March 22 2018 edition of the Bay Area Reporter

AIDS 2020 draws complaints

10

Ft. Lauderdale gets gay mayor

ARTS

06

15

23

Joshua Bell

Arts events

The

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Since 1971, the newspaper of record for the San Francisco Bay Area LGBTQ community

Vol. 48 • No. 12 • March 22-28, 2018

Atkins Castro park board prez forced out sworn in as state Sen. A leader

by Matthew S. Bajko

by Matthew S. Bajko

L

esbian state Senator Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) took her oath of office Wednesday to become the first female and first LGBT president pro tem of the California Senate.

She is the 48th person to hold the second most powerful post in state State Senate President Pro government.

Atkins, 55, takes Tem Toni Atkins over the gavel from state Senator Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles), who is running against U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California) this year. Following tradition, Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye of the California Supreme Court administered the oath of office.

Joining her for the occasion were Atkins’ twin sister and her nephew who live in Tennessee. It was the second time they had traveled See page 12 >>

SF newspaper apologizes for Wiener pic

by Matthew S. Bajko

A

local monthly newspaper that covers San Francisco’s western neighborhoods is apologizing for running a photo of gay state Senator Scott Wiener that many found to be homophobic.

In its March issue the Westside Observer ran a scathing front-page article against the San Francisco Democrat’s controversial Senate Bill 827 that would allow for taller housing developments near public transit stops. The legislation has drawn intense ire across the state from local officials and residents who fear it would lead to dense, towering projects in suburban neighborhoods with single-family homes.

On the inside page where the story continued, the paper ran a photo of Wiener taken at the city’s annual leather festival the Folsom Street Fair. Wiener, who had posted the image to social media, is seen wearing only a leather vest.

Many lambasted the pictorial choice as not only inappropriate but an anti-LGBT attack after it began to circulate in recent days on social media. A number of people also contacted the paper directly to express their outrage.

See page 12 >>

mid growing concerns of his leadership overseeing the upkeep of a San Francisco monument to LGBTs killed by the Nazis in World War II, the president of the Eureka Valley Foundation was forced to resign this week.

The volunteer group is responsible for Pink Triangle Park and Memorial in the city’s gay Castro district. The roughly 3,000 square foot triangular park is located at the northwest corner of Market and Castro streets (bordered by 17th Street). It features a memorial consisting of 15 pylons created by artists Susan Abbott Martin and Robert Bruce.

At a board meeting Monday night, John Goldsmith was informed if he did not voluntarily resign as the foundation’s president then his fellow board members would move to oust him. He officially tendered his resignation Tuesday morning, though he will continue to be a member of the foundation’s advisory board.

“It was a forced resignation,” Goldsmith told the Bay Area Reporter in a phone interview Wednesday morning.

He said the actions he has taken to try to repair and maintain the monument have been misconstrued and led to him being vilified by his critics.

“I am upset because I have become an object

Rick Gerharter

Pink Triangle Park and Memorial in the Castro

of hatred and I have experienced intimidation and harassment,” said Goldsmith, adding that his sole intent has been “working for solutions regarding the instability of the art.”

In a statement to the B.A.R., the foundation said that Goldsmith had agreed to step down at the Monday meeting and would now “focus his efforts on volunteer beautification in the park as volunteer custodial gardener.”

The board said “it is incredibly grateful for the work John has done over the past couple years in shifting neighborhood focus to the

park, and will continue to work with him on an advisory capacity as the baton is passed on.”

The foundation also announced it would hold a series of community meetings in the coming months “to discuss the vision of this beloved neighborhood park.”

As of Wednesday, the foundation’s website had been changed to say that its treasurer Steve Clark Hall was the acting president and chairman of the board. Reached Tuesday, Hall said he did not attend Monday’s board meeting See page 13 >>

Leno no show at LGBT mayoral forum

by Matthew S. Bajko

A

t Monday night’s mayoral forum at the Castro Theatre, gay former state lawmaker and city supervisor Mark Leno was a no-show. He informed the organizers roughly 90 minutes prior to the start of the forum that he would not be in attendance due to injuring his right eye.

Leno did not respond the next day to a request for comment from the Bay Area Reporter about his missing the event and the nature of his injury. In a statement his campaign said the injury was “an isolated incident, and Senator Leno is recovering. He has participated in dozens of debates, forums, and interviews already and looks forward to continuing his engagement in future events.”

His campaign announced Tuesday morning that Leno would attend a dinner event that night being held by leaders of the city’s Chinese-American community who are supporting his candidacy. Wednesday afternoon he was in the Castro with LGBT leaders to release his first television ad.

Leno’s was not the only noticeable absence at the March 19 forum, which was co-hosted by the B.A.R., KQED, and Horizons Foundation, an LGBT philanthropic grant-making organization. Despite being billed as focused on LGBT issues, gay moderator Scott Shafer with KQED focused most of his questions on topics

Rick Gerharter

Republican San Francisco mayoral candidate Richie Greenberg, center, spoke at Monday’s forum, along with candidates Angela Alioto, left, London Breed, Jane Kim, and Amy Farah Weiss.

not directly related to LGBT concerns.

“There was virtually nothing about the LGBT or Castro community except for one question about the AIDS emergency and tragedy. But besides that there was only gay-adjacent questions. I thought it was a very big disappointment,” said Republican candidate Richie Greenberg, one of five mayoral candidates who

ended up taking part in the forum.

Greenberg had walked the city’s gay business district earlier in the day to hear merchants’ concerns. He had also prepared extensively for the forum by conferring with members of the city’s Log Cabin Republicans, an LGBT political club that has endorsed him in the race. His See page 13 >>

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<< Community News

2 • BAY AREA REPORTER • March 22-28, 2018

UCSF called out over intersex surgeries

by Alex Madison

we are all moving toward a better place on this important issue.”

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dvocates recently called out UCSF, saying the teaching hospital should stop performing genital “normalization” surgeries on intersex children at birth.

The criticism came as lawmakers are scrutinizing whether the medical procedures are necessary. Earlier this month, gay state Senator Scott Wiener’s (D-San Francisco) office held an informational hearing on the issue.

Days after the March 2 hearing, Wiener introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution 110, which calls on medical professionals to discontinue the use of sex assignment and normalizing surgery performed on intersex infants.

Intersex people are defined as those born with any variation of reproductive or sexual anatomy characteristics including genitals, chromosome patterns, and sex hormones. Surgeries that decide the infant’s sex at birth are still being performed in California and around the country, despite medical evidence of physical and psychological harm.

At the Sacramento hearing, which was livestreamed, Anne Tamar-Mattis, founder of InterACT Advocates for Intersex Youth and an adjunct professor at UC Berkeley School of Law, said that although the San Francisco Human Rights Commission published a report that called for an end to normalizing surgeries more than 10 years ago, and the medical community’s consensus that the vast majority of intersex cases do not require surgery, UCSF’s website still claims that normalizing surgeries are “OK” regardless of knowing the infant’s eventual gender identity or without knowing the possible consequences for that particular infant.

She was referring to the “treatment” tab on UCSF’s “Disorders of Sex

Inaccurate coverage

Courtesy InterACT

InterACT’s Anne Tamar-Mattis

Development” webpage that reads, “Treatment varies depending on your child’s diagnosis. Some children need surgery while others do not. Surgery may include reconstruction of the external genitalia or removal of abnormal sex organs or sex organs that do not match the sex of rearing. Some children require life-long hormone or electrolyte supplements.”

Dr. Larry Baskin, a urology professor at UCSF, did tell the Bay Area Reporter in an email that such surgeries can be performed “when medically indicated.” He did not elaborate further.

Wiener, who was not able to attend the informational hearing, told the B.A.R. that he’s hoping to engage with UCSF and other medical centers on the issue, in part through his resolution.

“To enable better and healthier lives for children and their families, we need to have a frank conversation with the medical community about what is medically necessary and what can wait a few years until a child is able to express their gender identity,” Wiener said. “I have great respect for UCSF, and we will engage with UCSF and the other health care organizations to ensure

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Complicating the matter is that initial mainstream press coverage confused Wiener’s resolution, which is nonbinding, with a bill. That resulted in inaccurate headlines that Wiener had introduced a bill, which can become law if passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor.

The resolution, which InterACT is sponsoring, allows the Legislature to recognize the intersex surgery issue without anything actually becoming law. Wiener may come back at some point with proposed legislation.

Anne Tamar-Mattis’ spouse, Sugee Tamar-Mattis, a physician and intersex person, also spoke at the informational hearing.

Sugee Tamar-Mattis said parents are misled by physicians to believe that their children will be bullied or there are negative psychological outcomes associated with having different genitals, although there is no credible evidence to support these claims. Sugee Tamar-Mattis said there is, however, extensive evidence of harm that can come from these surgeries, including loss of sexual sensation or function and incorrect surgical sex reassignment.

“I am really ashamed of my fellow physicians who continue these harmful and unethical practices,” Sugee Tamar-Mattis said. “It’s time that they stop and it’s time they stop now.”

Jo Michael, legislative manager for Equality California, the statewide LGBT lobbying organization, was also at the hearing.

Michael voiced EQCA’s support for the resolution, saying that although many intersex people do not identify as LGBTQ, the two communities overlap and are united based on principles of consent and autonomy over one’s See page 12 >>

Diaz remains in jail after court hearing

by Cynthia Laird

SAVING SPACE... BEAUTIFULLY

t

C

onvicted arsonist David Munoz Diaz was ordered held without bail following a hearing Tuesday in San Francisco Superior Court.

Diaz, 28, was arrested March 8 after he was captured on video lighting a homeless person on fire.

He has been charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and arson-related charges, according to the San Francisco District Attorney’s office.

Diaz appeared in court March 20 and pleaded not guilty to the charges through his attorney, deputy public defender Hein Nguyen.

In addition to ordering Diaz held without bail, Superior Court Judge Braden Woods revoked his felony probation, which stemmed from earlier cases.

Court documents filed March 13 stated that the homeless person’s sleeve caught fire and his arm was burned. It is not known how severe the victim’s injuries were; sources told the Bay Area Reporter that the person refused medical aid.

Passersby woke up the victim and helped extinguish the fire, the documents said. It is not known where or when the alleged incident occurred, though the court filing states that the victim was sleeping in a doorway.

Courtesy SFPD

David Munoz Diaz

The DA’s office filed the motion to detain him without bail because of Diaz’s previous arson conviction.

Last year, Diaz was sentenced to five years probation after a November 2016 incident in which police said Diaz handcuffed and bit a chuck out of another man’s scalp while impersonating a cop. He pleaded guilty to false imprisonment in exchange for assault and other counts in the case being dismissed.

Diaz was ordered to comply with a midnight curfew and wear an ankle monitor.

In 2014, Diaz stood trial for the

June 2011 death of Freddy CanulArguello, 23, in Buena Vista Park.

During the trial, Diaz testified that Canul-Arguello had asked to be choked during a sexual encounter and that he’d accidentally killed him.

Jurors acquitted Diaz of seconddegree murder but convicted him of involuntary manslaughter and arson, among other charges. He was released from jail in September 2014.

During Diaz’s sentencing hearing in that case, Superior Court Judge Donald Sullivan dismissed the arson count. Sullivan said that keeping the count would require Diaz’s “lifetime registration as an arsonist,” which would “mar his character.”

Prosecutor John Rowland objected to the arson count being dismissed.

It was after Diaz’s 2016 guilty plea to possessing an incendiary device that he was required to register as an arsonist.

That case stemmed from incidents in 2015 when Diaz was arrested again for allegedly starting fires in the Castro district. He pleaded guilty in August 2016 to possessing an incendiary device and a count of second-degree burglary. He was released that September after being sentenced to a year of mandatory supervision, the arsonist registration, and other terms.t

I’m With Angela

L

ast week my best friend was annoyed when I wore an Angela Alioto for Mayor button to dinner in the Castro. He tolerantly explained to me “we have a gay candidate, and it is the duty of every self-respecting LGBTQ man to vote for Mark Leno.”

I agreed, but explained that I am voting for Mark on the second ballot. This tested his patience, but he is a bit of a newcomer to San Francisco — he’s not even 60 — so he doesn’t remember our history. I do.

He moved to San Francisco after Harvey Milk was killed. He doesn’t remember that campaign, the exuberant celebration the night he was elected, and our giddy hopes that the world was finally changing. He only knows the way things were after the assassination. Certainly he remembers the Candlelight Marches and the sadness we all went through. Those were dark days for us.

Then the “Gay Plague” hit us very hard. San Francisco was the hardest hit, in a nation that did not care, or worse, assumed we deserved what we got. But then, out of nowhere, we found a fierce advocate from an unexpected place, Angela Alioto, a mother of four from Pacific Heights took up the challenge.

A long-time member of the Harvey Milk Club, Angela hit the ground running: first came the Resolution objecting to the designation as a “Dangerous Contagious Disease” for travel restrictions imposed by the Bush administration against people with AIDS. She went on to write HIV/AIDS legislation that led the way nationwide, including NeedleExchange and Medical Marijuana. She formed the HIV/AIDS Youth Advisory Committee, advocated for condom use advertising targeting gay and bisexual men and youth in our public places. She fought INS exclusion of HIV from travel and immigration to the US. Her office was a beehive of activities where Act-Up felt at home to battle with Republican Governor Wilson to increase and restore funding for research, testing and approval of new HIV drugs in Sacramento. And in Washington DC she fought for Haitian refugees living with HIV who needed urgent medical care and against wrong-headed mandatory AIDS testing. We could count on Angela to fight to increase the budget for the Health Department.

Angela’s experience, drive, and

passion to improve the lives of all San Franciscans is unmatched in this race. She will rise above the petty, divisive politics in City Hall and find solutions to the issues that affect all of us.

www.aliotoformayor.com

We have been through so many battles together — she co-sponsored Domestic Partners and campaigned in conservative areas for its’ passage, as well as against its’ repeal. She was a critical sixth vote in the 20-year landlord-tenant struggle, securing rent control for tenants. She wrote the city’s Sanctuary City legislation and, in the most astounding victory against big tobacco, the first ever cigarette ban in the world. She cleared the air so we could enjoy a meal in a public restaurant without having to choke on smoke from the next table. Not to mention the health benefits to co-workers in every walk of life. Even China is now adopting Angela’s smoke-free laws.

At this point in my rant, my friend relented. “OK,” he said. “I’ll vote for Angela as a second choice.”

Pardon me for gloating just a bit, but I hope he votes for Angela first.

At my age, I surprised myself with all those memories, but I should have mentioned that she supported District Elections, championed the environment, civil liberties, public power and increased funding for poverty. Even after she left office, she took on Willie Brown — convening a group that reformed the Sunshine laws, collected signatures, went to ballot and won — a significant victory for open government. She doesn’t back down. I know she will keep up the fight for all our hard-won victories.

Did I mention that, as a civil rights attorney, she fights corporations every day for the rights of LGBTQ people in the workplace? Just last month she successfully prosecuted a tech startup on behalf of a woman who was fired because she dared to take her wife to a company party.

I did remember to mention that part to my buddy. “Second,” is all he would say.

He is so hardcore.

Doug Comstock is a long-time gay activist and good-government advocate.

Angela

ALIOTO FOR

M AYO R

Paid for by Angela Alioto for Mayor 2018 Financial disclosures available at sfethics.org

<< Open Forum

4 • BAY AREA REPORTER • March 22-28, 2018

Volume 47, Number 12 March 22-28, 2018 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman BARTAB EDITOR & EVENTS LISTINGS EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ray Aguilera • Tavo Amador • Race Bannon Erin Blackwell • Roger Brigham Brian Bromberger • Victoria A. Brownworth Brent Calderwood • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Belo Cipriani Christina DiEdoardo • Richard Dodds Michael Flanagan • Jim Gladstone David Guarino • Liz Highleyman Brandon Judell • John F. Karr • Lisa Keen Matthew Kennedy • Joshua Klipp David Lamble • Max Leger • Alex Madison Michael McDonagh •David-Elijah Nahmod Paul Parish • Sean Piverger • Lois Pearlman Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota • Bob Roehr Adam Sandel • Jason Serinus • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith • Tony Taylor • Sari Staver Jim Stewart • Sean Timberlake • Andre Torrez Ronn Vigh • Charlie Wagner • Ed Walsh Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood ART DIRECTION Max Leger PRODUCTION/DESIGN Ernesto Sopprani PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • FBFE Rick Gerharter • Gareth Gooch Jose Guzman-Colon • Rudy K. Lawidjaja Georg Lester • Dan Lloyd • Jo-Lynn Otto Rich Stadtmiller • Kelly Sullivan Steven Underhil • Dallis Willard • Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge • Christine Smith ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION Colleen Small Bogitini VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING Scott Wazlowski – 415.829.8937 NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

LEGAL COUNSEL Paul H. Melbostad, Esq.

SF, Oakland right choice for AIDS 2020

W

e’re excited that the International AIDS Society is bringing its International AIDS Conference back to San Francisco in 2020. This time Oakland will be involved too, hosting the Global Village, which will offer free activities for the community. It’s appropriate since San Francisco and Oakland were at the center of the epidemic’s harrowing early days, and both cities continue to experience challenges, especially ensuring that African-Americans have access to PrEP, a very effective yet expensive HIV prevention medication. To be sure, Oakland lags behind San Francisco in funding for HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, and lacks the robust nonprofit infrastructure the city has long enjoyed; that’s part of the point of holding AIDS 2020 in the region, IAS officials said. “The partnership of San Francisco and Oakland hosting AIDS 2020 serves as an apt metaphor for the global effort to end HIV – working together, across political and social divides, to achieve our goal of ending this pandemic,” AIDS 2020 International Chair Dr. Anton Pozniak of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London said in a statement announcing the location.

Critics are upset about the potentially higher cost to attend the conference in an expensive city, and think that inadequate transportation will frustrate people traveling between the conference in San Francisco and the Global Village in Oakland (an approximately 10-15 minute BART ride). Some would prefer any other U.S. city with lower hotel room rates. These are legitimate concerns, but activists have two years to arrange housing options and travel assistance for low-income attendees. IAS organizers stated that local partners are securing low-cost accommodation by partnering with universities, hotels, and hostels.

For critics, the biggest problem is that San Francisco is in the U.S., where Donald Trump is president, and that his administration’s travel bans could affect conference attendees, especially those from

outside the country. This is a valid concern, but we think holding AIDS 2020 in the U.S. is a pointed way to defy the president and his administration. IAS officials noted that the conference bid received “unparalleled” support from the state of California, including 33 letters of support from local AIDS organizations; leading activists; political leaders, including the Legislative LGBT Caucus; Governor Jerry Brown; and San Francisco Mayor Mark Farrell. San Francisco agreed to waive the cost of the conference venue to ensure affordable access to the meeting from delegates from around the world.

“In December 2017, the IAS’ Governing Council selected San Francisco and Oakland as the joint hosts of AIDS 2020 because we are concerned about the retreat from executive leadership on AIDS in the U.S.,” officials stated. “The U.S. government plays a vitally important role in addressing the epidemic both globally and domestically, and yet, year after year, we see attempts to dismantle and de-fund these programs. In its bid, the state of California and the cities of San Francisco and Oakland have jointly shown their willingness to resist these changes in partnership with conference organizers.”

The IAS said it is committed to organizing a U.S.-based working group similar to one it formed in advance of the 2012 conference in Washington, D.C. Organizers said the group would be supported “to proactively address

T

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access concerns and make recommendations to the conference organizers that support the mission and vision of AIDS 2020. Together we will develop solutions that ensure maximum participation and advocate for policy change at the federal level.”

If those critical of the conference location want to be productive, they should join this working group to highlight and address concerns about lodging costs. This is a way to make positive change, rather than griping from the sidelines.

For many years, its draconian policy of barring HIV-positive visitors and immigrants prevented the conference from being held in the U.S. After President Barack Obama lifted that ban, the conference was held in Washington, D.C. in 2012.

It’s also important to remember that San Francisco still has one of the largest HIV-positive populations in the country; about 16,000 people live with HIV in the city, officials said. The good news is that there were 233 new HIV cases in 2016, a steep decrease over infection rates from previous years. Of the total number of individuals diagnosed with HIV in San Francisco, 70 percent are virally suppressed, which means that they have better health outcomes and do not transmit the virus to others. Conference participants from other states and countries will gain insight into how San Francisco made this achievement, and can empower them with the tools to be effective organizers at home.

IAS conducted an extensive bid process for the host city, or in this case, region. It engaged with more than 20 cities across the world, starting in 2016. It believes San Francisco and Oakland have an opportunity to showcase successful programs for defeating HIV/AIDS, and that includes activists fighting on the frontlines.

“We believe holding AIDS 2020 in the Bay Area, a global capital of AIDS activism, will send a powerful message,” Owen Ryan, IAS executive director stated. “It honors the history of those who have fought this disease for decades and provides a platform for demanding continued investments in science, support for those living with HIV, and global AIDS programs.”

We agree. t

Why I left East Bay Stonewall board

by Michael Colbruno

BAY AREA REPORTER

t

his month I decided not to run for another term as a board member and political action committee chair of the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club, ending an almost continuous string of involvement in LGBT organizations, causes, and clubs. I started my advocacy as a teenager helping two lesbian friends organize a march in Denver, went on to work as a gay advocacy journalist, worked on both equal benefits and domestic partnership legislation as an aide to then-supervisor Carole Migden, was put in charge of a massive domestic partnership ceremony at City Hall by former mayor Willie Brown, served as a board member and PAC chair of the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club, served on the board and PAC of Equality California, founded the first LGBT affinity group for California port commissioners and staff, and, finally, serving on Stonewall.

I decided to quit because of language.

Two things happened to me that made me rethink my role in this movement.

The first was sending out an email that included “LGBT” and receiving an angry missive back accusing me of being exclusionary, because the correct term should be LGBTQQQ(gf)MIIUN(g)2.

My head almost exploded.

I was around when “queer” was a bad word and we were called homos and other pejoratives. We fought for the happier sounding word “gay,” only to see the fights ensue over adding the L, B, and T, which then provoked a

Courtesy Port of Oakland

Michael Colbruno

fight over the order of the letters.

When I was in college and toying with changing my major to cultural anthropology and linguistics, I had a professor who told us about a 19th century African tribe that had one word for people. It didn’t matter your race, gender, orientation, social status, or tribal origin.

That beautiful concept of everyone in a community being “one” has stuck with me ever since.

The second thing that happened to me was a visit to San Francisco City Hall, where a staff person got angry at me for not asking which personal pronoun

“they” (an individual) preferred. Am I now supposed to ask they and every other person I encounter which pronoun they prefer before starting a conversation? (Sorry about the bad grammar, but “they” started it).

We already live in a world where each of us has our own personal phone number, Facebook account, Twitter handle, Instagram account, Snapchat address, dating profile and customized water bottle. Do each of us really need to have our own personal pronoun, too?

And what about the queer gender-fluid person (the Qgf from above)? How do I know when the personal pronoun has changed?

The problem with both issues is that they separate us as a community more than they unite us. Every time we add a letter to LGBT we create another “other,” making someone different from the rest of the group. The same goes for the personal pronouns, as we should be finding a way to make one work for more of us instead of separating out groups of people.

Arguably, the words that we got right were “marriage” and “marriage equality” and don’t think that didn’t come without a fight. Many feminists resented the word, as it evoked an era when women were considered chattel. However, we appropriated the words and now anyone who can marry is (theoretically) equal under the law and can use the same terms.

As we move forward as a movement and think about the language used to define us, we need to be less about “Me” and more about “Community.”t Michael Colbruno lives in Oakland.

t

Politics>>

March 22-28, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 5

SF Sup Sheehy remains undecided in mayor’s race

by Matthew S. Bajko

W

ith just weeks to go before absentee ballots begin hitting voters’ mailboxes, gay District 8 Supervisor Jeff Sheehy remains undecided on which of the candidates to back in the race to be San Francisco’s next mayor.

Of the nine members of the Board of Supervisors who aren’t seeking Room 200 at City Hall on the June 5 primary ballot, only Sheehy and District 2 Supervisor Catherine Stefani have yet to endorse in the mayoral contest. As it happens, both Sheehy and Stefani were appointed to fill vacancies on the board.

Sheehy is running in June to maintain his seat, while both he and Stefani will be running for full fouryear terms in November. The late Mayor Ed Lee, who died in December, named Sheehy to the board last year following gay former supervisor Scott Wiener’s 2016 election to the state Senate.

After a majority of the supervisors in late January chose Mark Farrell to be the city’s mayor until the winner of the June election is declared, he named Stefani to his seat on the board. She had been his supervisor aide before becoming county clerk.

The other board members have all endorsed or co-endorsed three of the leading mayoral candidates: Supervisors Jane Kim and London Breed or gay former supervisor and state lawmaker Mark Leno.

According to the trio’s campaign websites, Supervisors Malia Cohen and Ahsha Safai have co-endorsed Breed and Leno, whereas Supervisors Aaron Peskin, Sandra Lee Fewer, and Hillary Ronen have co-endorsed Leno and Kim. Supervisor Katy Tang is backing Breed and Supervisor Norman Yee is supporting Leno.

When asked by the Bay Area Reporter if he was ready to endorse for mayor, Sheehy said he wanted to wait and first see the candidates’ proposals on a variety of issues, from homelessness and housing to public safety.

“I haven’t decided yet whom to endorse for mayor,” said Sheehy last Friday, noting that he has long known both Leno and former supervisor Angela Alioto, a civil rights attorney who is also running to lead the city.

Hours prior Leno had released his plan to end street homelessness in the city by 2020. Breed released her homelessness plan Monday afternoon, while Kim has issued plans to improve the city’s transit system and clean its streets.

Of the three gay men who have followed Leno in the District 8 board seat, Sheehy is the only one to yet endorse him for mayor.

Bevan Dufty was an early backer of Leno’s mayoral bid, while Wiener officially endorsed Leno, his longtime political ally, last fall.

“Mark has been a friend for over 20 years now. We have worked together very, very closely over the years and I have enormous respect for him,” said Wiener. “He has delivered on many core progressive priorities.”

Stefani did not respond to the B.A.R. by press time Wednesday on if she plans to endorse in the mayoral race.

Absentee ballots will start being mailed out in early April to military members overseas and in May to anyone else who has requested to vote by mail. Because it will take several weeks for elections officials to certify the results of the special election in June and the supervisors

Barry Schneider Attorney at Law Cynthia Laird

Former state Senator Carole Migden, Supervisor Jeff Sheehy, former state senator Mark Leno, and current state Senator Scott Wiener were all smiles at Sheehy’s swearing in in January 2017.

must then approve the outcome, the city’s next mayor isn’t expected to take their oath of office until July.

According to a memo from the city attorney’s office, the election results likely won’t to be finalized until after June 20. Thus, the soonest the board could approve the results would be July 10 – it is off during the week of July 4 – unless the supervisors schedule a special meeting prior to their board meeting that Tuesday. The latest the next mayor could assume office, according to the memo, is likely July 28.

EQCA fundraises for Leno

One answer as for how Equality California, the statewide LGBT advocacy organization, would abide by Leno’s promise not to accept money from and to denounce independent expenditures funded by political action committees came this week.

After EQCA officially endorsed Leno in early March, the organization said it was “exploring all our options” for how to ask its members to support Leno’s bid to be San Francisco’s first out LGBT mayor without violating his super PAC pledge.

On Monday, EQCA sent out a fundraising pitch to its members on behalf of Leno’s mayoral bid. Instead of directing people to donate to the EQCA PAC, the email signed

by EQCA Executive Director Rick Zbur asked people to donate directly to Leno’s campaign and included two links to do so online.

“San Francisco needs a dynamic fighter who will take on special interests and stand up for our community. San Francisco needs Mark Leno,” wrote Zbur.

There is a donate box at the very end of the email for people to donate directly to EQCA. Those donations do not go toward the EQCA PAC, however, they are directed to EQCA itself and pay for things like its communication to its members.

It is included on nearly all the emails EQCA sends to its membership.

SF ethics fines former entertainment panelist

The San Francisco Ethics Commission has fined lesbian former Entertainment Commissioner Audrey Joseph $2,550 for accepting VIP tickets from the organizer of the Outside Lands Music Festival in violation of annual gift limits and public disclosure requirements in 2014 and 2015, the agency announced Monday night.

By April 1 of each year commission members are required to file their annual Statements of Economic Interests, including any gifts they received worth $50 or more in value.

According to an ethics staff report,

the ticket Joseph received from Another Planet Entertainment LLC in 2014 was worth $595, above the gift limit that year of $440. The 2015 ticket cost $695, once again more than the limit of $460 that year.

Joseph reported the 2014 ticket on her annual form but did not report the 2015 ticket, according to the staff report. Both times Joseph said she paid Another Planet for her ticket in the amount that put it over the gift limit.

However, Joseph was unable to provide documentation to prove her payment for the 2014 ticket. She was able to show a credit card statement for the $310 she paid in 2015.

Ethics could have fined her $10,000 for the two violations for accepting a ticket over the allowable value limit and failing to disclose the one ticket. The agency concluded she should have known of the rules having been trained on the city’s ethics policies.

But as the staff memo noted, Joseph did not intend “to mislead the public” and cooperated with the investigation. Thus, the agency recommended fining her the lower amount, and the ethics commission signed off on the fine at its March 16 meeting.

In a phone interview Tuesday, Joseph said, “I want to be done with it.

I am going to pay it and be done.”

She said she received the tickets not because of her seat on the entertainment commission but because she works in the local entertainment industry. She noted that she uses the same beverage vendor as the concert promoter.

“I am an industry person. They give out hundreds of tickets,” said Joseph, adding that she thought she had reported both tickets as “I reported everything.”

Joseph was out of town last week and unable to attend the Friday meeting. She told the B.A.R. she is concerned that the ethics office fining her for what she feels is “a minor infraction” will have a chilling effect on recruiting other entertainment industry professionals to serve on the commission.

The “complicated ethics reporting structure creates negative incentives,” said Joseph, for people in the industry as they “attend events on a regular basis as part of their job” and may not want to serve for fear they could unwittingly violate the ethics policies.

Trans nurse mounts write-in bid for CA gov

Having failed to qualify for the ballot, transgender hospice nurse Veronika Fimbres has decided to mount a write-in campaign in the California gubernatorial race.

The Navy veteran had sought to make the June 5 primary ballot as a Green Party candidate but failed to See page 12 >>

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<< AIDS 2020

6 • BAY AREA REPORTER • March 22-28, 2018

2020 AIDS confab site sparks controversy

by Liz Highleyman

T

he International AIDS Society’s decision to hold its next large conference in San Francisco and Oakland in July 2020 has provoked controversy at both the local and global levels.

As reported last week, Bay Area elected officials and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation applauded the decision and are eager to serve as hosts for the semiannual confab.

“The Bay Area has long been at the forefront of the AIDS epidemic,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland). “While San Francisco and Oakland emerged as an early epicenter of the crisis, these cities have also been a hub for AIDS activism, research, and community support. It’s fitting that with an end to AIDS on the horizon, the International AIDS Conference will return to the Bay Area for the first time in 30 years.”

But many community-based organizations say San Francisco is too expensive and U.S. policies are hostile to the groups most affected by the HIV/ AIDS epidemic.

“Hosting AIDS 2020 in the U.S. flies in the face of ample and undeniable evidence that the Trump administration’s violation of human rights, targeting of vulnerable communities for harm, and exacerbating HIVrelated stigma worldwide, coupled with drastic budget cuts, threatens the advancements we have made in the domestic and global epidemics,” a group of more than 50 local, national, and international groups said in an open letter to the IAS.

Conference history

The International AIDS Conference started in 1985 as a small gathering of researchers and public health officials in Atlanta, home to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It has since grown into a major conference, alternating in evennumbered years with the IAS Conference on HIV Science.

The conference took place in San Francisco at the height of the epidemic in 1990, setting the stage for a week of protests by ACT UP and other activists who felt that governments and the medical establishment were not doing enough to help people living with AIDS, which was then an often fatal disease with no effective treatments.

The 1992 conference was slated for Boston, but was moved to Amsterdam due to a U.S. policy barring HIV-positive visitors and immigrants.

Former president Barack Obama lifted the ban, enabling the 2012 confab

Rick Gerharter

Several thousand activists participated in a Unity March during the International AIDS Conference in San Francisco on June 23, 1990.

to take place in Washington, D.C. The 2014 and 2016 conferences were held in Melbourne, Australia, and Durban, South Africa, respectively, and this year’s meeting will take place in Amsterdam in July.

The conference and its companion Global Village, which offers free activities for the community, is now so large that few cities have the capacity to host it. The 2020 meeting is expected to draw around 15,000 participants; the 2012 meeting in D.C. exceeded 20,000. The Moscone Center expansion now underway will provide enough space for the main conference, with the Global Village planned for Oakland.

The IAS conducts an open bidding process that begins 18 months before a decision is made, the society explained in a statement. For AIDS 2020, the organization considered more than 20 cities across the world starting in 2016, well before the election of Donald Trump. No countries in the “global South” applied to host the conference, according to the IAS. “Many previous conference sites were chosen to directly challenge political and social norms. AIDS 2020 is no exception,” the IAS said. “We believe holding AIDS 2020 in the Bay Area, a global capital of AIDS activism, will send a powerful message to all those threatening to undo the progress of the past three decades and provide support to those living with HIV and fighting to protect global AIDS funding.”

Pros and cons

Those in favor of the Bay Area location point to San Francisco’s leading role in addressing the epidemic, from its community-based care model in the 1980s to being the first city to offer universal early HIV treatment in 2010 to being on the forefront of same-day treatment and widespread adoption of PrEP today.

At the same time, the Bay Area reflects disparities in the epidemic, with prevention and treatment efforts lagging in Oakland, which has a much larger population of African- Americans, the group with the highest rate of new HIV infections.

“The partnership of San Francisco and Oakland hosting AIDS 2020 serves as an apt metaphor for the global effort to end HIV – working together, across political and social divides, to achieve our goal of ending this pandemic,” AIDS 2020 International Chair Dr. Anton Pozniak of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London said in a statement announcing the location.

The San Francisco AIDS Foundation and San Francisco Travel led the bid to host the confab in the Bay Area, along with UCSF, the SF Department of Public Health, the Alameda County Public Health Department, and the Oakland mayor’s office. The bid was supported by Lee and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California), Governor Jerry Brown, and the state Legislative LGBT Caucus.

The IAS received 33 letters of support from local AIDS organizations.

“AIDS 2020 will allow us to highlight the San Francisco model of care, and the incredible progress made towards ending the epidemic in the city where it began,” SFAF CEO Joe Hollendoner said in a statement.

“The conference will also allow San Francisco and Oakland – two cities whose success is inextricably linked – to partner together in ways we haven’t historically so that we can address the health disparities that continue to perpetuate the AIDS pandemic.”

Other community groups, however, think the Bay Area is a poor choice.

Some of the criticism has centered on logistics, noting that San Francisco is among the most expensive cities in the country, with a death of affordable lodging options. Inadequate BART service and congested traffic mean that traveling between the main conference site in San Francisco and the Global Village in the East Bay will be slow and frustrating, thus exacerbating, rather than bridging, the divide, they contend.

But the biggest source of opposition is the current U.S. political climate, which many regard as hostile to gay and bisexual men, transgender people, people of color, sex workers and people who use drugs – the key populations that bear the greatest burden of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States and worldwide.

Critics point to Trump’s attempts to ban immigrants from several majority Muslim countries and his crackdown on undocumented people, which has not spared the Bay Area despite (or

t

perhaps because of) its sanctuary city policies. Lifting travel restrictions on sex workers is unlikely under this administration, and Trump has praised the Philippines for killing people who sell and use drugs.

Eleven international networks, including the Global Network of People Living with HIV, the International Community of Women Living with HIV, and the Global Forum on MSM and HIV expressed “deep concern” over the decision.

“The hostile political context in the U.S. will make it nearly impossible for sex workers, people who use drugs, people from Muslim countries, and anyone with a criminal record (including LGBT human rights defenders) in our respective networks to enter the country and feel safe to participate in the conference,” the networks stated.

A larger coalition of more than 50 local, national, and global groups, including the Drug Policy Alliance, Harm Reduction Coalition, Housing Works, Transgender Law Center, and Treatment Action Group, issued an open letter asking IAS to identify alternative venues in low- and middle-income countries.

The signatories expect that the political climate will likely deteriorate over the next two years.

“We anticipate that the U.S. political climate will only be worse in 2020, in the final months of a presidential election year that, like 2016, may well be marked by heightened violence, intentional promotion of stigma, and the need to mobilize to protect our communities,” the groups wrote.

“IAS 2020, if held in the U.S., will only serve as a distraction during a critical period where the domestic HIV community needs to be laser focused on protecting what we have and advancing access to healthcare, the safety net, and human rights,” the letter continued. “We reject the fantasy that the benefits of possibly heightened U.S. media attention to HIV issues in July 2020 outweigh the burden that hosting the IAS conference in the U.S. imposes on advocates who are fighting year-round to elevate these issues.”

Cecilia Chung, an HIV-positive transgender woman who’s a San Francisco health commissioner, was blunt.

“The current administration, including the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice, have showed trans people nothing but hostility,” Chung, who’s also the senior director of strategic projects at the Transgender Law Center, told the Bay Area Reporter. “To expect them to protect us is as good as asking a fox to guard your henhouse.”t

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<< Community News

8 • BAY AREA REPORTER • March 22-28, 2018

Easter events hop along in Bay Area compiled by Cynthia Laird

E

aster events aimed at children are coming up in San Francisco and the East Bay. All the events below are taking place Saturday, March 31.

In San Francisco, the Recreation and Park Department will hold

“Eggstravaganza” from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Robin Williams Meadow (formerly Sharon Meadow) in Golden Gate Park.

The annual family-friendly event will feature egg hunts, carnival rides, games, and live entertainment. There will be food trucks and the highly anticipated rib cook-off

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between Rec and Park, the San Francisco Fire Department, the San Francisco Police Department, and other city departments.

Tickets are $10 at the door; children aged 2 and under are free. No pets are allowed at this event. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/ events/642125106128500/.

Elsewhere in San Francisco, the California Parks Company will hold its second annual Angel Island Spring Festival from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The day starts off with an Easter egg hunt for children in various age groups.

Adults will get their own prize in the form of complimentary beer and wine tastings, courtesy of McGrail Vineyards and Gordon Biersch, in the cafe, which will host a special “Spring Fling” menu for purchase all weekend.

People can also purchase tickets for Segway tours, rent a bike, or hike.

Attendees can be among the first to experience the new, more modern tram and new audio handsets at 11:45 a.m. and 2 p.m.

The festival is free. The tram tour costs $16.50 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $10.50 for children ages 6-12. Advance tickets can be purchased at https://fareharbor. com / a n ge l i s l a n d / i tem s / 6 5 5 1 / calendar/2018/03/.

Angel Island can be accessed via ferry service from San Francisco and Tiburon. Ticket prices vary by location and age group. For more information, visit www.angelisland.com.

The San Francisco Zoo will partner with 106 KMEL’s Sana G. Morning Show to host “Big Bunny’s Spring Fling.” There will be four egg hunts with thousands of candy-filled eggs.

Participation for each hunt is limited and will reach capacity, officials said.

Reservations hold your spot for 30 minutes prior to the egg hunt.

3/19/18 11:41 AM

Courtesy SLIA.

The Easter bunny will be on hand at “Egg Hunt at the Casa” in San Leandro March 31.

Egg hunts will be held at 11:30 a.m. for ages 3-5; noon for ages 6-7; and 12:30 for ages 8-10. The 11 a.m. egg hunt is sold out.

To reserve a spot, visit https:// tickets.sfzoo.org.

Registration for the egg hunts does not include paid admission to the zoo, which is located at Sloat Boulevard and the Great Highway.

In the East Bay, the San Leandro Improvement Association will hold its annual “Egg Hunt at the Casa” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the historic Casa Peralta grounds in downtown San Leandro (384 West Estudillo Avenue).

There will be egg hunts for three age brackets: 10:30 a.m. for children aged 3 and under; 11 for those ages 4-6; and 11:30 for kids ages 7-10. The event is free; children are encouraged to bring their baskets for the egg hunt.

“The Egg Hunt at the Casa is an event for the community to come together and enjoy family fun at the historic grounds, which will be blossoming with spring decor,” SLIA President Gordon Galvan said in a news release.

SLIA staff will decorate the Casa Peralta and hide plastic eggs stuffed with goodies and sweets from Ghirardelli for the kids to find around the grounds.

Other activities will include face painting, music, and a petting zoo sponsored by Mike’s Feed and Pet. For more information, visit httpwww.downtownsanleandro.com.

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The National Center for Lesbian Rights is seeking a new executive director after longtime leader Kate Kendell announced last week that she is stepping down at the end of this year.

Kendell has led the LGBT legal organization for 22 years.

Lauren Gray, NCLR communications director, told the Bay Area Reporter that the agency will post the job description in April and that the board will take as much time as it needs to find Kendell’s successor.

“NCLR’s board of directors is working closely with succession planning experts and NCLR’s management team to ensure a smooth transition,” Gray wrote in an email.

In the March 15 statement, Kendell said, “My time at NCLR has widened my vistas and laid open my heart.”

To read the B.A.R.’s blog post, visit http://ebar.com/blogs/ kendell-to-leave-nclr-at-years-end/.

LGBT rights in Quebec

The Alliance Francaise of San Francisco will offer a presentation about LGBT rights in Quebec, Canada, Saturday, March 24, from 1 to 5:30 p.m. at its office, 1345 Bush Street, near Polk.

“Presentation of LGBT Rights” will feature Elizabeth McKay, the Quebec representative in California.

Quebec was the first state in North

America to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation in 1977.

The afternoon also includes other programs: “French-English Bilingual Education,” and “Assessment of President Macron’s first year,” which will look at the tenure of French President Emmanuel Macron.

For more information, call the Alliance at (415) 775-7755 or visit www.afsf.com.

Carnaval to have genderneutral royalty this year

Carnaval, the annual two-day festival and grand parade held in San Francisco’s Mission district over Memorial Day weekend, will hold a new royalty competition in place of its traditional king and queen competition Saturday, April 21, at Mission High School, 3750 18th Street.

The royalty competition takes place at 6 p.m.; a special youth competition will be held at 11 a.m.

The competition will allow gender-neutral and drag competitors to participate in the event for the first time, organizers said.

During the pageant, the Bay Area’s most talented samba, salsa, and soca dancers will compete for the titles of Carnaval King, Queen, Drag, or the new gender-neutral title, Royale. Winners will become the official ambassadors for Carnaval San Francisco 2018, leading the televised 40th annual grand parade Sunday, May 27.

“Carnaval San Francisco has always welcomed and celebrated all types of culture and diversity, and we’re thrilled to expand this year’s competition to include younger generations and titles for all genders and drag competitors,” Roberto Hernandez, Carnaval San Francisco’s executive producer, said in a news release.

Tickets to the youth competition are $5 for seniors and ages 17 and under, and $10 for adults.

The adult competition tickets start at $17. To purchase tickets online, visit carnavalsanfrancisco.org/kq.

EQCA SF awards coming up

Equality California will hold its San Francisco Equality Awards Saturday, May 12, from 6 to 11 p.m. at the Westin St. Francis, 335 Powell Street.

This year’s honorees include lesbian U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin), who became the first out member of that chamber and is facing re-election this year; Congressman Mark Takano (DRiverside), the first and only out person of color to serve in Congress; and Bay Area icon LaVerda Allen and BART for their work to support local small businesses run by women and members of the LGBTQ community.

Tickets are $400 and can be purchased online at https:// www.eqca.org/equality-awards/ san-francisco/.t

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<< National News

10 • BAY AREA REPORTER • March 22-28, 2018

Gay man sworn in as Ft. Lauderdale mayor

by Lisa Keen

A

gay man was sworn in this week as the mayor of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as other gay and lesbian candidates advanced after winning primary races in Texas.

Dean Trantalis, who won his election March 13 with 64 percent of the vote, was sworn in Tuesday as mayor of Fort Lauderdale. The Florida city is just 30 miles north of its more famous gay sister, South Beach. Trantalis won the special election despite some tactics by his opponents aimed at deriding his being gay.

Among the nation’s mid-size cities, Fort Lauderdale has, in recent years, become the one with the highest proportion of same-sex households compared to households overall. But the previous two mayors of that city have been less than supportive of equal rights for LGBT citizens.

Trantalis, 64, a real estate attorney and member of the City Commission, was involved with passage of a Broward County law

prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. And then decided to run for mayor.

According to the Sun-Sentinel, the campaign was unusually ugly for Fort Lauderdale. Opponents of Trantalis distributed campaign flyers with images of Trantalis photoshopped to make it appear he was wearing flamboyant clothing and makeup.

Trantalis’ opponent in the runoff, Commission Vice Mayor Bruce Roberts, essentially admitted responsibility for the flyers, though he claimed they did not convey any anti-gay intent.

The Sun-Sentinel said voters at the polls preferred Trantalis because “they were convinced Trantalis would help guard against further overdevelopment, and would ensure the city is prepared with sewer pipes and other infrastructure to accommodate it.”

Another gay man, Steve Glassman, won a seat on the Fort Lauderdale City Commission with 61 percent of the vote.

RY StevenUnderhill

& SF!

PHOTOGRAPHY

TS HEADSHO S PORTRAIT

Courtesy South Florida Gay News

Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis

Texas races

Lesbian former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez came out on top in the nine-candidate Texas Democratic primary for governor March 6. And alongside that, four out of nine openly LGBT candidates for U.S. House seats from Texas advanced their races.

Valdez, 70, has been a prominent figure since becoming the first lesbian sheriff of Dallas in 2005. She was re-elected three times but resigned last year to run for governor.

She won 42.9 percent of the Democratic primary vote, so must face her closest competitor (who won 27 percent) May 22 to secure the party nomination. A second gay candidate in the Texas Democratic gubernatorial primary, Jeffrey Payne, garnered only 4.8 percent of the vote.

Meanwhile, incumbent Republican Governor Greg Abbott won more votes in his primary than all the Democratic candidates combined.

Four out of nine openly LGBT candidates for U.S. House seats from Texas advanced in their primaries this month and will face runoff contests May 22. They include attorney Lorie Burch (3rd Congressional District, Dallas), minister Mary Wilson (21st District, San Antonio and Austin), Iraq War veteran Gina Ortiz Jones (23rd District, San Antonio to El Paso), and public affairs liaison Eric Holguin (27th District, Corpus Christi and Gulf Coast).

t

Four other LGBT Democrats and one gay Republican candidate for the U.S. House from Texas lost their primaries.

In Texas state Senate primaries, three out of four LGBT candidates advanced, as did eight of 11 State House candidates (though five were unopposed).

In two California cities, gay men are seeking to be mayor.

Gay incumbent Mayor Robert Garcia of Long Beach is gearing up for re-election. The local paper, the Press-Telegram, called Garcia’s bid for a second term a “fait accompli.”

His primary is April 10.

And in San Francisco, former state senator and former supervisor Mark Leno is up against seven other candidates, seeking to fill the remaining two years left in the term of Mayor Ed Lee, who died suddenly last December. The special election is slated for June 5. Leno is one of the top four candidates, along with Board of Supervisors President London Breed, Supervisor Jane Kim, and former supervisor Angela Alioto, who are all straight allies.t

RWF seeks people to join on Cuba trip

by Alex Madison

EVENTS

R

ainbow World Fund, an LGBTQ-based humanitarian aid organization, is once again traveling to Cuba and looking for people to join the trip, where they can help support the local LGBTQ community and take in the sights.

StevenUnderhill.com “We are working to change StevenUnderhillPhotos@gmail.com peoples’ hearts and minds about who the LGBTQ people are by expressing the passion and caring we STEVEN_2x3-REDESIGN.indd 1 3/9/18 3:17 PM have for the world,” said Jeff Cotter, a gay man who’s executive director of RWF. Cotter is still accepting volunteers for the trip from May 9-19, which coincides with Conga, Havana’s LGBTQ Pride celebration honoring the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia on May 17. RWF volunteers will walk alongside locals at the Pride parade in Havana on May 11, along with an LGBTQ march, which last year massed more than 2,000 people. Attendance for the parade has grown every year.

This is the eighth trip RWF will take to Cuba and, although each Since January, our Sales Showroom at 1077 Valencia trip is unique, its purpose remains Street has been undergoing a seismic retrofit. We have the same: to educate volunteers on temporarily discontinued sales of adult bikes until our the lives, culture, spirituality and Showroom re-opens mid-April. We apologize for the challenges of the Cuban people and inconvenience. to bring awareness to the positive engagement of the LGBTQ commuAs always, we have SF’s largest selection of kids bikes nity around the world, Cotter said. and the best bicycle Repair Shop in town! We have “It’s a great opportunity to learn about Cuba not as a tourist and to continued selling kid’s bikes, parts and essential acceslearn about the lives and struggles of sories out of our Repair Shop two buildings over, at the Cuban people,” he added.

1065 Valencia. We look forward to soon once again be During the trip, the group of selling SF’s largest selection of affordable adult bicycles RWF volunteers, usually around 10 in our newly remodeled Showroom! or 15, will deliver medical supplies to hospitals and clinics that support children affected by AIDS and other HIV-related illnesses in hard-hit Matanzas province and elsewhere.

For many years, RWF has fully funded a summer camp program for HIV-positive children and their families in Cuba. The group will also make trips to local schools and art centers to donate art and school supplies.

Additionally, the trip is designed to connect volunteers with local 1065 Valencia (Between 21st & 22nd St.) SF 1065 Valencia (Bewteen 21st & 22nd St.) SF human rights and LGBTQ leadMon-Sat Sun11-5 11-5 Mon-Sat10-6, 10-6, Sun ers, members of Parliament, other 415-550-6601 415-550-6601 government officials, political dissidents, and figures in the art and cultural scene, Cotter explained.

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Participants enjoyed a previous Rainbow World Fund trip to Cuba.

has been a lot of progress in the past few decades in terms of acceptance of LGBTQ people in Cuba, “there is still a lot of work to be done.” He said homophobic ideologies were spread after the Cuban Revolution of the early 1950s, which led many LGBTQ Cubans to migrate to Miami.

The late former Cuban president Fidel Castro was known to send gay men and others to labor camps that were known by the Spanish acronym UMAPs. But today, more widespread acceptance has led to activists’ publicly calling for the legalization of same-sex marriage.

Mariela Castro, a straight ally who’s the daughter of Cuban President Raul Castro, is the director of the Cuban National Center for Sex Education and an outspoken LGBTQ supporter.

The RWF group will meet Mariela Castro and learn about her and others’ long fight for equal rights for LGBTQ Cubans.

And a trip to Cuba would not be complete without a little beach time, a cruise in a midcentury American car around Havana, a trip to the National Museum of Fine Art and the Bay of Pigs, and snorkeling in the reefs of Varadero.

For many RWF volunteers, traveling to Cuba was life changing.

Cotter talked about the important connections the volunteers make to the culture and people of Cuba and one another.

“Part of what we are doing is helping the people we bring form connections and friendships with

folks in Cuba,” he said. “We connect and support LGBTQ individuals and the community at large.”

For 17 years, RWF has traveled all over the world, including to Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Uganda, Iraq, Syria, and, recently, Puerto Rico to aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

The RWF trip to Cuba costs $2,600 per person and includes meals, hotel, ground transportation by private van, and translation and guide services. It does not include airfare, which Cotter said is about $500-$550 from San Francisco. The first five nights are spent in Old Havana at Plaza Veija. The group then travels to Varadero to stay the remaining five nights at the Centre for Children and the Aged.

Rolling back Obama-era policies that loosened American travel restrictions to Cuba, President Donald Trump has restricted peopleto-people visas for tourists going to Cuba. However, RWF volunteers are exempt due to their status as a humanitarian group.

The trip is planned so that volunteers arrive in Miami, usually taking a red-eye flight, at the same time then fly to Havana. People traveling from the East Coast have more travel options to get to Miami, Cotter noted.

For more information on how to visit Cuba with RWF or to donate to its relief fund, visit http://rainbowfund.org or at https://www.facebook.com/ events/223329661575899/.t

t

Commentary>>

March 22-28, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 11

The people v. Jeff Sessions

by Christina A. DiEdoardo

W

hile critics have derided his sycophantic loyalty to a boss who publicly insults him on a regular basis and mocked the attorney general’s uncanny resemblance to the Keebler Elf, I’ll give Jeff Sessions this: when he decided to declare war on California, at least he came to Sacramento to do it in person.

Earlier this month, Sessions told the California Peace Officers Association “To carry out the intent of our laws, we need law officers. We need our immigration and customs officers and our customs and border protection officers. They are your brothers and sisters.”

However, “California has enacted a number of laws designed to intentionally obstruct the work of our sworn immigration officers – to intentionally use every power it has to undermine duly-established immigration law in America,” he said.

“That’s not just unconstitutional, it’s a plain violation of federal statute and common sense.”

Accordingly, Sessions’ Department of Justice has sued the state, as well as Governor Jerry Brown and Attorney General Xavier Becerra, in federal court in Sacramento seeking to block several California laws that inhibit cooperation between state and local law enforcement (as well as private businesses) with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as one that gives California the right to inspect immigration detention facilities within its borders.

Ironically, given his comparison of Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom

and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf to Confederate secessionists, Sessions came damn close to openly advocating that sworn law enforcement officers disregard their obligations under the California Constitution to comply with state law and obey his fiat instead. Lucky for the Elf, California got rid of its laws that specifically targeted sedition years ago, but there remains at least a technical argument he engaged in the solicitation of treason in violation of Penal Code 37(a), which remains a crime.

In any event, the state’s response came March 13, when it filed a motion to transfer the case to the federal court in San Francisco, where U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick is currently hearing California v. Sessions, et al. That’s the challenge filed last year to Sessions’ threat to strip federal funds from states which implemented sanctuary protections for undocumented persons.

Beyond Orrick’s greater familiarity with the subject matter (he also heard the City of San Francisco’s challenge to Sessions’ threat last year, which was a separate case), if the motion is granted it would take the case away from U.S. District Court Judge John A. Mendez, who was picked by President George W. Bush, and give it to Orrick, who was chosen by President Barack Obama.

Mendez is expected to decide whether to keep the case on or after March 23, after briefing concludes.

In the meantime, Sessions seems to have already lost his case in the streets.

A day before he came to Sacramento to insult our state, 40 to 50 protesters

Christina DiEdoardo

Activists with Congregations Organizing For Renewal, Filipino Advocates for Justice (Union City) and other groups protested Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Union City on March 6.

from A Day Without Immigrants SF, Filipino Advocates for Justice (Union City), Congregations Organizing for Renewal and multiple churches occupied the corners of a four-way intersection in Union City.

For hours, as driver after driver honked in support and raised their fists in a power salute as they passed, speakers and chanters made it clear that ICE wasn’t welcome in Union City or anywhere else.

It bears noting these weren’t my usual associates of masked up antifa.

Instead they ranged in age from toddlers in strollers to elders active in their local churches. Even so, they shook the air with their cheers when an activist with COR declared, “We call on Congress to defund ICE, to defund the Department of Homeland Security and to defund the Department of Customs and Border Security.”

If Sessions can’t win in the cities or the suburbs, all he has are the rural areas – and if predictions come true that his immigration crackdown will result in crops dying for want of workers to harvest them, he won’t have those areas for long either.

March for your life

The regime is losing its grip in other areas as well. On the heels of the wildly successful walkout against gun violence on March 14 by K-12 students around the country (despite the best – and disgraceful – efforts of some Bay Area schools to stop them), gun control supporters will gather in Oakland and San Francisco Saturday, March 24, for the March for Our Lives.

To the credit of organizers, they’ve staggered the start times so that it’s possible to attend both events (as always, that’s assuming no major start delays and that BART cooperates).

The Oakland event begins at 10 a.m. in Frank Ogawa/Oscar Grant Plaza and continues until 1 p.m.

The San Francisco event is set to begin with a rally at 1 p.m. in Civic Center Plaza, which will continue until 2:45 p.m. Organizers in San Francisco said they’re still trying to work out march details, while those setting up the Oakland event have announced theirs will be a rally without a march component.

Besides San Francisco and Oakland, participants in 762 cities around the world – from Tokyo to Tel Aviv to Cork, Ireland – will take to the streets on that day to demand an end to gun violence.

Queer Prison Haters Ball

After the March for Our Lives, it’s time to dance and support queer folk behind bars at the same time. At 7 p.m. March 24 at Hella Vegan at 411 26th Street in Oakland, ABO Comix, Rad Breath and Classic Cars West are putting on the Queer Prison Haters Ball.

Scheduled performers include Twompsax, Chrysanthemum, Jack Dandy, Edie Godiva, Peppermint

Furiosa, Payasax Buongiorno, Technopagan420, and Baby Di and there will be comics, zines, art, and other goodies for sale. The organizers are asking for a donation of $5-$20, all of which will go to help queer, trans and HIV-positive prisoners. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. t Got a tip? Email me at christina@ diedoardolaw.com.

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Discrimination clear as ice

by Roger Brigham

A

s the men’s college basketball scene descended into its annual March mayhem, this year particularly mad with improbable comebacks and inconceivable upsets played out against a backdrop of deep-rooted corruption and bribes, the women’s college hockey world got its own gut check.

After a nine-day trial, a federal jury last week awarded former University of Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey coach Shannon Miller $3.7 million, saying the university had targeted her with retaliatory discrimination leading up to the 2015 non-renewal of her contract and the contracts of her entire coaching staff.

“It’s a really big moment for myself, but also for women, specifically women in college athletics,” Miller told the Star Tribune. “And also for LGBT people – be authentic for who you are and fight discrimination, despite the risks.

Former college women’s hockey coach Shannon Miller

I hope it reverberates across the country. I’ve been discriminated against my whole life as a woman, and certainly as an openly gay woman. I’ve watched so many women be discriminated against in many walks of life ... completely understanding that I would be fighting for many, many

women, and I also understood the magnitude of the fight that I would be taking on.”

The university said Miller’s contract, about $20,000 less at the time than the men’s coach’s contract, was too pricey – and that did not sit well with the jury. Ditto the school’s belated assertion that a backsliding performance by the program figured into its decision. The jury found that the university created the conditions for any slip in team performance by its failure to support not just Miller, but the entire women’s program.

Miller was the highest paid coach in women’s hockey – and her resume more than justified her salary. She became the team’s first head coach in 1998 and has been the most successful coach in the sport since then, leading the team to eleven Final Fours and five NCAA Division I championships. When she was told her contract would not be renewed, her team was ranked No. 7 in the country.

At the time, Duluth’s athletic See page 12 >>

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12 • BAY AREA REPORTER • March 22-28, 2018

<<

Intersex surgeries

From page 2

body. According to Wiener’s office, approximately one in every 2,000 individuals is born intersex.

“Intersex individuals are forced to undergo medically unnecessary surgeries in infancy well before they have any ability to consent or engage in that process,” Michael said. “This stems from fear of their bodies because they are outside the typical ideas of

<<

Jock Talk

From page 11

program, which is in Division II in all sports except hockey, was in a $6 million hole. The school’s claims that it was helping address that deficit made no sense since any replacement coach would cost almost as much as the $215,000 being made

by Miller; and the fact that it was not making any cuts in the men’s hockey program.

“Yes, she is the highest paid

<<

Political Notebook

From page 5

raise the $3,916.12 filing fee by the deadline to do so this month. After a fellow Green Party candidate sent her the information for how to wage a write-in campaign, Fimbres decided to take the long-shot strategy.

“I am already a trans pioneer and a living legend, but this is about making history for my party, the Green Party. The Green Party would be the first party to put a trans and

<<

Atkins

From page 1

to California to see Atkins break through a political glass ceiling, as in 2014 she was sworn in as the first lesbian speaker of the Assembly.

As part of the ceremony, Atkins invited a young singer from San Diego to perform Michael Jackson’s song “Man in the Mirror.” The lyrics resonate with today’s political environment and the ongoing sexual harassment allegations in various industries, Atkins told the Bay Area Reporter in an interview last Wednesday.

“The song says to look in the mirror as change starts with yourself,” said Atkins, a former San Diego City Council member who briefly served as the city’s interim mayor. “We all have a role to play in this culture change.”

The state Legislature has been rocked by allegations of lawmakers and lobbyists sexually harassing women and acting inappropriately with some men. The revelations have led a number of male lawmakers to resign and one female legislator to take a leave of absence.

“We have a moment right now as

<<

female or male. Similarly, transgender people are often denied medical treatment in adolescence and beyond because of fears of their bodies being atypical.”

Anne Tamar-Mattis said that she founded InterACT in 2006 after hearing the stories of many of her intersex friends who suffered from having sex assignment surgery at birth.

“I founded this organization because I have many intersex friends and loved ones who have suffered incalculable harm at the hands of doctors in the form of

normalizing surgeries,” she said at the hearing. “Parents allowed this because they trusted their doctors and the damage done to their families was enormous. I couldn’t stand by while this practice continued, including at hospitals here in California.

“I know our Legislature can do the right thing, which is to voice strong support for intersex young people and a desire to keep them safe,” Anne Tamar-Mattis added.

“To ensure that damaging,

medically unnecessar y surgeries performed without their consent need not be a part of their lives.”

She went on to list organizations that support the nonbinding resolution and claim normalizing surgeries are a violation of intersex people’s human rights, including: the United Nations, World Health Organization, Physicians for Human Rights, Human Rights Watch, and three former U.S. surgeons general have offered a paper to end normalizing

surgery, along with the American Medical Association’s Board of Trustees.

SCR 110 must be presented to both the Senate and Assembly, but will likely be referred to a committee first, according to Wiener’s aide Miles Horton.

There is a 200-page report regarding the potential harms of normalizing surgeries and evidentiary support on InterACT (https:// interactadvocates.org/) and Human Rights Watch’s (http://www.hrw. org) websites.t

women’s college hockey coach in the country, but her base salary is still $20,000 less than UMD men’s coach Scott Sandelin,” Kate Fagan wrote for ESPN.com in 2015 when Duluth first announced Miller’s contract was not being renewed.

“Essentially, UMD drove a stake through the heart of one of the best women’s hockey programs in the country so it could maybe save about $65,000. The whole move goes down about as smooth as a cup of gravel. Consider this: Miller had already told the school she would

take less money. Also, the operating budget for women’s hockey was already about $275,000 less than that of the men’s program.”

The jury verdict is stunning and had some socially myopic critics focusing on whether any hockey coach, man or woman, is worth $200,000 or more a year (never mind that’s about how much some football coaches spend on clothes).

But don’t fixate on that number: concentrate on how the university, which once was focused on establishing the best women’s hockey

program in the country, betrayed that goal step by step, year by year.

As the fledgling sport became more competitive and other programs invested more money in the sport, Duluth did not match their commitment. As other programs began to surpass Duluth, Miller became more and more outspoken in her requests for the university to support the program and the athletes in it. As the need grew for the athletic department to make cuts, more and more of those cuts fell on the women’s team, not the men’s.

Duluth’s treatment of Miller was a symptom, not the disease. The disease was the overt sexism that valued female athletes and athletics less than their male counterparts.

Sadly, the disease is not limited to Duluth. It is rampant throughout college sports, in one athletic department after another, reflected again and again in fewer resources and less respect. Don’t think the Miller-Duluth case will be a one-off: expect it to be an opening salvo. #timesup. t

black woman up for governor. This is the big picture I am looking at,” Fimbres said this week during a brief phone interview.

Fimbres, 65, who lives in San Francisco’s Sunnyside neighborhood, was already facing insurmountable odds of surviving the primary. Only the top two votegetters, regardless of party affiliation, will advance to the November general election.

Asked what she thought her chances are, Fimbres said, “I honestly

don’t know; I will do the best I can.

If I get enough people and generate enough excitement, people will put my name on the ballot anyway.”

Recent polls on the race, which have not included Fimbres among voters’ choices, continue to show that Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom (D), the former mayor of San Francisco, is the front-runner, with Democrats state Treasurer John Chiang, former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D), and Republican attorney John Cox

all battling for the second spot.

The only LGBT candidate for statewide office to make this year’s ballot was state Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens). Should he win his race for insurance commissioner, Lara would make history as the first out statewide elected leader. t

notebook’s online companion.

This week’s column reported on LGBT chambers tackling homeless issues.

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

it relates to issues of sexual harassment and workplace history. We can seize this moment,” said Atkins.

Her ascension to the top leadership position in the Legislature’s upper chamber comes not just as women are speaking out against their sexual harassers, but it also comes as the LGBT community is under attack by the Trump administration. Her being given a platform to speak out nationally on both issues is not lost on Atkins.

“I think, certainly, in the universe how often do things seem to come together in a moment of time that seem to make sense or make a statement. Maybe the universe is making a statement,” she said. “I do think it is about time and I really am appreciative my colleagues agreed.”

With the number of female legislators in the Statehouse at a record low in recent years, Atkins said she has been pleased to see the large number of women running for public office this year. As the B.A.R. has noted previously, a record number of lesbians, at seven, are running for state legislative seats in California this year.

“I think it is great, in general, that

more women are stepping forward to run, and I think it is great, of course, we are seeing more LGBTQ candidates step forward and run,” said Atkins.

The cultural and political upheavals of recent months are benefiting such candidates, said Atkins.

A native of Virginia, she said she was “so proud” to see her home state last fall elect the first out transgender state lawmaker in the country.

Yet she is also cognizant that the hard won protections and advancements that the LGBT community has made in recent years are in jeopardy under the Trump administration. Numerous federal agencies have been rolling back LGBT protections since last year, noted Atkins.

“Always remember the world can change, and you too will once again live in fear,” said Atkins. “This is not something our LGBT community has had to deal with in recent decades. The fact we have so many protections and rights now, it really is a short time in historical perspective.”

“Our residents need to understand we have their backs,” she said.

LGBT lawmakers and advocates celebrated Atkins’ historic elevation as speaker pro tem. Rick Zbur, the executive director of the statewide LGBT advocacy organization Equality California, called Atkins a “groundbreaking” legislator more than qualified to lead the state Senate.

“It’s hard to imagine a more qualified and effective leader shattering these two glass ceilings in the California Senate today. But I know for certain that there isn’t anyone more respected,” stated Zbur. “Throughout her career, Senator Atkins has been a role model for her constituents, for other elected officials, for the LGBTQ community, and for the next generation of change makers.”

Noting her upbringing in a rural part of the Appalachian Mountains, Zbur added, “There are young girls and LGBTQ children across California – and back in Appalachia – who will see the news out of Sacramento today and know that their futures are a whole lot brighter because of the trails Toni has blazed.”

Gay state Senator Scott Wiener

(D-San Francisco) told the B.A.R. that, despite the gains the LGBT community has made in recent decades, it politically still lacks fair representation in city halls and statehouses across the country, not to mention Congress.

“This is a huge day for the LGBT community,” said Wiener, who considers Atkins not just a mentor but also a friend. “Sometimes it is really tempting to think we have plenty of LGBT people in positions of power and it doesn’t really matter anymore and that is just not true.”

He noted that there have only been one U.S. senator and one governor in the country’s history who are out members of the LGBT community.

California has only sent one LGBT person to Congress, added Wiener, who also pointed to the fact there is only one LGBT person on the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco, seen globally as a gay mecca.

“We still have a lack of representation, so having the first LGBT leader of the Senate in the history of California is a major step,” said Wiener. “Toni is going to be fantastic.”t

photo, he addressed the issue with the paper’s managing editor, Doug Comstock. The “gay rights advocate and volunteer,” wrote Bull, “personally felt the photo was not homophobic, but more of a political jab.”

While Bull insisted Comstock “did not run the image as a homophobic slight. It was a poor decision from everyone involved, and I can only say that a lesson was learned about context, and items that several people may think is OK can be construed to be not acceptable by others.”

Wiener, who did not contact the paper himself about the image, told the B.A.R. it should have been obvious to the staff that the photo was the wrong choice.

(The paper did run a photo of Wiener in suit and tie with a different story in the issue.)

“I appreciate that they took the photo down, but it shouldn’t have taken being called out,” said Wiener.

For years Wiener has been a

political target of the paper, noting he has been depicted in cartoons as “gaunt and sick. Nothing they do surprises me. But even

by Westside Observer standards, using that photo was over the top.”

Joel Engardio, a gay married man who ran twice for supervisor to represent the city’s westside, had called out the paper over the Wiener photo on Facebook. While many voters in that area of town had supported a same-sex marriage ban a decade ago, Engardio said it is now more LGBT affirming with more LGBT residents.

“The attitudes and demographics have rapidly changed on the Westside. I tell everyone what a wonderful and welcoming place it is today,” he told the B.A.R. “We should all accept the Westside Observer’s apology so the paper can focus on showing the best side of the westside.”t

Standing up to Trump

Nonetheless, Atkins pledged to continue to stand up against the president.

Newspaper

From page 1

“Shame on you for your overtly homophobic attempt to debase a debate regarding housing by inserting a photo that screams ‘You see, Sen. Wiener does not share our West Side values because he is gay.’ Is that why you oppose SB 827? Are you afraid more gay, black, Jewish, Latino, and Asians will move to the West Side?” wrote Todd David, president of the Noe Valley Democratic Club who worked on Wiener’s Senate campaign two years ago, in an email to Mitch Bull, the paper’s publisher.

Bull, who also publishes the monthly Castro Courier newspaper that covers the city’s LGBT district, informed the Bay Area Reporter Tuesday night that he agreed use of the image was “a poor decision.”

The paper, added Bull, will be issuing an apology for the photo choice on its website, Facebook page, and

t

The Westside Observer used a photo of Scott Wiener at the Folsom Street Fair with a story on his housing bill.

in the April edition.

He also said the photo would be taken down from the website, though as of Wednesday morning it was still found in the downloadable PDF version of the March issue.

“As a straight person, I know that I cannot truly appreciate the angst

we have created,” Bull wrote in an emailed reply to the B.A.R. “I have seen the difficulties of those who are gay and trans that are in my immediate family and the editor, copy editors and I discussed this at length.”

After the B.A.R. contacted Bull Monday regarding the outcry over the

Web Extra: For more queer political news, be sure to check http:// www.ebar.com Monday mornings at noon for Political Notes, the

Got a tip on LGBT politics? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 8298836 or e-mail mailto:m.bajko@ ebar.com.

t <<

Community News>>

March 22-28, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 13

Mayoral forum

From page 1

gay brother-in-law, who is involved in the local Republican Party in New Orleans where he lives, is a Log Cabin member and partly inspired Greenberg’s decision to seek Room 200 at City Hall.

“I tried to add to one of my answers that I wish today’s technology and medicine had been around earlier to be able to save all those who had died years before from AIDS. I was able to say that with PrEP, I want to make sure the community has that available to them,” said Greenberg, referring to the oncea-day medication that studies have found can prevent the transmission of HIV if taken as prescribed.

Horizons Foundation Executive Director Roger Doherty told the B.A.R. immediately after Monday’s forum he wasn’t sure why there was a dearth of LGBT-specific questions.

Overall, he said he was pleased to see more than 1,000 people turn out for the forum.

“I am glad we had the opportunity to partner with the B.A.R. and KQED to bring something to the community where they could hear about the issues and hear directly from the candidates. Even if the questions were not all LGBTQ-specific, the candidates knew who they were talking to,” said Doherty. “When a community fills up a theater like that, it shows it cares about the issues and cares about who wins.”

Susan Christian, a former cochair of the city’s Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club, told the B.A.R. she was “disappointed” that Leno was unable to make the debate, as she was looking forward to hearing his plans.

While she was pleased to hear several of the candidates discuss how they would ensure homeless individuals and others receive the mental health services they need, Christian felt too much of what the candidates discussed lacked specificity.

<<

Castro park

From page 1

due to being on a business trip in Argentina.

He expects to return home this weekend and plans to soon after convene a board meeting to elect a new president to oversee the foundation.

While the park property is under the jurisdiction of San Francisco Public Works, the artists own the artwork. The foundation is an offshoot of the Eureka Valley Neighborhood Association that was created in 2007 “as a means to support the maintenance, improvements, beautification and outreach” of the park, according to its website.

As the B.A.R. noted in a story last fall about plans to improve the park, Goldsmith is a master gardener who had volunteered to lead the foundation and oversee plans to renovate the site. It not only needed new vegetation and an irrigation system, but a number of the pylons need to be repaired and the park needs a new ADA-accessible entrance into it.

Working with the Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District, the foundation had won a $100,000 community challenge grant from the city last summer. The money was to be used to address the maintenance issues at the park and build the new entrance, while the CBD agreed to launch a fundraising drive to pay for fixing the damaged pylons, estimated to cost $40,000.

The CBD was in the middle of planning a fundraiser late last year for the park when the foundation unexpectedly informed its executive director, Andrea Aiello, that it no longer wanted to work with the CBD and asked for the grant money to be returned to the city. Nonetheless, the foundation did want the fundraiser

Bill Wilson

Mayoral candidate Mark Leno, left, talked with gay former City College of San Francisco trustee Lawrence Wong at an event in Chinatown Tuesday.

“I wish there had been more details,” said Christian.

The special mayoral election on the June 5 primary ballot is to serve out the remainder of the term of the late mayor Ed Lee, who died unexpectedly in December. Whoever wins will serve through January 8, 2020 and will need to run for a full four-year term on the November 2019 ballot.

The personal and political

At the forum former supervisor Angela Alioto, a civil rights attorney who twice before has run for mayor, had some of the best lines of the night, especially when she parried with Greenberg during a section where the candidates could ask one another a direct question. When he asked why, after being out of office for more than two decades and people not very familiar with her or her name, she was now running to be mayor, Alioto shot back, “I am never out of the spotlight.”

And later, when Greenberg said Alioto would be his second choice for mayor under the city’s instant voter runoff system, she quipped, “Wait, I thought you don’t remember me.”

Earlier, Alioto had also gotten in a dig at Shafer when he suggested to proceed, which it did and brought in $4,851 for the park project.

Goldsmith insisted this week that the grant money had never been finalized because the foundation in the fall refused to sign off on accepting the award. The issue, he said, was that the foundation was not listed in the paperwork as the sponsoring organization and the CBD as its fiscal sponsor.

“In the application they named themselves as the project administrator. They put me in a volunteer position,” said Goldsmith. “Basically, it was a hostile land grab.”

Goldsmith also said that the foundation had expected the grant amount to be $10,000 and was surprised to learn it was 10 times that amount.

“The CBD steamrolled it. It was very disappointing and upsetting,” he said. “Some people think I am a hero because I stopped the CBD’s overreach.”

Aiello told the B.A.R. this week that she “had no idea” the foundation had issues with the grant until it informed the CBD of its decision to turn down the money. She said when the initial grant application was submitted in February 2017 it did not include the foundation because at that point the board had yet to form and the EVNA had signed off on it.

“They were all too happy to have the CBD apply for the grant. They said with your blessing and support, we will use the grant and manage the improvements,” said Aiello. “In August we got notice we received the money. All of a sudden there were a lot of problems and a lot of concerns.”

After Goldsmith raised objections about the grant not only with the CBD but also city staff overseeing the funds, Aiello said the CBD board instructed her to inform the grants manager “we are bowing out.

a poet’s piazza she has spent years advocating be built in North Beach had been rejected by the city.

“The piazza is not dead. You are misinformed,” Alioto told Shafer.

Of all the candidates, Alioto most remarked on her past work on LGBT issues, from addressing AIDS during the early days of the epidemic to supporting domestic partner benefits prior to the fight for same-sex marriage. She pledged if elected mayor to ensure that the LGBT community, minority communities, and others can remain in the city.

“You need to have coalitions to make sure San Francisco keeps its cultural diversity,” said Alioto.

Board of Supervisors President London Breed faced taunts from a handful of protesters yelling that she “doesn’t care about black people.” On stage, Breed referenced how she served for six weeks as the city’s acting mayor this winter upon Lee’s death. A majority of her board colleagues in late January, however, selected former District 2 supervisor Mark Farrell to serve as mayor until the results of the June election are finalized.

“I am proud to have led the city and I am proud of the work I did,” said Breed.

She spoke of her support for opening safe injection sites in the city for intravenous drug users as one of the more controversial policy stances she has taken while on the board. And she spoke of how, as an African-American woman who grew up in the city’s public housing, it is painful not to be given credit for her own hard work to achieve her professional and political goals.

“I find it really offensive when someone like me succeeds in a position like this and it is attributed to someone else,” said Breed, referring to claims she is a puppet of wealthy, white, tech executives.

Her plan, she said, “is to be a mayor for all San Franciscans. Not to continue to divide the city as some have done.”

Like the other candidates, Breed

said a top concern for her as mayor will be to address the city’s lack of affordable housing.

“It is all about housing,” said Breed, noting she passed legislation ensuring newly built below-market-rate units go to people living nearby. “I want to make sure the housing laws we create work for the residents of the city.”

District 6 Supervisor Jane Kim plugged her fight to make City College free for city residents and securing more affordable housing in market-rate developments in the South of Market neighborhood she represents. Of all the board members over the last seven years, Kim claimed to have secured the most affordable housing units.

And she defended her stance that owners of luxury homes and apartments in the city should be taxed in order to generate money for city services and programs.

“Our real estate market is out of control and they should contribute back,” said Kim. “We should ask the people who have done well off our work to give back and to support the working class and middle class.”

The night began, in typical San Francisco political fashion, with catcalls from the crowd and mayoral candidate Amy Farah Weiss, a queer nonbinary Democrat, bum rushing the stage. Because she has yet to poll at or above 5 percent, Weiss was not invited to take part in the debate.

She showed up anyway, and after eluding security officers, made her way on stage. Shafer and Horizons staff offered her five minutes to address the audience, but they soon relented and allowed her to remain.

The decision elicited loud booing from the audience.

Standing next to Kim at first for the start of the debate, Weiss eventually was given a chair to sit in.

The advocate for affordable housing development spoke about her plan to house individuals living in tent encampments around the city.

“I am the grassroots candidate with actionable solutions,” said Weiss. t

My board said if the Eureka Valley Foundation feels it is now strong enough to take care of the park and raise its own money, then give it back to the city. So I did.”

retains legal title to the sculpture and has no intentions of transferring that title at this time,” wrote Janzen, who did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

According to foundation board members, the two letters came as a surprise and prompted them to make inquiries about the matter.

It also led to greater scrutiny of Goldsmith’s rejection of the grant money from the city, the B.A.R. has learned.

“There was, as far as I know, no plan to do anything other than maintain the park,” said Hall, who told the B.A.R. he found the correspondence “a little awkward” and “really bizarre.”

He said he thought “our plan was let’s get a plan.”

Goldsmith said the need to alter the site came from an arts conservator who had recommended to the city that the pylons be taken out for repairs and then “reset on one singular base so they are more defensible and more stable.” Not only have they been vandalized and damaged over the years, but also they are sensitive to the vibration of the adjacent roadways, said Goldsmith.

“I was trying to prevent a disaster,” he said. “I was following their recommendation because they have to come up to be repaired. The bolts are rusting. There is rebar inside the pylons that are rusting.”

He said he intends to remain involved because he wants to protect the site and ensure it is properly maintained.

“I am trying to improve the park and preserve its message to be a welcoming site for international visitors and local visitors,” said Goldsmith.

“And I am met with resistance from a few key people.”t

Other issues

Another issue arose after Goldsmith began discussing plans to reposition the layout of the memorial and it pylons with various city staff, community leaders and the artist Martin. That prompted a number of people to register concerns with the Public Works department.

Larry Stringer, deputy director of operations for the agency, sent Goldsmith and the foundation board a letter March 12 informing them that no alteration “to any of the physical elements on site” was allowed “without the prior consultation, review, and approval of our department.”

This week DPW spokeswoman Rachel Gordon told the B.A.R. that the agency sent the letter to ensure the proper process is followed for undertaking any work at the park.

“If anyone wants to change that park, they can’t just go and do it unilaterally,” she said. “Someone needs to make a formal proposal and go through the public process.

This is public land even though it is taken care of by a private group.”

Also this month Jacob Janzen, an attorney for Martin, sent a “cease and desist” letter to Goldsmith to express the artist’s opposition to seeing her artwork altered in any manner. Janzen also reminded Goldsmith that the artwork, in effect, is on loan to the city by the artists.

“It is not now, nor has it ever been Ms. Martin’s intention to transfer title of the sculpture to the EVF. Ms. Martin hereby affirms that she

Legal Notices>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-18-553705

In the matter of the application of: WUN KWAN SIU TAM, 389 HOLYOKE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner WUN KWAN SIU TAM, is requesting that the name WUN KWAN SIU TAM AKA WUN KWAN SIU AKA WUN KWAN SIU TAM, be changed to WUN KWAN SIU TAM. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 17th of April 2018 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAR 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038015600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TOGETHER WEDDING COMPANY, 1463 POWELL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed YI CHEN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/20/18.

MAR 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038023800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DEJAVU PIZZA & PASTA RESTAURANT, 3227 16TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed AUNG KYI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/26/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/26/18.

MAR 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038006600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PACIFIC VENTURES & INTRODUCTIONS, 2905 HARRISON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MA ANNA SOFIA GARCIA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/14/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/15/18.

MAR 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038004700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BUNN MIKE, 300 DEHARO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ALEX TAO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/14/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/14/18.

MAR 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038008300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MAKER & MOSS, 364 HAYES ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MATTHEW BISSINGER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/30/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/15/18.

MAR 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038005500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE HR PERSON, 550 SPRUCE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SARAH MCNAMARA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/06/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/14/18.

MAR 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038021200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: A YEAR IN AMERICA, 4175 CESAR CHAVEZ ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LAUREL ANNE ANDERSON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/01/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/23/18.

MAR 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038008500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LONG OVERDUE, 2275 MARKET ST SUITE F, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed FRANK P. REYES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/15/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/15/18.

MAR 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038021700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NORCAL SALON SUPPLIES, 1501 20TH ST UNIT B, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed MICHAEL CHAU & VI DAM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/23/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/23/18.

MAR 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038011900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WINNING COLORS INC, 850 SOUTH VAN NESS, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed WINNING COLORS INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/16/18.

MAR 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038016700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SOMA EATS 2, 121 SPEAR ST SUITE B7, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SOMA RESTAURANT GROUP, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/21/18.

MAR 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038015700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SULTAN’S KEBAB, 3915 24TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed FAMUS (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/20/18.

MAR 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038020000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CN GOLD USA INC, 150 POST ST #360, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SHANGRILA EXPRESS INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/18/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/22/18.

MAR 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018

<< Classifieds

14 • BAY AREA REPORTER • March 22-28, 2018

Legal Notices>> STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037483100

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: JIFFY DOG, 300 DE HARO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by ALEX TAO. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/23/17.

MAR 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038020300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CAPRICE ANTIQUES AND DESIGNS, 145 LAUREL ST, #4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed EVELYN HAYES VOSTI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/01/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/23/18.

MAR 08, 15, 22, 29, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038004000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ANGELA CHONG MONTAGUE ART + HAIR, 415 STOCKTON ST FL4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANGELA CHONG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/13/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/13/18.

MAR 08, 15, 22, 29, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038027500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: EL PORTENO INC, 1 FERRY BLDG, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed EL PORTENO INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/21/08. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/01/18.

MAR 08, 15, 22, 29, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038029200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SCHOOL NIGHT, 601 19TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MORTAR & MASH ONE, LLC (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/01/18.

MAR 08, 15, 22, 29, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038030200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BING & BOBA, 1476 HAIGHT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117.

This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MAISON M. LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/02/18.

MAR 08, 15, 22, 29, 2018 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037181400 The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: HALAL SF GYRO, 1390 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by MUHAMMAD AKMAL KHAN. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/18/16.

MAR 08, 15, 22, 29, 2018 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037181500 The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: HALAL SF GYRO, 1301 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by MUHAMMAD AKMAL KHAN. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/18/16.

MAR 08, 15, 22, 29, 2018

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038030500

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038024700

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038034600

MAR 15, 22, 29, APR 05, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038036100

MAR 15, 22, 29, APR 05, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038015000

MAR 15, 22, 29, APR 05, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038034300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: 2 TRIFLIN COLLECTIVE, 620 HAMILTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DOMINIQUE CLEOPE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/02/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/02/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GOWEAR LEGGINGS, 3251 20TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed IRFAN REHMAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/27/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GRIGGWEST CONSULT, 474 FREDERICK ST. #2, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CHRISTINA GRIGG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/01/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/08/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CARDONA’S FOOD TRUCK, 1390 MISSION ST #409, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed CHANO JOSE CARDONA & CIPRIANO CARDONA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/20/18.

MAR 15, 22, 29, APR 05, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038037800

MAR 15, 22, 29, APR 05, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038037300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ORTEGA-MEDINA AND ASSOCIATES, 150 POST ST #742, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ORLANDO ORTEGA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/08/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/08/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GOLDEN BAY INSURANCE AGENCY, 2826 SAN BRUNO AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed GOLDEN BAY INSURANCE INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/08/18.

MAR 15, 22, 29, APR 05, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038031400

MAR 15, 22, 29, APR 05, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038031500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MAGICECOCLEAN, 3018 MISSION ST #32, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual and is signed LILIA PRISCILA TIRADO SARMIENTO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/05/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: VELIC CONSTRUCTION, 438 HOLLOWAY AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed VELIC CONSTRUCTION INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/05/18.

MAR 15, 22, 29, APR 05, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038005600

MAR 15, 22, 29, APR 05, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038034900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CALIFORNIA AUTO GLASS, 2560 MARIN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LUIS SARAT. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/99. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/14/18.

MAR 15, 22, 29, APR 05, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038005300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SYLVAN LEARNING, 379 WEST PORTAL AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed HL LEARNING SOLUTIONS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/01/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/09/18.

MAR 15, 22, 29, APR 05, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038032200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DMB REGISTRATION SERVICE, 1640 DAVIDSON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MARTHA PATRICIA BENITEZ CASTREJON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/05/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/05/18.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038044800

MAR 15, 22, 29, APR 05, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038036500

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038037200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: L34 GROUP, 1699 VAN NESS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed PACIFIC UNION INTERNATIONAL, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/08/18.

MAR 15, 22, 29, APR 05, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038035300

MAR 15, 22, 29, APR 05, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038036600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE TRAINING ZONE STUDIO, 1428 CLEMENT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed FRANCISCO A. NIEVES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/08/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/08/18.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038044900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE RAINBOW, 4401 18TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HUSAM HABASH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/07/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/07/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PACIFIC UNION COMMERCIAL, 1699 VAN NESS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed PACIFIC UNION INTERNATIONAL, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/01/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/08/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NEILSON & MACRITCHIE INVESTIGATORS, 1161 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DONALD T. MACRITCHIE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/98. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/15/18.

MAR 15, 22, 29, APR 05, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038051000

MAR 15, 22, 29, APR 05, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038019700

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038044600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PETERSON & ASSOCIATES REALTORS, 153 9TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Jack A. Peterson. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/05/2002. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/20/18.

MAR 15, 22, 29, APR 05, 2018

Movers>>

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: R&P AUTO GLASS, 27 GRANADA AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed R&P AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/22/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/22/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HOW TO PAINT IT, 584 CASTRO ST #518, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MICHAEL TRUHILL PIERCE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/14/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/14/18.

MAR 15, 22, 29, APR 05, 2018

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018

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MAR 15, 22, 29, APR 05, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038038400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SINFUL BLISS, 27 SEARS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NICHELLE MARIE EMELIA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/01/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/15/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MAZ AUTO GLASS, 2560 MARIN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LUIS SARAT. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/14/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/14/18.

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The following person(s) is/are doing business as: 3RJ CUSTODIAL CONSTRUCTION CLEANING LLC, 280 NEWHALL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed 3RJ CUSTODIAL CONSTRUCTION CLEANING LLC (CA).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/06/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BAY ROOF COATING, 1420 YOSEMITE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BAY ROOF COATING (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03//01/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/06/18.

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The following person(s) is/are doing business as: YORAY’S, 280 NEWHALL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed YOLANDA JONES & RAYSEAN JONES SR. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/06/18.

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FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038035000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SWIVELS MERCHANDISE, 2024 RIVERA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KEVIN NGO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/26/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/06/18.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038037000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RUDY’S PLACE, 48 LUCY ST #C, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RUDY QUARLES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/08/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/08/18.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038043100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: E BUY STORE II, 2750 SAN BRUNO AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MARK SIU LEE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/13/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/13/18.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038039600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BRUNI’S SERVICES, 5 MOUNT VERNON AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed BEVERLY MEJIA & ADELINO MARTINEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/09/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/09/18.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038043300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FLYWHEEL TAXI, 1236 CARROLL AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed DE SOTO CAB COMPANY INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/13/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/13/18.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038045700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MR. EAST KITCHEN, 276 5TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103.

This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ASIAN BOWLS INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/15/18.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038045200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LE SOLEIL INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS INC., 133 CLEMENT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed LE SOLEIL INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS INC. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/15/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/15/18.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038041400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CURIO AT THE CHAPEL, 777 VALENCIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110.

This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SECOND LINE, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/12/18.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05,12, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038043800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LA PETITE NAIL SHOP, 601 KANSAS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed LA PETITE NAIL LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/13/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/13/18.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038026600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TALLIO’S COFFEE & TEA, 4912 THIRD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed TALLIO’S COFFEE & TEA (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/28/18.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037019800

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: LA PETITE NAIL SHOP, 601 KANSAS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by BOI CAM CO. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/28/16.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018

Annoucements>> SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA RAPID TRANSIT DISTRICT REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 6M5125 EXTENSION OF TIME FOR RECEIPT OF PROPOSALS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the General Manager of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District has extended the time for receipt of Proposals until the hour of 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 24, 2018 at the District Secretary’s Office, 23rd Floor, 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, California 94612, TO PROVIDE PRE-AWARD SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORTIVE SERVICES AND/OR POST AWARD SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORTIVE SERVICES, Request For Proposal No. 6M5125.

Dated at Oakland, California, this 12th day of March 2018. /S/ Patricia Williams Patricia Williams, Interim District Secretary San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District 3/22/18 CNS-3110495# BAY AREA REPORTER

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Bye, Vietnam

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Wine glasses

Endless night

Dark passages

Vol. 48 • No. 12 • March 22-28, 2018

www.ebar.com/arts

Joshua Bell led the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields at Davies Hall.

Vocalist Kyra Gordon will pay tribute to Janis Joplin and Janis Ian.

Loving two Janises

Soloists shine

by Sari Staver

by Philip Campbell

A

Phillip Knott

T Cherlyn Wagner

new show featuring jazz, rock, and folk arrangements of the iconic performers Janis Ian and Janis Joplin will premiere at Ashkenaz, the Berkeley community music and dance cafe, on Friday, March 23, at 8 p.m. Featuring vocalist Kyra Gordon with pianist Larry Steelman, “Loving Janis” will also bring back the 60s with a light show created by Kitty Crowe, who performed with the Grateful Dead.

See page 20 >>

wo chamber ensembles with brilliant soloists doing double duty as conductors made for some agreeable listening recently in bookend concerts in San Francisco. Leading British violinist Daniel Hope brought the New Century Chamber Orchestra and Zurich Chamber Orchestra together last Friday at Herbst Theatre. American superstar Joshua Bell warmed Davies Symphony Hall the prior Sunday with the renowned Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.

See page 16 >>

Foreground: Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco

Patented Rube Goldberg

by Sura Wood

A

n award-winning, self-taught artist; a punch line; a canny social satirist and raconteur: The many facets of cartoonist Rube Goldberg, a man whose name is synonymous with wacky, chain-reaction contraptions, are explored in the Contemporary Jewish Museum’s latest show, “The Art of Rube Goldberg.” Culled from an archive of 50,000 drawings, the exhibition, lightly mapping his life and career, traces the development of his style, lacerating wit and vaudevillian humor dating from the turn of the 20th century.

See page 22 >>

Rube Goldberg, “Rube Goldberg’s Inventions,” United States Postal Service Stamp included on sheet of “Comic Classics” stamps, 1995.

{ SECOND OF THREE SECTIONS }

This April, the Bay Area LGBTQ community

celebrates it’s best!

The Bay Area Reporter’s BESTIES publishes April 12, 2018

TO ADVERTISE: Call 415-829-8937 or email advertising@ebar.com Untitled-7 1

3/20/18 11:23 AM

<< Out There

16 • Bay Area Reporter • March 22-28, 2018

Magazine wrack

by Roberto Friedman

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TS HEADSHO S PORTRAIT EVENTS

StevenUnderhill PHOTOGRAPHY

StevenUnderhill.com StevenUnderhillPhotos@gmail.com 2PUB-BBB_BAR_030818.pdf STEVEN_2x3-REDESIGN.indd 1

ut There is always reading print media. Newsprint on our fingers is just mother’s milk to us. Here are a few keepers from recent media we’d like to share with you.

Gay athlete Adam Rippon was asked in The New York Times, 3/8/18, “Is the Olympic athletes’ village really like a hotbed of sexual Tinder, Grindr, everything?” He said, “Here’s the thing.

The condoms aren’t special. The reason they go through so many is because people like me take maybe 400 of them, and I have little gift bags for my friends.

They’re just like Korean – it says latex condom, but in Korean.”

“Angels in America” gay playwright Tony Kushner, in The New York Times, 3/11, reminds us that theater is hard – not just for playwrights, but for the audience. “You have to show up – you Playwright Tony Kushner on theatre: can’t watch it from your living “You have to show up.” room. You’re aware that you’re watching a bunch of people trying to remember their stuff – and is very nonsensational.” part of your sympathy involves From Dwight Garner’s “Books 3:20 PM anxiety.” of the Times” column, 3/13: “In her Bisexual actor Alan Cumming (excellent) recent book of dairies, on playing a gay lead on Tina Brown wrote about CBS’ “Instinct,” same journalists.” Oh that issue: “It’s so unusual Tina Brown, always to have someone who’s milking them heifers a fuddy-duddy prodown on the farm! fessor, but he’s also a [“American Gothic” CIA agent, and he’s a painter Grant] “Wood writer, and he drives was homosexual, a fact a motorbike, and he’s long unpublished and, gay. But the character’s even now, commonly gayness is like the fifth reported with qualifiers: most interesting thing ‘repressed,’ ‘closeted,’ about him, and the way it’s handled ‘latent,’” writes Peter Schjeldahl in

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an evening-starter for the NCCO’s “Soiree Suisse Gala,” which also honored the concert’s side-by-side participants. It proved a great way to get an early start on the weekend for audience members who did not go on to the Green Room afterwards.

Musical selections were suitably lighthearted and fairly conservative.

The NCCO opened with Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances. Zurich Chamber Orchestra followed with Mozart’s sunny Divertimento in F Major, and Hope joined as soloist for the fiery “Summer III” movement from Max Richter’s recomposed version of Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons.” Both orchestras banded together for a sumptuous reading

The New Yorker, 3/12.

“No special sleuthing is needed to winkle out his desires from his enraptured depictions of hunky men versus his stony ones of women, and the recurrent suggestion of male anatomy in his bizarre Iowa landscapes. A recent biography of the artist

by R. Tripp Evans takes gaydar to such feverish extremes that an essay

by Richard Meyer in the show’s catalogue takes pains to tone it down a little. ‘Sometimes an ear of corn is just an ear of corn,’ Meyer remarks.”

Vice, 3/13, considers the work of photographer Alexandra Leese. “’The Boys of Hong Kong,’ the documentary series and zine that came out of her trip, specifically examines masculinity in China, and the wider depiction of Asian men in photography. ‘Very often Asian men are met with a lot of prejudice and are seen as less attractive and more effeminate – whatever these stereotypes may be. I wanted to counter this and create something that celebrates a range of Asian masculine beauty. I wanted to show the world that these stereotypes are just stereotypes.’”

Lizard in barber’s chair, in “Bizarro” comic strip, 3/17: “I’ve been growing it out, but it’s a lot of trouble, so I guess go ahead and cut it short.” Barber snips off tail.t

of Edvard Grieg’s charming “From Holberg’s Time: Suite in the Old Style,” Op. 40.

After the big announcement of Both virtuosos have fame in Daniel Hope’s new appointment, their own right, but have solidified playing the achingly melancholy their careers by joining with acAdagietto from Mahler’s Fifth complished orchestras in mutually Symphony for an encore seemed beneficial partnerships. Neither the a bit strange, but the performance celebrated ASMF and Joshua Bell was breathtaking, and the audience really needed each other to carry responded with a moment of silent on, nor the established NCCO and appreciation followed by a strong Daniel Hope, but the successful standing ovation. combinations of artistic excellence Joshua Bell, named successor and show-business savvy guarantee to ASMF in 2011 after the passing continued audience interest and of legendary founder Sir Neville support.

Marriner, joined his internationally Daniel Hope’s appearance with acclaimed band to appear as part NCCO brought Zurich Chamber of the San Francisco Symphony’s Orchestra to town for a one-nightGreat Performers Series on only event (Zurich is a sister a Sunday evening at DSH. city to SF) in a “rush hour” The program was designed program which ended with to show Bell’s recognized the American organization’s strength as a soloist in a nicely search committee chair realized performance of Moand founding board presizart’s Fourth Violin Concerto, dent Paula Gambs, Board President Mark Salkind and and to highlight his skills as a Executive Director Philip conductor (from the concertWilder announcing Hope’s master’s chair) with a buoywell-deserved appointment ant and thoroughly satisfying as Music Director.

Beethoven Sixth, “Pastoral.”

It was hard to imagine The only offbeat moments NCCO without previous on the bill were supplied by leader Nadja Salernoa pleasant if unmemorable Sonnenberg (nine seasons), Overture for Violin and Orbut Hope followed her as chestra (2017) by Bell’s friend, interim artistic leader in American composer Edgar 2017 and quickly proved his Meyer, and the violinist’s emworthiness. For those who ployment of his own cadenhave not seen him perform zas in the Mozart Concerto. or wonder at the swiftness There was nothing superficial of the new appointment, or overly careful about the check out some of his many performances, though I could exciting recordings (over 25 have used a little more abanand counting) or catch him don in Beethoven’s trip to the in clips on the internet. Like country. We always enjoy any Nadja, Hope is adept at jugchance of hearing Beethoven gling concertmaster duties or Mozart. and conducting, as well as As proof of the ongoing taking some passionate solo success of the partnership beTibor Bozi turns. He may be cooler ontween Bell and the Brits, or the stage, but he has an equally Daniel Hope was appointed Music Director of immortality of great music, the the New Century Chamber Orchestra. magnetic presence. concert proved a predictably The recent program was heartwarming success.t

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<< Theatre

18 • Bay Area Reporter • March 22-28, 2018

Transplanted lives

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by Richard Dodds

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EXPLORE THE GAY WORLD

t’s hard to imagine that there are many angles left to explore about the Vietnam War, but playwright Qui Nguyen is mining fresh and fertile territory in “Vietgone” at ACT’s Strand Theater. Most of the play takes place in the days, weeks, and months after the fall of Saigon, and while its characters are almost all Vietnamese, the setting is not Southeast Asia but a bleak corner of Arkansas. It was at the Fort Chaffee army facility that many South Vietnam evacuees got their first taste of America, and as one character sardonically notes, “It doesn’t live up to its travel brochures.”

There is a grudging acknowledgment that it’s better than being slaughtered, but their chaotic departure from their homeland was neither planned nor sought after, and the culture shock of this sudden relocation is profound. Some characters want to make their way back to Vietnam, some are bitterly complacent, and there is at least one character who wants to embrace her new homeland. These struggles play out not as samplings of an exotic culture, but instead have their roots in gritty Americana.

We are advised at the top of the play by a stand-in for the playwright that we will not only hear the Vietnamese characters speaking their native language as if it were colloquial English, but also in the idioms of 2018 rather than 1975. And this mouthpiece for Nguyen wants us to know, in he-doth-protest-too-much fashion, that the story we are about to see has nothing to do with his Vietnamese parents, whose American story also began in Arkansas.

There are serious moments, about life in America and in flashbacks to Vietnam, but many of the situations are humorous, at times raucously so, and heavily seasoned with romantic situations. When Americans talk to the refugees in English, we hear it through uncomprehending Vietnamese ears as a broken collection of nonsense words. “Yeehaw! Get’er done, cheeseburger, waffle fries, cholesterol,” barks one American officer to the new arrivals aboard an aircraft carrier.

Kevin Berne

Jenelle Chu and James Seol play recent Vietnam evacuees who start a rocky romance at an Arkansas army base in ACT’s “Vietgone.”

While the default setting is Fort Chaffee in the weeks after the evacuation, the play jumps around in time and locale as one pair of characters tries to make their way from Arkansas to Camp Pendleton, where they naively think they can arrange passage back to a country that has just run American and allied forces out.

The playwright displays many playful sides at various stops along this road trip, with an encounter with redneck bikers that evolves into some kung-fu fighting, then a pair of hippies who provide free love and a doobie.

The leader of this road trip was a helicopter pilot trained by the Americans who is ostensibly trying to return to his wife and children, but who is also fleeing the complications of a love affair that he has begun with a free-thinking fellow refugee back in Arkansas. These two characters provide the heart of a story that is heavily populated with other characters played by actors in multiple roles. But a charismatic James Seol and an easily magnetic Jenelle Chu play Quang and Tong throughout, and they pull us into their journeys that range from sar-

donic realism to a movie-collage fantasy to rap-based soliloquies.

Among the actors with multiassignments, Jomar Tagatac scores strongly with his performances as an awkward American soldier trying to court Tong and as the hippie dude whom Quang meets on his westward journey, while Stephen Hu scores in his role as Quang’s more sensible traveling companion. Cindy Im’s main role as Tong’s always-carping mother is the one character who seems stuck in cliches.

Director Jaime Castaneda’s production captures the many moods of Nguyen’s play, including a powerful coda between the aged Quang and his playwriting son that challenges what most of us have come to think that the Vietnam War represents. It’s not enough to upend its unhappy legacy, but there are actually bright notes that we can at long last see.t “Vietgone” will run through April 22 at the Strand Theater. Tickets are $25-$90.

Call (415) 749-2228 or go to actsf.org.

Vineyard roots

by David Lamble

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Best Breakfast & Best Late-Night Restaurant Celebrating our 40th year!

he new film “Back to Burgundy” will best be appreciated by true wine-lovers, but even if you are, like me, a dedicated Diet Coke-head, there’s a lot to savor in this melancholy comedy-drama from veteran French director Cedric Klapisch.

Known by many indie-film buffs as the creator of 2002’s “L’Auberge Espagnol” (“The Spanish Apartment”), about a group of college students from many countries who share vacation digs, Klapisch has a real talent for corralling large ensembles of actors from varied backgrounds, a skill that serves him very well in “Back to Burgundy.”

The plot involves two brothers and a sister who grow up in the shadow of the Burgundy region’s fabled vineyards and the loyalty they command from both consumers and growers. We meet Jean (Pio Marmai) as he returns home from a decade’s absence, mostly in a winegrowing region of Australia where he’s acquired a girlfriend and cute five-year-old son. Jean is back to see his dying father, a stiff-necked patriarch he’s long been alienated from.

Jean’s younger and very handsome brother Jeremie (Francois Civil) and strong-willed sister Juliette (Ana Girardot) find themselves facing huge

Music Box Films

Francois Civil as Jeremie, Pio Marmai as Jean, and Ana Girardot as Juliette in “Back to Burgundy.”

inheritance taxes unless they can sell part of the family’s Burgundy wine groves. In order to sell, the siblings have to find a way to get back on the same page, something that hasn’t happened since they were kids.

The film’s strengths are in Klapisch’s ability to crawl inside each of the siblings, unearthing long-buried resentments and regrets. The filmmakers also revel in showing what makes Burgundy tick, providing a great lesson for Jean on why it’s hard to go home again.

There are no special “homo hooks” except for Jeremie’s radiant beauty and the fact that his character has the spunk to tell off a neighboring patriarch who’s out to wrestle away a key part of their family’s domain on the cheap. At 113 minutes, it may feel a tad long for those not totally wine-driven, but “Back to Burgundy” is that rare art-house fare that overcomes our resistance to subtitles. In French, with a smattering of English, opens Friday.t

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Film>>

March 22-28, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 19

Vintage workers’ woes at the Roxie

by Erin Blackwell

H

ollywood has at times articulated the nation’s social woes.

“The Dark Side of the Dream: Subversive Cinema for Subversive Times, 1933-1964” is the provocative title of a mini-fest of old studio potboilers centered on the dangers of being employed. The workingclass stars in 12 films depicting management as oppressive and workers as bamboozled by flacks and financiers. What a comfort to find things have always been as bad as they are now! Kidding. Back then we had telephone operators, milkmen, and metal workers. See em all, Friday through Monday, starting March 23 at the Roxie.

Marked Woman (1937) Bette Davis is at the top of her game, brimming with kinetic energy as a woman fighting for her right to exist in a man’s world. Her eyes are electro-magnetic, her smile ironic, her gowns by Orry-Kelly. When her young and innocent sister is murdered, Bette plays mongoose to her gangland pimp’s cobra (a prunelipped Eduardo Ciannelli). He plays rough, she hangs tough, and you take the rollercoaster ride of Robert Rossen and Abem Finkel’s five-act plea for sex workers. Humphrey Bogart as the crusading district attorney tones down his tendency to mania, limiting the sparks. (3/24, 9 p.m.)

Black Legion (1937) Hum(3/25, 8:30 p.m.) phrey Bogart was no ordinary Naked Kiss (1964) Conleading man; he relished roles stance Towers stars as a prosthat delved deep into the paratitute who’s good at beating noid psyches of little men. Brapeople about the head, has vado, sarcasm, and a volatile an innate gift for orthopedic temper barely mask his wounded nursing, and swiftly snags the vanity, the chip on his shoulder, most eligible bachelor in the and a febrile brain scheming to small town that gives her a outwit imagined enemies. He’s second chance. One hour into the perfect patsy for a local fascist this turgid Sam Fuller fantasia club modeled on the KKK. Writer graced by screen veterans Betty Abem Finkel’s high-tension Bronson and Virginia Grey plus melodrama about the right to brazenly wooden male co-stars, work skewers every native-born the wedding is suddenly off. chump’s latent xenophobia.

Telling you why would spoil the Bogey makes some bad choices film’s jaw-dropping plot twist. that get him into a tight corner That thrill lasts a moment; Courtesy Roxie with the pointy-hooded thugs. there’s still 30 minutes to go.

Bette Davis is at the top of her game in “Marked Woman,” part of (3/23, 9 p.m.)

Equal parts creepy and maudHeroes for Sale (1933) Rich- The Dark Side of the Dream. lin. (3/24, 7 p.m.) ard Barthelmess is a sensitive guy M (1951) Joseph Losey’s atFace in the Crowd (1957) Writer a cynical postmodern version of: tempt to remake Fritz Lang’s trying to live honorably, even Budd Schulberg’s rigorous satire of Meet John Doe (1941) Director 1931 blood-curdler is a fan letter when his WWI battlefield valor TV is served up with pathos by diFrank Capra has two impeccable that loses a lot in translation from earns him shrapnel to the spine and rector Elia Kazan and a Who’s Who leads, Gary Cooper and Barbara pre-Hitler Berlin to red-scare L.A. a morphine habit, while his buddy of acting. Patricia Neal breaks your Stanwyck, to sell this fable of a popuPoor David Wayne cannot fill Peter gets the medal. Clerking in a bank, heart, while Andy Griffith repulses list uprising that threatens to subvert Lorre’s shoe fetish as the kidnapper his nerves shredded, his version of you. This brainy film is a crash politics-as-usual. He’s got good eggs of kiddies who get a free balloon events is dismissed as the ravings course in mind control by mass James Gleason and Spring Byington in exchange for being offed. Losey of a dope fiend. That’s already a lot media. As one character opines, “In and bad egg Edward Arnold to represtages iconic sequences minus of plot, but this homage to workers’ every strong and healthy society resent the best of human nature and Lang’s precision and panache. Angst rights has many uplifting and downfrom the Egyptians on, the mass had its eternal opposite, big money. What is hard to fake. Raymond Burr is so shifting developments in store. The to be guided with a strong hand by a he doesn’t quite have is a script. SerDamon Runyon. Even Luther Adler sublime Aline MacMahon reliably responsible elite. In TV we have the mons and sentiment slow this twocan’t make sense of the drunken distracts from creaking plot points, greatest instrument for mass perhour epic, but you’ll enjoy its clearintellectual. You do get to see the convincing you the film’s heart’s suasion in the history of the world.” eyed takedown of the demagoguery fabulous Bradbury Building. (3/24, in the right place, and that’s what (3/25, 6 p.m.) Could be considered that exploits grassroots activism.

3:45 p.m.)t counts! (3/25, 1:30 p.m.)

Forced to live in darkness

by David-Elijah Nahmod

I

n 2007 John Kapellas, a gay man who lives in the Mission, was forced to permanently retreat to his apartment after his body began to develop painful rashes whenever he was exposed to natural or artificial light. Kapellas now spends all of his time indoors with a flashlight as his only source of light. It is in this strange dark world that he has built a whole new life for himself.

Kapellas is the subject of “How To Make a Pearl,” Jason Hanasik’s short documentary. It’s a fascinating portrait of a strong, brave man who accepts his fate and makes the best of a situation most people would find unbearable. He spends a lot of his time drawing, creating beautiful images on the walls of his home. A former boyfriend stops by to bring him groceries. He watches TV and shares stories from his past: his childhood, his coming out story, and the losses of his friends during the peak years of the AIDS crisis. These stories are illustrated with videos from Kapellas’ archive of home movies.

Filmmaker Hanasik spoke to the B.A.R. about why he chose to bring Kapellas’ story to the screen.

“I was drawn to John Kapellas because I thought his life experiences and the way he had navigated the past and was finding his way

through the present were a special kind of medicine,” he said, “a medicine that might be useful for both trauma survivors and those navigating their own versions of an endless night. I also saw him as a really intriguing queer character. Not only is John gay, but the life he’s being forced to lead is far from normal.

He’s doing it with a special shade of grace, generosity and creativity.”

Hanasik recalled how Kapellas came into his life. “John is a friend of my best friend,” he said. “While I’ve known my best friend for quite some time, I did not meet John until 2015. When I first met him and entered his space I didn’t immediately think, ‘I’m going to make a film with him.’ There were the technical hurdles of filming in almost complete darkness, but also, at the time, I didn’t know his back story, and while a person living in the dark is curious, it’s not enough of a reason for me to make a film.”

The more he learned about Kapellas, the more fascinated Hanasik became. “In 2016, after visiting John a few times, I learned more about his back story and realized that I could overcome the technical hurdles.

More importantly, I discovered a person whose story intersected with some of the questions we’re asking about trauma, abuse, and thriving beyond survival.”

Hanasik soon came to admire his subject. “John is probably one of the most curious and loving men I’ve ever met,” he said. “So when I asked him if I could make a film about him, he immediately said yes and was excited to go on the adventure.

“I made a conscious decision not to make a medical documentary,” Hanasik said. “I think we have more to learn from him as a person than a diagnosis or medical condition.” He noted that there aren’t any answers as to whether or not Kapellas might be able one day to emerge from the dark.

Hanasik explained what he was trying to convey by making “Pearl.”

“For the past 10 years I’ve lost a major member of my blood or chosen family,” he said. “I saw that he, like me, was walking among the living while also spending a fair amount of time with the dead.

When I went looking for films that helped me understand how to spend more time with the living and in the present, and what to do with the pain and trauma that had intersected with my life, I didn’t immediately locate them. Instead I found movies which focused more on the road to a traumatic experience and not necessarily how to navigate a life living with it.”

Then he met Kapellas. “As I got

to know John I could see that he had found, or was forced to find, his concept of pearling. This was the story I want to shepherd into culture. Each section of John’s life discussed in the film, and how John and his circle have navigated it, has little pearls of wisdom that will resonate with different sections of the audiences who have seen it.”t “How To Make a Pearl” is now available for free online viewing: https://www.theguardian.com/ artanddesign/ng-interactive/2018/ mar/02/how-to-make-a-pearl-thesan-francisco-man-who-lives-indarkness

This April, the Bay Area LGBT community

celebrates it’s best!

2018 Bay Area Reporter readers voted this year in more than 100 categories for their favorite people, places and things to do in the San Francisco Bay Area. The results of their votes will publish in our BESTIES 2018 edition, the LGBTQ Best of the Bay, on April 12, 2018. In this issue, our largest edition each Spring, you’ll find results for our readers’ choices in Community, Weddings & Destinations, Shopping & Services, Arts & Culture, Nightlife, and of course, Romance and Sexuality.

ALIGN YOUR BRAND WITH THE BEST! Space reservations are now being accepted.

Jason Hanasik

John Kapellas is the subject of “How To Make a Pearl.”

Call Scott Wazlowski, VP Advertising at 415 829 8937 or email scott@ebar.com for more information

<< Books

20 • Bay Area Reporter • March 22-28, 2018

Spiritual ecstasy in retreat

by Tim Pfaff

S

tephen Hawking died a few days ago confident that, regarding his personal future, “This is it,” and the Internet hasn’t shut up about God since.

In her just-published book of essays “What Are We Doing Here?” Marilynne Robinson writes, “Religion could quiet our antagonisms if we let it be what it is fundamentally and at best.” We of the opiated masses stretched between those poles remain God-bothered from here to there.

Spiritual agonies and ecstasies of several kinds are the subjects of Stephen Hough’s new, first novel, “The Final Retreat” (Sylph Editions).

All the overtones of the word “retreat” reverberate as in Debussy’s shimmering harmonies on Hough’s recent CD, but here they are adamantly earthbound. The grubbiest retreat, Craigbourne, is a down-at-the-heels remote country house where Catholic priests in crises about their “vocation,” quiet and otherwise, are “invited.” There are no double rooms.

Father Joseph Flynn, Hough’s protagonist, drives himself to Craigbourne in a dismal rainstorm, but he is driven there on the hot poker of a sex scandal. He has been threat-

ened with blackmail by William, the most recent in a series of rent boys he has sought out for succor. After surprisingly sensational sex with William, he breaks a worldly rule: he goes back, gets obsessed and, stripped of his better judgment, convinces himself he can help the drug-addicted boy.

If you’ve spent any time around churchy types, you know this guy.

If you’re gay and of a certain age, you may even indulge Father Joseph – “Peter” to the rent boys – who’s ditched the vow of celibacy that

hasn’t ditched him. “I rarely meet someone for sex without money changing hands.” If there’s room in your heart for the disgraced clergy, you love him, albeit uneasily.

The best novelists make all of their characters fundamentally sympathetic. That doesn’t mean readers approve of their thoughts, words or deeds, but understand where they come from. Taken to its logical extreme, even the characters readers revile are people whose insides they know.

High on the list of distasteful people in Hough’s cast is Father Neville, his assigned pro-tem spiritual advisor at Craigbourne. There’s little to like in Jiyang Chen this shriveled, self-righteous, lit“The Final Retreat” author erally self-flagellating, pompous snoop. But, miracle of miracles, Stephen Hough. with each of his morning appearthe parish; a mother with her cubs; ances, you’re more sympathetic a conduit for blessings not my own; for this man who cloaks his personal a bringer of joy not my own.” Now fears in doctrine. Unlike Father Johe’s trapped in an aging body with seph, you even start looking forward a riven mind and a tormented soul. to his morning visits, if only to witThe stuff Father Neville would ness the new day’s charade. love to hear all about is vouchsafed For Father Joseph, being Godto the reader, who is given more to possessed is constitutional. “I actusavor than the string of rent boys ally feel like a priest to my core,” he Father Joseph turns to for rueful reflects as he looks out past the gates succor. The sex writing is as frank, of this dreary, fake Eden. “I can’t rerank and sticky as anything in Garth ally explain it except as an instinct, of Greenwell’s “What Belongs to You,” care, of protection: an arm around a book it also mirrors in its emotional candor.

The novel has an intricate, unsurprisingly musical structure that doesn’t require a Schenkerian analysis to make you succumb. It poses as a diary Fr. Joseph obediently keeps during the retreat, framed by memoranda first panicked, then morti-

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Loving Janis

From page 15

Gordon, a 37-year-old Oakland native, told the B.A.R. the idea for the show stemmed from an experience she had two decades ago. As a 17-year-old living in Los Angeles, she was asked to audition for the role of Janis Joplin in a film project, “Piece of My Heart” for Paramount Pictures. Although the project was scrapped, Gordon said she hung onto the script with the thought that she might someday put together her own show.

“I was heartbroken when the project was aborted, but I have spent the last 20 years hoping I could revive the idea in a show,” she said. Also a longtime fan of Janis Ian, Gordon said “their songs have been part of the fabric of my life.”

“They were both strong female bandleaders facing all of the challenges that go along with being a woman in the public eye,” she said.

“They both fascinate and inspire me, and I look to them for advice from their words and music as I navigate the challenges myself.”

Among the songs in the show are classics “At Seventeen,” “Jesse,” “Piece of My Heart” and “Bobby McGee.” Last year, after performing a tribute to Janis Joplin called “Turtle Blues,” Gordon decided she wanted to create a “Janis tribute” that would contrast Joplin’s work with that of folk singer-songwriter Janis Ian. While Gordon’s admiration for Joplin was “all about her charisma as a performer and the trance of the performance,” her admiration for Ian stemmed from the “stories she told about life and the human experience.

“I felt a real kinship and connection to Janis Joplin. As a young woman, she wasn’t the norm, but her attitude was, ‘I don’t fit in and I’m going all the way with it.’” Gordon said she also “never fit anyone’s

t

fied. It rapidly becomes the opposite of the priests’ self-described numbing hours in the confessional, hearing vaguely recounted misdeeds and dispensing nostrums and Hail Marys. It digs to the core.

Not only do we get the full span of Fr. Joseph’s coming out, we witness a mother-son relationship worthy of D.H. Lawrence. Joseph’s father is crushed under a bus in Rome (!) on his parents’ honeymoon shortly after he has been conceived – “I owed my existence to a 12-hour window” – and his mother never remarries.

This is not a plot twist that every first-time novelist could pull off.

Cunningly, Hough springs it well into the book and reports it in a single sentence, by which time it less startles than “explains everything.”

It’s a perfectly timed reminder to the reader that however common many of its elements, our Father’s experience is singular.

Its core revelation is related by the book’s most compassionate, wise and realistic cleric, Bishop Bernard, who speaks from experience. “I know this is going to seem completely mad in your present state of distress,” he tells his broken brother, “but I think this is a special moment of grace for you. You have reached the very bottom of the pit. There’s nowhere to escape. And Christ, who faced suffering and disgrace and death, is waiting there for you.”

Hough, himself a convert to Catholicism, is likely reporting as much as imagining. No one wants him to quit his night job, but if “The Final Retreat” indicates what he can do with stolen time, neither is he a thief anyone would want apprehended.t vision of what was beautiful or appropriate.”

Gordon was drawn to Ian because “she chose to dedicate her life to being a songwriter and a master of her craft. Her lyrics are poetry. They conjure up such vivid imagery.”

While many of Ian’s better-known songs were written in the 1960s and 70s, her songs “are timeless and feel as relevant today as ever.” Several years ago, Gordon sent her a video clip of her performance of Ian’s song, “Ruby.” Ian sent back a note of encouragement, pointing out that “it was a hard song to sing, and you sang it bravely.”

In addition to rehearsing her new show, Gordon keeps busy with regular gigs. The first vocalist to graduate from the California Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley, Gordon has been teaching vocal performance courses at her alma mater, as well as teaching music to over 400 students in the Richmond public school system.

A founding member of the Bay Area’s hip-hop collective “The Freeze,” Gordon also plays keyboards and sings lead vocals for the original funk project “Captain Input,” and performs weekly solo shows at San Francisco’s Rite Spot.

Performing with Gordon at the upcoming show at Ashkenaz will be pianist Larry Steelman, a composer and musician who has worked with Johnny Mathis and Natalie Cole; bassist Paul Eastburn, a San Francisco multi-instrumentalist freelance musician; drummer Alan Hall, who also teaches at the Calfornia Jazz Conservatory; and guitarist Matthew Charles Heulitt. Kitty Crowe, who created her first liquid projection light show out of the contents of her kitchen in 1966 for the “Trips Festival” in San Francisco, will produce a light show.t Tickets are $17 in advance, $20 at the door. Info: www. ashkenaz.com/eventcalendar.

t

Books>>

March 22-28, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 21

Intimate access to Elizabeth Bishop

by Garland Richard Kyle

Elizabeth Bishop – A Miracle for Breakfast, by Megan Marshall; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $30

T

here are few lesbian couples who are as famous, highly regarded, and talked about in Rio de Janeiro as American Pulitzer and National Book Award honoree poet Elizabeth Bishop and Brazilian “modernist designer” Maria Carlotta Constallotta de Macedo Soares. Their passionate love affair of 17 years, subsequent “calamitous breakup,” and Soares’ premature death by a drug overdose are what many complex social and rich cultural lives are made of.

While there have been many biographies written about Bishop, Megan Marshall’s A Miracle for Breakfast is a compelling read, the author having gained access to a “cache of letters” discovered after the death of Bishop’s last lover, the much younger Alice Methfessel, in 2009. These are personal entrees into Bishop’s most intimate life – from the death of her father when she was only eight years old, to her mother’s descent into madness, and her being shuttled through childhood between grandparents in Nova Scotia and Massachusetts, to her many lovers, and even letters to her psychoanalyst.

I suspect Bishop would not have ap-

preciated the public sharing of such revelations, for she was intensely private, “famously self-depreciating and famously shy.”

The poet’s love of women was hardly fleeting. One of her first summer “outings” began at Camp Chequesset with an audacious “swimming instructor” known as “Mike.” Sensing their evolving mutual physical and emotional attraction, Mike had her young protege reassigned to her cabin while the affair seemed to flourish, sadly drifting apart come summer’s end. Bishop would go on to have love affairs with many other women along with the infamous Soares, inspiring her to write some 100 poems, and essays and short stories. She “published a modest book of verse once a decade.”

Some of her closest friends were also some of her greatest promoters, who encouraged her publication in The New Yorker and ascension to a teaching position at Harvard. Both were hard for the self-conscious Bishop, frustrated with the maledominated Harvard and with The New Yorker, which “maintained a strict code of suitable topics” on which to publish. Homosexuality was not one of them.

Seeing herself increasingly marginalized as both a woman and a lesbian, Bishop accepted a position at the Library of Congress as a “poetry consultant” at the height of the

Cold War. During her tenure, there were constant threats of upholding “morality and decency,” along with an extended campaign to “purge the perverts” in an obsessive search for Communist Party members and their sympathizers.

While she published only 100 poems in her lifetime, Bishop left behind many unfinished drafts and unpublished poems, essays, and short stories, receiving many honoree degrees and fellowships, including a Guggenheim. Her first payment as a writer was a $5 gold piece for an essay she wrote at the age of 12, in a contest sponsored by the American Legion entitled, “Essay on Americanism.”

2011 marked the 100th anniversary of the poet’s birth. It was greeted by an “enormous critical reputation and great overall popularity,” according to George Monteiro in his book Elizabeth Bishop in Brazil and After. The publication of dozens of editions of her poetry, prose, letters, drawings and paintings, and of the requisite biographies and monographs, was a long overdue tribute. I wonder what Bishop would have thought of all this attention.

In 1951, it was Lota’s “impulsive” invitation that prompted her to stay

in Rio, in Lota’s Copacabana penthouse during the construction of a house in Petropolis, in the mountains above the sweltering city, where the rich retreated to escape the summer’s heat. Brazil had a long history of tolerance, abolishing sodomy laws after independence in 1830. Bishop had lived in Key West, and after Lota’s death, in San Francisco. She immersed herself in these places and relished their multicultural societies and unique characteristics, including “the really lofty vagueness of Brazil,”

with its “complete confusion” and its “extremely affectionate people.”

Bishop’s gratitude for Lota’s hospitality and kindness was telling in her poem “The Shampoo”: “And since the heavens will attend/As long on us,/ You’ve been, dear friend,/Precipitate and pragmatical;/And look what happens. For time is/ Nothing if not amenable.”

Brazil and Lota thoroughly changed Bishop’s life and work, from the children of the favelas to the smell of coffee, to the estudio Lota built for her, where she lived openly with her Brazilian lover. In America, she felt her reputation was on the line – thus many biographies perceived her as being “closeted.” One commentary on her life described her as “anchored by whiskey and works.”

The death of Lota, of a drug overdose, seemed to haunt Bishop for her remaining years – she referred to it as the “big black wave.” Grief consumed her as she tried to complete an “Elegy,” a heartbreaking tribute to Lota, all to no avail: “No coffee can wwake yo/no coffee cane wakeyou no coffee/can wake you.”

To Bishop, the tempestuous Lota was “small, impulsive, and imperious,” “and finally, too impatient to live.”t

girl trying to save an injured seagull on a Long Island beach. A half-century later, “Keep the Change” deftly demonstrates how far we have and haven’t come in accepting people with what can be, for “normal folks,”

vertigo-producing disabilities. A minor complaint: “Keep the Change” skirts but doesn’t delve deeply into the subject of gay autistic men, leaving a meaty subject for some really brave filmmaker. Opens Friday.t

Along the spectrum

by David Lamble

I

n “Keep the Change,” New York City-based writer-director Rachel Israel expands an earlier short film.

It’s a sensitive but realistic portrait of a man and a woman dating along the autism spectrum in today’s overpriced and socially challenging NYC, exploring their chances for fully realized lives, including a stab at romance. The 2017 Castro Theatre opening-night feature for the 37th San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, “Change” plays the Roxie (Friday for a week) at a moment when Freddie Highmore’s witty Golden Globe-nominated performance as an autistic surgeon on “The Good Doctor” has cast new light on a long-ignored minority.

The film gets off to a wobbly first act as we meet David (Brandon Polansky), a sarcastic, high-functioning young man, as he tries to sweettalk the family chauffeur into letting him duck his mom’s injunction that he join a weekly autistic support group. Up to now, David has met women through online dating sites.

Invariably he fails to meet their expectations, and each encounter ends with him a little more humiliated.

At the autistic group, consisting of a dozen men and women drawn from Manhattan’s Upper West Side, David’s worst fears take shape in

the person of Sarah (Samantha Elisofan), a young woman who is overly needy and a little too eager to join David for a class assignment to navigate the Brooklyn Bridge.

Predictably, David (wearing sunglasses indoors) panics, bolting for the elevator with the tag-line “Have a good life.” Later Sarah tracks him down, shaming him into completing their project on the bridge. It’s here that they start to treat each other with a mix of affection and oddball disdain.

David and Sarah are perfect, at times almost cringe-inducingly so, as the autistic couple who try and fail repeatedly to establish a connection that fits their situation. While they have a powerful sexual chemistry, they are at odds on almost everything else. A highlight of their dating involves David blowing $900 on a high-end restaurant date that infuriates his parents.

To her credit, writer-director Israel doesn’t pull her punches or make things easier for the non-autistic viewer. From the first scene, where David tries to con his chauffeur, to a near-meltdown final scene fumbling for exact bus change, Israel allows us to see David and Sarah as they see themselves, and as a liberal, Jewish, but still cruel community perceives them, as a, God forbid, possible married couple.

Courtesy Kino Lorber

Samantha Elisofon, Nicky Gottlieb, and Brandon Polansky in a scene from “Keep the Change.”

In the 1960s New York-based director Frank Perry tackled similar edgy romantic fictions in films like “David and Lisa” and “Last Summer,” where two teen boys and a girl first embrace and then punish an odd

<< DVD

22 • Bay Area Reporter • March 22-28, 2018

Everyday people in captured images

by Brian Bromberger

F

ew people have embodied a lifelong passion for images more than 89-year-old Agnes Varda, described as the grandmother of the French New Wave, the director of such classics as “La Pointe Courte,” “Cleo from 5 to 7” and “Vagabond,” which incorporated shooting on location, and using everyday people as subjects and actors. Varda was also married for 28 years to the famed gay director Jacques Demy, who made “Umbrellas of Cherbourg.” This year she received a lifetime achievement Oscar, but she is hardly resting on her laurels.

Varda’s “Faces Places” has just been released on DVD by the Cohen Media Group, and we can see what a valentine gift it is to cinema. For the first time, she is collaborating with a co-director, JR, a self-described “photograffeur” who has traveled throughout

Europe in his Inside Out Project photo van, taking gigantic pictures of people he meets, then pasting them on buildings, trains, and ships. He is an environmental graf-

Rube Goldberg, “Amusement Park,” ink on paper (c. 1920).

<<

Rube Goldberg

From page 15

The show features original artwork for cartoons with snappy titles like, “If the Hat Doesn’t Fit, It Isn’t Always the Hat’s Fault,” “Mike and Ike – They Look Alike,” “Lala Palooza” and “Boob McNutt”; a cache of photographs and home movies; the invention drawings for which he’s best known – more on those goodies later – and examples of his brief tango with the advertising trade and successful foray into editorial cartooning. “Peace Today,” which depicts a huge atomic bomb

teetering on a precipice above an abyss of global oblivion, won him a Pulitzer in 1948, while “The Great Upside Down Philosopher,” a 1950 drawing of an inverted Joseph Stalin holding a paper that decrees top is bottom, black is white, far is near and day is night, high is low, cold is hot, yes is no, etc., has a curious resonance with our current political predicament.

A native San Franciscan, Goldberg, whose father was the county sheriff in the 1890s, attended Lowell High School, and, though he had his heart set on becoming an illustrator, graduated with a respect-

fiti artist who creates large-scale public art challenging conventional advertising. Compared to Banksy and called the Cartier-Bresson of the 21st century, he is known for his trademark porkpie hat and dark glasses, which he wears everywhere.

Varda’s daughter Rosalie introduced her to JR, recognizing they were kindred spirits.

They travel in JR’s van to small villages in France one week per month, choosing their itinerary on whims, meeting people, hearing their stories, then taking humongous photos, displaying them on stores, houses, barns, and factories.

Their subjects include the sole surviving daughter of a miner whose house is waiting to be torn down though she refuses to leave; goat farmers debating whether they should remove the animals’ horns to make them less aggressive; and JR’s 100-year-old grandmother.

At the port of Le Havre, they meet women married to longshoreman, pasting their photos on a towering block of stacked containers. Varda exclaims, “JR is fulfilling my greatest desire, to meet new faces and photograph them so they don’t fall down the holes of my memory.”

They discover the hidden grave of Henri Cartier-Bresson and pay their respects. They recreate the famous scene from Jean Luc-Godard’s “Band of Outsiders,” with JR running through the Louvre gallery pushing Varda in a wheelchair.

They revisit some sites from Varda’s films, such as the village of Cherence in Normandy, where they attach a visage of the late fashion photographer Guy Bordin, who once worked for Varda, onto a concrete bunker. They return the next day to witness how the tide has removed it. Varda comments, “The image has vanished. We’ll vanish, too.” Varda and JR become friends, she chiding him to take off his glasses, which remind her of

t

Godard, and he retorting that her two-toned bowl haircut of white on top and burgundy on the bottom is a costume as well. This incident will lead them to Switzerland to visit her old friend Godard, providing a bittersweet yet triumphant finale.

Varda and JR have taken ordinary people they meet whom we often ignore, and compel us to see them in a new light, as well as to contemplate how location helps us create our own identities. On the surface the film is fanciful, promoting French joie de vivre, but underneath it is elegiac – one scene shows Varda being given eye injections to combat a disease that is slowly blinding her – raising profound questions such as the passage of time, the vagaries of memory, art’s durability, how friends change, impermanence, and death. Varda: “I’m looking forward to it. Because that’ll be that.”

If “Faces Places” is Varda’s valedictory swan song, it is irresistible and wise as it plumbs the mystery and beauty of being human.t

ing continues to reign. Where is he wasn’t long before Hollywood beckoned, and now when we really need him? in 1930, Goldberg tried Though they constitute only a his hand at screenwritfraction of his output, Goldberg’s ing. He designed sets screwball invention drawings steal and penned the script for the show, much as they defined him the first Three Stooges in the public mind and overshadmovie, “Soup to Nuts,” owed the rest of his work. As a way where he made a cameo to be remembered, however, it’s not appearance, and he influhalf-bad. These popular parodies enced the classic feedingare the reason he entered the lexicon machine sequence and and rated an entry (an adjective) self-operating napkin in Merriam-Webster’s dictionary. that appeared in Chaplin’s Enlisting his aptitude for slapstick “Modern Times.” In 1995, gags and rendered in a faux diagrammatic style aping U.S. patent the Postal Service honapplications, they detail ludicrously ored the latter invention, complicated, zany machines, comperhaps his most famous, plete with operating instructions, with a commemorative he once characterized as “a symbol postage stamp. But Goldberg didn’t warm to Holof man’s capacity for exerting maxilywood, and soon returned mum effort to achieve minimal reto his New York stomping sults,” and “satirical representations grounds. Still, his reach of progressive nothing.”

Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco into the movies would be “In black-and-white, I consider long: “Chitty Chitty Bang myself the most prolific inventor Bang,” “PeeWee’s Big Adtoday,” he opined in 1930. “I turn venture,” “Final Destinaloose roughly 400 inventions a year.” able engineering degree from UC tion,” “Back to the Future” His drawings offer helpful tips like Berkeley in 1904. Sidetracked early and “Wallace and Gromit” relied on avoiding the landlord by submergfrom that pragmatic career path, he Goldberg-style machines in their ing in your private submarine, and landed a job as a sports cartoonist at storylines, and directors from Wes step-by-step solutions to annoying the San Francisco Chronicle, moved Anderson and Spielberg to Tim problems, from automatic suicide to New York City in 1907 to pursue Burton have quoted his humorous devices for unlucky stock speculahis dream, and never looked back. chain-reaction sequences. Although tors and mosquito exterminators The single-panel cartoons “Foolish Goldberg has roared back into conthat work while you’re asleep to Questions,” as in, “Ask a stupid quessciousness courtesy of the Internet, the only method for getting an tion, get a sarcastic, even stupider he never went out of style because oblivious waiter’s attention. A page answer,” launched in 1908, were an the absurdity he relished lampoonhere includes a color drawing of a instant hit with readers. A boot attached to the back national syndication deal of a golf enthusiast’s head, for his strips netted him poised to kick him in the $200,000 a year, and within butt to ensure he keeps his the decade, he became a head down during a shot, household name. Nice work and a miniature bell-buoy if you can get it. Sure beats that locates the bar of soap laboring in obscurity for the that sank without a trace in San Francisco Sewer system. the bathtub.

Admittedly, this writer An illustrated plan for is of two minds about cardodging pesky bill coltoonist shows – not because lectors, masterminded by cartoons don’t qualify as Goldberg’s alter ego, Proart, but because it can be fessor Lucifer Gorgonzola taxing to wade through the Butts, and enlarged for a copious text of multiple wall-sized mural, can be multi-panel cartoons in an summarized as follows: a exhibition setting, as opfolding hat rack pushes a posed to reading them in cabbage into a net, which relative comfort, preferably pulls a cord, causing shears with a bagel and morning to cut string; a bag of sand coffee, in the smaller-dose, drops on a scale and pushes published formats for which a broom, upsetting a pail they were intended. But of whitewash that spills all there’s no denying Goldberg over you, making you to was a true American origilook like a marble statue nal. And he was no slouch. and therefore impossible to He was buddies with boxer recognize. Not to worry: bill Jack Dempsey, Will Rogers, collectors don’t know much Groucho Marx, the Gershabout art.

Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco wins and Charlie Chaplin; Don’t try this at home.t one can only fantasize what “Rube Goldberg and Father Lighting Cigars,” it must have been like sitting photograph, date unknown.

Through July 8. at a bar with that crowd. It thecjm.org

29

26

Nightlife Events

Shining Stars Vol. 48 • No. 12 • March 22-28, 2018

www.ebar.com V www.bartabsf.com

The Gospel Truth Ashlynn Danielsen

Jason Brock, a ‘Recovering Christian,’ at Martuni’s

by David-Elijah Nahmod

O

n March 24, 25 and 31 former X Factor contestant and local cabaret darling Jason Brock will recall his youth through music. The openly gay singer was raised in a conservative Christian community in Texas. In his new show, Recovering Christian, which he’ll perform at Martuni’s, he’ll share stories of those bygone days while he performs songs that he learned in church.

See page 24 >>

Paciano Triunfo

Jason Brock

Arts Events March 22-29

Films, faves, fabu lous and fun.

The arts reflect life, love, and lo ss.

page 24 >> Listings start on

Thu 22 Here Kitty Kitty: The Pussy Bites Back @ Bindlestiff Studio

{ THIRD OF THREE SECTIONS }

<< Feature

24 • Bay Area Reporter • March 22-28, 2018

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Steven Underhill

Jason Brock sings at the 2013 REAF benefit concert.

Ashlynn Danielsen

Jason Brock

<<

Jason Brock

From page 23

“There were some good things about growing up in a Christian conservative area,” Brock said in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter. “On one hand, there is a strong community in the church. I feel like people cared about me and we were all seeking the same thing: God.” But Brock had a secret that he could not share with anyone in the community.

“Being gay was a big conflict for me,” he recalls. “They always talked about it being a sin. I knew that I couldn’t come out to them or my family and be accepted. They would

always think I was a sinner, that I was wrong. In fact, being gay had quite a stigma, something a bit worse than other kinds of sins, you know? And being gay isn’t a one-time sin, it’s ongoing, so yeah, it sucked. I loved it on one hand, but then didn’t fit in with it on the other.”

Brock noted that being gay negatively impacted his relationship with his mother.

“I just felt sad and angry that she didn’t accept me,” he said. “I really didn’t think about how she felt about me not being the heterosexual son she wanted. I guess she wanted that, but I felt it was selfish on her part. She should have known me well enough to know I would never

For full listings, visit www.ebar.com/arts

Mulholland Drive (8:30). $11-$16.

429 Castro St. www.castrotheatre.com

Thu 22

The Compton’s Cafeteria Riot @ New Village Café

Classic & New Films @ Castro Theatre Mar. 22: Raising Arizona (7pm) and High and Low (8:45). Mar. 23-25: Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (animated) sing-along (3:30pm, 7pm). Mar. 25: Paper Moon (6pm) and Barry Lyndon (8pm). Mar. 26 & 27: A Fantastic Woman (4:45, 7pm, 9:15). Mar. 28: Bob Le Flambeur (7pm) and Rififi (4:45, 8:55). Mar. 29: Play It As It Lays (6:30) and

The Tenderloin Museum presents the world premiere of Collette LeGrande, Mark Nassar and Donna Persona’s stage story of the historic pre-Stonewall San Francisco uprising of Tenderloin drag queens, with a dozen performers. $60 (includes a ‘breakfast for dinner” meal). 1960s attire and drag encouraged. Thu-Sat 8pm.

Extended thru May 5 (Fri & Sat only in April & May). 1426 Polk St. http://bit.ly/2mvz8ZY

be that. She has three other heterosexual children who have given her grandchildren.”

Brock is still healing from those years. As part of that process, he put together his Recovering Christian show.

“I think a recovering Christian is someone who was indoctrinated, maybe even brainwashed, with Christian values, and who realizes those values aren’t reality and is trying to become a normal person with rational beliefs again,” he explains.

“For me, I’m recovering from these things I was taught as a child. I no longer believe that there is a Christian god or a living Jesus or Holy Spirit. I don’t believe the bible is the

word of God.” It was an uphill battle for Brock to get to where he is now.

“I really used to believe all of those things and had all of the opinions, guilt and judgment that go along with them,” he said. “So I’m recovering, like a former prisoner readjusting to the ‘real’ world again or a North Korean moving to America. You get the idea.”

He explains what Christian music meant to him then, and what it means to him now.

“Then, the songs meant something different to me on a spiritual level,” he said. “I would listen to and sing these songs sincerely to God or thinking about God. Like when I sang ‘Amazing Grace,’ for example, I would sing it thinking that God really had mercy on me and loved me despite my shortcomings. However, now I sing it thinking, this is a classic song, but I don’t believe the lyrics. In fact, with this particular song, I think it’s sad that people think so little of themselves; that I once did, too.”

Brock also said that the only one who could save himself is himself.

He expressed his concerns that his concert might offend LGBT people of faith.

“I know some people will be offended, because they can somehow reconcile Christianity with LGBTQness, but I am willing to be the beacon for people like me who are not able to reconcile the two,” he said.

“And I’m not attacking the LGBTQ Christians, I’m just putting my feelings on the subject out there. It will be interesting to see the reaction.”

Brock hopes that people will see the show before they judge him.

“Not only am I singing gospel and Christian songs, but I am also telling stories about my life,” he said.

“This will be the most personal, difficult show I’ve ever done, but it will still have humor and fun. Plus there is alcohol to help you get through it with me.”t Jason Brock performs ‘Recovering Christian,’ March 24, 25, 31 at 7pm. Martuni’s, 4 Valencia $20-40. Tickets: https://www. eventbrite.com/e/x-factors-jasonbrock-goes-gospel-in-recoveringchristian-tickets-42259383955

The Effect @ SF Playhouse Lucy Prebble’s play explores romance amid pill-popping culture as a straight couple fall in love, but is their passion from the drug they’re taking? $35-$55. Tue-Sun thru April 28. 450 Post St. sfplayhouse.org

The Elephant Man @ Hillbarn Theatre, Foster City Tony-winning drama about John Merrick, a disfigured man who became a celebrity. $27-$52. ThuSat 8pm. Sat & Sun 2pm. Thru Mar. 25. 1285 Hillsdale Blvd., Foster City. www.hillbarntheatre.org

Empowerment in Print: LGBTQ Activism, Pride & Lust @ GLBT History Museum New mini-exhibit of periodicals from the collection. Also, Angela Davis: OUTspoken, a new exhibit of art and ephemera about the historic lesbian activist and scholar, and Faces of the Past: Queer Lives in Northern California Before 1930, part of the Queer Past Becomes Present main exhibit. $5. 4127 18th St. glbthistory.org

Heisenberg @ Geary Theatre American Conservatory Theatre’s production of Simon Stephens’ Broadway and West End hit about a straight romance (or a con game?) in London. $15-$110. Thru April 8. 415 Geary St. www.act-sf.org

Here Kitty Kitty: The Pussy Bites Back @ Bindlestiff Studio Granny Cart Gangstas, the allwomen Asian American comedy troupe, performs hilarious sketches about San Francisco, pop culture and daily life. $13-$30. Thu-Sat 8pm.

Thru March 31. 185 6th St. gcg2018.brownpapertickets.com

Thu 22 A Fantastic Woman @ Castro Theatre (Mar. 26 & 27. See Classic & New Films)

Iron Shoes @ Ashby Stage, Berkeley

The Wolves @ Marin Theatre Co., Mill Valley

Shotgun Players and Kitka Women’s Vocal Ensemble perform Michelle Carter, Janet Kutalas and Erika Chong Shuch’s new music play of updated Eastern European fairy tales made radical for our times. $7, $25$40. Thru April 15. 1901 Ashby Ave., Berkeley. https://shotgunplayers.org

Sarah DeLappe’s new play about the drama surrounding a girls’ soccer team. $10-$49. Thru April 8. 397 Miller Ave., Mill Valley. marintheatre.org

Jazz Search West @ Various Venues New weekly jazz singer/musician showcases and competition. Various dates thru Semi- Finale April 24 at Yoshi’s Oakland. livingjazz.org/jazz-search-attend

Office Hour @ Berkeley Rep Julia Cho’s new drama about a troubled student and a teacher’s attempts to help him. $30-$97.

Tue, Thu-Sat 8pm. Wed & Sun 7pm, and Sun 2pm. Thru March 25. 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. berkeleyrep.org/

My Stroke of Luck @ The Marsh Diane Barnes’ solo show about recovering from a stroke. $20-$100.

Mar. 15-29, Thu 8pm & Sun 2pm.

1062 Valencia St. themarsh.org

Fri 23 Bamboozled @ City Club, Berkeley Central Works Workshop’s production of Patricia Milton’s new play about a Daughter of the Conferacy swindled out of heirlooms. $30-$35. Thru Mar. 25. 2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. centralworks.org

Beach Blanket Babylon @ Club Fugazi The musical comedy revue celebrates its 43th year with an ever-changing lineup of political/pop icons, all in gigantic wigs. $25-$160. Beer/wine served; cash only; 21+, except where noted. Wed-Fri 8pm. Sat 6pm & 9pm.

Sun 2pm & 5pm. 678 Beach Blanket Babylon Blvd. (Green St.). 421-4222. www.beachblanketbabylon.com

See page 25 >>

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Arts Events>>

Diffused Reflections @ Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts 31st annual Solo Mujeres exhibit of new works, curated by Marissa Del Toro. Also, Guerrilleras, Victoria Montero and Rebecka Biro’s exhibit of El Salvador women who endured the Civil War. Both thru April 20. 2868 Mission St. missionculturalcenter.org

Exit the King @ Exit Theatre Eugene Ionesco’s drama (translated

by Donald Watson) offers a timeless take on royal mortality. $20-$30. Thru April 7. 156 Eddy St. www.theexit.org

How to be a White Man @ Buriel Clay Theatre Luna Malbroux’s “practical guide to getting privilege you don’t have, but are entitled to.” $20. Thu-Sat 8pm, Sun 2pm. Thru April 1. 762 Fulton St. www.sfbatco.org

It’s Only a Play @ New Conservatory Theatre Tony-winning playwright Terrence McNally’s 11th production at NCTC shares the story of a nervous playwright awaiting reviews at a cast party. $25-$50. Wed-Sat 8pm, Sun 2pm thru April 1. 25 Van Ness Ave., lower level. www.nctcsf.org

Latin Standards @ Brava Theater Center Marga Gomez’ hit show about her father’s show biz legacy returns. $25.

Fri & Sat 8pm, Sun 7pm. Thru April 1.

2781 24th St. margagomez.com

A Number @ Aurora Theatre, Berkeley Caryl Churchill’s inventive drama about human cloning. $33-$65.

Thru May 6. 2081 Addison St. Berkeley. www.auroratheatre.org

March 22-28, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 25

Daughters of the Drum @ Ashkenaz, Berkeley

William Blake in Color @ William Blake Gallery

Amikaeyla, Susu Pampanin and Spirit of Sultana perform vibrant vocal and percussion music at the popular music venue. $20$25. 8pm. 1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. ashkenaz.com/

Exhibit of classic plates in the new gallery of historic art by the 18th- and 19th-century poet and illustrator. Mon-Fri 10am-5pm.

Sat 11am-5pm. 49 Geary St. #205. www.williamblakegallery.com

Diana Gameros, Megan Keely @ St. Cyprian’s Church

Tue 27

The Mexican singer-composer and the local singer, perform a concert as part of SF Live Arts’ Immigrant Voices series. $18-$22. 8pm. 2097 Turk St. www.sflivearts.org

March for Our Lives @ SF Civic Center Plaza, Frank Ogawa Plaza, Oakland Protest and march against gun violence; part of 100s of marches across the country. 1pm. Civic Center; in Oakland at 10am. https://www.facebook.com/ events/1593912047359305/ www.OaklandMarch.com

Out of Site @ North Beach Seth Eisen and James Metzger’s group performance event and walking tour of local LGBTQ historic sites and people; see queer history come alive, from colonial days to the ‘70s. Different times thru March 25. (Part 2 May 12-27 in the Tenderloin). www.eyezen.org

Respect: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom @ Oakland Museum New exhibit that visualizes the movement and sound of the music genre, with many live events through the run, including Friday night parties and performances.

Free-$16. Wed-Sun. Thru Aug. 12.

1000 Oak St., Oakland. www.museumca.org

Subliminal Sanctuary @ Jules Maeght Gallery Paintings and sculptures by Yesnik Evad (Dave Kinsey) and Cecile Granier de Cassagnac.

Thru April 28. 149 Gough St. julesmaeghtgallery.com

t.w.five @ Museum of Craft & Design Installation of a lesbian couple’s “home” and an exploration of domestic life. Also, Tom Loeser’s Please Please Please, artistic unusual handmade chair sculptures. Both thru May 20. 2569 Third St. https://sfmcd.org/

Unearthed @ California Academy of Sciences Exhibits and planetarium shows with various live, interactive and installed exhibits about animals, plants and the earth; new exhibit, From Stone Age to Space Age, showcases minerals through time. Special events each week, with adult nightlife parties many Thursday nights. $20-$35. Mon-Sat 9:30am-5pm. Sun 11am-5pm. 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park. 379-8000. calacademy.org

Wed 28 Diasporic Alchemy @ SOMArts Cultural Center New exhibit, Transforming Ancestral Traditions into Ritual Futurisms, curated by Louis Chinn and missTango, featuring shamanic and mythological subjects.

Thru April 5. 934 Brannan St. somarts.org

The Retrieval @ SFAC Gallery

Thu 24

Tiny Dance Film Festival @ Little Roxie Theater

Return to the Scene of the Crime @ The Marsh David Kleinberg’s solo show about his return to Vietnam 50 years after serving in the Army. $20-$100. Fri 8pm. Sat 5pm. Thru April 21. 1062 Valencia St. www.themarsh.org

Smoke + Mirrors @ Ravot Exhibit of glamorous nightlife photos of local drag queens

by Gareth Gooch. Thru April 13. 115 Clement St. garethgoochphotography.com

Sat 24 Andrea De Vitis, Grisha Goryachev @ Green Room Flamenco and classical guitar masters share a concert. $45.

7:30pm. War Memorial and Performing Arts Center, 401 Van Ness Ave. www.omniconcerts.com

bodyTABOOdefiance @ Shelton Theater Red Hots Burlesque presents a new monthly midnight variety show of diverse acts (aerialists, drag, singers and more). $20-$100. 11pm doors 12am show; no late entry. Also April 28 & May 26. 533 Sutter St. partyearth.com/bodytaboodefiance

Tiny Dance Film Festival @ Little Roxie Theater Detour Dance’s two-day showings of 30 short dance films, including some LGBT-themed works. $12.

5pm. Mar. 25, 2pm & 5pm. 3117 16th St. www.detourdance.com www.roxie.com

Sun 25 Robert Greenberg, ZOFO Duet @ SF Conservatory of Music Music and talks series sponsored by the Ross McKee Foundation, with performances of four-hand piano versions of symphonies

by Beethoven, Brahams and Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. $20. 2pm. 50 Oak St. https://sfcm.edu/

Mon 26 Alex Girard @ Strut Muse, the artist’s exhibit of gendershifting photo portraits. Thru March. 470 Castro St. strutsf.org

Kenyatta A.C. Hinkle’s solo exhibit of works visualizing the disappearance of Black women in California, and with traditional Nigerian Egungun costumes. Thru April 7 (closing reception, performance 5:30pm-7pm). 401 Van Ness Ave. sfartscommission.org

Thu 29 SF Gay Men’s Chorus @ Davies Symphony Hall Bridges, a concert inspired by the chorus’ Lavender Pen Tour, perofrms with guests Holly Near, and the Oakland Interfaith Gospel, Community and Youth choirs. $25-$125. 8pm. 201 Van Ness Ave. www.sfgmc.org

The Penalty @ Old U.S. Mint Enjoy a fascinating bit of history, with a screening of the macabre classic silent film about a bank robbery, shown at the film’s location; with a live music score. $ 6pm-9pm. 88 5th St. californiahistoricalsociety.org

Spring Selections @ Jenkins Johnson Gallery Group exhibit of print and paintings honoring Women’s History Month.

Thru May 12. 464 Sutter St. www.jenkinsjohnsongallery.com

Ten Percent @ Comcast David Perry’s online and cable interviews with notable local and visiting LGBT people, broadcast through the week. Wed 7pm, ThuTue 11:30am & 10:30pm. www.ComcastHometown.com

Playmates and soul mates...

San Francisco:

1-415-692-5774 Megamates.com 18+

<< On the Tab

26 • Bay Area Reporter • March 22-28, 2018

Raw! Uncut! Video! @ Mr. S

Escort, Planet Booty @ Rickshaw Stop Two fun, funny funk/disco bands play the intimate performance space, plus DJs Aaron Axelson/Omar. $15. 9pm1am. 155 Fell St. rickshawstop.com

On the Tab March

22-29 Hot Draw @ SF Eagle

For full listings, visit www.ebar.com/bartab

Thu 22 After Dark @ Exploratorium The cocktails and science night for adults, with installations throughout the hands-on exhibit museum. March 22: Big Bang demos and discussions with physicist James Beacham. $20.

6pm-10pm. Pier 15 at Embarcadero. https://www.exploratorium.edu/

Rock Fag @ Hole in the Wall

The weekly drag show with host Sue Casa, DJ MC2, themed nights and hilarious fun. $5. 9pm-2am. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Enjoy hard rock and punk music from DJ Don Baird at the wonderfully divey SoMa bar. Also Fridays. 7pm-2am.

1369 Folsom St. 431-4695. hitws.com

Night at the Jewseum @ Contemporary Jewish Musuem

Sundance Saloon @ Space 550 The Country-Western line-dancing two-stepping dance event celebrates 18 years. Free-$5. 5pm-10:30pm. Also Sundays. 550 Barneveld Ave. www.sundancesaloon.org

Thursday Night Live @ SF Eagle

Bare Chest Calendar Prelims @ Powerhouse

Rock bands play at the famed leather bar. $8.

398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Cheer on contestants in the annual calendar fundraiser. 8pm-10pm. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Boom Town @ The Stud Eclectic techno night with DJs Physical Therapy, Miagma, Dionysian Mysteries and Birch Koolman. $5-$7. 10pm-2am.

399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Fri 23 Bears & Booze @ The Edge

Club Beautiful @ Elbo Room

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

VivvyAnne ForeverMore hosts a science fair-themed drag night, with DJed grooves and pop-up shops. $10.

10pm-2am. 647 Valencia St. elbo.com

Drunk Drag Broadway @ Oasis The parody singing troupe takes on Grease. $20-$40. 8pm. Also Mar. 23 & 24, 7pm. 298 11th St. sfoasis.com

Gayface @ El Rio

Fri 23

Marilyn May @ Feinstein’s

Queer weekly night out at the popular Mission bar. 9pm-2am. 3158 Mission St. www.elriosf.com Sit-down performance show with femme fabs and fierce freaks; introverts welcome. 7pm-9pm. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Junk @ Powerhouse MrPam and Dulce de Leche cohost the weekly underwear strip night and contest, with sexy prizes. $5. 10pm2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Black Fridays @ The Stud Honey Mahogany's fresh groovy drag performance night. $5-$10. 10pm4am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

La Bomba Latina @ Club OMG

Hush Hush @ The Stud Picante @ The Cafe Lulu and DJ Marco's Latin night with sexy gogo guys. 9pm-2am. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

Queer Karaoke @ Club OMG KJ Dana hosts the weekly singing night; unleash your inner American Idol. 43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

Weekly drag shows at the last transgender-friendly bar in the Polk; with hosts Victoria Secret, Alexis Miranda and more. Also Thu/Sat. Thursday karaoke night. $10. 10pm.

1081 Polk St. www.divassf.com

Fundraiser for a documentary about legendary leathermen Jack Fritscher & Mark Hemry and their kinky Palm Drive Video archives, with SF Baloney studs, DJ John Fucking Cartwright, T-shirts. $15. 7pm-10pm. 385 8th St. rawuncutvideo.com/events

Red Hots Burlesque @ The Stud The saucy women's burlesque show hosted by Dottie Lux will titillate and tantalize, with guests Alotta Boutte, Shells Bells, and Caramel Knowledge. $10-$20. 8pm-9:30pm. 399 9th St. www.redhotsburlesque.com

Friday Nights at the Ho @ White Horse Bar, Oakland Dance it up at the historic (and still hip) East Bay bar. 9pm-2am. 6551 Telegraph Ave. whitehorsebar.com

Steam @ Powerhouse

Gogo Fridays @ Toad Hall

Growlr @ SF Eagle

The Monster Show @ The Edge

Enjoy a fun party, after-work cocktails, food and new and permanent exhibits. $5. 6pm-9pm.

736 Mission St. thecjm.org

Fantasy Friday @ Divas

Hot dancers grind it at the Castro bar with a dance floor and patio. 4146 18th St. www.toadhallbar.com

Fri 23

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The bath house-style fun with towelclad gogos, DJ Eddie House and more. $5. 9pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Vibe Fridays @ Club BnB, Oakland House music and cocktails, with DJs Shareef Raheim-Jihad and Ellis Lindsey. 9pm-2am. 2120 Broadway.

(510) 759-7340. www.club-bnb.com

Cubs, chubs, otters, pups, bears and beers night with DJ Paul Goodyear, plus Steamworks and Folsom Gulch goodies. $5. 9pm-2am.

398 12th St. at Harrison. sf-eagle.com

Happy Friday @ Midnight Sun The popular video bar ends each work week with hot gogo guys (starting at 9pm) and drink specials; also Saturday nights. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Hard Fridays @ Qbar DH Haute Toddy's weekly electro-pop night with hotty gogos. $3. 9pm-2am (happy hour 4pm-9pm).

456 Castro St. QbarSF.com

Hot Draw @ SF Eagle

Sat 24

Colton Long (Mr. SF Eagle 2018) and Gay Men's J. Holiday @ Yoshi’s Oakland Sketch cohost a drawing night with leather men posing in fetish and sexy poses. $20-$25. 6:30pmVictory Party @ Lookout 9pm. 398 12th St. markichester.com Celebrate the new Empress Pollo Latin Explosion @ Club 21 Del Mar and Emperor Leandro with The popular Latin club includes drag Imperial Court members. 6pm-9pm. shows, with gogo guys, drink specials 3600 16th St. at Market. lookoutsf.com and table reservations available. $10$20. 10pm-3am. 2111 Franklin St., Oakland. www.club21oakland.com

Loving Janis @ Ashkenaz, Berkeley

Sat 24

Bearracuda @ SF Eagle

Kyra Gordon performs a tribute concert with the music of Janis Joplin and Janis Ian. $17-$20. 8pm. 1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. ashkenaz.com

The popular ursine dance night features DJs Chris Bown and Robert Jeffrey. $5-$10. 9pm-2am.398 12th St. bearracuda.com

Manimal @ Beaux

Bounce @ Lookout

Drag show with DJ Jaffeth. $5. 9pm-2am.

43 6th St. clubomgsf.com

Gogo-tastic dance night starts off your weekend. $5. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Dance music with a view at the Castro bar. 9pm-2am. 3600 16th St. ookoutsf.com

DTF Fridays @ Port Bar, Oakland

Marilyn May @ Feinstein's at the Nikko

La Bota Loca @ Club 21, Oakland

Various DJs play house music, and a few hotties gogo dance at the new gay bar's weekly event. 9pm-2am.

2023 Broadway. (510) 823-2099. www.portbaroakland.com

The cabaret legend celebrates her 90th birthday with a special cabaret show. $41-$75. 8pm. Also Mar. 24, 8pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. www.feinsteinsatthenikko.com

Banda Los Shakas performs live at the LGBT Latinx night. $10. 9pm-4am.

2111 Franklin St. club21oakland.com

Harder @ The Stud The popular NYC groove night invades SoMa, with DJs Eric Bloom, Taco Tuesdays and Michael Romano. $10$15. 10pm-3am. 399 9th St. studsf.com

Homobiles @ Thee Parkside Punk and rock bands Homobiles, Bernie & The Wolf, Maya Songbird, Copy Slut. $8. 8pm. 1600 17th St. theeparkside.com

J. Holiday @ Yoshi's Oakland The Grammy-nominated R&B singer performs at the stylish restaurantnightlcub. $35-$75. 7:30pm & 9:30pm.

Mar. 25 at 6:30pm. 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. yoshis.com

Lips and Lashes Brunch @ Lookout Weekly show with soul, funk and Motown grooves hosted by Carnie Asada, with DJs Becky Knox and Pumpkin Spice. The yummy brunch menu starts at 12pm, with the show at 1:30pm. 3600 16th St. lookoutsf.com

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On the Tab>>

March 22-28, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 27

Queer Tango @ Finnish Hall, Berkeley Same-sex partner tango dancing, including lessons for newbies, food and drinks. $5-$10. 3:30pm-6:30pm.

1970 Chestnut St, Berkeley. finnishhall.org

Shag @ Powerhouse Sleazy tracks with DJ Nic Candito. 9pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. powerhousebar.com

Sun 25

Beth Ditto @ Regency Ballroom

Sunday's a Drag @ Starlight Room The weekly brunch and drag show with a panoramic view. $45. 11am, show at noon; 1:30pm, show at 2:30pm. 450 Powell St. in Union Square. 3958595. starlightroomsf.com

Mon 26 Epic Karaoke @ White Horse, Oakland Mother @ Oasis Heklina's popular drag show, with special guests and great music themes; DJ MC2 plays grooves. $15.

10pm-3am (11:30pm show). 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Nitty Gritty @ Beaux Josh Carmichael with DJ Salazer host the tattoo appreciation night. $10.

9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Onyx @ Powerhouse The men of color leather group celebrates the hit film Black Panther with a Spandex/cosplay party. $5.

6pm-9pm.1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

The Playground @ Club BNB, Oakland Revamped night at the popular hip hop and Latin dance club. $5-$15.

9pm to 3am. 2120 Broadway. (510) 759-7340. www.club-bnb.com

Saturgay @ Qbar Stanley Frank spins house dance remixes at the intimate Castro dance bar. $3. 9pm-2am (weekly beer bust 2pm-9pm). 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

Shake It Up @ Port Bar, Oakland DJ Lady Char spins dance grooves; gogo studs, and drink specials, too.

9pm-2am. 2023 Broadway. (510) 8232099. portbaroakland.com

Soul Party @ Elbo Room DJs Lucky, Paul, and Phengren Osward spin 60s soul 45s. $5-$10 ($5 off in semi-formal attire). 10pm-2am. 647 Valencia St. 552-7788. www.elbo.com

Sugar @ The Cafe Dance, drink, cruise at the Castro club, with DJs Gay Marvine, Taco Tuesday and Matthew XO. 9pm-2am. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

Sun 25 Aftermath @ SF Eagle Monthly post-beer bust night with dark and dirty dance music spun by DJs Steve Fabus, Cole, Davi A and Charlotte the Baroness. 7pm-12am.

398 12th St. at Harrison. sf-eagle.com

Beer Bust @ Lone Star Saloon Beer, bears, food and beats at the weekly fundraiser for various local charities. $15. 4pm-8pm. 1354 Harrison St. lonestarsf.com

Beer Bust @ SF Eagle The popular weekly event packs in the fans, with proceeds going to local charities. $10. Beer bust 3pm-5pm.

398 12th St. at Harrison. sf-eagle.com

Beth Ditto @ Regency Ballroom The powerhouse singer performs a full concert with Ssion, with music from her six acclaimed albums. $25. 8pm.

1300 Van Ness Ave. bethditto.com theregencyballroom.com

Beverage Benefit @ The Edge Fundraiser and fun, with proceeds going to local nonprofits. $10. 4pm7pm. 4149 18th St. www.edgesf.com

Big Gay Beer Bust @ The Cinch Benefits and plenty of beer at the historic neighborhood bar. 3pm-7pm.

1723 Polk St. www.cinchsf.com

Big Top @ Beaux Enjoy an extra weekend night at the fun Castro nightclub, plus hot local DJs and sexy gogo guys and gals. $8.

9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. Beauxsf.com

Boob Tube @ The Stud Trangela Lansbury, Punky Pebbles, and Holly Graphic cohost a cosplay drag night and tribute to Steven Universe, with acts KaiKai Bee Michaels, Erika Klash and Loma Prietta; free entrance for Crystal Gem and Diamond cosplay gear; DJ Marek. $5-$10. 10pm-2am.

399 9th St. studsf.com

Mondays and Tuesdays popular weekly sing-along night. No cover.

8:30pm-1am. 6551 Telegraph Ave, (510) 652-3820. whitehorsebar.com

Gaymer Meetup @ Brewcade The weekly LGBT video game enthusiast night includes big-screen games and signature beers, with a new remodeled layout, including an outdoor patio. No cover. 7pm-11pm.

2200 Market St. brewcadesf.com

Into a Dreamland @ The Stud Multi-modal immersive installation and performance night. 7pm-10pm.

399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Karaoke Night @ SF Eagle Sing along, with host Beth Bicoastal, plus prizes, local celeb judges, and $2 draft beer. 8pm-12am. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

See page 28 >>

VICKI LAWRENCE @ CASTRO THEATRE Photos by Steven Underhill

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ctress, comic and singer Vicki Lawrence graced the stage of the Castro Theatre on March 17 when Oasis (and cohosts D’Arcy Drollinger and Heklina) presented her “Two-Woman Show.” Lawrence sang, told stories, and re-appeared as the title character from her popular TV show, Mama’s Family.

Coach @ Powerhouse Sports fetish night for the jock-ular types, with DJ Sergio Fedasz. 9pm2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Dirty Musical Sundays @ The Edge Sing along at the popular musical theatre night, with a bawdy edge; also Mondays and Wednesdays (but not dirty). 7pm-2am. 2 for 1 cocktail, 5pm-closing. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Personals Massage>>

Domingo De Escandal @ Club OMG

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Weekly Latin night with drag shows hosted by Vicky Jimenez and DJ Carlitos. (Comedy Open Mic 5:30pm).

7pm-2am. 43 6th St. clubomgsf.com

Drag Queens on Ice @ The Stud See Paju Munro, Tara Lipsyncki, Liz, Amy and other queens actually dance on ice in The Stud! 6:30pm-8:30pm.

399 9th St. studsf.com

Easter Bonnet Sale @ 440 Castro The annual sale of 60+ Easter bonnets brings holiday fun to the Castro bar. 12pm-6pm. 440 Castro St. www.440castro.com

GlamaZone @ The Cafe Pollo del Mar's weekly drag show takes on different themes with a comic edge. 8:30-11:30pm. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

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Jock @ The Lookout Enjoy the weekly jock-ular fun, with DJed dance music at sports team fundraisers. 12pm-1am. NY DJ Sharon White from 3pm-6pm. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

Joep Beving @ Great American Music Hall The acclaimed Dutch pianist performs his haunting and evocative works. $24-$50 (with dinner). 8pm. 859 O'Farrell St. joepbeving.com

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<< On the Tab

28 • Bay Area Reporter • March 22-28, 2018

On the Tab

From page 27

Munro's at Midnight @ Midnight Sun Drag night with Mercedez Munro. No cover. 10pm. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Piano Bar 101 @ Martuni's Sing-along night with talented locals, and charming accompanist Joe Wicht.

9pm. 4 Valencia St. at Market.

Underwear Night @ 440 Strip down to your skivvies at the popular men's night. 9pm-2am. 440 Castro St. 621-8732. the440.com

Musical Mondays @ The Edge Sing along to shows tunes on video, lip-synched, and live, at the Castro bar. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Pillows @ Powerhouse Glamamore's crafts and drag night.

9pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. powerhousebar.com

High Fantasy @ Aunt Charlie's Lounge

Joep Beving @ Great American Music Hall

Hysteria Comedy @ Martuni's

Tue 27

Open mic for women and queer comics, with host Irene Tu. 6pm-8pm.

4 Valencia St.

Cock Shot @ Beaux

Karaoke Cocktails @ Ginger's

Shot specials and adult Bingo games, with DJs Chad Bays and Riley Patrick, at the new weekly night. No cover. 9pm2am. 2344 Market St. beauxsf.com

Sun 25

Weekly drag and variety show, with live acts and lip-synching divas, plus DJed grooves. $5. Shows at 10:30pm & 12am. 133 Turk St. at Taylor. www.auntcharlieslounge.com

The new basement tribute to the old Ginger's Trois hosts a weekly singing fun. 8pm-12am. 86 Hardie Place. https://www.gingers.bar/

Naked Night @ Nob Hill Theatre Strip down with the strippers at the clothing-optional night. $20. 9pm.

729 Bush St. at Powell. 397-6758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com

Retro Night @ 440 Castro Jim Hopkins plays classic pop oldies, with vintage music videos. 9pm-2am.

44 Castro St. www.the440.com

Sing Out @ Encore Karaoke Lounge Home of drag shows, and hilaraoke karaoke. 9pm-1am. 1550 California St. #2. 775-0442.

Stag @ Powerhouse Single, or a couple looking for an extra? Cruise it up. $5. 5pm-2am.

1347 Folsom St. powerhousebar.com

Trivia Night @ Port Bar, Oakland Cranny hosts a big gay trivia night at the new East Bay bar; drinks specials and prizes. 7:30pm. 2023 Broadway. www.portbaroakland.com

Vice Tuesdays @ Q Bar Queer femme and friends dance party with hip hop, Top 40 and throwbacks at the stylish intimate bar, with DJs Val G and Iris Triska. 9pm-2am. 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

Wed 28 Bottoms Up Bingo @ Hi Tops Play board games and win offbeat prizes.. 9pm. 2247 Market St. 5512500. www.HiTopsSF.com

B.P.M. @ Club BnB, Oakland Olga T and Shugga Shay's weekly queer women and men's R&B hip hop and soul night, at the club's new location.

No cover. 8pm-2am. 2120 Broadway, Oakland. bench-and-bar.com

Comedy Showcase @ SF Eagle Kollin Holtz hosts the open mic comedy night. 5:30pm-8pm. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Pan Dulce @ Beaux

My So-Called Night @ Beaux

The hot weekly Latin dance night with drag divas and more, hosted by Amaya Blac and Delilah Befierce, with gogo studs. $6. 9pm-2am (free before 10:30pm). 2344 Market St. www.clubpapi.com

Carnie Asada hosts a weekly '90s-themed video, dancin', drinkin' night, with VJs Jorge Terez. Enjoy 90-cent drinks. '90s-themed attire and costume contest. No cover. 9pm-2am.

2344 Market St. beauxsf.com

Pussy Riot @ Rickshaw Stop

Queens Read Celebrity Autobiographies @ Martuni's

The Russian activist collective performs their music/performance show. $25-$30. 7pm & 10:30pm. 155 Fell St. rickshawstop.com

Writers Salon @ The Stud Happy hour and open reading for literary folks and their pals. 5pm-7pm.

399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Thu 29 Beer Bust @ Lone Star Saloon Weekly beer bust and benefit for local charities. 9pm-11pm. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Gym Class @ Hi Tops Enjoy whiskey shots from jockstrapped hotties and sexy sports videos at the popular sports bar.

10pm-2am. 2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.com

Junk @ Powerhouse MrPam and Dulce de Leche cohost the weekly underwear strip night and contest, with sexy prizes. $5. 10pm2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Katabatik Benefit @ The Stud Benefit for Peaches (Sam Maxwell), one of the severely injured Ghost Ship Fire victims. Donations. 8pm-2am.

399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Cruzin d'Loo, Mutha Chucka, Clammy Faye, Sister Abbi Abnormal, Menorah Manischewitz, and musical guest Scotty Idol take on tacky memoir excerpts "written" by celebrities; Jame J Siegel hosts. Proceeds benefit Radar Productions. 7pm. 4 Valencia St.

Queer Karaoke @ Club OMG KJ Dana hosts the weekly singing night; unleash your inner American Idol. 8pm. 43 6th St. clubomgsf.com

Rice Rockettes @ Lookout Local and visiting Asian drag queens' weekly show with DJ Philip Grasso. $5. 10:30pm show. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

Thursdays Rock @ Lone Star Saloon Hard rock, metal and arena rock night with DJ Andy Castle. 8pm-12am. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Throwback Thursdays @ Qbar Enjoy retro 80s soul, dance and pop classics with DJ Jorge Terez. No cover.

9pm-2am. 456 Castro St. QbarSF.com

Thump @ White Horse, Oakland Weekly electro music night with DJ Matthew Baker and guests. 9pm-2am.

6551 Telegraph Ave, (510) 652-3820. www.whitehorsebar.com

Dick at Nite @ Moby Dick Grace Towers' weekly drag show at the fun local bar. 9pm-12am. 4049 18th St. mobydicksf.com

Follies & Dollies @ White Horse Bar, Oakland Weekly drag show at the historic gay bar. 9:30pm-11:30pm. 6551 Telegraph Ave, (510) 652-3820. www.whitehorsebar.com

Freeball Wednesdays @ The Cinch Free pool and drink specials at the historic neighborhood bar. 8pm-1am.

1723 Polk St. www.cinchsf.com

Hump @ Powerhouse DJ Jim Collins spins vinyl grooves at the mid-week event. $5-$10. 10pm-2am.

1347 Folsom St. powerhousebar.com

Kosmetik @ The Stud Weekly grovvy dance time. 9pm-2am.

399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Miss Kitty's Trivia Night @ Wild Side West The weekly fun night at the Bernal Heights bar includes prizes, hosted by Kitty Tapata. No cover. 7pm-10pm.

424 Cortland St. 647-3099. www.wildsidewest.com

Thu 29 Mutha Chuka and Cruzin d’Loo at Queens Read Celebrity Autobiographies @ Martuni’s Steven Underhill

<<

t

t

Shining Stars>>

March 22-28, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 29

SHINING STARS

PHOTOS BY STEVEN UNDERHILL

QUEENS FOR LENO @ OASIS

S

an Francisco mayoral candidate Mark Leno got a bewigged boost for his campaign when dozens of local drag and fauxqueen celebrities (Heklina, Sister Roma, Juanita MORE!, Donna Sachet, Fauxnique, Emma Peel, Alexis Miranda, Valentine and many others) performed in a series of numbers, including a big group song, at a March 14 fundraiser, held at Oasis (298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com). The special election will be held on Tuesday, June 5.

See plenty more photos on BARtab’s Facebook page, facebook.com/lgbtsf.nightlife. See more of Steven Underhill’s photos at StevenUnderhill.com.

Read more online at www.ebar.com

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For headshots, portraits or to arrange your wedding photos

call (415) 370-7152 or visit www.StevenUnderhill.com or email stevenunderhillphotos@gmail.com

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Loving Janis

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www.ebar.com

Since 1971, the newspaper of record for the San Francisco Bay Area LGBTQ community

Vol. 48 • No. 12 • March 22-28, 2018

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MADNESS. GENIUS. OBSESSION.

NIJINSKY A BALLET BY JOHN NEUMEIER

APR 03–APR 08 Special Guest Engagement

THE NATIONAL BALLET OF CANADA KAREN KAIN, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

NITE OUT IS BACK!

The National Ballet of Canada’s Francesco Gabriele Frola in Neumeier’s Nijinsky // © Karolina Kuras

NIJINSKY A BALLET BY JOHN NEUMEIER APR 03–APR 08 Special Guest Engagement

THE NATIONAL BALLET OF CANADA KAREN KAIN, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

An astonishing ballet. An avant-garde LGBT icon.

See guest company The National Ballet of Canada perform Nijinsky: A Ballet by John Neumeier, as Nite Out returns! A dancer known for his erotic magnetism and gravity-defying leaps, Nijinsky changed ballet forever during his far too-short career.

On Apr 5, SF Ballet invites our biggest fans in the LGBTQ community to see the performance, then dance the night away with DJ Will Magid and SF Ballet dancers, plus enjoy a complimentary signature cocktail and cash bar in the Dress Circle. Hosted by corps de ballet dancer Myles Thatcher, Nite Out is sure to be a night to remember.

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The National Ballet of Canada’s Guillaume Côté in Neumeier’s Nijinsky // © Bruce Zinger