March 14, 2019 edition of the Bay Area Reporter

11

Merchants prez to step down

Mixed messages in Trump budget

ARTS

07

15

23

Queering the Schmear

SFS 2019-20

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Vol. 49 • No. 11 • March 14-20, 2019

Breed: SF Open to All

Courtesy Twitter

Incoming San Francisco Fire Chief Jeanine Nicholson

Breed names first LGBT SF fire chief

by Matthew S. Bajko

S

an Francisco Mayor London Breed made history Wednesday with her appointment of Deputy Chief Jeanine Nicholson as the city’s first LGBT fire chief. The 25-year veteran of the fire department will succeed Chief Joanne Hayes-White when she retires May 5.

Breed revealed her choice to lead the department at a news conference in City Hall. It came two days after she had named Deputy Public Defender Manohar Raju as the successor to former Public Defender Jeff Adachi, who died unexpectedly on February 22.

Nicholson thanked the mayor in her brief remarks, telling Breed that, “with humility and determination, I accept. Now, let’s get back to work.”

Hayes-White told the crowd she “was thrilled to be here” and applauded the mayor for selecting Nicholson out of three possible picks that the fire commission had sent to her. She had announced her decision to retire in October, prompting the monthslong search to find her replacement.

“She gets the importance of teamwork, which is what we are all about within our department and working with city agencies,” Hayes-White said of Nicholson. “I was proud to promote her last year. She got a taste of what it is like to juggle different priorities. I wholeheartedly endorse Mayor Breed’s selection.”

Nicholson started with the fire department in January 1994 as a firefighter and then a firefighter paramedic before working her way up the ranks. She has served as a lieutenant, captain, and a battalion chief.

In her current role as deputy chief of administration, Nicholson has overseen a number of divisions within the fire department, including support services, homeland security, human resources, investigative services, and the assignment/personnel offices.

A breast cancer survivor, Nicholson sustained second-degree burns at an arson fire on Felton Street in 2009 where five other firefighters were also injured, one critically, noted the mayor’s office in its news release announcing her appointment.

“Deputy Chief Nicholson is a dedicated public servant and a tremendous leader and I can think of no better person to serve as our next Fire Chief,” stated Breed. “Her experience and See page 12

>>

Rick Gerharter

M

ayor London Breed passes off a pen after signing the Open to All pledge against discrimination during the campaign’s kick off in the Castro Tuesday, March 12. Gay leaders, including District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, city Treasurer José Cisneros, and outgoing Castro Merchants President Daniel Bergerac, attended the event. It en-

courages businesses and residents to oppose discrimination and declare that they are open to all regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, religion, or disability. The national campaign has received support from dozens of lawmakers and thousands of businesses. For more information, visit www.opentoall.com.

EQCA nixes SFO award

by Matthew S. Bajko

E

quality California is rescinding the award it had planned to present San Francisco International Airport at its San Francisco Equality Awards gala May 11 due to its handling of the signage for the Harvey Milk Terminal.

As the Bay Area Reporter reported Monday, community leaders and the family of the late gay supervisor Harvey Milk blasted SFO officials during a City Hall hearing for downplaying Milk’s name on the signage for the terminal being renamed after the LGBT icon.

Last year, city leaders decided to rename the under renovation Terminal 1 after Milk, who in 1977 became the first openly gay person elected in San Francisco only to be killed 11 months after taking office. But how the airport plans to incorporate Milk’s name into the signage for the terminal has come under fire.

Last fall, SFO officials released renderings for the exterior signage for the Milk terminal that gave more prominence to Terminal 1 than Milk’s name. District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen is seeking passage of an ordinance that would force the airport to install signage for the terminal that has the name “Harvey Milk Terminal” in a larger font size above smaller lettering for “Terminal 1.”

Newsom open to statewide HIV, STD plan

by Matthew S. Bajko

G

overnor Gavin Newsom is open to developing a statewide plan to end the interrelated epidemics of HIV, hepatitis C, and sexually transmitted diseases like syphilis and gonorrhea, the Bay Area Reporter has learned.

Since last year’s gubernatorial campaign, Californian AIDS agencies and providers of STD services have called for the state’s top leader to embrace an integrated approach to ending the trio of epidemics. As the B.A.R. first reported in February, the advocates are also seeking $60 million in dedicated funding in the state budget to address the correlated health issues.

The advocates had met with Newsom’s transition team to explain why a coordinated statewide strategy is needed. Rather than presenting a detailed plan to the governor, they prefer seeing him establish an End the Epidemics task force that would flesh out a proposal.

“We want to see a coordinated response by the state for addressing our public health issues,” said Courtney Mulhern-Pearson, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation’s senior director of policy and strategy. “We want to see public health elevated at the state level and see reinvestment in our public health.”

Last week, the advocates renewed their call for

Jane Philomen Cleland

Governor Gavin Newsom

Newsom to endorse the statewide plan by releasing a community consensus statement signed by 133 organizations across the state. Those signing on included SFAF, the AIDS Project of the East Bay, the Desert AIDS Project, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance of the Central Coast, the Los Angeles LGBT Center, and the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

“California has an opportunity to lead the nation and develop the first statewide strategy to

{ FIRST OF THREE SECTIONS }

See page 5 >>

simultaneously address HIV, HCV, and STDs,” stated Craig E. Thompson, CEO of APLA Health. “Governor Newsom showed decisive leadership in endorsing a statewide initiative to end the HIV and HCV epidemics during his campaign. We are eager to partner with him to fulfill that commitment and urge his administration to address California’s skyrocketing STD rates as part of this effort.”

Gay lawmakers state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Assemblyman Todd Gloria (D-San Diego), the chair and vice chair of the Legislative LGBT Caucus, respectively, also called on Newsom to back the statewide plan in a March 8 opinion piece in the Sacramento Bee. In it they wrote that California “is falling behind in addressing” the trio of epidemics. They noted that the Golden State has the most cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis of any state, as well as ranks first in the number of new HIV cases.

“California has the tools, resources, and knowledge to do what it takes to end these epidemics,” they wrote. “Now, Gov. Newsom and the Legislature must act. Together, we can get the job done.”

Asked about the dual public statements released last week, a spokesman for Newsom told the B.A.R. that the governor welcomes seeing a See page 12 >>

<< Community News

t Trans woman’s lawsuit forces change in City Hall policy 2 • Bay Area Reporter • March 14-20, 2019

by Alex Madison

S

an Francisco will revise its policies surrounding public protests on the steps of City Hall after a transgender woman sued the city when she was denied her right to demonstrate.

Shawn Sunshine Strickland, a homeless woman known as the “Supergirl of San Francisco” for her ubiquitous superhero attire, filed a federal lawsuit against the City and County of San Francisco in September 2018. The complaint, filed in

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U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, cites two specific incidents from 2017 in which sheriff’s deputies, who provide security at City Hall, forced Strickland off the steps, claiming she didn’t have a permit to protest. She sued over what her lawyer Donald Wagda called the city’s “unconstitutional policies.” The lawsuit is currently pending.

The City Hall Steps Use Policy states that any person or group must have an approved permit in order to protest. The new policy, according to Wagda, will no longer require groups under 15 people to have a permit. “[The city] knew that we would be able to force the change if they didn’t do it voluntarily,” Wagda told the Bay Area Reporter this week.

“The law is clear and they understand that their policy law is inconsistent with case law.”

His client is pleased with the policy change.

“Supergirls are all about justice and fighting the good fight,” Strickland said in a statement. “As ‘The Supergirl of San Francisco,’ justice is my mission, and the battle continues! Onward and upward!”

The city attorney’s office did not provide the B.A.R. with its amended policy, or say when the new policy would be implemented, but did confirm that it is being revised.

“The city is in the process of revising the policy. In the interim, the current policy will not be enforced with respect to issues identified in this lawsuit, like requiring a permit for a single person or small group. Larger groups still need a permit,” said John Cote, communications director for City Attorney Dennis Herrera.

Wagda said he was given a revised draft of the policy in February, but that the city has not given him any updates since then. The draft included an amendment that allows groups of any size to hold a protest if it is correlated to a breaking news event that occurred 24 hours before the protest is held. The ban on using the steps as a performance space is also being eliminated, something the lawsuit called “unconstitutionally vague” because the government provides no guidance on “what form of expressive content constitutes an impermissible performance.”

Though Wagda is not sure what the final policy will be, his client’s

Shawn Sunshine Strickland

lawsuit also challenges an aspect of the current policy that allows City Hall building management “to preempt and/or cancel any approved permit at anytime,” states the suit.

Something the revised policy will retain, Wagda explained, is the two business day timeframe that the city has to respond to completed permit applications and a permit for groups over 15 people.

“Civil rights are not self execut-

ing,” Wagda said in an interview.

“The government passes laws that are unconstitutional, and we have to challenge those policies. The updated policy will remove barriers that interfere with the capability of people to come out and speak their minds in a place where they are likely to be heard.”

The first of the two incidents listed in Strickland’s lawsuit happened in April 2017. Strickland held a oneperson religious demonstration on the City Hall steps to protest what Strickland called the failure of the San Francisco Police Department to investigate a physical attack she said she experienced by a transphobic employee at Dignity Health St. Mary’s Medical Center.

She had a protest banner, some belongings, and poured olive oil and salt on the steps to create a “spiritual circle.” Two sheriff ’s deputies approached Strickland and disrupted her demonstration.

“During a very brief initial conversation with Ms. Strickland, Deputy Barry Bloom violently grabbed her by the wrist and othSee page 12 >>

SF public defender pick praised by LGBTs

by Alex Madison

M

ayor London Breed’s appointment of Manohar Raju Monday as San Francisco’s next public defender was met by praise from many in the criminal justice system.

Raju, 50, will replace Jeff Adachi, who died last month after experiencing a medical emergency.

The new public defender will be

sworn in as soon as he relocates to San Francisco from Oakland. In the meantime, Matt Gonzalez, the office’s chief attorney, will handle the day-to-day operations as acting public defender, according to a news release from the public defender’s office.

Breed announced the appointment March 11 at City Hall after she and Raju met with staff at the public defender’s office, according to lesbian Deputy Public Defender Niki Solis, who was in attendance.

The news got a standing ovation from those in the room, Solis said.

In a news release from the mayor’s office, Raju complimented the work of his predecessor.

“Jeff Adachi was a tremendous leader, trailblazer, and friend. We are deeply mourning his loss in San Francisco and nationally,” said Raju. “I am honored to accept Mayor Breed’s appointment to carry forward the visionary advocacy of the San Francisco Public Defender’s office. Being a public defender is a spiritual calling for me – a calling inspired by the resilience of our clients and communities. I look forward to further building a vigorous, communitycentered public defense office through the collective leadership of our entire staff.”

Raju has been with the public defender’s office for 11 years and currently manages the felony division. Prior to that he served as director of training, where he worked with staff to develop and enhance public defender practices. He is also a founding member of Public Defenders for Racial Justice, a grassroots organization dedicated to advocating and litigating for racial justice in the courts.

He will serve as the city’s public defender until the winner of the November election is declared.

Raju announced he would run for election to fill the remaining three years of Adachi’s term.

In the release, Gonzalez said he has known Raju for two decades and indicated he would not run for the seat.

“Mano has a keen intellect, exceptional trial skills, and an awareness of the importance of being anchored in the communities we serve, all of which are essential to leading and inspiring the office,”

Courtesy SF Public Defender’s office

Incoming San Francisco Public Defender Manohar Raju

Gonzalez said. “He has my full support.”

Breed praised Raju’s commitment to equity and advocacy in the release and on Twitter, saying she believes he will continue to make a difference in the community.

“His advocacy for addressing systemic challenges to help those who need it most demonstrates that he will continue Jeff Adachi’s legacy of not only fighting in the courtroom, but also fighting to change policies and support innovative programs that make a difference in the community,” the mayor said in the release. “I am confident that in Mano our city will have someone who will continue on the mission that Jeff set for the office.”

Solis, who has been with the public defender’s office for 23 years, was pleased with the appointment.

“I believe she made a great decision in picking someone who has dedicated their life and career to the work,” Solis said in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter. “He will continue the work of tackling the injustices in our system.”

The announcement also squashed prior rumblings that Breed may have been considering someone outside the public defender’s office, Solis said. She also interviewed for the position and confirmed that she would not be a candidate in the November election.

“I would not run against Mano.

I think that he is capable and well-

liked and more than competent to carry on the fight for social justice and inequalities in our criminal justice system,” Solis said.

Although Solis was unable to comment on Raju’s history of advocacy for the LGBT community, she said the various issues surrounding incarcerated transgender people need to be addressed and that she believes Raju will be open to listening to ideas.

Another LGBT community member, lesbian Police Commissioner Petra DeJesus, was also happy with the appointment. If a politician had filled the position, DeJesus said, it could have resulted in budget cuts, layoffs, and an understaffed and under-resourced public defender’s office.

She told the B.A.R. that Raju is “someone who understands the value of the public defender’s office and is committed to providing quality services to the city.”

The police commissioner also mentioned the challenges transgender people face in San Francisco’s criminal justice system and that she looks forward to Raju’s response to those issues.

“In the sheriff ’s office trans people have been placed in the wrong holding cell or the [wrong] jail itself. I’ll be interested to see where he stands and picks up the mantle,” DeJesus said.

Implementing protocol around the booking process for trans people is something DeJesus would like to see Raju do, calling it an “important issue for the LGBT community.”

District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen, a straight ally, was also pleased with Breed’s choice.

“I am relieved and elated,” Ronen told the B.A.R. “I know Mano. He is known for being perhaps one of the best public defenders in the country.

“While I was rooting for Matt Gonzalez, I think that when I heard the choice was Mano I applauded immediately,” she added.

“It is an absolutely excellent choice and I really appreciate the mayor was thoughtful about this and committed to Jeff ’s legacy.”

Raju received his undergraduate degree from Columbia University and his law degree from UC Berkeley. t

<< Open Forum

4 • Bay Area Reporter • March 14-20, 2019

Volume 49, Number 11 March 14-20, 2019 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman BARTAB EDITOR & EVENTS LISTINGS EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • Alex Madison CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ray Aguilera • Tavo Amador • Race Bannon Roger Brigham • Brian Bromberger Victoria A. Brownworth • Brent Calderwood Philip Campbell • Heather Cassell Belo Cipriani • Dan Renzi • Michael Flanagan Jim Gladstone • David Guarino Liz Highleyman • Brandon Judell John F. Karr • Lisa Keen • Matthew Kennedy Joshua Klipp • David Lamble • Max Leger David-Elijah Nahmod • Paul Parish Sean Piverger • Lois Pearlman Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota • Bob Roehr Adam Sandel • Jason Serinus • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith • Tony Taylor • Sari Staver Jim Stewart • Sean Timberlake • Andre Torrez Ronn Vigh • Charlie Wagner • Ed Walsh Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood ART DIRECTION Max Leger PRODUCTION/DESIGN Ernesto Sopprani PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • FBFE Rick Gerharter • Gareth Gooch Jose Guzman-Colon • Rudy K. Lawidjaja Georg Lester • Dan Lloyd • Jo-Lynn Otto Rich Stadtmiller • Kelly Sullivan • Fred Rowe Steven Underhil • Dallis Willard • Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge • Christine Smith ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION Colleen Small Bogitini VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING Scott Wazlowski – 415.829.8937 NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

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EQCA grounds honor for SFO

W

e were puzzled by the discovery a couple of months ago that Equality California, the statewide LGBT advocacy group, was planning to honor San Francisco International Airport at its Equality Awards gala in the city in May. After all, SFO has hardly been supportive of city officials’ decision to name Terminal 1 after slain supervisor Harvey Milk. Airport officials have been dismissive of supervisors’ directives and have tried to undermine the terminal project, which includes exterior signage, art reflective of Milk, and other displays featuring the history-making gay icon. That the airport’s leadership would exhibit such disregard was shocking.

On Tuesday, EQCA made the right call to remove SFO from its awards gala.

For the last six years, we have reported on the unending saga to name the terminal for Milk, the state’s first out elected official. Now that the naming plan has been approved by the Board of Supervisors and signed by the mayor, airport officials continue to be less than enthusiastic about the actual details of the plan, such as how large the letters should be that spell out “Harvey Milk Terminal.”

District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen had to resort to introducing legislation to mandate the size of the lettering and other signage to ensure they would be prominent. At a Monday hearing of the board’s rules committee, which Ronen chairs, SFO director Ivar C. Satero did himself no favors as he sought to have the ordinance scrubbed in favor of an administrative solution. That did not please Ronen, who doubled down on her insistence that the terminal properly pay respect to Milk.

“I am frustrated. It has been a fight every step of the way, and that has not changed in any point of the process,” Ronen told the Bay Area Reporter following the hearing.

Courtesy SFO

The old version of plans for the Harvey Milk Terminal shows the small letters design for the late gay icon.

Even more disturbing were comments from Milk’s gay nephew, Stuart Milk, that airport officials have not communicated directly with him, his family, or the Harvey Milk Foundation during this entire process. Stuart Milk said that he gave one of his cards to an airport official last spring at the signing ceremony to designate Terminal 1 in honor of his uncle. He’s still waiting to be contacted.

Ronen and gay former supervisor David Campos, who spearheaded the Milk terminal project when he served on the board, both apologized to Stuart Milk.

“I’m disappointed that the airport didn’t reach out to the Milk family, an obvious measure of respect, and I apologize to the Milk family on behalf of the city,” Ronen said at the hearing.

Stuart Milk, who sits on EQCA’s board, quickly informed Executive Director Rick Zbur this week about his concerns. In his statement, Zbur acknowledged that recognizing SFO at this year’s Equality Awards is “premature.”

t

“We would prefer to wait until the airport has submitted plans for appropriately bold signage and the public has had the opportunity to see and experience the Harvey Milk terminal and the amazing public art and exhibitions inside,” he added.

At the hearing, Satero got bogged down talking about “wayfinding” – easing navigation paths for airport users. SFO has only four terminals; we think travelers will be able to find the right one. He said that there are existing federal requirements for “T1,” T2”, etc. signage to indicate the designated terminal, and that “Harvey Milk” would only appear on the entrance.

Yet he mentioned that the airport is changing 150 signs so hotel guests are directed to shuttle buses bound for the new Grand Hyatt. Ronen told us afterward, “As Ivar said at the end of the hearing, they are replacing all this signage leading people to a hotel. Why can’t they offer that same attention and respect to Harvey Milk?”

Indeed.

Community members can be assured that Milk will be appropriately recognized now that Ronen has amended her ordinance. It calls for the exterior signage facing the airport’s roadway entrance and the domestic parking garage to state “Harvey Milk Terminal” in capital letters at least four feet high, and smaller letters below for “Terminal 1” at about three-quarters the height. She also added a section that says wherever signage identifying Terminal 1 appears on the interior or exterior of the terminal or airport the words “Harvey Milk” appear in equal or greater height.

These airport shenanigans point to the importance of LGBTs serving on city commissions (the airport has none). Mayor London Breed must give serious consideration to naming an LGBT person the next time there is a vacancy on the panel. With regard to this project, the presence of an LGBT airport commissioner might have resulted in a smoother flight with less turbulence.t

Intersex bill would cause harm

by Lane Palmer

between genders, all with identical interests, is not only a great disservice istorically, California has been one to the diversity and pluralism of the of the vanguards of social progbroadly intersex community but is ress. On the front lines of innovation, unethical in principle. and one of the fiercest defenders of Consider the case of patients technology, science, and medicine, Calwith congenital adrenal hyperplasia ifornia is a place where its residents can (CAH), a potentially life-threatening be sure that the government is actively endocrine disorder that is also the protecting basic liberties. Last month, most commonly diagnosed cause of a bill was submitted in the California Dr. Lane Palmer atypical genitalia. CAH affects the Legislature that proposes the prohiadrenal glands, inhibiting the body’s bition of doctors from performing ability to regulate blood pressure, certain surgeries on children born with intersex blood sugar, and respond to infections. However, conditions. “Intersex” is an umbrella term used CAH also affects genital development. Many feto describe a wide variety of conditions in which males with CAH are born with externally fused an individual’s genitalia does not match standard vaginal canals, requiring surgical reconstruction definitions of male or female. This may include in order to allow for proper menstruation. Failvariations such as genital ambiguity, hormonal ure to do so could result in severe illness as built issues, deviations in sexual phenotype, or aberup blood lacks an avenue for voiding, as well as rations in chromosomal genotype. For some of precluding the possibility of reproduction. Most these young patients, their physiology is medically girls with CAH undergo feminizing genitoplasty healthy, despite differences from the norm. For procedures to ensure healthy functionality. There others, there may be serious medical complicahave been cases where some have waited, but tions necessitating surgery. The privilege of having such patients have overwhelmingly indicated all viable options and potential solutions on the that they wish they had undergone the procetable is something that families cannot afford to dure when they were infants. In fact, nearly 90 lose while making the most consequential health percent of CAH patients believe that the procedecisions of their lives. dure should be done within the first year of life.

The authors of Senate Bill 201 seek to The proposed legislation would exeliminate that privilege. Disguised pressly prohibit such procedures. as legislation that protects patient Such political activism speaks to an choice, this bill does the literal opagenda designed to interfere with a posite and would have severely delparent’s right, and legal obligation, to eterious effects on the intersex commake medical decisions on behalf munity. Affected families of these of their child. An issue that should infant patients must be allowed all so clearly be considered medical viable options when considering and a private decision, has become treatment plans, shirking families politically polarized to the point of the basic liberties that California is where legislators with no medical known for protecting. This legislation put mildly, background in the field, lacking true knowledge eliminates that choice. of the issue, have advanced spurious legislation The first issue that needs to be addressed reunder the pretense of protecting a vulnerable garding this legislation is its gross simplification minority without considering the real-life exof intersexuality. What the bill labels as intersex periences and concerns of those who would be actually encompasses approximately 30 differimpacted by the legislation. A vocal minority of ent conditions, each distinctly unique, and each activists has convinced well-meaning individuals requiring its own specific treatment and set of and politically sensitive legislators to support this considerations. The overwhelming majority of bill based on its political merits while ignoring patients who label themselves as intersex do not the voices of those they purport to protect. in any way question their gender. This is one of The bill constitutes an aggressive abrogation the most critical facts this legislation fails to recof parental rights. It is egregious for such an imognize. To speak of this broad spectrum of peoportant decision to be appropriated by governple as if they are some monolithic group stuck ment officials and politicians away from parents.

H

Barring medically necessary emergencies, such decisions rightly fall under parental purview.

Monolithic legal injunctions are wholly inappropriate, given that the complexity of the issue necessitates each case being considered individually, with cultural and familial considerations being given their due weight.

Perhaps most alarming has been the impetus behind the legislation. It has not been informed by medical best-practices, current scientific literature, expert opinion, or a wide swath of patient opinion. It has been primarily driven by an extremely vocal, highly politically charged movement. For many patients, it has been frustrating and even heartbreaking for them to see their conditions co-opted by a political movement that does not represent their best interests.

Pediatric urologists, the doctors whose responsibility is to care for these children, are not prosurgery any more than they are anti-surgery. What they do advocate is for parental and patient education, usage of evidence-based literature, familycentered care, a multidisciplinary approach, and an individualized focus informed by the child’s input and unique situation. Unfortunately, this bill, SB 201, denies a parent’s right to make informed decisions for their children, potentially subjects children to adverse health consequences, limits access to medical options, and undermines the relationship between doctors and patients.

This legislation is anti-choice, anti-parental rights, anti-science, and anti-patient. There is absolutely nothing righteous or just about what this legislation seeks to accomplish. No doubt, many support this legislation out of a misguided belief that it is in the best interests of intersex patients.

As a practicing pediatric urologist with decades of experience guiding patients and their families through the most challenging times of their lives, this legislation is unequivocally not in the best interests of anyone except the political actors pushing it. If we allow our conceit to get the best of us, we will have to reckon with the real harm this bill will ultimately inflict on patients and children.t Click here (https://bit.ly/2VSmmF6) to read the Societies of Pediatric Urology official statement regarding the proposed legislation.

Dr. Lane Palmer is president of the Societies for Pediatric Urology, President of the Pediatric Urology Associates, and Chief of Pediatric Urology at the Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York.

Politics>>

t Yeager rules out Senate run to helm LGBT foundation

by Matthew S. Bajko

G

ay former Santa Clara County supervisor Ken Yeager has ruled out seeking a state Senate seat in 2020 in order to helm and grow a foundation focused on the needs of the South Bay’s LGBT community.

Yeager, who was termed out of office last year, had been considering a bid for the state Senate’s District 15 seat. Senator Jim Beall (D-San Jose) is termed out in 2020, leaving his Silicon Valley seat open.

In order to seek the seat, Yeager would have had to move into Beall’s district. His San Jose home is currently within the boundary of Senator Bob Wieckowski’s (D-Fremont) 10th Senate District.

While Yeager was open to relocating, he has decided instead to become the first executive director of the BAYMEC Community Foundation. It is the philanthropic nonprofit arm of the Bay Area Municipal Elections Committee, which Yeager co-founded in 1984 with an eye toward electing out people to public office in the South Bay and California’s central coast.

Yeager became the first to do so in Santa Clara County in 1992 by winning a seat on the board of the San Jose-Evergreen Community College District. He then became the first out person elected to the San Jose City Council and later earned the same honor on the county board.

The foundation announced Yeager’s hiring Wednesday, March 13, his first official day in the job.

“We are very excited to have Supervisor Yeager on board,” stated foundation board president James Gonzales, the immediate past president of BAYMEC. “We see it as a continuation of the great job he has been doing in the community over the past 35 years. Frankly, we can’t think of anyone who knows these issues as well as he does.”

In an interview Tuesday with the Bay Area Reporter, Yeager said he could still seek legislative office at some point. Depending on how district lines are drawn following the 2020 census, he could find himself living in either a state Assembly or

<<

Jo-Lynn Otto

Former Santa Clara County supervisor Ken Yeager

Senate district where the incumbent is termed out of office or running for a higher office.

“For me, the timing just wasn’t right,” said Yeager, 66, who also opted against running for a state Assembly seat in 2012.

Because neither the San Jose City Council nor the county board has an out LGBT person serving on it, Yeager sees running the foundation as a way to ensure the myriad LGBT projects he launched and sought funding for while in public office remain in place. Examples include the recently opened transgender health center and LGBT homeless shelter, as well as the ongoing talks to construct housing for LGBT seniors in downtown San Jose.

“I don’t preclude running for office in the future. But I think, for now, I want to make sure all the work I have done over the last 30 years is continued,” said Yeager.

“The county has been on the forefront of so many innovative projects. And now that we don’t have an openly gay person serving on the Board of Supervisors or City Council, I felt an obligation that we put things in place so we continue going forward and don’t go back.”

The four-year-old BAYMEC foundation currently has a budget of $6,000, said Yeager, and thus his compensation has yet to be determined.

One of his main goals will be to seek out donations, grants, and other fi-

nancial support to bolster the foundation’s coffers.

“It has never really been active,” said Yeager. “I saw it as sort of an avenue to work on many issues. It really is recreating it in a much more advocacy role than it ever had.”

He doesn’t see that fundraising effort as competing with the Billy DeFrank LGBT Community Center in downtown San Jose or the county’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, which Yeager helped create, as they focus more on health and social services while the BAYMEC foundation works on political and education activities.

“I figure there are a lot of possibilities out there. The first step is to become executive director,” said Yeager, who will continue to teach a local government course at San Jose State University. “Then I will see what programs I can initiate and what activities I can do. In a way it feels like starting my own business.”

His decision to eschew a Senate bid next year complicates efforts to recruit LGBT people to seek legislative seats in Sacramento in order to expand the membership of the Legislative LGBT Caucus. Several of its current seven members will be leaving office next year, with the others termed out of office in coming years.

Gay San Francisco Democratic Party Chair David Campos, who works for Santa Clara County as a deputy county executive, told the B.A.R. that he and many others would like to see Yeager elected to higher office one day.

“But I am also respectful of his personal decision,” said Campos. “I know whatever he does he is going to continue to do great things for the community. I am happy he is doing the right thing for himself.”

Lesbian South Bay leader Wiggsy Sivertsen, who co-founded BAYMEC with Yeager, added, “Ken is the one person who can effectively bridge all the community organizations and leaders to city and county services. I’m glad we’re not losing him to Sacramento, at least not for the time being.” 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 first congressional advocacy day on LGBT aging issues.

From page 1

Reservations

Gay former San Francisco supervisor David Campos also told the B.A.R. he had asked EQCA not to honor SFO this year following the March 11 hearing. When he first learned about

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Stuart Milk, the gay nephew of Milk, has been one of the more vocal critics of the airport’s sign designs. After Monday’s hearing, he told the B.A.R. that he was unaware that EQCA, on whose board he serves, had planned to honor SFO this spring until that morning. He said he had informed EQCA Executive Director Rick Zbur that he felt such an honor was inappropriate due to how SFO has handled the Milk terminal naming.

“I didn’t know about it until today. To be honest with you, that is my fault not EQCA’s,” said Milk, who cofounded a foundation in honor of his uncle and faulted the airport for not once contacting him over the last six years about the terminal naming. “I am sure there was some communication they were honoring the airport. I did not see that and I am now communicating to Rick that is a mistake.”

March 14-20, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 5

Courtesy SFO

Revised drawings for the “Harvey Milk Terminal” exterior signage at San Francisco International Airport renewed community complaints for showing the gay icon’s name would not be used at all of the facility’s entrances.

the award he had reservations, said Campos, but was waiting to see how the hearing went before talking to the statewide LGBT advocacy group.

After hearing the airport director Ivar C. Satero Monday, Campos said he determined that the airport doesn’t deserve to be honored.

“When I heard about the award I indicated I didn’t have a problem with the airport getting it if they changed course and did the right thing around

the Harvey Milk issues. If anything, they haven’t and doubled down on this issue,” said Campos, who has been the main proponent for honoring Milk at SFO. “I don’t think this organization should be honoring an airport that has stood in the way of recognizing the contributions of our community’s most important icon in San Francisco.”

See page 12 >>

<< Community News

6 • Bay Area Reporter • March 14-20, 2019

t

Guerneville man found guilty of hate crime

by Alex Madison

A

Sonoma County Superior Court jury last week found a Guerneville man guilty of a felony hate crime for threatening to kill LGBTs in May 2018.

Vincent Joseph O’Sullivan, 56, had pleaded not guilty to the criminal threat charges after threatening to “bomb the gay people in Guerneville” at a local Safeway store.

O’Sullivan was convicted last year of stealing a rainbow flag from the Guerneville Plaza flagpole with a conspirator, Michael Tomas Campos, 35, who was also found guilty of petty theft. The flag had been stolen more than half a dozen times. When arrested for that theft, O’Sullivan described the flying of the flag as “disgraceful and offensive,” claiming it had no place on the pole, which was dedicated to veterans, according to an assistant district attorney’s statement.

The original hate crime charges against O’Sullivan were dismissed

by Superior Court Judge Andria K. Richey at his May 2018 preliminary hearing, after the judge cited a lack of evidence. Prosecutors in the case appealed the ruling and the hate

crime charges were eventually reinstated in June 2018.

O’Sullivan was represented by attorney Martin Woods for the hate crime trial and the prosecutor was Assistant District Attorney Brian Morimune.

After the verdict was read by Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Peter Ottenweller Thursday, March 7, O’Sullivan was remanded. His bail is set at $25,000 and his sentencing will be April 4. Woods did not respond to a request for comment from the Bay Area Reporter.

Morimune did not want to comment directly to the B.A.R., but lesbian District Attorney Jill Ravitch said in a news release, “In our society free speech is a valuable right.

And yet, this is not an unfettered right. When speech crosses over into threats that are specific, immediate, and intended to be conveyed as threats, that can become a crime.”

The two-day trial included testimony from members of a Flag Supporters Facebook group that had been replacing the purloined rainbow flags and the owner of Smart Pizza in Guerneville, who had surveillance footage of O’Sullivan stealing the flag. The jury also heard

from Sonoma County sheriff ’s deputy Theodore Van Bebber, who testified in the flag stealing case, and Hank Myers, the victim of the Safeway incident.

Myers, a gay man, is an employee of a Starbucks located inside the Guerneville Safeway store off Highway 116. According to Robert Maddock, the former deputy district attorney prosecuting the case, Myers had suffered nightmares and feared for his life when O’Sullivan was threatening him and others at the Safeway. During that incident, O’Sullivan allegedly said, “I am going to kill all the motherfucking gays,” and “I am going to blow you up, you motherfucking faggot.”

A member of the Flag Supporters group, Dale Godfrey, a straight ally who attended the trial, said Myers’ testimony was the strongest from the prosecutor.

“He was emotional from time to time,” Godfrey told the B.A.R. before the verdict was announced.

“He was very direct and showed emotion.”

Godfrey called O’Sullivan’s behavior “disgusting.”

“I am Native-American, the same thing could have happened

Courtesy Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office

Vincent Joseph O’Sullivan

to me. Someone could have said the same nasty things. It’s just not right,” he said.

Beth Streets, another straight ally and member of the flag group, also testified at the trial. Her testimony surrounded the multiple times she had to replace the flags and how the thefts spoke to O’Sullivan’s hate toward the LGBT community. She said the guilty verdict will “mean a lot to the entire community” and

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that it “sends the message, loud and clear, that hate is not tolerated in the county.”

During closing arguments, according to Godfrey and Streets, the defense tried to create doubt.

Woods said that surveillance footage from Safeway, which did not have audio, showed that Myers did not experience anxiety or fear due to O’Sullivan’s behavior. According to Streets, he also said that his client was the “number one public enemy in Guerneville and that he had a bull’s eye on his back.”

Prosecutors dismissed Woods’ allegations that Myers was unaffected

by O’Sullivan’s words, saying that each person reacts differently in situations and that he was just trying to do his job as the lone barista with customers in line.

For Streets, who has been actively attending all of O’Sullivan’s court appearances, starting with the rainbow flag case, she feels the verdict will be beneficial to other hate crime victims.

“It allows other people, victims of hate crimes, to feel more comfortable and safe to come forward,” Streets said. t

eteran AIDS activist Cleve Jones, founder of the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, will receive a humanitarian award when he travels to Cuba this spring with a delegation from the Rainbow World Fund.

Jones and RWF will participate in the 12th Cuban Journal Against Homophobia and Transphobia, known as the Jornada.

In a news release, RWF said that Jones was invited to Cuba by Mariela Castro Espin and will receive an award from the Cuban National Center for Sex Education, or CENESEX. Castro Espin, a straight ally and daughter of former president Raul Castro, is director of CENESEX. During the 10-day trip that begins May 8, Jones will be a grand marshal at the Cuban version of Pride, known as the Conga, held in Havana May 11.

A second Conga and related activities will coincide with the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia the following weekend in the city of Holguin.

Traveling with Jones will be San Francisco drag performance artist Juanita MORE! and several members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

Jones said that he is looking forward to the trip.

“I’m honored; it’s exciting,” Jones told the Bay Area Reporter in a phone interview. “I’ve always wanted to go to Cuba, and it’s a good time to see what life is like for LGBT people and for people, like myself, who are living with HIV.” The activist also noted that visiting the Jornada is a good way to observe the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall rebellion. The riots, which occurred in June 1969 after queers were fed up with police harassment at the Stonewall Inn in New York City, are often credited with launching the modern gay rights movement.

RWF and Jones have been asked to raise $25,000, which will be used for scholarships to bring people from all over Cuba to Havana and to support the Jornada and other aid projects, the release stated. RWF has a goal to raise another $25,000 to support projects in Cuba.

Ahead of the May trip, local fundraising efforts are already planned.

RWF Executive Director Jeff Cotter, a gay man who founded the

Courtesy RWF

Cleve Jones, left, joined Mariela Castro and Rainbow World Fund’s Jeff Cotter in front of San Francisco’s Castro Theatre in 2012.

LGBT humanitarian organization, said the group will hold a benefit cocktail party in early April. Attendees can expect a silent auction and some of the Sisters, along with Jones, to be in attendance.

Cotter said that interested people can join the delegation. The trip cost is approximately $2,800 and includes a Cuba travel visa (required), all hotels and accommodations, in-country transportation by private van, all meals (except one), all tips/gratuities, translation and guide services, speakers fees, and entrance fees to special events. It does not include roundtrip air transportation from the U.S. “I want to encourage people to come with us,” Jones added. “If people are interested in going to Cuba – especially those folks who have never been – and would like to do something a little different than the usual tourist jaunt, I think [RWF] does wonderful work.”

According to the release, the RWF delegation is traveling under a special visa that is not affected by the recent restrictions on tourist travel to Cuba.

The group will visit hospitals, clinics, and schools, learning about how they function and the challenges they face.

Much of RWF’s activities in Cuba are coordinated through the Cuban Council of Churches, the release said.

The council, with notable leadership from the Cuban Presbyterian, Metropolitan Community Church and Baptist churches, has been deeply involved with and supportive of LG-

BTQ rights, Cotter said.

“There has been a great deal of progress in acceptance of LGBTQ people in Cuba during recent decades,” Cotter noted in the release.

He continued, “I believe that RWF’s delegations have contributed to that growth. After the Cuban Revolution, homophobic policies were prevalent, but today there are public efforts to recognize and support LGBTQ people in all aspects of their lives, including an effort to achieve legalization of same-sex marriage.

It’s an ongoing effort, and it’s inspiring to work with the Cuban people in their effort to achieve equal rights.”

Cubans recently voted on a new constitution. The document had included language legalizing same-sex marriage, but a backlash by religious groups resulted in the wording being changed. Marriage in Cuba is now defined in the constitution as “a social and legal institution” and “one form of family organization,” reported the Conversation, an independent not-for-profit international news publication.

By definition, the new marriage clause does not explicitly permit same-sex marriage, nor is it strictly prohibited.

This year marks RWF’s eighth annual trip to Cuba. Since 2012, RWF has funded humanitarian projects including summer camps for children living with HIV, cancer, and other life-threatening illnesses. The camps teach valuable life skills aimed at fostering a healthy self-esteem, independence, and self-care, Cotter said.

RWF has funded the distribution of emergency relief supplies and food aid to communities impacted by hurricanes. RWF also funds human rights work to help the LGBTQ community including supporting an innovative conference that brought together church leaders and LGBTQ activists. t People interested in going to Cuba can visit www.rainbowfund.org/cuba-travel for details.

Donations can be made at www. rainbowfund.org.

The fundraiser will be held Sunday, April 7, from 3 to 6 p.m. at Gough House (2004 Gough Street) in San Francisco. It will feature Cuban drinks and appetizers.

t

Business News>>

March 14-20, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 7

Castro business group to welcome new leader

by Matthew S. Bajko

To learn more about the classes offered at the Castro location, such as times and prices, visit https://www. barrysbootcamp.com/studio/castro/.

T

he Castro Merchants is set to elect real estate agent Masood Samereie as its next president when it meets April 4. He has been selling property in the city’s LGBT neighborhood since 2003.

A co-owner of Aria Properties since 2012, Samereie will succeed Daniel Bergerac, who has served in the position since 2014. After five years at the helm of the business association, Bergerac feels it is time for new leadership to take over.

“I think it is good for organizations to get a change in leadership,” he told the Bay Area Reporter. “After five years I think it is a good time to step down. I will still be involved in the community.”

Bergerac, 57, a gay man who owns Mudpuppy’s Tub and Scrub dog-washing service on the 500 block of Castro Street, will continue to serve on the Castro Merchants board as immediate past president. He is also heading up the effort to renew the Castro/ Upper Market Community Benefit District. The special use district, funded by a tax on property owners in the area, needs to be re-chartered next year.

Samereie, 55, is a straight ally who was born in Iran and whose family left before the country’s revolution in 1978. Due to its history since then, Samereie considers himself to be Persian rather than being of Iranian descent.

He now lives in San Mateo but is looking to move into the Castro, where his real estate company is located on 18th Street. The same year he launched his own firm with business partner John Giusti, Samereie joined the board of Castro Merchants.

He feels he has gained enough experience since then to lead the business group for at least the next year, as its presidents are elected to 12-month terms every April.

“I’ve seen how it has evolved to what we have become now. Since someone had to step up to the plate, I agreed to run for president,” said Samereie, who is unopposed for the position.

The change in leadership comes

Airline to feature Milk tail fin

Courtesy Facebook

Mayor London Breed, left, joined outgoing Castro Merchants President Daniel Bergerac in the gay neighborhood Tuesday to kick off the Open to All campaign for LGBT-friendly businesses.

as Castro Merchants is working with gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman and other neighborhood groups to adopt zoning reforms aimed at making it easier for small businesses, art studios, and nonprofits to open in ground floor storefronts along upper Market Street. With the construction of a number of mixed-use buildings along the corridor, with housing over sidewalk-fronting retail spaces, as well as longtime merchants shuttering their doors, such as Harvest Urban Market last year and eatery Chow this week, there has been a glut of vacancies in the gay commercial district.

Over his tenure as Castro Merchants president, Bergerac worked with the CBD and other neighborhood groups on a retail strategy to help attract new businesses to the area. He has also kept an open mind when it comes to supporting certain formula retailers looking to open in the area rather than opposing all such businesses.

Mandelman joked at the business groups’ March 7 meeting that “Bergerac’s reign of terror” was coming to an end. He added that he has “been a perfect partner” since he became the supervisor last June.

Barry’s Bootcamp to open Castro location Saturday

After 18 months of first slogging through the city’s permit process and then overseeing a five-month

major rebuild of its upper Market Street space, Barry’s Bootcamp will be activating a major vacant retail space in the Castro when it opens its doors this Saturday, March 16. It is hosting an invite-only party Thursday night to celebrate.

It is the fitness chains fourth gym in the city. The 8,400 square foot ground floor storefront at 2280 Market Street had previously been a CVS pharmacy.

The design of the space is said to be the company’s most glamorous fitness studio to date and the largest studio in the Bay Area. In an effort to pay homage to the Castro neighborhood, features include Barry’s signature chevron logo sculpted from a disco ball and decadent gold ceilings.

In addition to full-service men’s and women’s locker rooms there is also a gender-neutral locker room.

While a straight ownership group oversees the San Francisco locations, gay West Hollywood resident Barry Jay launched Barry’s Bootcamp in 1998. The company has since expanded to having 50 gyms worldwide.

As of this weekend, the Castro location will be open 365 days a year from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. It is in the process of acquiring a permit to install tables and chairs on the sidewalk in front of its windows to help activate its block.

As it rolls out its class offerings, the location expects to have 500 people a day coming in and out of it.

“We will create a lot of life and activity in a space that has been vacant for a long time,” Barry’s managing partner Adam Shane, who lives nearby with his wife and newborn child, told the Castro Merchants this month.

SF LGBT aging report turns 5

P

articipants in the creation and implementation of the recommendations of the LGBT Aging Policy Task Force report reunited Saturday, March 9, during the fifth anniversary celebration at the San Francisco LGBT Community Center. From left are Shireen McSpadden, executive director of the Department of Aging and Adult Services; Supervisor Rafael Mandelman; state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco); former supervisor David Campos; city Treasurer José Cisneros;

Rick Gerharter

former supervisor Christina Olague, former task force chair Bill Ambrunn; Mayor London Breed; and Clair Farley, director of the Office of Transgender Initiatives.

Wiener, Campos, and Olague were given plaques in recognition of their work in establishing the task force when they served on the Board of Supervisors. To date, the city has made progress on addressing 11 of the report’s 13 areas of concern.

While he is keeping the name of the airline a secret, Stuart Milk revealed this week that a transcontinental carrier that flies out of San Francisco International Airport will be featuring his gay uncle, the late supervisor Harvey Milk, on the tail fin of one of its planes this year.

Stuart Milk, who is gay himself and oversees a foundation his family cofounded to honor his famous relative, disclosed the aviation tribute for the global LGBT icon during a contentious hearing Monday morning at City Hall. It focused on complaints that SFO officials are mishandling the signage for renaming Terminal 1 as the Harvey Milk Terminal.

The honor marks the first time an airport facility has been named for an LGBT figure, and community leaders want to ensure the signs adequately display Milk’s name.

In an interview with the B.A.R. after the hearing, Stuart Milk would only say that the airline in question has honored a number of human rights leaders from around the world by displaying their images on the tail fins of its planes. He said a formal announcement should come Saturday, March 30.

“The plane will travel to many countries where it is illegal to be LGBT. For the Milk foundation it will be very meaningful,” he said.

Norwegian Airlines has a tail fin heroes program that has seen the visages of several LGBT icons, such as the late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, actress Greta Garbo, and author Oscar Wilde, grace its planes.

A spokesperson for the company would not confirm to the B.A.R. this week if Harvey Milk will be added to the list. t Got a tip on LGBT business news? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 829-8836 or e-mail m.bajko@ ebar.com.

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POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including: } Those in the “Most Important Information About BIKTARVY” section. } Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking BIKTARVY. } Kidney problems, including kidney failure.

Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. If you develop new or worse kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking BIKTARVY. } Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat. } Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain. } The most common side effects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (6%), and headache (5%).

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

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BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS. Do NOT take BIKTARVY if you also take a medicine that contains: } dofetilide } rifampin } any other medicines to treat HIV-1

BEFORE TAKING BIKTARVY Tell your healthcare provider if you: } Have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis infection. } Have any other health problems. } Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

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Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: } Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. } BIKTARVY and other medicines may affect each other. Ask your healthcare provider and pharmacist about medicines that interact with BIKTARVY, and ask if it is safe to take BIKTARVY with all your other medicines.

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BIKTARVY, the BIKTARVY Logo, DAILY CHARGE, the DAILY CHARGE Logo, KEEP LOVING, LOVE WHAT’S INSIDE, GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies.

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<< Obituaries

10 • Bay Area Reporter • March 14-20, 2019

Angus Whyte, who staffed LGBT center capital campaign, dies

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ngus J. Whyte, a gay man whose administrative and financial acumen helped guide the San Francisco LGBT Community Center project when it was in its infancy, died March 6 in Palm Springs, California. He was 81.

Friends said that Mr. Whyte died following a brain hemorrhage.

Gay former state lawmaker Mark Leno told the Bay Area Reporter that Mr. Whyte was hired as an administrator for the center’s capital campaign in the late 1990s. Leno and lesbian Jody Cole co-chaired the effort to raise millions of dollars to construct the building (and remodel the Victorian) at 1800 Market Street.

“I think we raised the first $3 million for the project and Angus was our partner,” Leno said in a phone interview.

Leno served as the capital campaign co-chair from 1996 to 1998, when then-mayor Willie Brown appointed him to a seat on the Board of Supervisors.

“I loved it, but it was a lot of work,” Leno said. “A lot of lunches at Zuni.”

He added that Mr. Whyte used office space at Leno’s Brady Street sign shop that the center rented.

“Angus was a lifelong friend. I met him 45 years ago. I had just met Michael Tilson Thomas in New York City and MTT wanted me to meet Angus, who was in Boston,” Leno said, referring to the gay outgoing

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Angus J. Whyte

music director of the San Francisco Symphony.

Cole did not return a Facebook message seeking comment.

Mr. Whyte had a love of music – Leno called him a “true Renaissance man” – and was a talented musician.

His professional career was largely devoted to the fine arts.

He revived and operated Art for Healing, a charity designed to accept original works of art by donation and place them in hospitals and healing centers, according to an obituary written by his spouse, Thom Grexa Phillips.

Mr. Whyte earned a fellowship at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in harpsichord studies with renowned harpsichordist Gustav Leonhart in the Netherlands in 1963.

He continued his studies with an

internship at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, Austria in 1963.

“Angus enjoyed donning the gay apparel of the 18th century as he played his beloved music written

by Haydn and Bach,” Phillips wrote.

“At one time he insisted he did not want to play any music written after 1769.”

Mr. Whyte was born April 8, 1937 in Carmichael, California to Angus Joseph Whyte Sr. and Rachel Valerie Davidson. He graduated early from McClatchy High School in Sacramento and continued his studies and earned degrees from UC Berkeley and the University of Washington. He also completed the executive training program in administration at Harvard University.

In addition to music, Mr. Whyte had an eternal love of French language and cuisine. He earned a Fulbright Fellowship to teach English at a secondary school in Menton, France in 1959. In 1989, he realized a renovation of an abandoned three-story tower in a village in southwest central France.

Mr. Whyte published a series of memoirs and short stories entitled “After-Dinner Tales” in 2013 that are available online. He was completing a second volume of tales entitled “The Lavender Blade” when he fell ill and died.

Leno said that he saw Mr. Whyte and Phillips when they were in San Francisco several weeks ago.

“I feel privileged to have known such a rare, unique, loving, talented, and proud gay man,” he said. t

Castro Merchants issue artists call for Milk windows compiled by Cynthia Laird

C

astro businesses are planning this year’s “Windows for Harvey” display, timed for May 17-26, to honor the birthday of slain supervisor Harvey Milk, and interested artists can still sign up, the Castro Merchants organization said in its recent newsletter and at its March 7 meeting.

Windows for Harvey involves artists partnering with businesses to install Milk-related art in their windows. Plans can be arranged by businesses themselves or have an artist matched to them through the Windows for Harvey website.

Last year, more than two-dozen businesses participated and organizers hope to have 30 or more windows this year.

This year the theme for the artworks is “Soapbox,” a reference to the crate Milk would stand on during rallies in the neighborhood, often speaking through a bullhorn. It was chosen, said co-organizer John Bellemore, for being “both a visual and literal call to activism.”

This year the business association plans to hand out awards for the best windows, one voted on by the public and one decided by organizers, as a

way to not only attract a larger audience but also to prompt more social media discussion about the artworks.

Sponsors willing to pay $2,500 are also being sought in order to offer the selected artists a stipend to cover the cost of their installations and their time they devote to creating their artwork.

Interested artists should turn in a submission by March 25 at midnight (Pacific Time). The submission does not need to be the final piece, however, artists should indicate their design intent through work samples or sketches.

Installation is expected to occur between May 13-16. Milk’s birthday was May 22, which is now recognized as Harvey Milk Day in California.

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

St. Patrick’s Day party in Oakland

Slainte, the lesbian-owned Irish pub at 131 Broadway near Oakland’s Jack London Square, will hold its second annual St. Patrick’s Day street party Sunday, March 17, beginning at 10 a.m.

Jackie Gallanagh, who opened the See page 12 >>

Obituaries >>

(415) 353-0800 DrJay@QuestClinical.com

David G. “Adric” Petrucelli January 30, 1970 – February 9, 2019

David G. “Adric” Petrucelli passed away at Maitri Compassionate Care February 9, 2019 at the age of 49. He was born January 30, 1970 in Fresno, California. He worked in information tech-

nology and was also a jewelry designer, actor, philanthropist, and bon vivant.

Adric is survived by his mother, a brother, and a sister. He was preceded in death by his father in 2014. There are no public services. At his request, his remains will be scattered at sea in the Pacific Ocean.

t

National News>>

March 14-20, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 11

Trump budget mixed on HIV

by Liz Highleyman

P

resident Donald Trump proposed a budget for fiscal year 2020 Monday that includes new funding for an initiative to end HIV in the United States but also contains cuts that could compromise that goal, advocates said.

The $4.7 billion proposal calls for $291 million for the administration’s Ending the HIV Epidemic plan, introduced during Trump’s February 5 State of the Union address, which aims to reduce new infections by 75 percent within five years and by 90 percent within 10 years.

President Donald Trump’s fiscal year 2020 budget proposal contains Congress must approve the budspending increases and decreases for HIV/AIDS programs. get by the start of the fiscal year on October 1. Democrats are likely to balk at some of the provisions, inEmergency Plan for AIDS Relief, tal Health Services Administration’s cluding nearly $9 million for a borwhich covers a majority of people Minority AIDS program, outside der wall and cuts to Medicare and receiving antiretroviral therapy the $291 million figure. SAMHSA many popular domestic programs. worldwide. will receive additional funding to “The Trump budget sends mixed The National Institutes of Health address the opioid epidemic, which messages that run counter to promcontributes to HIV and hepatitis C ises made to the American people,” transmission, and the CDC will get Ernest Hopkins, director of legis$58 million more for its efforts to lative affairs at the San Francisco combat infectious diseases linked to AIDS Foundation, told the Bay Area opioid use.

Reporter. “As a document that sig“These goals will not be accomnals the priorities of the adminisplished in one year and funding this tration, it declares war on seniors, initiative will require a long-term youth, low-income people, the investment, but it is an investment medically frail, and disabled indiwe must make,” Michael Ruppal, viduals by stripping them of health executive director of the AIDS Incare access and other essential serstitute, said in a press release. “Not vices. Our communities will not be only will it save people’s lives, but it fooled by this wrong-headed miswill save money in the long run with understanding of what drives new saved medical costs. We urge ConHIV infections.” gress to approve this vital funding The $291 million figure, which and set the nation down the path represents the first phase of the toward ending new HIV infections initiative, includes $140 million for in the United States.” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to promote HIV testing, Not all good news linkage to care, and PrEP, according However, the budget proposal to the budget document. also contains numerous cuts that The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Prowill hinder efforts to prevent new gram within the Health Resources HIV infections and improve the and Services Administration would health of people living with HIV, get $70 million in new funding for advocates said. direct health care and support serLast week at the Conference on vices. HRSA would receive another Retroviruses and Opportunistic $50 million for “expanded PrEP serInfections in Seattle, National Instivices, outreach, and care coordinatutes of Allergy and Infectious Distion in community health centers,” eases director Dr. Anthony Fauci asthe document stated. In addition, sured attendees that the plan, which the Indian Health Service is allocathas been in development since long ed $25 million for HIV and hepatitis before the current administration, C screening, prevention, and treatwould not involve shuffling money ment, and the National Institutes of away from existing domestic and inHeath’s Centers for AIDS Research ternational AIDS efforts. would receive an additional $6 milBut the document released Monlion. day includes UC San Francisco a part of both domestic and The budget document Health also men- is global cuts. These include a $63 thetions All $54 of million Us Research Program, from for the Housing for the Minority million reduction AIDS Initiative and $116 million the National Institutes of Health.

Opportunities for People with AIDS for the Substance Abuse and Menprogram and cuts to the President’s

A healthier future. Let’s pass it on together.

The goal of All of Us is to help researchers understand more about why people get sick or stay healthy.

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he San Francisco Board of SuAllofUsUCSF.org | #JoinAllofUs pervisors Tuesday approved a pilot program that will allow organizations to apply for a permit to sell or consume cannabis at temporary events.

The 9-2 vote, with District 4 Supervisor Mar and District A Member of Gordon All of Us California 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safai opposhas to be voted on a second Youing, will receive a $25 gift card time at next week’s meeting, as is reafter you complete your quired for all ordinances. It will thenvisit. be sent to Mayor London Breed, All of Us and the All of Us logo are service marks of the who has 30 toand sign it before it U.S. Department of days Health Human Services. automatically becomes law.

Supervisor Rafael Mandelman Even if approved immediately, the new ordinance, sponsored by file for a permit for this year’s anAoU_COB_UCSF_SFChronicleAd_4.792x9.83_Print_V2_120718_HF.indd 1 gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael nual 4/20 cannabis celebration that Mandelman and co-sponsored by brings thousands of people to GoldSupervisors Vallie Brown, Matt en Gate Park and the surrounding Haney, Shamann Walton, Cathneighborhood. erine Stefani, and Sandra Lee Fewer, See page 13 >> will not give organizations time to

would see around a 12 percent reduction, with the National Cancer Institute and NIAID, which funds most HIV research, taking the biggest hits (down $897 million and $769 million, respectively). Trump also sought to cut NIH funding in the last two annual budgets, but the agency enjoys wide bipartisan support and Congress instead increased its funding.

The budget proposes to slash federal spending on Medicare by $845 billion, although some of that would come from efforts to hold down prescription drug costs. It also aims to overhaul Medicaid, giving states more flexibility to administer their programs and instituting an expanded work requirement. Medicare is the largest source of federal funds for HIV care and treatment, followed by Medicaid and the Ryan White program, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

“The cruel and shortsighted cuts

in President Trump’s budget request are a road map to a sicker, weaker America,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) said in a statement. “After adding $2 trillion to the deficit with the GOP tax scam for the rich, President Trump wants to ransack as much as $2 trillion from Medicare and Medicaid.”

Advocates emphasized that these cuts will harm people with HIV and interfere with efforts to end the epidemic.

“The $291 million in new resources for an End the HIV Epidemic plan is little more than smoke and mirrors when paired with $63 million in cuts to HOPWA and proposed disruptions to Medicaid and Medicare that could strip health care access from hundreds of thousands of individuals living with HIV and receiving PrEP through Medicaid expansion,” Hopkins told the B.A.R.t

A healthier future. Let’s pass it on together.

UC San Francisco Health is a part of the All of Us Research Program, from the National Institutes of Health.

The goal of All of Us is to help researchers understand more about why people get sick or stay healthy.

For more information or to enroll: Call: (833) 268-8273 Email: allofus@ucsf.edu AllofUsUCSF.org | #JoinAllofUs

A Member of All of Us California

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12/11/18 1:20 PM

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12/11/18 1:20 PM

<< Community News

12 • Bay Area Reporter • March 14-20, 2019

<<

News Briefs

From page 10

eatery nearly two years ago, will again close off a portion of Second Street for a daylong party featuring Irish step dancing, music, and face painting. Oysters and Guinness will be flowing all day, she said in a flyer promoting the event.

For more information,visit the Facebook page at https://www.facebook. com/events/2271921676397719/.

Stud bar extends lease

The Stud bar has extended its lease for two years, ensuring the party will keep going at the 52-year-old queer nightclub at 399 Ninth Street in San Francisco’s South of Market district.

According to a March 6 news release, the Stud Collective, which bought the bar two years ago, is still actively searching for a permanent home.

“It’s now more important than ever to support the Stud and similar places that hold space for our community through all the changes that San Francisco is experiencing,” Rachel Ryan, Stud Collective president, said in the release.

The bar announced a new slate of parties to celebrate the lease extension. Joining the existing slate of parties will be Drag Alive, a weekly Friday (6 to 8 p.m.) cavalcade of drag, burlesque, and other hijinks hosted

by VivvyAnne ForeverMore; QTease, a queer burlesque happy hour every

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Trans woman

From page 2

erwise attempted to intimidate her into ending her demonstration

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State HIV, STD plan

From page 1

formal proposal from the coalition of health groups or legislation submitted by the lawmakers.

“Governor Newsom recognizes the importance of fighting to reduce, and ultimately eliminate, the HIV, hepatitis C and sexually transmitted infec-

<<

LGBT fire chief

From page 1

her resiliency have prepared her to lead the men and women who are out there every day protecting our resi-

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‘Beach Blanket Babylon’ arts scholarships

Help plan AIDS 2020

Rick Gerharter

Billy Douglas installed his photographs at the Harvey Milk Branch of the San Francisco Public Library for 2017’s “Windows for Harvey” exhibit.

Producer Jo Schuman Silver has announced high school seniors can apply for the 17th annual Steve Silver Foundation and “Beach Blanket Babylon” scholarship for the arts.

High school seniors who go to school within 100 miles of Club Fugazi, 678 Beach Blanket Babylon Boulevard (home of “Beach Blanket Babylon”), can submit a completed entry form along with a three-minute performance in one of these categories: singing, acting, or dancing.

A panel of performing arts professionals will select nine finalists – three from each category. The finalists will perform their three-minute set live at Club Fugazi Monday, June 3, in front of a panel of celebrity judges and an invited audience made up of their family and friends.

One winner from each category will be presented with a $15,000 check to be used toward their higher education.

All entries must be uploaded by 11:59 p.m. Friday, April 26. Finalists will be notified by May 6.

For complete rules and guidelines, visit www.beachblanketbabylon. com/2019-scholarship-form.t

The hit CBS reality show “Survivor” has opened a casting call in the Bay Area and interested people are welcome to try and secure a spot as a contestant.

According to a news release, anyone who is a U.S. resident, 18 or older, and has a spirit of adventure is encouraged to enter through March 22.

People can go to http://www.survivorcastingcall.com for more information and to register.

All registrants will get to meet Season 33 “Survivor” winner Adam Klein for tips prior to their live audition Saturday, March 23, at the Travel and Adventure Show at the Santa Clara Convention Center, 5001 Great America Parkway in Santa Clara. Auditions start at 10 a.m. Klein will be

and leaving the scene immediately, saying “time for you to go,” states the claim. Bloom is also named in the lawsuit as a defendant, as are two other sheriff’s deputies, Suzette Hum-

phrey and Juan Garrido.

According to the lawsuit, Bloom also crumpled up Strickland’s banner and took her backpack. Strickland was recording the incident when Bloom

seized a small cart she had, which held her recording cellphone, and pointed the cellphone camera away in order to obstruct its view of the incident.

In December 2017, Strickland

came to the steps again to pay her respects to the late mayor Ed Lee, who died that same month. Bloom misgendered her and forced her off the steps, according to the lawsuit.t

tion epidemics. The governor looks forward to working closely on these issues,” stated spokesman Jesse Melgar.

A similar legislative approach is being pursued to address the needs of California’s growing senior population. Days after state Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) introduced legislation last month requiring the development of a master plan for aging Californians, Newsom

voiced his support for it during his State of the State address.

One person who would be key to implementation of an STI statewide plan is the chief of the Office of AIDS within the California Department of Public Health. Serving in the role on an interim basis at the moment is Marisa Ramos, Ph.D., who had been acting chief of the Surveillance, Research & Evaluation Branch in the

state AIDS office.

Melgar told the B.A.R. it is unclear when Newsom will name a permanent chief for the office. Last Wednesday, March 6, Newsom appointed pediatrician and director of health and social impact for Los Angeles County Dr. Mark Ghaly as his secretary for the California Health and Human Services Agency.

Ghaly, 44, of South Pasadena, had been medical director for the South-

east Health Center, a public health clinic in San Francisco, from 2006 to 2011. Newsom also reappointed Michelle Baass, 44, of Sacramento, as undersecretary of the state health agency, which overs the statewide public health department.

To read the community statement about the need for a statewide STI plan, and to see the entire list of co-signers, visit https://bit.ly/2CgY1RU. t

dents, and I am confident she will be ready to lead the Department on day one.”

Breed also thanked Hayes-White “for her service and her support as we go through this transition process.”

Hayes-White promised it would be “a smooth transition” as she spends the next six weeks working with Nicholson to hand off leadership of the department to her. Nicholson, in her remarks, noted that running the fire

department “is always a team effort” and expressed her appreciation to her colleagues for their own hard work.

“I love this city and this department and I love being of service,” said Nicholson. “I vow to work hard

to continue to carry out the mission and vision of the San Francisco Fire Department and to keep moving us forward in a positive way.” t

“I suspect we may have moved prematurely and that the public should be able to see Terminal 1 before any accolades are offered,” said Dufty, who expects that the airport’s planned artworks and photomontage honoring Milk and his legacy “should be outstanding” and make it a sought after destination.

“And so I hope the combination of political direction on the signage and the artistic elements are going to enable the public to really enjoy this. And not to have any sense of the discord we saw at yesterday’s hearing,” said Dufty, now board president of the BART regional transit agency that has a stop at SFO. “If we get it right, this terminal – the Harvey Milk Terminal – will have worldwide reach. People will come from around the world to see it.”

Lesbian former supervisor Leslie Katz, another co-chair of EQCA’s local gala, also told the B.A.R. she had reservations about honoring SFO this year following this week’s board hearing.

“It is funny. Years ago when we were pushing through the equal benefits ordinance, it was the airport that was absolutely critical in our success and victory,” recalled Katz, referring to a local law vehemently opposed by airlines that required businesses with city contracts to offer the same benefits to their LGBT employees as those given to their straight co-workers. “It was very disconcerting to hear about the concerns over the terminal naming of a truly extraordinary figure in our community’s history.”

As Zbur stated, “It is our sincere

hope that SFO works with the Board of Supervisors, the mayor, and the community to ensure that the terminal’s tribute to Harvey Milk is impactful, visible, and appropriate for the incredible contributions he made to the city and to our community. And we look forward to coming together to celebrate the terminal when it opens.”

Airport spokesman Doug Yakel did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

At Monday’s hearing before the supervisor’s rules committee, which Ronen chairs, Satero sought to have the legislation scrapped in favor of coming to an administrative solution.

Yet Satero then presented mockups for the exterior signage that showed Milk’s name would be prominently displayed over the first entrance to Terminal 1 that visitors would encounter but then be dropped entirely at the other entrances.

He reiterated the airport’s previous concerns about “wayfinding” and the need to make it easy for passengers to be able to navigate through SFO and easily find Terminal 1. It prompted Ronen to amend her legislation so that it requires any signage for Terminal 1, both on the exterior and interior of the facility, includes Milk’s name.

The full Board of Supervisors Tuesday, March 19, will vote on Ronen’s ordinance and then a second time at its March 26 meeting before sending it to Mayor London Breed for her signature. Breed late last year told the B.A.R. there was a need for both “appropriate

acknowledgement” and information about Milk at the terminal, “and not just his name only but information to that effect, both when you come to the airport and as well as when you go on the website for the airport.”

The $2.4 billion remodel of the Milk terminal will be rolled out in stages over the next three years. A temporary exhibit about Milk is set to debut July 23, when passengers return to the terminal due to the re-opening of the first nine gates in Boarding Area B, and remain up through May 2021.

In addition to the terminal signage there will be an interior photographic display honoring Milk’s legacy and the fight for LGBT rights. It will be in an area the airport is calling the Harvey Milk Inglenook and utilize photos the airport asked the public to submit by last December.

The permanent exhibit, signage, and a lighting art piece in the southern portion of the arrivals level honoring Milk are to be unveiled in March 2020, according to the airport.

By late 2022 an atrium art sculpture in the lobby and a lighting art piece in the north portion of the arrivals level that both honor Milk are to debut with completion of the redevelopment project.

The cost for the overall Milk architectural components is $1.5 million, according to the airport. The lighted art piece to be mounted curbside at the Milk terminal is budgeted at $850,000 and the artwork for the terminal’s three-story atrium is budgeted at $1.1 million. t

SFO

From page 5

When the B.A.R. asked EQCA in February why it was honoring SFO, spokesman Samuel Garrett-Pate said it was for being led by gay former director John L. Martin for more than two decades and being the first airport in the U.S. to incorporate gender-neutral bathrooms into its larger, multi-use bathrooms. He added that EQCA officials were confident the signage scuffle over the Milk terminal would be resolved quickly.

But after the negative reactions elicited by Monday’s hearing, EQCA determined it could no longer honor the airport at this time. In a statement to the B.A.R. Zbur explained that the organization came to the conclusion that doing so would be “premature” in light of the ongoing controversy.

“Equality California believes that the Harvey Milk Terminal at SFO must be an incredible representation of the heroic life and legacy that Harvey Milk lived,” stated Zbur, adding that the organization agrees with myriad San Francisco officials and community leaders “that Harvey Milk’s name should be as bold as both his message of hope and his admonition to LGBTQ people that we come out and be visible as a community.”

He added that, “We had initially planned to recognize SFO this year for the airport’s proud legacy of LGBTQ representation among its leaders and staff, outreach and employment

at the Taiwan Tourism booth to meet fans and share his experience.

Saturday at 6; and Awooga, a monthly variety show (10 p.m. to late the first Thursday) hosted by John F*cking Cartwright and Kockina Rude.

For more information about other parties and activities, visit http:// www.studsf.com.

People planning the AIDS 2020 conference in San Francisco and Oakland are seeking interested organizational representatives to be part of the community engagement and access committee.

The committee’s charter is to address disparities through inclusion, collaboration, and transparency by fostering the partnership between Oakland and San Francisco through a global gathering that gives a voice to all communities, shared solutions, and advances the conversation to end the epidemic.

Meetings are held the first Wednesday of every month from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in Oakland.

To apply, visit http://aids2020local. org/#joinus.

AIDS 2020 has generated some controversy. Last year, the International AIDS Society selected San Francisco and Oakland as joint host cities for AIDS 2020 in an effort to highlight San Francisco’s pioneering role in the response to the epidemic, as well as the ongoing disparities between the two sides of the bay.

Opponents have cited the Bay Ar-

t

San Francisco International Airport director Ivar C. Satero

policies, inclusion of LGBTQ travelers and conscious efforts to build the most welcoming airport in the world.

At this time, however, we believe that recognizing the airport at this year’s Equality Awards would be premature, and we would prefer to wait until the airport has submitted plans for appropriately bold signage and the public has had the opportunity to see and experience the Harvey Milk Terminal and the amazing public art and exhibitions inside.”

Gay former supervisor Bevan Dufty, one of the co-chairs of the EQCA gala, had suggested last year the honor for SFO due to the numerous LGBT people who have served in leadership positions at the airport over the years.

But watching the hearing Monday “was difficult,” said Dufty, who spoke to Zbur Monday night about rescinding the honor this year.

ea’s high cost and logistical difficulties, but have mainly focused on the United States’ exclusion of key affected populations, which they say has worsened under the Trump administration. Last December they announced an alternative conference to be held in Mexico City next year.

‘Survivor’ to hold Bay Area casting call

t International News>>

March 14-20, 2019 • Bay area reporter • 13

Police arrest Egyptian trans activist

by Heather Cassell

E

gyptian police arrested a transgender woman last week, claiming she is a member of a terrorist group and disrupted public order.

Malak al-Kashef, 19, was taken into custody at her Cairo home March 6, according to Amnesty International and her attorney.

Amr Mohamed, al-Kashef’s lawyer, told ABC News that she was ordered by state security prosecutors to be held for 15 days on the charges after she appeared before a supreme state security prosecutor the day after her arrest.

The charges are in reference to the banned Muslim Brotherhood, according to the media outlet.

Amnesty International said that she was being held at an “undisclosed location” until Mohamed spoke to authorities. They then transferred her to solitary confinement at al-Haram police station in Giza March 10.

Her detention is up for renewal March 19, when the prosecutor will decide whether to release her or extend her detention, reported the human rights organization.

Magdalena Mughrabi, who is Amnesty International’s deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa, called for al-Kashef’s release “immediately and unconditionally.”

<<

we know are currently consuming cannabis illegally at unpermitted events, by ensuring that sales and consumption at temporary events are limited to those who are 21 and over,” Mandelman said.

At the hearing, Office of Cannabis acting director Eugene Hillman said that the regulations are intended to “eliminate the negative impact of the unregulated sales and consumption” that take place every year during events such as the 4/20

cannabis celebration in and around Golden Gate Park. In implementing the program, Hillman said the Office of Cannabis would collaborate with other city agencies.

“Ultimately, I hope that this legislation will accomplish what all of our recent cannabis regulations have sought to do: bring this newly legal industry into the light in a way that supports local small businesses and equity applicants while putting public safety first,” he said. t

Malaysian LGBTs in Women’s Day rally cause uproar Courtesy Amnesty International

Egyptian transgender activist Malak al-Kashef

Mughrabi believes that al-Kashef has been targeted due to her gender identity and actively protesting against a train crash in Cairo last month that killed at least 25 people.

She is one of dozens of people who have been arrested for anti-government protests related to the crash, Mughrabi said.

“Malak al-Kashef appears to have been detained solely for peacefully exercising her rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly,” said Mughrabi.

Pot ordinance

From page 11

At the meeting, Mar and Safai said they opposed the ordinance because they felt it could also encourage the consumption of tobacco smoking.

Several speakers also made the same point during their testimony at last week’s budget and finance committee hearing, which approved the ordinance before it was sent to the full board.

Under the new ordinance, certain organizations will be allowed to apply for a temporary permit to sell or consume cannabis – or both – at temporary events. The pilot program will be assessed at the end of this year and can be continued at the discretion of the city’s Office of Cannabis, according to the ordinance.

The legislation specifies that only those organizations that have previously sponsored a recurring annual event, have previously applied for city permits, and have had a history of illegal pot sales at previous events will be allowed to apply for a permit.

Applicants for the new permits must first gain approval from the state, before filing an application with the city. In addition to state and city approval, the organizations must also obtain waivers from any other city agency that has jurisdiction over the event, which could include the Recreation and Parks Department and the Department of Public Health.

When the ordinance was discussed at the board’s February 27 committee meeting, more than a dozen people testified in support of the plan.

Among those testifying was Patrick Finger, executive director of Folsom Street Events, who said that approval of the ordinance would be useful for events such as the annual Folsom Street Fair and Up Your Alley street fair by providing additional sources of revenue, since the costs for producing such events continue to increase.

Terrance Alan, the chair of the San Francisco State Cannabis Legalization Task Force, also testified in favor of the ordinance. Alan said at the hearing that the task force’s final report, issued in December 2018, included a recommendation that “a local license permit type should be created” for temporary events.

The proposal to create permits was made possible by Assembly Bill 2020, which went into effect January 1 and gave cities in California the authority to approve temporary cannabis events, Mandelman said in

Malaysian officials have called in organizers of the country’s International Women’s Day march for questioning after LGBT rights activists openly joined the March 9 rally.

At the same time, women’s rights groups are fighting back, shaming the Malaysian government for attempting to use the LGBT community to detract attention from their issues, which include sexual orientation and gender identity based discrimination.

Mujahid Yusof Rawa, the Malaysian minister in charge of religious affairs, called the country’s rally a “misused democratic space” when LGBT groups joined hundreds of women marching through the streets of Kuala Lumpur last Saturday.

“I am very shocked with the actions of certain parties ... that misused democratic space in order to defend things that are wrong from the point of view of Islam,” he wrote in a statement on Facebook, reported Reuters.

Homosexuality is illegal in the Muslim-majority country under its colonial era anti-sodomy law that criminalizes oral and anal sex as “against the order of nature.”

Individuals charged with sodomy can face being jailed for up to 20 years, caned, and fined.

Last September, two lesbians were publicly caned for attempting to have sex with each other in the conservative state of Terengganu.

Additionally, Muslims are governed by separate state-level Islamic laws, which prohibit cross-dressing and same-sex acts.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Noor Rashid Ibrahim cited organizers for not having a proper permit to hold the parade and has launched an investigation into the incident, reported Malaysian Insight.

Some rally participants weren’t pleased by the open display of LGBT activists. They told Reuters that it took

Al Kashef has had gender-affirming surgery, but her legal documents still identify her as male, reported Amnesty International.

Mughrabi expressed concern about al-Kashef.

“Egyptian authorities have a horrific track record of persecuting people based on their sexual orientation and gender identity, including through carrying out forced anal examinations, which amount to torture,” said Mughrabi.

Terrance Alan, left, and Office of Cannabis acting director Eugene Hillman talk outside a supervisors committee hearing.

a prepared statement when he introduced the ordinance at the committee hearing.

San Francisco “has long embraced community festivals and gatherings, as well as the cannabis industry and, with this ordinance, we will be leading the way on local implementation of AB 2020 and doing so in a way that puts public safety first,” he stated.

“Regulating cannabis events allows the city to maintain its commitment to public health and safety by ensuring permitted businesses are supplying safe products,” he added.

“It also contributes to our commitment to reduce consumption by underage youth, many of whom SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA RAPID TRANSIT DISTRICT ON-CALL PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FOR CENTRAL SUPPORT SERVICE AREAS RFP NO. 6M4639 EXTENSION OF TIME FOR RECEIPT OF PROPOSALS

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the General Manager of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District has extended the time for receipt of Proposals until the hour of 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 12, 2019, at the District Secretary’s Office, 23rd Floor, 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, California 94612 or to the mailing address: P.O. Box 12688, Oakland, California, 946042688 for ON-CALL PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FOR CENTRAL SUPPORT SERVICE AREAS. Dated at Oakland, California, this 28th day of February 2019. /S/ Kofo Domingo Kofo Domingo, Chief Procurement Officer San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District 3/14/19 CNS-3228245# BAY AREA REPORTER

away from the women’s key demands.

The women were calling for a dignified minimum wage, a ban on child marriage, and an end to patriarchy and violence based on gender and sexual orientation.

“Disproportionate attention was made to single out and target the presence of LGBT participants,” the march’s organizing committee said in a March 10 statement, reported Reuters. “This borders on incitement to hatred and violence towards a section of Malaysian society who are already at risk and facing multiple forms of discrimination.”

Other participants – including conservative women’s group Parti Se-Islam Malaysia and former ruling party United Malay National Organization – also condemned the LGBT activists for participating openly in the march.

However, a coalition of women’s organizations came to the LGBT activists’ defense.t Got international LGBT news tips? Call or send them to Heather Cassell at Skype: heather.cassell or oitwnews@gmail.com.

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All Person Claiming Any Interest, or Lien Upon, the Real Property Herein Described or, Any Part thereof, Defendants.

CASE NO. CGC-19-574377 AMENDED SUMMONS [CCP § 751.05] The people of the State of California, to all persons claiming any interest in, or lien upon, the real property herein described, or any part thereof, defendants, greeting (See Memorandum Disclosing Adverse Interest [CCP § 751.07] attached.): You are hereby required to appear and answer the complaint of CALIFORNIA BARREL COMPANY LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, plaintiff, filed with the clerk of the above-entitled court and county, within three months after the first publication of this summons, and to set forth what interest or lien, if any, you have in or upon that certain real property or any part thereof, situated in the City and County of San Francisco, State of California, particularly described as follows: REAL PROPERTY, SITUATE IN THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO, STATE OF CALIFORNIA, COMPRISED OF SIX (6) PARCELS, DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: BEING A PORTION OF PARCEL A, AS SAID PARCEL A IS DESCRIBED IN THAT CERTAIN GRANT DEED RECORDED SEPTEMBER 26, 2016 AS DOCUMENT NUMBER 2016-K334613 OF OFFICIAL RECORDS, IN THE OFFICE OF THE RECORDER OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO, STATE OF CALIFORNIA, MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: PARCEL ONE BEING ALL OF MARYLAND STREET, AS SAID STREET EXISTED PRIOR TO THE VACATION THEREOF, LYING WITHIN SAID PARCEL A (DN 2016-K334613), MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: BEGINNING AT THE INTERSECTION OF THE NORTHERN LINE OF SAID PARCEL A (DN 2016-K334613) WITH THE WESTERN LINE OF SAID MARYLAND STREET; THENCE, FROM SAID POINT OF BEGINNING, ALONG SAID NORTHERN LINE OF PARCEL A (DN 2016-K334613), EASTERLY 80 FEET TO THE INTERSECTION OF SAID NORTHERN LINE OF PARCEL A (DN 2016-K334613) WITH THE EASTERN LINE OF SAID MARYLAND STREET; THENCE, ALONG SAID EASTERN LINE OF MARYLAND STREET, SOUTHERLY 279 FEET TO THE INTERSECTION OF SAID EASTERN LINE OF MARYLAND STREET WITH THE SOUTHERN LINE OF SAID PARCEL A (DN 2016-K334613); THENCE, ALONG SAID SOUTHERN LINE OF PARCEL A (DN 2016-K334613), WESTERLY 80 FEET TO THE INTERSECTION OF SAID SOUTHERN LINE OF PARCEL A (DN 2016-K334613) WITH SAID WESTERN LINE OF MARYLAND STREET; THENCE, ALONG SAID WESTERN LINE OF MARYLAND STREET, NORTHERLY 279 FEET TO SAID POINT OF BEGINNING. PARCEL TWO BEING ALL OF LOUISIANA STREET, AS SAID STREET EXISTED PRIOR TO THE VACATION THEREOF, LYING WITHIN SAID PARCEL A (DN 2016-K334613), MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: BEGINNING AT THE INTERSECTION OF THE NORTHERN LINE OF SAID PARCEL A (DN 2016-K334613) WITH THE WESTERN LINE OF SAID LOUISIANA STREET; THENCE, FROM SAID POINT OF BEGINNING, ALONG SAID NORTHERN LINE OF PARCEL A (DN 2016-K334613), EASTERLY 80 FEET TO THE INTERSECTION OF SAID NORTHERN LINE OF PARCEL A (DN 2016-K334613) WITH THE EASTERN LINE OF SAID LOUISIANA STREET; THENCE, ALONG SAID EASTERN LINE OF LOUISIANA STREET, SOUTHERLY 279 FEET TO THE INTERSECTION OF SAID EASTERN LINE OF LOUISIANA STREET WITH THE SOUTHERN LINE OF SAID PARCEL A (DN 2016-K334613); THENCE, ALONG SAID SOUTHERN LINE OF PARCEL A (DN 2016-K334613), WESTERLY 80 FEET TO THE INTERSECTION OF SAID SOUTHERN LINE OF PARCEL A (DN 2016-K334613) WITH SAID WESTERN LINE OF LOUISIANA STREET; THENCE, ALONG SAID WESTERN LINE OF LOUISIANA STREET, NORTHERLY 279 FEET TO SAID POINT OF BEGINNING. PARCEL THREE BEING A PORTION OF GEORGIA STREET, AS SAID STREET EXISTED PRIOR TO THE VACATION THEREOF, LYING WITHIN SAID PARCEL A (DN 2016-K334613), MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: BEGINNING AT A POINT ON THE WESTERN LINE OF SAID GEORGIA STREET, SAID POINT BEING THE SOUTHWESTERN CORNER OF PARCEL 1, AS SAID PARCEL 1 IS DESCRIBED IN THAT CERTAIN JUDGMENT RECORDED FEBRUARY 1, 2001, AS DOCUMENT NUMBER 2001-G897578 OF OFFICIAL RECORDS, IN SAID OFFICE OF THE RECORDER OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO; THENCE, FROM SAID POINT OF BEGINNING, ALONG THE SOUTHERN LINE OF SAID PARCEL 1 (DN 2001-G897578), EASTERLY 80 FEET TO A POINT IN THE EASTERN LINE OF SAID GEORGIA STREET, SAID POINT BEING THE SOUTHEASTERN CORNER OF SAID PARCEL 1 (DN 2001-G897578); THENCE, ALONG SAID EASTERN LINE OF GEORGIA STREET, SOUTHERLY 406.42 FEET TO THE NORTHEASTERN CORNER OF PARCEL 3, AS SAID PARCEL 3 IS DESCRIBED IN THAT CERTAIN JUDGMENT QUIETING TITLE RECORDED MAY 26, 1960 IN BOOK A127 OF OFFICIAL RECORDS, AT PAGE 596, IN SAID OFFICE OF THE RECORDER OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO; THENCE, ALONG THE NORTHERN LINE OF SAID PARCEL 3 (A127 OR 596), NORTHWESTERLY 18.79 FEET TO A POINT ON THE WESTERN LINE OF SAID PARCEL A (DN 2016-K334613); THENCE, ALONG SAID WESTERN LINE OF PARCEL A (DN 2016-K334613), THE FOLLOWING TWO (2) COURSES: 1) NORTH 03°10’16” WEST 125.39 FEET, AND 2) SOUTH 86°49’44” WEST 63.85 FEET TO THE INTERSECTION OF SAID WESTERN LINE OF PARCEL A (DN 2001-K334613) AND SAID WESTERN LINE OF GEORGIA STREET; THENCE, ALONG SAID WESTERN LINE OF GEORGIA STREET, NORTHERLY 271.42 FEET, MORE OR LESS, TO SAID POINT OF BEGINNING. PARCEL FOUR BEING A PORTION OF MICHIGAN STREET, AS SAID STREET EXISTED PRIOR TO THE VACATION THEREOF, LYING WITHIN SAID PARCEL A (DN 2016-K334613), MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: BEGINNING AT A POINT ON THE EASTERN LINE OF SAID MICHIGAN STREET, SAID POINT BEING THE SOUTHEASTERN CORNER OF PARCEL 2, AS SAID PARCEL 2 IS DESCRIBED IN THAT CERTAIN JUDGMENT RECORDED FEBRUARY 1, 2001, AS DOCUMENT NUMBER 2001-G897578 OF OFFICIAL RECORDS, IN SAID OFFICE OF THE RECORDER OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO; THENCE, FROM SAID POINT OF BEGINNING, ALONG SAID EASTERN LINE OF MICHIGAN STREET, SOUTHERLY 157.42 FEET, MORE OR LESS, TO THE NORTHEASTERN CORNER OF PARCEL 4, AS SAID PARCEL 4 IS DESCRIBED IN THAT CERTAIN JUDGMENT QUIETING TITLE RECORDED MAY 26, 1960 IN BOOK A127 OF OFFICIAL RECORDS, AT PAGE 596, IN SAID OFFICE OF THE RECORDER OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO; THENCE, ALONG THE NORTHERN LINE OF SAID PARCEL 4 (A127 OR 596), NORTHWESTERLY 2 FEET, MORE OR LESS, TO A POINT ON THE WESTERN LINE OF SAID PARCEL A (DN 2016-K334613); THENCE, ALONG SAID WESTERN LINE OF PARCEL A (DN 2016-K334613), THE FOLLOWING TWO (2) COURSES: 1) NORTH 03°10’16” WEST 9.01 FEET, AND 2) SOUTH 86°49’44” WEST 11.12 FEET TO THE INTERSECTION OF SAID WESTERN LINE OF PARCEL A (DN 2001-K334613) AND SAID NORTHERN LINE OF PARCEL 4 (A127 OR 596); THENCE, ALONG SAID NORTHERN LINE OF SAID PARCEL 4 (A127 OR 596), NORTHWESTERLY 6 FEET, MORE OR LESS, TO A POINT ON SAID WESTERN LINE OF SAID PARCEL A (DN 2016-K334613); THENCE, ALONG SAID WESTERN LINE OF PARCEL A (DN 2016-K334613), NORTH 03°41’19” WEST 143.4 FEET, MORE OR LESS, TO THE INTERSECTION OF SAID WESTERN LINE OF PARCEL A (DN 2016-K334613) WITH THE SOUTHERN LINE OF SAID PARCEL 2 (DN 2001-G897578); THENCE, ALONG SAID SOUTHERN LINE OF PARCEL 2 (DN 2001-G897578), EASTERLY 18.62 FEET TO SAID POINT OF BEGINNING. PARCEL FIVE BEING A PORTION OF HUMBOLDT STREET, AS SAID STREET EXISTED PRIOR TO THE VACATION THEREOF, LYING WITHIN SAID PARCEL A (DN 2016-K334613), MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: BEGINNING AT THE INTERSECTION OF THE SOUTHERN LINE OF SAID HUMBOLDT STREET (33 FEET WIDE) WITH THE EASTERN LINE OF MICHIGAN STREET, AS SAID MICHIGAN STREET EXISTED PRIOR TO THE VACATION THEREOF, SAID POINT BEING THE NORTHEASTERN CORNER OF PARCEL 2, AS SAID PARCEL 2 IS DESCRIBED IN THAT CERTAIN JUDGMENT RECORDED FEBRUARY 1, 2001, AS DOCUMENT NUMBER 2001-G897578 OF OFFICIAL RECORDS, IN SAID OFFICE OF THE RECORDER OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO; THENCE, FROM SAID POINT OF BEGINNING, ALONG THE NORTHERN LINE OF SAID PARCEL 2 (DN 2001-G897578), WESTERLY 18.62 FEET TO THE INTERSECTION OF SAID NORTHERN LINE OF PARCEL 2 (2001-G897578) AND THE WESTERN LINE OF SAID PARCEL A (DN 2016-K334613); THENCE, ALONG SAID WESTERN LINE OF PARCEL A (DN 2016-K334613), THE FOLLOWING TWO (2) COURSES: 1) NORTH 03°41’19” WEST 1.31 FEET, AND 2) NORTH 87°24’17” EAST 18.63 FEET TO THE INTERSECTION OF SAID WESTERN LINE OF PARCEL A (DN 2001-K334613) AND SAID EASTERN LINE OF MICHIGAN STREET; THENCE, ALONG SAID EASTERN LINE OF MICHIGAN STREET, SOUTHERLY 1.12 FEET TO SAID POINT OF BEGINNING. PARCEL SIX BEING A PORTION OF HUMBOLDT STREET, AS SAID STREET EXISTED PRIOR TO THE VACATION THEREOF, LYING WITHIN SAID PARCEL A (DN 2016-K334613), MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: BEGINNING AT THE INTERSECTION OF THE SOUTHERN LINE OF SAID HUMBOLDT STREET (33 FEET WIDE) WITH THE EASTERN LINE OF GEORGIA STREET, AS SAID GEORGIA STREET EXISTED PRIOR TO THE VACATION THEREOF, SAID POINT BEING THE NORTHEASTERN CORNER OF PARCEL 1, AS SAID PARCEL 1 IS DESCRIBED IN THAT CERTAIN JUDGMENT RECORDED FEBRUARY 1, 2001, AS DOCUMENT NUMBER 2001-G897578 OF OFFICIAL RECORDS, IN SAID OFFICE OF THE RECORDER OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO; THENCE, FROM SAID POINT OF BEGINNING, ALONG THE NORTHERN LINE OF SAID PARCEL 1 (DN 2001-G897578), WESTERLY 80 FEET TO THE INTERSECTION OF SAID PARCEL 1 (2001-G897578) AND THE WESTERN LINE OF SAID GEORGIA STREET, SAID POINT BEING THE NORTHEASTERN CORNER OF SAID PARCEL 1 (DN 2001-G897578); THENCE, ALONG SAID WESTERN LINE GEORGIA STREET, NORTHERLY 33 FEET TO THE NORTHERN LINE OF SAID HUMBOLDT STREET; THENCE, ALONG SAID NORTHERN LINE OF HUMBOLDT STREET, EASTERLY 80 FEET TO A POINT ON THE EASTERN LINE OF SAID GEORGIA STREET; THENCE, ALONG SAID EASTERN LINE OF GEORGIA STREET, SOUTHERLY 33 FEET TO SAID POINT OF BEGINNING. PARCELS ONE THROUGH SIX BEING PORTIONS OF APN 4175-017. ATTACHED HERETO IS AN ILLUSTRATIVE INDEX MAP, AND BY THIS REFERENCE, MADE A PART HEREOF. And you are hereby notified that, unless you so appear and answer, the plaintiff will apply to the court for the relief demanded in the complaint, to wit: quiet title to the Property consistent with the legal description above, against all adverse claims of all claimants, known and unknown, as of the date the Complaint in this case was filed.

Witness my hand and the seal of said court, DATE: MAR 11 2019 Clerk, By CAROLYN BALISTRERI, DEPUTY [SEAL], CLERK OF THE COURT Memorandum Disclosing Adverse Interest [CCP § 751.07] The following persons are said to claim an interest in, or lien upon, said property adverse to Plaintiff: 1. 1. PG&E, 245 Market Street, N10A, Room 1015, P.O. Box 770000, San Francisco, CA 94177; 2. City and County of San Francisco, Office of the City Attorney, Room 234, City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102, 3. Trans Bay Cable LLC, One Letterman Drive, C5-100, San Francisco, CA 94129; 4. San Francisco Port Authority, Pier 1, The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94111; 5. California Regional Water Quality Control Board for the San Francisco Bay Region, 1515 Clay Street, Suite 1400, Oakland, CA 94612; 6. NRG Potrero LLC, c/o GenOn, 1360 Post Oak Boulevard, Suite 2000, Houston TX 77056 SUMMONS.indd 1

3/13/19 11:24 AM

<< Classifieds

14 • Bay Area Reporter • March 14-20, 2019

Classifieds Cleaning Services>> CLEANING PROFESSIONAL

33 Years Exp. (415) 794-4411 Roger Miller

FEELING DIRTY? – Housecleaning Richard 415-255-0389

GREAT BASIC CLEAN $55 –

Home, Apt Wkly $40. Fast, Cheap, 20yrs+ Exp, Pro. Call/Text John 415-205-0397

Hauling>>

HAULING 24/7 – (415) 441-1054 Large Truck

Legal Notices>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-554621

In the matter of the application of: HIEN VAN NGO, 44 SENECA AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner HIEN VAN NGO, is requesting that the name HIEN VAN NGO, be changed to VICTOR ANDY NGO. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 26th of March 2019 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

FEB 21, 28, MAR 07, 14, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038504200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WALK IT OFF, 775 5TH AVE, #1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed APRIL MEINER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/31/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/31/19.

FEB 21, 28, MAR 07, 14, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038525800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HOWB, 1259 FOLSOM ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DARREN COREY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/14/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/14/19.

FEB 21, 28, MAR 07, 14, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038524300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SUNG’S AUTOMOTIVE, 999 DIVISADERO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CALVIN SUNG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/13/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/13/19.

FEB 21, 28, MAR 07, 14, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038526400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BILL MOHLER FITNESS & WELLNESS, 1188 MISSION ST, #1416, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed WILLIAM MOHLER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/20/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/15/19.

FEB 21, 28, MAR 07, 14, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038519800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: QUEEN ANNE HOTEL, 1590 SUTTER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed GOKEL CORPORATION (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/01/97. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/11/19.

FEB 21, 28, MAR 07, 14, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038498200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WICKED GROUNDS ANNEX, 293 8TH ST #1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SPIKY JANE’S COFFEE LLC (CA).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/28/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/28/19.

FEB 21, 28, MAR 07, 14, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038498300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WICKED GROUNDS CAFE, 289 8TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SPIKY JANE’S COFFEE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/19/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/28/19.

FEB 21, 28, MAR 07, 14, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038508700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LOS YAQUIS, 324 S. VAN NESS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SALVADOR AGUIRRE SORIA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/11/09. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/01/19.

FEB 28, MAR 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038534900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: QIU’S JEWELRY & REPAIR, 833 MARKET ST #611, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ZHEN HUI QIU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/01/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/22/19.

FEB 21, MAR 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038505400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BIRCH, 768 HAYES ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TORRYNE CHOATE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/02/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/31/19.

FEB 28, MAR 07, 14, 21, 2019

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038524400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AFFORDABLE HYDRO JETTING, 26 RIDGEWOOD AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MARTIN GALLARDO MACIAS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/01/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/13/19.

FEB 28, MAR 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038535600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CROSSXFADE PRODUCTIONS, 446 VALENCIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TY MCKENZIE. 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 02/22/19.

FEB 28, MAR 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038529800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ELAN FOR HAIR, 305 GRANT AVE, 5TH FLR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CHEUNG ON NG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/19/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/19/19.

FEB 28, MAR 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038529000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BREMAR CLEANING SERVICES, 4717 MISSION ST #4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CONSUELO GONZALES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/15/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/19/19.

FEB 28, MAR 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038530500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LOVE SHACK; LOVE SHACK BY SPARC, 502 14TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed THE LOVE SHACK COOPERATIVE, 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 02/20/19.

FEB 28, MAR 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038502600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LITTLE OSSAI; OSSAI, 548 MARKET ST #15585, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed PAPER CLIP INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/30/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/30/19.

FEB 28, MAR 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038532500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AMERICAN CORPORATE SERVICES, INC., ONE MARKET ST, SPEAR TOWER, 36TH FLR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed AMERICAN CORPORATE SERVICES, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/16/01. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/21/19.

FEB 28, MAR 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038529100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CALIFORNIA HOUSING DEFENSE FUND, 1260 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed CALIFORNIA RENTERS LEGAL ADVOCACY AND EDUCATION FUND (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 02/19/19.

FEB 28, MAR 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038530000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ACAI R, 1130 OCEAN AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed TANCHAN LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/19/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/19/19.

FEB 28, MAR 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038534400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BARTLETT BRANDS, 84 MANGELS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed REBECCA BARTLETT LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/14/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/22/19.

FEB 28, MAR 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038526500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GIOIA PIZZERIA, 579 HAYES ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102.

This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed HAYES STREET PIZZA, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/15/19.

FEB 28, MAR 07, 14, 21, 2019

To place your classified ad,

call us at 415-861-5019

Notices >> STORAGE LIEN AUCTION 03/30/19 9AM –

13 containers 5x7x7 Household goods & furniture of customers Lynn Ostlund (2), Michael Smith (3), Lisa DiGiovanni (3), Leslie McCall (4), & Steve Griffin (1).

Celtic Moving, 1480 Donner Ave, SF, CA 94124. Containers not for sale individually. All contents to be removed within 24hrs.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038536700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BRAND BENJAMIN, 2848 WEBSTER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed BRAND BENJAMIN LLC (CA).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/25/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/25/19.

FEB 28, MAR 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038509700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: I’M COMING OUT (ICO), 1020 FAIRFAX AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed PROJECT LIFE (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/04/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/04/19.

FEB 28, MAR 07, 14, 21, 2019 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037230300

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: GIOIA PIZZERIA, 2238 POLK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business was conducted by a limited liability company and signed by POLK STREET PIZZA, LLC (CA).

The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/25/16.

FEB 28, MAR 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038537300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PACIFIC HEMP, 10 VALENCIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SERGIO GUEVARA. 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 02/25/19.

MAR 07, 14, 21, 28, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038541400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HOLY FAMILY, 195 OTSEGO AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RAFAEL VARELA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/27/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/28/19.

MAR 07, 14, 21, 28, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038539600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LUXE NAILS, 520 MONTGOMERY ST #M03, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed THANH LAM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/26/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/26/19.

MAR 07, 14, 21, 28, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038538200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: COMIC BOOK BEARDIES, 2275 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DARIN SCOTT ANDREWS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/10/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/26/19.

MAR 07, 14, 21, 28, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038533400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: X & T TRADING, 619 HYDE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by: an individual, and is signed VICTOR HUNG LUONG NG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/21/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/21/19.

MAR 07, 14, 21, 28, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038540300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: VOLKOV LAW OFFICE, 5840 GEARY BLVD #101, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ALEKSANDR A. VOLKOV. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/01/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/27/19.

MAR 07, 14, 21, 28, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038539100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: INFINITE TECH SERVICES, 105 MACDONALD AVE, DALY CITY, CA 94014. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ALFREDO GOMEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/26/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/26/19.

MAR 07, 14, 21, 28, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038535700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RAMBUNCTIOUS GARDENS, 4108 MORAGA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DANA BETTERLY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/22/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/22/19.

MAR 07, 14, 21, 28, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038518200

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FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038529300

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038553600

MAR 07, 14, 21, 28, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038545800

MAR 14, 21, 28, APR 04, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038543300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CHEER SAN FRANCISCO, 584 CASTRO ST #307, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed CHEER FOR LIFE FOUNDATION, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/04. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/19/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ROMANCING BRIDES OF THE 21ST CENTURY, 1535 EDDY ST #404, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JESSIE CASTLE HARRIS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/08/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/08/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WINNING MEASURES, 400 MONTGOMERY ST, 7TH FLR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed TERRIS BARNES WALTERS BOIGON HEATH, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/04/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MI FAMILIA TAQUERIA, 1797 HAIGHT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RAMIRO CARDENAS JR. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/01/19.

MAR 07, 14, 21, 28, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038531100

MAR 14, 21, 28 APR 04, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038548100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NOREN IZAKAYA, 1701 POWELL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed H & K INVESTMENT GROUP (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/19/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/20/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MADE BY DELPHI, 128 ELLSWORTH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MATTHEW IRVING. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/12/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/05/19.

MAR 07, 14, 21, 28, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038542300

MAR 14, 21, 28, APR 04, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038550200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FISHTAIL MARKET, 352 TURK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed LAXMI FINANCIAL INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/14/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/28/19.

MAR 07, 14, 21, 28, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038538700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ATLAS USA CONCRETE, 1183 SHAFTER AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed USA HAULING (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/31/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/26/19.

MAR 07, 14, 21, 28, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038528302 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE CENTER SF CO-WORK AND EVENT SPACE; THE CENTER SF TEA HOUSE & EVENT SPACE; THE CENTER SF, 546 FILLMORE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SHIVAYA TCSF, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/19/19.

MAR 07, 14, 21, 28, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038539500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CROSSROAD PIZZERIA, 1596 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed UNIVERSAL CAFE OF DELICACIES (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/26/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/26/19.

MAR 07, 14, 21, 28, 2019 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-554671

In the matter of the application of: RAUL ANTHONY, 1090 NATOMA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner RAUL ANTHONY, is requesting that the name RAUL ANTHONY, be changed to RAUL ANTHONY GOMEZ. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 18th of April 2019 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAR 14, 21, 28, APR 04, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038554200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DRAGONFLY PL, 180 STEUART ST #193391, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RAQUEL COHEN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/06/19.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/11/19.

MAR 14, 21, 28, APR 04, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038550300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BERNAL HEIGHTS CRYSTALS, 906 CORTLAND AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SAM YONKO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/08/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/08/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TIEN YUAN PLUMBING, 33233 LAKE GARRISON ST, FREMONT, CA 94555. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ZHUANG JU FANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/06/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/06/19.

MAR 07, 14, 21, 28, 2019

MAR 14, 21, 28, APR 04, 2019

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MENTAL WEALTH, 69 NORDHOFF ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed NAZNEEN ABDULLAH & MICHELLE MAGARRELL. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/14/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/06/19.

MAR 14, 21, 28, APR 04, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038553400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GO MOTION ENTERPRISE; KARTE BLANCHE, 854 44TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed GO MOTION ENTERPRISE (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/08/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/08/19.

MAR 14, 21, 28, APR 04, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038543700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CALIFORNIA STREET CANNABIS CO., 1398 CALIFORNIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed DISPLEASED MARMOT 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 03/01/19.

MAR 14, 21, 28, APR 04, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038551000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KALON SF, 49 KEARNY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed KALON INTERNATIONAL LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/15/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/07/19.

MAR 14, 21, 28, APR 04, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038547000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DOSE; DOSE HERE NOW, 540 BARNEVELD AVE UNIT C, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed DOSE, LLC (CA).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/31/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/04/19.

MAR 14, 21, 28, APR 04, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038549000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FIERY CAFE, 1316 NORIEGA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed FIERY, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/05/19.

MAR 14, 21, 28, APR 04, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038554300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AWROOF!, LLC; DOG DAY AFTERNOONS, 2261 MARKET ST #188, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability partnership, and is signed PAUL TYRONE SMITH-CUNHA & RAFAEL GONCALVES CUNHA-SMITH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/06/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/11/19.

MAR 14, 21, 28, APR 04, 2019 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-036675900

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: DOG DAY AFTERNOONS, 1708 FELL ST #1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by SUZANNE EPSTEIN. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/14/15.

MAR 14, 21, 28, APR 04, 2019

16

Wilde life

17

Trans dance

18

18

Sissy-fied

Underground life

Vol. 49 • No. 11 • March 14-20, 2019

www.ebar.com/arts

Celebrating Michael Tilson Thomas San Francisco Symphony announces 2019-20 season

by Philip Campbell

T Brandon Patoc

he announcement by the San Francisco Symphony and Michael Tilson Thomas of the 2019-20 season marks the track for the departing Music Director’s final victory lap at Davies Symphony Hall. With typical style and imagination, the schedule celebrates MTT’s historic 25-year tenure and highlights his specialties: composers, programs, and landmark initiatives.

See page 22 >>

San Francisco Symphony music director Michael Tilson Thomas.

Thatcher Jacobs and Max von Essen, from the First National Tour of “Falsettos.”

Sasha De Sola and Carlo Di Lanno in Helgi Tomasson’s “The Sleeping Beauty.”

Growing up Falsetto

by Paul Parish

by Jim Gladstone

very happy audience jumped to their feet Saturday night as the curtain came down on “The Sleeping Beauty” at the SF Opera House, giving the ballerina, Sasha De Sola, an ecstatic, grateful, and well-deserved standing ovation. It was opening night of Program 4, the midpoint of San Francisco Ballet’s winter season: another rainy night, ending a day that began with an alarming collapse of the BART computers, which had led many to suspect a cyberattack.

See page 22 >>

M

ax von Essen and Thatcher Jacobs play Marvin and Jason, father and son, in “Falsettos,” the emotion-wringer of a musical that opens a four-week run at the Golden Gate Theatre next Tuesday night. The original 1992 Broadway production won Tonys for William Finn’s music and lyrics and James Lapine’s book.

See page 17 >>

{ SECOND OF THREE SECTIONS }

Joan Marcus

Erik Tomasson

A

Beauty awakens

<< Out There

16 • Bay Area Reporter • March 14-20, 2019

Fleeting joys of art

by Roberto Friedman

OT got a chance to thank Jules Maeght for bringing their vision to Hayes Valley, and to meet curator Luc Sokolsky and gallery patrons.

The show, “a la prochaine,” includes works by artists who have been affiliated with the gallery over the years, such as local artist Kal Spelletich, whose interactive pumping heart installation was the focus of much fascination.

The Maeghts also put out palm cards from many of the exhibitions they’ve mounted, and OT chose three from some favorite shows to take home.

First there were the black-and-white photographs of “Janet Delaney, New York City 1984-1987,” urban landscapes and candid portraits that capture a time and place that will never be the same again. Delaney’s work was shown at the gallery simultaneously with photographs from her “South of Market” series from the 1970s and 80s that was given a show at the de Young Museum in 2015.

Then there was the exhibit devoted to issues of “Derriere Le

L

ast Friday night Out There attended the opening-night party for the final exhibition at Jules Maeght Gallery, a blue-chip art gallery that has made its home at 149 Gough St. in San Francisco for the last five years. When the show’s run ends on March 23, the gallery will close up shop.

It’s been great having a really interesting gallery in Hayes Valley, OT’s home neighborhood, a veritable bonanza for pricey restaurants and expensive quaffs, but not really a gallery hub. Gallerists Jules and Amelie Maeght sure staked out their territory, and have presented topshelf international artists during their time here. They come from a famous art-gallery family based in Paris, which has included trusted dealers for Alexander Calder and Joan Miro. During the gallery’s life here they have presented works by art stars like Ellsworth Kelly and Dave Eggers. They return to France at the end of the month.

Courtesy Jules Maeght Gallery

From Jules Maeght Gallery’s 2018 exhibition “Derrière Le Miroir,” with prints and original works by Modernist artists.

Miroir,” the art review published

by Aime Maeght from 1946-1982, devoted to contemporary art, printing, writing and collaboration. Filled with original lithographs, the journals included critics’ reflections on the art of their contemporaries, i.e., Jean-Paul Sartre on Alberto Giacometti, or Louis Aragon on Marc Chagall.

We eat this kind of stuff right up.

Finally there was the exhibition “Tracey Snelling, Asphalt Jungle,” devoted to the artist’s diorama-like creations of houses, favelas and cityscapes, animated by neon lights, tiny LED screens and collaged photos and sounds.

In Snelling’s sculptures, it’s as if we’re looking inside private dwell-

t

ings, seeing what they’re watching on TV: a soccer game? A boxing match? Highly stimulating.

In other art news, reader Daniel Detorie wrote in with a gallery tip. “Went to the opening of the Charley Brown show at Dolby Chadwick last night.

“Charley Brown died in November, and Lisa Dolby Chadwick did this last show of his amazing minimalist works. He went to school at Humboldt with [artist] Martin Wong. He did the murals for the gay and lesbian room at the Main San Francisco Library and the murals over the entry to the Monadnock Building on Market St. (with Harvey Milk in the clouds). When not doing murals and finishes for rich clients around the world with his life/business partner Mark Evans (Evans & Brown), he also painted beautiful large abstracts.

One is in the collection of the Crocker Art Museum [in Sacramento], and one is in the collection of Berkeley Art Museum.

“If you find yourself downtown in the next few weeks, go

by Dolby Chadwick Gallery, 210 Post St., #205. You won’t be disappointed.”t

Oscar Wilde, environmentalist

by Peter Garland

In his lectures and in many newspaper articles, he also expressed his concern about the pollution of American, English and Canadian skies and rivers. The Philadelphia Press reported on Jan. 7, 1882, “As the train neared Philadelphia, Wilde again grew distracted and depressed by the scenery. Whitman and other poets, he said, had always been ahead of science, at least conceptually. Now he wondered, ‘Why does not science busy itself with drainage and sanitary engineering? Why does it not clean the streets and free the rivers from pollution? Why, in England, there is scarcely a river at some point is not polluted: and the flowers are all withered on the banks!’”

Oscar grew up in a family with two super-achieving parents. A plaque at One Merrion Square, Dublin, Ireland, reads, “Aural and ophthalmic surgeon, archaeologist, ethnologist, antiquarian, biographer, statistician, naturalist, topographer, historian, folklorist,” celebrating Oscar’s fa-

O

scar Wilde is generally thought of as a proponent of gay rights, which has led to the equality we see today, but even more important may have been his role as an environmentalist. He agitated for a healthy and beautiful environment in all spheres, not just in one’s private life, but also in education, dress, cities, and in areas that today we reference by the term “environmental.” This article will look at his track record in that category.

In 1882, Wilde, fresh out of Oxford University with a gold medal, tall, dressed in silk stockings, and having published a first volume of poetry, delivered a yearlong lecture tour in the United States and Canada. His expenses were paid, and he had a contract for a share of the profits. He spoke on “The Decorative Arts,” “The English Renaissance in the Arts” and “The House Beautiful.”

ther, Sir William Wilde, an eye-andear surgeon who collected fairy tales from Irish cottagers. His mother, Lady Jane Francesca Wilde, was an award-winning translator of French and German books.

Oscar had an outdoor childhood in Galway, where his father built a summerhouse with magnificent views of Lough Corrib and its 364 islands. As boys, Oscar and his older brother Willie often accompanied their father during his explorations in the west of Ireland. They sketched caves, cairns, monoliths, stone circles, and holy wells, fished and hunted.

On Oscar’s lecture tour, he gave 140 lectures in 260 days, to every level of society, from aristocrats to miners, from college boys to lacrosse-playing Canadians. His receptions were varied, both in the people and the press. Often the media acted as if he were fair game to be shot down. Some reporters could see beyond his amusing cos-

N EW CO N S ERVATO RY TH E ATR E CE N TE R In Association with Season Producers: LOWELL KIMBLE TED TUCKER

Executive Producers: CHARLES MATTESON & OAKLEY STEPHENS STEAMWORKS - BERKELEY

Producers: DAVID MEDERS KEN PRAG & STEVE COLLINS

Presents

Mar 1-31, 2019

By Mark Gerrard Directed by Becca Wolff HBO's Sex and the City meets HBO's Looking meets NCTC Ben Brantley’s Top Ten in 2015 in THE NEW YORK TIMES

“…some of the funniest dialogue in town”

“Mark Gerrard’s sad and hilarious—sadlarious?— new play”

—NEW YORK TIMES

—VULTURE

Originally Produced in New York City by The New Group: Scott Elliot, Artistic Director, Adam, Bernstein, Executive Director Permission granted by ABRAMS ARTISTS AGENCY, 275 Seventh Ave./26th Floor, New York, NY 10001. All inquiries concerning rights to the Play shall be addressed to the above.

BUY TICKETS AT NCTCSF.ORG BOX OFFICE: 415.861.8972 25 VAN NESS AVE AT MARKET ST

tume. The San Francisco Chronicle noted that the visiting lecturer spoke “like a man who was capable of deep thought and vigorous conclusions.”

Wilde never talked down to his audiences. He was inherently friendly, a good-humored man. He preached, “We do not want the rich to possess more beautiful things, but the poor to create more beautiful things, for every man is poor who cannot create.

We want to see you possess Napoleon Sarony (1821-96), Library of Congress nothing in your house that Oscar Wilde in New York, 1882. has not given delight to its maker, and does not give delight to its user; we want Wilde continued his criticism of to see you create an art made by the local flora, looking askance at the hands of the people, for all art to lumber mills releasing black smoke come must be democratic.” into the sky and sawdust in the OtHe visited art schools. Craft centawa River.” He said, “The things of ters, sculpting studios and art acadnature do not really belong to us. We emies sprung up in his wake, “and should leave them to our children as untold artists, male and female, took we have received them.” personal inspiration from Wilde’s In Toronto, Oscar sat in the Lieumessage and example. As both a lectenant Governor’s box enjoying turer and a celebrity, he had made a lacrosse match at City Stadium an indelible impression wherever he between Toronto’s home team and went, alternately shocking, amusthe St. Regis Indians from nearby ing, entertaining, and enlightening Cornwall Reservation. He said, “Oh, thousands of post-Civil War-era I was delighted with it. It’s a charmAmericans at a time when they were ing game.” He was particularly taken sorely in need of each. It had been a with Ross McKenzie, the leading brave, even gallant endeavor.” lacrosse player in Canada, whom “Crossing Dayton’s Miami River, he described as a “tall, finely built he repeated his ecological message, defense man. I admired his playing speaking approvingly of Indian very much.” place names, then gave the city faHe returned to Canada in Octhers a piece of advice that might tober and lectured in the Ontario have carried over, with profit, for Peninsula townships of Brantford, the entire industrialized East: ‘You Woodstock and Hamilton. In should never let your manufacturers New Brunswick, he visited the pollute the air with smoke.’”

Six Nations reservation as well Wilde visited eastern Canada as a cabinetmaking factory and twice that year, lecturing in major Wesleyan Ladies’ College. At St. cities like Ottawa, Montreal, ToJohn, “Local boatmen on Grand ronto, Quebec, as well as smaller Lake renamed one of their vessels places: Kingston, Halifax and towns the Oscar Wilde in his honor.” in New Brunswick, Prince Edward The Canadian lectures were a great success. “Feeling himself Island, often to capacity audiences, ‘greatly improved in speaking and and taking part in Canadian life, atin gesture,’” back to New York he tracting favorable and occasionally went to rest and recuperate. There hostile attention from the press. you have him, Oscar Wilde, Celt and At first Oscar had reservations environmentalist.t about the design of Niagara Falls as “lacking in grandeur and variety of line,” but ultimately declared that Peter Garland is a playwright, poet and writer, born in Dublin, the water was “full of changing loveIreland, now living close to liness.”

Dublin, CA. “In Ottawa, the Canadian capital,

t

Dance>>

March 14-20, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 17

15 years of trans dance & activism

by David-Elijah Nahmod

contemporary American masculinity, especially the ean Dorsey Dance will idea of unpacking toxic be performing “Boys in masculinity,” he said. “The Trouble” at Z Space from March show is divided into 22 14-16, a show that celebrates the sections. Each section puts acclaimed company’s 15th ana trans and queer lens onto niversary of dance performancintersectional questions of es. Sean Dorsey Dance has attransgender embodiment, tracted a great deal of attention violence, whiteness, black over the years not only because queer love, body shame, of the company’s groundbreakand posturing. The work ing work, but also because they moves between emotionare the first queer dance troupe ally intense content to founded and choreographed by outrageously hilarious a transgender dancer. content.”

Dorsey, 46, recalls loving Dorsey noted that his dance, storytelling, theater and audiences come from Kegan Marling music for as long as he can across the LGBTQ specremember. He also recalls, as a Sean Dorsey Dance in “Boys in Trouble.” trum, and even includes trans and queer person, never straight allies. “I am so seeing anyone who looked like in love with Sean Dorsey He has gone to coalition meetings, which organizes a variety of yearhim anywhere in dance.

Dance audiences,” he said. “Our aublocked traffic, and lobbied at City round events, education programs, “Me and my community were diences are the most amazing mix of Hall about community housing and community engagement, free comcompletely erased and absent from humans and communities that you anti-racism organizing. He’s also a munity forums and workshops. dance,” he said. “So when I began rarely see sitting side-by-side. We member of the trans advisory com“I’m really proud that my activmaking work, a central part of my have the entire rainbow spectrum mittee for San Francisco’s Office for ism has included paying, commisartistic journey was to insert and asof LGBTQ. We have young, trans, Transgender Initiatives, the nation’s sioning, hiring and supporting over sert the worth, value and beauty of straight, and mainstream couples first office for advising a city and a 500 artists in the Bay Area,” he said. trans, gender-non-conforming and who love dance and have been folmayor’s office on trans and genderDorsey describes “Boys in Trouble” queer bodies, stories and voices into lowing our work for years. The specnon-conforming policy. as “90 minutes of high-energy dancthe dance world.” trum across age, generations and all Dorsey has also worked towards ing, highly physical theater, raw In addition to his work as a danccommunities is so astounding, and creating space for other trans, emotions, lots of saucy, irreverent er and choreographer, Dorsey has that’s an important impact of the gender-non-conforming and queer queer humor and really vulnerable enjoyed a long history as an activwork. We bring disparate commuartists. To that end he founded Fresh storytelling. ist, fighting for social justice causes. nities who are often disconnected Meat Productions 17 years ago, “The work is a commentary on

S

<<

Falsettos

From page 15

It’s the story of one extended family’s struggle to make sense of itself in the face of sexual revolution and social change: Jason and his mother, Trina, find their lives upturned when Marvin falls in love with another man. The B.A.R. recently spoke with Jacobs and von Essen in separate phone calls. The actors’ experiences with the show

illuminate two very different yet harmonious perspectives.

Jacobs, 11, is from Milwaukee, where he’s been acting at the nationally recognized First Stage children’s theater since age six, after being dazzled by a performance of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”

He was raring to go when his agent asked if he’d like to tape a video audition for a role in a national tour. But Jacobs hesitated when he first saw the sheet music

for his potential big break. Having largely played roles in the likes of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat” and “A Christmas Story,” the prospect of singing the jaunty ragtime ditty called “My Father’s a Homo” struck him as “kind of weird.”

“I didn’t really know anything about ‘Falsettos’ yet,” he explained in a recent interview with the B.A.R. “And I mean, you don’t call some-

one a homo. People maybe said that a looong time ago, but it’s really inappropriate.”

Broadway veteran von Essen, on the other hand, says that after seeing the 2016 revival of “Falsettos,” he specifically asked his agent to set him up to audition for the role Marvin should the show announce a tour. It’s a role von Essen, 45, says felt especially appropriate for him.

“I’d seen a production when I was in my early 30s,” the openly

together to witness and experience something collectively.”

After each performance, the audience is invited to a reception with the dancers. When they perform at Z Space this weekend, the reception will include music by DJ La Frida, who will be spinning in the Z Space lobby before and after each show, and during intermission. Saturday’s 4 p.m. performance will include ASL interpretation, and the 8 p.m. show that evening will include a champagne toast with Dorsey in celebration of the company’s 15th anniversary.

“I want audiences to come and experience a sense of resonance and relating to us on stage,” Dorsey said.

“What I love about this work is that there’s a palpable heart connection among the performers on stage and audience members. I hope that audiences will leave transformed by the work in some way, that there’s something set in motion in them that sets them towards healing, whether it’s after their own experiences of toxic masculinity or violence, or the brutal peer pressure that all of us queers put on each other.”t Sean Dorsey Dance: Boys in Trouble, March 14-16, Z Space, 450 Florida St., SF. Tickets ($15-$30): http://seandorseydance.com/.

gay actor recalls, “but I just couldn’t see myself in it. I don’t think I had enough life experience or maturity.

And I couldn’t imagine myself as a father. But so much has changed since then. It’s a reality that I can get married. I can see myself having children now.”

Since Jacobs won the role of Jason (he alternates performances with Jonah Mussolino), he’s gotten See page 18 >>

The Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation

<< Theatre

18 • Bay Area Reporter • March 14-20, 2019

Tipsy mix of past & presence

by Jim Gladstone

I

f you’ve never been to The Speakeasy, it’s hard to know what to expect. There are charming surprises around every corner of its gorgeous underground sprawl. Bar fights. Romances. Song and dance.

Baggy-pants comedy. The busboy in his skivvies.

But it’s important to know what you shouldn’t expect. In mixing up an effervescent hybrid of theater, nightclub, and costume party, this production delivers more than the sum of its parts without hewing to what you might anticipate from any one of them. It’s definitely more of a playroom than a play. Patrons dress nattily, blending in with cast members. Early on it can be difficult to tell who’s who.

As Speakeasy impresario and codirector Nick Olivero told me before my own first visit last week, the experience is sui generis. Chatting in a vernacular as distinctive as the Prohibition-era lingo yakked by the Speakeasy’s chorus girls and rumrunners, Olivero says he doesn’t want you to feel like, “Hey, there wasn’t enough singing in that ballet!” or, “This chocolate cake doesn’t taste enough like banana cream pie.”

Attendees should go with the bootleg flow and leave their preconceptions at the door.

Also, their mobiles. To me, the most revelatory pleasure of this night on the town, set in the Roaring 20s, turned out to be the strict

prohibition of cellphones. They’re locked into security pouches as you enter and not released until you leave around three hours later. Sure, it’s era-appropriate, but it’s also a means of deepening your immersion in the evening.

Unencumbered of the ability to share selfies, scroll through headlines or crush candy at every moment, you notice the stylish details of wandering characters’ socks and neckties. You let yourself sink into the husky, double entendre-soaked tones of saloon singer Velma (Em Lea Reaves, one of the 26-person cast’s standout performers). You eavesdrop on conversations between barflies and bootleggers.

And you realize how the ticklish joys of eavesdropping and peoplewatching have become much rarer endeavors in our digitally-mediated present day.

The Speakeasy gifts you with a boozy opportunity to be here now.

Of course, “here” is both a posh multi-chambered labyrinth and a sub-basement of China Live, and “now” is tonight and 1923. But hey, it’s San Francisco – mind-bending metaphysics are always in style.

To me, the dizzy convolution of being hyper-present in an ultrarealistically rendered fictional setting is plenty reason to send my philosophically-bent art pals to “The Speakeasy.” But of course, if that were that its primary appeal, the show wouldn’t be going into a remarkable third year of frequently

Peter Liu

Stephen Wilson as Roland in “The Speakeasy.”

sold-out performances with ticket prices that start at $59 before you even open a bar tab. So far, over 50,000 people have stepped through the doors of dusty clock-repair shop and abandoned Chinese laundry that serve as portals to this ginsoaked wonderland, to the tune of over $5 million in ticket sales. Olivero and his colleagues have struck gold in striking a happy balance between ambitious art-making and mass appeal.

“I am a gateway drug, like ‘Hamilton,’” Olivero says, half-joking.

“Look, my background is nonprofit theater, but lots of the people who come to ‘The Speakeasy’ would never describe themselves as theater

people. We get birthday parties, bachelorette parties. 80% of the audience is on dates.”

Olivero says that for the show’s refreshed iteration, called “The Age of Scofflaws,” which opened earlier this month, he trimmed approximately one-quarter of the 1,500 pages of dialogue that characters in the show speak as they and the audience move throughout the perioddecorated rooms that make up “The Speakeasy”’s 9,000-sq.-ft. space.

Among them are a saloon with live music, a casino where guests can gamble with play money, a multitiered showroom with bandstand and stage, and a backstage dressing area that voyeurs can observe

t

through a one-way mirror.

“Over time, I realized that I’d overwritten. People are coming to be with each other and have fun. There needed to be more breathing room between the dramatic moments, so people could talk to the friends they came with and not have to keep quiet in order to hear everything,” Olivero says. “It’s turned out great.

The audience gets much rowdier enjoying themselves, and because there’s room for that, they’re more willing to pause and pay attention when a scene is happening.”

The balance felt ideal to me. In addition to having my intellect tickled by the entire, brilliantly executed conceit, I thoroughly enjoyed the showroom fan dances, the murmured rumors of a potential raid, the budding romance between a bouncer and a cocktail waitress, and several run-ins with the simultaneously corny and creepy comedian, Eddie (Burt Nesor, reminiscent of Caesar Romero’s “Batman” Joker).

But what I enjoyed the most was the sense of being on an unexpected little vacation with my partner; relaxing with a few drinks, taking in the scenery and sharing our observations. With nary a glance at our phones.t The Speakeasy: Age of Scofflaws, North Beach location disclosed after ticket purchase.

Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m. Tickets: ($59-$149): (415) 891-9744, www. speakeasysf.com.

Their non-conforming own story

by Tim Pfaff

a kid, I didn’t know how to handle all the anger I felt toward the world.”

They’re among the trans people who hid in plain sight by being exceptional academically, which in Tobia’s case involves acceptance at an array of prestigious colleges.

Turning down Harvard for Duke University was an early, conscious recognition that exceptionality is all-too-often a mask.

There’s nothing particularly out of the ordinary in their comingout stories, either, starting in their mid-teens with a female best friend, expanding to other friends and their brother (whose inability to keep his sworn confidence evaporated minutes later in a call to his girl-

friend), and a church elder, all of it in knowing practice for the big coming-out to the parents. There are tears from their mother and oscillating lecturing and rage from their father, with the church being more hindrance than help.

Being away from home, at Duke, allowed for experimentation rather than pure rumination to advance the gender quest – which, with uncommonly intuitive wisdom, they knew did not lead to simple binary choice as a clear, simple, resolution. Tobia calls their middle-school clothing preferences “almost comedic,” the innate body issues – tall, dark and hairy – no fun at all, and the serious experimentation with wardrobe as gender expression spanning their time at Duke.

“The reality about gender is that we are all morphing all the time,” they write, describing their own coming out – disastrously – as gay as a manifestation of the paucity of gender non-conforming role models. “For me, coming out is less like a closet and more like a software update.” They soon came to the realization that “I couldn’t have properly ‘come out as trans’ if I’d wanted to, because I never closeted my gender identity in the first place; instead, I buried it.”

Stellar academic achievement led to important “study abroad” experiences, first at the UN in New York, where they walked the marble

corridors in high heels, the louder, sonically, the better. When her supervisor, Minh-Thu, returned from an absence and called them in for a talk, it turned out not to be the prelude to a firing but some of the sagest counseling she got: that she was fine the way she was, but that negotiating the adult world would “merely” require constant re-contextualizing.

Easily one of the book’s most vivid passages describes a charity event for the Ali Forney Center for LGBTQ youth in New York, which had been basically demolished by Hurricane Sandy. In a widely publicized event, she ran the length of the Brooklyn Bridge in five-inch heels (forgetting to practice first, but still successfully), which gained her an appearance on MSNBC. The writing, ranging from informal to pre-inebriation bar stool, keeps the seriousness of things in context. In an introductory “Quick Manifesto” that aptly describes it, they write, “This book is a glorious failure in terms of communicating the truth of gender in conveniently digestible, bite-size pieces. But I’d like to think that that’s what makes it perfect.”t

While von Essen marvels at the ways he’s seen American society change since the times portrayed in “Falsettos,” Jacobs, who casually notes that “there were lots of gay people” at his summer theater camp, is surprised at how things used to be. “Gay people weren’t even allowed to be married back then,” he says. “That’s crazy.”

Von Essen discourages theatergoers from approaching “Falsettos” as

a gay story, or an AIDS story, or even a late-20th-century period piece.

“It’s not like you’re watching ‘That 70s Show,’” he jokes. “It’s a story about human beings and families. Everyone has experienced some of the feelings of love and loss and confusion in this show.

“I’ve never really played a father before, but on stage I feel just like Thatcher is my son. It’s almost as if there’s no acting. I hurt when I hurt

him. And I’m moved to tears by our relationship.”

“Max gets really emotional on stage,” says Jacobs. “I sometimes want to comfort him. I really can’t say anything, though, because I’m in character.”t

J

acob Tobia’s new memoir “Sissy: A Coming-ofGender Story” (Putnam) joins a rapidly growing, if not yet groaning shelf of books on what it is like to be trans, gender queer, gender non-conforming – that. The taxonomy alone – and the furor around each of the terms as somehow not sufficiently inclusive – speaks to the need to hear, if not precisely or wholly feel, what it’s like to be trans (a word Tobia uses to self-describe). Tobia is Oriana Koren not dismissive of the “glitter and be trans” option, “Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story” but the relentless honesty author Jacob Tobia. of their story – and the fact that it sticks to their own Southern Methodist (the last, too, story – is invaluable. in some important way essential), “What also frustrates me about Tobia, 28, is the younger of two male the classical trans narrative is that siblings, their cis-gender brother an it depends on trans people existing almost stereotypical older brother solely in the man-woman binary,” minus the alpha-male grotesqueries. they write early on. “Fitting into the Their childhood comes closest to a gender binary, being a ‘real woman’ predictable trans story in the nearly or a ‘proper man,’ has been baked out-of-body clumsiness and ineptiinto almost every facet of trans stotude in sports and a pronounced rytelling.” Tobia’s story could hardly gravitation toward girl friends (two be more original or less prescriptive. words, sexual intimacies not played “Sissy” is no How To Do It Right down in this memoir but almost as book. Nor is Tobia’s story one of vanishing, as in their real life). protected celebrity or any other The gender unease and questionform of exceptionality beyond indiing is there very early on, but the viduality. part of the journey this book is best A North Carolina-born, Arabat relating is the adolescent to postAmerican (their father is Lebanese) college-graduate adult. “When I was

<<

Falsettos

From page 17

much more context for “Falsettos” and its era (Act I is set in 1979, Act II in 1981, ancient history to a preteen today). Elaine Medina, who tutors the boys on the road, has given them research assignments focusing on the social history of the early 1980s, expanding their own perspectives while helping them better

understand the world their character lives in. “She had me do research on HIV and AIDS,” Jacobs explains.

“Nobody even knew what it was yet.

That was a very scary time.”

“Falsettos” subtly references another scary time that Jacobs is too young to have lived through, but has learned about in school. Set in Manhattan, the show features a backdrop that includes the Twin Towers.

The Booksmith at the Bindery hosts Jacob Tobia for their first book, “Sissy: A Coming-ofGender Story,” Tues., March 19, 7:30 p.m. The Bindery, 1727 Haight St., SF. “This is an allages event with mature themes.

The bar opens at 7 p.m., event starts at 7:30 p.m.”

Falsettos plays the Golden Gate Theatre, March 19-April 14.

Tickets from $56: (888) 746-1799, www.shnsf.com.

Open March 22 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; May 5 Throw back your spring break 66 million years. Experience life-size dinosaurs that move and roar, and unearth fossils like a paleontologist in our East Garden. Plus, see real specimens and enjoy dino-themed activities throughout the entire Academy. Hurryâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;before it goes extinct!

Get tickets at calacademy.org Dino Days Festival is included in general admission.

29535-CAS-Dino Days-Bay Area Reporter-9.75x16-03.08.19-FA.indd 1

3/7/19 4:09 PM

<< TV

20 • Bay Area Reporter • March 14-20, 2019

Bringing gay issues to the front burner

by Victoria A. Brownworth

W

e’re so exhausted by the current political discourse and the daily Sturm und Drang in Washington. After we watch Erin Burnett’s “Out Front on CNN” every night after the national news, we try to retreat into the safety of nonpolitical TV as a break from our day job, which is writing about politics and the unending corruption, scandal, racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia and whatever else spews forth out of the Trump White House on any given day.

We watch Burnett because she doesn’t pretend not to be disgusted with Trump, she’s unafraid to call out GOP Trump flunkies, and she often will just laugh out loud at the BS purveyed by these apparatchiks on her show. That said, she also holds the Democrats/left accountable and asks critical questions that need answering, like addressing the recent controversy over Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and anti-Semitism.

Burnett also has strong, solid left female contributors on her show, among them Joan Walsh from The Nation; April Ryan, whom the National Association of Black Journalists named their journalist of the year in 2017; and Symone Sanders, who was Bernie Sanders’ press secretary in 2016. Keith Boykin, who was the highest placed openly gay person in any White House during the Clinton administration, is one of her inner cadre.

We used to watch Chris Matthews, because MSNBC is supposed to be more left, but it isn’t. Matthews has never been sanctioned for his #MeToo issues, and his misogyny is hard to stomach. So we don’t. Burnett is one of the best anchors of any news show. We can’t recommend her opening Trump takedowns highly enough.

While sometimes we will watch Anderson Cooper after Burnett, more and more we find that scripted TV and cooking shows keep us centered. TGIT on ABC has always been a necessity.

We had some misgivings about the 15th season of “Grey’s Anatomy.”

So many new faces. Missing some of the old ones, especially Dr. Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw), who had been a lesbian mainstay for over a decade. We’re not sure why the series couldn’t find a decent relationship for Arizona post-Callie (Sara Ramirez), or why her fabulous character was written off, but this is a constant problem for scripted TV. At least they didn’t kill her, which is how most lesbian characters leave a series.

What “GA” did, instead of finding someone new for Arizona to be lesbians with, was to introduce a gay male couple, the first in the show’s 15 seasons. Dr. Nico Kim (Alex Landi) is drop-dead gorgeous, and Dr. Levi Schmitt (Jake Borelli) is adorable. Together they seem an unlikely match, yet they are wholly believable. Moreover, their relationship allows “Grey’s Anatomy” to do what so few series are doing: watch a gay male couple fall in lust, then love, in real time.

Starting every episode with the half-naked gay boys is a new thing on “Grey’s Anatomy,” and the March 7 episode was no different. We are all in for this. Young gay men have sex all the time in real life, but not on TV. The neutering of gay men by TV has been bugging us since “thirtysomething,” so seeing Nico and Levi going at it like rabbits has been refreshing as hell. The March 7 episode unpacked more about the couple, which keeps their story front-burner. Levi told Nico he loved him. That Nico was in fact his first love. Levi has had trouble coming to terms with his gayness, and it’s felt totally realistic to us.

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Dr. Nico Kim (Alex Landi) and Dr. Levi Schmitt (Jake Borelli) shared a kiss on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy.”

When Levi’s mother called him while the two were stealing some time in the on-call room, Levi shushed Nico. Things spiraled from there, as they so often do with new relationships. Levi revealed that he wasn’t trying to hide Nico, but rather that he hadn’t told his mother because he didn’t want her overprotectiveness getting in his head. So it wasn’t about Levi being ashamed of the gayness or that Nico is Asian, but that he wanted time to settle into his relationship.

As with Arizona and Callie, “GA” knows the audience loves this couple, so they aren’t being hidden on the back burner. While Owen, Amelia and Teddy deal with Teddy’s utterly unbelievable had-sex-onceat-49-and-got-pregnant-and-wastotally-unconcerned-about-the-possibility-of-birth-defects pregnancy (it’s a medical show: do better!), Nico and Levi are having this remarkably un-fucked-up relationship that is aspirational and joyful and hot.

What we like most about Nico and Levi is how open and honest they are with each other. We need to see that believable Gen Z interaction after decades of seeing the various takes on gay male relationships that are all about brokenness, and rarely about prideful gayness. We need to see representations of gay male coupling that show us men can have love and desire in the same room.

We certainly have loved the presence of Mitchell and Cam on “Modern Family” for the past decade. They have influenced the straight viewing audience about gay men in many ways. “Modern Family” is reliably hilarious, and watching Mitchell and Cam be gay parents has been an important life lesson for millions of Americans. But that representation has come at a cost: In order to make Mitchell and Cam palatable, they had to be de-sexed.

So while we are sad that this is the last season of the series, we aren’t going to miss that element one bit.

We have always disapproved of the sexual neutering Mitchell and Cam had to undergo to be an acceptable prime-time gay couple. We see them in bed together all the time because we know they never have sex. While Claire and Phil are always trying to have sex, and Jay and Gloria have had a baby together even though Gloria is in her mid-40s and Jay is in his mid60s, Mitchell and Cam are never seen being sexual. Flaming queens, yes.

Sexual, no.

This failure to show gay male couples being intimate segregates gay couples from other couples. “Grey’s Anatomy” is doing it right, “Modern Family” has been doing it wrong for a decade.

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We can’t watch “Station 19,” so even though it is back while “How to Get Away with Murder” goes on hiatus so Viola Davis can work on getting another Oscar or Tony to go with the ones she already has, we just can’t watch shows about fires.

We miss “HTGAWM” already. That was a bangin’ season finale on Feb. 28. That show knows how to leave us wanting more , and how to do gay and lesbian and bisexual relationships. And the fires are metaphorical,

not literal.

“Station 19” does have gay characters, btw, if you can watch a show where people get burned alive and crushed to death, which we cannot. Same for “Chicago Fire,” so it’s not just this show, which we really wanted to like because it has a Latina lead, and out gay director Paris Barclay is part of the show and we love him, but we have enough horror in our life, so no fires thank you.)

So we switched to NBC for the hour between “GA” and “For the People,” which also has queer characters, to watch “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “Will & Grace,” and it was a nice gay hour full of laughs. “W&G” also reinforced the fact that gay and bisexual people get older but still have sex. Will and Jack are pushing 50 hard, and Karen is pushing 60.

We need these representations of ourselves on the small screen, just like queer kids need to see themselves represented. For too long lesbian and gay characters stopped existing after they turned 40. While we have the dailiness of the 61-year-old Ellen DeGeneres in her 16th year on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” Anderson Cooper and Don Lemon on CNN, and Food Network’s Anne Burrell (all fine middle-aged gay role models), we’ve been missing that age group on scripted TV. The news this week was that LGBT people are 4.5% of the population. It looks like a lot more from where we sit, but even if it is that low a number, we still aren’t being represented appropriately on the tube. Which is why we need more LGBTQ people behind the camera.

We had misgivings about watching HBO’s “Leaving Neverland,” but it was a riveting and disturbing 236 minutes of documentary deconstruction of Michael Jackson’s pedophilia. Jackson has been such a beloved figure in American music and a friend to many of our allies, like Elizabeth Taylor and Liza Minnelli, it’s always been hard to believe the rumors were true. It was always easier to see Jackson as a tragic figure than a man who groomed children.

“Leaving Neverland” made it impossible to maintain that illusion.

The stories Wade Robson and Jimmy Safechuck tell of their abuse is graphic and believable. Their explanation of how long they loved Jackson and how much they believed he loved them back makes their continued association with him all the more understandable, and painful to witness.

In her hour-long special following the initial airing of “Leaving Neverland” on March 3 & 4, “Oprah Winfrey Presents: After Neverland,” Winfrey said, “I know people all over the world are going to be in an uproar and debating whether or not Michael Jackson did these things, and whether these two men are lying or not lying.

But for me, this moment transcends Michael Jackson. It is much bigger than any one person. This is a moment in time that allows us to see this societal corruption. It’s like a scourge on humanity. If it gets you, our audience, to see how it happens, then some good would have come of it.”

Winfrey has long been an advocate for sexual abuse survivors. In 1989 she revealed on her talk show that she was sexually abused as a child.

That revelation was groundbreaking for abuse survivors because of her celebrity. Winfrey praised director Dan Reed for the film. “I taped 217 episodes [of ‘Oprah’] on sexual abuse.

I tried to get the message across to people that sexual abuse was not just abuse, it was also sexual seduction.”

Winfrey said Reed was “able to illustrate in these four hours what I tried to explain in 217.”

Reed’s comments on the film reinforce Winfrey’s interpretation, supported by myriad studies, that sexual abusers groom their victims to make

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them feel loved and “special.” Reed said, “What people find it difficult to understand, and what I’ve always found while making this film sort of difficult to understand and very shocking, is the deep attachment formed between the abuser and the abused with this kind of grooming pedophile activity. So both Wade and James were in love with Michael, even after the sexual activity stopped.

They continued loving him and he was a close friend, particularly to Wade, for many years.” Both Robson and Safechuck said they believe Jackson was in love with them, too.

These are painful revelations. Jackson is a revered and iconic figure, the King of Pop. But Robson was 7 and Safechuck 10 when the alleged abuse began. Children. “Leaving Neverland” is a powerful documentary. It’s grim viewing, but really don’t miss it.

In a recent interview on NPR’s “Fresh Air” about the third season of her hit FX dramedy “Better Things,” which premiered March 7, creator Pamela Adlon talked about disengaging from co-creator Louis CK after she learned of his sexual abuse of women comedians. She explained how it took her a long time to come to terms with it, that the most painful part was knowing that “women got hurt.”

We thought of that as we watched the premiere of the series that has so much queer happening on it and felt grateful. We love Adlon’s quixotic show and we’ve seen other women friends of Louis CK dismiss his behavior, which is why it continued for so long. Adlon refusing to do so was what we needed to hear.

The fact is, one can find consensual partners. It may take more time than grabbing someone off the street or locking them in a room with you, but it’s doable. The March 6 episode of “Chicago Med” dealt with the aftermath of an incel assaulting a woman who turned him down for coffee, and the way the men viewed the assault vs. the women was telling. The men saw the perpetrator as a victim of women who refused his advances, whereas the women viewed him as a predator. Yet the woman who had initially rejected him felt guilty because her friend had been hurt in the attack. This is how women and other victims are made to feel, as if it is their fault these assaults happen.

The #MeToo movement has taught us that victims – women, men, teens, children – are traumatized by non-consensual sexual acts perpetrated against them. “Surviving R Kelly” and “Leaving Neverland” tell stories we need to hear: the voices of recovering survivors. These documentaries aren’t entertainment, but they are critical because so many of us are survivors of sexual assault and child sexual abuse. The percentage of victims among LGBTQ people is far higher than for straight cisgender people. Every time any victims get to tell their stories, we get closer to justice for all victims.

When Gayle King interviewed R Kelly last week on “CBS This Morning,” he flew into a rage and stood above her screaming. We feared for her safety and later heard Oprah, her bestie, had called the network asking why they hadn’t protected King from Kelly’s violent outburst. Watching Kelly act out in such a manner on live TV, one could only imagine his actions at home, behind closed doors, with young women more than 30 years his junior who are in his thrall.

There is a lot to unpack about sexual abuse and assault in America.

TV is doing it piece by harrowing piece, but it is not nearly enough as the stories we have seen reveal. So for the drama, scripted and unscripted, as well as the much-needed gay love stories and comic relief, you know you must stay tuned.t

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Theatre>>

March 14-20, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 21

Sitcom meets Sondheim

by Jim Gladstone

S

tephen and Steven are feeling dated and undateable. Both as a pair and individually, the middleaged couple at the center of “Steve,” a “Will & Grace”-adjacent dramedy

by Mark Gerrard now having its West Coast premiere at the New Conservatory Theatre Center, is wondering whether they’re past their prime.

Between their no-longer-novel routines as a corporate lawyer and stay-at-home caregiver, their hellion of an eight-year-old son (unseen, but frequently at the center of conversation) and the inherent hard work of longterm coupledom, their sex life has waned, and each has begun to question his own attractiveness.

Fiftysomething Stephen (Joey Alvarado) has a pH that leans toward the basic: he’s superficially even-keeled and problematically conflict-avoidant. Steven (Greg Ayers) is the more acidic of the pair, sharp-tempered and tart-tongued.

The show opens with Steven publicly lashing out when, over a dinner to celebrate his 47th birthday, he realizes that Stephen has been having raunchy IM exchanges (at the very least) with Brian (ShawnJ West),

Lois Tema

(L to R:) Brian (ShawnJ West), Stephen (Joey Alvarado), Matt (Daniel Redmond), Esteban (Vaho), Carrie (Clove Galilee), and Steve (Greg Ayers) enjoy brunch together.

who happens to be sitting across the table with his own partner, one of Steven’s oldest friends, Matt (Daniel Redmond). Also on hand is another old pal, Carrie (Clove Galilee), a lesbian blogger putting on a brave face – and stylish headscarf – as she battles cancer in the wake of a breakup.

In the midst of his meltdown,

Steven catches the attention of Esteban, a sexy young Argentine waiter, played by an actor billed as Vaho, who is actually charismatic enough to pull off his mononym (whereas the show’s titular proliferation of Steve-variants is annoying). As if enough Steves’ balls weren’t already in the air for a head-spinning sex farce, Brian and Matt soon form a

throuple with their personal trainer, yes, Steve (like the kid, unseen, but more specifically described: “10 thick inches”).

But a rollicking roundelay never materializes, let alone something deeper. You know almost everything you’re going to find out about these characters from the first scene: Brian and Matt have a healthy relationship, and are comfortable with casual outside sex. The coupled Steves, temporary troubles aside, share an essential belief in monogamy and old-fashioned romance.

Esteban is here as a plot device and symbol of simple, youthful idealism.

And Carrie, despite a sensitively rounded performance by Galilee, is regrettably written as The ClearEyed Truth-Telling Female.

Director Becca Wolff moves the show’s 90 minutes along at a breezy, joke-packed clip that seems to match the playwright’s intent, even though it feels contradictory to the morose mood radiated by his central couple. Steven and Stephen are written as incapable of having a substantive discussion or even a juicy existential quarrel despite 16 years together. Steven’s stubborn non-attempt at rapprochement is a barrage of “Fuck you” texts. Gerrard’s dialogue is full of snappy

Broadway lyric quotes, many from Sondheim (yes, another Steve). But pointing to the work of one of theater’s most nuanced anatomists of human relationships isn’t the same as effectively emulating him. “Steve” delivers a lot of wisecracks, but little in the way of wisdom.

Oddly, in a show about feeling dated, it’s not the classic Sondheim or Rodgers and Hammerstein snippets that stick out most uncomfortably here, but some of the more recent references. Punchlines about Jennifer Lawrence, “Malcolm in the Middle” and Kristin Chenoweth get their intended chuckles, but they point to the vein of sitcom flimsiness that runs through a play that in other ways aspires to depth.

One final note about cleverness trumping content: NCTC should strongly consider changing the recorded music that opens the show.

While “I Want You Back” may once have been a jaunty signifier of heartbreak and hoped-for reconciliation, thoughts of Michael Jackson set this comedy of sex and romance off to a terribly awkward start.t Steve plays the New Conservatory Theatre Center through March 31. Tickets from $33. (415) 861-8972. nctcsf.com

Inside Michael Jackson’s private lair

Courtesy HBO

Michael Jackson is the disturbing subject of the docudrama “Leaving Neverland.”

by David Lamble

M

ichael Jackson was raised by an abusive, “tough-love” daddy to be an entertainer, and fronted the top-selling bubble-gum pop quintet The Jackson Five at an age when most kids are exiting pre-school.

Jackson (born Detroit, 1958; died Los Angeles, 2009) was a fabulous, perhaps even “abominable” showman, a mega-star of a magnitude all but extinct in today’s cyberspace.

Sadly, he was also an intensely private, complex individual whose sexuality defied labels, but who allegedly sought underage partners.

This month HBO, in association with Britain’s Channel Four, airs “Leaving Neverland” and “After Neverland,” a three-part, five-hour docudrama-talk show featuring conversations with two men who claim to have been sexually abused

by Jackson when they were gradeschool-age children. Wade Robson (now 36, a professional choreographer) and James Safechuck (now 41) are the subjects of director Dan Reed’s film, a buzz-stirring entry at 2019 Sundance. Both Australianborn Robson and California native Safechuck claim they and their family, especially their moms, were swept away by a Michael Jackson charm offensive, made to feel like family and invited into his inner sanctum, the sprawling Southern California Neverland ranch.

Early in Reed’s film, Robson and Safechuck describe their childish delight at having seemingly been adopted by a real-life Peter Pan – in fact, a manchild who was their host, men-

tor, friend, playmate, then, disturbingly, adult lover. They assert that the then-30something Jackson – at the time (the early 90s) one of the hottest musical performers on the planet – invited each boy into what each felt was a marriage bed, where they assert the pale-faced/soft-spoken Jackson seduced them into sexual acts, both oral and anal.

The actual news content of “Leaving Neverland” could easily be compressed into an episode of CBS newsmagazine “60 Minutes,” with room for both the accusations against Jackson and a spirited rebuttal by the singer’s family and estate. This “trial by media” follows actual courtroom trials in which Jackson was acquitted of child molestation charges, in both cases with supporting testimony from Robson and Safechuck. HBO’s five-hour assault on the Michael Jackson legacy, with only a moment of rebuttal from the Jackson Estate read by Oprah Winfrey, feels oddly timed. So far the controversy has prompted boycotts of Jackson records by radio networks in Quebec and elsewhere.

At the same time, the succinct docudrama “Spotlight” is available on the Showtime network. “Spotlight,” a 2015 feature film by Tom McCarthy starring Michael Keaton, dramatizes a Boston Globe investigative unit exposing systematic abuse of adolescent boys by New England-based Catholic priests.

The film probes sexual misconduct within a powerful worldwide institution, rather than the idiosyncratic behavior of a dead superstar.

For me, the real problem with the HBO series arises with “After Neverland,” a one-hour town-hall forum moderated by daytime TV diva Oprah Winfrey, a self-confessed survivor of domestic abuse. Led by the charismatic Winfrey, “After Neverland” plays like a religious revival meeting, the reputation of the late Jackson serving as a virtual pinata, with each survivor encouraged to take a whack.

Michael Jackson was an extraordinary figure, trespassing across a bewildering array of boundaries: class, race, gender and sexual orientation. Both as children and now as married adults with kids, Robson

and Safechuck were in turn seduced and seemingly abandoned by this media pied piper, who appears to have sought relationships with boys ages seven-14. On the program both men argue that it was their experience as dads that caused them to recall experiences dating back as far as 1990.

“Leaving Neverland” contains a passing mention of child star Macaulay Culkin. Culkin was apparently one of the partners who bumped these boys from Jackson’s bedchamber. Culkin, who continues to pursue an eclectic internet and cable TV career, has steadfastly denied that his time with Jackson

involved abuse. Rather, Culkin, in a 2004 B.A.R. interview, discussed his problems with an overly controlling father.

“Leaving Neverland” can be seen on the HBO GO & NOW networks.

The forum “After Neverland” will often follow the two-part/four-hour doc.t

<< Film

22 • Bay Area Reporter • March 14-20, 2019

Before the flooding

by David Lamble

t

wrath of the law, getting five years in prison, while Bin gets off with a year. The bum isn’t waiting for her when she finally leaves women’s prison. Qiao toughens up a bit, getting the better of several dumb guys, including a brutish moped-taxi driver whose bike she appropriates

while also accusing him of rape.

The film is methodically paced, eruptions of brutal violence dispelling any possibility of tedium. It’s sublimely filmed by noted French cinematographer Eric Gautier, whose lighting design has graced the work of world-class directors.

Gautier’s scheme incorporates five different types of camera footage, including home video material from his director. The result is a film that feels vividly alive all the way through its 136-minute running time. The French cameraman also uses different focal lengths that add to the film’s journey, especially in train sequences, from the slow local to the high speed express. Warning for persuasive smoking in virtually every scene by virtually every cast member.

“Sorry Angel” This gay-boy younger hustler/older writer romance kicks off in a Paris cafe, circa 1993, where a quasi-known writer/single parent, Jacques (Pierre Deladonchamps), meets Arthur (Vincent Lacoste), a 20-something wannabe filmmaker. The “Kid” apologizes to his 30-something “date.” “Believe me, I was pretty in high school.”

This is the latest work from French writer-director Christophe Honore, whose previous films (“Love Songs,” “Dans Paris”) have added a deft romantic accent to gay-boy dating tales. Honore once again shows a nice approach to the themes of loss, youthful flings and aging. Fans of “The Shadow of Your Smile” will love “Sorry Angel.” In French with English subtitles. Opens Friday.t

Soprano Julia Bullock made her SFS debut with a show-stopping “Somewhere” in MTT and the Symphony’s 2013 semi-staged There will not be time for production of “West Side Story.” nostalgia as the tireless leader An important San Francisco sprints from the opening-night Opera debut followed, in the world gala (in honor of him & husband premiere of John Adams’ “Girls of Joshua Robison) to the grand the Golden West.” Named as one finale, Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, of eight creative partners who “Symphony of a Thousand.” Old will collaborate with Esa-Pekka friends and colleagues, famous Salonen and the SFS when he beguests, and young artists mengins his tenure as Music Director tored by MTT and the SFS will in September 2020, Bullock will join in keeping the party lively.

Dario Acosta perform two poetic song cycles In “Celebration of the Ameriwith him in February. She later can Sound,” a season-long theme, Soprano Julia Bullock will perform two poetic song cycles. curates and performs two concert there are commissions and world programs. premieres of new works by comMezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke First SFS performances of works posers John Adams, Mason Bates, is also at ease on both sides of

by Americans include Wynton Marand Rhiannon Giddens (founding Grove Street, performing regularly salis’ Violin Concerto, Jessie Montmember of Carolina Chocolate at the SFO and in more than 14 gomery’s “Starburst,” and Steven Drops), Pulitzer Prize winner Julia works with MTT and the SFS. Her Stucky’s “Funeral Music for Queen Wolfe, and popular Bay Area perMahler is sublime, and appearMary.” former and media artist Pamela Z. ances in semi-staged productions MTT conducts the world preNotable participants include and Berlioz’s “Romeo et Juliette” miere of his song cycle “Rilke Songs” multimedia performance artist have earned a strong local fan-base. and the West Coast premiere of his Camille Norment, brilliant jazz She is an international star, but her chamber orchestra work “Lope,” vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant, return, which includes performing inspired by walking his dog (which and American composer, film-score and curating three projects, proves poodle to be revealed). In June 2020, arranger, and songwriter Aaron her commitment to MTT and the SFS Media will release an album of Zigman, whose “Tango Manos” Bay Area. his compositions, recorded live.

Concerto for Piano and Orchestra World-renowned violinist AnneCharacteristic of the maestro’s receives its U.S. premiere. Principal Sophie Mutter made her SFS debut famously productive collaborations Percussion Jacob Nissly and the SFS in 1988, and she has returned often. with fellow artists, the farewell seagive the world premiere of AmeriShe traveled with the SFS in 1996 son includes artist residencies by can composer Adam Schoenberg’s for the first-ever European tour with three outstanding women.

“Losing Earth.”

MTT. Mutter later performed all of Beethoven’s violin sonatas in three solo recitals in two days. She returns in 2019-20 to perform three programs she has planned in celebration of Beethoven’s 250th birthday.

MTT loves Beethoven, too, and will mark his own 75th birthday acknowledging the master’s 250th with performances throughout the season of Symphonies Nos. 2, 5, and 7; Piano Concerto No. 2 with Emanuel Ax; and the Violin Concerto with Anne-Sophie Mutter.

A new semi-staged production of Wagner’s “The Flying Dutchman” should remind everyone of MTT’s knack for the theatrical. The original DSH event was one of the biggest successes in his innovative series of symphonic shows.

Always a champion of maverick American composers and visionaries, MTT leads a program featuring Carl Ruggles’ “Angels” and “Suntreader,” an amazingly prescient orchestral work. Another concert includes “Three Hallucinations” by John Corigliano from Ken Russell’s psychedelic film “Altered States,” on a program with violinist Gil Shaham playing Samuel Barber’s beautiful Violin Concerto.

The season would not fully represent MTT’s strong suits without a generous serving of Mahler. Beginning with the Sixth Symphony,

the work that launched the Mahler Project in 2002 and won a Grammy, and before the season ends with the mighty Eighth, there will be performances of selections from “Des Knaben Wunderhorn” with Sasha Cooke and bass-baritone Ryan McKinny, and the composer’s Ninth Symphony.

Conductor Marin Alsop has said of the Sixth, sometimes called the “Tragic,” she isn’t sure “there has ever been a more fitting symphony for our time.” Anyone present for MTT’s profoundly moving interpretation in the days following 9/11 would have to agree. That cathartic experience joined conductor, musicians, and audience in a bond that made us face our grief and find a measure of solace. It proved the transcendent power of music and MTT’s great gift to express it.

There is much more to explore in the 2019-20 season, including two weeks of concerts led by Music Director Designate Esa-Pekka Salonen. We will preview events as the dates come closer. More details and info: sfsymphony.org/MTT25.

This week, performances featuring violinist Christian Tetzlaff, March 14-17, offer a taste of selections for the upcoming MTT/SFS final national tour together. Note to self: Find out what protein powder the maestro uses.t

I

n “Ash is Purest White,” his 13th and perhaps most challenging film, Chinese writer-director Jia Zhang-Ke offers a tortured travelogue disguised as a love story. It’s further disguised as a gangster tale that could only unfold in a developing nation being erected painfully and often violently over a proud and ancient culture.

“Ash,” a Chinese-French coproduction (in Mandarin with English subtitles), opening Friday, continues the director’s penchant for spicing up a homebrewed Chinese soundtrack with splashes of Western pop. In “Mountains May Depart” (2016), the Pet Shop Boys provided a cheeky accent. In “Ash” that role is filled by the Village Peo-

<<

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ple’s “YMCA,” two choruses no less.

Jia Zhang-Ke is fond of the popmusic bumps in part because they reflect the emotional upheaval of a society where everything seems up for grabs. “Ash” includes the depiction of how large chunks of China’s Northwest region are scheduled to be flooded by a huge dam/hydroelectric project.

The love story has a young woman (Qiao, played by veteran actress Zhao Tao, her ninth appearance for the director) falling for Bin, a local gangster. Bin is finding it increasingly tough to defend his turf against younger wannabe hoods.

Qiao stands by her man, flashing an illegal pistol when he’s getting his ass kicked by a gaggle of 20-something thuglettes. No good deed going unpunished, Qiao feels the

SFS 2019-20

From page 15

Sleeping Beauty

From page 15

How would we get to the City if the systems didn’t come back up? The dancers made us glad we’d come out.

They seemed themselves a little unnerved, the dancers, as if there’d been a little earthquake. Across the board there were little stumbles – though not from Ms. De Sola, who was a radiant presence throughout, like Margot Fonteyn when the bombs were falling in the Blitz of London. Like Fonteyn, its most famous exemplar, she was stalwart and radiant in this most demanding of roles. She showed sovereign control as she balanced on tiptoe, unsupported, in the shape of the FTD icon, as if she could stand still in the air as long as it took. And she could take charge of the fate of the country if need be.

This fairy tale is an ideal fiction that shows bravery in the abstract.

Like the epics of Tolkien or Tamora

Pierce, these tales may seem like the least “important” kind of narrative, but they contain great emotional power, since they bring meaning in disguise. At their most fanciful, at their least “realistic” moments is when they deliver the goods: the power of beauty, or love, or generosity sneak past our defenses and conquer the heart.

When San Francisco Ballet’s 1990 “Sleeping Beauty” was new in San Francisco, it was the height of the AIDS epidemic, and a fairy tale that hinged on a cursed blood disease (when the princess is pricked by the spindle, she will die) resonated with everyone who had AIDS or had friends they loved who were in danger. This production seemed to many of us to be a political statement in support of the gay community, and in his review of the opening night back in 1990, the B.A.R.’s wonderful dance critic Keith White gave full credit not only to the majesty of the ballet itself, which was

Cohen Media Group

Scene from director Jia ZhangKe’s “Ash is Purest White.”

then celebrating its 100th anniversary since its creation by Marius Petipa in St. Petersburg, Russia, but also to the power it had to give hope and consolation to those, like himself, who had the disease and lay under a sentence of death. It was indeed the last dance review Keith wrote. He’d stayed alive to see the premiere of Helgi Tomasson’s production, and he’d found extraordinary support from all the dancers, especially Muriel Maffre as the Lilac Fairy, whose powers within the fiction could commute the curse sentence into “100 years of sleep,” Erik Tomasson “until a prince will come from afar and awake you with a kiss.”

Lonnie Weeks in Helgi Tomasson’s Ideal fictions deal with what “The Sleeping Beauty.” can be imagined. They give shape to hopes for better days of their best. The last act went best, to come that we know cannot be and in the wedding divertissement realized with the means we have at best of all was Lonnie Weeks as the hand right now. In 1990, there was Bluebird, who comes from another still no AIDS cocktail. It was only a Perrault fairy tale to dance with few years later that we started to see his enchanted princess, the brilthose who had AIDS get younger liant dancer Koto Ishihara (in their day by day, as the new drugs took story, he teaches her to fly), at the hold and fought the virus back. wedding, and whose charisma had Keith White died within a few weeks an almost healing power as he flew of the debut of “Sleeping Beauty.” through a gazillion brisee-volées, an But he has not been forgotten, cerairborne step where the legs flutter tainly not by those students at the like a bird’s wings. The audience SF Ballet School who have received burst into applause after his first set, the Keith White Memorial Scholarand then he continued! His temps ship, funded by Bob Ross, the late de poisson had the perfect classic founder of this newspaper. shape – it’s a step where he’s high in Many danced well last Saturday the air and twists into the shape of a night. It was a rocky evening; all gave dolphin leaping.

Others who danced superlatively opening night were Ellen Rose Hummel, superb as the Sapphire Fairy, with Esteban Hernandez; Kamryn Baldwin in the lesser but beautiful role of the Silver Fairy; and Dores André as the Diamond Fairy. The White Cat (Elizabeth Powell) and Puss in Boots (Sean Orza) delighted the crowd with their feline charm. Carlo Di Lanno danced the prince with noble grace.

Special mention must be made of the adorable children from the ballet school who danced in the garland dance. They brought a wonderful dimension to the performance with their eagerness and alacrity: Kendall Foley, Graciela James-Hickey, Lily Loft, Natalie Lubinski, Marina Niland, and Marina Oshima.

Jennifer Stahl brought great charm and beauty to the role of the Lilac Fairy. Her power was softer than Maffre’s had been, but no less sovereign. The generosity of Stahl’s action came mysteriously but unmistakably, from infinite resources deep in the heart.

Best bet is that the production will get better and better, night after night. The classic nature of the piece means that dancers will get deeper and deeper into the movement and find deeper magic within it. New stars will bring new energy. Closing night, I’d wager, will be the best.t

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27

Nightlife Events

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Arts Events

www.ebar.com

Shining Stars Vol. 49 • No. 11 • March 14-20, 2019

Queering the Schmear Jewish Halloween’s a delish drag at Oasis

by David-Elijah Nahmod

C

Celebrants at a recent Gender Schmear Purim party, hosted

by Congregation Shaar Zahav.

Rich Stadtmiller

Arkansassy

ostumes are encouraged on March 23, when Congregation Shaar Zahav, San Francisco’s synagogue for LGBTQ Jews, families and friends, celebrates Purim, a joyous holiday which is Judaism’s answer to Halloween. The congregation is throwing Gender Schmear, a great big Purim party at Oasis.

See page 25 >>

Leather Alliances

Mr. San Francisco Leather 2019 and San Francisco Bootblack contests

by Race Bannon

O

ne of the annual projects of the San Francisco Bay Area Leather Alliance is producing the Leather Alliance Weekend, which took place February 28 through March 3. The weekend included the San Francisco Bootblack and Mr. San Francisco Leather 2019 contest.

See page 24 >>

SF Bootblack and Mr. SF Leather 2019 contestants (left to right): Manny Ojeda, Mr. SF Eagle 2019; Timothy Valdivia, Mr. Sober Leather 2019; Allison Boots (Winner, SF Bootblack 2019); Jawn Marques, Mr. Daddy’s Barbershop 2019 (Winner, Mr. SF Leather 2019); Gunner Friesen, Independent (Second Runner Up Mr. SF Leather 2019); AJ Huff, Mr. Powerhouse 2019; and Amp Somers, Mr. Friendly 2019 (First Runner Up Mr. SF Leather 2019).

{ THIRD OF THREE SECTIONS }

<< Leather

24 • Bay Area Reporter • March 14-20, 2019

both photos: Rich Stadtmiller

Left: A big hit with the audience was the grab bag impromptu fantasy portion of the Mr. SF Leather contest. Here Gunner Friesen amuses the crowd by making his pup wave to the audience.

Right: Producer of the Leather Alliance Weekend and the Mr. SF Leather contest, Angel Garfold (left) with this year’s Philip M. Turner Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Dr. Carol Queen.

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Leather Alliance

From page 23

Mr. S Leather hosted the opening meet and greet party at their store on Thursday night. A large, diverse crowd socialized while some also shopped. The contestants were introduced and the audience immediately started deciding on their favorites.

On Friday night at SOMArts, the Alliance mixed together a formal dinner, SF Bootblack technical competition, the community awards presentation, and the Mr. SF Leather contestants doing impromptu fantasy scenes.

I liked the way they handled the fantasies. Each contestant pulled three items from a bag and had to create a two-minute scene with the same selfless volunteer bottom. It was fun, sometimes silly, and it put every contestant on a level playing field; a great addition to the contest.

For the leather community awards portion of the evening, local people, clubs, organizations and

events were honored for their contributions in 2018.

The winners were: Best New Organization: The Piercing Guild Next Generation: Ub Kelly Outstanding Community Business: Wicked Grounds Outstanding Community Nonprofit: Center for Sex and Culture Best Bay Area Leather Contest: IMsLBB Jim Remer Unsung Hero Award: Andrew Coile Best Community Education Event: LDG Mentoring Program Best Organization Anniversary Event: ONYX Northwest Best Community Leather Event (Not a Contest or Street Fair): Leather Invasion of the Castro Best Community In-Town Weekend Event: Leather Alliance Weekend Most Visible Community Organization: ONYX Northwest Best Community In-Town One Day Run: Dykes On Bikes Pride Contingent

Best Community Out-of-Town One Day Run: Golden Gate Guards Springtime in Yosemite Best Community Out-Of-Town Weekend Event: Gear Up Weekend Frank Benoit Award: Ryan Mattson Woman of the Year: Dorian Katz Non-Binary Person of the Year: Leigh Ann Hildebrand Man of the Year: Trey Onyx and Christopher Wood (tie) Philip M. Turner Lifetime Achievement Award: Dr. Carol Queen On Saturday, those vying for a sash in this year’s contest were interviewed at SOMArts in open-to-thepublic interviews and there were also kink education sessions and a vendor area open for business.

That evening the main contest event was held.

Well-known stage performer Alotta Boutté sang the National Anthem to start the evening off. Then she and Lance Holman served as the night’s emcees.

The contestants this year for the Mr. SF Leather title were: Amp Somers, Mr. Friendly 2019; Gunner Friesen, Independent; AJ Huff, Mr. Powerhouse 2019; Timothy Valdiv-

ia, Mr. Sober Leather 2019; Jawn Marques, Mr. Daddy’s Barbershop 2019; and Manny Ojeda, Mr. SF Eagle 2019.

Competing for the SF Bootblack title was Allison Boots.

This year’s Mr. SF Leather judges were Bamm Bamm (Head Judge), Annie Blue, Al Rahm, Keao Lani, Erick Lopez, Trey Onyx, and James Lee, the current International Mr. Leather.

The judges for SF Bootblack were Lucky Ordaz (Head Judge), Ryan “Pawlish” Garner-Carpenter, and Marlene Hoeber.

Charged with making sure the score tally totals were accurate were Jay Rose and Rob Brooks.

There was one Bootblack contestant and there were six men competing to be Mr. SF Leather 2019. I was amazed at how well they all did.

Many people in the audience were telling me as the contest progressed that they couldn’t decide who they thought was going to win the Mr. SF Leather portion. They all did themselves proud.

Allison Boots entered and exited the stage to cheers and applause from a clearly supportive crowd and

Rich Stadtmiller

Mr. SF Leather 2019 Jawn Marques in the Pop Question and Physique portion of the Mr. SF Leather contest.

t

when the scores were tallied, she garnered the points to become the new SF Bootblack 2019.

For Mr. SF Leather, the anticipation when the judge’s results were announced was palpable. This year’s new Mr. SF Leather 2019 is Jawn Marques. First runner up is Amp Somers. Second runner up is Gunner Friesen.

Amp Somers won the Leather Heart Award voted on by his fellow contestants.

Congratulations to Allison and Jawn. I hope your title years are both fun and fulfilling.

All the people who work hard to create such a weekend often go unrecognized. I’d like to point out some of the main contributors to the weekend’s success. I’m sure I’ll miss someone. So, apologies in advance.

The Producer of the Mr. SF Leather Contest was Angel Garfold, who was also produced the overall weekend. Producer of the SF Bootblack contest was Teagan Bootblack.

The weekend and associated contest could not happen without a lot of volunteers. Spencer Adam was the Stage Manager with Fifi LaFille the Assistant Stage Manager. Den Staff was Jesus Nunez-Jirgl, Ub Kelly, Boy Lynn, Ken Berard, and Alex. Lighting Technical Director was Jesbian with Kevin as the Sound Technical Director. Judges’ Coordinator was Pixie Alexandrite and Judges’ boy was Boy Tyler. Community Awards CoChairs were Larry Rivera and Rio Spooner. The weekend’s logo was created by Colton Long. Catering was done by Gather and Grub.

Staff Photographer was Devlin Shand.

And, that’s a wrap for another Leather Alliance Weekend. Lots of other fun stuff took place I didn’t have the space to report.

So, you’ll have to come check out next year’s Weekend for yourself to experience it all firsthand. Be on the lookout for details which you can do by bookmarking the Alliance’s website for future reference. www.leatheralliance.org t Race Bannon is a local author, blogger and activist. www.bannon.com

Leather Events March 14-30 Thu 14

Fri 15

Sat 16

Poly Happy Hour @ SF Eagle

Beards & Booze @ The Edge

GearUp Play Party @ SF Catalyst

This is an LGBTQ+ kinky poly people social happy hour, every second Thursday. They provide stickers you can wear so you can chat up others with a sticker.

Hosted by Mr. San Francisco Leather 2018. 398 12th St., 6:309pm. www.sf-eagle.com

This weekly happy hour event is for bearded guys and the beard fetishists who like them. 4149 18th St., 5pm. www.edgesf.com

A hot, fun, men-only play parties.

Join the men of Gear-up Weekend for a night of kinky fun. 18+. $20, military/student with ID and first timers $10, 1060 Folsom St., 8pm (doors open until 11pm), play until 1am. www.gearupweekend.com

Rope Burn SF: March Madness @ SF Catalyst Rope Burn is a group dedicated to creating a safe space for those interested in learning the art of rope restraint. They want this group to be a fun, sex-positive, relaxed, and informational space, open to all skill levels and sizes. $20 suggested donation, 1060 Folsom St., 7-10pm. www.ropeburnsf. eventbrite.com

Caning 101: From Sensual to Sadistic @ Wicked Grounds Annex Curious about caning? This hands-on workshop in the Wicked Grounds Annex will cover a wide variety of topics. $15-$35, 289 8th St., 7-9pm. Tickets at www.brownpapertickets.com/ event/4102516.

Sober Kink Together @ Castro Country Club Officially a CMA meeting, but open to all Anonymous 12-step Fellowship members, 4058 18th St., 9:30pm. castrocountryclub.org

Taboo: Buns Out! @ SF Oasis Buff up those buns because they want to see them. This month’s event will be all about the buns - chaps, jockstraps, peek-a-boo cabooses. Show it off however you want. $10, 298 11th St., 10pm-2am. www.sfoasis.com

Sun 17 Annex Open House @ Wicked Grounds Join Wicked Grounds for a special open house to celebrate their new annex. Whether you're interested in booking the space, or just curious what they're up to, they'd love to have you. 293 8th St., 2-4pm. www.wickedgrounds.com

Brüt – St. Patrick’s Day @ The Great Northern

Mon 18

Get lucky this St. Patrick’s Day. With DJs Dan Darlington and Peter Napoli and sexy gogo dancers.

Tickets also available at Body Castro. Clothes check available. 119 Utah St., 10pm-4am. www.brutparty.com

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

t

Purim>>

March 14-20, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 25

Arkansassy

Celebrants at a recent Gender Schmear Purim party, hosted by Congregation Shaar Zahav.

<<

Lady SinAGaga will perform at this year’s Gender Schmear Purim party at Oasis.

Wed 20 Leather, LGBTQ Cultural District Community Meeting @ SF Catalyst The Leather and LGBTQ Cultural District now exists, but how will it be managed and overseen? Help decide these and other questions by attending this community meeting. 1060 Folsom St., 6:308:30pm. www.sfleatherdistrict.org

Fri 22 Beards & Booze @ The Edge Sober Kink Together @ Castro Country Club See Fri 15

Sat 23 BLUF SF Movie Night @ Century 9 SF Centre Get geared up and join BLUF SF at Us, Jordan Peele's new movie. Help fill the theater with leathermen.

Get your tickets before they sell out. They will try to fill up Row H, starting on the right-hand side first. Full BLUF gear not required.

835 Market St., 1:30-3:30pm. Buy tickets at https://goo.gl/JrGbiS.

Men’s BDSM Play Party @ SF Catalyst The 15 Association men’s BDSM

play party. Check website for attendance details. 1060 Folsom St., 7pm-12am. www.the15sf.org

Sun 24 Golden Gate Guards Beer Bust @ The Lone Star Saloon A chocolate factory Beer Bust offering a world of drinks, food, good music, raffle prizes and lots of chocolate goodies. $15 for beer/soda and food. Food alone is $5. 1354 Harrison St., 4-8pm. www.ggguards.org

Movie Night with the SF girls of Leather @ SF Catalyst The San Francisco girls of Leather invites everyone to join them for a night of movies. Donations are welcome. No one turned away for lack of funds. You do not have to be a girl or girl-identified to join us. 1060 Folsom St., 4-8pm. www.sfgol.org

Mon 25 Ride Mondays @ Eros See Mon 18

Wed 27 LDG Presents: Storytelling with Dixie De La Tour

Queer Schmears

From page 23

“Purim is a Jewish holiday that challenges traditional power structures, creating a topsy-turvy upside down and comical night,” said Rabbi Mychal Copeland, a lesbian who serves as spiritual leader of Shaar Zahav. “Our ancient texts especially tell us that people should dress as a different gender than their own on this holiday if it brings them joy so we hope that Gender Schmear encourages us to always find our bliss.”

“Purim is a holiday where you’re celebrating a period of transition,” added Heidy Ramirez, Engagement Director for Shaar Zahav. “People dress in costumes and drink, and so for us, being an LGBTQ synagogue, this holiday is an important one because it allows you to be yourself and have a good time.”

Ramirez noted that dressing in drag is encouraged as part of the festivities. There will be a DJ spinning tunes on the dance floor, and the first 100 people who arrive at the party will be given Hamentashen, a traditional Purim pastry. Since alcohol is served, attendees must be over 21.

Lady SinAGaga, a Jewish drag queen from New York City, will be providing the evening’s entertainment.

“The story of Purim is about an old, grumpy leader of a country who took over and made a small majority of people disenfranchised,” Lady SinAGaga said. “It’s actually quite relatable to today. Through the ingenuity of the sages and a little Jewish wit, we took control of the situation and turned things around.”

Lady SinAGaga might know a little bit about being disenfranchised.

In her pre-drag life she was an Orthodox Jew. It was quite a journey, she said, not only telling her family that she was gay, but also that she was doing drag. It took awhile, but eventually they came around and accepted her choices. Her father even came out to watch her compete in a pageant, sitting in the front row.

SinAGaga said that she’s no longer Orthodox, but considers herself spiritually and culturally Jewish and yes, occasionally she still pops in at her local synagogue.

“I guess I’m just incredibly witty,” she said, when asked how she came up with her name. “I was with friends and we were talking about Jewish drag names. This was

Leather and Underwear Buddies @ Blow Buddies A men’s leather/gear and underwear play night. $15 with membership, 933 Harrison St., 8pm. www.blowbuddies.com

Gender Schmear, Saturday, March 23, 10pm. Oasis,298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com Tickets: www.shaarzahav.org

Playmates and soul mates...

@ SF Catalyst LDG is honored to welcome Bawdy Storytelling creator and host, Dixie De La Tour, who is going to tell us her story and demonstrate how she coaches storytellers at the show to deliver their best performance.

1060 Folsom St., 7:30-9:30pm. www.sfldg.org

before I actually started doing drag, and the name just came up. I wish I could remember who said it. I remember thinking that this name is mine and I will do drag just because that name is so amazing. I always joke that my name is the best thing that I’ve ever done in drag.

After that it’s all gone downhill.”

SinAGaga recalls a childhood in which she dreamed of performing, a life choice which is frowned upon in Orthodox communities.

“So when I came out and I saw drag queens for the first time I was first a little scared, but then I remember thinking that I could do this,” she said. “I’m a controlling person, I love doing everything. Seeing that they were producing, directing, acting, sewing and doing hair and make-up, I thought, ‘I can be in charge of everything, I got this.’”

She’s often surprised, and thrilled, when young Jewish boys message her to tell her how wonderful they think it is that she’s so visibly gay and Jewish and feels that, in the current political climate, it’s important to be as visibly yourself as you can be.

“Every day is Purim for me,” she said. “But in Yeshiva (Jewish religious school), I studied a million reasons why we dress up in costumes for Purim. Basically, there was a lot of deception in the Purim story, a lot of doing what needed to be done to get the job done. A lot of it had to do with the changing of one’s outward appearance. There were a variety of different storylines that followed that train of thought, so in order to commemorate that we change the way we look for a day.”

SinAGaga promises that her Gender Schmear Purim show will be glamorous, pomp, and relevant.

“It’ll be a classically great drag show, maybe with a little bit of a twist,” she said.t

San Francisco:

1-415-692-5774

StevenUnderhill PHOTOGRAPHY

Fri 29 Beards & Booze @ The Edge Sober Kink Together @ Castro Country Club See Fri 15

Sat 30 Frisky Pups: Year of the Pig @ SF Catalyst It's the Year of the Pig! See how piggy you can get. Whether you are a pup who likes to hump everyone in sight or a man who likes to tame them, this party is for you. Doors open 8pm. All sex-positive, male-identified 18+ are invited. Snacks and drinks available. $15 in advance, $20 at door. 1060 Folsom St., 10:30am2:30pm. www.sfcatalyst.org t

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<< Nightlife Events

26 • Bay Area Reporter • March 14-20, 2019

Thu 14 Buffy Sing-along @ Lone Star Saloon Sing along to the musical episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. $5. 7pm.

1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Comedy @ Ashkenaz, Berkeley Carla Clayy, Priyanka Wali, Jade Theriault, and host Lisa Geduldig perform a special Women’s History Month set. $15-$20. 8pm. 1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. www.Ashkenaz.com

Nightlife @ California Academy of Sciences Parties at the fascinating spacious nature and science exhibits. $12-$15.

6pm-10pm. March 14: DJ Sean G, articifical intelligence demos and displays. 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park. www.calacademy.org

Patty From HR Would Like a Word @ Oasis Michael Phillis’ scathingly comic parody of office gossip and passiveaggressive administration. $20-$50.

7pm. Also March 15. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Puff @ The Stud Guest-DJ Dreamcast, DJ Dank, drag show, stoner raffle ($5 each) and more. $10. 9pm-2am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

St. Pat’s Speakeasy @ Palace Theater Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the Speakeasy cast at the “underground” show; Irish drinking songs, green beer. $59-$79. www.thespeakeasysf.com

You Betta Work Comedy Fiesta @ San Mateo County Pride Center Jesús U. BettaWork and standup comedians bring a night of laughs. $5. 7:30pm. 1021 South El Camino Real, San Mateo. www.jesusubettawork.com

Fri 15 Bare Chest Calendar Prelims @ Powerhouse Meet early candidates for next year’s fundraiser calendar; weekly for a while. 8pm-10pm.

1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Shot in the City

For full listings, visit www.ebar.com/events

Dance party with hot men, DJs Dan Darlington and Peter Napoli. $20-$40. 10pm-3am.

119 Utah St. www.thegreatnorthernsf.com

Fantasy Friday @ Divas Weekly drag shows at the last transgender-friendly bar in the Polk; with hosts Victoria Secret, Alexis Miranda and several performers. Also Thursdays and Saturdays; Thursday karaoke night. $10. 10pm. 1081 Polk St. www.divassf.com

Friday Nights at the Ho @ White Horse Bar, Oakland Dance it up at the historic (and still hip) East Bay bar. 9pm-2am. 6551 Telegraph Ave. whitehorsebar.com The gay Burning Man crew presents Alter Egos, a dance night with masks and costumes suggested. $15-$20.

10pm-4am. 161 Erie St. www.glamcocks.com

Other Stranger @ The Stud Musical gathering with electronic experimental rhythms, with DJs Beau Wanzer and Exillon. 9pm-2am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Uhaul @ Jolene’s The popular women’s dance party returns at the new nightclub, now weekly. 10pm-2am. 2700 16th St. at Harrison. www.jolenessf.com

Vibe Fridays @ Club BnB, Oakland House music and cocktails, with DJs Shareef Raheim-Jihad and Ellis Lindsey. 9pm-2am. 2120 Broadway.

(510) 759-7340. www.club-bnb.com

Wuhfff @ Powerhouse Pedal Pups’ monthly LifeCycle Ride fundraiser. with gogo dogs and shot pups. $5. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

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Brüt @ Great Northern

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Personals

t Nightlife Events

Sun 17

Daytime Realness @ El Rio

Qtease @ The Stud Queer burlesque cabaret show. $10$25. 6pm-8pm. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Reddroxx @ Lone Star Saloon Birthday bonanza with DJs BRD and Chaka Quan. $5. 9pm-2am. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

When Doves Cry @ Ivy Room, Albany Prince tribute concert with an eightpiece band. $15. 9pm. 860 San Pablo Ave., Albany. www.ivyroom.com

Sun 17 The Bogues @ The Ivy Room, Albany Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the Pogues tribute band, plus The Hooks and White Limozeens. $10. 4pm11pm. 860 San Pablo Ave., Albany. https://www.ivyroom.com/

Daytime Realness @ El Rio Heklina, DJ Carnita and Stanley Frank’s afternoon party returns, with dragsters Sue Casa, One Erection, Dulce De Leche, Militia Towers and guest DJ John Fucking Cartwright. $10. 2pm-8pm. 3158 Mission St. www.elriosf.com

Dirty Musical Sundays @ The Edge

Spring into nightlife fun as hunks, punks, drags, kings and DJ queens entertain your every eve.

Tue 19 Cock Shot @ Beaux The weeknight party gets going with DJ Chad Bays. No cover. 9pm-2am.

2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Karaoke Night @ The Stud Sing For Your Life, with LaLa and Remi; no cover, plus raffle prize drawings. 8pm-2am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Vice Tuesdays @ Q Bar Queer femmes and friends dance party with hip hop, Top 40 and throwbacks at the stylish intimate bar, with DJs Val G and Iris Triska. 9pm2am. 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

Wed 20 B.P.M. @ Club BnB, Oakland Olga T and Shugga Shay’s weekly queer women and men’s R&B hip hop and soul night, at the club’s new location. 8pm-2am. 2120 Broadway, Oakland. www.bench-and-bar.com

Dee Dee Bridgewater @ Yoshi’s Oakland Grammy-winning jazz vocalist and four-decade music legend performs at the stylish nightclub-restaurant. $39-$84. 8pm. Also March 21. 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. www.deedeebridgewater.com

Sat 16

Sing along at the popular musical theatre night, with a bawdy edge; also Mondays and Wednesdays (but not dirty). 7pm-2am. 2 for 1 cocktail, 5pm-closing. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Beatpig @ Powerhouse

Disco Daddy @ SF Eagle

Juanita MORE and crew’s eclectic night, with dJs Entrée and Stanley.

1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

DJ Bus Station John’s monthly classic groovy T-dance pays homage to Sylvester. $5-$10. 7pm-1am. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

Fake and Gay @ The Stud

Jock @ The Lookout

Quay Dash, Grace Towers, Yves Saint Croissant, and Nicki Jizz perform live, plus DJs Adam Kraft, davOmakesbeats. $5-$10. 9pm-2am.

399 9th St. www.studsf.com

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

Irish Comedy Fest @ Bay Area Venues

Katya Presents @ Martuni’s

Midweek drag rave and vocal open mic, with Dulce de Leche, Rhani Nothingmore, Beth Bicoastal, Ginger Snap and guests. 10pm. 3158 Mission St. http://www.elriosf.com/

The Russian exiled opera diva hosts and sings at the intime martini bar’s monthly cabaret show. $13. 7pm. 4 Valencia St.

Thu 21

Shows with U.S. Irish comics.

March 8 at The Battery Club SF March 9 in Oaakland, elsewhere thru March 17, St. Patrick’s Day at Cobb’s Comedy Club, SF. www.realirishcomedytour.com

Literary Speakeasy @ Oasis Queens Read Celebrity Autobiographies, with Clammy Faye, Coco Buttah, Elsa Touche, Foxxy Blue Orchid, Phoebe Cakes, Sugah Betes, Vanilla Meringue and host James J Siegel; proceeds benefit Foglifter journal. $20. 7pm. 298 11th St. “ www.sfoasis.com

Macho Macho @ SF Eagle Latinx leather monthly night hosted

by God’s lil’ Princess and Dulce de Leche with DJs Pinche Pobrecito, Sucia and La Frida. $5. 9pm-2am. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

Mother @ Oasis Heklina’s popular weekly drag show, with special guests and great music themes. March 16 welcomes Katya. $10-$15. 10pm-3am (11:30pm show).

298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Sylvia O’Stayformore @ Oasis

NSA @ Club OMG Weekly underwear party at the intimate mid-Market nightclub. $1 well drinks for anyone in underwear from 9pm-10pm. 43 6th St. http:// www.clubomgsf.com

Pan Dulce @ Beaux Drag divas, gogo studs, DJed Latin grooves and drinks. 9pm-2am (free before 10:30pm). 2344 Market St. www.clubpapi.com

Queeraoke @ El Rio

Baloney @ Oasis

Seattle drag performer shares slideshows, comedy and songs. $20.

7pm. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

The popular men’s strip-burlesque comedy show returns, with sketches

by Rory Davis, and host Michael Phillis. $30-$50. 7pm; thru Mar. 30.

298 11th St. www.sfbaloney.com www.sfoasis.com

Mon 18

RuPaul’s Drag Race Viewings @ Area bars

Munro’s at Midnight @ Midnight Sun Drag night with Mercedez Munro. No cover. 10pm. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Opulence @ Beaux Weekly dance night, with Jocques, DJs Tori, Twistmix and Andre. 9pm-2am.

2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Underwear Night @ 440 Strip down to your skivvies at the popular men’s night. 9pm-2am. 440 Castro St. 621-8732. www.the440.com

Enjoy the popular drag show at Oasis, Midnight Sun and other bars. 9pm, weekly.

Thump @ White Horse, Oakland Weekly electro music night with DJ Matthew Baker and guests. 9pm-2am.

6551 Telegraph Ave, (510) 652-3820. www.whitehorsebar.com

Thursday Night Live @ SF Eagle Rock bands play at the famed leather bar. $8. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com t

t

Arts Events>>

March 14-20, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 27

Arts Events March 14-21

Matt Alber @ Feinstein’s

Thu 14 Classic and New Films @ Castro Theatre Mar. 14 & 15: Mary Poppins Returns (3pm, 5:30, 8pm). Mar. 16: Katya Zamolodchikova (7pm). Mar 17: Annie sing-along Mar 17: Tom Jones (3:20, 8pm) and The Dresser (5:45).

Mar 18 & 19: Stan & Ollie (4:30, 8:30) and Laurel & Hardy’s Sons of the Desert. Mar 29: SF Film members night (6:30pm). Mar 21: The Moth Grand Slam storytelling. $8-$11. 429 Castro St. www.castrotheatre.com

Readings @ City Lights Bookstore Mar. 14: poet Sally Wen Mao (7pm).

Mar 17: Ferlinghetti at 100 at SF Public Library, 100 Larkin St. (1pm).

Mar. 21: Lawrence Ferlinghetti at City Lights (7pm). 261 Columbus Ave. www.citylights.com

Sun 17

Sat 16

Wayne Thiebaud, Etel Adnan, Alexander Calder, Donald Judd, Louise Bourgeois and many classic Modern works. Free/$25. Fri-Tue 10am-6pm. 151 3rd St. sfmoma.org

DIRT Festival @ Dance Mission Theater

Fri 15

For full listings, visit www.ebar.com/events

King Lear. $5-$40. 8pm. Thru Mar. 16. 2020 4th St., Berkeley. www.weplayers.org

To Be Free Festival @ CounterPulse Performances, workshops, installations and other events at the innovative performance space, including Fauxnique & Mica Sigourney, Jess Curtis/Gravity and more; thru Mar. 17. 80 Turk St. http://counterpulse.org

Fri 15 Matt Alber @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko The Grammy-winning gay singersongwriter performs music from his new album How High the Moon, a Mel Tormé tribute, and favorites, at the stylish nightclub. $25-$55 ($20 food/drink min.). Also March 16.

Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. www.mattalber.com

Mother Lear @ 4th St. Theater, Berkeley We Player’s intimate small cast 50-minute version of Shakespeare’s

Dance In Revolt(ing) Times, the fourth annual political dance concert, with Tigre Bailando, Danza Puerto Rico, Patrick Makuakane / Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu (Saturday only), Boomshake Music (Sunday only), Yayoi Kambara and Dancers, Sammay Dizon and Halau Kawainuhi, Hien Huynh and Primera Generación. $20-$30. Mar. 16 & 17, 8pm/7pm, 2pm. 3316 24th St. www.dancemissiontheater.com

Forever, a Moment: Black Meditations on Time and Space @ SOMArts Group exhibit; curators Yetunde Olagbaju and Kevin Bernard Moultrie Daye feature 15 Bay Area artists who explore Black identity.

Thru April 6. 934 Brannan St. www.somarts.org

Her Portmanteau @ Strand Theatre Nigerian playwright Mfoniso Udofia’s Ufot Family Cycle is performed thru Mar. 31 at 1127 Market St., and In Old Age at the Magic Theatre, 2 Marina Blvd, Mar. 27-April 21. $40-$100. www.ufotplays-sf.com

Modern Art @ SF MOMA

Mon 18 Ashish Kumar @ Strut Exhibit of digital South Asian male erotic imagery. Thru March. 470 Castro St. www.strutsf.org

Show Me as I Want to Be Seen @ Contemporary Jewish Museum Show Me as I Want to Be Seen, the work of groundbreaking French Jewish artist, Surrealist, and activist Claude Cahun (1894–1954) and her lifelong lover and collaborator Marcel Moore (1892–1972), thru July 7. 736 Mission St. www.thecjm.org

Tue 19 Survey Bay Area @ Montague Gallery Group exhibit of Bay Area glass artists; 5:30pm-7:30pm; thru April 13. Tue-Fri 11am-6pm. Sat 11am-5pm. 445A Sutter St. http:// montaguegallerysf.com/

Wonderland @ Berkeley City Club

Wed 20

Gary Graves’s dark comedy mixes Kafka and Alice in Wonderland. $15$38. Thu & Fri 8pm, Sat 7pm, Sun 5pm, thru Mar 17. 2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. www.centralworks.org

Uncertainty Principle @ The Marsh Adam Strauss’ new solo show grapples with OCD and life’s big questions. $20-$100. Wed & Fri

8pm, thru Mar. 29. 1062 Valencia St. www.themarsh.org

Various Events @ Oakland LGBTQ Center Social events and meetings at the new LGBTQ center include film screenings and workshops, including Bruthas Rising, trans men of color meetings, 4th Tuesdays, 6:30pm. Film screenings, 4th Saturdays, 7:30pm. Game nights, Fridays 7:30pm-11pm. Vogue sessions, first Saturdays. 3207 Lakeshore Ave. Oakland. www.oaklandlgbtqcenter.org

Thu 21 The Deadliners @ McRoskey Mattress Co. The band composed of notable authors performs at a benefit for Butte County fire victims, with author Rebecca Solnit ( A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster); sponsored by The Green Arcade Bookstore. $10 and up.

7pm. 1687 Market St. www.thegreenarcade.com

Night at the Jewseum: Purim Cabaret @ Contemp. Jewish Museum Party with drag queens LOL McFiercen, Miss Shugana, Snaxx and Queen Esther. Free. 5pm-8pm.

736 Mission St. https://thecjm.org

Velvetta, Kissin’ Cussins @ Winters Tavern, Pacifica Two country bands, with local veteran musicians Leigh Crow, Ruby Vixen and Connie Champagne, perform at the seaside bar. 9pm.

1522 Francisco Blvd., Pacifica. www.winterstavern.com t

Shining Stars Steven Underhill Photos by

Carnaval Brasileiro @ LGBT Center

A

guilas El Ambiente, the local organization dedicated to creating a supportive, culturally sensitive environment for gay/ bisexual Latinos, hosted a festive Carnaval party at the LGBT Center (1800 Market St.) on February 28. Colorful costumes, amateur drag acts, plus food and drinks made for a fun time at their latest monthly gathering. https://sfaguilas.org/ See plenty more photos on BARtab’s Facebook page, facebook.com/lgbtsf.nightlife. See more of Steven Underhill’s photos at StevenUnderhill.com.

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Subject to credit approval. ‡Monthly payment shown is equal to the purchase price, excluding taxes and delivery, divided by the number of months in the promo period, rounded to the next highest whole dollar, and only applies to the selected financing option shown. If you make your payments by the due date each month, the monthly payment shown should allow you to pay off this purchase within the promo period if this balance is the only balance on your account during the promo period. If you have other balances on your account, this monthly payment will be added to the minimum payment applicable to those balances. §Subject to credit approval. Minimum monthly payments required. See store for details. ‡‡Previous purchases excluded. Cannot be combined with any other promotion or discount. Discount offers exclude Tempur-Pedic®, Stearns & Foster® and Sealy Posturepedic Hybrid™ mattress sets, floor models, clearance items, sales tax, furniture protection plans, warranty, delivery fee, Manager’s Special pricing, Advertised Special pricing, and 14 Piece Packages and cannot be combined with financing specials. Effective 1/1/2018, all mattress and box springs are subject to a $10.50 per unit CA recycling fee. SEE STORE FOR DETAILS. Stoneledge Furniture LLC., many times has multiple offers, promotions, discounts and financing specials occurring at the same time; these are allowed to only be used either/or and not both or combined with each other. Although every precaution is taken, errors in price and/or specification may occur in print. We reserve the right to correct any such errors. Picture may not represent item exactly as shown, advertised items may not be on display at all locations. Some restrictions may apply. Available only at participating locations. ±Leather Match upholstery features top-grain leather in the seating areas and skillfully matched vinyl everywhere else. Ashley HomeStores are independently owned and operated. ©2019 Ashley HomeStores, Ltd. Promotional Start Date: February 5, 2019. Expires: February 18, 2019.