March 21, 2024 edition of the Bay Area Reporter

by Matthew S. Bajko

Gay former Sacramento city councilmember Steve Hansen conceded Tuesday that he wouldn’t survive the primary race to be his city’s next mayor. It brought to a close his bid to be the first gay leader of California’s capital city.

Meanwhile, gay Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Cupertino) is now back in second place in his bid for an open South Bay U.S. House seat. But he only leads by two votes, with more ballots yet to count.

On election night March 5, Hansen had been in second place. But as more ballots were counted, Hansen dropped down to fourth in a race where only the top-two finishers will advance to a runoff in November.

Sacramentans are choosing who will succeed Mayor Darrell Steinberg, as he decided not to seek a third term this year. After another vote update came Tuesday, epidemiologist Dr. Flojaune Cofer and Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) strengthened their standings to be the two mayoral candidates moving on to the fall ballot.

Hansen called both Tuesday to congratulate them on their first and second place showings, respectively, in the primary. In a statement he released, Hansen thanked those voters who had backed him in the race.

“The latest results were just released – it was sooo close, but unfortunately we will not be advancing to the run off,” stated Hansen, “While the results released today were not what we hoped, it is not the end of our work fighting for a better Sacramento. Thank you for believing in me and my vision for what our city could be.”

As of the March 19 update in the race, Hansen’s total is now at 21,414 votes. It puts him in fourth place behind Dr. Richard Pan, a former state senator, who is in third with 21,752 votes. (He has yet to concede.)

Cofer is in first place with 29,628 votes, while McCarty is in second with 21,964. According to county elections officials, there are now fewer than 7,000 ballots to count and the next update will come Friday at 4:15 p.m.

Hansen had been aiming for a political comeback after losing his bid for a third term in his council seat in the 2020 primary. In his concession statement Hansen also thanked his partner, Michael McNulty, and their two young sons for supporting him throughout the mayoral race.

See page 9 >>

In a 1st, Pelosi secures $500K from feds for Milk plaza project

by John Ferrannini

Congress allocated a half-million dollars in funding toward the Memorial at Harvey Milk Plaza revitalization project, according to a news release from the Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza. This marks the first federal dollars allocated toward the project.

Congressmember Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) spearheaded the allocation, the release stated, which came from the House Subcommittee of Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development.

The funding was signed into law by President Joe Biden March 9 as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024. It had been approved by the House of Representatives 339-85 on March 6.

“In San Francisco, we take immense pride in being home to the iconic Harvey Milk: a trailblazing leader for freedom, equality and justice,” Pelosi stated in the release. “By redesigning the plaza named for Harvey, our city will create a world-class civic space in the Castro neighborhood and improve transit rider access to the Castro Street Muni Station.

“It has been my privilege to fight for federal funding in support of this transformative project that will revitalize the community and reimagine Harvey Milk Plaza for residents and visitors to enjoy in our beautiful City by the Bay,” she added.

The project aims to reconfigure the public parklet above the Castro Muni station to make it more accessible and honor its namesake, who was the city’s first openly gay elected official when he

won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. Milk took office in January 1978 but was assassinated, along with then-mayor George Moscone, 11 months later by disgruntled ex-supervisor Dan White.

While in office, Milk was a big supporter of public transit. The plaza was named in his honor in 1985.

ongoing since at least last year, needs to raise about $35 million. Some of that money has already been raised, Springfield said, including about $1 million in private funds and $3.3 million in public funding.

Brian Springfield, a gay man who’s executive director of the Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza, told the Bay Area Reporter in January that the friends’ group, which has had a “quiet” capital campaign

Of the public funding, $2.5 million was secured by gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco).

2017 Media Kit 0 a

Castro volunteer patrol group honored by FBI at SF event

See page 11 >>

Springfield stated that “this allocation is an initial investment of federal funds for the project. Previously, Senator Weiner has secured two [state] grants

Stave

Courtesy the candidate

San

John Ferrannini

Courtesy the candidates

A rendering shows an overview of the Memorial at Harvey Milk Plaza.

Courtesy SWA Group via Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza

CA LGBTQ legislative caucus set to increase

by Matthew S. Bajko

Of the historic 30 LGBTQ California legislative candidates who ran in the March 5 primary, more than half are moving on to the fall ballot. Based on the still unofficial primary returns in the various races, the Legislative LGBTQ Caucus is practically assured of seeing its current 12-person membership increase when the winners of the fall races are sworn into office in early December.

The seven current members standing for election this year are all likely to win their races. Five of the newcomers appear poised to easily win their races, with another three seen as having strong chances of coming out on top in November. Four others are facing tough general election campaigns.

Three of the current caucus members will be departing this year. Lesbian Senators Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton) and Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) are termed out, and gay Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Cupertino) opted to seek an open U.S. House seat rather than another term. (Low was in second place by two votes as of the Bay Area Reporter’s print deadline Wednesday. See story, page 1.)

Thus, 11 of the 19 out candidates need to win in order to bring the number of out legislators in the statehouse to a historic 13. They would join gay Senator Steve Padilla (D-Chula Vista) and lesbian Senator Caroline Menjivar (DSan Fernando Valley), as the pair was not up for reelection this year.

Gay Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego) told the B.A.R. Tuesday

that he expects to see the affinity group for out legislators mark another milestone in its membership come November. As vice chair of the LGBTQ caucus, Ward is in line to succeed Eggman as its chair.

“While we’re awaiting the final results of the primary, I am happy that we will add strong voices to our caucus and grow in numbers,” stated Ward, who is unopposed this year for his District 78 seat. “We have a few races that are clear, some that are too close to call, and importantly our potential first transgender candidate proved she can win her race in the general election. All this says, we should be proud of how strong LGBTQ candidates are running in districts across the state.”

Due to term limits, as state legislators are only allowed to serve 12 years

in the Statehouse, it is critical that new caucus members be elected each election cycle to ensure its ranks remain robust, noted Ward.

“We must also continue to build our diverse bench for future elections, as we will be losing two powerful lesbian leaders in our chair, Senator Susan Eggman, and Pro Tem Emeritus and my senator, Toni Atkins, as well as a powerful AAPI leader and former Caucus Chair, Assemblymember Evan Low,” stated Ward.

The 10 out male contenders who survived their primaries, where only the top two finishers advanced, appear to have easy roads to victory come November 5. A majority of the nine out women, however, faces tougher campaigns.

Among them is transgender Palm Springs City Councilmember Lisa

Middleton. She is among several out candidates from the LGBTQ resort and retirement town hoping more Democrats and independents will show up at the polls in November to help them come out on top in their contests.

Middleton has always faced a tough race for the 19th Senate District spanning Riverside and San Bernardino counties. She is running against Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa), who came out first in their primary matchup with 53.7% based on the unofficial returns.

In a March 16 statement Middleton noted that “the real fight to flip Senate District 19 this November” had begun.

“As we celebrate the (primary) results, we must acknowledge the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead,” stated Middleton. “In the coming months, we will work tirelessly to achieve a historic victory this November and bring bold, pragmatic leadership to Riverside and San Bernardino counties.”

Palm Springs City Councilmember Christy Holstege faces slightly more favorable odds in her bid to become one of the first bisexual women in the Legislature. Two years ago, she narrowly lost to Assemblymember Greg Wallis (RBermuda Dunes).

She is running again this year to oust him from the Assembly District 47 seat. While Wallis came in first in the primary with 48.5% of the vote, Holstege drew 46.5% and another Democratic candidate received 5.1%. If Holstege is able to consolidate support from the two Democrats’ voters in the fall, she could have a winning margin to defeat Wallis.

Likely to become the first bisexual person in the state Senate is Sasha Renée Pérez, who took second place in the primary for the open 25th Senate District spanning Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. While Republican Elizabeth Wong Ahlers came in first with 35.7%, the four Democrats in the race took a combined 64.3% of the vote, setting up Pérez as the expected winner of the seat in November.

In the East Bay, out Senate candidates Jovanka Beckles and Marisol Rubio are headed into the general election viewed as underdogs in their races. Either would be the first LGBTQ legislator from Contra Costa County if elected.

Beckles, a former Richmond City Council member who identifies as queer and lesbian, came in second place with 17.3% in the primary contest for the open Senate District 7 seat that spans Alameda and Contra Costa counties. The AC Transit board member is facing a tough general election campaign against Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín, who came in first place with 32.5% of the vote.

Beckles declared victory Tuesday in the primary race via a post on her Instagram account.

“Despite being vastly unfundraised, we have emerged victorious in the State Senate primary!” she wrote. “This victory is not just about me. It’s a victory for our working class, our poor, our disenfranchised black and brown communities, our Palestinian siblings fighting for liberation.”

See

SF Pride grand marshal voting is underway

compiled by Cynthia Laird

S an Francisco Pride has announced that voting for community grand marshals is now underway. Eight individuals and two organizations have been nominated, according to SF Pride’s website.

The nominated people are: trans writer and activist Julia Serano; San Francisco drag king Fudgie Frottage; gay artist and muralist Serge Gay Jr.; developmental disabilities and LGBTQ communities advocate Nicole Adler; nonbinary queer activist Xander Briere; gay minister Marvin K. White; United Territories of Pacific

Islanders co-founder Neo Veavea; and musician and vocalist Tory Teasley.

The organizations that have been nominated are the nonprofit Children’s After School Arts, or CASA, and the Port bar, an LGBTQ nightlife spot in Oakland that closed last month.

Anyone can vote for the community grand marshals online at sfpride. org/grand-marshals. The deadline to vote is Monday, March 25.

In other SF Pride news, people can also submit entertainment applications. SF Pride noted on its website that it receives thousands of submissions from personalities, performers, agents, and influencers.

organized by Jeanine Reisbig

Interested people can go to sfpride. org and click on the entertainment submissions link.

This year’s SF Pride is June 29-30. The theme is “Beacon of Love.”

SF court seeks civil grand jury candidates

San Francisco Superior Court is now seeking candidates for the 2024-25 civil grand jury. Serving as a civil grand juror is voluntary, and the panel serves as a watchdog on local government.

“I am looking for citizens from all backgrounds to reflect the diversity of our communities,” stated Judge Eric R. Fleming, the chair of the civil grand jury committee. “The court wants the grand jury to have a collective voice that reflects a cross-section of the community. Accomplish-

ing this goal will help ensure that the grand jury fairly fulfills its watchdog function to identify inefficiencies and issues in city government that – if reformed – could better serve the public.”

A panel of judges selects the 19 people to serve on the civil grand jury, a news release stated. The term is one year, from July 1 to June 30, 2025. While people are not paid to be on the grand jury, they receive reimbursement for meetings. People must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years of age, a San Francisco resident for at least the past 12 months, and able to communicate in English.

recruiting people of color and residents who represent a wide range of San Francisco neighborhoods.

The release noted that the civil grand jury is especially interested in

Previous civil grand juries in San Francisco have issued reports focused on affordable housing, homelessness, pension reform, rising sea levels, and public transit efficiency. To conduct its investigations, the grand jury is empowered to review records and confidentially interview city officials and staff, who are required by law to answer the jurors’ questions.

The deadline to apply is Friday, May 10. The application form can be accessed via the civil grand jury’s website at sf.gov/apply-join-civilgrand-jury. t

San Francisco Pride community grand marshal nominees are, top row from left, Tory Teasley, Nicole Adler, Fudgie Frottage, and Neo Veavea, and bottom row from left, Marvin K. White, Julia Serano, Serge Gay Jr., and Xander Briere.

Courtesy SF Pride

State Senate candidates Jovanka Beckles, left, and Sasha Renée Pérez are headed to the general election.

Courtesy the candidates

Gay couple sues San Diego school district

by John Ferrannini

Amarried gay couple is suing the San Diego Unified School District, an elementary school, and a principal in federal court because they allege false public statements suggest they are attracted to children.

The couple alleges that “a pervasive, unlawful anti-LGBTQI+ culture” helped lead a school principal and parents to “broadcast false public statements suggesting that [they] were pedophiles,” according to the lawsuit.

James Donaghe and Alvaro Ortiz filed suit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California against the school district; Sherman Heights Elementary, or SHE; and principal Nicole Enriquez.

Donaghe and Ortiz, according to the civil complaint filed February 23, live across the street from the school, which is in the Sherman Heights neighborhood of San Diego, south of Balboa Park and east of the iconic Gaslamp Quarter. Through attorney Jeffrey J. Miles of Johnson and Johnson LLP, the law firm representing the couple, the men declined an interview request. Miles did offer to send statements in response to written questions, and a response was given after the initial online publication of this report.

In their response to the question of what they hope to gain from the suit, Donaghe and Ortiz stated, “We desire to return to a peaceful life in our cherished designated historic Victorian home, free from the vitriol and threats incited by Sherman Heights actors and parents. While the school resorted to inflammatory and harmful allegations and the incitement of anti-LGBTQI+ violence, we hope that Defendants will finally address the underlying dangerous conditions around Sherman Heights Elementary that the school itself created.”

In their response to the question of

if the alleged harassment has continued in spite of their suit, Donaghe and Ortiz stated, “Since filing the lawsuit, the intimidation tactics have only intensified. We have received anonymous death threats that include language of anti-gay hate in texts from unknown phone numbers. There has been a new and ominous presence of individuals lurking near our home whose only purpose appears to be intimidation. A particularly alarming episode last week involved James being followed from his home and an assailant smashing his car window and reaching into his car, when he was stopped at a stop sign, while the attacker shouted anti-gay epithets at James.”

Enriquez and the school district did not return requests for comment.

The suit alleges seven causes of action: violation of Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; First Amendment retaliation; violation of the Bane Civil Rights Act; two counts of nuisance (under federal common law and under California state law); negligence; and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Miles stated that in this case it’s possible for a claim under California state law (one of the two nuisance claims) to be heard in federal court

“With respect to jurisdiction, the state law claims arise from the same nucleus of operating fact as the federal claims and so

the state law claims can be heard in federal court through the exercise of pendent or supplemental jurisdiction,” he stated.

On May 14, 2022, Enriquez sent an email to Donaghe containing “entirely unfounded allegations that Donaghe’s recording of unlawful and unsafe traffic conditions on 22nd Street was an attempt by Donaghe to record Sherman Heights students,” according to the civil complaint.

The plaintiffs state they were recording for the purpose of documenting traffic violations.

“Enriquez, her constituents, and agents of Sherman Heights Elementary and SDUSD, wrongfully made and encouraged allegations that interpreted Plaintiffs’ constitutionally protected activity of filming school traffic conditions as arising from a deviant and predatory interest in filming students, because of a discriminatory attitude towards homosexuality that falsely equivocates LGBTQI+ individuals as deviants and interpreted Donaghe’s behaviors through a warped and discriminatory lens,” the civil complaint states.

The complaint states that Enriquez and the San Diego Police Department had previously told Donaghe that the recording of “traffic issues was both appropriate and necessary so that [Sherman Heights Elementary] and San Diego could take corrective measures.”

The complaint continues, “Dangerous conditions that meet the definition of nuisance under California state law continue unabated. SDUSD has knowledge of the dangerous conditions on 22nd Street abutting the Sherman Heights Elementary property in the Safe School Zone, including vehicles ‘drifting’ in the SDUSD parking lot, drag racing and reckless driving, and drivers ignoring stop signs or other traffic signs proximate to SDUSD campus, all while SDUSD staff ‘direct traffic.’”

The complaint states, “These open and obvious dangerous conditions are exacerbated by transient camps of individuals openly selling drugs near the school, and numerous intoxicated drivers have caused disproportionate incidents of property damage on and about the SDUSD campus of Sherman Heights Elementary.”

Later that month, a comment on the school’s Facebook page from a nonparty to the suit named Pablo C. Palomino included a picture of Donaghe, stating that he “has been recording children” and asks, “What can we do to ensure he is not an issue?” The suit claims that the district’s decision to keep the post up is “false and defamatory.”

Palomino did not return a request for comment.

Candi Bimbo Doll can use her name, court rules

by John Ferrannini

Atransgender adult film star’s quest to change her name to Candi Bimbo Doll was granted after an appellate court overturned a San Francisco judge’s decision to deny the request.

“My bimbofication has been a yearslong journey and I still have many more years to go – it is an iterative process that will likely never be complete, because that’s the nature of artificial perfection: there is always a higher peak to ascend to,” Candi Bimbo Doll stated in a release issued through her attorney Jim Reilly. “This name change, however, is a step made with such rich and irrevocable clarity of purpose that for the first time in my life I can’t imagine one that would go beyond it.”

She added, “It is the first part of me that is really and fully done.”

“I am beyond overjoyed that the Court of Appeal has seen fit to rectify the miscarriage of justice that would have consigned me to eternal nominative mediocrity,” she concluded. “Bimbofication should be all-encompassing; every part of a bimbo needs to be exceptional. And now one part of me will forever be cemented as exactly that.”

In July, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Gail Dekreon denied Samantha Wood’s request to change her name to Candi Bimbo Doll. Dekreon retired in January 2023 as a fulltime judge but continues to hear cases on a part time basis for the court.

“Petitioner requests to change her name to ‘Candi Bimbo Doll,’” Dekreon

stated in her ruling. “Petitioner here asserts that she has pursued the identity for well over a decade, has ‘already embraced it, and taken numerous steps to secure it. The name is the last thing left.’ … no person has a statutory right to officially change their name to a name universally recognized as being offensive.”

Dekreon continued, “The derogatory meaning of bimbo, universally, is an attractive but stupid young woman; a foolish, stupid, or inept person.” She did note a movement to reclaim the term.

“The court is aware of a TikTok trend of the 2020s, post-COVID shutdown, called ‘Bimbofication,’ which encourages embracing self-love and claiming the word ‘bimbo’ as their own,” Dekreon stated. “While the perception of ‘bimbo’ may be changing in the TikTok world, the word itself is perceived as offensive and seen as a step backward for women empowerment in our culture.”

Candi Bimbo Doll appealed, and the 1st District Court of Appeal, second division, unanimously disagreed in a 3-0 decision issued March 14. Writing for the panel, Justice James Richman referenced the blockbuster film “Barbie,” quoting approvingly from a column in the United Kingdom stating that the film, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, was “recent feminist reclamation of the ‘bimbo’ figure.”

He also noted state agencies have not denied use of the term for business names or on license plates.

“The Secretary of State has no issue with Bimbo,” Richman continued. “Nor does the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The DMV instructions state that it will not issue a personalized license plate that has ‘sexual connotation’ or a ‘vulgar term or a term of prejudice or hostility.’ We understand the DMV has issued so many personalized license plates in the name of ‘Bimbo,’ ‘Bimbo 1,’ ‘Bimbo 25’ etc., that new requests are met with the statement that ‘the license plate you selected is no longer available.’”

Richman also stated that a 1992 decision in Lee v. Superior Court – in which the California Supreme Court decided someone couldn’t change their name to a name including the N-word – was not applicable to this situation. Russell Lawrence Lee had wanted to change his name as a way of reclaiming that word –to “steal the stinging degradation — the thunder, the wrath, shame and racial slur,” as he put it.

The court stated at that time, “[T]he judiciary should not lend the Great Seal of the State of California to aid appellant in his social experiment. The proposed surname is commonly considered to be a racial epithet and has the potential to be a ‘fighting word.’ Appellant has the common law right to use whatever name he chooses. He may conduct whatever social

experiment he chooses. However, he has no statutory right to require the State of California to participate therein.”

Wrote Richman: “The word causing the rejection in Lee is perhaps the most inflammatory word in the English language, a word one author described as one that ‘wreaked symbolic violence, often accompanied by physical violence.’

… It is hard to come up with an adjective adequate to describe a discussion of that word in the same breath as Bimbo.”

Richman concluded that “There is no confusion here,” and cited Dekreon’s initial action as an “abuse of discretion.”

Richman was joined in the decision by Presiding Justice Therese Stewart and Justice Marla Miller. t

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One person - $100,850; 2 persons - $115,300; 3 persons - $129,700; 4 persons - $144,100; 5 persons- $155,650 120% of Area Median Income

One person - $121,000; 2 persons - $138,350; 3 persons - $155,650; 4 persons - $172,900; 5 persons- $186,800 150% of Area Median Income

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Obtain an application online through The George | San Francisco (sf.gov)

James Donaghe was interviewed by San Diego Telemundo affiliate KUAN-LD June 6, 2023.

Volume 54, Number 12

March 21-27, 2024 www.ebar.com

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David-Elijah Nahmod • J.L. Odom • Paul Parish

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ART DIRECTION

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Letters

Published

Schiff needs to help LGBTQ candidates

Congressmember Adam Schiff (D-Burbank)

is headed to the November election and will take on conservative Republican and former baseball star Steve Garvey for a U.S. Senate seat.

It is Schiff, however, who is poised to be California’s next senator, given the Golden State’s solid Democratic voter makeup.

As has been widely reported, to get an easier general election matchup against a Republican, Schiff made the decision to spend millions of dollars elevating Garvey in a series of TV commercials during the primary campaign. That worked so well that Garvey vaulted past Congressmember Katie Porter (D-Irvine) in the primary and secured a spot in the general election. (Under the state’s open primary, the top two finishers advance regardless of party.) A Dem-on-Dem matchup would have been far more bruising for Schiff, especially because he and Porter have similar positions on most issues, and Porter would have been viewed as the more progressive candidate.

But Schiff may want to take heed of the old adage: be careful what you wish for. That’s because with Garvey in the general election, along with Republican former President Donald Trump at the top of the ticket, there’s a real chance that Republican turnout will be greater in November than if Porter had secured the second spot in the Senate race. That spells trouble for several out congressional and legislative candidates running in competitive races in Southern California, particularly Riverside County, as increased GOP turnout may doom their chances for victory.

This week, Schiff seemed to realize that. He sent out a fundraising email that will benefit not only himself, but also four Democratic congressional candidates in an effort to help flip the House of Representatives back to Democratic control. One of them, Will Rollins, is a gay man running in the 41st Congressional District in Riverside County that includes the LGBTQ retirement and tourist mecca of Palm Springs and the surrounding area. (Garvey held his election night party in Palm Desert, just south of Palm Springs.)

Rollins is making his second attempt to unseat GOP Congressmember Ken Calvert (R-Corona), who is anti-LGBTQ, though he did vote for the

Respect for Marriage Act in 2022. But Rollins trails after the primary, with unofficial results showing him garnering 38.5% of the vote to Calvert’s 52.9%. Rollins has a lot of ground to make up between now and November, and will need to raise a lot of money. Adding to the pressure is the fact that the LGBTQ Log Cabin Republicans last week endorsed Calvert, according to his campaign website.

It’s worth noting that Porter, who will be leaving Congress at the end of the year, also sent out a fundraising appeal this week to help Rollins. That speaks to the state Democratic Party’s more robust support for Rollins this year than in 2022, when it only belatedly started to fundraise for him.

While it’s good that Schiff sees the importance of helping other Democratic congressional candidates, there are also out legislative candidates that likely will be impacted by Garvey and Trump on the ballot in Riverside County. Palm Springs City Councilmember Lisa Middleton is vying to become the first trans state legislator and is running against GOP state Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Redlands) in the newly drawn Senate District 19. Bogh took first place in the primary with 53.7% to Middleton’s 46.3%. Another Palm Springs councilmember, Christy Holstege, a bi woman, is running a second time for the Assembly District 47 seat that she narrowly lost two years ago to Republican incumbent Assemblymember Greg Wallis (R-Bermuda Dunes). But again, in the recent primary, Wallis leads with 48.5% to Holstege’s 46.4%, preliminary returns show.

It’s clear to see that these out candidates all trail their Republican opponents.

Schiff could also help these out candidates by making campaign appearances with them as the election season nears to help energize Democratic voters ahead of the general election.

There’s another gay House candidate that could use Schiff’s help. Derek Marshall is running again for the 23rd Congressional District against Republican incumbent Jay Obernolte (R-Hesperia), who is anti-LGBTQ, though he, too, voted for the marriage act two years ago. (It’s likely that Calvert and Obernolte voted for the marriage bill to stave off criticisms that they are anti-LGBTQ, but make no mistake, they do not support the community.) Marshall is in a more conservative district in the high desert east of Los Angeles, and received 36.6% in the primary, while Obernolte garnered 63.4%, based on unofficial returns.

Equality California, the statewide LGBTQ rights group, also needs to help the LGBTQ congressional and legislative candidates in these tight Southern California races. EQCA endorsed Schiff March 14 for the general election (it took no position ahead of the primary, though it held a town hall with Schiff, Porter, and Democratic Congressmember Barbara Lee, D-Oakland). During the upcoming Pride season, and especially as voters start paying attention in September, EQCA needs to do voter outreach in support of these candidates, all of whom it has endorsed.

The community has an opportunity here to send more out candidates to Congress and Sacramento. But the candidates will only be successful if they have the funds to effectively wage their campaigns. Throwing Garvey into the mix is not helpful in this regard, and the prospect of more GOP voters turning out in November should be a wake-up call to Schiff as he strives to become California’s next U.S. senator. t

Family Equality CEO took many turns on their journey

by Jaymes Black

I’m no stranger to taking the road less traveled. While today, I’m a proud parent, spouse, and leader of a major national LGBTQ+ organization, you might say I took the long way to get here.

As a young LGBTQ+ person growing up in South Texas, I was pulled out of the closet. In response to the intense bullying and mistreatment I experienced, I dropped out of high school, sleeping on friends’ couches and apartment floors to survive. Self-taught and stubborn, I fought my way from a GED to an MBA. I climbed the corporate ladder until a moment of COVID clarity pushed me to leave behind the hard-earned safety and comfort of the business sector to proudly lead Family Equality, (https:// familyequality.org/) the leading national nonprofit working for LGBTQ+ families, as its first president and CEO of color.

I’ve been on the road less traveled for a while now, so I know all too well that this path means facing potholes, pitfalls, and panic. I’ve grown familiar with the uncertainty and become friends with the fear. And yet, last year, I hit a fork in the road.

For the longest time, I’ve known who I am, but I hesitated to say it out loud. I felt fearful and guilty. What would my par ents and family say if I “came out again”?

How do I explain it to my wife and kids?

I feared yet another difficult comingout process. But in late 2023, I realized I had a choice: Continue down the street I’m on – one filled with the suffocating barricades of expectations, binaries, “shoulds,” and safety –or take another turn and forge a new path as the most authentic, free, self-aware, and queer me. As a genderqueer person, I craved a name that truly represented all of me, not who my parents wanted me to be or who society dictated. While I honor the sojourn I traveled as Stacey Stevenson, I decided to flick on my proverbial turn signal and drive toward my future: Jaymes Black (all pronouns), proud parent, partner, and president and CEO of Family Equality.

As a primary player in the LGBTQ+ movement, I’m proud to be accompanied on this road by more young people than ever. According to The Trevor Project, Gen Z is the most LGBTQ+ generation yet, and 26% of LGBTQ+ youth between the ages of 13-24 identify as nonbinary. Just like me, these young people face a fork in the road. The clean, paved route leads to a life of secrecy, shame, and fear. The unpaved one leads to freedom – but is filled with potentially dangerous roadblocks and hazards.

In 2023, 175 of the 400+ anti-LGBTQ+ bills filed nationwide were anti-transgender, and many sought to restrict young people’s access to life-saving health care, bathrooms, and sports. Since Florida’s infamous “Don’t Say Gay and Trans” legislation, several dozen copycat bills have appeared in states across the country, actively seeking to foster the toxic learning environment that drove me to drop out of high school all those years ago. These state-sanctioned potholes have serious consequences, as LGBTQ+ young people are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers – with at least one attempt occurring every 45 seconds.

At this point, you might be asking yourself

why young people would take this route if it’s filled with so many obstacles. Certainly, many youth before this generation have faced the same intersection and forged forward in secret. As it is, it’s taken me decades to make a turn I’ve wanted to make for years. The answer is simple: Because we know we’re no longer driving alone. While this legislation, rhetoric, and discrimination are overwhelming, they come from only a few powerful, wealthy extremists. In the United States, there’s broad support for LGBTQ+ protections and equality, with 8 in 10 Americans supporting non-discrimination laws and 7 in 10 voters strongly opposing book bans. As it stands, 87% of the anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in 2023 failed to become law. We might be facing unprecedented roadblocks, but now more than ever, passionate parents, empowered educators, fearless advocates, and brave youth are helping us navigate the course ahead.

This year is a presidential election year, the perfect time to recognize the role that we all can play in ensuring the road less traveled is paved, lit, and protected. Now is the time to make ourselves heard, to rally, to vote, and to send clear messages to our legislators to protect our freedoms. Check your voter registration. Support equality champions at the ballot box. Share your story. Speak up at the statehouse and the school board. Together, we can guarantee that all Americans reach their destination – authenticity, freedom, and equality – safely and without fear.

To all those who are on this odyssey of authenticity alongside me, know this: The road might be long and winding, but the destination is well worth the journey – so crank up those tunes and enjoy the view. t

Jaymes Black, a genderqueer person, is president and CEO of Family Equality, which is based in New York City.

If you are having a crisis, the national mental health hotline number is 988. LGBTQ youth can also contact The Trevor Project.

Family Equality CEO Jaymes Black

Courtesy Family Equality

U.S. Senate candidate Adam Schiff

Courtesy the campaign

Out Oregon House candidate Morales fundraises in SF

by Matthew S. Bajko

San Francisco supporters of queer Oregon House candidate Eddy Morales are hosting a fundraiser for him this weekend. Their aim is to help him clinch his Democratic primary contest on May 21.

Due to the makeup of the Beaver State’s 3rd Congressional District, the winner of the intraparty race is all but assured of clinching the seat in November against their Republican opponent. Oregon still uses party-based primaries to decide the candidates that will appear on the general election ballot.

Morales is seeking to succeed Congressmember Earl Blumenauer (D-Portland), who opted not to run for reelection this year. He has endorsements from the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund and Equality PAC, the political action committee of the Congressional Equality Caucus. Out Democratic Congressmembers Becca Balint of Vermont, Ritchie Torres of New York, and Mark Takano of California have also endorsed Morales in the race.

First elected to the Grisham City Council in 2018, Morales is in a competitive campaign for the seat. Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal has endorsements from highprofile progressives such as her sister, Washington state Congressmember Pramila Jayapal (D), gay Congressmember Mark Pocan (D) of Wisconsin, and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont).

Also seen as a top con tender is Dr. Maxine Dex ter, who serves in the Oregon House of Repre sentatives and lives out side the House district in Northwest Portland. She has been endorsed by two of her state’s former governors, John Kitzhaber and Ted Kulongoski

for the Democratic Party if deployed as a presumed congressmember-elect.

“Getting him elected to Congress in May will help us win the House because he will go out and fundraise for candidates running for contested seats we need to pick up to win the House back in November,” said Pedroza, adding that Morales will bring a needed voice to Washington, D.C. “His lived experience is something I think will benefit not only members of his district in Oregon but queer Latinx people across the country. It is important for us to continue to see our community reach the halls of Congress.”

Should Morales win the seat, he would be the first LGBTQ congressmember elected from Oregon and the first person of color to represent the district. By winning the primary and having a relatively easy path to victory come the fall, Morales would be able to help fundraise for other Democratic House candidates across the country, in particular other out contenders such as Delaware state Senator Sarah McBride, who aims to become the first transgender person elected to Congress.

It is why he hopes Bay Area Democrats and others interested in seeing the party retake Congress’ lower chamber this year will come out to the fundraiser Saturday, March 23, being held at the Mission District home of Alfredo Pedroza and Wayne Bautista. (It takes place from noon to 2 p.m. with the address provided to those who RSVP online via https://secure.actblue.com/donate/helpmakehistoryeddymoralessf24.)

“I am going to be put to work to help other people because our district is so safe. People should see this as an investment toward helping other LGBTQ people as well,” said Morales during a recent phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter. “We can win it. Our internal poll shows we win by 11 points, we just need to get our story out.”

Pedroza serves on the board of HONOR PAC, the political action committee aimed at electing LGBTQ and straight allied Latinos to public office that also has endorsed Morales in his race. The two out Latino leaders first met over a dozen years ago via mutual acquaintances and have been friends ever since, Pedroza told the B.A.R.

“My husband and I do not often open our home to political fundraisers, only rarely. This is the first one in our home in over 20 years,” said Pedroza. “He is just a phenomenal individual we have been privileged to know for more than 15 years now.”

In addition to being “smart” and “strategic,” Morales is “an incredible fundraiser,” noted Pedroza, who will be a key asset

have been together 21 years and co-own a public relations firm. Their “child” Besitos is an English springer spaniel and Alas kan malamute mix that Morales rescued while visiting family in Mexico.

Morales also co-founded the local group East County Rising, which recruits diverse candidates to run for local office, and serves as board secretary for Planned Parenthood of Columbia-Willamette. Before settling in Grisham Morales had worked in various capacities helping to elect other people of color, women, and LGBTQ individuals across the country, such as Takano, and to support them while in office.

“We think it is time for Oregon to have an out LGBTQ person represent them in Congress. It’s never had that,” noted Morales.

Being able to press for federal policies around the various issues that have impacted his family and residents of the congressional district also motivated him to enter the House race, said Morales.

“The outlet of being able to then organize around common sense gun laws, around mental health and addiction, and housing and increasing affordable housing, I think, is a positive outlet for me. I want to ensure other families don’t have to go through this,” said Morales.

Morales, 44, was born in Los Angeles, the ninth child in his family. His mother and siblings had fled Mexico in the trunk of a car to seek a better life in the

When his father turned to alcoholism and was abusive to his mom, she once again piled her children into a car and headed for Oregon’s Willamette Valley. They settled in Woodburn, where his mother worked as a child care provider, and later lived in Portland.

Resilient in face of tragedy

Morales was the first in the family to attend college, and during his freshman year at the University of Oregon in 2004, his mother returned to Mexico to care for her ailing mother. Because she only had a green card, and didn’t file the required paperwork to leave the U.S., she was barred from returning for a decade. She died three months shy of when her travel ban was to expire.

As Morales recounts in his campaign bio, the family suffered other tragedies. A sister, Monica, died in 2019 after battling an addiction to painkillers that stemmed from a shoulder injury that occurred while working on an assembly line.

Two brothers were lost to gun violence. When Morales was in middle school, his brother Jesus was hit in the head by a bullet while at a park and someone shot into the crowd the teenager was in. Having moved back to Mexico, his brother Salvador was on his way to work when someone shot him and stole his tools.

“Part of why I tell these stories is to –one – get rid of the stigma on this stuff, but also these are issues that people in my community, and I think across this country, are experiencing,” said Morales. “All of us have a loved one or we know someone going through addiction, or may know someone we lost to gun violence, or has an immigration story.”

He acknowledged that due to having a “good paying job,” he was able to access counseling through his insurance to help him cope with what his family went through. He also credited his mother for being supportive throughout his life, particularly when he came out, and instilling in her children a community-focused ethic.

“Mom set the tone that we take care of each other and we take care of our community,” said Morales. “I think that has been a through line in my life and my work.”

He and his husband, Hugh Harris

With the other top contenders in the race from Portland, Morales told the B.A.R. it provides him an opening being from one of the suburbs outside the city. Voters concerned about tent encampments and open-air drug use on Portland’s sidewalks may be more inclined to support his candidacy, argued Morales, as his city has worked to address such issues.

“People are not happy with the way the city and county has been run. A lot of things people care about, like homelessness, housing, public safety, violence, and addiction, we have actually addressed those on my city council,” said Morales. “People can cross the street into my city and don’t see what you see in Portland.”

California is currently the only West Coast state with LGBTQ representation in Congress, while Oregon and Washington State have yet to have out members of their congressional delegations. In addition to Morales, also aiming to survive her May 21 party-based primary race in Oregon is Democrat Jamie McLeodSkinner

A lesbian former councilmember in the Bay Area city of Santa Clara, McLeod-Skinner is running again for Oregon’s District 5 House seat after falling short in 2022. She aims to take on a second time Republican Congressmember Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Happy Valley. (Morales initially had endorsed a friend who later suspended their candidacy in the race and has yet to speak with McLeod-Skinner about endorsing her.)

Meanwhile, queer Democratic state Senator Emily Randall aims to succeed Congressmember Derek Kilmer (DGig Harbor) in Washington State’s Puget Sound region. The Evergreen State holds its primary August 6, and like California, it selects congressional candidates based on a top-two system.

Randall, a former Bay Area resident, is facing a tough campaign for her state’s 6th District House seat, as Kilmer endorsed Washington Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz to succeed him. But this week the state’s senior U.S. Senator, Democrat Patty Murray, sole endorsed Randall, giving her a major boost in the race.

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“I’m with Emily for Congress because I know she will be a strong voice for working people – the friends and neighbors she grew up with – in a district that is her home,” stated Murray in a March 18 news release from Randall’s campaign. “Emily will be a strong voice for women’s rights and health care at a crucial moment, and she’s someone with a proven track record of being able to deliver on common sense legislative solutions that will make life better for the people she represents.”

Also supporting Randall and Morales is BOLD PAC, the campaign arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. t

Proudly serving the LGBT Community.

A space for trans rights

by Gwendolyn Ann Smith

The U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama is the home of Space Camp, a program where kids of all ages can explore what it is to be part of a space mission. It is a six-day, five-night, one-of-a-kind experience for these campers. Looking over the Space Camp webpage, it looks like it is currently booked out for months, at $1,699 per kid for the 9-11 age group.

What you won’t see on the website is the controversy that is currently embroiling Space Camp. Clay Yarbrough, the parent of an 11-year-old, learned that one of the employees of Space Camp is a transgender woman. Of course, Yarbrough didn’t quite explain it that way.

On March 9, Yarbrough made his first-ever post to his Facebook profile.

“I just need everyone to see this and know whats (sic) going on at space camp at US Space and Rocket Center,” wrote Yarbrough. “My daughter was planning on going to space camp next week but we have just found out that this freak is a team lead and a hall monitor in the girls (sic) dorms and at times could be allowed to be alone in the halls at night. This is a man that claims to be a woman, and they allow it. I want it to spread, so I don’t want to put too much on here. If you need more info, just read all the comments below. Also, this is not hearsay I spoke directly to the VP/Director of Space Camp, and she confirmed this was true.”

Yarbrough then posted five images from various social media pages, presumably of the trans woman in question. I should note that the director of Space Camp has not directly named the employee, unlike Yarbrough, so I will decline to share their name as well.

The five images were a portion of

the trans woman’s LinkedIn profile, listing her as a crew trainer, a photo of her from a Facebook page wearing a black hoodie and a beanie cap with faux devil horns, a pre-transition photo from 2015, a trans flag with a satanic overlay, and a clip from an online wish list for the graphic novel, “Something is Killing the Children”

by James Tynion

IV and Werther Dell’Edera.

I should note that the graphic novel is about someone trying to hunt the monster that is attacking children, though I can’t help but presume Yarbrough sees that in a different way.

Yarbrough’s claims were picked up by notorious right-wing propagandist Libs of TikTok and, from there, spread through conservative circles. In the wake of this, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama), as well as Alabama Republican Congressmembers Dale Strong, Gary Palmer, and Robert Aderholt, spoke out against the employee and her employer.

Strong called for the termination of the transgender employee, writing on X, “I call on the Center to immediately remove this individual and open a safety review to consider the potential harm and damages they have inadvertently caused children.”

I feel it is worth noting several things here. Like other teaching positions – and by way of full disclosure, I, too, was briefly a teachers’ aide post-transition – all Space Camp employees are required to undergo a full background check, sleep in separate facilities, use different restroom facilities from students, and are not allowed to be with campers alone or behind closed doors. Everything is under surveillance, too.

I also want to point out the most important fact: this trans woman has done nothing wrong. This whole controversy is only because she hap-

pens to have a job at Space Camp, and not because she did anything illegal.

I want to go back to Yarbrough’s words. He became aware that there was a transgender person on staff, supposedly, because he “heard that one little girl had called her parents and said this guy is in the (dorm) room and ‘I don’t feel comfortable.’”

For the last several years, we have seen a rising tide of anti-transgender animus from the right, from the rantings of talking heads on Fox News and other outlets to the deluge of anti-transgender bills in statehouses across the country. It is nearly impossible to evade it – and trust me there are days I’ve tried.

All of this hatred, all of these lies and half-truths, and all this fearmongering has led us to where we are today. Where an employee of an educational program can find her livelihood under threat solely because of who she is.

I hasten to add that this isn’t a byproduct of all their hatred – it is the whole point of it. The goal is to drive transgender people out of public life, to remove our rights, quash our ability to hold jobs and lead a healthy, happy life. An employee threatened by congressmembers simply for having a job is well within such an awful mandate.

I thought we covered this in 1978, with the failure of the Briggs initiative in California, which would have banned gays and lesbians from teaching in public schools, or in 2020, when the U.S. Supreme Court, in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, found that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects LGBTQ employees from discrimination. We seem doomed to repeat this all over again.

Transgender people deserve to exist and share the unalienable – that is, rights that you cannot take away or deny – rights of all their fellow citi-

You want to enjoy life for many years to come. Our wellness team can develop a personalized fitness program to help you stay active. With everything from water aerobics to yoga, you’re sure to find classes and people that make fitness fun.

zens. We deserve fairness, justice, and all of the guarantees of the law.

That’s the truth both here in the United States – and out in space. t

Letters >>

Doubts on Benedict’s cause of death

I find it difficult to believe that Nex Benedict died by suicide [“Oklahoma medical examiner rules Nex Benedict died by suicide,” online, March 13].

The first news reports on this incident stated that Benedict, after the altercation at school, sent texts to the effect of, “No big deal.” Also, Benedict’s grandmother reported, when calling 911 the day after the incident, that Benedict was posturing in a way that indicated a head injury. We, the national community for Benedict, should insist and pay for another, outside, objective autopsy.

Jessea NR Greenman Oakland, California

Disagrees with theater critic

I disagree with Jim Gladstone’s review of Lambda Literary Awardwinning Jewelle Gomez’s new play, “Unpacking in P’Town,” now playing at the New Conservatory Theatre Center in San Francisco. (“‘Unpacking in P’Town’ premieres at New Conservatory Theatre Center,” March 14]. I thought “Unpacking in P’Town” was the best play I’d seen in the past year, and I’m a season ticket holder to two theater groups and an avid playgoer. I get that the reviewer didn’t like the play because he thought it wasn’t realistic for the time. But so what? Is he saying that people in the 1950s on the eve of the civil rights movement didn’t think about their identity, about love, and acceptance? Are romances and ghost stories expected to be realistic?

Christine Smith

Gwen Smith says “Ad Astra” per Aspera. You’ll find her at www. gwenmith.com.

Representative Jamie Gragg (R), that discriminates against trans youth. It denigrates them by positing the unmistakable message that their lives do not matter.

More than half of transgender male teens reported attempting suicide in their lifetime, while 29.9% of transgender female teens said they attempted suicide. Among nonbinary youth, 41.8% of respondents stated that they had attempted suicide at some point in their lives, according to a 2018 report.

Pulling resources as punitive measures, including shutting off teachers and counselors who are trusted adults, will exacerbate an epidemic of suicide, suicide attempts, and suicidal despair. Those lost young lives will traumatize families and their loved ones.

Gragg will be sentencing trans youth to death. The cruel, barbaric, and careless nature of HB 2885 will reverberate to other states that want to quash the existence of trans youth.

ELW will not stand by for the murder of innocent youth. We will not stand by while Gragg is willing to invoke unnecessary hardship and death.

Obviously, this person would hate all musicals because who realistically just bursts into song? “Hamilton” must suck in his estimation. Forget “Waiting for Godot.” Everyone should see this play. If you’re searching for queer theater that is fun, thoughtful, highly entertaining, and uplifting; you can’t do better than “Unpacking in P’Town.” I loved it, and you will too.

Marla Lowenthal, Ph.D. San Mateo, California Local group opposes Missouri bill Encouraging the Light of Wellbeing, or ELW, and its allies are committed to disrupting and dismantling policies that harm an individual’s mental health and their basic right to exist as an authentic human being. There is new legislation in Missouri, House Bill 2885, introduced in the state House of Representatives by

There are many excellent resources for trans youth. For example, the national Human Rights Campaign Foundation has a Welcoming Schools program. If HB 2885 passes, any teacher or counselor who utilizes resources such as this in supporting trans youth would be branded as a “sex offender,” a class E felony. HB 2885 will end the careers of intelligent, caring, and compassionate teachers. ELW encourages welcoming schools to support trans children.

This bill creates a chilling effect for teachers, staff, parents, and students. Many transgender students rely on a network for support with mental health challenges, especially depression and anxiety.

This draconian bill wouldn’t allow teachers and school counselors to provide support for the social transition of a child – the process by which an individual adopts the name, pronouns, and gender expressions, such as clothing or haircuts, that match their gender identity and not their gender assigned at birth.

ELW does not support Gragg’s bill. ELW will fight for the wellbeing of every trans youth.

Timothy Bishop, Founder, Ex. D. Steven Serba, Assistant Director Encouraging the Light of Wellbeing San Francisco

US Senate confirms Berner as federal judge

by John Ferrannini

With the U.S. Senate confirmation of a lesbian federal bench nominee, President Joe Biden has now tied former President Barack Obama’s record of 11 openly LGBTQ federal judges.

Nicole Berner was confirmed in a 50-47 vote by the Senate March 19.

She had no Republican votes. She will now be sitting on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. As the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, Berner, 59, had been general counsel for the Service Employees International Union.

A graduate of UC Berkeley’s Boalt Hall (now UC Berkeley Law), she was a visiting attorney at Yigal Arnon and Co., an Israeli firm, from 1999-2000, and was a litigation associate at Jenner and Block from 2000-2004. From 2004-2006, she was a staff attorney with Planned Parenthood, and since 2006 she’s been with SEIU, which represents about two million workers largely across public sector and health care fields.

Senator Ben Cardin (D-Maryland)

From page 1

“Launching in this campaign nine months ago, it was clear from the start that this would be tough, but I was never alone. I’m so grateful for the support, friendship, and love of my partner, Michael, our sons, and people of all stripes across the City of Sacramento,” stated Hansen.

He also pledged to remain involved in his city’s civic affairs.

“I’m not giving up on Sacramento – please don’t you either,” stated Hansen. “Today is the first day of Spring, and I hope you find inspiration in the gift of new flowers, green

said during her December confirmation hearing that Berner “also has personal experience with discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.” Berner, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Israel, played a key role in the landmark Israeli Supreme Court case Berner-Kadish v. Minister of Interior.

“That ruling is considered one of the most important LGBTQ rights decisions in Israeli history, expand-

shoots, and a sunny day. Please stay in touch. I’m not going anywhere.”

Low seesaws back into second place

In his still too close to call contest, Low has seesawed back into having a slight lead over Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian. The two Democratic leaders have been bouncing back and forth since the March 5 primary between second and third place. One of them will move on to the November 5 ballot to compete against former San Jose mayor Sam Liccardo for the 16th Congressional District seat spanning San Mateo and

ing the rights of families like hers in perpetuity,” Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) said at that time.

“It was also an experience that taught Ms. Berner ‘how humbling and terrible it is to be a litigant defending the most important things she has.’”

In the case, Berner challenged the refusal of the Israeli Ministry of the Interior to register her as her son’s second mother. In California, she’d legally adopted her son. In the case, Israel’s high court ruled in favor of Berner.

Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued a statement celebrating the confirmation vote.

“Ms. Berner is a brilliant lawyer who has defended and advanced our civil and human rights, including the rights of working people, reproductive rights, and the rights of LGBTQ people,” she stated in a news release. “Ms. Berner also becomes the first openly LGBTQ person to ever serve on the Fourth Circuit and just the third openly LGBTQ woman to serve on any federal appellate court in the nation.

Santa Clara counties. The winner will succeed Congressmember Anna Eshoo (D-Palo Alto), who opted not to seek reelection this year.

Liccardo is leading the three with 38,430 votes. Low now has 30,211 votes, and Simitian closely trails him with 30,209 votes.

San Mateo elections officials have 20 ballots left to count and will next post an update by 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. The county registrar noted there are 680 challenged ballots that can be “cured” before 5 p.m. on April 2, meaning those voters have a chance to address the irregularity found with their ballot in order to have it be counted.

“Her confirmation adds crucial lived experience to the court and sends a powerful signal to young LGBTQ lawyers, law students, and other potential future judges that they belong on the federal bench,” WIley added. “That matters. And it matters because the demographic and professional diversity she brings to the bench is woefully underrepresented on our federal courts and helps to improve judicial decisionmaking, build public trust, and strengthen our democracy.”

Biden has made protecting reproductive rights a major part of his pitch for a second term since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago. During his recent State of the Union address he described right-wing attacks on abortion rights as a threat to American freedom. As the B.A.R. previously reported, Biden said, “Many of you in this chamber and my predecessor are promising to pass a national ban on reproductive freedom. My God, what freedom else would you take away?”

Alliance for Justice President Rakim H.D. Brooks also issued a statement.

Another update from Santa Clara’s registrar will come by 5 p.m. Wednesday, as the county’s elections officials are whittling down the 1,300 ballots they had left as of Tuesday morning. The county also reported having 1,100 challenged ballots pending due to issues with voters’ signatures, down 100 from Monday.

A campaign spokesman for Low did not respond Monday to the Bay Area Reporter’s inquiry if it was asking its supporters to ensure their ballots don’t need to be cured or have been challenged. His campaign has not issued comment since last week, when it posted

“We can finally say the words

‘Judge Nicole Berner,’” Brooks stated.

“Berner is a phenomenal lawyer who champions a vision of our Constitution that protects all Americans, not just the wealthy and powerful. Our courts so desperately need more movement lawyers, and namely labor lawyers, like her on the bench.”

Meanwhile, CNN reported March 14 that Democratic senators have told the White House there are not enough votes to confirm Adeel Mangi, whose confirmation hearing was held at the same time as Berner’s. Mangi, a Muslim, was questioned by Senate Republicans about his views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as the B.A.R. reported at the time.

Brooks also issued a statement on the Mangi matter.

“The Senate should now immediately turn to also confirming Adeel Mangi, another incredibly qualified nominee who has been the subject of gross, false attacks,” Brooks stated. “Berner and Mangi are the pinnacle of the kind of judges our courts deserve.”t

on X March 13 that it was waiting for “all votes being counted in this race.” That Wednesday, Low had taken the lead for second place for the first time in the primary race.

Low is vying to become the first LGBTQ congressmember from the Bay Area. In the East Bay race to succeed outgoing Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland), who failed to survive the primary race for the seat long held by the late U.S. senator Dianne Feinstein, queer candidate Jennifer Kim-Anh Tran, Ph.D., is seen as the underdog against BART board member Lateefah Simon in their runoff race on the November 5 ballot. t

Moving into the general election she told the B.A.R. voters will now have a choice between her opponent, who is backed by various corporate interests, and herself who has refused to take corporate money. Shocked to see such outside groups send out mailers aimed at helping her survive the primary, Beckles said they may rue their strategy come November.

“What I am asking us as a community is if we intend to maintain our democracy, we have to line up behind my candidacy, behind my corporatefree campaign,” said Beckles.

Since Rubio, a San Ramon city councilmember, is one of only two people running to succeed termedout Senator Steve Glazer (D-Orinda), the primary for his District 9 seat that covers much of Contra Costa County and a portion of southern Alameda County was a formality. Nonetheless, it was considered a barometer of how Rubio might face in the fall against Assemblymember Tim Grayson (DConcord).

Grayson took first with 60%, thus Rubio heads to the November ballot with ground to make up. Should she pull off a victory, she would be the first legislator in Sacramento who identifies as gender-nonconforming, demisexual, and biromantic.

In Los Angeles County, Sade Elhawary will face fellow Democrat Efren Martinez in November for the open Assembly District 57 seat in Los Angeles County. Elhawary, who prefers the term fluid over bisexual when it comes to her sexual orientation, came in second in the primary with 31.1% just behind Martinez, who received 32.7% of the vote.

Elhawary and Beckles would be the first Black Latinas in the LGBTQ caucus if elected come November.

Lesbian Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (D-Corona), a married mom, is now favored to win the open Senate District 31 seat in the fall, despite placing second in the primary with 39.4%. Although Republican Cynthia Navarro took first with 45.8%

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Patrol group

From page 1

Wray appointed Tripp to lead the San Francisco office in 2022. Wray became FBI director after then-President Donald Trump dismissed James Comey in 2017. An FBI director’s term is for 10 years, and President Joe Biden asked Wray to stay on when he took office.

Monday’s event was held in the office of Mayor London Breed, who presented her own certificate to CCOP. She said gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who was also present, was “so fortunate to have Castro Community on Patrol, which doesn’t exist in every community in San Francisco.”

“This is really about appreciating everything, though we know the work is not done,” Breed added.

Mandelman called CCOP “an essential community institution, whether it’s Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night, or at day events in the Castro.”

San Diego

From page 5

Anxieties led to Mace attack, complaint states

Donaghe alleges in the complaint that before he got the email from the principal, he was told by Joscelyn Hope Davis, a Sherman Heights Elementary parent, Parent Teacher Association member, and school volunteer that he “should not have bought his house on that street.”

Davis could not be reached for comment.

He further alleges Davis made “a limp-wristed gesture that is a common epithet wielded as a gesticulation of gay men in a parodic caricature and mockery of Donaghe’s sexual orientation in front of exiting elementary students and parents,” the complaint states.

of the vote, the two Democrats who ran accounted for 54.2% of the vote, thus Cervantes is seen as having a leg up in November.

As for the race to succeed her in the 58th Assembly District, it is one of the close contests Ward referenced. Cervantes’ younger sister Clarissa, who is queer and bisexual, has squeaked into second place with 25.8% over fellow Democrat Ronaldo Fierro, who took 25.6% of the vote and trails in third by 133 votes.

Should her lead hold, then Clarissa Cervantes will be facing a rough race in the fall against Republican Leticia Castillo, who placed first in the primary with 48.5%. While the Democrats’ total share of the primary vote came to 51.4%, giving Cervantes an edge in the fall, she is likely to be attacked by Castillo and Republicans over her backto-back drunk driving arrests last year. Thus, their race will be one of the most closely watched legislative contests on the November ballot.

Facing the longest odds of any of the out candidates is former “Amazing Race” TV show contestant Dom Jones, a Black queer Orange County resident. She was the lone person to enter the primary against Assemblymember Diane Dixon (R-Newport Beach) in her 72nd District seat. With Dixon capturing 61% of the primary vote, she is seen as easily winning reelection come the fall.

Ahead of the primary Elhawary, Holstege, Middleton, Rubio, Pérez, and the Cervantes sisters all received the en-

“You look at all these people have done,” Mandelman said. “They’re the people who always raise their hands.”

Mandelman honored CCOP at the Board of Supervisors earlier this month, as the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, with a special commendation. CCOP was founded in 2006 in response to several violent robberies in the LGBTQ Castro neighborhood. It patrols in teams of three or four, often during peak nightlife hours, wearing bright orange uniforms. Those on patrol watch out for medical emergencies, are trained in first aid and CPR, and carry Narcan and trauma kits. They also involve the police and fire departments when necessary.

Several speakers paid tribute to CCOP’s active shooter trainings that were launched after the Club Q massacre in Colorado Springs, Colorado nearly two years ago. Five people were killed and 25 injured on November 19-20, 2022; the shooter, Anderson

The complaint continues that from March 2022 to June 2023, Davis “stalked, taunted and threatened Donaghe in a sustained anti-LGBTQI+ hate campaign, culminating in Davis carrying out a deliberate attack on Donaghe at his home on 22nd Street.”

When Donaghe walked out of his home to present Davis with a courtordered temporary restraining order, the complaint states, “Davis brandished a can of Mace.”

“When Donaghe put the letter in the vehicle window and started to back away, Davis maced Donaghe in the face from her car window in the middle of 22nd Street, directly in front of his home and Sherman Heights Elementary School,” the complaint states. “Davis had maced Donaghe in his eyes, nose, mouth, throat, neck, and chest. Partially blinded, Donaghe

dorsement of LPAC, the political action committee that works to elect out women and nonbinary candidates to public office across the U.S. It will be working over the coming months to see that they come out on top in November.

LPAC Executive Director Janelle Perez told the B.A.R. the candidates are “trailblazers” and part of “a seismic shift towards a more inclusive and equitable political landscape. Their victories are a testament to the fact that when we elevate LGBTQ+ voices and give them a platform, they succeed and make history.”

Male candidates

expected to win

Of the dectet of out male candidates, the six incumbents are all expected to easily win reelection. Along with Ward, they are gay Assemblymembers Corey A. Jackson, Ph.D., (D-Perris) and Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Santa Monica/West Hollywood); bisexual Assemblymember Alex Lee; and gay Senators Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and John Laird (D-Santa Cruz).

Gay former West Sacramento mayor Christopher Cabaldon is headed to becoming the first Filipino American in the state Senate and the first out person to represent the Bay Area’s more northern counties. He is running to succeed termed-out Senator Bill Dodd (D-Napa) in the sprawling Senate District 3 that includes portions of Contra Costa, Solano, Sonoma and Napa counties as well as Yolo and Sacramento counties.

Although Cabaldon came in sec-

Lee Aldrich, who pleaded guilty, was sentenced to five life terms without the possibility of parole and 2,211 years. Aldrich was charged earlier this year with 50 counts of hate crimes in federal court.

Among those on hand at the CCOP event were San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, who acknowledged the group for taking action to respond to the “overwhelming fear in the Castro – ‘what happens if that comes our way?’”

“I was not going to miss the opportunity to come and say congratulations,” Jenkins said. “You guys are so deserving of this honor.”

Jenkins said that the sense of safety is as much about feelings as statistics.

“When people see you in their community, that’s what assists with that feeling of safety,” Jenkins said. “It’s critical for people to go out and get on with their lives and enjoy their lives.”

San Francisco Sheriff Paul M. Miyamoto noted, “I was elected to serve the

called 911, and Davis fled the scene before SDPD officers arrived and took a report. Images of the assault show blistering on his chest and face, and chemical burns on Donaghe’s eyelids.”

Telemundo report destroyed reputation, complaint states

According to the complaint, in June 2023 the defendants went to local TV “to spread their discriminatory and antiLGBTQI+ interpretation of Donaghe’s lawful actions and spread a discriminatory and false narrative that Plaintiffs were ‘intimidators of children.’

“Enriquez caused further harm to Donaghe’s reputation by speaking with Telemundo/NBC7 in her official capacity from SHE campus as the principal of SHE,” the complaint continues. “Enriquez told Telemundo/ NBC7 that she had sent Donaghe a

ond place with 26.6% of the primary vote, he is expected to win the heavily Democratic district in November running against Dixon City Councilmember Thom Bogue. A Republican who survived the Jonestown massacre when he was a teenager, Bogue landed in first place with 27.8% of the primary vote, but 65.5% of ballots went to the three Democrats who ran.

And Cabaldon is already hitting Bogue over his GOP affiliation and conservative policy stances.

“Now we move forward to the November general election, facing a pro-Trump Republican who is out of step with our district’s values and made clear during the primary that he will stand in the way of bold climate action, civil and reproductive rights, housing affordability, and getting results to reduce homelessness. With your help, we will stand united and prevail in November,” stated Cabaldon.

Two gay men in heavily Democratic Assembly districts in Los Angeles County are also expected to win come November. Lynwood City Councilman José Luis Solache is expected to easily defeat his GOP opponent in their District 62 race.

In the Assembly District 54 race, Los Angeles County Democratic Party Chair Mark Gonzalez is favored to win. He took first place in the primary with 45.2% and will face in November fellow Democrat John K. Yi, who came in second with 34.5%.

Meanwhile, gay former San Diego city councilmember Carl DeMaio could

community but you elected to serve the community.” His counterpart in the police department, Chief William Scott, noted that Craig is a third-degree black belt in taekwondo.

“They don’t go around talking about how he’s a tough fighter,” Scott said. “I wish every community had guys like you. … You sacrificed a lot and give a lot to this city, and you’re here, working hard for this city, and we appreciate you.”

Carey said that CCOP is always trying to help people protect themselves, such as with the active shooter training.

“We can’t be out on our patrols and always be there if an event happens,” he said. “What we need is a community that is self-aware and self-prepared.”

He noted that LGBTQ people have to be extra vigilant “when you have politicians every four years who bring up the LGBTQ community as enemies of the people,” referring to Republicans, many of whom are seeking to pass anti-

14-day stay-away letter previously, further inflaming harassment and sowing anti-LGBTQI+ fear among parents, harming Donaghe’s reputation by her suggestion to Telemundo viewers that Donaghe’s conduct had resulted in a legal action (without sharing any discussion of the merits, or lack thereof, of this otherwise private stay away letter).”

The letter, from Enriquez, was not court ordered, according to the complaint.

“No mention was made of the hate crimes that Donaghe had experienced,” the complaint states. “Her misstatements to the media were widely disseminated, effectively destroying Plaintiffs’ reputation and causing Plaintiffs to bear the false label of alleged deviants—a scarlet letter that follows them in their personal and professional lives.”

become the first out Republican elected to the California Legislature. He took a commanding first place in the primary for the open Assembly District 75 seat with 43% of the vote.

DeMaio appears headed to a fall matchup against fellow GOPer Andrew Hayes, who secured endorsements from the California Republican Party and local GOP groups in the race. Based on the latest vote count, Hayes edged out Democrat Kevin Juza to make it to the November ballot with 18.6% of the vote.

It is sure to be one of the most fascinating races on the fall ballot, as Democratic voters will help determine the winner. DeMaio is a firebrand conservative who led the successful 2018 recall of Democratic state Senator Josh Newman (D-Fullerton). (He won his seat back in 2020 and is sailing to reelection this fall.)

It is hard to see Democrats, who accounted for 35.6% of primary voters, throwing their support to DeMaio in November. If they decide to vote for Hayes, rather than leaving the contest blank on their ballots, they could provide him the winning margin he needs to defeat DeMaio.

Were DeMaio to pull off a victory, it remains to be seen if he would want to join the LGBTQ caucus or, if he did, would be allowed in it having attacked some of its recent legislative priorities.

As the B.A.R.’s Political Notebook column first reported in January, the issue of allowing DeMaio membership could come up for a vote among the caucus members. t

LGBTQ laws in various states.

Craig noted the FBI helped with preparing the active shooter training. He said that CCOP helps bridge the gap between the LGBTQ community –many of whom came from other cities, states, and countries, he noted – and San Francisco’s public safety apparatus.

“When we started CCOP we realized people in the Castro had had bad experiences with law enforcement,” he said. “We decided very early on we had to bridge that chasm, fix that gap, and get people to trust local law enforcement and the federal government.”

Craig, who is from the United Kingdom, also touched on the need for people to be prepared. He said he is guided by a maxim of former British prime minister Sir Robert Peel, who said, “the police are the public, and the public are the police.”

The FBI Community Leadership Award will be presented on April 19 at the J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, D.C. t

The Spanish-language news report is available online . It states parents were afraid of Donaghe, who was interviewed.

According to a Google translation of the interview, Donaghe said he was not recording children, only traffic. He said he bought the property in 2021 and expressed that his problem is the traffic in front of his house at the time of entry and exit of the students, traffic that he said he ignored before buying the home.

The report states Donaghe took a video through the school’s fence, which he stated was of a man who followed and insulted him outside his house. The report continued that Enriquez gave Donaghe a letter explaining he couldn’t be on school property for 14 days.

The Telemundo affiliate, KUANLD, did not return a request for comment. t

State Senate candidate Christopher Cabaldon

Courtesy the candidate Assembly candidate José Luis Solache

Courtesy the candidate

by Michael Flanagan

AsiaSF, the visionary transgender cabaret spot which has called 201 9th Street home for 26 years, is leaving its permanent location to continue as a pop-up performance troupe, with performances at 9th Street continuing through their last shows on March 31, on International Transgender Day of Visibility.

The cabaret has been a vibrant part of San Francisco nightlife for over a quarter century and inspired the Fuse TV program “Transcendent,” which ran for two seasons in 2015 and 2016. The televi-

sion show was viewed by over 2.5 million viewers and was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award.

The history of AsiaSF parallels the education of the public regarding transgender issues and the club has been part of that education in the city, with programs that included appearances outside the club at the Lookout and their sponsorship of an appearance by Janet Mock at the LGBT Center in 2014. The club has been involved in charity events throughout its history, including participation in Dining Out for Life and benefits for the API Wellness Center.

I visited the club to experience the show, a runner up for Best Cabaret Venue in the Bay Area

by Brian Bromberger

Like Van Gogh, it’s an artistic style you recognize immediately. His images speak their own language, canvases with cartoon-inspired barking dogs, flying saucers, hearts, pyramids, ziggurat stairways, televisions, UFOs, and even erect penises, with his trademark radiant baby, a crawling infant emitting rays of life, to sign his work. Of course, we’re referring to the visionary pop

‘Radiant’

artist Keith Haring (1958-1990), whose short, meteoric, glamorous life and career is the subject of a new biography, “Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring,” by Brad Gooch. Granted access to Haring’s extensive archive and interviewing more than 200 of Haring’s friends, family, and colleagues, Gooch has produced the authoritative and likely definitive account of this emblematic, prophetic artist of the 1980s, who has now become a cultural icon, his oeuvre worn on T-shirts globally.

AsiaSF’s swan song

Popular nightclub/restaurant to close after 26 years

Reporter’s 2022 Bestie Awards, and the vitality, energy and sheer fun of the performances were impressive. The repertoire of songs covered a broad variety of lively popular music from Ruth Brown’s “If I Can’t Sell It, I’ll Keep Sitting on it” to Whitney Houston, Beyoncé’s “Pure/Honey” and the Pussycat Dolls. The crowd skewed young and there was a mix of dress from casual to high fashion. The audience included couples on dates, family groups and friends on a night out.

I interviewed AsiaSF Founder and CEO Larry Hashbarger to discuss the closing of the club and what came next for the performers.

Cartoon inspiration

During his lifetime, while a huge popular success, the art establishment, such as the Museum of Modern Art, shunned his work. Today, his paintings, drawings, and sculptures sell out exhibition gallery shows, and over sixty museums worldwide own his works in their permanent collections. Haring’s life-long goal to obliterate the distinction between so-called high or museum art and low or public art, has been achieved in the decades following his death.

Born in 1958 and raised in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, he was the eldest son of working-class parents. His father, a former Marine, introduced him to Dr. Seuss and Walt Disney, which along with television cartoons, would exert a huge influence in Haring’s later career. Haring was a born artist practically emerging from the womb with a crayon in his hand.

He became a bornagain Jesus freak at age 12 for a year and soon after he realized he was gay, but knew he couldn’t discuss it with his religious parents. He studied commercial art at Pittsburgh’s Ivy School of Professional Art for two years, but bored and wanting to establish himself in New York, he studied painting at the School of Visual Arts.

Gay Disneyland

Michael Flanagan: Who will be performing at closing shows? Will there be any surprises - any performers from “Transcendent,” for example?

Larry Hashbarger: We will have a rotating cast, including some of the Ladies of AsiaSF who we call the “OGs,” like Trina, who’s been at AsiaSF since the beginning 26 years ago, and also Nya, who was one of the stars in “Transcendent,” our docuseries.

Gia Banks, the star of the MAX series “Legendary” and Kataluna Enriquez, Miss Nevada

See page 17 >>

work.” He had an endless appetite for drugs, with some critics claiming his drawings possessed a psychedelic vibe.

His roommate was fellow art student Kenny Scharf and they both became fixtures in the underground art and club scenes. Haring became friendly with his artistic rival Jean Michel Basquiat and Madonna, both up-and-comers.

He organized exhibitions at Club 57 which also featured punk bands. All his work was photographed by his close confidante Tsen Kwong Chi, especially his outdoor drawings, before they were erased or destroyed. Haring’s genius as a graphic artist was an innate gift of animated line, as well as a keen eye for design.

Inspired by other graffiti artists, in 1980 he became a performance artist with his manic energy and intense concentration, drawing guerilla white chalk sketches on blank black unused advertising boards in subways as well as on sidewalks, billboards, and producing murals on buildings. He seemed to be everywhere, which brought him public notoriety as well as his share of arrests and minor jail sentences.

He also discovered the West Village, which he described as “like landing in a candy store or better, a gay Disneyland.” By his own admission, “I spent 90 percent of my time being totally obsessed with sex and that became the subject of my

Pop shopping

His first official art show was at Tony Shafrazi’s gallery in 1982, which luminaries Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Rauschenberg attended. Haring climbed to the top of New York’s art scene, with his work selling for vast sums of money during a rapidly expanding art market.

He secured lucrative commissions in Europe, even drawing on the Berlin Wall two years before it was torn down. He painted a beautiful elegiac mural nicknamed the “Guernica of Priapism,” in New York’s Gay and Lesbian Community Center’s bathroom and body-painted Bill T. jones, Grace Jones and other artists.

Believing art could enhance the world, he used his talent as a form of political and cultural protest, whether it be anti-crack, anti-racism/apartheid, anti-police brutality, anti-Reagan, and prosafe sex. He cut up newspapers, using its lettering to create wild headlines such as “Reagan Slain by Hero Cop,” then attached them to lamp-posts or spray-painted messages on the sides of buses.

In 1986, he opened an art store, selling his own designed merchandise, decorating it in floor-to-ceiling graffiti, calling it the Pop Shop.

See page 16 >>

Melissa Prime’s fabulous feathered fan dance at AsiaSF

Brad Gooch’s expansive biography of artist Keith Haring

Courtesy Keith Haring Foundation/HarperCollins

‘The Far Country’ at Berkeley Rep

by Jim Gladstone

Bay Area stages often brim with bold experiments: Immersive settings, scrambled chronologies, and loads of mind-bending self-reflexivity.

But while I’ll admit to being a bit afflicted with Post-Modern Will Rogers Syndrome (I’ve never met a meta I didn’t like, at least a little), I took enormous pleasure in playwright Lloyd Suh’s sturdily carpentered, gimmickfree “The Far Country,” now at the Berkeley Rep under the seamless direction of Jennifer Chang.

Dialogue without forced poetics; a narrative with clear forward momentum; and subject matter –Chinese immigration to San Francisco in the early 20th Century– that’s topical, emotional and intellectually gripping, add up to a highly accessible play. You can feel confident taking your friends, a date, or your parents to “The Far Country.” If you have smart, attentive kids over age 12 you probably should take them.

Scene setting

Before a single character takes the stage, the scenario is established by enlarged vintage newspaper pages splayed across a high wall topped with coils of razor wire (The projection design is by Hsuan-Kuang Hsieh, whose sensitive work also brings this production to a heart stirring conclusion):

“Chinese had been fleeing their own country’s economic despair and immigrating to the U.S. since the gold rush. But by 1882, with racism swelling and white men arguing that Chinatown was a harbor of vice, and Chinese workers

were taking their jobs, the government banned all newcomers other than blood relatives of those already here.”

Among the last snippets of projected text I managed to read was “Hip! Hurrah! The white man is on top.”

Then the lights came up on a government official (Wilton) questioning Gee (Feodor Chin), a Chinese man.

Son seeking

It is 1909 and Gee is petitioning to return to China in order to visit family and fetch his eldest son, whom he wants to join him in running his San Francisco laundry business.

During the great earthquake and fire of 1906, the U.S. government’s immigration records have been lost. So have Gee’s personal papers, but the burden of proof that he can legally leave the country and then return is placed on the lesser-resourced immigrant.

Wilton delivers a richly textured

performance in the small role of Gee’s interlocutor: As this bureaucrat tries suppressing smiles in response to Gee’s affable humor and flattering tributes to American life, we get a glimpse of empathy and humanity beneath his racial biases and vocationally-mandated hard shell.

Chin delivers an even more thrillingly multidimensional characterization of Gee, the complexity of which is not revealed until the subsequent scene, when he has returned to rural China to fetch teenage Moon (Tommy Bo) from his mother. Suh’s script features a genuine surprise here, and Chin delivers it with an audience-destabilizing sting.

In the angst-filled separation of Moon and his mother, Low (Tess Linn, alternately steely and fragile), Suh touches on dilemmas familiar to many immigrants from around the world: What is gained and what is

lost in the geographic fragmentation of families? To what extent does providing financial support from abroad compensate for the sense of emotional abandonment felt by those left behind and the untethered rootlessness felt by those who move a world away?

Moon rising

The play’s centerpiece finds Moon among other lonely, displaced Chinese in a decrepit Angel Island holding camp, where he is repeatedly questioned over a grueling 17-month period in efforts to prove him a “paper son,” whose relationship to Gee is a fraud.

Cruel, but alas not unusual, this agonizing limbo period threatens Moon’s will and sanity, tempting him and many of his compatriots to give up on their American dreams and return to their impoverished homeland. Where Act I’s immigrant vs authority confrontation found Gee ag-

gressively peppered with questions, Act II has Moon under verbal assault. Enforcing policies undergirded by prejudice has institutionalized a sense of white privilege and dominance. As Moon’s interrogator, John Keabler frighteningly conveys corrupt, self-satisfied authority, relishing his power and brandishing it like a verbal cudgel.

Later, we join Moon –who has ultimately been permitted to join Gee and help run the laundry– on his own return trip to China. He struggles to rationalize his choice to continue in San Francisco (“I strive to live among people who consider me less than human”) while at the same time seeking an arranged marriage so he can bring a woman back with him, as both wife and servant.

That woman he finds is Yuen (Sharon Shao), both a realist and an optimist, who agrees to join Moon more eagerly than expected. Yuen’s optimistic adventurousness in the face of certain hardship feels a smidge illogical, but, due in no small part to Shao’s gung-ho Huck Finn performance, it’s believably infectious.

Her support of Moon and an aging Gee as they persevere in America helps all three develop a sense of selfsatisfaction within a hostile environment. Together, they are able to train their focus on building a better future rather than dwelling in the memories of their anguished pasts.t

‘The Far Country,’ through April 14. $22.50-$134. Berkeley Rep, 2025 Addison St. (510) 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org

Roger Q. Mason on their ‘Pride of Lions’

by Jim Gladstone

Just listening to Roger Q. Mason speak is a theatrical experience.

“I started this play almost 10 years ago,” said the Los Angeles-based writer in a recent Zoom interview with the Bay Area Reporter about “The Pride of Lions,” a sharp, funny and heartwrenching portrayal of trans folk in 1920s Manhattan, which will have its world premiere at Theatre Rhinoceros next week.

Mason, who described themself as “a Black, Filipinx, plus-sized, gender non-conforming, queer artist of col-

or” leans forward toward the camera, bobbing their distinctive high fade with increasing velocity as they build up verbal steam. “I was living and working amongst the queer performance art community of Chicago,” explained Mason, launching into fervored oratory. “They possessed an expansiveness not only of identity, but also of artistic stylistic splendor. That represented a freedom that I’ve wanted to be a part of. They were dreaming of worlds and ways of telling stories in those worlds that existed outside of binaries, not just gender binaries, but also aesthetic bi-

naries. Identifying with those people, and their expansiveness, gave me permission to be an iconoclastic and experimental writer.”

When Mason pauses for a breath, they don’t slow their roll, owning the pause with a shoulder shimmy and a snap, before powering on with a parable of revelation.

“When I began writing this play, I was shamefully hiding from a fullness of life that was available to me but was on the other side of self-shaming. But I found the key to my new self –as many queer folks find many things– in a bathroom.”

Can I get an “Ahem”?!

Seeing a sign

“Oh no, honey,” declaimed Mason, wagging a finger and shaking their head, “I’m not going to tell you that story. I’m not going to tell you the story you’re thinking of!”

Instead, Mason described the first time they came across an all-gender public restroom, imbuing the tale with all the fervor and passion of a cleric extolling the miracle of the burning bush.

“At that point, I had lived outside of the gender binary for three decades, with no identity or language to define or celebrate myself. For over thirty years I’d been constantly censored and punished for being different than ‘how boys were supposed to be.’”

“I had suddenly found this place where I could belong and live my bodily truth. It was so affirming, and it started me on a journey toward not only feeling proud of who I am but feeling comfortable enough to express that externally through how I identify and dress and perform myself.”

“From there came the fertile confidence to embark on emboldening the next generation to live in their fullness without even the beginnings of the shame and self-censorship that play and beleaguered my journey until that encounter with the loo.”

Style and substance

While long on flair, Mason’s conversation, like their writing, is in no way short on sincerity. Eloquent sass is the playwright’s love language. It’s an effective tongue with which to lash the status quo, which Mason says has long been a goal of their artmaking.

In “Pride of Lions,” Mason challenges entrenched binaries by presenting a group of queens with an unusually diverse range of gender expressions. Mason also complicates the

See page 18 >>

historical

Left to Right: Sean Prescott as Molasses, Patrick Chico as Marla, Brendan Looney as Gracie in Theatre Rhinoceros’ production of ‘The Pride of Lions’

Theatre Rhinoceros

Playwright Roger Q. Mason

Bronwen Sharp

Left: Tommy Bo and cast in Lloyd Suh’s ‘The Far Country’

Right: Feodor Chin and Aaron Wilton in Lloyd Suh’s Lloyd Suh’s ‘The Far Country’

Both photos: Kevin Berne/Berkeley Repertory Theatre

Lloyd Suh’s straight-ahead theatrical satisfaction

SF Gay Men’s Chorus gets cinematic t Music >>

by David-Elijah Nahmod

On March 28 the San Francisco

Gay Men’s Chorus will take to the stage of Davies Symphony Hall for an evening that will celebrate the magic of the movies. The show, titled “Drag Me to the Movies,” will include tunes from cherished films such as “Titanic,” “Sister Act,” “The Greatest Showman,” “The Bodyguard,” and two Bette Midler films, “Hocus Pocus” and “The First Wives Club.” The Divine Miss M is a favorite of Jacob Stensberg, who serves as artistic director and conductor for the chorus.

“Some songs felt inevitable,” Stensberg said in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter. “Like every song from every movie that Midler has ever done, and essentially the entirety of ‘Moulin Rouge.’ We also needed a bit of nostalgia, and for me that was something from ‘Sister Act,’ the movie that showed me that being a chorus director was an actual job. I needed something from the ’80s, we landed on ‘Let the River Run’ from ‘Working Girl’ for that.”

Stensberg grew up in rural Wisconsin and recalled watching Whoopi Goldberg play a San Francisco choir director, as well as watching Midler singing “Otto Titsling” in “Beaches,”

which, he said, he watched every day after school.

“Those stories about the world I had never dreamed of existing gave me some special kind of hope and determination,” he said.

Since the show’s title refers to drag, Stensberg was asked if there would be any drag performances during the concert. And indeed there will be. Dancers and solo artists will appear in their best drag finery.

“And special guest artist, from ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race,’ Lady Camden,”

Stensberg said. “She’ll be joining us for a few numbers in the show as well. And you should feel welcome to come dressed up however you want to.”

Dance, drag & delights

Lady Camden, who describes herself as an ambitious little kid from Camden town, has worn several hats over the years. First, she wanted to be an artist, then an actor, and finally she became obsessed with the Royal Ballet. Ballet was her career for around ten years, before she transitioned into

choreography.

“A break from dance due to an injury gave me a lot of free time to play with makeup,” she said. “And then in true typical fashion I became obsessed and made drag my whole life.”

Of all the movies scheduled to be featured in the show, Camden has a special affinity for “Titanic,” and has always hoped for a sequel.

“I question what it was that I was expecting to see from a sequel,” she said. “Does the boat come to life and emerge from the ocean? Does Jack

come back? Would Jennifer Coolidge have a cameo?”

As “Drag Me to the Movies” is a celebration of love’s starring role in the stories we tell, Camden elaborated on what that would mean for the audience.

“In most of the songs on this program the core storyline is some sort of love story,” she said. “Some are happy endings and some are definitely not, but I think it’s fun to watch these love stories be played out and see which ones we identify with. I think it’s kind of human nature to see ourselves in certain characters and decide, would I have let Jack stay on the door with me?”

The show promises to offer a fun and exciting evening for all who attend. Stensberg promises that there will be plenty of great music.

“The more we searched, the more great music there was,” he said. “It was difficult trimming the show down to under two hours. The SFGMC has a way of making these concerts so much more than just music. I think you just have to come to one to experience it for yourself.”t

San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus’ ‘Drag Me to the Movies,’ March 28, 7:30 pm, Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Ave, $25-$145 www.sfgmc.org

Mary Timony is a ‘Tiger’ burning bright

by Gregg Shapiro

It’s hard to imagine what the current female-driven music scene would be like without Mary Timony. From Sleater-Kinney to Haim, from Angel Olsen to Mitski, the influence of Mary Timony is in every note being played, every word being sung.

On her new solo album, “Untame The Tiger” (Merge), with its sly nod to Joni Mitchell, Timony has brought her many years of musical experience to the fore, resulting in what is easily her most accessible release.

Beginning with the incredible sixplus minute opener “No Thirds” and continuing through the first single, “Dominoes,” and gorgeous numbers including “The Guest,” “The Dream,” and “Not The Only One,” Timony is assured to keep listeners purring along. Timony performs in San Francisco at the Rickshaw Stop March 26.

Gregg Shapiro: I’d like to begin by talking to you about your musical lives in DC and Boston. What do you remember about the music in DC as someone who grew up there?

Mary Timony: I’m from DC and I moved to Boston. (In DC) I learned, as a teenager, about rock shows and rock music from being involved in the punk scene, the post-hardcore

scene of kids here. Those are the shows I went to in high school. Basically, the Dischord (Records) bands and stuff.

I saw every single Fugazi show from when they started in ’87. Before that, whatever was happening in 1985, hardcore shows by Swiz and Soulside and Kingface and I loved Ignition.

Other than that, I would go see bluegrass out in Virginia and I loved go-go. I would go to see (go-go bands) Rare Essence and Trouble Funk. I was very into that stuff; that was really exciting. I think I liked Go-Go the most out of all of it, actually [laughs]. I would go to DC Space and 9:30 (Club), mostly for local (acts). I don’t think I ever saw Betty, but I was a teenager then.

Was the active music scene in Boston in the early 1990s part of

the appeal for you when it came to relocating to Boston to attend Boston University?

The reason why I went there was because I wanted to go to a music program that was in a big university, in case I didn’t want to study music the whole time, which is exactly what happened. I studied classical guitar for a year and then I didn’t really like the program much, so I transferred to study English. I found out about the (Boston) music scene from friends. We went to The Middle East (nightclub) and TT’s (T.T. The Bear’s nightclub). Then after college, I ended up living right down the street from The Middle East and I was there constantly.

“Untame The Tiger” is the title of your new album. In 1999, Joni Mitchell titled her album “Taming The Tiger.” Are you, in any way, making a nod to Joni?

A little bit because I am a huge fan. I have been since I was 18. But, it sort of came to me because I have a song called that on the record and I’m sure that probably came from ripping off Joni Mitchell. Then I just thought that’s a cool name for a record. Then I thought, “Oh, shit!” [Laughs] It’s already been taken! Then I thought about it and then I forgot about it. Then I thought about it again and finally, I was like, “It’s okay. It’s a little bit different.” And I love her!

“Untame The Tiger” is your first new solo studio album in 15 years. Are there things you write and sing about on your solo records that might be out of place on an album you would record with another one of your musical outfits?

Yes. That’s why this ended up being a solo record. I guess it was because of the tuning of my guitar. They were more or less finished songs. I wanted the songs to sound kind of acoustic. I also wanted to play with a bunch of musicians who I really love. All those things just made it seem like a solo record. If I’m writing for a band, like Ex Hex, which is basically the other band that I do right now, they’re not finished. I bring them in (to the band members) with that band in mind.

Are you aware of an LGBTQ following for your own music?

I don’t know. I think maybe a little bit. I’d love that. I love everybody who

can connect with it, because all I’m trying to do is connect with people.t

Read the full interview, with music videos, on www.ebar.com.

Mary Timony performs in San Francisco at the Rickshaw Stop on March 26, 8pm, 155 Fell St. $22-$25. www.rickshawstop.com www.marytimonymusic.com

Left: San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus Artistic Director and Conductor Jacob Stensberg Right: Lady Camden at Davies Symphony Hall

Stefan Cohen Max T Photo

Mary Timony

History repeating

by Victoria A. Brownworth

We’re in unusual and fractious times, politically. But our current era is far from the only inflection point in U.S. history. One of the most fractious periods was the Civil War.

Though it was only four years –from April 1861 to April 1865– nearly three-quarters of a million soldiers were killed in action, and another quarter million died of disease from the terrible conditions and lack of vaccines. An entire generation of young men was decimated. This extraordinary time in America was one of incalculable flux and social upheaval culminating in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865.

It is this period that is the backdrop for Apple TV+’s “Manhunt,” based on the book “Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer” by James L. Swanson.

“Manhunt” is fabulous.

The seven-episode series is edge-of-your-seat compelling and the performances are extraordinary. The story evolves in the hours before and after that incalculably unforeseeable event: When President Lincoln (Hamish Linklater) and his wife Mary Todd (Lili Taylor) went to a play at Ford’s Theater after the war had ended and “the Union had been saved.”

sors, Edwin Stanton (Tobias Menzies). When Booth shoots Lincoln in the head yelling it’s for the South, he then jumps from the balcony, shouting “Sic Semper Tyrannis,” and flees into the darkness.

The focus of the drama are the actors, John Wilkes Booth (Anthony Boyle) and one of Lincoln’s key advi-

Booth is then on the run, helped by two co-conspirators: the doctor who treats him, Samuel Mudd (Matt Walsh) and another man, Lewis Powell (Spencer Treat Clark), whose role is revealed as the series develops. In addition, there’s a pivotal player in Mudd’s former slave, Mary Simms (Lovie Simone), who Mudd still treats as if she were still owned by him.

Mary is a focal point of the drama because she represents what the war was fought for: Nikki Haley may have forgotten, but “Manhunt’s” writers did not end slavery and free several million slaves.

The Lavender Tube on ‘Manhunt,’ ‘Chisholm,’ & ‘3 Body Problem’

Creator, writer and showrunner Monica Beletsky (“Fargo,” “The Leftovers”) situates the stakes as Lincoln and Stanton understood them. Reconstruction and Reparations were pivotal to the survival of the nation post-slavery and post-war. That’s what all the mayhem was over: so that people like Mary Simms could have the life that they deserved, so that they could be free and so that the nation could begin to heal from the horror that slavery had layered upon everything.

“Manhunt” is breathtakingly good as both history and a cautionary tale. And Menzies, an Emmy winner for “The Crown,” is absolutely mesmerizing.

King as Chisholm

Regina King has long been one of our favorite actresses. The multiple Emmy winner is uniquely versatile and good in everything. Now King has taken on the iconic Shirley Chisholm, just in time for Women’s History Month in Netflix’s new original film. In 1972, Chisholm, the first-ever Black congresswoman, launched a trailblazing campaign to become the president of the United States, the first woman to run on a major party ticket.

When you think about how this was a half century ago and how the

prospect of another Black woman, San Francisco’s own Kamala Harris, possibly ascending the top spot in the nation, has white people –including many white male pundits– in a tizzy, it makes Chisholm’s bold move all the more incredible, as we detailed recently in our politics hat.

King, of course, embodies the role. And when she says to a crowd, “All you’ve got is your one vote,” you get chills. Don’t forget that dictate.

Body language

Sci-fi isn’t our thing, but “3 Body Problem” is unmissable. Based on the Chinese novel, “The Three-Body Problem” by Liu Cixin, the Netflix series drops March 21.

Ye Wenjie (Rosalind Chao and Zine Tseng) is an astrophysicist who saw her father brutally murdered during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Later, she was conscripted by the military because of her scientific background and sent to a secret radar base in a remote region. Her fateful decision at the base echoes across space and time to a group of scientists in the present day, forcing them to face humanity’s greatest threat.

The “3 Body Problem” cast talks about the story, which was also a 30part Chinese series several years ago.

<< Keith Haring

From page 13

“Art for everybody,” meant that while you couldn’t afford to purchase an original Haring print, you could buy an engraved watch or poster. He later opened a similar shop in Tokyo, where they treated him like a rock star. This led to accusations he was a sell-out, with a jealous Andy Warhol, who coined the term business art, commented disparagingly, “I guess he is a little like Peter Max.”

Fame game

Many serious critics ignored or despised him, yet he became an art world superstar celebrity, mingling with the likes of Brooke Shields, Yoko Ono, and Dennis Hopper among many others.

Haring was attracted to POC men and had two long-term Black lovers, Juan Dubose and Juan Rivera, both of which were open relationships. Rivera bitterly observed Haring’s need for “boys…boys…boys to keep his creative juices flowing.” Haring could be show-offy, narcisstic, prizing celebrity relationships over old friends, nonintrospective, and hedonistic.

He tested positive for AIDS in 1988. He subsidized ACT UP, designing

posters for them, eulogizing deceased friends and lovers, but also generating attention and awareness about the disease, that many admirers felt was his best work. Once he was diagnosed, he just ramped up everything, working tirelessly, including a European business trip, just a month before the end.

A few days before he died at age 31 (in his parents’ arms, with his mother later sewing his panel for the AIDS Memorial Quilt), he received a note from Walt Disney Studios inquiring

It’s all good. The cast includes Jovan Adepo, Eiza González, John Bradley, Alex Sharp and Jonathan Pryce.

Station to station ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” spinoff series “Station 19” features two bisexual women who find each other, have steamy chemistry and are hot AF, Italian OB-GYN Dr. Carina DeLuca (Stefania Spampinato) and Lieutenant/Captain Maya Bishop (Danielle Savre). Their hotness is so pervasive that Savre is learning Italian in real life for more on-screen verisimilitude.

The final season for “Station 19” begins this week and all the promos are showing Maya and Carina in the shower, so here’s that iconic scene. When Carina’s visa was about to expire, Maya proposed. But Carina got scared and took off. Her ex, Gabriella had to talk her down. Carina went back to Maya and this happened: “What I know is I want to be in this beautiful mess of a changing world with you. Please, please, bambina – marry me?”

Insert all the heart emojis. If you want to see more of this lez-bi romance, “Station 19” airs Thursdays on ABC and all the time on Hulu.t

Read the full column, with videos, on www.ebar.com.

about a possible collaboration, fulfilling Haring’s dream, but alas too late. Gooch argues that Haring’s blurring the lines between commerce and art is perhaps his greatest legacy. For Haring, the Pop Shop and Keith Haring, the artist, was the same entity. Despite his fame and wealth, Haring never wavered from his goal of making art accessible for all people.

Having lived in Haring’s world, Gooch is superlative in recreating the excitement and volatility of that burgeoning East Side New York art scene, with its accompanying cultural upheaval. His prose shines, but unless you’re a diehard Haring fan, the descriptions of every artistic work become tiresome, hardly a page-turner. One wishes there was a deeper examination of the meaning behind some of his best-known works.

Still, it’s amazing to reflect if Haring were still alive, he would fit perfectly into today’s art scene, having helped birth it. Haring is a gay superhero, whose premature loss is incalculable.t

‘Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring’ by Brad Gooch. Harper/Harper Collins, $40. www.harpercollins.com

Left: Anthony Boyle as John Wilkes Booth in ‘Manhunt’ Middle Left: Regina King in ‘Chisholm’

Middle Right: Zine Tseng in ‘3 Body Problem’ Right: Stefania Spampinato and Danielle Savre in ‘Station 19’

Netflix AppleTV+ Netflix ABC

Left: Keith Haring’s ‘Ignorance = Fear, 1989’ and Right: ‘Earth Day,’ included in the book ‘Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring’

Both photos courtesy Keith Haring Foundation/HarperCollins

Biographer Brad Gooch

<< Asia SF

From page 13

2021 and the first openly transgender woman to compete for the title of Miss USA will be performing as well.

Will the performers be moving to another venue as a troop?

Yes, actually. We are working with Maven realty to sell the business’s operating assets and liquor license but we will continue to own the intellectual property and brand of AsiaSF. Our plan is to do pop-ups outside of the walls of 9th and Howard. As a performing group, the Ladies of AsiaSF will continue, under the direction of show director and choreographer, Ronnie Reddick.

Did the venue close primarily because you were retiring or due to a downturn in business?

There are multiple reasons, but I have been in the San Francisco nightlife business for over 30 years, and 35 years as Director of Special Production at Macy’s. I’m ready to take a step back, semi-retire, yet work on a few fun projects on the side. And hopefully lots of travel.

But there has been a change in the nightlife scene since COVID as well. People are not going out as much as before and not coming to San Francisco and much as before COVID.

Your venue and performers have been vital in educating the community. Are there plans to continue in this role?

The mission of AsiaSF is the celebration of love and diversity. AsiaSF was a pioneer in creating employment opportunities and a safe space to work for the transgender community. We’ve done pop-up performances at Pride and at companies such as Google, where we educate people about the transgender experience in a fun and entertaining way.

As the language around the transgender experience has evolved, so has AsiaSF. It’s been an extraordinary 26year run and we have had well over a million guests celebrating everything from birthdays, bachelorette parties, anniversaries and everything else you can imagine. We’ve been known as ‘celebration central’ for all these years. So we will continue in our mission to educate about the transgender experience.

When you announced the closure, the Macy’s downtown closure announcement had not yet happened. Has this affected your plans?

I left Macy’s in 2012, so it didn’t affect our plans. For 14 of the 26 years of AsiaSF, I was also at Macy’s. When I left Macy’s, I was able to focus on AsiaSF and the development of “Transcendent,” our docuseries, which aired in 2015 and 2016.

What are you proudest of regarding Asia SF?

Even though we’re a small business, we’re also a family. The Ladies of AsiaSF live their truth and are their authentic selves and that gives all of us the inspiration to also be our authen-

tic selves and to find our truth, which will take you on your own journey of love and happiness.

When I see and talk to all these young people coming to AsiaSF, who weren’t even born when we opened, I realize that the cultural change regarding positive attitudes towards gender identity and transgender awareness is part of their DNA. It makes me feel so good about the future. I’ve had so many people over the years look me in the eyes and say “Thank you for opening AsiaSF. You don’t know what this experience means to me.” This makes me so happy and very

proud of all we’ve accomplished together over all these years.

Hashbarger and the ladies of AsiaSF have much to be proud of. I spoke to audience members who shared the love and joy of their project.

Melanie, a SoMa bartender who was at the show with a group of friends, had worked at Beatbox, Truck and the SF Eagle, was there for the first time, but loved the show. She, much like I, wondered why it had taken us so long to get there and knew an era was passing with the closure.

Locals Jack Lindstrom and Chris Wu (complete with his “Stay Golden” Golden Girls T-shirt) were visiting for the third time in the last four weeks and have reservations for closing night. Lindstrom told me, “What Larry and his partners have done for the community are amazing.”

Lindstrom isn’t wrong. While talking with Melanie and I, Hashbarger reminisced about San Francisco politicos who have graced their doors, from Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris to Willie Brown and London Breed.

AsiaSF has truly made a mark while

educating and entertaining the community. Though the passing of their home at 201 9th is sad, the good news is that the show will go on in pop-ups. If you haven’t gotten reservations yet, you should do so ASAP as every night will no doubt sell out as the city says thank you and goodbye to a treasured nightclub.t

AsiaSF, 201 9th Street, open through March 31.

www.asiasf.com

See more AsiaSF photos at www.facebook.com/lgbtsf.nightlife

Left: Violeta works the crowd at AsiaSF Middle Left: Gia Banks on the runway at AsiaSF Middle Right: AsiaSF owner Skip Young (left) with Founder and CEO Larry Hashbarger Right: Serving glam and drinks at AsiaSF

All photos: Steven Underhill

2017 Media Kit 0

Film & Theater

‘Glitter & Doom’s sparkly gay romance

The Los Angeles Blade covers Los Angeles and California news, politics, opinion, arts and entertainment and features national and international coverage from the Blade’s award-winning reporting team. Be part of this exciting publication serving LGBT Los Angeles from the team behind the Washington Blade, the nation’s first LGBT newspaper. From the freeway to the Beltway we’ve got you covered.

to Doom’s songs floating off the pages of his journal and across the screen, and the especially confusing leaps in time, Cameos abound, including Ray and Saliers as a pair of music producers, bi chef Anne Burrell as a supermarket cashier, as well as Kate Pierson (of the B52’s), drag performer Peppermint,

In the spirit of “Mamma Mia” (but

with much better songs), “Glitter & Doom” attempts to take the jukebox movie musical to new heights. Unfortunately, it just keeps getting in its own way. Rating: Ct

‘Glitter & Doom’ opens at Landmark Opera Plaza Cinema, 601 Van Ness Ave., on March 22.

www.landmarktheatres.com

www.musicboxfilms.com

<< Pride of Lions

From page 14

trope of cops versus queers by exploring nuances of power and sexuality and finding more range and complexity in individuals’ experience than in institutionally imposed perceptions.

“I’m a historical revisionist at heart,” Mason explains. “My 10th-grade history teacher took away our stateselected history textbook and gave us Howard Zinn’s ‘A People’s History of the United States.’ Understanding and appreciating the distance between what political authorities want you to learn and what actually happened, you learn the biases that are used to subjugate certain populations and maintain the power and influence of others.

That’s exciting to me as a dramatist.”

Over the course of the ten years in which they’ve developed “The Pride of Lions,” Mason, who has degrees from Princeton, Middlebury, and Northwestern, has written nine other plays, including a trio of pieces investigating Abraham Lincoln’s queerness.

“My dream project,” Mason says, “Is about the glory of Little Richard and about how hard he had to fight to make his way into American cultural history.”

Expanding audiences

Mason hopes that the premiere production of “The Pride of Lions,” directed by talented Rhino regular Ely Sonny Orquiza, not only draws the company’s traditional theatergoing audience but also attracts ticket buyers who feel strong connections to the drag scene, to dance (the show has strong movement elements), and to American history (In addition to Howard Zinn’s overarching influence, Mason says this show owes a particular debt to historian George Chauncey’s seminal book, “Gay New York”).

“There’s a lot here for many different people,” said Mason, ramping up into a final interview soliloquy. “All of my plays tend to function on a multiplicity of levels that will attract different audiences, because they center around very simple human questions, but surround them with a plethora of perspectives and modes of storytelling. And that’s what always draws the crowd to come and see what the Roger Q. Mason experience is all about.”t

‘The Pride of Lions,’ through April 21. $17.50-$25. Theatre Rhinoceros, 4229 18th Street. (415) 552-4100. www.therhino.org

Alex Diaz and Alan Cammish in ‘Glitter & Doom’

Music Box Films

Spring 2024 books roundup, part 4

by Jim Piechota

Presenting the fourth and final piece in our big Spring books roundup. Titles in this enchantingly fiction-heavy installment include works of autofiction by French author Edouard Louis in his sequel to “The End of Eddy,” and a story collection from gay Vietnam veteran Angelo Presicci.

More alternative selections and darker story entries can be found for those readers who enjoy spooky suspense and horror. There are lots of new books to choose from this Spring for every color of the personality rainbow. Get out there and visit your local bookstores in person and see all the wonder and entertainment that books and reading can provide.

FICTION

“Change” by Edouard Louis, translated from the French by John Lambert, $27 (FSG) French author Louis’ revelatory 2017 work of autobiographical fiction, “The End of Eddy,” searingly portrayed the titular protagonist as a poor, asthmatic, queer boy raised in northern France and subjected to the violent toughening rituals of his alcoholic father and chain-smoking mother.

If the push-pull of his identity struggle was wincingly palpable within that melancholy narrative, Louis’s desperate desire for attention and literary fame becomes just as resonant in this sequel.

Louis writes of his “character” reaching adolescence as a self-loathing queer man but with his spirit buoyed by a friendship with a philosopher, Didier. His enthusiasm and determination (and monetary stipends from generous men and hustled clients) would bring him to the doorways of an elite school where he learns of how snobbery and diligent writing can bring wealth and notoriety. This sequel continues to “fictionally” probe into the author’s life, emotions, intentions, and dreams with grace and dexterity.

“Fighting the Bad War: Stories” by Angelo Presicci, $24.95 (Night Horn Books)

These gritty yet luminous short

works of autofiction by debut author and Grass Valley resident Angelo Presicci dramatically reimagine and incorporate aspects of his wartime experiences as a reconnaissance scout and Armored Personnel commander in Vietnam in 1966.

Standout stories include the dramatic opener, “The Tunnel,” where a military commander sends two soldiers into a cave in Vietnam’s Tay Ninh Province to probe it and they discover a trove of “tropical roaches” and a “twisted sideways” corpse.

“Poker Night” portrays a rousing game of cards between competitive solders turning deadly when the camp where they’re playing explodes from mortars. The moving story of a disabled, wheelchair-bound veteran in “Tomas and Banefsha” returns him to small-town Tennessee only to be rejected by his wife but finds love again with a woman who considers his good looks “like a movie star.”

The men who populate these stories are deeply, emotionally scarred and physically wounded, but they each carry a warrior’s heart and soul within their weathered broken exteriors. Inspired by the author’s real-time Vietnam tour of duty, the collection of seventeen interconnected stories is a memorable treasury of the military experience and, particularly for war veterans, will be pondered long after the final story has been read.

“Thirst” by Marina Yuszczuk, translated by Heather Cleary, $28 (Dutton)

In novelist Yuszczuk’s first book to be published in America, the Buenos Aires-set story crosses centuries to chronicle the bloodthirsty tale of a nameless female vampire. She’d abandoned Europe after her Maker and sisters were slaughtered by locals; now in Argentina, she hunts and she drinks with a newfound pleasure.

But that life can hold only so much satisfaction and soon she quarantines herself inside a cemetery tomb for eternity. For vampires, the nature of “eternity” isn’t typically considered forever, so the vamp’s slumber is eventually broken by a young mother who obtains a key which (you guessed it) unlocks the vampire’s musty tomb.

Sex, blood, and forbidden desire soon drench this fantastic tale which Yuszczuk regales with deliciously explicit neck-biting details. Anne Rice fans will savor this one.

“Bury Your Gays: An Anthology of Tragic Queer Horror,”

edited by Sofia Ajram, $18.95 (Ghoulish Books)

The sixteen tales of terror in this eerie and sinister anthology have a devilishly queer twist and are destined to keep you up at night, whether or not you’re a fan of horror fiction.

While many authors featured here are relative unknowns, there are a few stories penned by recognizable names like Gretchen Felker-Martin, whose 2022 debut “Manhunt” was an amazingly daring, trans-populated grossout zombie epic. She contributes the story “Sardines,” which is based on a version of the hide-and-seek children’s game. In this nightmarish version, however, it’s the collective “thing” morphing in a crawlspace that isn’t exactly child’s play.

LC Von Hessen’s brilliant “American Gothic” follows queer serial killer John, whose latest victim refuses to die and keeps emerging from the bloody basement. The situation gets even more sticky since “despite being dead, he can still get hard,” which causes John to develop romantic feelings for him after all the brutality.

Elsewhere, a Vietnam vet desperate for gender reassignment surgery accepts their fate at a Mexico clinic where the horrific comes true, and a tale about a dead body and a runaway queer girl who have more in common than they know.

This collection is a standout and aptly reflects the ingenuity and creativity of queer horror authors at the hopeful and momentous outset of their writing careers.

“Rainbow Black” by Maggie Thrash, $18.99 (HarperPerennial)

Thrash is better known for her young adult novels, but here, in her first foray into adult fiction, she shines just as brightly in this story of young, queer, and gravely unfortunate Lacey Bond in the 1990s.

Lacey’s life becomes unmoored when she’s tossed into a foster group home after her parents are convicted of heinous atrocities at their New England day care. From there, the story weaves maniacally across mystery, courtroom, and family-discord themes.

This is a welcomed delight to queer readers who crave murderous melodrama packed within a coming-of-age novel that’s constantly (and literally) hyperventilating with lurid excess and extraordinary detail. Lacey is a resilient character to cheer for, even while everyone around her has failed to support her. This is the dark horse novel of the season.

“Hex Magic/Hexual

Awakening” by Andrew Forrest Baker, $18 (Parlyaree Press)

These first two entries in Baker’s spellbinding Hex’d Southern gothic lit series are sexy, sultry, suspenseful, and impossible to put down once a reader dips in.

The series stars Darragh Cullen, curator of the Herbal Emporium Xpress store in downtown Atlanta, a business (and the upstairs apartment) he’d inherited from his retired Uncle Gardiner. Though the “non-magical folk” who wander in call it “wizard crap,” to Darragh, it’s his lifeblood and keeps him busy and safe from the scrutinous overlording eyes of the Moral Authority of Witches (“MAW”), the same group who caught him exposing magic to the mortal world.

After mysterious, handsome fellow witch Cernun Murphy shows up, the dark sparks fly hot and bright. But when Merlin’s wand goes missing, accusations of thievery fall on both men along with dangerous suspicions, curses, spells, and, yes, steamy (three-way) sex all stewing in a bubbly cauldron of queer desire and dark devilry continuing into Book Two and beyond.

Both books in the series are narrated from Darragh’s perspective, and

Baker’s smooth breezy prose, overheated Southern setting, creatively spicy storytelling, and sensuous characterization will hook readers from both sides of the spell book.

And, good news, there’s a third book in the series called “Great Hex” that’s due to be published soon. “Sex and saliva hovered in the air as they parted” is really all the information you need to know about this immersive, wickedly witchy, and wonderfully sexy queer series.

NONFICTION

“Before It’s Gone: Stories from the Front Lines of Climate Change in Small-Town America” by Jonathan Vigliotti, $29.99 (Atria/One Signal) April 2

Queer Emmy Award-winning CBS news national correspondent Vigliotti sounds the warning bells about climate change in this distressing story about the impact of climate change on smaller communities in America.

Split into four elemental sections (fire, water, air, Earth), Vigliotti dives head-first into wildfires decimating communities and critical farmland and lethal tornados ravaging lands and populations left at their mercy after city and town officials failed to warn unsuspecting citizens.

The author states that these small rural areas are ill-equipped to afford the often million-dollar clean-up efforts needed to restore the areas back to a functional condition. Vigliotti also spotlights climatologists and scientists who have been doing their best work in alerting a politically distracted, socially indifferent global population on the incoming weather crisis that will strike sooner than later if interventional measures aren’t taken in the here and now.

This important, urgently written report demands attention and further scrutiny from politicians, city leaders, activists, and everyday Americans.t

Meet thousands of creatures under one living roof, and you’ll help us make ecosystems more resilient across the planet. Because every visit supports our mission to regenerate the natural world. Get tickets at calacademy.org

Spring in the Garden

March 9, 2024 - April 28, 2024

This spring, see super-sized animatronic insects at Bugtopia, make a splash with Riveropolis, and more!

AQUARIUM + PLANETARIUM + RAINFOREST + LIVING MUSEUM