March 26, 2020 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter by Bay Area Reporter

Eviction relief – for now

New name for trans dist.

Politicians pivot

ARTS

Lego love

The

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

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The Pacific Center in Berkeley is one of several local LGBT community centers that have moved most programming online.

Most LGBT centers go virtual

by Matthew S. Bajko

eant as welcoming respites offering social connections and myriad services, LGBT community centers across the country have closed their physical doors in light of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Nevertheless, they haven’t shuttered completely. Their staffs are resorting to online tools to hold therapy sessions with clients and host group hangouts. Others are making phone calls to check in with people they would normally see face-to-face. “We are still providing most of our services but mostly virtual,” said Jonathan Cook, executive director of the Solano Pride Center in Fairfield, California, which closed its offices last Wednesday, March 18, and hopes to reopen Monday, April 6. Although the center has canceled for now its peer groups and community events through the end of the month, it is still providing counseling services remotely and resorted to holding its youth group meeting via Google Hangout. It also suspended its senior lunch program, which was set to expand this month, but is calling the participants at least once a week. “It has been good to maintain these services. It’s important to me we have continuity of care,” said Cook, who is working remotely from his home in Fairfield for the time being. “For marginalized communities and folks already isolated, social distancing and staying at home can be more challenging I think than for the regular population. Mental health is an important part of the work we do.” For Fairfield resident Terry Murray, 71, a feminist lesbian, the phone check-ins with the center staff offer her some social connection while she hunkers down at home. She began attending its senior programs about a year ago and is a regular participant of the twicemonthly lunches. “Right at this point of time I am a single person and live by myself. Although I feel very comfortable by my own skin in that I am an See page 8 >>

Vol. 50 • No. 13 • March 26-April 1, 2020

Shelter-in-place expected to be extended, Wiener says Customers were few at Cliff’s Variety on March 21, what would be normally a very busy Saturday afternoon.

by John Ferrannini

uring a Facebook Live chat with Castro business owners Monday, March 23, gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) warned local merchants to prepare for having to remain shut post April 7 when the city’s shelterin-place order and closure of non-essential businesses is set to expire. He noted that the statewide order issued by Governor Gavin

Newsom last week has no expiration date. “I do not know but I will not be surprised if the April 7 deadline is expanded,” said Wiener in response to a question from one of the participants. “I believe there is a decent possibility it will get extended. I would not assume you would be able to reopen your business on April 8. But that is in flux.” The decision will be determined, he said, if the efforts by officials to reduce the number of new cases of the novel coronavirus are effective

in not overwhelming hospitals with a flood of patients sickened with COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus. Wiener reiterated it is imperative for people to follow the orders to stay at home as much as possible and limit their social interactions. “We will have to see in the next few weeks to see if we can flatten the curve,” he said. “We will be able to end this very painful shutdown earlier if people actually follow it. People need to stay at home.” See page 10 >>

Sex clubs, bathhouses close due to virus concerns

Rick Gerharter

by John Ferrannini

hey closed permanently in San Francisco during the height of the AIDS epidemic and now, the coronavirus has temporarily shuttered gay bathhouses in Berkeley and San Jose. At least one sex club in San Francisco has also closed. The Watergarden in San Jose closed at midnight March 13 in compliance with a Santa Clara County health order issued that day, that banned non-essential gatherings of 35 or more people, according to general manager John Gamber. Steamworks Baths in Berkeley, which is in Alameda County, has also closed. All non-essential gatherings in Alameda County have been banned since midnight March 17, as they are in much of the greater Bay Area. “Due to state and local health advisories for social distancing to limit the spread of COVID-19, we have decided to close the club until further notice. To our knowledge, at this time, none of our members or staff have tested positive for this virus,” a statement on Steamworks’ website reads. “Our regular customers know we’re one of the cleanest clubs in the business but during this closure we will be keeping ourselves busy undertaking a complete disinfection and re-paint of all ceilings, walls, floors, and furniture.

John Ferrannini

A sign on the door of Eros in San Francisco announced the sex club is closed due to coronavirus concerns.

“We hope to have you back once the worst of this outbreak is over. Please follow us on social media or check our website for updates on this developing situation,” it continued. Steamworks declined to comment beyond its statement. The Bay Area Reporter spoke with Gamber by phone March 19. “The Watergarden has been in the same location in businesses for over 40 years,” Gamber

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said. “Ultimately, however, all small businesses are vulnerable.” Gamber said that gay bathhouses and bars face a particular risk from the coronavirus. “It’s not just a question of being open, but with this virus it’s also about distance and proximity,” he said. “Small businesses are dependent upon volume.” See page 10 >>

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2 • Bay Area Reporter • March 26-April 1, 2020

SF courts put hold on most evictions by David-Elijah Nahmod

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an Francisco courts have put a hold on nearly all evictions, as fallout from the coronavirus continues to economically impact thousands of people. The move, first reported by 48 Hills March 19, follows other actions by state and local officials to ensure that people can stay in their homes. A court spokesman told the online publication that San Francisco courts have put a 90-day stay on all items related to unlawful detainer cases, including trials and motions. (Eviction cases related to violence, threats of violence, or health and safety issues are exempt.) And, for people living with HIV/ AIDS who have housing issues, AIDS Legal Referral Panel remains open, its executive director told the Bay Area Reporter. “ALRP is open for services, and eviction defense legal services are considered essential services by the city,” Bill Hirsh, ALRP executive director, wrote in an email. “Most ALRP staffers are working remotely and communicating with clients by phone and email. While most evictions in San Francisco have been postponed, not all evictions have been stopped. However, the situation is fluid and we are still monitoring the status of evictions in San Francisco.” Right now the agency is open by appointment only. It serves residents in San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo, Solano, and Sonoma counties, according to its website. Hirsh noted that his office has not seen a significant increase in evictions during the last few weeks. “I think this crisis is of particular concern for people living with HIV and for seniors,” he wrote. “We are dedicating to ensuring that all of our clients stay housed and healthy. Most of our clients are extremely low-income. There is much the city can do to support them. If people know of people living with HIV who need assistance, they should check on them and see if they need help. For ALRP, we can use financial support so that we can continue to be there for our clients.” The new directive from the courts may have played a role in one gay resident staving off an eviction. D’Arcy Drollinger, co-owner of the Oasis nightclub on 11th Street, posted on Facebook March 17 that he had been served with an owner move-in eviction, expressing shock that his landlord would do such a thing in the middle of the virus outbreak. “I just got served with eviction papers for my apartment,” Drollinger wrote on Facebook. “An owner move-in, so it’s legal. Who sends an eviction notice in the middle of a pandemic? Could the timing be any f---ing worse? This would be hilarious if it was a movie and not my life.”

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San Francisco Superior Court’s presiding judge has placed a 90day hold on most eviction cases.

On Thursday, March 19, Drollinger posted that the eviction had been withdrawn. He thanked gay state Senator Scott Wiener (DSan Francisco) for his help. He has since deleted all postings regarding the eviction. At press time he had not responded to the B.A.R.’s request for a comment. Wiener and his Democratic legislative colleagues, Assemblymen David Chiu and Phil Ting, had written a letter to San Francisco Superior Court Presiding Judge Garrett L. Wong. “We have been informed that in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, including national, state, and local states of emergency, and local stay-at-home orders, San Francisco Superior Court continues to advance unlawful detainer trials,” the March 18 letter read in part. “We request that the Superior Court place a moratorium on all unlawful detainer trials with the exception of evictions resulting from health and safety issues (e.g. tenants harming or threatening to harm other tenants. “As we move through this unprecedented pandemic, we must focus exclusively on the health of our community,” the letter continued. “For example, a massive number of businesses and nonprofits are shutting down and suffering significant harm in order to keep our community safe. As we have with so many other aspects of society right now, we need to hit the pause button on evictions until this emergency ends. The last thing we need is for people to have to go to court and lose their housing exactly when health authorities are telling us all to stay at home.” In an email before Drollinger briefly posted the update, Wiener told the B.A.R. that he and Ting will co-author legislation to put in place a statewide moratorium on residential evictions. “I will do everything in my power to stop this eviction,” Wiener wrote, referring to Drollinger’s case. “Also, Supervisor [Rafael] Mandelman and I are sending the owner a joint letter asking them to withdraw the eviction notice, and I spoke with the San Francisco Apartment Association to ask them to help, which they are.”

Federal, state, local efforts

Governor Gavin Newsom and San Francisco Mayor London Breed have also worked on the issue.

Breed issued a 30-day moratorium on residential evictions related to the financial impacts caused by the novel coronavirus. As the B.A.R. reported March 13, a news release from the mayor’s office stated that under the order, a tenant must notify their landlord that they cannot pay due to a COVID-19 related impact, referring to the illness caused by the virus. “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 continues. Andy Lynch, deputy communications director for the mayor, spoke to the B.A.R. about the order. “The residential eviction moratorium that Mayor Breed issued prevents evictions as a result of nonpayment of rent resulting from issues relating to coronavirus, which she is able to do as a result of the local emergency she declared on February 25,” Lynch said. “People should focus on staying healthy and following public health recommendations without having to worry about being evicted and finding a new place to live.” Newsom issued an executive order March 16 intended to protect renters and homeowners during the crisis. The governor acknowledged that many people were facing a substantial loss of work hours and wages, or were being laid off, which affects their ability to keep up with rent, mortgage payments, and utility bills. Newsom’s order authorizes local governments to halt evictions for renters and homeowners, slows foreclosures, and protects against utility shutoffs for Californians affected by COVID-19, according to a news release from the governor’s office. “People shouldn’t lose or be forced out of their home because of the spread of COVID-19,” Newsom stated. “Over the next few weeks, everyone will have to make sacrifices, but a place to live shouldn’t be one of them. I strongly encourage cities and counties take up this authority to protect Californians.” At the federal level, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, in consultation with the Trump administration and the Coronavirus Task Force, on March 18 authorized the Federal Housing Administration to implement an immediate foreclosure and eviction moratorium for single-family homeowners with FHA-insured mortgages for the next 60 days. “Today’s actions will allow households who have an FHA-insured mortgage to meet the challenges of COVID-19 without fear of losing See page 3 >>

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March 26-April 1, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 3

SF trans district drops cafeteria owner’s name by John Ferrannini

he Compton’s Transgender Cultural District will from now on be known simply as The Transgender District to avoid unintentionally honoring the transphobic cafeteria owner whose name was lent to the first documented trans uprising in American history. “When we started our fight for the cultural preservation of the Compton’s Cafeteria riot, it was fine, but as we grew in visibility talking with media across the world what came up oftentimes in our interviews was the story of Gene Compton and as we kept telling the story, we realized he was a huge reason behind having drag queens, queer, and trans folks arrested,” Aria Sa’id, a trans woman who is the executive director of the district, told the Bay Area Reporter in a March 20 phone call. “They were often the ones facilitating calling the police.” Gene Compton ran a chain of all-night cafeterias in the Bay Area in the mid-20th century. The Compton’s Cafeteria at the intersection of Turk and Taylor streets became a hangout for transgender people, particularly trans women and sex workers, much to the chagrin of staff. In August 1966 – the exact date has been lost to history – Compton’s management called the police on patrons. When police tried to arrest one of the customers, the trans woman threw a cup of coffee at the officer, sparking the Compton’s Cafeteria riot – three years before the more famous Stonewall riots in New York City marked a major turning point in the fight

Rick Gerharter

The Compton’s Transgender Cultural District has officially changed its name to The Transgender District. Many streetlight polls in the district are painted in the colors of the trans flag

for LGBT rights in the United States. The Compton’s Cafeteria at 101 Taylor Street closed in 1972. The 100 block of Taylor Street has since been named Gene Compton’s Cafeteria Way, which Sa’id said was part of a compromise with city officials who didn’t want to name a street after the riot itself. “The community didn’t want it to be Gene Compton,” Sa’id said. “They wanted it to be Compton’s Cafeteria Riot, but the city did not want to have the word ‘riot’ in a street sign. We will work on having it changed.” The Compton’s Transgender Cultural District became the first legally recognized transgender district in the world in 2017, when it was officially recognized by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Sa’id said it was time to stop “having the legacy of the foremost

transgender project in the world tied to the name of a man who was transphobic.” The name change to The Transgender District was officially announced March 18 on its Facebook page. “Like many trans folks, we’ve decided to change our name towards a more affirming name,” the post reads. “To continue honoring him and his restaurant – we are inadvertently tying him to history and prestige that he and his restaurant did not and do not preserve.” Sa’id said that the name-change had been in the works for some time. “We were slowly moving in that direction but we wanted it to be a different name than just ‘The Transgender District,’” she said. “But then we realized socially that everyone was calling it The Trans-

gender District, so why not?” Sa’id said that the announcement of the name change was supposed to have occurred in late May at an event celebrating the district, but Facebook changed the name of the district’s page after officials had put in a request with the company – leading the district to announce it early. The area has street signs stating Compton’s name in the title of the district. Sa’id said that the district is not trying to change those at the present time. “We do want the street signs to remain,” Sa’id said. “With COVID (the disease caused by the novel coronavirus) and everything going on in the world, we’re not going to reach out yet but we will take it to the community and see what they want it to be.” Sa’id said it’s a common misconception that The Transgender District is part of the city government. “We are independent of the city but we work in partnership with the city,” Sa’id said. “The beautification efforts we do are in partnership with the city.” When asked to comment on the name-change March 20, District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney, who represents the area covered by The Transgender District, said, “I would defer entirely to the leadership of the cultural district and the trans people who live in the district on the name.”

District launch party

The Transgender District is planning a launch party for May 30 at 8 p.m. Sa’id said that many of the district’s events have been canceled due to the novel coronavirus

outbreak that has left California under a shelter in place order until further notice. The launch party had been in the works for several years, according to Sa’id. “We were originally going to do an outdoor party, but there’s a lot of construction in our area of the Tenderloin,” Sa’id said. “So because of that, there’s sewage and pipeline replacement on the street, so we decided to find an event space we wanted it to be in.” That event space is the former Hibernia Bank building at 1 Jones Street, which is now an event space known as Hibernia. “We thought it would be a good way for the community to have access to that space and have a launch party there. It’s a huge part of history,” Sa’id said.

COVID-19 relief fund

The district also launched a relief fund for transgender people in the Tenderloin who have been impacted financially in recent weeks by the coronavirus outbreak. The district has already given $150 grants to 25 people, Sa’id said. That was the initial goal of the relief fund, but she said it will hopefully be expanded as district leaders find resources and room in their budget. “These small, mini grants are intended to help trans folks get groceries and necessities,” Sa’id said. “Obviously we wish we could do more. “It’s important to the district to still be of help to the community even with the cancellation of so many of our upcoming projects,” she added. t

SFO postpones opening of new Milk terminal section by Matthew S. Bajko

an Francisco International Airport had planned to open to the public its permanent installation honoring the late gay supervisor Harvey Milk Tuesday, March 24, as another section of the under-renovation terminal named in his honor came online. But those plans have now been scrapped due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. The airport announced early Friday, March 20, it would not activate for “at least” four weeks the new nine-gates that had been planned to open next week. An advisory from the airport noted that SFO officials “will not establish a new opening date for this phase until at least mid-April.” Despite a dramatic falloff in passengers due to the global pandemic, the airport remains open at this time. In light of the revised schedule for the Harvey Milk Terminal 1 renovation project, JetBlue and Southwest will remain in their current ticket counter and baggage claim locations in the terminal and continue to depart from the same gates inside it. And all American Airlines check-in and gate activities will remain in Terminal 2 for the time being, noted the airport’s news release. “In accordance with the San Francisco Health Order, which defines

Evictions

From page 2

their homes, and help steady market concerns,” Carson said in a news release. “The health and safety of the American people is of the utmost importance to the department, and the halting of all foreclosure actions and evictions for the next 60 days will provide homeowners with some

Rick Gerharter

The opening of the permanent SFO Harvey Milk installation, shown here still being worked on earlier this month, has been delayed.

construction related to airport operations as essential, construction crews will continue to work on the Harvey Milk Terminal 1 project, to ensure the next phase is ready for activation once a new public opening date has been established,” stated the airport. As the Bay Area Reporter has chronicled in past articles, San Francisco officials named the first of SFO’s three domestic terminals in honor of Milk after a proposal to rename the entire airport after the gay icon was ejected. It is the first airport facility in the world

named after an LGBT leader. Milk was the first gay person to win a political office in San Francisco and California with his 1977 election to a seat on the Board of Supervisors. Tragically, disgruntled former supervisor Dan White killed Milk and then-mayor George Moscone inside City Hall the morning of November 27, 1978. Last July, to coincide with the first nine-gate section of the new Harvey Milk Terminal 1 becoming operational, SFO Museum staff mounted

peace of mind during these trying times.” As previously reported, as of March 19, California is under a statewide stay-at-home order issued by Newsom. It is similar to county health orders in San Francisco and the rest of the Bay Area requiring residents to shelter in place and practice social distancing (staying at least six feet away from other people). Non-

essential businesses are closed. To avoid COVID-19 (the illness caused by the coronavirus), the San Francisco 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 as much as possible.

a gigantic 400-foot wall running the length of the secured-area of the terminal that features nearly 100 images related to Milk’s life. It blocks off the rest of the facility still being remodeled and measures 380 feet long by 30 feet tall. It is slated to come down sometime in early 2021. The terminal is undergoing a phased $2.4 billion remodel expected to be completed in 2023. The next section opening to travelers with nine new gates is in what is known as South Harvey Milk Terminal 1. The facade outside now sports signage denoting it as “Harvey Milk Terminal” in large black letters and as “Terminal 1” in slightly smaller letters below Milk’s name. Immediately to the left of the new American Airlines check-in area, directly in front of the entrance doors to that section of the terminal, will be a small nook that houses the permanent Milk installation. Its design is reminiscent of a 1970s den or rec room in a private home, as it sports wood paneling, olive green and burnt orange swivel chairs, and a wavy carpet featuring a maroon, green, and red color palette. “It should be a wonderful amenity for everyone flying through here,” Tim O’Brien, assistant director and curator of exhibitions for the SFO

Museum had told the B.A.R. during a sneak peek Friday, March 6, of the installation. It is officially titled “Harvey Milk: Messenger of Hope” and is in what the airport is referring to as the Milk terminal’s Central Inglenook. It features 43 images that provide airport visitors a snapshot into the various stages of Milk’s life, from his boyhood days in New York and service in the U.S. Navy in the early 1950s to his time as a community activist and groundbreaking politician in San Francisco during the heydays of the 1970s. The images are arranged chronologically right to left and mounted on the wall in varying sizes on dye-infused aluminum. Most of the images presented in the permanent installation came from the ones featured on the temporary wall that were sourced from public submissions or the archives of the GLBT Historical Society and the James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center at the San Francisco Public Library. t

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

For more information about ALRP, visit www.alrp.org. The new one-stop state website is at www.covid19.ca.gov.

For more information about the airport’s Milk installation, visit https://www.sfomuseum.org/ exhibitions/harvey-milk-messenger-hope. For more information about the Harvey Milk Terminal 1 renovation, visit www.flysfo. com/T1.

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<< Open Forum

t Tough decisions, uncertainty ahead

4 • Bay Area Reporter • March 26-April 1, 2020

Volume 50, Number 13 March 26-April 1, 2020 www.ebar.com

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one of us have ever seen anything like this. Neither the AIDS epidemic, 9/11, the dot-com bust, nor the 2008 financial crisis posed an existential threat of comparable scale facing individuals and economies. The coronavirus pandemic is a lethal combination of public health crisis and economic free-fall. The Bay Area transformed from a bustling region to a ghost town in less than a week, after the region and Governor Gavin Newsom ordered all non-essential workers to stay home. The economic devastation is plain for all to see. Many stores have been forced to close; the ones that remain open have few customers. Bars, restaurants, and clubs, once the vibrant center of queer culture, have gone dark. Many of their workers have lost their jobs and it is uncertain whether those businesses will reopen. To put it bluntly, we are all facing enormous challenges to survive. The Bay Area Reporter had to make some major changes quickly in order to adapt, because print advertising (our primary source of income) plummeted by about 90% in two weeks. That has resulted in two staff layoffs and a reduction in the amount of work we accept from freelancers. More changes may be ahead. We just don’t know. Decades ago, a typical issue of the B.A.R. was 32 pages – just for the news section. We haven’t been at that level in 20 years. More typical is a 24-page issue combining news, arts, and nightlife. Today’s issue is 16 pages total. A March 19 article on Nieman Lab’s website painted a stark picture for alt weeklies (free community papers that rely on print advertising). Several have shuttered in the past week, while many others are asking for donations. Author Joshua Benton pointed out that in addition to the steep drop in ad revenue, the other problem for free publications is that distribution locations, like bars, restaurants, and neighborhood shops, have closed: as the story noted, social distancing has dried up our revenue stream. “It’s entirely unclear whether ‘normal’ is two weeks away, two months away, or two

Michael L. Kerner

Signs of the times: The toll of the coronavirus shelter in place order is shown in photos of shuttered businesses in San Francisco’s Castro district, which impacts the Bay Area Reporter as the paper is delivered to many of them.

years away,” Benton wrote. “And when cities do recover, will those institutions alts rely on – those arts venues, those theaters, those restaurants – be in any kind of shape to help?” The answer in San Francisco is a qualified maybe, as all levels of government mobilize aid for workers and employers suddenly confronting economic ruin. Mayor London Breed and city leaders recently launched an arts relief fund to help local artists and small- and mid-budget sized arts organizations and cultural nonprofits. Kicked off with $2.5 million in city funds, the program is a combination of grants and low-interest loans that will help, but much more is needed. For small businesses, the city has announced the SF Small Business Resiliency Fund for eligible

companies. The federal government is also working on a relief package, as are state lawmakers, including gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco). In the meantime, the B.A.R. will be delivered to news racks on city streets. Visit ebar. com where we’ve posted more breaking news and online-only stories than ever before – sign up for our newsletter for updates at http:// www.ebar.com/subscribe. Our online readership has been steadily increasing, up to over 120,000 unique visitors monthly; but it cannot entirely replace the revenue of print advertising. If you work at a company that can financially take out an ad in your local LGBT publication, now’s the time. We will soon be announcing a fundraising campaign to cover printing, distribution, and content costs. The B.A.R. made it through previous crises, and we intend to survive this one with your help.t

Rent in the time of COVID-19 by Reese Aaron Isbell

those from low-income households: https://nlihc.org/coronavirus-andhousing-homelessness. You should also check in with the local housing rights groups in your area.

ith rising rents, lack of affordable housing, and fear of eviction notices, it was already a challenge for many San Franciscans to afford to live here. Now, with COVID-19, the Other protections coronavirus, and possible upcoming Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, new recession, we have immediate addiprotections passed last year have also tional burdens like loss of wages, layrecently begun to take effect. Courtesy Reese Aaron Isbell offs, illness, and child care. Chiu’s historic win with Assembly Reese Aaron Fortuitously, a number of mea- Isbell Bill 1482 offers first-ever statewide prosures have now taken hold, both tections for renters through a 5%-plus specific to the current COVID-19 inflation rent cap and tenant eviction pandemic, and others shepherded protection for those who have been livthroughout the last year, that provide some ing in an apartment for more than a year without stronger protections. a “just cause.” Millions of Californians around the Significantly, Mayor London Breed ordered state will now have their first taste of rent control. a citywide moratorium on residential evictions Locally, Supervisor Matt Haney (D6) sucrelated to any financial impacts caused by COcessfully passed legislation that expandVID-19. Gay state Senator Scott Wiener and Ased some protections locally to more semblyman Phil Ting (both D-San Francisco) than 35,000 households. Superviare pushing the Legislature to pass similar measor Aaron Peskin (D3) pushed forsures statewide. Governor Gavin Newsom issued ward new requirements landlords an executive order that gave authorization to lomust meet when conducting capical governments to do so. District 5 Supervisor tal improvements so that “temDean Preston has introduced local legislation to porary” renovations will not end that effect and calling for expansions of the local up as “renovictions.” Supervisor and state executive orders. Sandra Lee Fewer (D1) fought for Our state legislative delegation (Wiener, Ting, new rules that no longer make tenand Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco) ants bear the cost of their building owner’s debt wrote San Francisco Superior Court Presiding services or property taxes. Judge Garrett L. Wong requesting a moratorium If you would like more information on any on unlawful detainer trials and the Superior Court of the above or other tenant issues generally, agreed to delay eviction proceeding cases for 90 you can find many answers, and direct ways to days. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California) has contact staff for assistance, on the San Francisco urged the National Sheriff’s Association to issue Rent Board’s website, http://www.sfrb.org. a nationwide moratorium on eviction enforceRent board personnel, your elected officials, as ments, while San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyawell as housing rights organizations, are all still moto announced that his office will not currently working diligently during this COVID-19 peproceed with enforcing evictions. riod. They want to be of service, now and always. Further, for those living outside of the city, Know that it is OK to reach out to others who the National Low Income Housing Coalition can assist. Remember you are never alone in your has a running update on its website for any loquestions and concerns. cal, state, and national actions being taken to A year ago, when Mayor London Breed apassist people experiencing homelessness and pointed me to serve on the rent board, I quickly

saw just how extensive the workloads and daily duties were for these dedicated servants to the city. I began discussions around overall structure and budget in order to assist personnel and process. The city has since highlighted these needs in ongoing negotiations for additional staffing, office space, and technical upgrades. I have been developing with staff a planned expansion of public outreach programs in order to help inform more residents directly in their neighborhoods. Through a creative partnership with the San Francisco Public Library, the rent board will soon be providing in-person trainings and Q&A sessions for residents all over the city within the branch libraries. Further, I brought together leaders from several organizations – San Francisco AIDS Foundation, Catholic Charities, AIDS Legal Referral Panel, and the Q Foundation – for a roundtable discussion with Breed on issues specific to renters living with HIV. From this discussion, the mayor immediately shored up several hospices on the brink of closure, heard feedback on privacy struggles, and noted the intersection between housing stability and medication routines. Breed later augmented the city budget to provide $1 million in rental subsidies for people living with HIV. Renting in San Francisco has many challenges. I believe that keeping one’s home, and being able to afford to do so, is fundamental to our community’s stability and public health. As everyone attempts to adhere to the stay-at-home mandate, we must do everything possible to make sure there continues to be a home in which to stay. t Reese Aaron Isbell is an unemployed tenant living with his husband in the Tenderloin/Lower Nob Hill neighborhood of San Francisco and serves as a tenant alternate commissioner on the San Francisco Rent Board. The Rent Board can be contacted at (415) 252-4602 and via http://www.sfrb.org.

Politics >>

March 26-April 1, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 5

LGBT leaders adjust to new virtual world

by Matthew S. Bajko

eing social is baked into the job description for local politicians, who in addition to attending numerous meetings have a full calendar of civic engagements, neighborhood events, and constituent outreach. All of that has been thrown out the window under the shelter-in-place orders instituted to help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. To adhere to the guidelines their constituents are expected to follow, LGBT elected leaders across the Bay Area have been hunkering down at home, canceling their own meetings, and conducting their political business virtually. Due to social media, it is easy for politicians to maintain regular communication with their constituents about how to protect themselves and their loved ones, and in some cases offer a bit of levity during these challenging times. For gay San Francisco District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, juggling his duties representing the city’s LGBT Castro district and other central neighborhoods and his own health is a particular challenge. As a Type-1 diabetic, Mandelman is among those with an underlying health condition medical experts advise should be taking extra precautions so they do not contract COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus. “I would say if I were not an elected official I would probably be trying to absolutely minimize my contact with other people and stay at home indoors,” Mandelman told the Bay Area Reporter by phone Monday from his office in City Hall. “As an elected official the reality is I have a job to do and part of that is going out, so I am trying to balance that.” With his staff working mostly from home, Mandelman said he is pretty much alone in the office and heads there most days as it is easier to access his online meetings and answer constituent phone calls and emails. The Board of Supervisors has canceled most committee meetings and went to conducting a virtual board meeting Tuesday afternoon. “It keeps us out of the chamber,” he noted. “Last week we were all in the chamber for nine hours. That was probably not ideal.” For now his Friday happy hour events at bars in his district and Saturday community office hours in neighborhood coffee shops are on hold, but he does check into the city’s emergency operations center. He is trying to limit his personal trips to buy groceries and visit the pharmacy. “I do go out running and to take some long walks,” said Mandelman. Over the weekend he did venture out to the Noe Valley Farmers’ Market Saturday morning, as the organizers had called him last week to discuss whether they should remain open or shut down. Since it is providing a vital resource to the neighborhood, Mandelman advised they keep holding the weekly market. “I wanted to show my support for folks trying to keep that going,” said Mandelman, who also used it as an opportunity to post a photo to his Facebook page highlighting how to social distance while in line. He has been posting daily updates on what local, state, and federal officials are doing to address the pandemic, as well as sending out emails to his constituents with such information. And he and his staff are monitoring issues that pop up, like stepping in to reverse an initial city order that marijuana dispensaries had to close down or ensuring businesses forced to shutdown that board up their windows are not fined for doing so. “We are certainly getting a ton of

Barry Schneider Attorney at Law Courtesy Facebook

Practicing social distancing, District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, right, attended the Noe Valley Farmers Market last weekend with Leslie Crawford, center, who helped found the weekly market, and Jessica Closson, the District 8 safety coordinator.

incoming email and voicemail. There is no lack of communication coming from my constituents,” said Mandelman, who will hold his first online town hall Monday with merchants in the Castro. “It makes sense to try to get us into 2020 in terms of virtual communication.” Asked what life has been like in recent weeks, Mandelman said, “It is very weird. The days are busy and long but politics is generally a pretty social activity and this is a very anti-social time.” Via his Facebook page Rene Spring, a gay man on the Morgan Hill City Council, has been regularly posting messages and updates for fellow residents of his Santa Clara County city. Among his near daily posts about the latest emergency orders and ways to seek assistance, Spring has been sharing snapshots of his feline fur babies and latest culinary creation using the hashtag #cookingcouncilman. “When you’re asked to social distance yourself – you bake! Today – my first attempt at baking a bread named after the Swiss Canton (State)! of Ticino bordering Italy,” wrote Spring, who immigrated to San Francisco 22 years ago this month from Switzerland, last Friday, March 20. Gay Emeryville City Councilman John Bauters has been a prolific user of Twitter during his time in office, using the platform for both work-related reasons and more comedic purposes, such as regularly posting videos of himself ice skating while addressing a specific topic. While sheltering in place he has been tweeting up a storm on all manner of topics, even sharing his personal phone number for those who don’t have family or friends they can call and socialize with. Amid Bauters’ serious tweets are the more comical ones, such as this March 16 query, “What are the instructions for how to socially distance/not kill people you have to work at home with for 3 weeks who apparently have an affinity for singing the fucking Lion King soundtrack? #askingforafriend.” Sheltered at home since March 12, Bauters told the B.A.R. his twitter usage has increased because he “is a captive audience” working from home. He has been posting blog updates with information and resources for people impacted by the pandemic, and he expects to send out a recorded phone message to registered voters in Emeryville next week. Seven trips he was set to take, including one this month to ump at a gay softball tournament, were canceled due to the pandemic. To keep active he goes on long bike rides in the morning along the Bay Trail. “I avoid the park and where people are congregating in ways they

are not supposed to,” said Bauters, whose council held a mostly virtual meeting March 19 and won’t meet again until April 7. Another frequent twitterer is queer BART board member Janice Li, who represents parts of San Francisco on the oversight body for the regional transit agency. Among her updates this month about the transit line’s schedule changes and need for economic support from state and federal officials, Li has peppered her Twitter feed with more personal updates about how she is sheltering in place and her mom’s confusion about what that entails. “I think my mom (who lives in Buffalo, NY) thinks that ‘shelter in place’ is a physical shelter where I can have a fun sleepover party with friends,” Li tweeted March 16. Gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), the city’s lone LGBT representative in the state Legislature, has been self-isolating at his home in the Castro since the night of March 16, having returned from Sacramento once the Legislature went on an extended recess through at least April 13. He ventures out for shopping and to go on runs in city parks if they are not too crowded, like the polo fields and Kezar Stadium in Golden Gate Park. “I typically take a walk through the neighborhood but avoid central areas and focus on residential streets. It is easy to avoid people,” said Wiener. But for the most part he is hunkered down at home, conducting work virtually. He has held five town halls in the last week on various social media platforms, with each viewed 2,000 to upward of 4,000 times. He prefers using Twitter over Facebook as he tends to reach more people on it due to a change Facebook made to its algorithm years ago that led fewer people to see his posts via his political page. “It is different but it’s what we have to work with,” said Wiener. “One of my favorite parts of being in elected life is being out and about in the community interacting with my constituents, talking to people, being at community meetings and staying connected.” The online town halls help, and they tend to draw people who would not normally attend a community meeting, noted Wiener. And he does find himself talking a lot more these days to his family and friends. “You got to make lemonade out of lemons,” he said. See page 9 >>

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<< Coronavirus Outbreak

6 • Bay Area Reporter • March 26-April 1, 2020

SF supes want to house homeless in hotels

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ive San Francisco supervisors announced plans during a virtual March 23 news conference to house homeless people and first responders in the city’s thousands of vacant hotel rooms as government officials ramp up efforts to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. “The status quo right now is completely unacceptable,” District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney said. “The common sense solution here is to work with our hotels to make sure homeless people each have a room.” There were about 8,000 homeless people in San Francisco at the time of the most recent citywide count in 2019. But people living on the street aren’t the only people who will need to move to a different housing model – the supervisors also cited first responders, those in shelters, and people living in single-roomoccupancy hotels as those who may need to temporarily go to any one of San Francisco’s vacant hotel rooms. The current hotel occupancy rate in San Francisco is 5%, Haney said, leaving between 30,000 and 40,000 rooms empty. “Imagine trying to do social distancing in a shelter with people in need and people sleeping on mats on the floor,” District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston said. “It’s virtually impossible.” The supervisors, who as the Bay Area Reporter previously reported are among a group seeking new legislation to have the city fund measures from loans to small busi-

Screengrab via John Ferrannini

Supervisor Hillary Ronen speaks during a virtual news conference Monday, March 23.

nesses to paid leave to lessen the financial impact of the coronavirus outbreak, introduced a resolution March 24 to provide money so that the city can reserve hotel rooms en masse for populations in need of them. District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen said that the idea came following last week’s Board of Supervisors meeting, when it became clear to them that proposals to have people congregate in shelters were not optimal in a pandemic situation. “We had to work together to create an alternative plan,” Ronen said. The supervisors said that after inquiring with people in the hotel business, local hotels have already offered a total of about 8,500 rooms, up from 3,500 units on March 17. Of those, 6,247 have independent heating, ventilation, and air conditioning units, Ronen

said, and people who need to be quarantined due to having COVID-19 (the disease caused by the novel coronavirus) would be prioritized for those. According to Ronen, the San Francisco Department of Public Health said that it would use the 8,500 rooms for first responders and homeless people who are in risk groups for COVID-19 – those who have underlying health conditions or are elderly. But Ronen said that the city should make enough hotel reservations so that everyone can be in self-isolation. “To house all the populations we’re talking about, we can’t stop there,” Ronen said. “We need as many (hotel rooms) as are needed to shelter who we are talking about.” See page 7 >>

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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.

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Commentary>>

March 26-April 1, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 7

Life during germ time by Gwendolyn Ann Smith

ome people think that being transgender is a mere choice, just a bunch of people who – apologies to my non-trans female siblings – just want to wear a dress and makeup and call themselves women. That any one of us would continue to exist and be out in this climate lays bare how ridiculous these notions are. I would say that being a transgender or nonbinary person in 2020 means you are an absolute bad ass. The U.S. Supreme Court holds our rights in its hands, with decisions expected by June that could strip us of our rights from being considered a part of Title VII. This could have a domino effect, removing our rights up and down the 1964 Civil Rights Act. In two cases before the court, the justices must decide whether Title VII prohibition of employment discrimination “because of sex” can cover sexual orientation, and whether it can cover transgender status. Not intent to wait for the high court, the Trump administration has attempted to roll back LGBTQ rights – and especially trans rights – from nearly every department in the federal government. I barely need to remind readers that it has removed us from the military, but

SF supes

From page 6

As of now there are no plans to legally compel hotels to hand over rooms to the city, according to Preston. In addition to Ronen, Haney, and Preston, Supervisors Shamann Walton and Aaron Peskin also back the resolution; Peskin was unable to be on the news conference. When the B.A.R. asked for comment, the Hotel Council of San Francisco stated in an email late Monday, “The Hotel Council of San Francisco and its members are in constant touch with city officials and working closely with them during this time. It is up to the city to determine who is placed in hotels.” Preston formally announced a deal March 25 when he stated that dozens of residents from two district shelters would be staying at the Oasis Inn. Gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman was not on the internet news conference and said he had not yet seen the resolution. “Every elected official gets to figure out how to be most of value in this crisis,” Mandelman said in a phone interview with the B.A.R. March 23. “Primarily the response has to be from the mayor and public health officials.”

Illustration: Christine Smith

it goes much deeper than that, with three-plus years of work done to hamstring the rights of transgender people. Meanwhile, the general attitude against transgender people has eroded in kind, with some painting transgender and nonbinary people as brainwashed, sex offenders, deluded, or just plain evil. Many of those same attitudes are echoed by some on the right. Further, a lot of this is augmented by an increase in racism, misogyny, xenophobia, and a whole host of sentiments against anyone who isn’t white, male, straight, able bodied, and rich. Striding right into the middle of all this, of course, is yet another dark specter, as the world falls into the grip of COVID-19, the coronavirus pandemic. As our federal government continues to weed out anyone who it views as otherwise undesirable, we face even tougher times due to a killer virus and the economic “We’re talking about over 8,000 hotel rooms, we’re talking about employees who are union employees, and working with those hotels, making sure we’re dealing with insurance issues, making sure we have security guards on every floor to make sure people actually stay in their rooms,” she said. “We are only going to communicate what we can deliver on.” The mayor’s office announced March 10 that the city would provide temporary housing for people who need to be quarantined – but not hospitalized – after contracting COVID-19. “Temporary isolation housing will include recreational vehicles (RVs), which have been leased and will be staged in the Presidio,” a

catastrophe being left in its wake. In the midst of this much hardship rides each of us, living in a world where even if we contract this virus – assuming hospitals are not entirely overwhelmed by the time you read these words, of course – we could still find ourselves mocked in the hospital, treated as lesser people, misgendered, deadnamed, blamed for our condition, or even refused care for being nonbinary or transgender. Today, we find ourselves living in an era of sheltering in place, where it will be all that harder to be ourselves in society. Some of us might be living at home, or with partners and family members who are hostile to our trans or enby (nonbinary) selves, where being out may be a one-way ticket to the streets in the midst of a time when we are being told to stay indoors. If to survive these times you find it necessary to detransition or otherwise sublimate yourself and your feelings, please know that you are no less valid. First and foremost, you need to do what you have to in order to survive, and how can we not respect such a choice in days like this?

This will be a time where it is all the more vital that we keep in touch with each other, and be patient, caring, and understanding with each other. Our community can often be a volatile one, as we often have to fight to assert our identity, even among each other. In these days, however, it’s going to be far more important to reach out, and provide a welcoming ear to those in need. This is the time to work on finding safe places to meet with your community. In-person meetups are largely canceled, so look to your community online. Maybe it’s on Facebook or Twitter, or a discord server (chat app), or on Animal Crossing (a Nintendo game that recently came out with a new version). It might be in a virtual world or on a message board. Wherever it is, find it and hold onto it. We’ll need these places: it could be a matter of life or death for some of us in these grim times. While everyone is running around panic-buying toilet paper, it’s going to be important that you look at some of your basic needs as well. If you are on medication, now is the time to call and see if you can’t get an extra refill or two. It

may become even harder in the next few months to have an easy to access supply of hormones and other medications. Stock up, reach out, and do all you can to survive these times. That’s what matters right now. Yet here is the harsh reality: No one person’s survival is ensured. Even in the height of the Obama years, as we cheered on expanded rights and visibility, we still faced danger and death. We’re experiencing yet more challenges, not the least of them is the severe health risk that every member of the human race is facing. The trans community has gone through decades – centuries – of hardship. We have survived some of the worst of times, faced ridicule and death in the best of times, and still, as a whole, continue to exist. As I said, we are bad asses. That is what I want to leave you with. I want you to remember that and know that no matter how scary the world is right now, no matter the hardship, no matter the challenge, we can rise to the occasion. Our community can continue to grow and be strong – as can each one of us. t

March 10 news release stated. “The RVs will be placed in various secure locations throughout the city as needed. The city is also in the process of identifying additional locations for auxiliary quarantine housing, including unoccupied residential property.” That housing would be available to people who “do not have access to adequate shelter due to homelessness or shared living arrangements. Shared-living situations include SROs, shelters, and permanent supportive housing,” according to the release. On March 24, a city spokeswoman wrote in an email that none of the temporary RV housing has been utilized yet. As of 9 a.m. March 25, the De-

partment of Public Health announced there were 178 positive cases of COVID-19 in San Francisco and one death. But public officials have cautioned against relying too much on positive case counts as an indicator of the situation because of a national shortage of tests. As previously reported, as of the night of March 19, California is under a statewide stay-at-home order issued by Governor Gavin Newsom. It is similar to county health orders in San Francisco and the rest of the Bay Area requiring residents to shelter in place and practice social distancing (staying at least six feet away from other people). Non-essential businesses are closed.

To avoid COVID-19, SF DPH 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 as much as possible. 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

Gwen Smith refilled her prescriptions last week. Reach out via www.gwensmith.com.

‘More of everything’

When asked about expanding the criteria for housing unsheltered people at a news conference later March 23, Mayor London Breed said, “Let me be clear: we need more of everything. “We need more money for artists, we need more hotel rooms for the homeless, we need more hospital beds,” Breed said. “That’s why we’re here at this emergency operations center preparing for what we need every single day, and that’s why it’s so important that we put out accurate information. Of course we need more. We need our federal government to do more; we need our state government to do more. More importantly we need to stop talking about what we need more of and start doing what’s necessary to keep people safe. The mayor said the city is reaching out to more hotels.

Explore 35 years of history Join our online anniversary party by visiting glbthistory.org/35-years Collage features two photos from the collection of the GLBT Historical Society. Left: black-and-white glamour shot of Gilbert Baker (1985); photo by Robert Pruzan. Right: Drag queens and their escort out for a night on the town in San Francisco (circa 1965); photo by Henri Leleu.

<< Community News

8 • Bay Area Reporter • March 26-April 1, 2020

Sonoma County Pride canceled compiled by Cynthia Laird

he board of directors of Sonoma County Pride has announced that the LGBT parade and festival scheduled for early June has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. In a news release, organizers said that they have been watching the “deteriorating” situation caused by the global outbreak of the virus. “The Sonoma County Pride Board of Directors met on March 20, and made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Pride festival and parade scheduled for June 6, and focus our efforts on helping those in need as a result of this terrible pandemic,” the release stated. “With so many headwinds and unknowable factors before us, we have determined that the best for Sonoma County Pride and for our community is to align with public health policy and official health agency guidelines and take a proactive, responsible stance in support of those efforts,” it continued. Board members acknowledged the economic strain this decision puts on local businesses, some of which are still recovering from flooding in February 2019. “We are saddened by the fact that our community is forced to endure yet another emergency and realize that many of our Sonoma County friends and neighbors are facing unemployment and many of our local businesses are temporarily forced to close and may never reopen,” stated the release.

Dale Godfrey

The Translife group marched in last year’s Sonoma County Pride parade.

which is scheduled for August 29-30 in San Jose. In a March 21 email to community members, officials wrote that two events leading up to the parade have been canceled: The March 27 Hey Girl Anniversary Party and a drag brunch on April 5. “As the situation evolves, we will change our plans and let everyone know,” the board wrote. In a related matter, San Francisco Pride officials are continuing to monitor the situation, as the Bay Area Reporter previously reported. On Tuesday, officials wrote on the SF Pride Facebook page that no decision has been made about the 50th Pride parade and festival scheduled for June 27-28. “At the same time, we at SF Pride are realistic that this year’s historic anniversary may look very different from what we had hoped for, and

all options are on the table,” officials wrote. “As we enter the second full week of social distancing in San Francisco, we are working very closely with our partners at City Hall to continually assess the outlook for gatherings like ours in the months to come.”

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The board of directors of Silicon Valley Pride is monitoring the coronavirus situation but has not yet made a decision on whether to pull the plug on this year’s parade and festival,

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Horizons Foundation has announced that after a survey of participants, it has postponed the annual Give OUT Day until June 30. The online fundraising day for LGBTQ nonprofits had been scheduled for April 23. The foundation said that the “early giving” period would begin June 1. According to a letter sent to participants, the majority of those surveyed preferred that the event be postponed. In another matter, Horizons has announced that it has established an LGBTQ COVID-19 Response Emergency Fund for Bay Area LGBTQ organizations to receive emergency grants. The foundation has contributed $200,000 and already another $70,000 has been raised. All funds raised will go to the community. To donate, go to https://bit.ly/2Ja4v83.

Chung reappointed to SF health panel

Mayor London Breed has informed the San Francisco Board of Supervisors that she is reappointing Health Commissioner Cecilia Chung to a four-year term. Chung, a trans woman living with HIV, is a nationally recognized civil rights leader, advocating for HIV/ AIDS awareness and care, LGBT

LGBT centers

From page 1

extrovert and get energy being with people, the texting check-in is not like being person to person. But it does give me a sense of having human beings around,” Murray said of Road Electric being able to talk with center staffers. Road Electric “Last week, I returned a text and had a phone call. It was about five minutes at most, so not long but it was nice to hear someone’s voice.” Felix Duley, 17, a senior in high school, is a volunteer facilitator of the center’s new Asterisk Group for transgender and nonbinary youth age 13 to 18 and their allies. Its first meeting on March 12 drew nine attendees, he said. A transgender teen who lives in Fairfield, Duley has been trying to figure out how to conduct meetings online and ensure his peers know how to join in. He told the Bay Area Reporter Tuesday that he was “cautiously optimistic” the second meeting would 1065 & 1077 Valencia (Btwn 21st & 22nd St.) • SF take place online Thursday evening. 415-550-6600 • REPAIRS 415-550-6601 • Mon-Sat 10-6, Sun 11-5 “Most of last week we were figuring out how to let people know what is go1065 &New 1077 Valencia (Btwn && 22nd St.) • SF Closed:1065 4pm Years(Btwn EVE,21st and All Day New & 1077 Valencia 21st 22nd St.) • SF Years ing on,” said Duley, who started attendSALES 415-550-6600 • REPAIRS 415-550-6601 • Mon-Sat 10-6, Sun 11-5 SALES 415-550-6600 • REPAIRS 415-550-6601 • Mon-Sat 10-6, Sun 11-5 Closed: 4pm New Years EVE, and All Day New Years ing the center’s youth programs last year. Closed: 4pm New Years EVE, and All Day New Years The center continuing to provide valenciacyclery.com

We are closed for now. We are considering ways to safely open our repair shop to the public and will advise if / when that occurs.

SALES

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equality, and prisoner rights. She is the senior strategist of Transgender Law Center and has served on a number of planning bodies, including the San Francisco HIV Health Services Planning Council, Transgender Community Advisory Board for UCSF TRANS, and the Visioning Change Initiative of the California HIV/AIDS Research Program. She was first appointed to the panel in 2012 and serves alongside one other out commissioner, current President Dan Bernal, a gay man living with HIV who is the local chief of staff to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco). Chung did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Breed announces arts relief program

San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced March 23 the formation of an arts relief program to invest directly in working artists and arts and cultural organizations financially impacted by COVID-19. The investment is a combination of funding strategies designed to help the arts and culture community through grants and low-interest loans to organizations and working artists most impacted by this crisis, according to a news release. An initial $2.5 million from the city will kickoff the arts relief program. “Our artists and cultural institutions are at the heart of who we are as a city and a community,” Breed stated. “This community is also getting hit hard right now as people are suffering from job loss, business closures, and economic disruption during the COVID-19 outbreak. We need to do everything we can to stabilize our arts community now. I hope our public investment will encourage private donors to join us in supporting our vulnerable artists during this challenging time.” According to the release, $1.5 million will be used for grants to individual artists, teaching artists, and small- to mid- budget sized arts and cultural organizations administered by the Center for Cultural Innovation. The remaining $1 million will go toward low-interest loans to small- to mid-budget sized arts and cultural organizations administered by the Arts Loan Fund of Northern California Grantmakers. ALF is a revolving loan program, which already makes low-interest loans to support arts and cultural organizations. City arts officials praised the move. “We appreciate the mayor’s leadership in recognizing the urgent need

LGBT youth services at this time is particularly important in a more rural area of the Bay Area like Solano County, noted Duley, where there are few other options. “Especially with the closure of the schools, which sometimes I hate to say it can be the only comfortable space for LGBT students to be, so now you have these students uprooted from a situation helping them keep their bearings it is helpful to have some kind of system to provide them any relief,” said Duley, who has been sheltering at home with his siblings and parents. “In Fairfield or Solano County there aren’t many resources, especially for youth who are struggling because they are LGBT. Even providing any sort of help to face such adversity is really, really important.” Murray, a retired public school teacher who now teaches an online college course for people studying to become teachers, does have her dog and rescue cats to keep her company, as well as neighbors she can talk to from a safe distance. With all of her social activities on hold, she resorted to going for drives to take photos. “My social life has imploded,” said Murray, noting other seniors aren’t

and acting quickly to provide financial assistance to the artists and cultural nonprofits who need our city’s support,” stated Roberto Ordeñana, a gay man who’s president of the San Francisco Arts Commission and deputy executive director of the San Francisco LGBT Community Center. In addition to the arts relief fund, San Francisco has also launched the Give2SF Fund at www.give2sf.org, which allows the city to accept taxdeductible monetary contributions.

Meals on Wheels SF gets Wells Fargo grant

Meals on Wheels San Francisco was one of several nonprofits that received a portion of $100,000 from the Wells Fargo Foundation to support food delivery for seniors and people with chronic health conditions. The money was part of up to $6.25 million the bank announced earlier this month to help support COVID-19 efforts. “All of us at Meals on Wheels San Francisco are extremely grateful for the Wells Fargo Foundation’s generous support during the COVID-19 crisis,” Ashley McCumber, a gay man who is the San Francisco agency’s CEO, stated in a news release. “With Wells Fargo Foundation’s help, Meals on Wheels San Francisco will continue to deliver for the thousands of COVID-19 vulnerable seniors that rely on us for daily nutritious meals and safety checks.” In addition to Meals on Wheels, other organizations receiving a portion of the grant include Health Trust (Santa Clara County), SOS Meals on Wheels (Alameda County), and WhistleStop (Marin County). Additionally, four organizations will receive part of a $125,000 grant for support services for people experiencing homelessness. They are: Episcopal Community Services (San Francisco), Housing Matters (Santa Cruz County), LifeMoves (San Mateo and Santa Clara counties), and Shelter Inc. (Contra Costa and Solano counties). “In times of community need, it’s important that we work together,” said Erica Trejo, community relations senior manager for Wells Fargo. “We’re grateful for the leadership of local leaders and nonprofits like Meals on Wheels San Francisco for its ability to act quickly in caring for our seniors and those who are most vulnerable. We hope our support provides a measure of relief as we stand with the community during this challenging situation.” t

able to leave their house like she can. “Some people are pretty shut in. I really applaud the center for keeping it open to the point they have. Some people would just go absolutely crazy if they didn’t.”

LGBT centers pivot services

The Rainbow Community Center in Concord and the Pacific Center for Human Growth in Berkeley are both offering counseling and support services via online platforms. The Berkeley LGBT center said this week that it would offer three free sessions with a therapist for those people who have been financially impacted because of the coronavirus outbreak. “If you are in a position to give, we invite you to sponsor a free therapy session for a Pacific Center client by making a donation of $45 today. 100% of your donation will go towards supporting clients in our mental health clinic,” wrote Executive Director Michelle Gonzalez in an email to the center’s supporters. The San Mateo County Pride Center has also moved most of its programs online and is conducting counseling sessions through teleSee page 10 >>

Sports>>

March 26-April 1, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 9

SF FrontRunners pioneer dies by Roger Brigham

ud Budlong, one of the early leaders and organizers of San Francisco FrontRunners, died Thursday, March 19, at the age of 82 after a lengthy illness. Mr. Budlong, a native of Pennsylvania, moved to San Francisco in 1972 and lived in the city for 33 years. He met his husband, the late Don Smith, in 1976 and they were together more than 42 years, marrying in 2004 and then again in 2008. A short documentary about the couple is available online at https://vimeo.com/209096183. In 1975, Mr. Budlong joined a San Francisco running group founded the previous year by Jack Baker and Gardner Pond. The group was reorganized under the FrontRunners name in 1978. Mr. Budlong wrote the first history of the inception of FrontRunners that remains on the club’s website (https://www.sffr.org/). He was an assistant director of the 1980 San Francisco Marathon and former San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade committee member. “When I talk (as I do every June) about standing on the shoulders of giants, I’m talking about men like Bud and Don,” longtime friend Jay Meashey posted on social media. “They marched in San Francisco after the trial of Harvey Milk’s murderer, they comforted dying friends in the scariest days of the AIDS catastrophe, they married when it became legal, and they gave talks to younger generations about all they’d seen and done.”

Continuing fallout in sports world from COVID-19

With major sports events already postponed or canceled as precautionary measures during the coronavirus outbreak, international officials spent the last several days gnashing their teeth over whether to go ahead with the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. On Tuesday, March 24, the International Olympic Committee and Japan organizers announced the games would be postponed until the summer of 2021. Like waffles? Try this for breakfast. On Sunday, the IOC said it would take up to four weeks to decide whether to

Courtesy Facebook

Bud Budlong, left, and his husband, the late Don Black, in an undated photo

postpone. Fifteen minutes later Great Britain told the IOC to step it up. Seven hours later, Canada said it would not compete in this year’s Olympics. One hour later and Australia was advising its athletes to prepare for 2021. “The coronavirus is a different kind of impediment than the one that kept U.S. athletes home in 1980,” Olympic gold medal swimmer Nancy Hogshead-Makar told the New York Daily News. “And yet, that sense of shared sacrifice is important. We need to pull together to stop the spread of a virus with the potential to kill millions around the world. Our games, our goals, our pursuits are all being put on hold.” Meanwhile, pandemic countermeasures were rippling through the LGBT sports world. San Francisco’s Gay and Lesbian Tennis Federation has suspended all social and competitive events through April 30. Its board of directors is set to reassess the situation on April 1. The board will also assess the status of the organization’s 2020 United States Gay Open, which had been slated for Memorial Day weekend at San Francisco State University. Other spring tournaments on the global Gay and Lesbian Tennis Association calendar have either been canceled or are proceeding subject to change. The spring season of the San Francisco Gay Softball League has been

postponed until April 5 at the earliest. Organizers of the 2020 Amateur Sports Alliance of North America’s 2020 Softball World Series have pledged to make adjustments so that leagues that have had to alter their schedules because of the pandemic will be able to qualify for the September event in Virginia Beach. San Francisco FrontRunners canceled all of its events through April, not because of concerns over the number of participants they would draw, but because the organization thought it would have difficulty keeping all runners six feet apart. The club urged members to continue running on their own. San Francisco Tsunami canceled its practices when city pools were closed. Several club members have been engaged in open water swimming instead. The 2020 LGBT International Powerlifting Champion-

ships had been scheduled to be held July 17-19 in Blackpool, England but were canceled Saturday, March 21. The next championships will be held in Blackpool July 16-18, 2021. Chris Morgan, male co-chair of the LGBT Powerlifting Union, said global gym closures meant that many athletes would not be able to train properly for an event this July, the college where the event is held has already closed for the year, and many registrants are already committed to other lifts later this year. “As we have guests from many different countries, we feel it is important to offer clarity as early as possible for those considering their travel arrangements,” Morgan wrote on social media. “By also setting the new date now it will mean they can amend their travel arrangements and have time to plan ahead for 2021.” San Francisco Fog rugby canceled its games and practices as of March 12. The club sent an email March 18 to players and supporters urging them to follow governmental stay-in-place restrictions, follow hygiene protocols, including frequent 20-second hand washings. “For reference,” the club wrote regarding the hand washings, “the opening song to ‘Golden Girls’ and Shangela’s soliloquy yelling at Mimi Imfurst are both the appropriate length.” The club email continued, “Though most of us on the Fog are fortunate to be in low-risk groups for this particular virus, not all of those in the Fog Family are. Whether it’s someone in an at-risk demographic, someone who is immunocompromised or has an underlying medical condition, or any other person who

needs some additional support at this time, know that we are here for you. It could be you, your parent or another elderly relative, a former or current player, your friend. We’re making a list of folks who need some extra support at this time, so let us know if you or someone else need help picking up a prescription, going to the store, taking a pet for a walk, dropping off a meal, or anything else so we can add and help organize support from the team.” The club also said it would send players instructional materials regarding the sport and urged them to continue to work out on their own and stay in touch with each other and their families. The biannual international Bingham Cup currently is scheduled for August in Ottawa. It is unknown what effect, if any, the current outbreak will have on the event. Prague Rainbow Spring, an international tournament in the Czech Republic set for May 1-3 that offered swimming, volleyball, beach volleyball, and badminton competitions, has been canceled. “We are truly sorry that we had to reach such a dramatic measure,” organizers posted on the event website. “However, we are fully aware of the criticality of the current situation and we believe that the health of our friends and families is the most important right now.” Organizers of the annual multisport Tournoi International de Paris (Paris TIPS) announced on Facebook they planned to stage the May 29-31 event as planned but were canceling all parties leading up to the event. “To date, we remain hopeful that the health situation will improve rapidly,” organizers wrote. “Of course, we are monitoring the situation and will make day-to-day decisions.”t

Political Notebook

From page 5

Victory Fund endorses California candidates

The LGBTQ Victory Fund announced a host of new endorsements of out candidates Tuesday, including for three men running for office in California. The organization, whose aim is to elect LGBT people to elected office across the country, named gay Congressman Mark Takano (D-Riverside) one of its 2020 Game Changer Incumbent endorsed candidates. It also endorsed Alex Lee, a Democrat who advanced out of the March 3 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, and if he wins, Lee would become the state’s first out bisexual legislator. 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. His campaign has said if elected Lee would be the first state legislator from Generation Z, though others would consider him to be part of the millennial generation. (The dividing line between the two differs between 1995 and 1996, depending on which definition one uses.) The Victory Fund also endorsed gay BART director Bevan Dufty, who is running for reelection in November

Courtesy Takano campaign

Congressman Mark Takano

to his District 9 seat representing parts of San Francisco on the regional transit agency’s oversight body. t Web Extra: For more queer political news, be sure to check http:// www.ebar.com Monday mornings for Political Notes, the notebook’s online companion. This week’s column reported on the contest for seats on the panel that oversees the Alameda County Democratic Party. Keep abreast of the latest LGBT political news by following the Political Notebook on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/politicalnotes. Got a tip on LGBT politics? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 8298836 or e-mail m.bajko@ebar.com.

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<< Community News

10 • Bay Area Reporter • March 26-April 1, 2020

Bathhouses

From page 1

SF sex club closes doors

Eros, a sex club at 2051 Market Street in San Francisco, is not technically a bathhouse, as bathhouses have been banned in San Francisco since a 1984 government order at the height of the AIDS epidemic. Sex clubs without private rooms are allowed to operate in city limits. Eros has been closed since Monday, March 16, at 9 p.m., according to coowner Ken Rowe, due to San Fran-

Shelter-in-place

Adapting

While bars, nightclubs, and gyms are shuttered in San Francisco’s Castro district as the result of the shelter in place orders, those businesses that remain open are often adopting new hours and strategies. Some business operations may change as the shutdown goes on. On the 400 block of Castro Street (between Market and 18th streets) around 11 a.m. March 24, only Gyro Xpress, La Tortilla, Posh Bagel, Hot Cookie, Cliff’s Variety, CitiBank, Walgreens, and Strut, the men’s health center, were open. The restaurants are take-out only, in compliance with the health order that went into effect the morning of March 17 in six Bay Area counties. (Governor Gavin Newsom issued a similar directive for the state two days later.) Rossi’s Deli had a sign citing new daily hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (although it was closed as of Tuesday morning) and Marcello’s Pizza stated it was open for to-go pizza slices from 1:30 to 6 p.m., and whole pizza orders until 9:30 or 10. Restaurants that were open for togo orders for some of last week, such as Harvey’s at 500 Castro Street or the Castro Coffee Company at 427 Castro Street, appear to be closed. Others that were closed, such as Oz Burger at 4092 18th Street, were touting that they were now going to be open for to-go orders, from noon to 8 p.m. Erotic stores Does Your Mother Know and Rock Hard were open March 20, but not on March 24. As a hardware store, Cliff’s Variety is allowed to stay open as it’s deemed an essential business. “After more than 80 years in busi-

reopen. South of Market sex club Blow Buddies, located at 933 Harrison Street, did not respond to a request for comment at press time. A Google search indicated it is also closed. As the B.A.R. recently reported, the first hearing on whether to allow bathhouses to open in San Francisco for the first time in 36 years was initially going to be held Thursday, March 12, but gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman made the decision to postpone it because it may have brought a large contingent of the public to speak on the matter at City

From page 1

Wiener also noted the pandemic will eventually come to an end and that local and state lawmakers are working to provide financial support to small businesses, nonprofits, and workers who have been laid off or seen their hours reduced. “We will get through this and there will be a light at the end of the tunnel. This pandemic will end,” said Wiener. “The question is will we do what we need to do to keep people stable and to stabilize businesses so when we do come out of this terrible emergency businesses can get going again and workers can go back to work.”

cisco’s shelter in place order that went into effect about three hours later. Before that, Eros had been limiting the number of people who could enter, Rowe said, but “our numbers hadn’t been high for a week or two.” “We’re taking it week by week,” Rowe said. When asked if it was a possibility that Eros might close permanently (many small businesses are threatened with financial ruin), Rowe said that he didn’t see that as a possibility yet. Gamber also expressed confidence that The Watergarden will be able to

LGBT centers

From page 8

health platforms. It has advised users of its services to check its various social media accounts to stay up to date on its virtual programming. The San Francisco LGBT Community Center is offering its employment services for job seekers via online appointments. A sign on its front door notes it plans to be closed through April 7, while its nonprofit tenants like Bay Area Legal Aid and the San Francisco Community Health Center, which operates a health clinic in the building, are also closed but can be reached by phone for those needing emergency assistance. Other LGBT centers have either kept a skeletal crew on site to offer

John Ferrannini

Some businesses, like the Sausage Factory, have boarded up their storefronts during the shutdown of restaurants and bars.

Hall at a time officials were urging social distancing. As the B.A.R. first reported in February, Mandelman’s ordinance would jettison the long-standing prohibition against having locked doors for private rooms rented by bathhouse patrons and rescind the requirement that such venues hire people to monitor the sexual activities of their customers. Patrons in San Francisco sex clubs have to wear condoms in order to prevent the transmission of HIV. To avoid COVID-19 (the illness caused by the coronavirus), the San Francisco 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 as much as possible. 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

“no special information on that, but as an independent person I’d be surprised if they weren’t.” During his live chat, Wiener said business owners shouldn’t be boarding up their windows as “it sends a terrible message.” He noted there have been no reports of looting in San Francisco and that the police have stepped up their patrols in commercial districts. He noted he had walked down Castro Street the other day to buy some necessities and didn’t see many people but did encounter two police officers who told him it had been “calm” in the neighborhood. “We are not going to allow looting in San Francisco. That is totally unacceptable,” said Wiener, a former city supervisor.

are excited to hear what plans the city has to help workers. To be honest the Nudes for the Stud trend was started by Kochina Rude, a regular host of our weekly show Drag Alive (coming to online platforms on Saturday, April 4), and regular performer at the Stud. Other performers picked up the trend – mostly all drag queens, and that’s what happened. It was just the creativity of our lovely family.” Furthermore, the B.A.R. did not mention in its roundup on March 19 the ongoing fundraisers for the Midnight Sun and the Edge. Midnight Sun raised $5,558 out of a $7,500 goal Tuesday afternoon, and the Edge had exceeded its goal, raising $10,315 out of a $10,000 goal. Marke Bieschke, the publisher of 48 Hills and a co-owner of the Stud, published a list of links (www.48hills. org) to crowdfunding efforts to DJs, musicians, artists, performers, cinema workers, and beverage workers. As the B.A.R. reported March 17, several prominent LGBT figures announced a nightlife fund to help displaced workers. According to a post on its Facebook page early Tuesday, the SF Bay Area Queer Nightlife Fund has had 197 applicants who requested $1,105 in lifeline cash each, meaning that a total of $217,853 had been requested. The fund was, however, only 34.8% of the way to providing for its initial goal of providing $200,000 to 200 nightlife workers. Mark O’Brien, a DJ and co-founder of Polyglamorous, said that the fund had raised over $72,000 as of March 24. O’Brien helped put on the Quaran-Tea Dance that was livestreamed March 22 in lieu of traditional Sunday Funday tea dances. “It was amazing,” O’Brien said in a phone interview with the B.A.R. Tuesday. “It was the first time we’d done a streaming event like that. It was a great opportunity to see DJs contribute sets.” O’Brien estimated about 500 people streamed through the course of the day and said that the telethonesque event raised $9,936 from 157 individual donors. There will be another on Sunday, March 29, at 1 p.m. O’Brien encouraged people to continue applying to receive relief money, as applicants will be sorted after March 31. Money will be “granted based on need,” O’Brien said. t

Online efforts raise relief money for nightlife

Even before Wiener made his pronouncements Monday, some bar owners began to board up their windows and doors with plywood. Badlands owner Les Natali boarded that nightclub along with Toad Hall and Hamburger Mary’s, other properties that he owns. As of March 24, Beaux, Moby Dick, and The Edge were boarded up; the Sausage Factory and the clothing store Knobs were boarded up as of March 20. Kevin Harrington, who owns Last Call, boarded up his establishment. “We boarded up the business and

that has been a huge relief as we’re next to 7-Eleven so we have issues with vandalism and problems constantly,” Harrington wrote in an email to the Bay Area Reporter March 24. Gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman said that his office worked with the Planning Department and the Department of Building Inspection to make sure business owners wouldn’t be penalized for boarding up. “Many small business owners have boarded up their storefront windows to protect their businesses during mandatory closures and are afraid that they will be cited or fined by the city for doing so,” Mandelman wrote in a Facebook post March 23. “The last thing that any small business owner should have to worry about right now is being fined by the city for trying to protect their business during this emergency. “We have also confirmed that public works will not be enforcing violations for graffiti on private property, including businesses who have had their facades defaced, during the shelter in place order,” he added. Mandelman said in a March 24 phone call that businesses should be mindful of how they board their storefronts with plywood, particularly on historic facades. While legal requirements are still technically in place, they will not be enforced during the shelter-in-place order. The restrictions are normally enforced “to prevent blight in the neighborhood and graffiti,” Mandelman said. When asked if non-enforcement was an indication that the shelter-inplace will be extended beyond early April, Mandelman said that he has

limited services, such as the San Diego LGBT Community Center, or are operating as best they can while taking precautionary measures to protect the health of employees and clients. The Los Angeles LGBT Center, the state’s largest such facility, can’t completely shut down or go virtual because it provides health care services, as well as housing for seniors and youth, explained chief of staff Darrel Cummings. “It is disheartening, but I think most people are making the best decisions for their community and for their centers,” said Cummings of seeing so many of the facilities go dark. “I’ve talked to a variety of them and shared with them what we are doing. What we have been trying to do is reduce the numbers of people –

both staff and clients – in any physical space we have. We are doing that so we can preserve our most critical services that need in-person contact.” Cummings told the B.A.R. that he has been on-site day and night while he has sent many of the center’s 800 employees home to work remotely. Many clients have been shifted to telehealth platforms and pharmacy patients are being urged to sign up for mail delivery. “We are repurposing our staff to meet the most critical needs,” he said. “We are trying to handle everything else on online platforms or telephonically.” With fundraising events postponed or canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak, LGBT centers are scrambling to continue to raise money. They have created special emergency funds and are pressing for financial

assistance from government sources. CenterLink, the affinity group for LGBT centers, was one of the signatories to a letter beseeching Congress to fund LGBTQ centers and nonprofits. “I have been touched to see community centers across the nation stepping up during this difficult time to continue to offer support to the LGBTQ+ community and beyond,” wrote Tanya Tassi, policy manager for ActionLink: The Center Action Network, in an email sent out last week. “They’re seeing an increase in demand because people are finding themselves in situations where their employment is jeopardized due to facility closures or lack of available childcare, and their access to necessities is compromised. As during any time of crisis, the LGBTQ+ commu-

ness, we understand that even in a crisis, drains will back up, heaters break and kids get bored,” a sign on its door reads. “If you need us we will be here but we ask if you are sick please don’t venture out.” Cliff’s co-owner Martha Asten said that her employees are following best practices in the age of coronavirus – social distancing and “wiping things down as much as possible.” “The first two days, sales dropped – not significantly, but they dropped,” Asten said. “But they’ve come back up and we’ve been fine. It’s been about the same as other days this time of year. It’s weird. It’s probably because other people are not open.” Asten said that Cliff’s employees will make sure too many people don’t come in at once. “I can’t update the credit card machine until the contract runs out, so you still have to sign it unfortunately,” she said, referring to customers still having to use a pen to sign charge slips.

Bars, other businesses board up

Another development over the past week has been that efforts to help displaced nightlife workers have proliferated and raised more money. As the B.A.R. previously reported, owners and staffs of several LGBT bars have established GoFundMe fundraisers. As of the afternoon of March 24, the GoFundMe for South of Market nightclub OMG had raised $1,359 out of a $2,000 goal, the fundraiser for Beaux raised $8,309 out of a $10,000 goal, the fundraiser for The Mix raised $5,250 out of a $10,000 goal, and the fundraiser for Last Call raised $1,185 out of a $5,000 goal. According to Joshua Cook, Beaux’s general manager, in a statement to the B.A.R. March 24, the owners of Beaux have donated $10,000 themselves to get money to their staffs before the GoFundMe was finished. Beaux staff can pick up money now. Harrington of Last Call said that the staff has control over the fundraiser for his bar. “The staff have control over the GoFundMe page. I felt they would be able to use it as necessary,” Harrington wrote. “I’ve paid them as much sick pay as I can afford so far. I check in with them regularly so they aren’t stressing too much. They are hanging in there pretty well.” The Stud fundraiser raised $7,355 out of a $15,000 goal as of Tuesday afternoon. “We are just concentrated on making our goal right now while staying in very close contact with all our workers,” the Stud’s Vivvy Forevermore wrote in a March 24 email. “We

Additional reporting by Matthew S. Bajko.

nity will come together and serve the needs of the community.” At the Solano center, the staff continues to be paid since they are working from home. It can weather the disruption to its operations for the time being, said Cook, but would be in a precarious situation if its funding from Solano County or its larger donors were to be drastically cut in light of the current crisis. How the community is coming together to support each other is reminiscent of how people responded to the AIDS crisis, said Cook. “There is going to be anxiety and fear about the unknown but making sure we are coming from a place of love and community rather than fear is going to help sustain us through this crisis,” he said.t

Classifieds>>

March 26-April 1, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 11

Legal Notices>> 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 TEPPERMANGELFANT, 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 SHANGTEH 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 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 INGERSONAVE,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 BOWERSAKA NERIAH BOWERS,be changed to NERIAHAHYOKA 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 ofApril 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-20-555675

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 petitionerANASTASIA MARIE GREENE,is requesting that the nameANASTASIA MARIE GREENE,be changed toANASTASIA 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 ofApril 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 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

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039008600

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039021600

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.

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

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

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PEEK-A-BOO 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: 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: 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.

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 05, 12, 19, 26, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039005000

MARCH 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038986000

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 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

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.

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

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

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: 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.

MAR 19, 26, APRIL 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039026500

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039025400

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.

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

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-038998500

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-039014700 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 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-038048400

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.

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 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020

MAR 19, 26, APRIL 02, 09, 2020

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415-861-5019

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF MIKE ANGEL LEON IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES-20-303566

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of MIKE ANGEL LEON. A Petition for Probate has been filed by EVELIA ROJAS LEON in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that EVELIA ROJAS LEON be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: APRIL 15, 2020, 9:00 am, Dept 204, Rm 204, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the latter of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: Nicole C. Kelly, (SBN#320379), The Kelly Law Firm, 345 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA 94102; Ph. (415) 552-0059.

MAR 26, APR 2, 9, 16, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039022600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ADVANCED DENTAL LABORATORY, 756 LA PLAYA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LEV SHAPIRO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/01/05. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/09/20.

MAR 26, APR 2, 9, 16, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039029000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: D.A.C.LANDSCAPE: SF, 167 CAINE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed DAVID ADAM CASELLA & AIMEE BETH GOLANT CASELLA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/06/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/12/20.

MAR 26, APR 2, 9, 16, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039022300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ARKATOPIA, 3279-B 21ST ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ROBERT LAWRENCE WILSON III. 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 03/09/20.

MAR 26, APR 2, 9, 16, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039016000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GEM JOY, 2200 SACRAMENTO ST #1603, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MAGINOT TECHNOLOGIES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/04/20.

MAR 26, APR 2, 9, 16, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039012600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ROW HOUSE MISSION BAY, 1375 4TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94158. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MT. EVEREST VENTURE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/10/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/03/20.

MAR 26, APR 2, 9, 16, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039012800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: X2 GREEN CARPETS, 101 CALIFORNIA ST #2710, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed WYSE DELIVERY LLC (CA). 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 26, APR 2, 9, 16, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039030700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PRACTICALLY EVERYTHING, 210 POST ST #1121, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed PRACTICALLY EVERYTHING. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/16/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/16/20.

MAR 26, APR 2, 9, 16, 2020

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Oakland couple Richard Board and Flynn DeMarco’s shared love for Legos landed them a spot on the Fox TV competition show Lego Masters.

by Matthew S. Bajko

Courtesy Fox

akland couple Richard Board and Flynn DeMarco’s first bit of notoriety for their shared love of Legos came in 2018 when they wowed the crowd and judges at the annual Bricks by the Bay convention with their animated creation inspired by the dark amusement rides made famous by Disney imagineers. It featured a group of fantasy warriors trekking ever upward through a forest, cave, and other realms to battle a wicked enchantress. Their build, titled “Treasure of the Snake Queen,” won raves from other Lego fanatics and earned them top honors for Best in Show, People’s Choice, and Best Storytelling. “We are big Disney fans,” said DeMarco, 52, who just visited Disneyland in January with his husband, who gifted him the Lego version of the theme park’s iconic castle for his 50th birthday. At last year’s confab for local Lego lovers, Board and DeMarco presented a sneak peek for a larger display, known as an MOC or My Own Creations in Lego-speak, called “Cycle of The Werewolf.” It featured a forest scene with mystical creatures such as a tree being and fairies on a bridge crossing a stream. On their beautiful Instagram account www.instagram.com/trickybricks/ they’ve continued to tease about their horror-themed build, with several posts about a haunted house cuckoo clock they are creating. It features a front door that opens to reveal a ghost as part of the first floor. Talking by phone in early March to the Bay Area Reporter, the couple remained coy about the exact theme and design for their MOC entry into this year’s Bricks by the Bay. “We do have a secret project we are working on. It is mechanical and spooky,” is all Board, 52, would disclose. He did add that the Instagram posts featuring the ghost “might have something to do with it.” (The 11th annual showcase for all things Lego is scheduled to take place July 9-12 at the Santa Clara Convention Center. The organizers posted a note to the event’s website www.bricksbythebay.com/en/ saying they are “proceeding full speed ahead” at this time but closely monitoring the developments around the novel coronavirus outbreak that currently has the Bay Area and much of California sheltering in place.)

Competing on TV

showing his emotions so openly resulted in positive reactions from viewers. “I have been approached by people who told me that was very helpful for them to see. I had a parent come up and say their son suffers from anxiety and it was really helpful to see that expressed on the show and have a positive outcome,” said DeMarco. “It really was helpful for her son. I was really grateful that was the case and I helped someone without even knowing it.” Lego Masters host Will Arnett with DeMarco, who is from Baltimore, Flynn DeMarco and Richard Board and Board, who grew up in Huntington Beach, California first met 30 years ago in San Francisco through the theater to a lot of effort to present a diverse group of world. Board does theatrical lighting and teams,” said Board. DeMarco, who now teaches kids engineering In addition to the support they have received through Lego, also worked in the performing from their friends and family as they watched arts. They briefly dated, then broke up, moved the show, the couple has also been elated with to other states, and have remained friends. the public’s response and the platform the The two then reconnected, fell in love, marshow has given them to showcase their artistic ried nine years ago, and in 2012 moved into talents. a small apartment in Oakland. Three years “Aside from the experience of being on later they took up Lego building as a hobby TV and being more well known in the Lego that they could do together and it grew into a community especially, I am so excited people passion. are responding to our art in a positive way,” “As far as Lego building goes, we are total said Board. “People seem to like what we have amateurs,” said Board. “We don’t do it for built and the way we are presenting ourselves money.” on the show.” They aren’t sure exactly how many Lego bricks they own, with DeMarco saying he was Interesting experience “being very conservative” in estimating it was Watching themselves on TV, the couple between 150,000 and a quarter million pieces. acknowledged, was an interesting experience. Their dining room, he said, is now basically They enjoyed how they were portrayed, even their Lego room or studio. during one early episode where the pressure Board added that the couple tries “very hard overwhelmed DeMarco and he broke down in to keep our Legos just to our Lego room. You tears to be consoled by Board, in what was a wouldn’t have to look hard to find at least a touching scene. little Lego in every room of the house and in “I had a good time on the our car.” show,” DeMarco said, adding Most of the Lego structures they have on that he suffers from anxiety and display are sets the company sells rather than it took a while for him to adjust their own designs, as they are constantly to the time pressure they were recycling pieces from one of their MOCs to under on the show to come up another. with a design and execute it. “We “The things we build, we take apart because typically, for our larger sculpwe need the electronic components back to tures, spend four to six months work on something else,” explained DeMarco. on something; we do highly This September they hope to be able to detailed work. So being under travel to Denmark. They’ve been invited to pressure and having to redesign show four or five of their Lego MOCs at the something three hours into that Masterpiece Gallery at the Lego House in Bilchallenge after getting feedlund where the company is based. back from the judges; that stuff “For us it is the biggest deal ... It is the Louweighed down on me.” vre of Lego,” said DeMarco. “It is a once in a He joked that seeing it on TV lifetime thing for sure.” didn’t look as bad as he rememAdded Board, “We found out about it at A drag queen Lego character bered feeling at the time. And home in bed in the morning; Flynn screamed so loud he scared the dog,” an Australian Cattle Dog named Very Logan. Should another Lego TV show opportunity come around, they wouldn’t mind being cast again, considering how much they enjoyed being a part of “Lego Masters.” “I definitely feel it brought us much closer together,” said DeMarco. “We were always providing support for each other. But to go through something that intense with someone you’ve known a really long time, it creates a special type of bond.”t

of Batman in the “Lego” movies. It premiered in February and features pairs of Lego builders – Board and DeMarco’s team name was Married Thespians – competing each week to create a Lego MOC centered around a new theme every episode. The winning team will receive $100,000, a trophy, and the title of “Lego Master.” In the third episode, “Cut in Half,” Board and DeMarco’s clock creation won them top honors from the judges, two Lego employees. But they then struggled with their build in the sixth episode to land in the bottom and were voted out in the seventh episode that aired March 18. Titled “Storybook,” it featured a bunch of kids who helped come up with the theme for the Lego builds the competitors had to design and then helped judge their creations. “I was completely floored when we were selected for the show,” said Board, who had never spent so much time with DeMarco as he did shooting the series for seven weeks last year. “The experience on the show with Flynn was wonderful.” They were the only gay couple cast, though another team featured Samuel Hatmaker, a member of the queer Radical Fairies group who lives in Los Angeles. The trio has become friends, as have all of the contestants, said Board and DeMarco, who appeared with the other teams at various Lego conventions earlier this year and hope to do so later this year. “I just wanted to say while the focus of our time on Lego Masters was building and making art, I want to thank Fox and all the producers of the show for welcoming us as an out gay couple on the show and on national TV, and also for having Samuel Hatmaker on the show. They went

Courtesy Instagram

The couple’s fame has now jumped beyond the Lego fan base due to their being selected for the Fox competition show Lego Masters hosted by actor Will Arnett, the voice

Oakland couple shares a love of Legos

Richard Board and Flynn DeMarco’s award-winning Lego build, “Treasure of the Snake Queen.”

Flynn DeMarco’s ‘Witch’s House.’

To watch full episodes of Lego Masters and learn more about the cast, visit the show’s website at www.fox.com/lego-masters/ watch?v=Aq57iMONXV0 Follow Flynn DeMarco on Instagram at www.instagram.com/in_like_flynn/

TV>>

March 26-April 1, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 13

Dystopiana The Lavender Tube’s pandemic picks

Left: Motherland: Fort Salem Right: Jeremy Lindsay Taylor and Yael Stone in Deep Water.

by Victoria A. Brownworth

elcome to the new dystopia. While we are self-isolating for the foreseeable future, let’s make our time in quarantine as manageable as possible and create a TV routine that is helpful, not harmful. Some mental health experts we interviewed this week told us that limiting news intake is important. So pick a time to watch, but keep it to small servings. We recommend the local evening news to know what is happening in San Francisco, Oakland, Marin county and environs. And then one of the queer news shows on CNN and MSNBC for more national news; Rachel Maddow, Anderson Cooper, Don Lemon. You can always check out CNN online for updates from Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has been with us since the last pandemic that hit our community. But you want to keep your anxiety down and spirits up. Our spirits were buoyed by Project Runway’s Christian Siriano, now fashion designer to many stars, including Pose’s Billy Porter. Siriano offered to make face masks to help with the shortage and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said hell yeah, let’s do it, as the two had a heartwarming exchange on Twitter. The fabulously gay Siriano said in an interview, “I am just in a unique scenario where I manufacture everything in New York already, I have a working atelier and everyone’s working from home, and my office is a townhouse,” Siriano said. “We’re just able to make them.” Siriano added, “We’re just working on logistics now: who will get them first, how many we can physically make. Hopefully, we can make a thousand in a few days. That’s the goal.” If you need a TV pick-me-up, binging Project Runway can certainly do it. There are 18 seasons available on Hulu, YouTube and Amazon Prime. Streaming services Netflix, Hulu,

Amazon and Apple are your besties, now. Take an hour and do a search of what you most want to watch and make a list, so you don’t consistently end up watching 30 trailers and no shows. For decompressing, we like cooking shows, house renovation and stand-up comedy specials. There’s nothing like some queer cooking with lesbian chefs Anne Burrell and her wife, Koren The Real Deal Grieveson. Burrell’s series Worst Cooks in America is perfect for binging, she’s a lot of fun, you are never going to make this food, so you can live it vicariously with no pressure and just relax and have fun.

Motherland: Fort Salem

Motherland: Fort Salem is so very much a series for this moment in whateverthehell time. It debuted on Freeform March 18 and is enjoyable, dark goodness. Set in a largely “matrifocal” world, as they say, you love to see it. In this alternative America, witches –the Salem women of yore– ended their persecution three centuries ago by trading their futures, and those of their daughters-to-be, for their lives. They worked out a deal with the government to be a warrior class, a paramilitary superhero witch force fighting for their country. We could so use this now. The premise allows for lots of physicality –women doing mixed martial arts together and getting down in the mud– literally. The series, from Claws creator Eliot Laurence and executive producers and SNL alums Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, as well as out bisexual director Maria Maggenti, is compelling and blatantly, ‘push her against the wall and unbuckle her belt in the barracks in the first episode’ queer. The plot follows three young women from basic training in combat magic into early deployment. In this world, the traditional roles of

gender and power are flipped, with the more dominant women on the front lines fighting looming terrorist threats that are familiar to our world, but with supernatural tactics and weapons. Witches are iconic figures of Otherness and women are the perpetual Other in society. Motherland: Fort Salem threads this Otherness throughout–women have taken their power and they will use it as they see fit. This is gender nonconforming writ large. The three main young witches in training Abigail (Ashley Nicole Williams), Tally (Jessica Sutton) and Raelle (Taylor Hickson) each have their own agendas as they arrive at the barracks. Abigail is descended from a famous former slave witch and she is determined to be the leader of her team and drives the other witches hard. How dark does Motherland get? There’s a terrorist witch group, the Spree, that infiltrates the paramilitary group and threatens to undermine Fort Salem and its mission. Like salted caramel popcorn, Motherland: Fort Salem is light, delicious, surprisingly satisfying. You’ll definitely want more.

Deep Water

We love an Australian accent and we love a crime series. Netflix matched us 99 percent with the Australian mini-series (an oh-soperfect four episodes) Deep Water and they know us so well. The drama is based on the historical, unsolved hate murders of several dozen gay men in Sydney’s eastern suburbs and beaches in the 1980s and ’90s. SBS broadcasted a documentary of these events, Deep Water: The Real Story (2016), in conjunction with the miniseries, which is also quite good, though you will want to watch the miniseries first, as the documentary will spoil the plot of the miniseries. Detectives Tori Lustigman (Yael Stone) and Manning (Noah Taylor) are assigned a brutal murder case of a young man at Bondi Beach. But soon into their investigation,

they begin to uncover evidence that the killing is linked to a series of unexplained deaths as well as alleged suicides and disappearances of gay men back in the 1980s and 1990s. Tori is haunted by the disappearance of her teenage brother, and as she becomes more involved in the

case, she becomes equally certain that her brother may be part of it, making for a potentially heartbreaking subplot. When more ritualistic murders occur that have the same bizarre signature, both detectives put everything in their lives on the line to solve the murders. The series takes place in part during Sydney’s Mardi Gras, which makes for lots of gorgeous, barely clothed men on the beach who are in no way social distancing. There is a political underpinning to this series–misogyny in the police force (Tori drives this investigation and is clearly brilliant at her job, but is derided and demeaned by her boss) and the peril of the closet as men in high places with bearded lives get ensnared in their own secrets, as happened last week to Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum. Be forewarned, there are a few scenes of brutal violence in Deep Water, but the series is superb and definitely worth a deep dive. One small spoiler: Pay keen attention to the opening scenes–they are pivotal later.t

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14 • Bay Area Reporter • March 26-April 1, 2020

Charlotte Coleman: Gay bar superstar

Darlene/Photo Graphics

Left: Charlotte Coleman’s Coast Guard. Right: Charlotte Coleman in the Bay Area Reporter, 1996.

by Michael Flanagan

harlotte Coleman’s bars grew from the harassment of the 1950s. But the unintended consequence of losing a job was that she wasn’t just a bar owner: she had such business acumen that some of her bars still exist till today. When we think of our community’s lesbian bar owners, it’s natural that we think of the ones who owned women’s bars, like Rikki Streicher, Peg Clark and Ollie Olivera. But Coleman was a bar owner of a different stripe. For much of the more than forty years that she was in the bar business, she owned bars which were, in large part, gay men’s bars. Coleman was originally from Rhode Island, where she served in the Coast Guard and received an honorable discharge. After serving, she took a train trip around the United States and arrived in San Francisco in the late Forties. Once here, she initially worked for the Internal Revenue Service. After working there ten years, she was called into an office and presented with a four-inch-high file of notes. Her phone had been tapped, her mail was read and she had been followed by investigators from the IRS. Unable to prove that she was lesbian, the reason for her dismissal was ‘association with persons of ill repute.’ But the up side of this firing was that she was given the money she had contributed to a retirement account, which was around $1,000 ($9,000 in 2020 dollars).

Coleman used that money to buy The Blind Mouse, a gay restaurant at 600 Front Street, and opened her first bar there, The Front, in 1958. It was also her only women’s bar. The bar had a stage and a piano, and she had male and female impersonators as well as pantomime acts. From the very beginning of her Bay Area life, Coleman was involved in community politics. In an interview with Nan Alamilla Boyd in Wide Open Town: A History of Queer San Francisco to 1965 Del Martin said: “During the 1960 (Daughters of Bilitis) convention she closed down one night so we could have a party at her place.” Part of Coleman’s reasoning for opening a bar in the downtown produce district was that it was relatively deserted at night and would escape the notice of police. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Faced with multiple specious morals charges, Coleman lost her license and The Front closed in 1962.

Golden opportunity

The same year she opened The Golden Cask (1725 Haight St.). In an interview with Boyd which does not appear in Wide Open Town (but is held at the GLBT Historical Society), Coleman explained how the license for the bar was in Peggy Forster’s name. “By this time I had to put it in Peggy’s name because I’d lost my license at The Front; I was with her at that point.”

Henri Leleu, Courtesy: GLBT Historical Society

Charlotte Coleman at the Tricycle Races.

Bay Area Reporter’s coverage of the 1973 Great Tricycle Race.

Coleman told Boyd her logic for opening a gay men’s bar. “The women got into so many fights, pulling hair and dumping beers over each other. I always was in the middle trying to break things up. And I really didn’t make any money either, so I decided that was a lot of fun, but I couldn’t make a living. The next one was really a man’s bar.” The police harassment did not stop with the move, however. In an oral history with the GLBT Historical Society, Coleman said, “We had our grand opening of the restaurant and hundreds of people were there.

And they came up with the police cars and paddy wagon. Peg was behind the bar and they came in and they arrested her. And what was it? She had a parking ticket that was about three years old that they were holding for that night.” These tactics did not have the intended effect, however. Asked by the B.A.R.’s Mary Richards in 1996 if she was frightened by the police tactics, Coleman responded, “No. I was mad.” The harassment did not stop Coleman and Forster from supporting the community. In March, 1965, The Golden Cask held a benefit for the Council on Religion and the Homosexual to cover the legal expenses for the ministers arrested at the benefit earlier that year. And it didn’t harm their business either. In an interview for Boyd’s book, Streicher commented that The Golden Cask always did good business. Forster kept the restaurant till 1972.

Mint condition

Above: Charlotte Coleman at Atlas Savings and Loan, Bay Area Reporter, 1980 Above Right: Charlotte Coleman receiving an award, Bay Area Reporter, 1980 Below: Charlotte Coleman with Roberta Bobba and Carole Migden at the 2009 Openhouse SF Spring Fling, Bay Area Reporter Below Right: Margaret Ann “Peggy” Forster, Bay Area Reporter, 2008

In 1967, Coleman and Forster purchased The Mint (originally 1948 Market St., now 1942 Market St.). Originally encompassing both the restaurant and the bar currently at that location, The Mint was initially best known as a steakhouse. But Coleman’s Mint is perhaps best remembered for the tricycle races, which they began on Memorial Day 1972. Coleman had assigned various holidays to employees for ideas to stimulate business. Les Balmain came up with the idea for the races. Teams of two people (often in costume) would push the tricycles from bar to bar throughout the city, where they received complimentary drinks. The event was a charity fundraiser as well, with money going to Guide Dogs For the Blind initially and later to many AIDS charities. The races lasted until 1993, well past 1975, when Coleman sold The Mint. In November 1972, the following item appeared in the “Mama

Knows” column of the Kalendar: “Another bar will be opening where the Twin Peaks is now. I’m told they want it to be a people bar. Not Gay, not Straight, just a nice place to see how the other half lives.” This was the first word of the Twin Peaks, which Forster bought with Mary Ellen Cunha and silent partner Coleman. The “people bar” notion didn’t last long, perhaps because of the bar’s location on Castro Street. By May 1973, Vector, an article on a S.I.R. tour of the Castro for U.C. Davis students noted: “Some of them were rather surprised that Gay people would be as open about themselves to congregate in a bar like the Twin Peaks, because its windows were wide open to the public.” The Twin Peaks was already known as a gay bar with its windows open to the world in 1973. Coleman’s association with the bar lasted till 2003, when Forster and Cunha sold the bar to the current owners. The list of bars that Coleman was involved in goes well beyond these notable places. She owned Gilmore’s (1068 Hyde) from 1978 to 1993, the cabaret Charpe’s (131 Gough) from 1989 to 2000 and numerous other bars, including The Trapp (72 Eddy), Blue & Gold (136 Turk), the Old Mission Inn (507 Valencia) and The Answer (1640 Main Street, Redwood City). Coleman was also on the board of the Tavern Guild, the treasurer of the First Gay Games, and was a founding member of Atlas Savings & Loan, the first gay bank in the world. Coleman died on November 13, 2015 at age 92, but her legacy lives on, as witnessed by the continued existence of both The Mint and Twin Peaks. She overcame the police harassment of bars in the 1950s and ’60s and continued to contribute to her community for the 45 years she was a bar owner in San Francisco.t

Leather>>

March 26-April 1, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 15

Sex in the era of COVID-19

Mark Abramson

The staff of The Edge, one of all bars closed, also boarded up the bar’s windows to prevent looting.

by Race Bannon

ell, life has sure changed in the past two weeks. COVID-19, also known as the novel coronavirus, has affected all of us dramatically, certainly for the short term. Our LGBTQ leather, kink and sexuality-based cultures must adjust to a new reality. How we adjust is anyone’s guess right now, but I have some thoughts. Lots of people are struggling right now, or soon will be. This is an ‘all hands on deck’ moment. The shelter-in-place directive we’re currently living under has severely restricted our ability to commune. Gatherings are not a good idea right now. We need to embrace social distancing for as long as the public health professionals tell us to do so. Our daily habits need to respect the guidance of science and reason. If there was ever a ‘we’re all in this together’ moment, this is it. I’m not going to articulate any general guidelines right now except the basics of keeping our distance from each other, washing our hands, and following whatever cautionary practices the experts tell us will best keep us from getting ourselves or others sick. Some of the guidelines may be moving targets for a while. Keep abreast of trusted news and information sources and heed the advice of

the professionals. One thing we do still need is connection. Most humans, even the most introverted, require at least some human connection to maintain wellbeing. With the current inability to gather in groups or connect in close contact with anyone outside of our immediate trusted circle, we need to get creative. I’ve been hosting online chats and meeting-style meetups through various online connection and conferencing services. It doesn’t really matter what tools or platforms you use, but I recommend you reach out to friends and acquaintances and see if you can foster some connection. Hang out and talk online. Text each other. If possible, use technology to see each other while you talk, because visual connection matters now more than ever. Then, there’s the tricky issue of sex. Can we have sex? If so, within what parameters? With information about COVID-19 developing each day, what I say here might turn on a dime tomorrow. New York City, one of the hardest hit areas of the country, has issued guidelines about having sex. I’ll use those to guide my suggestions. Educate yourself on how the virus is spread. Keep up with the latest information. Thus far we know it’s mostly spread by being in close prox-

imity. That’s why it’s suggested we remain six feet from others. COVID-19 has been found in feces. It hasn’t been found in semen or vaginal fluid. Other coronaviruses don’t efficiently transmit through sex, but this virus is just too new to know much for sure. Hookup culture is on hold. I know that’s a tough thing for some to hear, but it’s the sensible approach. Having sex with people you don’t know well isn’t a good idea right now. Until the virus is more contained and public health experts declare the urgency has subsided, knowing your sex partners is the way to go. Go ahead and jerk off. Do that a lot. It relieves sexual tension and

helps you more easily get through these initial stages of the pandemic. If you have a sex partner you live with, that’s the next safest option. Keep your sex partners to as few as possible. Consider embracing video sex, sexting and sex chat rooms. Now is the time to foster that type of fantasy life to the best of your ability. When having sex, I’m sadly reminded of the times when we didn’t know much about how HIV was transmitted. Avoid kissing anyone not in your immediate sexual inner circle. Rimming is risky per the data thus far known. Maybe embrace condoms or dental dams again to reduce contact with saliva or feces. Make sure to thoroughly wash before and after sex. Scrub your body with soap and water for at least 20 seconds wherever contact has been made. Wash sex toys with soap and warm water. Disinfect all shared keyboards and screens. If you or anyone in your inner sexual circle isn’t feeling well, no sex. None. Assume they’re infected and keep your distance. Again, in the early stages of HIV, many of us acted as if we were infected. COVID-19 spreads much more easily. The same mindset applies right now. Some may believe any sex right now outside of standing relationships (with others who are similarly isolating with the agreement to play only with one another) is too liberal a stance. Others may believe that’s overly restrictive. You must decide for yourself, but make sure you have solid information upon which to base your decision. The good news? It’s likely we’ll get past this critical stage of the pandemic at some point and our sex lives can return to some normalcy. No one has a crystal ball to know that turning

point, but they know how to keep such viruses at bay. They’re aggressively working on ways to employ widespread testing and that will be a game changer. The healthcare system will reach an equilibrium with the influx of infections. We will flatten the curve. We will get past this. Finally, there are a lot of people struggling right now with layoffs, reduced employment, a lack of healthcare insurance, hunger and housing displacement. The list of urgencies is long. Efforts are underway right now to help those in need. Here are two of many such projects. The SF Bay Area Queer Nightlife Fund is a collective of nightlife organizers, producers, entertainers, venue owners, and nonprofit community leaders providing direct gifts of aid to workers from LGBTQ nightlife groups in the SF Bay Area. The Bay Area Leather Lifeline is a fund to help kinksters and leather folk in the SF Bay Area who need immediate help during the COVID-19 crisis. You’ll find links to these two emergency funds and other fundraisers and resources below. Stay safe. Be kind to each other. Help each other out. Check in on each other. Right now, more than ever, it takes a village. www.ball.leatheralliance.org www.sfqueernightlifefund.org The LGBTQ Leather, Kink and Sexuality Communities Resources Guide is a “living” document and will be updated ongoing as more information is made available. https://bit.ly/2Jpcxud t Race Bannon is a local author, blogger and activist. www.bannon.com

Graphics by Christopher Wood

Top: The Bay Area Leather Lifeline fund was established to help kinksters and leather folk in the SF Bay Area who need immediate help during the COVID-19 crisis. Right: The SF Bay Area Queer Nightlife Fund provides direct gifts of aid to workers from LGBTQ nightlife groups in the SF Bay Area.

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