intending, and the great fondness the whole cast, writers and producers have for “I Love Lucy.” They did an amazing, crazy accurate tribute to three or four episodes mixed together, with one focal-point episode that allows you to jump into all the others. I had a little cameo walk-on.

I had a great time!

Are you aware of your LGBTQ following?

Oh my God, yeah! Totally! I think I have more LGBTQ friends and fans than straight people. My belief is that we’re all both. We just use qualities of ourselves in different ways. Our feminine comes out, our masculine comes out. I’m always comfortable with people who are comfortable with that. They don’t care that they have a feminine side

expanding throughout the city and world on a daily basis. The tour is kaput, and like it or lump it, we all must cope as best we can. Anyone who has seen the endearing videos of quarantined Italians serenading neighbors from their open windows feels the power of music. It connects and consoles us.

Administration at SFS faced an inevitable decision. Expressing his own disappointment and resolution to comply, MTT said, “The most important thing is to focus on everyone’s health and well-being.

On behalf of all the musicians in the San Francisco Symphony, we want to express our regrets that we cannot make music for you now, and to wish everyone good health.”

At the concert, given over entirely to an uninterrupted Mahler Sixth,

David Gordon

Lucie Arnaz was in the cast of a 2014 revival of “Pippin” on Broadway – here, with stars Kyle Dean Massey (Pippin) and Carly Hughes (Leading Player).

if they’re a guy. They don’t care if they have a masculine side if they’re a woman. Those are sides we should embrace. I think to be an LGBTQ person can be terribly hard. You’ve had to go through some rough

patches finding out who you are.

But you know what? We all do! We all have to figure out if we’re good enough. I spend a lot of time in my life trying to see the oneness in all of this.

Any upcoming projects?

I’m going to co-produce the Cate Blanchett/Aaron Sorkin film about my folks for Amazon Studios. It should be happening in the next year or so.t

many already felt a mixture of emotions. Knowing this would probably be the last time to experience this work with MTT’s vision at DSH added nostalgia. After witnessing his fabulous 25-year career, marked by a succession of triumphs, the historic Mahler Project remains a major milestone.

We remember the grim days following 9/11, when, by sheer coincidence, the Symphony No. 6 served as a requiem for the dead and profound catharsis for shocked local listeners. The recording on the SFS Media label is a criterion for Mahler interpretations.

longtime friend and colleague of Michael Tilson Thomas, and Composer-in-Residence for the San Francisco Symphony from 1985-89, died on March 11, 2020, from injuries suffered in a fall last September.

Among many awards and international recognition, Wuorinen will be remembered prominently as an opera composer. “Haroun and the Sea of Stories,” based on a children’s novel by Salman Rushdie, with a libretto by James Fenton, and “Brokeback Mountain” (libretto by Annie Proulx, from her own short story) earned admiration from surprised critics and listeners. One writer joked about “Brokeback,” saying it was like “Gay 12-Tone Cowboys.”

Considered a rather cerebral writer, Wuorinen seemed an unlikely

composer for “Brokeback,” but he thought of the project himself, and his manager and husband Howard Stokar agreed it was “a marvelous idea.” The work was commissioned and premiered by the Teatro Real in Madrid.

Commissioned by MTT and the SFS with support from the Phyllis C. Wattis Fund for New Works of Music, Wuorinen’s “Sudden Changes” premiered at Davies Symphony Hall in celebration of the composer’s 80th birthday. Grinning mischievously from ear to ear, MTT introduced the new work as confirmation of Charles Wuorinen’s uncompromising integrity. Our enthusiastic Bay Area Reporter review is quoted on the composer’s website and his publisher’s. We honor and remember him.t

Charles Wuorinen (1938-2020)

Charles Wuorinen, Pulitzer Prizewinning gay American composer,

<< Theatre

20 • Bay Area Reporter • March 19-25, 2020

‘Toni Stone’: smash hit for A.C.T.

Kevin Berne

Toni (Dawn Ursula) talks to Jimmy (Marquis D. Gibson) about batting in “Toni Stone” at A.C.T.’s Geary Theater.

by Jim Gladstone

L

et’s go to the replay. Seriously.

Last Wednesday’s opening night performance of “Toni Stone” at A.C.T.’s Geary Theater was a near-

perfect game. And while, like virtually all local theater productions, the show’s run has been Covid-86ed, word is that A.C.T. is going to make a streaming recorded performance of the play available to ticket-holders.

Details have not been ironed out at the time of this writing, but if the video is accessible to the public, watch it. And if you watch it, pay for it with a donation to A.C.T. All of our local theater companies are in critical need of your generosity given current circumstances.

“Toni Stone,” written by Lydia Diamond, is a based-on-a-true-story saga of gender and racial barriers in professional baseball. Stone was the first of three women who played in the Negro League, first for the San Francisco Sea Lions in 1949, and later for the Indianapolis Clowns, in the period of her career most prominently featured in the play.

As staged by director Pam McKinnon, who is also A.C.T.’s artistic director, and choreographer Camille Brown, the play moves like a musical, with the cast, frequently in game uniform, theatrically stretching, moving in graceful unison and striking stylized poses that bridge the diamond and the stage. The quickmoving scenes and the sometimesscrewball narrative monologues delivered by Dawn Ursula, a true phenom as Toni, all take place under the gleam of set designer Riccardo Hernandez’ klieg-evoking stadium lights, which also draw the connection between sports and showbiz.

That link is one of the many ideas that are intentionally woven into a show that might have been amply satisfying had it simply told the biographical story of an unsung American hero, but is exponentially enriched – but never led to meander – by a full roster of sociocultural sub-

texts, from parallels and distinctions between different forms of discrimination, to the ethics and economics of prostitution.

But getting back to sports and showbiz, among the most interesting aspects of the play is its depiction of the Negro Leagues as a degrading amalgam of the two, with players expected to offer an exaggerated, comical display of minstrelsy on the field in addition to exercising their athletic skills. There was little need for the likes of the Giants’ Lou-Seal or the Phillie Fanatic, because the black players were expected to simultaneously be powerful sportsmen and harmless cartoon versions of themselves. This exhausting, soul-eating dynamic was further heightened for Toni Stone, who was not allowed to play to the best of her ability because the white team owners conspired to have pitchers ease up on her; to them, having a woman on the team was commercial gimmickry rather than social progress.

“Toni Stone” wisely delivers its lessons in nudgey bunts while swinging for the fences when it comes to entertainment. The ribbing camaraderie of a travelling ball club is endlessly funny and frantic. With the exception of Ursula as Toni, the nine actors in the lineup play multiple roles, most memorably Kenn E. Head, who trades cleats for heels as Millie, the proprietor of the roadside whorehouse where the male players flop while Toni gets schooled in sex and romance. Head’s postures, gestures and sly vocal tones in his vignettes as Millie are so specific and compel-

t

ling that he practically disappears in the ensemble scenes when he’s just another jock. Ray Shell also shines as Alberga, Toni’s gentle, patient suitor, who takes a bad hop toward the end of the show.

In the midst of almost constant motion on stage, Ursula’s Toni exudes a welcome stillness and certainty of purpose. She’s talented, she’s passionate, and she wants to play, and play fair.

But Diamond doesn’t paint her as a two-dimensional heroine. Toni is so quirky and peculiar that if “Toni Stone” really were a musical, it would be hard to imagine this character as the leading lady rather than the second banana. Sometimes breathtakingly naïve about any subject other than baseball, Toni can be obsessive and opaque to a point that today might place her somewhere on the autism spectrum.

The only glaring error in the play comes in Diamond’s opening and closing speeches for Toni, in which this big-hearted, moral, but touchingly inarticulate woman delivers abstract musings about the need to “reach” and the near-mystical “weight of a thing.” The play makes all its points handily, without such high-flown poetics. There’s no need for a literary prize in this theatrical box of crackerjack.t Toni Stone closed after opening night at A.C.T.’s Geary Theater due to Covid-19 precautions.

Patrons who have already purchased tickets can watch online. Info at www.act-sf.org

Operatic Bette Davis in new 4K format

by Tavo Amador

C

ritic Cecelia Ager wrote about “Deception,” a 1946 Bette Davis film, “It’s like grand opera, only the people are thinner. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” That witty, perceptive comment applies to many of the Davis vehicles assembled for her by Warners during her peak period (1937-44). She battled the studio for better material, yet was often at her best in improbable melodramas, where her nervy conviction demanded admiration.

Two of her biggest successes are now available for home viewing in the new 4K format, which restores the original rich black-and-white cinematography that had diminished

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over the decades.

William Wyler’s “Jezebel” (1938) in set in antebellum New Orleans. Davis is Julie Marsden, a “headstrong” Southern belle.

She’s in love with Preston Dillard (Henry Fonda), a conventional, prosperous banker. On a whim, Julie decides to wear a red dress to a gala ball at which unmarried women traditionally appear in white. Her Aunt Belle (Fay Bainter) is appalled. Pres warns her not to do it. Julie suggests he is too cowardly to escort her, a challenge he naturally accepts.

At the ball, Pres insists they dance.

Scandalized, all the other couples leave the floor. The orchestra stops playing, but Pres demands they resume.

Julie, chagrined, begs him to take her home. He refuses. He forces her to continue dancing. When he does bring her home, they quarrel. She goes to her room, certain he will return the next day. But he doesn’t.

He goes up north on business.

He comes back as New Orleans is enduring a dreadful yellow fever outbreak. Julie, Aunt Belle, and their household have moved to their country house. They hold a reception to welcome Pres home.

A humble Julie, dressed in white, kneels before him, begging forgiveness. He’s embarrassed. To her utter dismay, he has brought his Yankee bride, Amy (Margaret Lindsay), with him. Julie, though gracious, is determined that he will divorce Amy and marry her.

But when Pres is stricken with the fever, he, like all its other victims, is taken to an island where lepers are

also quarantined. Julie believes only she can save him. But she’s not his wife. Will Amy let her take charge of her husband’s life?

Under Wyler’s firm guidance, Davis acts with an intensity, an utter belief in the story, that is gripping.

She commands the screen, daring the audience to doubt she is beautiful. Her performance earned a second Best Actress Oscar. Bainter won for Best Supporting Actress.

Fonda is excellent. With George Brent, John Cromwell (a gay actor who was Angela Lansbury’s first husband) and Donald Crisp. Davis hurled herself into the Scarlett O’Hara casting sweepstakes, believing she was perfect for “Gone With the Wind.” Producer David Selznick knew better, but Davis went to her grave insisting that she would have been brilliant in the part.

Clement Ripley, Abern Finkel, and John Huston adapted Owen Davis’s play, which had failed on Broadway despite starring Tallulah

Bankhead. Superb cinematography

by Ernest Haller. Orry-Kelly (once Cary Grant’s lover) designed the sensational costumes. Max Steiner wrote the splendid score.

In “Now, Voyager” (1942), Davis plays Charlotte Vale, a repressed, homely spinster under the firm control of her wealthy, domineering, Boston Brahmin mother (Gladys Cooper). Davis, wearing thick, false eyebrows, glasses, and dressed in dowdy clothes, embodies a woman who apologizes for living.

The constant criticism drives her to seek help at a sanitarium. There, with the assistance of a kindly psychiatrist, Dr. Jaquith (Claude Rains), Charlotte gains confidence in herself and moves towards independence. The transformed Charlotte is soigne and elegant.

While on a cruise, she meets Jerry Durrance (Paul Henried), a married man whose wife won’t divorce him. They begin an affair. She returns to Boston to confront her

mother. When mother dies of a heart attack following an argument with her, Charlotte becomes wealthy in her own right, but is guiltridden. She returns to the sanitarium.

There she meets Tina (Janis Wilson), a girl who turns out to be Jerry’s daughter. Tina’s mother doesn’t love her, either. Charlotte is drawn to Tina, who responds to her maternal affection. Jerry is delighted.

Davis thrives in this mad, over-the-top world, clearly believing every word she utters. To her many fans, her determination erases all disbelief.

Others, even admirers, will battle giggles, but won’t stop watching.

She was nominated for the Best Actress Academy Award, losing to Greer Garson in “Mrs. Miniver.”

Rains spouts psychobabble with warmth and authority. Henried is sympathetic and sincere. Cooper, nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar, is outstanding. With Ilka Chase and Bonita Granville as members of the Vale family. Davis and Henried are forever smoking: he lights a cigarette, takes it out of his mouth, puts it in hers, then lights another for himself. This is the movie in which Davis exclaims, “Oh, Jerry, let’s not ask for the moon when we have the stars.”

Irving Rapper directed smoothly.

Casey Robinson adapted Olive Higgins Prouty’s novel. Like Davis, they take the material seriously.

Max Steiner composed the ripe, Oscar-winning score. Sol Polito’s cinematography is crisp. Orry-Kelly once again designed the terrific costumes.t

March 19-25, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 21

Chuck Louden

The iconic Castro Theatre closed over the weekend.

<<

Nightlife Shutdown

From page 1

Wave builds

The wave of en masse nightlife venue closures began the afternoon of Friday, March 14, as many were preparing for the beginning of St. Patrick’s Day weekend festivities.

Around 4 p.m., Mayor London Breed announced an order from the health officer restricting non-essential social gatherings of over 100 people through April 30 due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Within hours, Castro bars Beaux, at 2344 Market Street; Midnight Sun, at 4067 18th Street; and the Cafe, at 2369 Market Street, closed, along with South of Market bar Powerhouse.

But it was just the beginning. Some bars, such as the Edge, 440, Hi Tops, and Lookout, remained open for the weekend while having staff restrict the number of occupants.

Saturday brought more closures, with South of Market bars the Eagle and the Stud announcing that they would close through April.

It was the first time that the Stud had closed since its opening in 1966.

“The city of San Francisco has decided that during the pandemic it’s better for clubs of our size to remain closed for the next 7 weeks.

For now, they’re telling us that we can reopen on May 1st,” venue representatives wrote in a Facebook post early Saturday evening. “City Hall has always supported us, and we support them in this decision. Stopping the spread of the virus and protecting the vulnerable members of our families and community has got to be the first priority for everyone.”

Opened one day, closed the next

Just days earlier, the Stud announced its intention to stay open while restricting its occupancy to 250 people (which was in line with guidelines that were current then).

Castro bars Toad Hall and Badlands, both owned by gay local landlord Les Natali, also stayed open.

In a post to its Facebook page Saturday afternoon, Toad Hall said it was restricting the number of people it would be letting into the bar.

“Note: due to coronavirus precautions our occupancy has been reduced until further notice,” read the post, which was similar to one posted on Badlands’ Facebook page. Badlands, more of a dance club, also announced it would not be charging its normal cover charge to get in.

South of Market nightclub OMG also planned to remain open.

“OMG will be open through the coronavirus scare. We might cancel some events. If you are even slightly sick, please stay home. But if you feel fine, your support to small businesses such as ours is greatly appreciated. It will help our staff stay employed. We will do our best to keep the bar sanitized and clean. Thank you for your continued support,” owner Rakesh Modi wrote in a Facebook post Saturday night.

But all that changed again by Sunday afternoon. Officials nationwide were calling for bar closures after St. Patrick’s Day festivities brought out crowds Saturday in New York City, Boston, and Chicago.

Although Newsom’s Sunday afternoon order did not have an enforcement mechanism,

by Sunday afternoon bar patrons and workers seemed resigned to the fate of being closed for business indefinitely. Badlands and Moby Dick were closed by Sunday evening, while Toad Hall, The Mix and Lookout waited until the late hours of Sunday night.

As of Monday morning, only Hi Tops had a sign saying that it intends to stay open – but it will be “operating as a restaurant based on the rules issued by the state.”

“Please take care and keep your distance from others inside. We will be doing our best to provide a safe and clean environment,” the notice read.

“Our hope is to be able to continue this for the extent of the lockdown and be able to keep our kitchen staff employed,” he added.

Port Bar in Oakland remained open through the weekend. So too did Level 13, which as the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, hosts the LGBT parties that used to be at the now-shuttered Club 21. But Level 13 closed late Sunday. Port Bar closed as it was getting ready to open Sunday afternoon, according to co-owner Sean Sullivan.

Sullivan said that Port began social distancing policies last Friday, although Alameda County did not mandate it to do so. (Alameda County is one of the participants in the region-wide shelter in place order.)

“We couldn’t allow the room to be so packed as it had been during the previous ‘Drag Race’ parties, as fun as they are,” Sullivan said in a phone interview with the B.A.R. March 16, referring to the popular “RuPaul’s Drag Race” TV show.

Sullivan, a gay man who owns the Port with his partner, Richard Fuentes, said he expects the bar to reopen when the crisis is over.

“We’re playing it by ear for now,” Sullivan said in a phone interview Monday. “We’re most concerned about our staff and our very talented performers, who are independent contractors and can’t rely on unemployment.

Whether we can open in two weeks or two months, we will shoulder on.”

Sullivan said he is also worried about LGBTs who won’t have a safe space to turn to due to social distancing.

“We stayed open as long as we did because loyal customers asked us to and our heart goes out to people in our communities who came to Port because their home situation didn’t allow them to be fully themselves,” Sullivan said.

Sacto scene

Sacramento LGBT bars the Depot and Sidetrax, and nightclubs Badlands and Faces, also announced their closures. So, too, did San Jose nightclub Splash (which shares ownership with several of the Sacramento bars).

“We agree that this is the best course of action for the safety of our staff, guests and the entire community,” stated TJ Bruce, the owner of all the aforementioned bars except Faces, in a Facebook post. “We have moved quickly to close all of our locations effective immediately. We thank you for your support and understanding.”

“When this crisis is over we will be here to celebrate together. Stay healthy my friends,” he added.

Some options for nightlife workers

Now suddenly out of work due to the pandemic, several efforts are underway to try and help bartenders, barbacks, doormen, DJs, drag artists, and others affected by the closures.

Bartenders can apply for the Bartender Emergency Assistance program of the USBG National Charity Foundation. California workers who have had their hours reduced or halted because of the coronavirus outbreak can file an unemployment insurance claim.

The City and County of San Francisco announced measures Monday to provide paid sick leave for people impacted by the coronavirus – although this will have a stunted effect on the nightlife industry, which is largely paid in tips.

Take-out only

Sean Sullivan, co-owner of Oakland’s Port Bar

Hi Tops was limited to take-out only beginning March 17 due to a health order issued by San Francisco and five other Bay Area counties Monday that called for people in non-essential businesses to shelter in place and closed the seating areas of restaurants.

Co-owner Jesse Woodward announced on his Facebook page that Hi Tops is “open for delivery on Caviar and Uber Eats if y’all need a fried chicken fix.”

See page 22 >>

Erick Lopez

t

From the Cover>>

Above: The Stud’s ‘closed’ sign online Middle Left: The Café’s door and online closure announcement Middle Right: A sign on the door of The Edge Below: The blank online calendar for Oasis

{ THIRD OF THREE SECTIONS }

<< Music

22 • Bay Area Reporter • March 19-25, 2020

Headline Rachel Garlin goes Berkeley right native here shares a musical love letter to uncertain times

by David-Elijah Nahmod

She also spoke of what inspires her folk music sound.

Garlin grew up in Berkeley, in what she calls a “folk-infused household.” Her family had LPs from artists like Joni Mitchell, The Weavers, Woody Guthrie, and Judy Collins. As a student at Berkeley High School, she listened to The Indigo Girls and went to concerts at the Greek Theater, where she heard a lot of folk musicians.

“I’ve always been drawn to lyric-based organic music,” she said. “I started playing guitar, learning how to cover those kinds of songs, and then began writing my own music and telling stories in a similar way to the folk musicians that I admired.”

Garlin is drawn primarily to stories and characters.

“A Joni Mitchell song isn’t manufactured in any way,” she said. “It’s a composition that comes from somebody’s heart or soul or mind and you feel something when you hear it.”

R

achel Garlin’s music harkens back to another era. Her soft, gentle voice, poetic lyrics and acoustic guitar conjures up memories of great folk singer/songwriters from a generation ago such as Judy Collins and Joni Mitchell. On April 3, Garlin’s new album, Mondegreens, will be available.

Garlin is an exquisite voice from the LGBTQ community and she and her wife have three children. She was originally scheduled to appear for an album release party at Lost Church on March 27. That show was cancelled amid Coronavirus concerns, though the album’s release is moving forward as planned.

In a recent phone chat with the Bay Area Reporter, Garlin shared what inspires her music. At the time she spoke to us, her record release party had not yet been cancelled.

“Some of the artist spaces that are photo still open are holding on to being open because of the necessity to continue creating art and finding ways to Rachel Garlin be together even in the period where folks need to take care of their own health and their own needs,” she said. a poem where you hear it your own “The question of how we can come way and give it new meaning based together in what kinds of spaces is on your interpretation” Garlin said. really relevant to all of us. It’s inter“I just learned the word recently and esting to hear the discussion among I was thinking about it as a concept; venues and artists; the fact that it’s all of the things that we mishear, or essential for us to come together and all of the things that we interpret confusing to have the messages be our own way and apply new meanabout isolation and distance.” ing, and the ways that we can take Mondegreens, the title of her new in a piece or art or a poem or a song album, refers to a term which was and be connected to the artist who coined back in 1954 when the writer wrote it or composed it, but also to Sylvia Wright explained how she be connected to our own experience had misheard a lyric when she was of interpretation.” a child. It was a poem that she used Garlin pointed to the album’s title to hear from her mom. The poem, track, which she said speaks to the which was about the Earl of Murray, experience of singing the wrong had a line “and hae layed him on the words to lyrics, taking the wrong green” which Wright heard as “Lady turns in life.

Mondegreen.”

“This doesn’t mean it’s the wrong “And so the idea of a Mondegreen way,” she said. “It just means it’s our is any misheard lyric from a song or way.”

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as an artist and as a person.

“I’m happy to be in a community that includes people like Julie Wolf, my producer, who is a longstanding member of the music community and who has played and toured with many of the acts that were formative to my own songwriting,” Garlin said.

Those acts include The Indigo Girls and Ani DiFranco.

“As producer Julie brought in a community of musicians,” Garlin said. “I enjoyed playing with the community that she brought together and I appreciate how she is good at bringing people together and creating a certain type of alchemy in the studio.”

Mondegreens features nine original songs and one cover, Don Henley’s “The Boys of Summer,” which Garlin performs with Wolf and Kate Isenberg. The song is a well-known standard about three guys competing for the attention of a woman.

“Our version –three female voices– opens up space for more than just the typical boy-meets-girl summer love story,” Garlin said. “It’s a riff on the original ‘male gaze’ perspective of the song. Kate heard the

t

song playing at Trader Joe’s and had the idea that we should cover it at an upcoming show; Julie wrote the arrangement, rich with harmonies.

We had fun with it and decided to record it for the album.”

Garlin feels that it’s important to be an out artist. She doesn’t think that society will go back to a time when artists must hide who they are.

“I want to live in a world where everyone can be who they are and everyone can share who they are,” she said. “And where everyone has the same rights, regardless of who they are.

“Getting to the place where you’re fully out and you can be open in any environment allows for a greater connection, not only with people who have a similar identity, but with everyone. For me being open and out has allowed me to connect with a greater number of people and I think it’s important that the art and music that gets passed around comes from a variety of different populations and voices.”t Look for Rachel Garlin’s Mondegreens on April 3 at www.rachelgarlin.com

Common threads

Garlin has heard her new album described as “a love letter to uncertain times and unstable terrains.”

“Here we are facing a lot of uncertainty and an album of songs can be a touch point of common threads or even the sadness that we share, the joys that we share, can be expressed in musical vignettes that might connect to somebody else’s life,” she said.

She noted that she’s grateful to live in the Bay Area, where there has always been an LGBTQ community throughout her childhood and young adulthood, and where the LGBTQ voice is present and heard.

She feels that the presence of the community has influenced her both

<<

Nightlife Shutdown

From page 21

Marke Bieschke, the publisher of 48 Hills and a co-owner of the Stud, published a list of links to crowdfunding efforts to DJs, musicians, artists, performers, cinema workers, and beverage workers.

“We want to help compile lists and resources for this – who can to support and donate to these vital and creative members of our community,” Bieschke wrote. “We’re going to keep a running tab of resources for the community here to amplify.”

Stuart Schuffman, the local columnist better known as Broke-Ass Stuart, came out with a list of recommendations to those who want to help artists, performers, and service industry workers.

These included direct Venmo payments, buying their merchandise or art, buying gift cards for future use, booking them for future events, not asking for a refund for canceled events, and amplifying social media posts and positive reviews.

Race Bannon, a leather columnist for the B.A.R., said Monday he intends to help set up a Bay Area Queer Nightlife Fund to help displaced nightlife workers. (See related story.)

At least one bar owner, Modi of OMG, plans to pay his employees at least $5 per hour for the hours they would have worked had the bars not been shut down.

“Granted that is not nearly enough for them to live on, pay rent or other expenses, considering they depend heavily on tips plus their hourly wages,” Modi wrote in a Facebook post late March 15. “However, even earning $5 an hour will at least get them basic essentials like food to sustain themselves through these

Rachel Garlin

tough times until we reopen.”

Modi also created a GoFundMe to support OMG staff. It had raised $1,000 as of Tuesday morning.

Another GoFundMe was set up for the Castro nightclub Beaux, which has raised $2,055 as of Tuesday morning.

A GoFundMe was set up for staff at the Mix on Tuesday afternoon. It had not raised any money at press time.

Kevin Harrington of Last Call at 3988 18th Street shared with the B.A.R. Tuesday afternoon efforts to promote a GoFundMe for the employees of that Castro spot. It had raised $795 as of Tuesday afternoon.

Nightlife in the age of coronavirus

Some people are looking at ways that nightlife can continue in some form under the current conditions.

Adriana A., a DJ with Bootie Mashup, wrote on Facebook that she was “setting up a Bootie Mashup internet radio station” so people can listen to music at home.

“It’s a really rough time right now, obviously,” Adriana A., also known as Adriana Roberts, wrote in a Facebook message Tuesday.

Local drag artist Juanita MORE! suggested that as strong as the human urge is to have private get-togethers, people should stay at home as much as possible. She stated this point in an email with the subject line “Stay the fuck home.”

“I know – it’s not easy, and it’s your friend’s birthday, so you all want to go out for dinner or drinks.

But! No. Again: Stay the fuck home,” MORE! wrote. “As of today, I have heard from two friends in San Francisco that they’ve tested positive for COVID-19, and they

are now in self-isolation along with their roommates. They are both young and healthy and are expected to recover from it.

“We have been raised in bars, nightclubs, and on dance floors.

But we will be going into crisis mode very soon, and we are going to need to figure out how to entertain and support each other when that happens,” MORE! added. “In California, Governor Gavin Newsom just ordered the shutdown of all bars, nightclubs, and brewpubs in the entire state. When this is all over I promise you one helluva a huge party.”

To avoid COVID-19 (the illness caused by the novel coronavirus), the city’s Department of Public Health is advising people to wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, avoid touching their faces, cover their coughs and sneezes, try alternatives to the handshake, and stay home if they are sick.

It is not recommended people wear face masks if they are not sick.

The greatest risk is from droplets containing the coronavirus on surfaces.

People over 60, those with chronic medical conditions, and those with weakened immune systems are at particular risk if they contract the coronavirus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms of COVID-19 include a fever, cough, and shortness of breath. More serious cases result in pneumonia.t If you are aware of more efforts to help nightlife workers and creative ways people are continuing nightlife during the coronavirus outbreak, let us know at j.ferrannini@ebar.com.

t

Entertainment in Place>>

March 19-25, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 23

Martha Swope/the New York Public Library

Homing’s in Entertainment alternatives for the duration

Mad Max: Fury Road, suggested home viewing, with the right, uh, medications.

by Jim Provenzano

W

ith every bar, nightclub, museum and theater closed for weeks, if not longer, you’re probably looking for alternative activities to fill your possibly-homebound days and nights.

We have some fun suggestions.

But first, locally, thousands of actors, musicians and technical staff are out of work. If you can, help out by donating directly to any of the companies by buying a subscription, with the hope of a future live performance. Or just donate.

If you want to help Broadway performers and technicians from home, Broadway Cares has an ongoing fund specific to the mass closure of theatres. Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS’ COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund will help entertainment professionals meet coronavirus-related expenses and other challenges brought about by the evolving pandemic. https://bit.ly/2ISLgzR To satiate your intellectual cravings, The Commonwealth Club will broadcast many of their lectures online. www.commonwealthclub.org

Among the many local shows you may be missing, American Conservatory Theatre’s plays Gloria and Toni Stone will be broadcast online for ticket buyers.

“Through a generous partnership with Actors Equity Association, Stage Directors & Choreographers Society and United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829, IATSE, and BroadwayHD, patrons who had purchased tickets prior to the cancellations are able to watch a recording of the production in the comfort of their own homes.

Those ticket buyers will receive an email from A.C.T. this week with instructions on how to access their productions on BroadwayHD,” said an A.C.T. press release. www.act-sf.org Berkeley Repertory is also simulcasting its productions of Culture Clash (Still) in America and School Girls: Or, The African Mean Girls Play. With the purchase of your ticket, you will have access to the production broadcast for a period of two weeks and 300+ theatrical titles on the BroadwayHD platform for one week. The price of your ticket will provide the funds to pay their creative team members, Berkeley Rep Staff. www.berkeleyrep.org TheatreWorks Silicon Valley will stream their production of Laurel Ollstein’s They Promised Her the Moon, a fascinating play about Jerrie Cobb, the world’s first female astronaut candidate. www.theatreworks.org Want to see a Broadway show?

Stream hit musicals, from Elaine Stritch At Liberty, Billy Elliot the Musical, the gay-themed Falsettos and Rent, and even Cats! Playbill has links to several streaming services, mostly Amazon, but other outlets, including a March 20 (5pm PST) YouTube broadcast of the classic 1965 production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella starring Lesley Anne Warren. http://bit.ly/RNHMovieNightCinderella https://bit.ly/2WmiQGg

BrokeAssStuart also collected dozens of ways to support artists, freelancers and nightlife peeps: https://bit.ly/38Y2jLx Nightclubs Monarch and Great Northern have set up GoFundMe pages to help their staff. They’ll also be streaming DJ sets so you can dance around your living room. https://bit.ly/3ba3JEl Want more than recorded music?

Rockers like Neil Young have started streaming in-home concerts. Watch and listen at https://bit.ly/2QiVuxF FOMO (Feeling Of Missing Out) for new movies since theaters are closed? According to the L.A. times, Universal Pictures will release online pay-per-views of their new releases. https://lat.ms/38Yb3RR More specific than ‘Netflix and chill’, numerous cancelled films and festivals have moved online. If you’re going to binge on a favorite post-Apocalyptic flick like the Mad Max quadrilogy (and reboot), perhaps first check out GetSava, the LGBT-owned cannabis delivery shop. www.getsava.com

Text George Takei? Oh, my!

And for some historical perspective, join the GLBT Historical Society’s now-online 35-year anniversary celebration, with a timeline, videos and donation links. www.glbthistory.org/35-years While you’re in a philanthropic mood, don’t forget our local bartenders and nightlife professionals.

The San Francisco Bay Area Queer Nightlife Fund (QNF) will provide financial relief to workers in the nightlife industry for as long as the current crisis continues. https://sfqueernightlifefund.org

During this time of isolation, folks in the disabled community can be more isolated. To support this need, Superfest Disability Film Festival, the longest running festival of its kind in the world, is presenting its first-ever online showcase. Filmmakers are sharing their films in this format free of charge. All films will play with open audio description and captioning, and live captioning will be provided for introductions and conversation. https://bit.ly/39XIHs5 Of course, YouTube is packed with entertainment. Local drag talents like Katya Smirnoff-Skyy and

The Bartender Emergency Assistance Program is also helping out nightlife workers with their funds. If you or a friend works in a bar of nightclub, sign up at https:// www.usbgfoundation.org/beap In another measure to support nightlife people, Prem Kumta, founder of Flavor Group and Up All Night, created a petition that would allow San Francisco to offer 0% loans, up $100k, to many more businesses than the offering that was recently announced. Sign up at: https://bit.ly/3d4JJEF

Tour the Louvre’s exhibit online.

Above: Cats, now and forever (the Broadway version, not the film!).

Below: The classic 1965 Broadway musical Cinderella will be shown on YouTube March 20.

Rock M Sakura have some hilarious clips on Trish TV. https://bit.ly/2WpXt75 Feeling lonely? Actor, author and gay activist George Takei wants you to text him! Oh, my. Actually it’s a group chat for reclusive types or folks who want to discuss our situation. www.georgetakei.com Prefer Fine Arts? All local museums are closed, but online exhibits will brighten your shelter-in-place.

Take a virtual tour of Paris’ Louvre, Rome’s Colosseum, Egypt’s Pyramids, even Machu Pichu. https://bit.ly/33oMEDM As a six-time author (humblebrag), of course I suggest you cozy up and read a book or twelve. Along with downloading Kindles and other ebook formats, you can still shop for books at local independent stores (which is better, since they’re suffering and Amazon is getting a

Above: The Green Arcade, like all Bay Area bookstores, is closed, but taking online orders.

Right: Paul Lisicky’s Later

surge in other purchases from panic-stricken binge-buyers).

Authors who have had to cancel their upcoming Bay Area readings include Paul Lisicky, whose wildly acclaimed memoir Later: My Life at the Edge of the World, is must-read for gay book fans. Buy it through a local bookstore, and everyone wins. www.paullisicky.net In the mood for plague perspectives with a witty edge? Local author Alvin Orloff ’s Disasterama, Adventures in the Queer Underground 1977-1997 should rattle a few memories for aging club kids.

Support your local booksellers by ordering and getting books shipped to you by trusty postal workers, who are still working hard through this crisis. Bookstores include: www.booksinc.net www.booksmith.com www.dogearedbooks.com www.greenapplebooks.com www.thegreenarcade.com www.pegasusbookstore.comt

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