March 9, 2017 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter by Bay Area Reporter

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Vol. 47 • No. 10 • March 9-15, 2017

Suit raises concerns about SF DUI cases by Seth Hemmelgarn

an Francisco’s former chief forensic toxicologist has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the city that’s raising concerns about DUI analyses and other work performed by the man who replaced him. Dr. Nikolas Lemos In a civil complaint filed in February in San Francisco Superior Court, Dr. Nikolas Lemos says he quit after he was “instructed ... to engage in unlawful activity” by assisting “an unlicensed forensic toxicologist to illegally perform DUI alcohol testing.” See page 5 >>

The wooden bar still has its luster at the former Paper Doll Club in North Beach.

by Matthew S. Bajko

he owners of a property in North Beach that once housed several LGBT restaurants, the first of which was known as the Paper Doll, are seeking city landmark status for the site. Should their request for 524 Union Street be approved later this year, it would be the

Owners of LGBT eatery site seek landmark status first landmark in the country to focus on an early queer restaurant, according to a local preservationist assisting with the application process. The Paper Doll is believed to be San Francisco’s first restaurant and nightclub catering to the gay community. The building would be the fourth property in the city to be designated a landmark for its LGBT historical significance and the first

located outside of the gay Castro district. The last site to be added, in 2013, was the gay bar Twin Peaks (401 Castro Street), famous for being the first gay bar in the city to have clear glass windows at a time when people could be fired based on their sexual orientation. The other LGBT city landmarks are the See page 12 >>

Study: Same-sex marriage Supreme Court dumps linked to drop in youth suicide Grimm case by Liz Highleyman

by Lisa Keen

he U.S. Supreme Court Monday vacated a federal appeals court ruling in favor of a transgender high school student and directed the lower court to reconsider its Scout Tufankjian/ACLU earlier ruling. Gavin Grimm The Supreme Court order in Gloucester v. G.G. came in response to “the guidance document” issued by the departments of Education and Justice on February 22. The February 22 document was a “Dear Colleague letter” from two acting officials of the DOJ and DOE, advising public school officials that the Trump administration was “withdrawing the statements of policy and guidance” in two letters from Obama administration officials. The Obama administration’s DOJ and DOE letters had advised schools receiving federal funding that Title IX’s prohibition on discrimination in education based on “sex” included See page 12 >>

egalization of same-sex marriage was associated with a significant decline in suicide attempts among high school students, lowering the number by more than 100,000 per year, according to a study recently published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. “These are high school students, so they aren’t getting married any time soon, for the most part,” said study author Julia Raifman, of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. “Still, permitting same-sex marriage reduces structural stigma associated with sexual orientation. There may be something about having equal rights – even if they have no immediate plans to take advantage of them – that makes students feel less stigmatized and more hopeful for the future.” Raifman and her colleagues set out to show whether state-level same-sex marriage policies are associated with a reduction in adolescent suicide attempts, especially those among gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people age 15 to 24 in the United States, and the rate has been rising, they noted as background. Between 1999 and 2014 there were an average of 5.3 deaths by suicide per 100,000 adolescents age 14 to 17 years (roughly high school age), but attempted suicides greatly outnumber deaths. Raifman’s team analyzed anonymous data

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People celebrated outside the U.S. Supreme Court after its June 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide.

from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System from January 1999 through December 2015. The survey included more than 763,000 public high school students in grades nine through 12. About 13 percent identified as “sexual minorities” – those who answered gay or lesbian

{ FIRST OF THREE SECTIONS }

Rick Gerharter

(2.3 percent), bisexual (6.4 percent), or not sure (4 percent) when asked which sexual identity best describes them. The survey question did not ask about gender identity. The researchers looked at changes in the proportion of students reporting at least one suicide attempt during the past year in 32 states that established same-sex marriage laws before January 2015 and 15 states that did not. In June 2015 the Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision held that same-sex marriage is legal nationwide. The study did not look at actual suicide deaths, only reported attempts. Making comparisons over time within states let the researchers control for political and cultural differences between states that could influence both the likelihood of legalizing samesex marriage and the mental health of sexual minority youth. The study showed that gay, lesbian, bisexual, or questioning students were more likely to attempt suicide than others their age. Overall, 9 percent of high school students reported at least one such attempt before implementation of same-sex marriage laws in their state. But the rate among sexual minority students was about six times higher than that of self-identified heterosexual students – 6 percent versus 29 percent. The proportion of students reporting suicide See page 11 >>

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t In SF speech, Steinem urges women to take action 2 • BAY AREA REPORTER • March 9-15, 2017

by Sari Staver

hen election statistics revealed that 53 percent of white women voters pulled the lever for Donald Trump, feminist Gloria Steinem was not surprised. Speaking Monday, March 6 before an audience of 400 at Brava Theater Center, Steinem said while the statistic was outrageous, she was “less surprised” than many other people. That because, Steinem explained, she remembers a poll in the 1960s commissioned by Ms. magazine, which she co-founded, that showed that only 30 percent of the white women surveyed considered themselves “feminists,” compared to 60 percent of the black women. “Remember,” said Steinem, a journalist, activist, and philanthropist, “it was not poor Chinese women who had their feet bound, it was rich Chinese women. If you’re a woman who is economically dependent and you think that you may be one man away from being on welfare, you’re much more likely to vote for your husband’s interests and possibly not even see your own. “Well-to-do women have better medical care, better food, and better clothing, but we’re much more likely to have our minds restricted,” she said. Steinem was interviewed by Lateefah Simon, a BART board

Sari Staver

Feminist icon Gloria Steinem spoke in San Francisco Monday

member and former MacArthur “genius” grant recipient. The event was sponsored by the Women’s Building, but moved to the larger Brava venue. Class “works in reverse for women,” Steinem explained, noting that families with inherited wealth have more instances of child sexual abuse because men in such families “are made to feel they control the world.” Additionally, “society often does not intervene” with such families, she said. An enduring icon of the feminist movement, Steinem, 83, is now traveling the world organizing and lecturing. She recently co-chaired the successful Women’s March on

Washington. The Women’s March “was the first time in my life that there were so many people at a march that you couldn’t march,” she said. “It was amazing. I have never ever in my life seen such spontaneous energy.” Acknowledging that she doesn’t want to downplay the danger people face with President Donald Trump and his administration, Steinem said that Trump’s reinstatement of the so-called Mexico City policy – also known as the global gag rule that blocks U.S. federal funding for nongovernmental organizations that provide abortions – will lead to the death of one woman every five minutes. Trump “doesn’t seem to know

fact from fiction,” she said, theorizing that the “people around him” – including the women – may be more guilty than he is. Steinem urged the audience members to become “entrepreneurs of social change,” meeting with other women to figure out the problems and the solutions. “Those who are experiencing the problem are the ones who know the solution,” she said. When attending a meeting about sex trafficking in Zambia, Steinem asked the women from the village what needed to happen to stop women from having to earn money through prostitution. The women said an improved yield to farming crops would provide the women with enough money to support their families. Steinem raised several thousand dollars, enough to buy and install an electrified fence, to keep elephants from destroying the crops, she explained. When considering how to focus their efforts, Steinem said women have “dollar power, vote power, and ass power,” the latter referring to where women will decide to direct their efforts. Recalling the national network of safe houses created by feminists decades ago to house children at risk of being sent back to the homes of abusive fathers, Steinem suggested that something similar might be an

effective means of helping families who fear deportation, if U.S. policies remain restrictive. Steinem also suggested people deduct money from their income tax, notifying the Internal Revenue Service that the funds were used to support Planned Parenthood. While the government will eventually take the money out of the taxpayer’s bank account, the tactic sends a message, she said. “There are no ‘shoulds’ about what people decide to do to contribute,” she said. “Just get up in the morning and say, ‘I’m going to do what I can.’” Both short term and long term solutions are needed, Steinem added. She urged women to work toward the elimination of the Electoral College. That “will take a constitutional amendment,” she added, but said such a strategy should appeal to people in California, “who are getting screwed” by underrepresentation Short term ideas could be as simple as having an extra room for someone in need or offering support to a friend or neighbor who seems to be scared, she said. “Whatever you do, do it with joy and adventure,” Steinem advised. “When you get up in the morning, think about what outrageous thing you can do that day.” t

Clementi foundation seeks ‘upstanders’ to combat bullying

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bystander – something that could have saved Clementi’s life. n a small room that looked onto “We behave on a keyboard in ways the serene courtyard of Grace Cawe would never face-to-face, and evthedral as the rain fell last Saturday eryone thinks someone else will do night, a group of men and women something about it,” Kosofsky said. gathered to celebrate a life lost too This is the case in many situasoon. Tyler Clementi was just 18 tions, including Clementi’s. Not one years old when he took his own life person stood up to the malicious in 2010 after a tragic incident of bullying he experienced. cyber harassment and humiliation Clementi, who had started to come during the first two weeks of his new out to family and friends, began atcollege life in New Jersey. tending Rutgers University in 2010. The night’s purpose was to conOne night, he asked his dorm Alex Madison tinue the mission of the Tyler Clemmate, Dharun Ravi, for some prienti Foundation – to end all offline Jane Clementi, left, founder of vacy because he had a date. Ravi the Tyler Clementi Foundation, and online bullying. The boisterous agreed but what Clementi didn’t talks with San Francisco board crowd of about 40 people was filled know was that Ravi had secretly member Peter Drake and with board members from across pointed his computer’s webcam at foundation Executive Director the country from New York to San Clementi’s bed, and then left. Sean Kosofsky at a March 4 Francisco, San Francisco Gay Men’s The camera captured Clementi in reception at Grace Cathedral. Chorus members, and some new an intimate act as Ravi invited other faces. students to view it online. Many Now in its sixth year, the foundastudents at the university contribtion has made significant strides to uted to this invasion of privacy by renowned “Tyler’s Suite,” a ninecreate programs that take a proacnot reporting or stopping what was piece choral movement composed Hybrid/City Kid’s Kid’s tive approach in ending bullying happening to Clementi, according by Stephen Schwartz, dedicated to Hybrid/City Hybrid/City Kid’s by reaching schools, workplaces, to the foundation’s website. the memory of Clementi, who was and individuals. The Day 1 camClementi discovered what his a talented violinist. paign is one of those programs and abuser had done when he viewed his The first song, “Unicycle” had ausomething Sean Kosofsky, executive roommate’s Twitter feed. He learned dience members bobbing heads to director of the foundation who flew he had widely become a topic of ridithe light and upbeat lyrics by Pam in from New York for the event, was cule in his new social environment. Stewart about Clementi’s ability to eager to talk about. He also found out that his roommate ride a unicycle and play the violin Now Open Thursday to 7pm! “There are simple, free, effective was planning a second attempt to simultaneously. Next, a deeper song, Road Mountain Road Mountain Mountainthings people can do,” Kosofsky said broadcast from the webcam. “I Love You More,” about a parent’s Road at the March 4 reception. “We want Several days later, Clementi ended love for a child. Now Open Thursday to 7pm! Every Now Thursday April between 4 & 7pm Open in Thursday to 7pm! others, coaches and managers, to set his life by jumping off the George Jane Clementi, Tyler’s mom, Now Open Thursday to 7pm! Thursday to 7pm! the tone that bullying is not allowed.” Washington Bridge. take 20% Now OFF Open all parts, accessories & clothing.* teared up as the song concluded, just Ravi was originally convicted on before she spoke to the audience. 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During the month of February, the readers of America’s

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Advertisers Align your brand with this very special edition and reach the largest (audited and verified) audience of LGBTQ consumers in the San Francisco Bay Area market. Our readers are fiercely brand-loyal and when all other things are equal, prefer to do business with companies that have demonstrated their support for the community.

Readers! Join us for a FREE celebration Join us on Thursday, April 6 from 6-9pm as we celebrate your 2017 BESTIES, the winners of the Bay Area Reporter’s 7th Annual Readers’ Choice Awards. We’ll take over OASIS (298 11th Street @ Folsom) for a special evening celebrating the LGBT Best of the Bay as voted by you, our loyal readers.

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4 • BAY AREA REPORTER • March 9-15, 2017

Advocates praise CA for dropping ADAP contractor by Seth Hemmelgarn

IV/AIDS advocates are praising California public health officials’ decision to fire the company that briefly held a key contract in the state’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program. AJ Boggs had been awarded the contract to oversee ADAP eligibility enrollment beginning in July 2016, but ever since then, there have been problems with the system, and the state announced last week that it was terminating its contract with Boggs effective March 31. Courtney Mulhern-Pearson, director of state and local policy at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, told the nonprofit’s Beta blog, “We are thankful that the State Office of AIDS has responded to our requests for change. The last seven months have been extremely disruptive for clients trying to obtain their medication through ADAP, and many of them have been denied coverage since the switch to AJ Boggs. We want to make sure that people living with HIV in our state are never without coverage or care for the medications they need.” Gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), who’d been among people raising concerns about the ADAP issues, said the

AJ Boggs CEO Clarke Anderson

contract termination is “a positive step, and I’m happy that the department of public health is taking this very seriously and is making significant changes to fix the problem.” Wiener said he’s “trying to figure out step by step how this happened, and how the department is ensuring the problem is being fixed now and that this won’t happen again.” San Francisco District 8 Supervisor Jeff Sheehy, a gay man living with HIV who started on ADAP 20 years ago, said he found the problems with the system “very disturbing and

frustrating. ... The way this has been botched is really unacceptable.” Bruce MacDonald, 63, a gay San Leandro man who’s living with AIDS, said that ADAP partially pays for surgery costs and other medical expenses he has. MacDonald said before Boggs was brought on, it had usually taken about 60 days for a bill to be paid, but with Boggs, “it was taking more like 90 to 120 days.” He said it was “good” that the contract was being terminated. Among other next steps, spokespeople for the California Department of Public Health said that the agency started conducting ADAP eligibility and enrollment services beginning March 6. The previous contract that Ramsell had held on its own was split into three contracts. Magellan Rx Management and Pool Administrators Inc., which along with Boggs were the new contractors, are staying. The state had split up the contract in an effort to get better prices, spokespeople said. However, Ramsell is suing the state over losing its contract and in court documents, the Oaklandbased company alleges that its bid had been “$9 million lower than Boggs’.” In their response, state officials

admitted that “Boggs’ proposal resulted in a higher cost (by $9 million) over 3 years compared to Ramsell’s.” A spokeswoman for Ramsell didn’t respond to an interview request for this story. Messages sent to state officials just before Ramsell’s contract expired June 30, 2016 expressed strong concerns about the state not being prepared for new contractors to take over. In a June 14 letter to Dr. Gilberto F. Chavez, the state’s epidemiologist and deputy director for infections diseases, the California HIV Alliance said, “We are concerned that the amount of time that has been allotted for system beta testing and enrollment worker training is not adequate ... A new system of this size, serving tens of thousands of Californians living with HIV, will require additional time to be beta tested with enrollment workers prior to a full scale transition.” Craig Pulsipher is state affairs specialist, government affairs at APLA Health (formerly known as AIDS Project Los Angeles), which is part of the HIV Alliance, along with the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and several other agencies. Pulsipher said this week that in phone call with the health department after the letter was sent,

advocates were told that “everything was going to be fine, and [the state] didn’t need to do anything else to prepare.” Mulhern-Pearson told the Bay Area Reporter that issues had sometimes come up when Ramsell had the contract, “but we were always able to resolve them by calling Ramsell, basically. ... They’d been such a trusted community partner for so long.” The company had had the contract for almost 20 years. By contrast, she said that with Boggs, “Whenever you got someone on the phone, it was pretty clear they were not familiar with this patient population,” and “the tone wouldn’t reflect the urgency.” In a phone interview with the B.A.R., Boggs CEO Clarke Anderson said he was “disappointed” the state terminated the contract. Anderson, who declined to say how much money Boggs had been paid on its ADAP contract with California, said his company had “worked hard” to help people, and “We are disappointed that the department of public health has canceled our contract.” However, he said, “We aren’t aware of any actions we’ve taken that have adversely impacted or somehow caused a person not to be able to receive their medications.” t

Smoke inhalation killed Ghost Ship victims, coroner says by Seth Hemmelgarn

he 36 people who were killed in Oakland’s Ghost Ship fire in December all died from smoke inhalation, according to the Alameda County Coroner’s Bureau. At least three of the victims were transgender people.

Scout Wolfcave, who considered trans fire victim Feral Pines, 29, “family,” said in a Facebook exchange with the Bay Area Reporter, “We actually knew the cause of death back in December because we had been in communication with the coroner’s office, and were contacted when her body

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was identified. We were told emergency medical service that she died holding [trams calls in June and September victim] Cash Askew, if I’m 2015 and one in June 2016. remembering that corThe department indicated it rectly. I like to imagine that had not inspected the buildmy loved ones were holding in several years. ing each other tight as they According to records passed. It makes it feel less from the city’s planning shitty.” department, there had been A technician at the coroseven code enforcement ner’s office couldn’t say when complaints from September the causes of death were Michael Nugent 2004 to November 2016 for determined. residential use, debris, inThe December 2 blaze The victims of the Ghost Ship fire died of operable vehicles, parking, at the warehouse, located smoke inhalation. rodents, and other problems. at 1305 31st Avenue in the For 2004 to 2016, there are city’s Fruitvale district, doesn’t appear city agencies had records of 34 code enforcestarted as people gathered for an done much to address the hazards. ment inspections. electronic music concert. As part of a recent public records Among other steps, city officials Officials haven’t determined the release, the Oakland Police Dehave said that they’re looking at cause of the fire. Families of at least partment reported that from 2007 new regulations involving areas two of the victims have filed lawsuits through December 1, 2016 – the such as monitoring of illegal events in connection with the incident. day before the fire – the agency had and fire inspections. The warehouse reportedly was received 18 calls for service to the It was reported last month that crammed with pianos, rugs, artwarehouse. Fire Chief Teresa Deloach Reed work, and other objects, and had The Oakland Fire Departhas been out on leave for several no sprinklers and limited exits. It ment reported that it received two weeks.t

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t <<

From the Cover>>

DUI cases

From page 1

That “unlicensed” toxicologist, Dr. Luke Rodda, replaced Lemos in July 2016 after Lemos resigned. Rodda, who didn’t respond to interview requests, is still serving as chief toxicologist, according to court documents and Rodda’s LinkedIn profile. Lemos, a gay man who had worked as the city’s chief toxicologist since October 2003, declined to discuss the case, but Rob Nelson, his attorney, said that if he were representing anyone who’d been “brought up on DUI charges in relation to testing that Dr. Rodda did, then I would be looking very carefully at whether it was appropriate for him to conduct the tests.” As the city’s chief forensic toxicologist, Lemos conducted and supervised “testing to determine whether there were drugs or alcohol in victims of sudden, unexpected, or violent deaths, as well as in living people charged with crimes such as sexual assault and driving under the influence,” Lemos’ complaint notes. With Rodda now in the position to perform those duties, Public Defender Jeff Adachi said in an interview, “We are extremely concerned” about Lemos’ allegations. “The allegations are extremely serious and have far-reaching implications, both in terms of specific cases that Dr. Rodda worked on, as well as calling into question the procedures and protocol” in place “for dealing with these kinds of problems,” Adashi said.

Title 17

Lemos’ lawsuit delves into Title 17 of California’s Code of Regulations, which addresses DUI analysis. Among its other tasks, the medical examiner’s office performs forensic toxicology analyses on people who’ve died as well as

analyses in DUI cases. “Title 17 requires that technicians conducting DUI tests have various certifications from governing boards and state departments in the areas of forensic toxicology and alcohol analysis,” the court documents say. “Only appropriately educated and certified scientists can conduct forensic alcohol testing on DUI suspects in California.” The city hired Rodda in May 2016. After reviewing materials that Rodda provided, Lemos concluded that the he “likely did not have the necessary academic and professional credentials to be certified under Title 17,” the complaint says. Lemos says in his filing that he notified Christopher Wirowek, the medical examiner’s deputy director, who told him “’not to do the job’ of the state certification authorities and ordered him to nominate Dr. Rodda for certification anyway.” Wirowek also told Lemos “to ‘comply now and grieve later,’” the complaint says. Lemos then went to the city’s General Services Agency, which handles human resources matters for the medical examiner’s office. He told two GSA employees that allowing Rodda to conduct DUI testing “would break the law, and that Mr. Wirowek seemed unconcerned with these facts.” The GSA staffers told Lemos they would “report his complaint to their supervisor,” but he alleges that was the last he heard from the agency about his complaint. Despite Wirowek’s instructions, Lemos “would not allow Dr. Rodda to conduct any forensic alcohol testing by himself,” according to Lemos’ filing. Lemos “and his staff therefore handled the DUI testing that Dr. Rodda otherwise would have done had he been properly certified.” In early July, the state’s forensic

March 9-15, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 5

alcohol program notified Lemos that it wouldn’t certify Rodda, and the earliest Rodda “could reapply for certification was in two years,” the complaint says. Lemos claims that Wirowek refused to release Rodda and replace him with someone who had the proper qualifications. “Mr. Wirowek told plaintiff that firing Dr. Rodda would reflect badly on Mr. Wirowek, likely given that he had personally recruited Dr. Rodda from Australia at considerable expense to the city,” according to the complaint. Lemos claims that Wirowek told him not to tell anybody else about Rodda’s rejection, and to allow Rodda to perform DUI testing and his other “job duties in full,” so the agency could eliminate the backlog that had developed from other staff having to do DUI testing for Rodda. “Mr. Wirowek’s instructions put plaintiff in an untenable situation,” the complaint says. “If he was to sign off on Dr. Rodda’s test results and then attempt to support them in criminal trials, he could be guilty of perjury. Conversely, if plaintiff refused to support the test results and it was ever learned why (i.e., because Dr. Rodda was conducting the tests illegally), then plaintiff ’s professional integrity would be damaged irreparably for having knowingly allowed an unlicensed toxicologist to conduct DUI tests. Either way, plaintiff could not carry out Mr. Wirowek’s mandate to allow Dr. Rodda to be involved in DUI testing.” On July 18, Lemos “begrudgingly resigned.” Nelson, Lemos’ attorney, said that forensic toxicology is “a small field,” and Lemos “very much believed” that “if word got out that he was knowingly working in violation of the law, he likely never would have worked in the field of forensic toxicology again.”

Wirowek declined to comment on the case and hung up on a reporter. The complaint doesn’t list Rodda, Wirowek, or other individuals as defendants. In response to an email from the Bay Area Reporter, John Cote, a spokesman for the city attorney’s office, said, “We’re not going to comment on pending litigation.” No one from the GSA responded to an interview request for this story. Ron Owens, a spokesman for the state public health department, which oversees the forensic alcohol program, wasn’t able to provide comment.

“[Christopher] Wirowek also told [Dr. Nikolas] Lemos “to ‘comply now and grieve later.’” – Lawsuit filed by Dr. Nikolas Lemos Attorneys’ concerns

Adachi, who first learned of Lemos’ allegations when the B.A.R. sent the complaint to his office, said his staff is reviewing cases that include reports that Rodda was involved in. “We will be doing our due diligence in terms of calling for an investigation of these allegations, and also any impact that [Rodda] had on cases,” Adachi said. Carmen Aguirre, who oversees all the DUI cases in Adachi’s office and serves as the misdemeanor manager, said noncompliance with Title 17 “definitely affects any

and all cases of license suspensions” through the Department of Motor Vehicles. “Title 17 compliance is required for anybody that’s signing off on a report for the report to be considered for license suspension,” Aguirre said. Rodda’s alleged noncompliance with Title 17 “may mean less in criminal cases than it means” in DMV cases, but “we’ll be investigating.” she said. (A DMV spokesman declined to comment on the lawsuit.) Lemos’ complaint noted that he often testified “in criminal trials regarding his test results,” and he “had to sign written attestations verifying tests that he had done himself, as well as tests performed by his staff.” Aguirre said Lemos “was very fair to both sides,” and he’s “always been of the highest ethical standard.” Since Lemos’ departure, though, “We’ve seen a real decline in both the responsiveness of the medical examiner’s office, and also just knowing who’s going to testify and the fairness of the person who does testify,” she said. Rodda hadn’t testified in any of her cases, Aguirre said, but there are still concerns “with anything he signs off on.” Alex Bastian, a spokesman for the district attorney’s office, said, “As it relates to the Title 17 issue, given that [Rodda] has not testified or worked on any of the DUI cases” that prosecutors have handled, Lemos’ allegations “will likely not impact any DUI cases.” Bastian declined to comment on Adachi’s concerns about the potential impact on other cases. Through his lawsuit, Lemos is seeking unspecified damages for retaliation, wrongful termination, and “constructive discharge.” Nelson said that term means “the conditions are so intolerable you basically have no choice but to resign.” Lemos so far hasn’t found a new job. t

<< Open Forum

6 • BAY AREA REPORTER • March 9-15, 2017

Volume 47, Number 10 March 9-15, 2017 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 • Seth Hemmelgarn 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 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 Michael McDonagh • David-Elijah Nahmod Michael Nugent • Paul Parish • Sean Piverger Lois Pearlman Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota Bob Roehr •Donna Sachet • Adam Sandel Khaled Sayed Jason Serinus • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith • Sari Staver • Jim Stewart Sean Timberlake • Andre Torrez • Ronn Vigh 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 • Steven Underhil Dallis Willard • Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge • Christine Smith ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION Colleen Small Bogitini VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING Scott Wazlowski – 415.829.8937 NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

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ADAP questions remain A

fter months of shoddy service from a vendor, the California Department of Public Health last week finally pulled the plug on one of the contracts for the state’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program. A.J. Boggs had been one of three contractors charged with managing ADAP, specifically overseeing enrollment and eligibility for the program that ensures that people living with HIV/AIDS who are uninsured or underinsured have access to medication. Boggs’ contract will be terminated effective March 31. CDPH had spent millions of dollars and hundreds of hours of staff time attempting to salvage the program, but it became obvious that Boggs didn’t know what it was doing. And the ineffective company also cost the state in other ways. For example, a new program that would help people statewide get access to PrEP has been delayed until next year because CDPH staff devoted so much time trying to fix ADAP errors. Problems included clients being turned away by their pharmacies or even being dropped from ADAP, according to advocates. But CDPH officials had warnings from HIV/ AIDS advocates and others that Boggs couldn’t handle the job. In a lawsuit filed by Ramsell, which previously held the ADAP contract, HIV/AIDS officials expressed concern about the handover to Boggs, begging the state to “reconsider the transition timeline” because of problems. In a letter included in the lawsuit, Mario Perez, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s Division of HIV and STD Programs, told state officials

that ADAP depends on “error-free and efficient implementation” so that patients can get their medications. Many of those clients, he added, are marginally housed or transitory, making it difficult to reach them by letter or phone. There’s another disturbing part to the lawsuit: Ramsell alleges that CDPH awarded Boggs the contract even though its bid was $9 million lower. In its response to the suit, CDPH acknowledged that Boggs’ proposal “resulted in a higher cost (by $9 million) over three years compared to Ramsell’s ...” That’s a lot of money that could have been spent on the PrEP access program or other HIV/AIDS-related initiatives. We’d like to see state health officials explain the missteps in this ADAP contracting debacle and take steps to ensure that future bidders can do the job. In the meantime, we hope that terminating Boggs’ contract will enable the office to fix the errors and get the system working like it was before. Increasing access to ADAP should be the department’s top priority. The enrollment and eligibility component of the ADAP contract is perhaps the most critical, and the state must make sure that any future vendor handling that aspect of the program is competent. It’s inexcusable that months of contractor errors had both negatively affected PWAs and led to the delay of the PrEP access program.

Watching the GOP squirm

We’ve been waiting for this moment since Donald Trump was sworn in – real

The fight continues by Theresa Sparks

in support of Grimm, in anticipation of the case being heard. One brief s demonstrated by a U.S. Suwas co-authored by the cities of San preme Court announcement Francisco and New York. That, in Monday morning, the fight for transand of itself, was not too surprising gender equal rights is going to be a as both cities have had transgender long, divisive one. Originally the court protections in place for many years. was to hear oral arguments on the What was also encouraging were the Gavin Grimm case in late March, with 29 additional cities, and mayors from a decision likely in June. This week’s around the country, that also signed Rick Gerharter announcement, however, sent the on in support of the brief. This supTheresa Sparks case back to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court port ranged from friendly jurisdictions of Appeals for re-consideration, thus like Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Seattle, also vacating the appeals court’s earlier Minneapolis, and Chicago to typically ruling in favor of Grimm. unheralded allies on this issue like Plano, Texas; In 2014, Grimm, a student attending school in Paterson, New Jersey; Evanston, Illinois; and Gloucester County, Virginia, came out as transSouth Bend, Indiana. gender, publicly transitioning from female to In this brief, the signatories stated that they male. He then started attending high school with “have long observed the importance of protecta male presentation. ing their transgender residents from the type At first the school district allowed him to use of discrimination that petitioner (Gloucester restrooms consistent with his gender identity. County) seeks to institutionalize: exclusion Later, after a group of parents objected to this from facilities and accommodations on the basis policy, the school board voted to require Grimm of unfounded fears and outdated stereotypes to use either female or single use restrooms. about masculinity, femininity and sexual The American Civil Liberties Union, reprecharacteristics.” senting Grimm and his mother, sued the school Another amicus brief in support board to allow him to use the restrooms consisof Grimm and transgender rights tent with his gender identity. They lost the case in was one authored by Apple, IBM lower court and then appealed to the 4th Circuit. Corporation, Microsoft, and 50 The appeals court overturned the lower court other major companies, many decision, relying on the Obama administration’s of which are tech firms founded interpretation of Title IX of the U.S. Education in northern California. This list Code: that gender identity fell within the overall is not only comprised of tech definition of “sex” as defined in the Civil Right organizations but some of largAct of 1964. est companies in their industry The school district then appealed the decisector in the U.S. including MAC sion to the U.S. Supreme Court, which agreed Cosmetics, Mass Mutual Insurance, and to hear the case, temporarily staying 4th Circuit’s Williams-Sonoma. decision. Recently, the Trump administration In their brief, these companies stated they berescinded the Obama administration’s guidance, lieve “transgender individuals deserve the same offering no replacement of its own. treatment and protections as all other members Prior to Monday’s announcement by the of our society. The policy (of Gloucester County) Supreme Court, there was some optimism in undermines the (petitioners) policies promoting the trans community that the “bathroom issue” fairness and equality for their employees and might finally be resolved in its favor. Previous customers, and thusly threatens (petitioners) federal court rulings were overwhelmingly in business interests.” support of the argument that gender identity The last amicus brief that deserves attention was protected from discrimination by the Title is one filed in favor of Grimm by the presiding IX in its definition of “sex.” Support for transgenbishop of the Episcopal Church and President of der human rights has been gaining momentum the House of Deputies of the Episcopal Church; throughout the United States at an unprecedentGeneral Synod of the United Church of Christ; ed rate. Media outlets were beginning to portray Jewish Theological Seminary; Rabbinical Astransgender people as being represented in all sociation; Unitarian Universalist Association; components of the basic fabric of the human Network of Presbyterians; Methodists Federacondition. tion for Social Action; Muslims for Progressive Prior to the court’s announcement, numerValues; Open and Affirming Coalition of the ous “friend of the court” briefs were submitted United Church of Christ; Lutherans for Full

disagreement over congressional Republicans’ plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Dubbed the American Health Care Act, the bill unveiled Monday would, as many predicted, favor the wealthy at the expense of the poor; establish tax credits that likely won’t cover the cost of insurance; and impose a penalty if a person’s insurance lapsed. The bill has not yet been reviewed by the Congressional Budget Office, so no one knows exactly how many people would lose coverage. The proposal also eviscerates Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California), replacing subsidies with block grants to the states that again, probably won’t be enough money to cover insurance premiums. We suspect this won’t be the final version of any bill to repeal Obamacare. Already, various Republican factions have criticized the plan, with conservatives saying it’s “Obamacare lite” versus moderates from those states that expanded Medicaid leery of the rollback. Oh, and the current plan would defund Planned Parenthood, a favorite target of the right, negatively affecting health care for millions of poor and low-income women (and men). Now that the House has presented its plan, people are finally realizing 1) it’s very complicated to develop a health care plan and 2) Obamacare is becoming more popular every day, now that their medical coverage is at risk. The GOP could simply improve upon the ACA, but the party has such loathing for Obama that it won’t. But one thing to remember: while Trump vowed that a replacement plan would provide “insurance for everybody,” it’s clear that the American Health Care Act, or Trumpcare, will not. t

Participation; and more than 1,800 faith leaders. In one of this brief’s many arguments in support of Grimm, the religious leaders state, “Transgender persons possess inherent dignity – a concept that has explicitly informed this courts jurisprudence for decades, and increasingly so with respect to equal protections and allied rights doctrines. This affirmation reflects the deeply rooted belief, common to many faiths, in the essential worth of all individuals and, more particularly, the growing respect accorded within theological traditions to transgender persons.” Some might say that this latest Supreme Court action indicates we have lost the bathroom war. Not true. We may have lost this skirmish (or postponed the inevitable affirmation of our human rights) due to the recent Trump administration’s discriminatory action to rescind Obama’s guidance on Title IX and its application in schools. It can also be suggested that last year’s action by Senate Republicans to deny a hearing and a vote on Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court, thus allowing Trump to nominate a more conservative justice, was the beginning of this fight for a favorable Supreme Court decision. Being more of a half-full glass kind of person, I would like to believe that a decision impacting the fundamental human rights of an emerging and growing segment of the U.S. populace does indeed transgress typically liberal/ conservative ideologies. But, I am mostly optimistic that the emerging support of transgender individuals is the most encouraging indication that we will eventually gain the full array of civil and human rights as guaranteed by the Constitution. To have diverse groups such as cities from all over this country, businesses large and small, and faith leaders representing many different denominations agree and support the singular issue of transgender rights is something we rarely see. Sure we’re not out of the woods in this fight but we’re certainly not dead and buried. This latest setback is merely a blip on the screen. San Francisco, through the leadership of the mayor, Board of Supervisors, city attorney, and all of our other elected and appointed officials, continues to lead the country on the fight for transgender rights. We are a city of transgender people and we will always be a city for transgender people. t Theresa Sparks is Mayor Ed Lee’s senior adviser for transgender initiatives. The views she expresses here are her own.

Politics>>

t Gay API group welcomes patent attorney as new leader by Matthew S. Bajko

local patent attorney is the new chair of the Gay Asian Pacific Alliance, a social club for gay and bisexual Asian and Pacific Islanders in the Bay Area that also wades into local political races with endorsements and support for candidates. Michael Nguyen, 35, who works for the San Jose-based intellectual law firm Wong and Rees, took over the leadership position in January. He is also the reigning Miss GAPA, having been crowned in August under his drag persona Juicy Liu, and serves as the official spokesperson for the GAPA Foundation. “I thought I should do more work with this organization when I won Miss GAPA,” said Nguyen during a recent phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter. “I am excited as I step into this role to work on how we can build community coalitions and movement here in San Francisco.” The result of November’s election, when Republican Donald Trump won the presidential race, prodded Nguyen to become more politically active. “On Election Night I said, ‘Well, this sucks,’” recalled Nguyen, adding, “I know the opposition starts here in San Francisco.” In late January the organization issued a statement condemning Trump’s executive order that banned immigrants from seven predominately Muslim countries – Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen – from entering the U.S. for 90 days and suspended all Syrian refugee admissions indefinitely. (Federal courts later suspended implementation of the ban after several state attorneys general filed a challenge to it, and the White House has said it plans to soon issue a revised travel ban.) “These actions by the Trump administration do not align with the values of GAPA and are based solely on fear and ignorance. Immigrant communities, their families, and our families contribute greatly to our nation, regardless of origin or status,” read the group’s statement. With immigration issues hitting close to home for many Asians in the U.S., Nguyen said GAPA is watching what the president proposes very closely. “We need to be an organization that at least says calm down and how do we fight this,” he said. “We are gearing up for that and understanding where our role is.” Another focus for the group going forward will be helping to elect more LGBT API community members to elected office in the Bay Area, particularly in San Francisco. Since 2014, when former community college board trustee Lawrence Wong opted not to seek re-election and stepped down, the city has been without an LGBT API elected official. “As a community we should be building a pipeline for the future to encourage and support LGBT Asian and Pacific Islander electeds,” Benjamin Leong, a former GAPA co-chair, recently wrote in a guest opinion for the B.A.R. It is a goal that Nguyen said he shares. Looking forward to the races for local office in 2018, he said GAPA’s political action committee is ready to assist any out API candidates who file to run. “We hear whispers of people wanting to run. People are excited about it, but I don’t know if people

March 9-15, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 7

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Bill Wilson

Michael Nguyen wore his Miss GAPA sash while attending a Lunar New Year celebration at San Francisco City Hall last month

are willing to throw their names in right now,” said Nguyen. “We definitely want to encourage that and foster that. We are looking at doing forums and workshops on how to run for office.”

Midwest transplant

Nguyen spent his early years growing up in Chicago, and later, moved to the Dallas area, where he attended high school and college. In 2006 he relocated to the Bay Area to attend UC Hastings College of the Law. He lived in Mountain View for a time but moved to San Francisco in 2009, often telecommuting for work. He plays in the Big Gay Frisbee league, participates in the AIDS/ LifeCycle fundraiser, and is a member of the Quest gay softball team, on which he plays first base and catcher. He will at times play in drag and joked, “It is true I am a very competent catcher.” It was his softball teammates who bestowed his drag name on him. “It is a play off Lucy Liu but juicier,” said Nguyen, referring to the actress who starred in the “Charlie’s Angels” movie and currently is in the crime drama “Elementary” on CBS. “Juicy is my alter ego; Michael is more quiet.” As Miss GAPA, he choose as his platform theme “Mind the GAPA,” with the intent of ensuring the group is at the forefront of people’s minds. “We want to be a resource for folks,” said Nguyen. “For many people the reality is there are so many activities in the Bay Area and so many causes. I feel like I am a perfect example of being pulled in all these different directions. But you can always find a home in GAPA.” Having joined GAPA’s board in the fall, and brimming with ideas, Nguyen was approached by other members of the group about taking on the chairmanship. As such, he is assessing the needs of GAPA with fresh eyes. “It is kind of nice I am a little bit of an outsider candidate,” said

Nguyen. For years two co-chairs had led GAPA, but the group amended its bylaws last year to allow for just one chair. After leading the club for the last two years, Danny Tai Pham opted to step down as chair and become an emeritus member of GAPA’s board. As he told the B.A.R. in December, “The needs and wants of the community have certainly shifted over time, and GAPA continues to adapt to serve the larger queer A&PI community.” One recent change for the group has been to broaden its purpose to advocating for anyone within the Bay Area’s LGBTQ API community. In the past GAPA was solely focused on serving the interests of gay and bi API men. “As long as you are interested in advancing the interests of LGBTQ Asian and Pacific Islanders, you are welcome to join GAPA,” said Nguyen. “I think the focus is on creating spaces where APIs feel comfortable. I personally don’t think there needs to be this division.” While GAPA is an “open and welcoming” group, Nguyen stressed that it will “always be an organization that provides a safe space for mostly API men.” Membership in GAPA costs $20, said Nguyen, but the group welcomes non-members to attend its events. GAPA’s board will be meeting at 4 p.m. Saturday, March 11 and hosting a social afterwards at 5:30 p.m. Both will take place at the Bravado Cafe Lounge at 170 King Street in San Francisco, and anyone interested in joining the group is invited to attend. To learn more about GAPA, visit its Facebook page at https://www. facebook.com/GAPASF. t Political Notes, the notebook’s online companion, will return Monday, March 20. Keep abreast of the latest LGBT political news by following the Political Notebook on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/politicalnotes. Got a tip on LGBT politics? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 8298836 or e-mail m.bajko@ebar.com.

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<< Community News

8 • BAY AREA REPORTER • March 9-15, 2017

HIV conference highlights new drugs by Liz Highleyman

any potential new drug candidates for HIV treatment and prevention were discussed at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections last month in Seattle. This reflects a renewed focus on antiretroviral therapy at the meeting, after a few years when PrEP and hepatitis C treatment topped the news. Current antiretroviral treatment for HIV is highly effective, easy to take, and has few side effects. But having more potent and well-tolerated therapies offers more options for putting together optimal regimens – especially for people with highly drug-resistant virus – and competition can bring down the cost of treatment. “It’s really important and encouraging to have new data on new drugs for treating HIV,” conference co-chair Judith Currier, MD, from UCLA, said at a CROI press briefing. “While the therapies that we have today are much better than they have been in the past, I think there’s still some room for improvement.”

Next-generation drugs

Looking first at next-generation candidates in familiar antiretroviral classes, researchers are seeking incremental benefits in areas such as improved tolerability and convenience – especially using long-acting drugs – as well as new options for PrEP. Doravirine, an experimental nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor from Merck, is completing late-stage clinical trials and may be among the first of the new drugs to emerge from the drug development pipeline. Dr. Kathleen Squires, from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, presented data showing that doravirine suppressed HIV and raised CD4 T-cell counts as much as the powerful protease inhibitor darunavir (Prezista), but people taking it were less likely to have diarrhea or develop high blood fat levels. A previous study found that doravirine worked as well as the widely used NNRTI efavirenz (Sustiva) but with fewer central nervous system side effects. In today’s competitive market antiretrovirals for initial treatment are only feasible if they can be combined into once-daily single-tablet regimens. Merck is now testing a coformulation of doravirine with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and lamivudine for both first-time

treatment and switching from other drugs. San Diego-based Viriom is working on another NNRTI further back in the pipeline that appears to have long-acting potential. Elpida suppressed HIV as well as efavirenz, but with fewer side effects, when taken once daily. The company is now testing once-weekly oral and longer-acting injected formulations. Merck is also developing a longacting drug, the nucleoside reverse transcriptase translocation inhibitor MK-8591 or EFdA. A single oral dose produced high drug concentrations for more than a week, and an injectable formulation may maintain effective drug levels for up to six months. MK-8591 showed good distribution to rectal and vaginal tissues in monkeys, suggesting it may be suitable for PrEP. Turning to integrase inhibitors, researchers reported that ViiV Healthcare’s cabotegravir plus the approved drug rilpivirine (Edurant) taken as daily pills continued to suppress HIV viral load for up to 144 weeks. Researchers have also seen good results up to 48 weeks with long-acting injectable versions of cabotegravir and rilpivirine administered once every four or eight weeks for HIV treatment. Injectable cabotegravir alone is also being studied for PrEP. Researchers at CROI reported that a new nanoparticle formulation of cabotegravir produces higher drug levels for a longer time, which could allow for even less frequent dosing. Foster City-based Gilead Sciences is working on an oral integrase inhibitor, known as bictegravir, that can be used without a “booster” drug. In a mid-stage clinical trial, 97 percent of people taking bictegravir had undetectable viral load after a year, compared to 91 percent of those taking the approved integrase inhibitor dolutegravir. Phase 3 trials are now underway using a single-tablet regimen containing bictegravir, tenofovir alafenamide, and emtricitabine. Although Gilead dominates the HIV drug market overall, it does not yet have an approved protease inhibitor. At CROI researchers presented promising data on GSPI1, a novel protease inhibitor with potential for once-daily oral dosing without a booster, which current protease inhibitors usually require to reach adequate drug levels in the body.

Liz Highleyman

Gilead scientist Winston Tse

New drugs, novel mechanism

Other experimental agents discussed at CROI represent novel drug classes that work differently than existing antiretrovirals. Gilead is also developing a new type of antiretroviral drug – HIV capsid inhibitors – designed to interfere with assembly and disassembly of the viral capsid, a coneshaped structure that encloses HIV’s genetic blueprint. GS-CA1, the first capsid inhibitor to enter preclinical studies, is “at least an order of magnitude more potent” than existing antiretrovirals, and works against virus that is resistant to current drugs, according to Gilead scientist Winston Tse. “The state of the science is that we have to have a really good molecule and have to think it’s going to be a benefit for patients, and we kept reiterating until we got a good molecule,” Tse told reporters. Pharmacokinetic testing showed that GS-CA1 appears suitable for long-acting injections. In a study of rats, a single injection maintained high drug levels for weeks. Gilead aims to move into human studies using low-dose injections of GSCA1 administered no more than once a month and expects to start Phase 1 clinical trials in 2018, Tse said. Another novel type of HIV treatment uses monoclonal antibodies, three of which were presented at CROI. Rather than acting against the virus directly, they bind to human cells and prevent HIV from entering them. An advantage of this approach is that it could work for people with long-term HIV infection who have developed resistance

to existing antiretrovirals. A disadvantage is that antibodies must be administered by injection or intravenous infusion. Ibalizumab, being developed TaiMed Biologics in Taiwan, binds to the CD4 receptor on the surface of T-cell that allows HIV to enter. Dr. Brinda Emu, from Yale University, presented findings from a Phase 3 trial of ibalizumab for people who are not maintaining viral suppression on their current antiretroviral regimen. A third of the 40 participants had less than 10 CD4 cells, indicating very advanced immune suppression, and 15 percent were resistant to all approved antiretrovirals. “These were highly treatmentexperienced, highly drug-resistant patients with very limited options,” Emu told the Bay Area Reporter. IV infusions of ibalizumab given every two weeks along with oral antiretrovirals showed modest antiviral activity and raised CD4 counts by an average of 48 cells. Researchers are now working on an easier-to-use intramuscular injection. After 24 weeks on treatment, 43 percent of study participants reached an undetectable viral load. This does not compare to modern first-line antiretroviral therapy, but Emu stressed that these are patients who do not respond to existing treatments and even small T-cell gains could make a big difference for people with such low levels. United BioPharm, also in Taiwan, is working on another monoclonal antibody that targets the CD4 receptor on T-cells. In a Phase 2 study, 29 men with viral suppression on stable antiretroviral therapy interrupted treatment to receive eight infusions

of UB-421 given weekly or biweekly. Most participants maintained viral suppression and restarted combination therapy as scheduled, but five people did not want to resume their old regimen at that time. During continued follow-up they eventually experienced viral rebound between 35 and 62 days after their last UB-421 dose – longer than expected after stopping treatment. Participants also showed evidence of enhanced immune response. Levels of viral DNA in T-cells – known as the viral reservoir – decreased significantly, leading the researchers to suggest that UB-421 “has a great potential for the functional cure of HIV-1 infections.” The third antibody, CytoDyn’s PRO-140, blocks CCR5, one of the two co-receptors that HIV uses along with the CD4 receptor to enter cells. Kush Dhody, from Amarex Clinical Research, presented two-year findings from a Phase 2 trial of PRO-140 as maintenance therapy for people who achieved viral suppression on standard combination antiretroviral therapy. The 42 people in this study stopped their antiretrovirals and received weekly injections of PRO140 alone. Those who experienced viral rebound immediately restarted combination therapy, Dhody emphasized. Researchers initially planned to continue PRO-140 monotherapy for 12 weeks, but at the end of this period some participants still had suppressed viral load, so followup was extended. Sixteen people rolled over into the extension study and were trained to administer their injections at home. Of these, 13 (81 percent) maintained viral suppression for more than 40 weeks and 10 (63 percent) had undetectable viral load for more than two years and were still being followed. All three experimental antibodies appeared safe and well tolerated, with few drug-related serious adverse events or discontinuations due to side effects. If approved in the next couple of years, antibody therapies may offer new options for treatment-experienced people with highly resistant HIV, and further in the future they may also become a component of long-acting therapy for people at any stage of HIV disease who prefer less frequent injections over daily pills.t

EXPLORE THE GAY WORLD

San Jose rally for trans youth Jo-Lynn Otto

ay Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager, center left, joined other LGBT and allied people for a March 4 rally in support of trans and gender non-conforming students outside San

Jose City Hall. The rally was a response to the recent Trump administration decision to rescind Obama-era protections for trans students in public schools.

Community News>>

March 9-15, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 9

Historical society to hold party, archive tour by Charlie Wagner

ot only is March 17 St. Patrick’s Day, it will also see a celebration for the GLBT Historical Society as it marks its 32nd anniversary. “We just want to throw a party,” said historical society board member and DJ Marke Bieschke. Thirty-two years ago, a band of queer history enthusiasts created the GLBT Historical Society to uncover, preserve, and share stories of the LGBTQ past. The Lenore Chinn. evening will be a double celebration, also covering the sixth an- One of the many exhibits at the GLBT History Museum was “1964: The niversary of the GLBT History Year San Francisco Came Out” in the museum’s front gallery in 2014. Museum in the Castro, where the party will take place. The historical society will also Institute of Architects, is providing Where now there are three video launch that day an Indiegogo campro-bono architecture services, muscreens in the museum’s reception paign to raise $50,000 for a museum seum officials said. area, the makeover will provide a makeover. Over $15,000 has been The museum’s makeover will inlarge video wall with six much larger raised so far, partly from Wells Fargo clude a redesigned facade, reception flat screens, programmed to reflect Bank and Folsom Street Events. area, and arch going into the main current events. Rachel Hamilton, of the American exhibit room as well as new signage. Three LGBT entertainers will

serve as anniversary party hosts: drag queen VivvyAnne ForeverMore, lesbian comedian Marga Gomez, and activist drag king Alex U. Inn (also known as Carmen Alex Morrison). ForeverMore has hosted drag parties at the Stud for over seven years with an “artistic, rather than a traditional, style of drag,” said Bieschke, and is a member of the 18-person Stud Collective that owns the bar. Gomez is just back from her much-lauded New York show “Latin Standards,” and Inn hosts the Kingdom parties around the Bay Area. As DJ, Bieschke will be playing hits from the 1980s to today, paralleling the history of the historical society itself. Last year over 300 people attended the party and raised more than $1,500. Historical society Executive Director Terry Beswick hopes the upcoming event will “raise visibility of what we do with the historical society. The LGBT community is

poised to be the wonderful intersection point of different groups.” Beswick attended last year right after he was hired to lead the historical society and described it as a joyous celebration by people “enthusiastic about queer history.”

Open house planned

The day after the party, on Saturday March 18, the historical society is offering an open house of its archives, located at 989 Market Street, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., including a behind-the-scenes tour to see the archival reserve usually accessible only to staff. Managing archivist Joanna Black will provide an introduction to the collections and discuss the use of the archives. Guided tours will take place at 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. and light refreshments will be served. The archives provide the source materials for many of the exhibitions at the museum. They are See page 11 >>

SF man honored for DOMA fight by Charlie Wagner

ike Dragovich met the love of his life, Mike Gaitley, in 1979. Little did they know that years later they would become part of a lawsuit that sought to provide benefits for same-sex couples. While their suit became moot after the 2013 U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down a key provision of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, the couple were recently honored for the role they played in the marriage equality fight.

Their significant contribution was recognized Friday, February 24 at the Impact Fund’s first celebration of six civil rights class action heroes. Held in San Francisco, the induction into the 2017 Class Action Hall of Fame was intended to honor lead plaintiffs whose “commitment and determination has led to significant advances in economic, environmental, racial and social justice.” Dragovich and the five other inductees were all lead plaintiffs in class action suits resolved in the last

several years. That group included Jessy Cruz, who fought for better treatment of children in schools; Veronica Lewandowski, who sued for equal access to sports for girls; Sylvester McClain, who sued over racial discrimination in employment; Julie Reiskin, who fought for access for people with disabilities; and Sara Wellens, who fought gender discrimination in the pharmaceutical industry. The Impact Fund was founded in 1992 to help advance justice through the courts. Although

originally envisioned as a purely grant-making organization – it has awarded more than 600 grants totaling over $6 million to date – the agency has grown to include both advocacy and education within its range of services. According to Teddy Basham-Witherington, a gay man who is director of development and communications, the Class Action Hall of Fame is intended to “present real people with real faces and show those who cannot get justice any other way.” Dragovich’s story parallels

nearly the entire history of the marriage equality battle. He started working as a nurse at UCSF in 1992 and enrolled in long term care insurance for himself in 1997, after witnessing how helpful it had been in the care of his partner’s parents. UCSF’s long term care insurance is offered through the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, or CalPERS. When California passed domestic partner legislation in 1999, Dragovich called CalPERS to ask See page 13 >>

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<< Business News

10 • BAY AREA REPORTER • March 9-15, 2017

CEO of hair care line proffers venture capital advice by Matthew S. Bajko

my Errett could easily sail along on the success of her eco-friendly hair care products line, Madison Reed, which she cofounded in April 2013 and oversees as CEO. Yet she also serves on a number of philanthropic boards and as a special adviser to the venture capital firm True Ventures, offering advice on what companies it should fund. “It is in my DNA to start something,” explained Errett about why she is attracted to the world of venture capitalism. Her response came during a conversation in late January that Errett and two other venture capitalists, David Hornik and Hunter Walk, engaged in as part of the Arts and Ideas program at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco. Prior to launching Madison Reed, Errett had been a general partner and ran the Bay Area office of the venture capital firm Maveron, which was created by Starbucks founder Howard Schultz. “As a VC, I got to meet young, talented people and helped them meet their dreams,” recalled Errett. Their “Venture Capitol 101” talk brought out several hundred people on a Monday night to learn just what a venture capitalist does and tips for those seeking to tap into venture funding for their own start-up companies. Being a VC requires a “24-7” commitment, warned Errett, adding that, “You are working so hard there is no work/life balance.” Nonetheless, she beseeched the industry to support female VCs and entrepreneurs, as men dominate the field and Silicon Valley companies continue to be hit with charges of sexual harassment. The support, added Errett, needs to begin with young girls so they are encouraged

to pursue highwhich began on tech careers. a subscription “You need to model but is now teach girls to be selling through fearless and that other retailers their voices matand has begun ter,” she said. to open its own As for those in stores, had upneed of financing, wards of $15 milshe advised they lion in revenue do their homelast year. work about the The company funds they apis named after the proach. If they are daughter that Erjust starting their rett and her wife, company and exClare Albanese, pect to need years had in 2003. She of cash infusions, did so due to a she suggested Madison Reed co-founder conversation she partnering with Amy Errett had with Madia newer fund, as son in which her it will more likely daughter asked be able to provide multiple rounds if she was “going to do it?” Errett of funding. asked, “Do what?” as she was unIf a company is more established clear of what Madison meant. but needs financing to scale up its “Save women’s lives,” replied her business, then Errett said an older daughter. fund could be a better bet to team The idea for the company had up with. According to Forbes, Errett come out of Errett’s desire to create by 2016 had raised $40 million in hair coloring and other products venture capital funding to grow that don’t contain cancer-causing Madison Reed. chemicals and that can be used by “Pick people that will women who are pregnant. lift you up and be sup“I wanted to dispel the notion portive,” Errett said. there had to be very bad chemicals She personally saw in hair care,” she said during the VC how business relationtalk. “I believe that mission brings a ships could become huge return to the company because acrimonious after her consumers see through things and time as CEO of lesbian will support that mission and not travel company Olivia waiver on those things.” Cruises in the early The event had been postponed 2000s. After helping Olfrom the fall, and the rescheduled ivia reach $25 million in revenues by talk on January 30 happened to 2007, Errett was out of the company come the Monday after airports and entangled in a nasty legal fight across the country had erupted with Olivia founder Judy Dlugacz. in chaos over the weekend due to The two sides reached a confidenPresident Donald Trump the Fritial agreement in 2009, the terms of day prior imposing a ban on imwhich were not publicly disclosed. migrants from seven predominately Years later Errett would team with Muslim countries from entering a former Olivia co-worker, Sabrina the U.S. for 90 days and suspendRiddle, who was the travel coming all Syrian refugee admissions pany’s chief sales and marketing indefinitely. officer, to co-found Madison Reed. (Federal courts later suspended According to Forbes, the company, implementation of the ban after

several state attorneys general filed a challenge to it, and the White House has said it plans to soon issue a revised travel ban.) Asked by moderator Sue Kwon, a former television journalist who now handles communication for the startup Honor, if Silicon Valley’s voice matters in Washington, D.C. in light of the immigration crackdown, Errett answered simply, “Absolutely.” Errett, board chair of the foundation of the progressive Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, noted that her father was born in Russia and that her maternal grandparents also immigrated to the U.S. “The truth of what is going on is it’s outrageous,” she said. “Where does it stop?” To learn more about Madison Reed, visit https://www.madisonreed.com/.

Gay app taps into political zeitgeist

With Trump kicking up a hornet’s nest of political activism across the country, a San Francisco-based gay social networking app is working to harness the energies of LGBT critics of the president and his policies. Hornet, which San Francisco resident Christof Wittig co-founded in 2011, plans to team with LGBTQ grassroots activists across the country to serve as a crucial hub for resistance marches and other protests. It plans to provide logistical information about the events to its 18 million worldwide active users who are interested in marching against the Trump administration’s discriminatory policies. Hornet announced last week that it would launch the service with the #ResistMarch set to take place in Los Angeles Sunday, June 11 during the city’s annual Pride weekend. It will send push notifications to its users notifying them of the time and location for the march.

The company said its users would also be able to easily share the information with their own social network on the app by sending out editorial material, photos and additional event information. “Unlike other gay apps, we recognize gay culture goes deeper than just a passing moment. Hornet was designed to stay connected and build community,” explained Wittig about why the app added the new feature. The Los Angeles #ResistMarch for LGBTQ+ and People of Color Equality will coincide with the planned National LGBTQ March on Washington, D.C. that Sunday in June. “We are grateful to the Hornet team for working with us and others to share information about where and how we gather. And, more importantly, we are excited that Hornet understands and supports why we must gather,” stated #ResistMarch founder Brian Pendleton, who is also a member of Christopher Street West’s board of directors, which oversees LA Pride. At no cost to event organizers, Hornet is offering to promote protests and marches anywhere in the world. In addition to its American users, Hornet has large followings in France, Russia, Brazil, Turkey, and Taiwan. “The voice of our generation is amplified through social media and, because of it, we can connect millions of LGBTQ people across the globe,” noted Hornet President Sean Howell. “Now, more than ever, we need to rally, gather and connect to ensure our rights are not stripped away.” For more information, visit Hornet’s website at http://love.hornetapp.com/ or download the free app, available for iOS and Android. t Got a tip on LGBT business news? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 829-8836 or e-mail m.bajko@ebar.com.

SF Parks Alliance taps new CEO compiled by Cynthia Laird

he San Francisco Parks Alliance has named a gay man as its new chief executive officer. Drew Becher is scheduled to begin work at the nonprofit Monday, March 13. He replaces Rachel Norton, who had been running the organization on an interim basis

after the departure of gay former CEO Matthew O’Grady. Norton, who had served as director of external affairs prior to leading the alliance, told the Bay Area Reporter that she would be “discussing next steps” with Becher and the board. The Parks Alliance is a leading advocate at City Hall for funding of the city’s numerous parks and

recreation facilities. It also partners with scores of community groups that have adopted various city parks to serve as stewards of the sites. More than 200 groups, such as the Friends of Kezar Triangle, are fiscally sponsored by the Parks Alliance. According to a news release from the Parks Alliance, Becher’s experience includes more than 20 years in national and regional park planning, advocacy, and philanthropy. He most recently led the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society as its president and CEO, and was previously the executive director of the New York Restoration Project. “We have tremendous enthusiasm and confidence in Drew’s capacity to build on our many valued relationships with the teams at Recreation and Parks, the Department of Public Works, Department of Planning, the Port of San Francisco, City Hall, and our extraordinary network of park partners,” a news release from the Parks Alliance stated. While head of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Becher was praised as a forward thinker but criticized by some as aloof. According to an April 2015 article on www. philly.com, Becher’s tenure saw some popular initiatives such as pop-up gardens, flower shows, and

Courtesy SF Parks Alliance

Incoming SF Parks Alliance CEO Drew Becher

tree plantings. But he also reorganized the nonprofit from top to bottom that resulted in the layoffs of 22 staff members in 2013. Becher moved to San Francisco after leaving the horticultural society after his partner, Eric Lochner, relocated to the city for his job. According to his LinkedIn page, Lochner is now CEO of STEELE CIS, an online compliance company. The couple were married a few years ago.

Calling all antique buffs

The team from History channel’s

“American Pickers” is coming to California and is looking for people with unique collections of antiques. “American Pickers” is a documentary series that explores the fascinating world of antique “picking.” According to a news release, hosts Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz are two of the most skilled pickers in the business, as they hunt for rare and valuable collections. The show is looking for leads. People who are interested and who have a large, private collection or accumulation of antiques that the pickers can spend the better part of a day looking through can contact americanpickers@cineflix.com or call 1-855-OLD-RUST.

SF library debuts performance arts festival

The San Francisco Public Library has announced the citywide “Live! At the Library,” a performance arts festival that will feature 50 events throughout March at all neighborhood branches. Events include West African acoustic guitarist Jesse Sahbi at the Noe Valley branch Saturday, March 11 at 3 p.m.; world rhythms and chants with body percussion at the Eureka Valley branch Saturday, March 25 at 1:30 p.m.; and special effects makeup at the Mission branch Thursday, March 30 at 3 p.m. See page 13 >>

Community News>>

March 9-15, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 11

Policy changes spur more protests by Liz Highleyman

in schools, covers transgender students. As previously reported, Trump rescinded the Obama administration’s guidance in February, spurring rallies in support trans youth in San Francisco and many other cities. This week the Supreme Court handed the case back to the lower court for reconsideration. (See story, page 1.)

hree developments this week are likely to increase resistance to President Donald Trump and his administration’s policies. Trump announced a new executive order on immigration Monday, March 6, replacing an emergency order he issued in late January that triggered spontaneous protests at airports across the U.S. The new order restricts immigrants and visitors from six predominately Muslim countries – Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen – deleting Iraq from the previous list. It is aimed at first-time visa applicants, omitting green card holders and people such as foreign students who already hold valid U.S. visas. Opponents claim that the revised restrictions still unfairly target people based on religion. On Monday night a few dozen people protested the new order at San Francisco International Airport and a larger number rallied outside the White House, according to news reports. Republicans also unveiled a plan to dismantle the Obama administration’s signature domestic achievement, the Affordable Care Act, slashing Medicaid expansion and throwing out the requirement that individuals must carry health insurance and most employers must

Youth suicide

From page 1

attempts fell by 7 percent overall after implementation of same-sex marriage laws. Not surprisingly, the effect was strongest among gay, lesbian, and bi students, who saw a 14 percent decline. States that did not pass same-sex marriage laws saw no decrease in suicide attempts. The researchers estimated that

Historical society

From page 9

also a rich resource for historians, writers, filmmaker, and other researchers. For example, the recent ABC miniseries “When We Rise” made use of the archives, said Beswick, though he emphasized that the society did not act as a consultant on the project. Since 1990, approximately 190 books have included research conducted in the archives, according

Women’s Strike may outnumber pro-Trump rallies

pro-Trump rallies that took place last week. Rallies were held across the country on February 27 and March 4, with most drawing no more than a few hundred people. The rallies were largely peaceful, but skirmishes broke out between Trump supporters and opponents in several cities. The biggest altercation took place in Berkeley, where both sides were fired up by events on February 1, when a talk by gay alt-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos at UC Berkeley was canceled due to an unruly protest. The March 4 standoff, which drew a combined total of about 200 Trump supporters and counterprotesters, led to 10 arrests and resulted in several injuries on both sides, according to various news reports.

events/1849620351952462/. Although details were scarce at press time, local tech workers have announced a Tech Stands Up rally near Stanford University in Palo Alto on Pi Day, March 14 at 1:59 p.m., to “give a voice to the rapidly growing concerns about the Trump administration’s policies affecting the tech community and its users.” For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/ events/1947456268818943/. On March 15 grassroots activists are calling on people to send at least a million postcards to Trump at the White House (1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20500). Before sending, people are urged to post photos on social media with the hashtag #TheIdesofTrump. For more information, visit https:// www.theidesoftrump.com/. Finally, a Borders and Identity conference will take place March 17-18 at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley. The conference “will explore migration across not only geographic divisions, but boundaries of race, culture, religion, sexuality, and gender,” according to the organizers. Pulitzer Prizewinning journalist and immigration rights activist Jose Antonio Vargas, a gay undocumented immigrant, will give the keynote address. For more information, visit https://psr.edu/ earl-17/. t

provide it. The repeal plan and reactions to it will be covered in more detail in a future issue. Also on Monday the U.S. Supreme Court said it would not hear the case of Virginia student Gavin Grimm, who wants to use school bathrooms in accordance with his gender identity. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled in Grimm’s favor based on the Obama administrations interpretation that Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination

As the Bay Area Reporter went to press on Wednesday, local activists were gearing up to commemorate International Women’s Day with a Strike Against Gender in San Francisco and a Women’s Strike in Oakland, while related events were already underway in other U.S. cities and around the world. For those unable to take off work on a weekday, an International Working Women’s Day march and celebration is planned for Saturday, March 11, starting at noon at the 24th Street BART station and ending in Dolores Park. (For information, visit https://www.facebook.com/ events/1452157741484630/.) Judging from social media enthusiasm, Women’s Strike events – at least in the liberal Bay Area – may outnumber the “Spirit of America”

same-sex marriage policies were associated with at least 134,000 fewer teen suicide attempts per year. While political campaigns for same-sex marriage legalization may have played a role, the study found that declines in suicide attempts did not occur until after the laws were actually enacted. The effect persisted for at least two years after legalization, “suggesting that social and political backlash

does not have the effect of worsening mental health outcomes” in this time period, the researchers wrote. A previous related study found that use of mental health services decreased significantly among gay and bisexual men after same-sex marriage was legalized in Massachusetts, regardless of whether the men were married themselves. The authors of the current study said this suggests that “same-sex marriage policies

may have broad effects on the mental health of sexual minorities beyond the direct benefits of partnership or marriage.” Raifman’s research indicates that legalization of same-sex marriage has been an effective step toward reaching the federal government’s Healthy People 2020 goal of reducing adolescent suicide by 10 percent by 2020. “We can all agree that reducing

adolescent suicide attempts is a good thing, regardless of our political views,” Raifman said in a news release. “Policymakers need to be aware that policies on sexual minority rights can have a real effect on the mental health of adolescents.” t

to historical society communications director Gerard Koskovich. In the long term the museum needs a larger space as many special events sell out and the main room holds only 50 people. “The museum is a challenging space with lots of competing proposals for the space,” Beswick said, “and we could fill the entire gallery with each of the individual exhibits now sharing the space. Every time we make a choice, we have to leave something out. We

want to fully represent our diverse community and pique people’s curiosity.” The lease on the current museum space expires in about three and a half years and the board’s goal is a campaign it’s calling Vision 2020: Building a new museum. This will require a new and separate capital campaign that has not yet been launched. “But for now we are focused on increasing our membership and visibility,” Beswick said. To assist

the museum project, gay District 8 Supervisor Jeff Sheehy recently introduced a resolution “supporting the GLBT Historical Society in its efforts to create a world-class mew Museum of LGBTQ History and Culture in San Francisco.” “We just re-launched the Oral History Project, hoping particularly to get more oral histories of women since they are under-represented in our current oral history collection,” Beswick pointed out, “and we are working hard on

increasing the diversity of communities represented in our collection.” t

Courtesy Reuters

White House press secretary Sean Spicer places his hand on top of a stack of Affordable Care Act papers next to a copy of the Republican bill that would repeal it during Tuesday’s press briefing.

Upcoming events

Events coming up over the next week include a United Against Trump mass meeting Sunday, March 12 at 1 p.m. at the Redstone Building at 2926 16th Street. The meeting – a follow-up to the wellattended initial gathering in January – will “discuss strategy and plans for taking on discriminatory and destructive policies coming from Trump and his administration,” according to the organizers. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/

To read the study, go to http:// jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2604258.

The March 17 anniversary party takes place from 7 to 9 p.m. at the GLBT History Museum, 4127 18th Street. Admission is $15 in advance or $20 at the door. For tickets, visit http://bit.ly/2mUpC59 To reserve a free ticket for the March 18 archive tour, visit http:// bit.ly/2mjcaX5

<< From the Cover

12 • BAY AREA REPORTER • March 9-15, 2017

Grimm case

From page 1

discrimination based on “gender identity.” The Trump administration letter did not disagree with that assessment but noted that it would “more completely consider the legal issues involved.” An official in the Solicitor General’s office forwarded the Trump DOJ-DOE letter to the Supreme Court and the following day, the Supreme Court clerk asked both parties in the case to say “how this case should proceed.” Joshua Block, the American Civil Liberties Union attorney representing transgender student Gavin Grimm, who filed the lawsuit, said the high court should proceed with the case as planned. Attorneys for the Gloucester, Virginia, school district that appealed the case agreed the court should proceed to hear their appeal but suggested it postpone argument until President Donald Trump could appoint a new solicitor general to file the government’s position on the case. It also suggested the Supreme Court could vacate the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision and remand it, arguing that the Obama administration letters had been the “basis” of the 4th Circuit decision.

Reaction

LGBT legal activists did not seem at all surprised by the Supreme Court’s decision to take that latter course of action and all expressed optimism about the case’s eventual outcome. “The Supreme Court acted today consistent with its ordinary protocol of allowing lower courts to fully address an issue before stepping in,” said Jennifer Levi, director of the Transgender Rights Project for GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders. “While it is impossible to

predict outcomes, I am optimistic that the lower court in this case will resolve this matter in favor of Gavin just as courts across the country have done in similar Title IX cases brought on behalf of other transgender students.” Others said they had hoped the court would hear the case this year; oral arguments had been scheduled for later this month. “Given the importance of the issue to transgender students, we hoped the court would keep the case,” said National Center for Lesbian Rights legal director Shannon Minter, “but their ordinary practice is to give the lower courts an opportunity to consider an issue in the first instance.” Minter said that, while it is true the Supreme Court took the appeal initially even though it was in a preliminary stage, “the 4th Circuit had fully weighed in on the legal issues. ...” “The Fourth Circuit’s decision ... relied on the guidance and since the Department of Education has now withdrawn the guidance,” said Minter, “the Supreme Court is giving the 4th Circuit an opportunity to rule directly on the statutory issue for the first time.” The ACLU said it was “disappointed” the Supreme Court would not hear the case this term, but called Monday’s order “a detour, not the end of the road.” “Nothing about today’s action changes the meaning of the law. Title IX and the Constitution protect Gavin and other transgender students from discrimination,” said Block. In urging the Supreme Court to proceed with the case as planned, Block argued that the Trump administration’s letter to public schools “makes resolution of that question more urgent than ever.” Further, said the ACLU, “the court will inevitably have to settle the question by clarifying the proper

LGBT eatery

From page 1

camera shop and residence of the late gay Supervisor Harvey Milk (573-575 Castro Street) and the original home of the Jose Theater and the Names Project, which oversees the AIDS Memorial Quilt (2362 Market Street). “I would say no one knows about the Paper Doll,” said Shayne E. Watson, a lesbian and architectural historian who is working with the family that owns the site on their city landmark request. “I think so much of the focus of LGBTQ history has been post-1965, so unless you are really looking for this earlier history, it is often easily overlooked.” In 1947 Mona Sargent, who was straight but operated several lesbian bars in town, bought into the Paper Doll restaurant three years after it opened. It quickly became a favorite hangout for lesbians and other queer patrons, and remained as such even though Sargent sold her ownership stake after only a year. Writing in her memoir “Just Lucky I Guess: From Closet Lesbian to Radical Dyke,” Elaine Mikels described the Paper Doll’s clientele as “evenly divided between lesbians and gay men, all appearing middle class in their dress and manner.” In her book about San Francisco’s LGBT community, “Wide Open Town,” historian and SF State Professor Nan Alamilla Boyd noted that the Paper Doll served as a de facto community center where LGBT people “could make friends, find lovers, get information, or plan activities.” Charlotte Coleman, a lesbian activist and entrepreneur who worked at the Paper Doll, told Boyd it was “where we all met and grew up.” After the Paper Doll closed in 1961, the building continued to be a queer-friendly hangout with businesses such as Cadell Place (c. 1961-65), named for the short alley it sits on; the 524 Club (c. 1965-68), which was owned by founding Bay

Draft Paper Doll Historic Context Statement

The bar at the old Paper Doll sported a circus theme.

Area Reporter publisher Bob Ross; Noah’s Ark (c. 1971-72); Manhattan Towers (c. 1972-75); and Cadell Place again (c. 1980-81). Bev Smucha, who bought the building 40 years ago, told the B.A.R. that she was unaware of much of the property’s ties to LGBT history until she happened to see it mentioned in the 2015 citywide LGBT context statement that Watson co-wrote with Donna Graves, a public historian based in Berkeley. Smucha’s son, Barak, who is a coowner of the property, said, “We knew the history but not to that extent.” They were more familiar with the Paper Doll being featured in director Edward Dmytryk’s 1952 noir film “The Sniper.” In his 2005 book “San Francisco Noir,” a compendium about the noir films that have featured the city, author Nathaniel Rich noted that the movie didn’t make clear that “the Paper Doll was also what the authors of ‘Where to Sin in San Francisco,’ a 1948 guidebook, awkwardly called ‘a rendezvous of the Gay People.’” Over the last year Barak Smucha researched more of the property’s history, looking up documents housed in various local archives that mentioned the building and its former occupants. Last summer the family first contacted the city’s planning department about obtaining landmark status for the property. Then, in January, the family submitted a draft historic context statement to the city in order to jumpstart

interpretation of Title IX ...” “Delaying resolution of that question will only lead to further harm, confusion, and protracted litigation for transgender students and school districts across the country,” wrote Block. “Another few years of needless litigation would not help clarify the legal question facing the court, and it would impose enormous costs on individual students until the court provides additional clarity.” Delay of the case will certainly affect Grimm, who is currently a senior at Gloucester High School. But Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund’s national legal director Jon Davidson said similar cases in other circuits could percolate to the high court more swiftly. In his lawsuit, Grimm v. Gloucester, a three-judge panel of the 4th Circuit voted 2-1 on April 19 that Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 – which prohibits discrimination based on sex by federally funded educational institutions – also prohibits discrimination based on gender identity. The majority’s ruling in Grimm came on preliminary motion requesting that he be able to use his public high school’s boys’ restrooms until his overall lawsuit can be resolved. An 87-year-old Reagan-appointed federal district court judge had denied that motion, declaring Grimm to be a female and ruling that “sex” in Title IX does not include gender identity or sexual orientation. The 4th Circuit panel reversed that decision, noting that the U.S. Department of Education had issued an opinion letter last year, saying Title IX requires “a school generally must treat transgender students consistent with their gender identity.” The panel had sent the case back to the district court with instructions

to reconsider the preliminary injunction based on the panel majority’s decision. But the Gloucester County School Board immediately appealed the panel’s decision to the full 4th Circuit. And in August, the Supreme Court agreed to stay the 4th Circuit’s decision until the high court could decide whether to take the case for review. Typically, the Supreme Court doesn’t take cases in a preliminary stage, but in October, it agreed to hear this appeal, specifically identifying two questions: One was a procedural issue involving whether a federal agency’s “unpublished letter” carries “the force of law;” the other was whether the departments’ interpretation of Title IX should “be given effect.” Both parties in the case – as well as organizations on both sides of the argument – filed briefs. Oral argument was scheduled for March 28. Now the case will be reargued in front of the 4th Circuit, based in Richmond, Virginia. The ACLU’s position is that the Gloucester school board’s “sweeping new policy” that requires students to use the school restroom that corresponds with the gender on their birth certificate (or use a “separate” restroom that is not labeled “girls” or “boys”) violates Title IX’s prohibition of discrimination based on “sex.” The school district’s primary argument is that, when Congress passed Title IX, it intended the word “sex” to mean “nothing more than male and female, under the traditional binary conception of sex consistent with one’s birth or biological sex.” The Department of Education’s interpretation of “sex” to include “gender identity,” it argued, amounted to creating new law. The Trump DOJ-DOE letter on

February 22 said its withdrawal of the previous guidelines “does not leave students without protections from discrimination, bullying, or harassment.” “All schools must ensure that all students, including LGBT students, are able to learn and thrive in a safe environment,” said the Trump administration letter. The Trump DOJ-DOE letter said the Obama administration guidance letters did not contain “extensive legal analysis or explain how [the letters’ position] is consistent with the express language of Title IX, nor did they undergo any formal public process.” And it added, “there must be due regard for the primary role of the states and local school districts in establishing educational policy.” The Supreme Court’s new order in the case comes at a time with Attorney General Jeff Sessions, head of the Department of Justice, is in a very public battle to keep his job amid allegations that he lied to Congress and had inappropriate, perhaps illegal communications with Russian officials during the 2016 presidential campaign. Sessions, then a U.S. senator from Alabama, was a prominent Trump supporter. It also comes as the Trump administration is struggling to find a new solicitor general. Prominent attorney Miguel Estrada told the National Law Journal last week, “I would never accept a job that requires Senate confirmation. ...” The reaction was an apparent reflection of Estrada’s feelings about having to withdraw his nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2003, following a Democratic filibuster. Earlier, Proposition 8 attorney Charles Cooper announced he did not want to be considered for the job.t

the landmark approval process. In it, they described the Paper Doll as offering “a refuge where people of all walks of life and sexuality intermingled in a setting personifying ideals of an open, comfortable, Bohemian San Francisco; where for the span of a meal or a drink, the ‘closet’ did not exist for a predominantly lesbian and gay clientele.” “You can feel in the space how much history is here,” said Barak Smucha as he showed off the now vacant restaurant space to a reporter and photographer. “This space is important to us and is important to the city.” Timothy Frye, a historic preservation officer for the city, wrote in an email he sent to the Smucha’s in February that, “We’re all excited about the proposed designation and apologize for the extra time it’s taking to process.” In response to questions from the B.A.R., planning department spokeswoman Gina Simi replied in an email that the designation process can take up to nine months once there is a complete designation report. “That’s what we’re currently working on with the owner and Shayne,” explained Simi, adding that, “at this time, we do not have an anticipated hearing date yet as the application is still under review.” The city’s Historic Preservation Commission must first approve the listing before it is sent to the Board of Supervisors. Watson, who is working pro bono on the report, said the process is time-consuming due to the rigorous requirements the applicants must meet in properly documenting a site’s historic significance. She applauded the Smucha family for taking the initiative to seek landmark status, noting they are the first owners of a property mentioned in the citywide LGBT context statement to do so. “One of my favorite parts of this story is it is the first grassroots, owner-sponsored landmark to come after the context statement,” said Watson. “Bev and Barak found all this history;

it is great and it is wonderful.” The city’s planning department has identified seven other LGBT historic sites it would like to see become city landmarks but has not indicated when it would move forward on writing the necessary reports. The list includes two in North Beach: 710 Montgomery Street, formerly home to gay bar the Black Cat, and 440 Broadway, once the site of lesbian bar Mona’s 440 Club, which was owned by Sargent and her husband and believed to be the first lesbian bar in the U.S.

gay men. State liquor authorities revoked his license in 1956 on the basis of the restaurant being a “homosexual hangout,” as described in an old newspaper report. After years of fighting against the accusations, Benedetti sold the business in 1961 to Don Farber, a professional baseball player who was required to rename the restaurant. He christened it Cadell Place. Over the ensuing years the restaurant would change hands a number of times. According to the Smucha’s research, Ross, who had worked as a chef at the Paper Doll, took ownership of it in 1965 and renamed it the 524 Club. Their draft report includes a flier for the 1966 opening of Streicher’s Maud’s Study in Cole Valley that noted the buffet was “catered by Bob Ross of the 524 Club.” A number of former employees of the Paper Doll would go on to open their own gay and lesbian bars in the city. By the 1980s the restaurant space lost its gay affiliations and was home to a number of establishments that catered to mostly straight clientele. It has been vacant since 2012 when the French bistro Le Bordeaux closed. The family would like to see a new restaurateur enliven the space once again, but the operator would first need to secure a conditional use permit from the planning commission. There is a small coffee kiosk operating from a space fronting Union Street. The upstairs, where the notorious muckraking journalist Warren Hinkle, who died last August, had rented a small office space, is now completely leased to the digital marketing agency Ready State. On its website, the company has highlighted some of the building’s LGBT past and is supportive of seeing it be designated a city landmark. “We take every opportunity to tell our guests about the history,” said Chief Marketing Officer Steven Wong. “I think it has a really positive effect on our creativity, being in marketing and based here.” t

‘Forbidden establishment’

As for 524 Union Street, records indicate a saloon and restaurant existed at the site as far back as 1904, and the building was rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake and fire. At one time it had a bocce ball court inside, and much of the existing interior wood paneling was reclaimed from a former carriage house. “The history is really deep and rich; it warrants it,” said Barak Smucha of why the family is seeking the landmark status. “This was a special place for a lot of people and was very important to people.” Among the more interesting factoids the family included in their draft report was that the FBI had listed the Paper Doll in 1959 as “exclusively” patronized by “homosexuals and sex deviates,” and that, through 1968, the Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board had designated it as a “forbidden establishment.” The restaurant was divided into two spaces, with a circus-themed bar area in front and a dining room in the back. Upstairs at that time were apartments, with one occupant the late Rikki Streicher, a lesbian who worked as a bartender at the Paper Doll and would go on to open her own lesbian bars throughout town. In 1954 the late Dante Benedetti, a straight man and North Beach denizen, bought the Paper Doll, and its clientele morphed into mainly

t <<

Community News>>

DOMA fight

declined. The society found six other plaintiffs, but Dragovich about getting a policy was the lead for his partner since plaintiff and so the policy was offered gave a deposition to spouses, parents, for the lawsuit. siblings, and in-laws of He said that he employees. CalPERS Alain McLaughlin soon heard that said no and Dragovich CalPERS would did not pursue it fur- Mike Dragovich, left, was not file against his ther, he said. recognized for a lawsuit suit but would nevFast-forward to he filed to obtain long ertheless not give 2004 and Dragovich term care insurance him the benefit. and Gaitley are mar- for his husband, Mike Later in 2010, ried for the first time Gaitley, right. federal Judge after then-San FranVaughn Walker cisco Mayor Gavin ruled that Prop 8 Newsom ordered was unconstitutional, following a marriages opened to same-sex trial in San Francisco. couples. About a month later, the DOMA, however, was still on California Supreme Court issued the books, although it was being an order blocking further marchallenged on a number of fronts, riages and declared the 4,000-plus including a case brought by Edie marriages invalid. Windsor in New York City. Legal efforts to secure marriage A key victory occurred in 2011 equality continued and in 2008 the when the Obama administration California Supreme Court ruled said it would not defend DOMA. that banning same-sex marriages Then in June 2013, in United violated the state Constitution. The States v. Windsor, the U.S. Sumen got married once more. Later preme Court struck down Section that same year, voters passed Prop3 of DOMA. In a separate case, osition 8, amending the constituthe court also dismissed conservation and again banning same-sex tive attempts to reinstate Prop 8 in marriage, but those married before California, meaning that same-sex voters passed it were deemed to marriage was legal in the Golden have valid marriages. State. After finding their 2008 marThe court’s decision in Windsor riage was legal, Dragovich called opened more than 1,100 federal CalPERS again and heard nearly rights and responsibilities to Drathe same response, “same-sex partgovich, the other plaintiffs, and ners do not qualify,” he said. But same-sex couples across the counthis time he asked why this benefit try. At that point, Dragovich’s suit was not covered and the person on was rendered moot, noted his attorthe other end refused to reference ney Elizabeth Kristen of the Legal any document, just referring him Aid Society. to the Internal Revenue Service’s Two years later, in June 2015, the website, he said. U.S. Supreme Court, in Obergefell “I thought it was ridiculous,” v. Hodges, legalized same-sex marDragovich said. riage nationwide. Gaitley, who worked at the Dragovich said that he was awed Legal Aid Society, soon found out and humbled by the recent Impact that the problem was a clause in Fund ceremony and luncheon last DOMA, which Congress passed month. in 1996 and denied numerous “I’m absolutely proud to be part benefits to same-sex couples. So of history and I’m grateful for the Dragovich was blocked once again legal team to have worked on it,” from getting long term care insurhe said in an interview with the ance for his husband. Anacortes American, a newspaper In 2010, the Legal Aid Society based in his hometown in Washagreed to sue the federal governington state. t ment over DOMA and encouraged CalPERS to join it, but the agency From page 9

News Briefs

From page 10

Other activities include Shakespeare plays, animation classes, and marionette shows. All programs are free. For a full schedule, go to http:// bit.ly/2lBFXf0 Live! At the Library is supported by Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.

‘Standing Up to Hate’ workshop

Congregation Sha’ar Zahav and other religious groups will hold a “Standing Up to Hate” workshop Sunday, March 19 from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the synagogue, 290 Dolores Street in San Francisco. The workshop, which will focus on what people can do when they witness racism, is also sponsored by the First Mennonite Church, the San Francisco Interfaith Council, and Keshet, an LGBT Jewish group. Organizers pointed out that since November’s election, many communities have reported a significant rise in incidents of bias, hate, and harassment. They said that they hope the upcoming workshop would be the first of ongoing connections to build a community of “caring people standing together against bias and hate.” Renato Almanzor, Ph.D., will facilitate the discussion. There is no cost to attend, but reservations are requested. To sign up, visit http://conta.cc/2lBFhGo

SF HRC releases ‘Help Against Hate’ toolkit

The San Francisco Human Rights Commission has launched its “Help Against Hate” campaign by releasing an innovative toolkit. The “Respect and Love” toolkit is intended to serve as a resource for members of the city’s immigrant community who live in fear stemming from their immigration status and to educate and inform their allies. It includes ways to identify and find support for newcomers. “The toolkit serves as a practical demonstration of San Francisco’s commitment to serve and support all people,” HRC Executive Director Sheryl Evans Davis said in a news release. “Although this first version focuses on immigrant issues, the HRC plans to expand the toolkit to provide support for other issues, including accessing health care, LGBTQI support services, and courageous, caring conversations.” The agency plans to facilitate a series of presentations for other city departments and community-based organizations to introduce the campaign and how to best utilize the toolkits. To look at a copy of the toolkit, visit www.sf-hrc.org and click on “Help Against Hate Campaign and Respect and Love Toolkit.” t

March 9-15, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 13

Legal Notices>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-17-552777 In the matter of the application of: MANUEL DE JESUS BOTEO OCHOA, C/O GERVY JHON TESORO (SBN 298501), 1630 TARAVAL ST #B, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner MANUEL DE JESUS BOTEO OCHOA, is requesting that the name MANUEL DE JESUS BOTEO OCHOA, be changed to MANUEL DE JESUS BOTEO DIAZ. 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 13th of April 2017 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted. FEB 16, 23, MAR 02, 09, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037462900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JULY MOON, 1142 BUCHANAN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed THERMOND WELLS JR. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/07/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/07/17. FEB 16, 23, MAR 02, 09, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037468900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SUCCESS CONSTRUCTION SF, 1887 25TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed PAK S. WAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/12/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/13/17. FEB 16, 23, MAR 02, 09, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037461500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: IRWELL ELECTRIC, 106 FAIR OAKS ST #3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NEIL ANTHONY HALSALL. 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 02/07/17. FEB 16, 23, MAR 02, 09, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037465400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BALLADARES EXECUTIVE TRANSPORTATION, 901 HOLYOKE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NORMAN A. BALLADARES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/01/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/09/17. FEB 16, 23, MAR 02, 09, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037465700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: E & H 24 HRS ROAD SERVICES, 682 GROVE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ELIAS HAGOS WOLDEZGHI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/09/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/09/17. FEB 16, 23, MAR 02, 09, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037458100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MASTER PAINTING & DECORATING, 1325 EVANS AVE #B, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ASHLEY RHODES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/02/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/03/17. FEB 16, 23, MAR 02, 09, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037462700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AVAYA WELLNESS, 350 TOWNSEND ST #275, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TIRTHA MENDAKE WANIGASEKARA-MOHOTTI. 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 02/07/17. FEB 16, 23, MAR 02, 09, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037429100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FEST GEGEN, 28 SECOND ST #300, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed JASON CHASE BEAHM & KELSEY ROSE TRUJILLO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/16/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/17/17. FEB 16, 23, MAR 02, 09, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037463800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TUNNEL RECORDS AND BEACH GOODS, 3614 TARAVAL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed BEN WINTROUB & ANDREA CHRISTINE DE FRANCISCO. 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 02/08/17. FEB 16, 23, MAR 02, 09, 2017

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037436100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PACHINO PIZZERIA, 318 KEARNY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed AMERICAN WEST VENTURES LLC. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/20/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/20/17. FEB 16, 23, MAR 02, 09, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037448800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BERNHARDT REMODELING LLC, 1542 MCKINNON AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed BERNHARDT REMODELING LLC. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/31/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/31/17. FEB 16, 23, MAR 02, 09, 2017 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-036577800 The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: HAI FENG TRADITION CHINESE MED; HAI FENG CHINESE HERBAL, 1818 NORIEGA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by LIANG ZHUSHEN. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/15/15. FEB 16, 23, MAR 02, 09, 2017 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-17-552788 In the matter of the application of: GOLEE ABRISHAMI CASTLEBERRY, 10 LUNADO WAY, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner GOLEE ABRISHAMI CASTLEBERRY, is requesting that the name GOLEE ABRISHAMI CASTLEBERRY, be changed to GOLEE FARSHBAF ABRISHAMI. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 18th of April 2017 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted. FEB 23, MAR 02, 09, 16, 2017 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-17-552779 In the matter of the application of: AARON BARBER, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner AARON BARBER, is requesting that the name AARON BARBER AKA AARON MICHAEL BARBER, be changed to ELEMENT ELEFTHERIOS ECLIPSE. 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 11th of April 2017 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted. FEB 23, MAR 02, 09, 16, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037477600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LOGOPEDA SPEECH THERAPY, 1768 PAGE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ALINA MIHAL. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/17/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/17/17. FEB 23, MAR 02, 09, 16, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037466000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ELEMENT D, 55 DUBOCE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NICHOLAS SETIAWAN. 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 02/09/17. FEB 23, MAR 02, 09, 16, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037448200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BE KIND, 890 BUSH ST #301, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed VICTORIA RAYLES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/19/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/30/17. FEB 23, MAR 02, 09, 16, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037470700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DRESS YOU UP, 1815 BROADWAY ST #1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MARIA CHRISTINA MANALO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/14/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/14/17. FEB 23, MAR 02, 09, 16, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037469100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: 6DAYS PRODUCTIONS, 686 11TH AVE #12, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed MARIO MARE & TAE HO YOON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/17/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/13/17. FEB 23, MAR 02, 09, 16, 2017

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037476900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE POP AGENCY, 2010 CHESTNUT ST #105, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed GREENSENSE MEDIA INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/16/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/17/17. FEB 23, MAR 02, 09, 16, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037474800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: OM INDIAN CUISINE, 1668 HAIGHT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed A & A RESTAURANT GROUP INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/16/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/16/17. FEB 23, MAR 02, 09, 16, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037465600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MARUFUKU RAMEN, 1581 WEBSTER #235, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed EK FOOD SERVICES, INC. (CA) The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/23/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/09/17. FEB 23, MAR 02, 09, 16, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037477000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TAQUERIA ZORRO, 308 COLUMBUS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SF NICE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/11/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/17/17. FEB 23, MAR 02, 09, 16, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037461600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: OPEN ACCESS, 475 CONNECTICUT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed OPEN ACCESS, 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 02/07/17. FEB 23, MAR 02, 09, 16, 2017 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037155800 The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: OM INDIAN CUISINE, 1668 HAIGHT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by AJAY RAJ KHADKA. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/29/16. FEB 23, MAR 02, 09, 16, 2017 NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF HARUYOSHI IIDA IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES-16-299459 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of HARUYOSHI IIDA. A Petition for Probate has been filed by JUNJI SUZUKI in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that JUNJI SUZUKI be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: MARCH 20, 2017, 9:00 am, Dept. 204, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: EDWARD S. MIYAUCHI (SBN 230553), MARSHALL SUZUKI LAW GROUP, LLP, 150 SPEAR ST #725, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105; Ph. (415) 618-0090. MAR 02, 09, 16, 23, 2017

14 • BAY AREA REPORTER • March 9-15, 2017

Serving the LGBTQ communities since 1971

Legal Notices>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-17-552820 In the matter of the application of: NICHOLAS STEVEN BIRTH, 2782 22ND ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner NICHOLAS STEVEN BIRTH, is requesting that the name NICHOLAS STEVEN BIRTH, be changed to NICHOLAS STEVEN BEAR. 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 25th of APRIL 2017 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted. MAR 02, 09, 16, 23, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037480800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: EXPRESS PHOTO AND MAIL; PASSPORT DEPOT, 1388 HAIGHT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MICHAEL YOUNG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/28/98. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/22/17. MAR 02, 09, 16, 23, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037479500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CLEANING & MORE, 1015 CORTLAND AVE, SAN FRANCISCO CA, 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOSE D. ROMERO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/21/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/21/17. MAR 02, 09, 16, 23, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037481000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: C PLUS TRAVEL, 2555 44TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MINGFENG WU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/11/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/22/17. MAR 02, 09, 16, 23, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037477300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FOUNDATIONS R US, 1291 11TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOHN O. DONOGHUE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/17/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/17/17. MAR 02, 09, 16, 23, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037483500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SANS DESIGN, 415 CLYDE AVE #106, MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA 94043. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SANS DESIGN LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/23/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/23/17. MAR 02, 09, 16, 23, 2017

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037490200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HI-VIS BRANDING, 8 NEWELL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed HI-VIS BRANDING (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/27/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/27/17. MAR 02, 09, 16, 23, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037478800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MEDIA NOCHE, 3465 19TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed DOS PULPOS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/21/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/21/17. MAR 02, 09, 16, 23, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037462300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MOONRISE WATERS GALLERY, 446 TARAVAL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MELANDRES WATERS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/07/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/07/17. MAR 09, 16, 23, 30, 2017 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-034571700 The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: AUERBACH GLASOW FRENCH, 225 GREEN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business was conducted by a corporation and signed by AUERBACH + ASSOCIATES, INC (CA). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/07/12. MAR 02, 09, 16, 23, 2017 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-17-552810 In the matter of the application of: FNU KAREN, 2263 37TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner FNU KAREN, is requesting that the name FNU KAREN, be changed to KAREN EFFENDI. 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 20th of April 2017 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted. MAR 09, 16, 23, 30, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037501500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LALIGURASH JEWELLERY, 910 STOCKTON ST #12, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RAM KRISHNA LAKANDRI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/06/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/06/17. MAR 09, 16, 23, 30, 2017

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037502100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FCA COMPANY, 579 GEARY ST, 2ND FLR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GUILLAUME COUTHEILLAS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/06/17. MAR 09, 16, 23, 30, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037494000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RENE HEALTH, 5 THIRD ST #501, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BEN BEDI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/28/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/01/17. MAR 09, 16, 23, 30, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037480500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE TRAINING ZONE STUDIO, 5332 GEARY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CAN 94121. 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 02/22/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/22/17. MAR 09, 16, 23, 30, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037487000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HEIT CERAMICS, 75 MANCHESTER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GAY LEAH HEIT. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/24/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/24/17. MAR 09, 16, 23, 30, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037491200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JAY HORNE, 1355 HUDSON AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JAQUITA HORNE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/27/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/27/17. MAR 09, 16, 23, 30, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037489900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PALAYAN’S ORIENTAL RUG CLEANING, 2115 VICENTE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SHANT PALAYAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/14/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/27/17. MAR 09, 16, 23, 30, 2017

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037486500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TENANTS BUYING REAL ESTATE, 870 MARKET ST #315, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed TENBUY CORPORATION (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/01/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/24/17. MAR 09, 16, 23, 30, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037493800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ROYAL INDIAN CUISINE, 1740 FILLMORE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BELLA FOODS INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/01/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/01/17. MAR 09, 16, 23, 30, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037494500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SILVER SPUR, 1914 IRVING ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SHOTSKI LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/01/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/01/17. MAR 09, 16, 23, 30, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037499000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: O/M, 1095 NATOMA ST #2, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed YOUNG DESIGN 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 03/03/17. MAR 09, 16, 23, 30, 2017

REACH THE BAY AREA’S LARGEST LGBT AUDIENCE To place your Classiﬁed ad,

call 415-861-5019 Then go have a drink & relax...

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-034401800 The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: TENANTS BUYING REAL ESTATE, 870 MARKET ST #315, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by RICHARD HURLBURT. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/11/12. MAR 09, 16, 23, 30, 2017

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Acting out

Feuding duo

Soulskin dance

Out &About

O&A

Vol. 47 • No. 10 • March 9-15, 2017

www.ebar.com/arts

Glamorous moments with the Trocks by Paul Parish

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo appeared at UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall.

See page 26 >>

Sascha Vaughan

he Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo had a smash opening night at ZBH in Berkeley last Friday. Last seen here nine years ago, this drag troupe burlesques everything ballet-lovers hold most dear, and every role, including those danced on pointe, is performed by a man. The Trocks have thrived, their fortunes mirroring those of the LGBTQ community.

Asian perspectives in North America by David Lamble

Courtesy Center for Asian American Media

t’s officially known as CAAMFest, but you may remember it as the San Francisco Asian American Film Festival. The festival, which embraces films, food and music, includes an LGBTQ shorts program and an Opening Gala at the Asian Art Museum. The films (March 9-19 at venues including the Castro, the Roxie, the Alamo Drafthouse and Oakland’s New Parkway) commence with an English-language narrative loaded with same-sex subtext. See page 26 >>

Scene from Canadian filmmaker Richard Fung’s Re: Orientations.

{ SECOND OF THREE SECTIONS } 2017 Season

MAR 07 – 18

Infinite Worlds

Program 04

Must-See Balanchine

BUY TICKETS TODAY sfballet.org Yuan Yuan Tan and Anthony Vincent in Balanchine’s Stravinsky Violin Concerto // Choreography by George Balanchine © The Balanchine Trust // © Erik Tomasson

16 • BAY AREA REPORTER • March 9-15, 2017 2pub-BBB_BAR_030917.pdf

2/21/17

<< Out There

5:08 PM

The good, the bad & the feuding the political personal. “This special evening honors the essential contributions that LGBTQ composers have made in shaping the American musical sound, and offers me the opportunity to express my appreciation for the generous welcome extended to me and my husband Joshua Robison since our arrival here over 20 years ago.” The concert is set to include music by gay Autumn de Wilde composers Lou Harrison, Henry Cowell, Vocalist Audra McDonald will join the San Meredith Monk and Francisco Symphony for a special Symphony Pride concert. John Cage. McDonald will perform songs by Leonard Bernstein, by Roberto Friedman Stephen Sondheim, Kander and Ebb, and she will narrate Aaron ood: You may remember that Copland’s Lincoln Portrait. the San Francisco Symphony’s Such a robust list of gay upcoming East Coast tour was to talent! Proceeds from include two concerts in Chapel Hill, Symphony Pride will NC, but the SFS canceled them in go to Larkin Street response to the passage of HB2, the Youth Services, the North Carolina law that overturned Transgender Law transgender protections. Now the Center, the National SFS and music director Michael Center for Lesbian Tilson Thomas have announced Rights and the Trevor plans to celebrate the LGBTQ comProject, all worthy munity with a concert, Symphony social service agencies Pride, featuring an appearance by in an era of corporate Broadway star Audra McDonald, greed. Info: sfsymphony.org. on Tues., April 4, in Davies Hall, just Good, and overheard on the San before they leave on their tour. Francisco street: A threesome of MTT’s press statement makes

CMY

construction workers, all of them burly, brawny and beefy, is conferring shortly before their lunch break. Says one: “There’s this place down the street with a really good salad bar!” Bad: Actress Nicole Kidman on “President” Trump: “I’m always reticent to start commenting politically. I’ve never done it in terms of America or Australia. I’m issuebased,” Kidman told the BBC while promoting her new movie Lion. “So I just say, he’s now elected, and we as a country need to support whoever is the president, because that’s what the country’s based on.” Erm, no no, Nicole, we don’t need to support “whoever is the president,” we need to actively resist the pernicious and proto-Fascist regime. Thanks for giving us a reason to let sleeping Lions lie! Feuding: the real-life protagonists depicted on the new FX series Feud really did get into it together. Movie star Bette Davis on movie star Joan Crawford’s ability to cry on cue: “It’s because her bladder is next to her tear ducts.” Giving as good as she gets, Crawford on Davis supposedly playing her in The Star: “It couldn’t possibly be me. Bette looked so old, and so dreadfully overweight.” Arts writer Tavo Amador discusses the immortal actresses and their famous feud in this week’s issue.t

Tales of titillation by Jim Piechota

Eros & Dust: Stories by Trebor Healey; Lethe Press, $18

wo-time Ferro-Grumley Award winning novelist and poet Trebor Healey is perhaps best-known for his highly decorated debut Through It Came Bright Colors. There have been poetry collections and several novels since that distinguished entry, but a new Healey book is always cause for buzz in the LGBTQ literary community. Inspired by time spent in Latin America, the author’s new col-

NEW CONSERVATORY THEATRE CENTER IN ASSOCIATION WITH SEASON PRODUCERS: NORMAN ABRAMSON & DAVID BEERY EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: CURT WILHELM & MICHAEL GLOVER, ENRIQUE & JASON MONAGAS PRESENT

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by ELYZABETH GREGORY WILDER directed by NCTC Founder & Artistic Director ED DECKER BUY TICKETS AT NCTCSF.ORG BOX OFFICE: 415.861.8972 25 VAN NESS AVE AT MARKET ST

lection of stories Eros & Dust justifies all that excitement with 14 well-constructed, engaging, and highly provocative stories ruminating on the nature of desire, identity, eroticism, and the connective properties of art, the universal tie that binds us all. Healey’s prose is straightforward yet thoughtful, lushly descriptive, and carefully crafted. Many tales harness the power to grab the reader right from the opening paragraph and hold on until the final sentence. Such is the case in the epistolary story “Elmer Rosewater,” wherein a letter to Elmer from his chatty friend Willie describes his awe and wonder at an art exhibit of poet Robert Duncan, but also his disenchantment that his letter will never reach the post-death “meadow on the other side” where Elmer resides. “El Santo” describes the turbulent life of a poet who once resided in San Francisco, a “cursed” place that “often destroyed the sensitive (it seemed especially interested in sadistically toying with them) in its duplicitous garden of earthly delights, and I feared it would one day destroy me.” The situations are sexually precarious in several stories, like the vicariously perverse genius of “Los Angeles,” which follows Fred, a chunky, 50-something unemployed horndog who becomes obsessed with a “sinkhole of debauchery,” the “Chaturbate” world of straight webcam boys who stroke for a buck. His need to continue his expensive relationship with these randy, desperate 20-year-old boys leads him to murdering a wealthy spinster. It’s a long, dramatic, sinfully embellished tour of need, sex, and “six-packs and crooked baseball caps.” Just as fascinating is “Imp,” where the supernatural creature Balthazar roams the earth playing games of temptation and torture with mere mortals. Deliciously sadomasoch-

istic, Balthazar is one of Healey’s more creative inventions. Also amazing is “The Pancake Circus,” a sweetly nasty, scrumptiously perverse treat set in an actual diner located on Broadway in Sacramento. Obsession and delusion are an intoxicating concoction for the narrator, who becomes weak with desire over the diner’s “straight” busboy. Healey hilariously describes the restaurant’s reaction to the sight of this tousled, veiny-armed morsel of Josh Hartnett-lookalike mancandy. “I felt my sphincter dilate, and my buttcheeks were suddenly like open-cupped palms, holding themselves out to him,” the narrator gushes. “Every woman in the place blushed when he cleared their plates. I probably wasn’t the only one stuck to the vinyl seat in my booth.” A shared phone number leads to a tryst with the boy, then to a few “minor” details about illicit videotapes, ankle bracelets, and playgrounds, and an avalanche of downward spiraling. Young lust is a dangerous thing, and the narrator learns this the hard way once his prison cellmate delivers some facts about life: “‘The earth is a plate,’ he tells me. ‘Mankind sat down and is eating. When he’s through, it’ll be over.’”t

Theatre>>

March 9-15, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 17

Thespian issues FREE EVENT

David Wilson

A once-famous film director (Kevin Copps) recruits two out-of-work actors (John Fisher and Daniel Chung) in a gym locker room in Theatre Rhino’s production of Fisher’s new comedy Flim-Flam.

by Richard Dodds

n his program notes, writerdirector John Fisher says he hopes his latest play reflects the weirdness he feels living in Trump’s America. Flim-Flam makes only a few cursory and/or gratuitous comic references to the President XLV, with the otherwise non-referential material apparently meant to somehow parallel the new world order. In my first public defense of our new president, I don’t think you can pin the blame for Flim-Flam on Donald J. Trump. At best (or worst), he provides only a topical handle on which to drape the flimsy material woven in increasingly slapdash manner. The Theatre Rhino production opens in the style of a mild-mannered comedy as two waiters in New York share their disheartening experiences trying to make it as actors. In a health-club locker room, the once-trendy director of increasingly obscure art-films miraculously appears, offering Aaron and Endin the chance to star in his latest lowbudget epic. Despite warnings from a veteran actor, the auteur lures the younger actors to Iowa, where his credit cards don’t seem to work, but he will most certainly reimburse the actors once everything is straightened out with the bank. The setup is conventional enough, laced with some slightly off-the-wall humor that can spark laughs. The movie turns out to be artsy porn, with the younger of the recruited actors fed a horse variation of Viagra, which gives him an erection the size of a battleship. Here the play begins to devolve into absurdity, which is not the same thing as Theater of the Absurd, where philosophies are explored in manners that may be malleable, but as zaniness that may be a disguise for laziness. Perhaps the play wants to be, to pull from the catalog

of trite blurbs, “a madcap romp,” one with an edge, but that here is a dull knife indeed. With the Iowa fiasco behind them, Aaron and Endin let the sage older actor convince them that there is big money to be made by bringing high-tone theater to the sticks. They settle into a California farm town, start a theater school, and put on a production of Shakespeare’s Henry IV. In quick succession, a gangster demands protection money from the troupe but ends up playing King Henry, the porno director shows up unannounced, one of the actors is discovered to be making child porn with titles like Tots in Cum Shots, a couple of people get killed and their bodies eaten by actors dressed as buzzards, a Zika baby appears, and a running joke about Bundt cakes culminates in reports of their laxative effects. As the struggling actors, Fisher and Daniel Chung pull occasional laughs from their predicaments, but there is steadier work from Donald Currie as the veteran actor, Kevin Copps as the pornmeister, and Jesse Vaughn as the gangster-turnedthespian. Krystle Piamonte plays a number of roles including the wind. Fisher’s direction uses actors to provide various special and sound effects, some of which are clangorous and a few that are clever. Aaron and Endin have a penchant for working showtune lyrics into their conversations, and that’s fun, but other inside theater references can fall flat. “He’s as dead as Edward Albee,” says a character in one witless line. Flim-Flam should wish it were as alive as Edward Albee.t Flim-Flam will run at the Eureka Theatre through March 18. Tickets are $15-$40. Call (800) 838-3006 or go to therhino.org.

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<< Music

18 • BAY AREA REPORTER • March 9-15, 2017

SF Symphony marches into spring ebration for composer John Adams (the big 7-oh!) and the return of guest artist French cellist Gautier Capuçon in tour de force performances of the Shostakovich Concerto No. 1. This week, conductor Marek Janowski will take the podium for some Beethoven and the cathartic Brahms Symphony No. 4. Violinist Arabella Steinbacher gives the first SFS performances of Paul Hindemith’s brilliant Violin Concerto (1939), an accessible and unfairly neglected work with a surprisingly Romantic heart. Fellow violin virtuoso and favorite Courtesy SFS guest artist Gil Shaham Cellist Gautier Capuçon made an indelible mark with Shostakovich’s Cello follows her to center Concerto No. 1. stage mid-March for the meltingly beautiful Samuel Barber Violin Symphony is eagerly transitioning by Philip Campbell Concerto. Slovakian conductor to spring despite his chilly predicJuraj Valcuha leads the orchestra in unxsutawney Phil saw his tion. In recent weeks, concerts at a program including Beethoven’s shadow on Groundhog Day Davies Symphony Hall have been lively Symphony No. 7. Wagner last month, but the San Francisco filled by an impressive birthday cel-

enthusiastically called it “the apotheosis of the dance,” and it always cheers the spirit. The Vernal Equinox is March 20, and SFS music director Michael Tilson Thomas is welcoming spring with two slightly different bills, starting on March 23. Both include Bartók’s thrilling Concerto for Orchestra and an aptly timed presentation of maverick composer John Cage’s ballet The Seasons, with visualization conceived by MTT, and projections designed by video artist Clyde Scott and lighting design by Luke Kritzeck. The SFS is mixing technology with Chris Lee traditional concert performances on a regular Violinist Leila Josefowicz set Davies basis these days, and it Symphony Hall ablaze with John Adams’ seems to be working, Scheherazade.2. especially with new listeners. Cage was an The first two concerts in the seadventurer himself, and I think he ries introduce English composer would be pleased by the innovative Robin Holloway’s concertante for approach. tuba and orchestra Europa and the

CHANTICLEER RETURNS March 16-19, 2017 AMERICANS IN PARIS

New Century welcomes the return of GRAMMY Award-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer, with a musical journey through France. Featured works by Ravel, Fauré and Satie and songwriters Gershwin and Porter. NADJA SALERNO-SONNENBERG MUSIC DIRECTOR

Performances in Berkeley, Palo Alto, San Francisco and San Rafael.

FOR TICKETS AND INFORMATION: NCCO.ORG or call 415.392.4400

NCCO_Chanticlear_Bay-Area-Reporter_print.indd 1

3/6/2017 3:49:59 PM

Bull, March 23 and 24. An SFS cocommission with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the U.S. premiere features SFS Principal Tuba Jeffrey Anderson. MTT has long championed Holloway’s music, and it is reported that the composer is coming to town for a reunion and place of honor at the event. Max Bruch’s popular Violin Concerto No. 1 replaces Europa on the weekend menu. Talented Nicola Benedetti will likely ace the solo role, but this is a tough choice. So ponder future options and recall some highlights of the past few weeks. SFS regulars enjoy a yearly roster of excellent guest artists, and late winter has been truly outstanding. On the last program in John Adams’ birthday bash, young and scary good violinist Leila Josefowicz set DSH ablaze with the composer’s Scheherazade.2. Adams wrote the self-described dramatic symphony for the young virtuoso, tailoring it to her fascinating blend of personal allure and fierce technique. Like the legendary storyteller herself, Josefowicz fascinated listeners over a long span. This Scheherazade is also defiant, and the richly textured scoring surrounded her tale with boldly colorful and seductive orchestral sounds. Most recently, cellist Gautier Capuçon riveted attention with his own combination of good looks and talent. Previous visits to DSH have consistently shown an impressive range. From Schumann to Dvorak and Dutilleux, he brings fresh and unsentimental artistry, dusting off the familiar and convincingly interpreting the rare. He seems a natural for Shostakovich, and he immediately made an indelible mark with his strong attack on the catchy opening theme of the Cello Concerto No. 1. He relaxed, though not a lot, for the yearning slow movement. The long cadenza of the third movement probed deeply with a tough determination, but he managed to change gears without a hitch for the fiendish finale. MTT got his own licks in on the same program, first presenting, with a smile and a shrug, the SFS debut of Mikhail Fabianovich Gnesin’s endearing dance suite The Jewish Orchestra at the Ball of Nothingtown (1926), and ending the night with a cumulatively powerful Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6, Pathetique. No one is looking over their shoulders at Davies Hall these days.t

2017 Season

MAR 09 – 19

Infinite Worlds

Program 05

Contemporary Voices

MAR 07 – 18

Program 04

Must-See Balanchine Thrill to George Balanchine’s extraordinary genius with three varied and seminal works.

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Top: Lorena Feijoo and Luke Ingham in Scarlett’s Fearful Symmetries. Bottom: Yuan Yuan Tan and Anthony Vincent in Balanchine’s

Come see where ballet is heading with works by Yuri Possokhov, Liam Scarlett, and a world premiere by Arthur Pita.

<< TV

20 • BAY AREA REPORTER • March 9-15, 2017

Seth Meyers deconstructs Trump by Victoria A. Brownworth

Bush said, “He’s got a chip on his shoulder. I had a contentious relationship with him, and I think whoever the president is, is going to find out that Putin will push and push until somebody stands up to him.”

e thought we’d be leading with Trump’s pseudo-SOTU, but the ratings bump he got from not sticking a pen in anyone’s eye for an hour was short-lived due to yet another scandal. The presidential pivot the pundit class was salivating over on Tuesday night had evaporated by Wednesday night, and by Friday we were Googling Russian for Dummies. We did like Seth Meyers, who gave the speech his “Closer Look” treatment. Meyer, who spent 13 years on SNL, most of it as co-head or head writer until he got his own show in 2014, discussed the punditry aching for the “presidential” Trump. “Guys, seriously, do you have amnesia? We have been here many times before, for like a year-and-ahalf now,” he said as an introduction to a montage of CNN, ABC, CBS, Fox and MSNBC talk-show hosts deconstructing Trump’s “more presidential” tone – from last April, most of whom were saying the exact same things after Trump’s congressional address. “They’re talking like they’re watching a gorilla at the zoo,” Meyers said, showing a clip of cameras zooming in on Trump reciting his speech in the limo. Meyers also commented on various pundits “obsessed over their favorite topic, his tone,” as each declared Trump sounding “presidential.” Fox News’ Chris Wallace said, “I feel like tonight Donald Trump became the President of the United States.” Meyers looked at the clip, then dead-panned, “Although I bet there are some Muslims and undocumented immigrants that would tell you he became president back in f-ing January.” Nailed it. The TV moment we least expected was George W. Bush talk-

Rise & fall

NBC-TV

Late Night with Seth Meyers took a “Closer Look” at President Trump’s recent speech to Congress.

ing about the importance of a free, unfettered press with – wait for it: Ellen. Yes, we’ve entered the alternative universe in which Bush 2 is on Ellen. Remember when George W. was the Worst President Ever? Now he’s this affable painter who does portraits of wounded soldiers and spends half the year in Africa working for women’s health issues. It should be noted, Dick Cheney is still satanic. On her March 2 show with Bush, Ellen said, “Trump is waging an outright war against all press and not allowing press to do their job, which I think is a very dangerous thing.” Bush agreed, saying, “Here is what I believed when I was president, and post-president: The nation needs a free and independent press. Power can be very corrupting, and we need a press corps

to hold politicians to account, including me. Yeah, I didn’t like it sometimes when people said things about me, but that’s the job.” Bush also noted when he visited dictatorial governments he would always urge them to embrace a free press. Ellen asked Bush how he felt about Vladimir Putin. Bush was miffed that Putin didn’t like his Scottish terrier Barney. “Putin kind of dissed him,” Bush said. “He looked at him like, ‘You think that’s a dog?’ A year later Putin said, ‘Would you like to meet my dog?’ Laura and I were with Putin in this dacha outside Moscow, and out comes a giant hound loping across the yard, and Putin looks at me and says, ‘Bigger, stronger, and faster than Barney.’” Clearly the nuanced language of Russian literature has never touched Putin.

We are the future of the LGBT community. “The world still has its challenges but things are getting better. From the way we first met on line to marriage equality to our daughter’s upcoming Quinceañera our life together is more fulfilling every day. We keep up with events and entertainment on EDGE, because that’s where we see our future at its brightest.” The people depicted here are models. Their image is being used for illustrative purposes only.

While we appreciated the drama that left us sobbing through most of the eight hours of When We Rise, the ratings for the Dustin Black miniseries about LGBT and AIDS activism in SF during the 70s, 80s and 90s didn’t fare well. This disconnect between critical kudos and flat ratings has always been a mystery to us. The fact that the numbers for WWR dropped off by a full million between the Monday debut and the Wed., Thurs. and Fri. segments made us wonder how those ratings are collected these days. Everyone we know watches TV via streaming services or on DVR. The era of sitting around the TV set when the show comes on is reserved for group viewings, like ABC’s TGIT line-up, which has a huge black and gay following on Twitter Thursday nights. Nielsen needs to rethink the ratings wars or check the Twitter mentions for each show. WWR got massive attention on Twitter from a range of viewers in every demographic: the middle-aged who lived through it, and the youthful viewers finding solidarity in evocations of real lesbian, gay and trans people. (We did note some discontent among bisexual viewers.) We were disappointed that USA Network cancelled our favorite gay drama from last year, the thriller Eyewitness, on March 1. The reason given was low ratings.We try not to take these things personally, but with the limited LGBT menu, it’s difficult not to. That said, gay showrunner extraordinaire Ryan Murphy has been the belle of the ball since Feud debuted with a bazillion other fab shows on March 5. Murphy, who loves media attention, has been using the excitement over Feud to comment on homophobia in the TV industry and misogyny in casting. He gave some intriguing sound bites to Vox’s new I Think You’re Interesting podcast about what it’s like to be openly gay and shopping TV shows. Noting he had been mocked by TV executives for having a “gay voice,” Murphy said, “I had one meeting with an executive about a script, and I showed up at the meeting and he started imitating my voice and making feminine hand gestures, which I don’t have. “I never thought that my voice was gay until he repeated it back to me, but I literally was stunned into silence. He was just being really brutal to me. I was very pained by it. I never understood it. But right from the beginning of my career, I did feel homophobia, and I did feel ‘No.’ I remember one of my early agents was fired for being gay. This was in the mid-90s.” Shocking. Yet we’re supposed to wonder why so few TV actors/actresses have come out? Murphy, one of the most successful showrunners and executive producers on TV, told the podcast, “It was really difficult. I don’t talk about it too much because it really is painful, and a lot of these people still have jobs.” Getting started in TV was arduous, and not being in the closet made it harder to get gay characters on screen. “I didn’t dare start off writing gay characters, but I had outlandish characters, and I would get notes from executives saying, ‘Can this character dress less gay?’ Even if it was a straight woman.

Or, ‘The language coming out of this character’s mouth seems very flamboyant, which we think is too gay and will offend some viewers. Can you take that out?’” Murphy finally had enough and began to refuse. “It made me mad, so I just sort of leaned into it, and I wrote a bisexual character. I started to write about lesbianism. I had gay characters. I would say, ‘No. I won’t do it. Why do you want it taken out?’” These tales are hardly unsurprising and give entree into just what a straight club TV can be, Murphy, Greg Berlanti, Bryan Fuller and Lee Daniels notwithstanding. Having WWR on network is still a big deal, despite the miniseries charting such a pivotal point in American history. Season 3 of American Crime premieres March 12, because there can’t be enough fabulous shows on Sunday night at the same time! John Ridley’s anthology takes on immigration, xenophobia and addiction this season. The bedrock of this series remains the interplay of racism, misogyny and classism in America, issues the Oscar-winning Ridley has tackled for years in his screenwriting. The Emmy-laden cast includes Felicity Huffman, Regina King, Timothy Hutton, Richard Cabral, Lili Taylor and Benito Martinez. Sandra Oh and Dallas Roberts join the ensemble this season, as does Tony-winning lesbian actor Cherry Jones. At a panel discussion following the show’s premiere screening in Beverly Hills on March 2, executive producer Michael McDonald said, “The latest installment will focus heavily on the imbalance of America’s social classes, while revisiting women’s rights and racial prejudice.” The main thing American Crime wanted to tackle, McDonald asserted, “is the exploitation of the workforce in America, how people are working to survive, and how they’re barely doing so. Modern-day slavery does exist, and we close our eyes to it.” The roles for women have been pivotal in AC, and McDonald emphasized their importance. “We have these great women, like Felicity and Regina and Lili Taylor, that show us what it’s like to be a woman in America today. The series also covers reproductive rights and women’s healthcare. There is a lot of examination at what it looks like to not have power.” Felicity Huffman, nominated for Emmys for seasons one and two, said both Ridley and McDonald seem to be “in the Zeitgeist. This season has to do with xenophobia. We’re asking the question, ‘Does someone have to lose in order for the other to win?’ and, ‘How we can stop that divisiveness and come together?’” How indeed? More frothy but still packed with great actors is NBC’s new sitcom Trial & Error, which is, yes, about the fun side of killing, when a young lawyer takes on a case in a small town. The show stars Nick D’Agosto, Jayma Mays, comedian Sherri Shepherd and John Lithgow, who has Tonys, Emmys and SAG Awards, to weight this show with prodigious acting cred. Lithgow was the sun around which 3rd Rock from the Sun revolved for six seasons. Mays and Shepherd are hilarious, so T&E may be the dark humor we’ve been looking for as Armageddon approaches. So for a good Feud, drama that is uniquely American Crime, and the usual Trial & Error, you know you really must stay tuned.t

TV>>

March 9-15, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 21

The feud behind ‘Feud’ by Tavo Amador

he FX series Feud dramatizes the enmity between screen legends Joan Crawford (Jessica Lange) and Bette Davis (Susan Sarandon), which peaked during and after filming Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), the successful thriller in which they played movie-star sisters. Davis’ dislike of Crawford began before they met. Davis (1908-89) arrived in Tinseltown in 1930 after modest Broadway success. Universal gave her a six-month contract. But its head, Carl Laemmle, derided her lack of sex appeal. Crawford (1906, although she claimed 1908-77) was already among Hollywood’s biggest stars. In 1930, she was America’s most popular actress, married to filmdom royalty, handsome Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. The former Broadway chorus girl had been under contract to MGM since 1925, became a star in 1928, and easily made the transition from silents to talkies. MGM was Hollywood’s biggest studio, famous for its glamorous beauties. Women copied Crawford’s clothes, hair, make-up. Resentful, Davis defensively claimed she was an actress, not a “glamour puss,” refusing to compete in an arena in which she couldn’t win. Warners, known for its more realistic films, signed her. In 1934, RKO borrowed Davis to play Mildred, the vicious cockney waitress who torments Leslie Howard in gay author W. Somerset Maugham’s Of Human Bondage. Despite sensational reviews, she didn’t get an Oscar nomination, sparking a tremendous outcry. For the only time in Academy history, write-in votes were allowed. Davis lost to Claudette Colbert in It Happened One Night, but was

on her way. She won her first Oscar for 1935’s Dangerous, co-starring handsome Franchot Tone, scion of a wealthy New York family and a founder of Manhattan’s prestigious Group Theatre. Massachusettsborn Davis, who claimed an upperclass pedigree, fell in love with him. To her dismay, he was infatuated with the recently divorced Crawford, with whom he had made several pictures. Journalist Adela Rogers St. John recalled introducing a gracious Crawford to Davis on the set of Dangerous. Davis appeared indifferent. Crawford soon married Tone. Years later, Davis admitted she had been hurt and jealous. Her resentment grew. By the late 1930s, Davis’ career was soaring. She won a second Oscar for 1938’s Jezebel, while Crawford’s was slipping. She divorced Tone in 1939, and in 1943, after 18 years, left MGM for Warners, where Davis reigned. That year, they appeared as themselves (without any scenes together) in Hollywood Canteen, a film about stars raising the morale of WWII servicemen. Crawford was off-screen for two years. She attempted to befriend Davis, who was distant. Davis had first refusal on all Ascripts at Warners, and likely passed on Mildred Pierce, which wasn’t right for her. But the adaptation of James M. Cain’s novel was perfect for Crawford, who grabbed the part of a housewife-turned-businesswoman plagued with a monstrous daughter. It was a blockbuster, earning her 1945’s Best Actress Oscar. Her resurgence coincided with Davis’ decline. Crawford was now Queen of the Lot. Davis’ last film at Warners was 1949’s disastrous camp classic Beyond the Forest, which she made because she’d heard Crawford

wanted to play Rosa Moline, “a 12 o’clock gal in a 9 o’clock town.” Replacing an ailing Colbert in 20th Century Fox’s great All About Eve (1950) resulted in a brief renaissance for Davis. In 1952, she was The Star, playing a Crawford-like has-been, garnering her ninth Oscar nomination. She worked less frequently throughout the decade, primarily in character parts like Ernest Borgnine’s shrewish wife in The Catered Affair (1956), and as Alec Guinness’ mother in The Scapegoat (1959). Crawford’s output in Courtesy FX the 1950s was greater; she continued playing Joan Crawford (Jessica Lange) and Bette Davis (Susan Sarandon), filming romantic leads. She left Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? in the new FX series Feud. Warners in 1952 and had a hit with Sudden Fear at Davis took $50,000 up-front budget would be cut in half. CrawRKO, earning a third Best Actress against 5% of the gross. A more ford agreed, but insisted on first Oscar nomination. Her other 50s confident Crawford shrewdly got billing. During filming in Louisiana, films failed to create much excite$25,000 against 10% of the gross. Davis constantly belittled her. Fearment, although some are now highShe made no fuss about billing, ing she would be upstaged again, ly regarded, notably Harriet Craig since Davis was playing the title role. she checked into a Hollywood hos(1950) and Johnny Guitar (1954). Their pairing generated extraorpital, claiming exhaustion. Aldrich In 1961, Davis was on Broadway, dinary publicity. Despite mixed reluctantly replaced her with Olivia miscast and miserable in Tennessee reviews, Jane was a success, grossing de Havilland. The film didn’t do as Williams’ The Night of the Iguana. $9 million worldwide. well as Jane. Co-star Margaret Leighton eclipsed Davis earned her 10th Best AcCrawford worked until 1972, her at each performance. Crawford tress Oscar nomination, but Crawmaking few public appearances visited Davis in her dressing room, ford was overlooked. Davis openly in her final years. Davis, despite gave her a copy of Henry Farrell’s gloated. At the Oscar ceremony, a a stroke and cancer, worked until novel Whatever Happened to Baby radiant Crawford accepted the Best 1989. Crawford finished 10th in Jane?, suggesting it would make a Actress prize for Anne Bancroft in the American Film Institute’s rankgood vehicle for them. She also The Miracle Worker. Her photoing of the 20th century’s greatest sent copies to Alfred Hitchcock and graph, holding the statuette, was on female legends. Davis was second. Robert Aldrich. The latter agreed front pages around the world. Davis Privately, both recalled each other to direct, and his company, along was furious. harshly. Davis also did so publicly. with Seven Arts Pictures, produced Aldrich and Fox wanted to reWhen pressed, Crawford reminded the movie for about $980,000. team them in Hush, Hush, Sweet reporters that “in Jane, Blanche Shooting took six weeks. Warners Charlotte, but Davis refused until [her character] was a much bigger distributed it. told that without Crawford, the star.”t

Sound-text breakthroughs by Jason Victor Serinus

t the same time that the liberation movement catalyzed by San Francisco’s Compton Cafeteria Riot (1966) and New York City’s Stonewall Uprising (1969) was blowing open closet doors, a wave of artistic experimentation was shattering time-honored definitions of what constituted music. One of the chief instigators of musical boundary-breaking on the West Coast was Fresno-born composer/ radio producer Charles Amirkhanian (b. 1945). Co-founder of the Other Minds New Music Foundation, Amirkhanian became Music Director of KPFA-FM Pacifica Radio in Berkeley in 1969. Amirkhanian began playing his text-sound compositions on the air. Benefiting from breakthroughs made at the San Francisco Tape Music Center, which opened its doors in 1960 and reconstituted itself at Mills College in 1966, Amirkhanian’s taped text-sound constructions stopped people in their tracks. The number of doors they opened was roughly equal to the number of buttons they pushed. You need only to listen to Amirkhanian’s relatively short (5:28) composition “Mugic” (1973) to understand why he upset so many people. One of his six soundtext compositions just reissued by Other Minds Records on Lexical Music (CD, download), “Mugic” found its inspiration in the sounds of the hinde-whoo flute and the vocal music of the Ba-Benzele pygmies of the Congo. Amirkhanian’s response to such cultural esoterica was to speak in a monotone and

use a time-delay feedback loop to create permutations of his intentionally dull utterances. With its manipulated voicetrack punctuated by breath sounds and mechanical noises, “Mugic” brought to mind the sounds of a dog growling while daring you to tug on her rubber bone. The work ends with sounds similar to someone in the death throes. But as much as “Mugic” dares us to drop our preconceived notions of what constitutes music, it is also playing with us.

Amirkhanian’s playful side emerges more fully in the dadaesque “Seatbelt Seatbelt” (1973), where his voice is joined by those of tenor John Duykers, pianist Karl Goldstein, composer Janice Giteck, and early-music artist Susan Napper. Beginning with the words “Seatbelt seatbelt,” it expands to include “Chum chum quack quack bone.” As the cacophony grows and sounds go in and out of phase, the 14:50 composition grows more ridiculous. By its end, those who have not thrown up their hands in

dismay will likely have joined me in screaming with laughter. And so it goes. Unless you get trapped in rational linearity, you will likely find the short “Dutiful Ducks” (1977) delicious. “Muchrooms” (1974), dedicated to John Cage and referring to his hobby of collecting mushrooms, takes five minutes to mushroom to a head. From me, it elicited major wows. While few of these works are as immediately catchy as contemporaneous compositions by Steve Reich (including his early taped experiments), they grow on you with repeated listening. “Mahogany Ballpark” (1976), commissioned for the 1976 Cabrillo Music Festival founded by gay composer Lou Harrison, was initially performed to a series of silly slides created by Amirkhanian’s wife, visual artist Carol Law. Rich in historical references, the work includes a section, recorded just outside the studio of Man Ray in Paris, on which the voices of Law and Böske Antheil (wife of the “bad boy of music,” George Antheil) are heard alongside the bells of a cathedral in the Square St. Sulpice. Other sounds were recorded in the San Francisco Zoo and Forest Hill subway station under Twin Peaks. The title of Amirkhanian’s “She She and She” (1974) derives from composer and critic Charles Shere’s request for a piece for a 100th Anniversary celebration of the birth of lesbian innovator Gertrude Stein. If you can put yourself in the revolutionary headspace of the minds that were blowing at the same time that Amirkhanian’s thoughts on soundtext were peaking, you are in for a major treat.t

f i nd your own paradise with the acclaimed

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<< Books

22 • BAY AREA REPORTER • March 9-15, 2017

Bohemian rhapsody by Brian Bromberger

Somebody To Love: The Life, Death, and Legacy of Freddie Mercury, by Matt Richards & Mark Langthorne; Weldon Owen, $24.95. t is possible to read the journey of the legendary Queen rock star Freddie Mercury as a parable of gay life from the mid-1960s to the early 90s, with both its triumphs and disasters. Mercury was the most famous rock performer to die of

AIDS. This biography begins with Mercury lying on his deathbed, a recluse in his own house, his body riddled with KS and practically blind, unable to stand. The authors seem intent on making the case that Mercury’s life was defined by AIDS. Mercury’s and Queen’s rise, then fall, then rise again, alternate with chapters detailing the history, trajectory, and consequences of AIDS, a mini-summary in the vein of And the Band Played On. Yet, by chroni-

Miss Paula West in Concert My Favorite Things: The Very Best of Paula West

With the Adam Shulman Quartet

Saturday, March 25, 2017, 8pm

Marines’ Memorial Theater, 609 Sutter Street, SF San Francisco’s favorite jazz diva sings personal and audience favorites. A Benefit for The Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation

Tickets & Info: www.reaf.org or 415-273-1620 Paula West is, quite simply, the finest jazz-cabaret singer around. –Christopher Loudon, JazzTimes SPONSORED BY California State Automobile Association SF Bay Times • Gloss Magazine • Bay Area Reporter

cling Mercury’s achievements, the book shows he was much more than an AIDS statistic. Exotic and original from the very beginning, he was born Farrokh Bulsara. His parents were Indian Parsees, religious followers of the Iranian prophet Zoroaster. They left India and emigrated to the British African colony Zanzibar, where Bulsara debuted on Sept. 5, 1946. At age 8 he was shipped off to an English-boarding school in Panchgani, India, and did not see his family for years. Teachers began calling him Freddie as an affectionate term, which he loved. Despite being homesick, he became interested in sports, art, and music, forming his first band, The Hectics, able to play any instrument. In 1964, a political revolution in the newly independent Zanzibar led to Freddie and his family escaping to London just in time for the Swinging 60s. He enrolled at Ealing School of Art to study fashion design, but his real passion was music. He met Brian May and Roger Taylor, forming the band Smile, which in 1970 morphed into Queen, a name Mercury suggested. For their first album he wrote a song with a line about Mother Mercury. He told May, “I’m going to become Mercury because the mother in this song is my mercury.” Shy Freddie Bulsara was transformed into flamboyant Freddie Mercury. Inspired by David Bowie and glam rock, he used Queen and their music “as a window of opportunity to liberate himself.” He had been dating women and became involved with Mary Austin, who worked at the fashionable Biba department store. She became the love of his life. But during their relationship he began secretly dating men. He had no intention of coming out as gay, knowing it would forestall any music career. Instead, Mercury used Queen to express his gay persona, though it would be many years before he revealed his secret to his

One Week Only! March 14–19, 2017 Whispers of subtle charm, gasps of beauty—art is in lively conversation with nature during Bouquets to Art, where the most in-demand floral designers from the Bay Area and beyond create stunning arrangements inspired by the de Young’s collection.

Speakers for BTA 2017:

bandmates. Never during his life did he give an interview to confirm or deny his sexuality. In 1975 Queen became global superstars, with their artistic pinnacle the release of their album A Night at the Opera, featuring Mercury’s magnum opus “Bohemian Rhapsody.” With its operatic section and six-minute running time, it remains one of the unique tracks in rock history. The authors maintain this was Mercury’s song admitting he was gay. “It is possible to create a homosexual subtext to virtually any phrase from it, and confirm it’s about Freddie coming out to his mother and reconciling his own sexuality.” The song became Queen’s biggest hit, selling over 6 million copies,

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Floral display by Ariel Ermatinger. Artwork: Seasons of Astringency, 1958, by Jess (1923-2004), reproduced by permission of the Jess Collins Trust. Photograph by Drew Altizer.

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2/27/17 10:37 PM

voted #166 in Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.” Almost all of Queen’s biggest hits were written by Mercury, including “Another One Bites the Dust,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” “Somebody To Love,” and “We Are the Champions,” many of them hybrids of hard-rock, pop, heavy metal, cabaret, and classical elements. In his stage performances this talented showman could be his real self in all his outrageousness. His performing passion reached its apex with Queen’s 20-minute set during the Live Aid benefit concert for the Ethiopian famine in 1985. In a 2005 BBC poll it was named the greatest live rock performance of all time. It revived Queen’s faltering career. By his own admission, Mercury’s sex drive was enormous. He wanted sex with no strings attached, although in the last six years he had a fairly constant though nonmonogamous lover, Jim Hutton, a hairdresser. His party lifestyle was mythical, consuming large amounts of cocaine, but not becoming addicted to it. “One of his favorite games involved groups of young men being invited to his room, where they were made to strip naked and parade in front of him wearing nothing but women’s hats. Freddie would then choose who would be his companion or companions for the night.” Mercury took 12 AIDS tests in the hope one of them would come up negative, but he was finally diagnosed in 1987. The authors believe Mercury could have been exposed as early as 1982. Mercury and Queen stopped performing live in 1986, though they continued to make studio albums. Increasingly gaunt, he withdrew from public appearances. The authors chart a long physical decline, culminating in his death on Nov. 24, 1991, at 45. He had released a statement to the press the day before admitting he had AIDS, hoping “that everyone will join with my doctors and all those worldwide in the fight against this terrible disease.” He had never told his parents and had only informed his bandmates a few months prior to the end. Austin, his main benefactor, scattered his ashes, sworn never to reveal their location. The book, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of Mercury’s death, is a labor of love. AIDS killed Mercury, but it never overshadowed him, and today he is remembered as among the greatest rock entertainers of the 20th century.t

Dance>>

March 9-15, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 23

Swinging with a Latin beat by David-Elijah Nahmod

rom March 10-12 you can see hot Latin boys dancing at the Dance Mission Theater. These dancers, who hail from Cuba, are hot in more ways than one. They’re classically trained, and they’re featured in Satin & Swing, the latest offering from the Soulskin Dance Company. Adrianna Thompson, Soulskin’s artistic director, has lived her life for dance. “I’ve always been doing my own work on top of performing and teaching,” Thompson told the B.A.R. as she was ending a Satin & Swing rehearsal. “I wanted the whole package, and I’ve never stopped. I work my butt off teaching so I can bring art to the world.” Thompson’s love for her craft began at home at an early age. “I never had a choice,” she explained. “Both of my parents were actors. My stepmom did modern dance, so I was exposed at a young age. I started belly dancing, then got formal training.” Thompson’s journey took her to New York City, where she served as founder and choreographer of MEFTAS Dance Theater. Her works have been performed in the Big Apple and

around the country. A California native, Thompson considers her work with Soulskin to be a homecoming. She studied at the illustrious San Francisco School of the Arts. “I’m from here, so these are my roots,” she said. “I moved back five years ago, and it’s good to be home. There’s so much art here. There’s something really special about being part of a community that supports itself, and I have to do this.” Satin & Swing is a hybrid of several art-forms. “It’s a ballet,” she said. “There are two pieces in the program. One is a 40-minute commentary from the 1920s to the 21st century.” Thompson’s dancers will move to the music of jazz legends Cole Porter and Duke Ellington, as well as to tunes by 1980s/90s icon Prince. “If you look at the 1920s and look at now, you can parallel the two eras,” she said. “History does repeat itself. Art should always be about saying something and never being afraid.” Thompson added that she adores the three Cuban dancers who are featured in Satin & Swing. “They’re like brothers,” she said. “They went to the same school and danced together in Cuba. I felt like

I had to have these brothers together. I’m a bit of a mama bear.” There will be eye candy, she promises. “They’re topless and they wear boxer shorts,” she said. “It’s Prince, you gotta have some sex! And they’re gorgeous! They all have tattoos with their moms’ names. They’re lovely to work with, and are very dramatic.” Thompson explained the origins of Soulskin Dance’s name. “The skin can shed, but the soul carries on,” she said. “It’s an interesting time for art. It’s important to look at history, to move forward and to see possibilities.” Thompson promises that all who attend Satin & Swing will have a great time. The show performs at the Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St., on March 10 & 11 at 8 p.m., and Sun., March 12 at 7 p.m. The Saturday show will be livestreamed: concertwindow. com/80088-andy-mogg-livestreaming-presents. t Tickets: soulskindance.org/ satin-swing.

Andy Mogg

Top to bottom: Edisnel Rodriguez Gonzalez, Adonis Martin, Delvis Savigne Frinon in Soulskin Dance’s Satin & Swing.

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<< Fine Art

24 • BAY AREA REPORTER • March 9-15, 2017

Interactive feminist art entices and advertisers. Many struggle with reconciling who they are inside with societal expectations of how they should look and behave. Leeson’s critique of the invisibility of women and how they often reluctantly serve as canvases for projections of male fantasy is as stinging and resonant today as it was 40 years ago. In fact, the thematic content of the earlier work in particular – the contemporary material about genetic engineering isn’t nearly as compelling – has held Lynn Hershman Leeson up so well it’s difficult to know whether to “Seduction,” from the series Phantom Limb (1985), b/w photograph be impressed or to weep. So much has changed for women, of identity, the toll of violence, the by Sura Wood yet so much has remained the same. loss of privacy, the vulnerabilities n a political season that saw SenaSome say that we’re being led by a of women and surveillance, though tor Elizabeth Warren instructed reactionary presidential administrathe surveillance she addresses most to sit down and shut up by her male tion, made up primarily of white potently isn’t necessarily the kind colleagues, and Hillary Clinton males, straight back to the 1950s, generated by the government. In vilified and subjected to humiliatwhen men had primacy and women “Room of One’s Own” (1993), ing tactics by the opposition, Civic knew their place at home and in the for instance, the watcher is being Radar, a retrospective of the work workplace. If nothing else, Civic watched. As one peers into a box of Lynn Hershman Lesson at YBCA, Radar is a caution and a tacit call for through a peephole at a woman in is especially timely. The exhibition, vigilance. a miniature bedroom, footage of the spanning the artist’s career from the Though the show, which is rather voyeur’s eye movements is projected 1960s to the present, is informed by spread out, would have had greater on a tiny monitor inside the conLeeson’s formidable intelligence. A impact in a more compact space, fined space. versatile Bay Area feminist, interacindividual sections are gripping. Women, the object of voyeuristic tive media and performance artist, One is struck throughout by Leedesire and attention, wanted or not, experimental filmmaker, and phoson’s bravery and willingness to are always being watched. That is, tographer, she has employed cutting speak out. It’s not an accident that until they age into a category where edge technologies to probe issues one hears recordings of women’s they’re ignored by media culture

voices wafting through the galleries, the voice being both a vehicle and a metaphor for being heard. In “Breathing Machines” (196372), a series that seems to be about trapped women who can’t breathe on their own, she fashioned mannequins from wax molds of her own face, adding wigs and make-up. She installed the masks in glassed-in wood cases that include boom boxes that play taped messages, uttered between heavy sighs. The Roberta Breitmore Project (1973-78), a slightly creepy six-year “private performance,” allowed Leeson to role play and act out what she calls “a three-dimensional drama” for which she constructed an alternate identity with her own apartment, wardrobe, credit cards, driver’s license, and psychiatrist. Among the artifacts from that long, strange journey are ghoulish photographic prints collaged with glitter, ink, watercolors and makeup (“Ghost,” 1977) or which seem like plastic-surgery diagrams associated with a facelift (“Roberta Aged by Weather and Time,” 1972-76). This is heart-of-darkness material, but Leeson is at her most subversive and effective in series such as Phantom Limbs (1985-ongoing), a group of pre-Photoshop photocollages with a deceptively perky, witty charm. Enlarged and printed as digital photographs, they’re pictures of women’s bodies merged with cameras, binoculars and television sets. In “TV Legs” (1988), one sees only a woman’s legs and the television set where her head should be, her flirty eyes gazing out from the monitor, while in another, the subject is stretched out on a bed (“Seduction,”

1986). Remember people commenting, “That phone is permanently attached to your ear,” or, “She’s glued to the TV set?” This may have been what they had in mind. Leeson has also digitally manipulated masters’ portraits of female nudes (“Digital Venus,” 1996) by projecting imagery of circuit boards on the flesh of voluptuous beauties painted by Titian, Botticelli and Ingres. Bewitched by the perils and possibilities of artificial intelligence, Leeson conjured “Agent Ruby” (1999-2002), a chatty, interactive female persona who describes herself as brunette, single and six-feet-tall without heels. She takes her name from a character in Leeson’s prescient 2002 film Teknolust, which dealt with cyber identity and cloning, among other topics, and starred Tilda Swinton as Rosetta Stone, a biogenetics specialist who develops a hybrid human/machine organism. Ruby claims she doesn’t know Tilda (I asked). “DiNA” (2004), a continuation of the Ruby project, is a multimedia installation where one can step to a microphone and ask questions of an agreeable, stewardess-like, cyber image of Swinton, who answers, if that’s the appropriate word, in soulless corporate-speak. DiNA has appeared in many guises: a voting booth, a oneway mirror and an eight-foot-high woman’s face, but her most valuable contribution may be the slogan she coined for the 2004 Bush vs. Kerry presidential election: “Artificial intelligence is better than no intelligence.” Who did you think she had in mind?t Through May 21. Info: ybca.org.

Direct action, with drinks by Erin Blackwell

f you’re the kind of person who right off the pillow asks yourself, “What happened to the American Left after the 1960s?” have I got a book for you. Because whether you love Trump or hate him, he is generating more juice for protest since his election than his predecessor did in eight years. Trump is asking for it, so why not give it to him? But first, familiarize yourself with Direct Action: Protest and the Reinvention of American Radicalism, published this month by Verso. Join the author at Writers With Drinks at the Make Out Room, on Saturday, March 11, at 7:30 p.m. Writer and activist L.A. Kauffman, currently of Brooklyn, lived in the Bay Area in the late 80s and

early 90s, after a BA at Princeton (“a horrible place to be a woman in the 80s”) and high school in Milwaukee. “L.A.” stands not for the town but her actual initials. We spoke over the phone for an energetic hour. The 52-year-old resisted my attempts to ferret out biographical tidbits, reflexively throwing focus to her subject. There’s no first-person in the book, she pointed out, but she was present at much of the action she describes as a participant, a planner, or a journalist. The personal is still the political.

Kauffman’s initiation in political protest came in 1981 via reproductive rights, in the bosom of the Milwaukee Chapter of the National Organization of Women (N.O.W.). A bit staid in retrospect, N.O.W. nonetheless was a place to mix with socialists and even lesbians. In college she worked on a range of issues. Her first real taste of direct action was the 1985 student occupation of Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall in support of divestment from apartheid South Africa. The gamechanger, though, was ACT-UP, because it was “compelling, visually bold, it broke with tired rhetoric, and got things done.” ACT-UP proved that “the key to being successful is to be willing to be unpopular, use disruptive and unruly tactics, and be criticized.” In fact, throughout Direct Action, “queers are at the center of the story. I didn’t set out to tell the queer and feminist history of activism, but it’s the only way to faithfully tell the story.” She writes, “Many movements contributed to this long process of political reinvention, but feminism and queer radicalism played special, central roles, profoundly redefining the practice of activism in ways that have too rarely been acknowledged.” Her five-page introduction cites Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter from Birmingham jail to elucidate her title. “Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused

is a story about dealing with defeat to negotiate is forced to confront and marginalization, but its ultimate the issue. It seeks to so dramatize message – for those who share the the issue that it can no longer be values of the movements profiled ignored.” Civil Rights protests are here – is one of hope: no matter how given their due as precursors to long the odds, with smart organizing anti-Vietnam War demonstrations, and the right tools, we can win more and the book ends with a brief histhan we imagine.”t tory of the recent movement organized against the shooting by cops of young black men. The Make Out Room, The 200-plus-page book, in3225 22nd St., SF. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., event 7:30 p.m. cluding 30 pages of concise notes, All proceeds benefit the Center is a lean, mean overview of direct for Sex and Culture. $5-$20, action in the U.S. since the beginno one turned away. ning of the end of the Vietnam War in 1971. The text is enlivened by several on-page photographs and an inspiring collection of rebellious logos. She writes that this is “a story rooted less in radicals’ ideas about how the world ought to change than the evolving forms of action they’ve used to actually change it.” You have to be an idealist to want to do this work, and a pragmatist to keep going. Kauffman says her pleasure in protest is “Winning! What it’s possible to win and how.” The gender-nonconforming activist currently works on “a bunch of anti-Trump things, in an advisory role, because they need someone with lots of experience, who doesn’t have time to Courtesy the subject do the nuts and bolts.” Someone who’s still Direct Action author and activist L.A. upbeat after 35 years Kauffman. of resistance. “This

March 9-15, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 25

Out &About

O&A

Out&About>>

Fri 10 Roe @ Berkeley Repertory

Say it

by Jim Provenzano

aint, sing, laugh, applaud. Call it what it is. We only make room for truth. For more events, see www.ebar.com. For nightlife winners, see On the Tab listings.

Thu 9

Beartoonist of San Francisco @ GLBT History Museum Beartoonist of San Francisco: Sketching an Emerging Subculture, featuring art work by bear cartoonist Fran Frisch. $5. 4127 18th St. www.glbthistory.org

Billy Elliot @ Berkeley Playhouse Local production of the (10 Tonywinning) musical, with music by Elton John, based on the film about a poor British boy who aspires to become a ballet dancer. $22-$40. Note earlier curtain times (7pm or 1pm). Thru Mar. 25. Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Ave., Berkeley. berkeleyplayhouse.org

CAAMfest @ Various Cinemas Center for Asian American Media’s annual film festival of feature and documentary films, including several with LGBT themes. $12-$14 each; full or multi-screening passes available. Thru March 19. www.caamedia.org

The Christians @ SF Playhouse Lucas Hnath’s Off-Broadway hit unflinching look at faith in America, staged with a live choir, gets a West Coast premiere. $20-$125. Tue-Thu 7pm. Fri 7 Sat 8pm. Sat 3pm, Sun 2pm. Thru March 11. 450 Post St., 2nd floor. www.sfplayhouse.org

Classic & New Films @ Castro Theatre Mar. 9: CAAMfest 35 opening night feature Tiger Hunter (7pm). Mar. 10: Grease Sing-along (7pm). Mar. 11 & 12: Disney’s Moana Sing-along (2:30). Mar. 13: Moonlight (8pm). Mar. 14: Fences (2:30, 5:15, 8pm). Mar. 15: SF International Film festival members preview night. Mar. 16 & 17: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (4:30, 7pm, 9:30). $11-$16. 429 Castro St. www.castrotheatre.com

Daughter of a Garbageman @ The Marsh KGO host and stand-up comic Maureen Langan’s solo show about her family life, and the endurance of working class people. $20-$100. Thu 8pm. Sat 5pm. Thru March 25. 1062 Valencia St. www.themarsh.org

Eat, Pray, Laugh! @ The Marsh Berkeley Katie Rubin’s solo show about a Jewish princess’ search for an Indian guru. $20-$100. Thu 8pm, Sat 8:30pm. Thru March 11. 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. www.themarsh.org

Eclipsed @ Curran Theater Danai Gurira’s acclaimed drama about young Liberian women gets its West Coast premiere. $39-$135. Thru March 19. 445 Geary St. sfcurran.com

John @ Strand Theatre American Conservatory Theatre’s production of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Annie Baker’s drama about a couple’s increasingly strange stay at a bed and breakfast in historic Gettysburg; co-starring Georgia Engel ( The Mary Tyler Moore Show ). $20-$105. Tue-Sat 7:30pm. Wed & Sat 1pm. Thru April 23. (Out with A.C.T. night Mar. 15). 1127 Market St. 7492228. www.act-sf.org

Kilgallen/Jones @ Exit Theatre World premiere of Allison Page’s unusual thriller about the life and death of the 1960s writer and TV personality. $20-$30. Thru March 25. 156 Eddy St. www.theexit.org

Meat Rack, Gay San Francisco @ Roxie Theater Screening of two historic 1970s films documenting lost gay culture in the Bay Area; post-screening Q&A with director Michael Thomas. $8-$12. 6:30pm. 3117 16th St. www.roxie.com

Mincing Words @ The Marsh Tom Ammiano’s comic solo show about his life in California politics. $20-$100. Thursdays at 7:30pm thru March 9. 1062 Valencia St. www.themarsh.org

Murmuration Festival @ Z Space Short solo plays by Kevin Rolston, Dazié Greg-Sykes, Rotimi Agbabiaka, Evan Johnston ( Don’t Feel: The Death of Dahmer) some with gay themes, in repertory, thru March 12. $20 each; $80 for all shows. Various times/ dates. 450 Florida St. (866) 811-4111. www.zspace.org/murmuration

Peerless @ Marin Theatre Co. Jiehae Park’s dark satire of academic ambition, about twin girls who murder their way to the top of their class. $25$60. Thru April 2. 397 Miller Ave., Mill Valley. www.marintheatre.org

Silence: The Musical @ Victoria Theatre Cloud 9 Theatricals and Ray of Light Theatre present the Bay Area premiere of Jon Kaplan, Al Kaplan and Hunter Bell’s acclaimed unauthorized musical parody of the film/book Silence of the Lambs. $35-$45. Thu-Sat 8pm (Some Saturdays 7pm and/or 10pm). Extended thru April 1. 2961 16th St. 863-7576. silencethemusicalsf.com

Fri 10

Apocalypse, Please @ PianoFight Noelle Viñas and Kevin Vincenti’s new science fiction play about a computer programmer framed for the deaths of millions via futuristic cell phones. $25-$30. Thu-Sat 7:30pm. Thru April 1. 144 Taylor St. www.pianofight.com

Betroffenheit @ Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley

Beowulf @ Aquatic Park, Fort Mason Chapel

Perfectly Queer @ Dog Eared Books

Cal Performances presents a new dance-theatre work by Crystal Pite and Jonathan Young, about a man dealing with PTSD. $30-$86. 8pm. Also Mar. 11. Bancroft Way at Dana St., UC Berkeley campus. www.calperformances.org

We Players, the innovative sitespecific theatre company, premieres , performed with Inkboat Physical Theatre/Dance and Rova Saxophone Quartet. $30-$80. Various dates and times thru April 16. 1100 Bay St. www.weplayers.org

Queer speculative fiction readings with authors Ellen Klages, M. Christian, and Vylar Kaftan. 7pm. 489 Castro st. www.dogearedbooks.com

Flim-Flam @ Eureka Theatre

East 14th @ The Marsh

World premiere of John Fisher’s new comedy about three actors who hit the road in search of roles. $15-$40. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sat 3pm. Thru March 18. 215 Jackson St. TheRhino.org

Don Reed’s multi-award-winning solo show about his unusual relationship with his father in Oakland. $20-$100. Sat 8:30pm, Sun 5:30pm. Thru April 15. 1062 Valencia St. themarsh.org

Hand to God @ Berkeley Repertory

Gender Schmear @ Chez Poulet

Robert Askins’ dark comedy about a hand puppet that speaks to a young man in a far-right religious church. $29-$89. Tue, Thu-Sat 8pm. Wed & Sun 7pm. Sat & Sun 2pm. Thru March 19. 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org

Keshet’s annual LGBTQ Purim party includes schmoozing, dancing, drinks, a drag show and more fun to celebrate the Jewish holiday; costumes encouraged. $10-$72. 8pm11pm. 3359 Cesar Chavez St. www.keshetonline.org

Holding the Edge @ The Marsh

No New Art/No New Dance @ The Lab

Elaine Magree’s solo show recounts a part of her life as a lesbian hospice AIDS nurse in the 1980s. $ Fri 8pm, Sat 5pm, thru April 1. themarsh.org Joseph Abbati’s exhibit of tapestries depicting local drag celebrities (Peaches Christ, Sister Roma, Juanita More, Honey Mahogany, Heklina, Grace Towers, and Creme Fatale). Thru March. 470 Castro St. www.strutsf.org

Queer-centered art and performance dance party, with Channing Joseph; Dia Dear; Ugly; Collaboration between Brontez Purnell, Xara Thustra; Jason Graf; Ezra Rabin; Victor Vasquez; Jade Ariana; Jason Graf; Webster Borealis; Fabian Echevarria; Wizard_Trix; Irwin Swirnoff; Yetunde Olagbaju; Gary Fembot; Trill Team 6; and No No. $5$10. 10pm-12am. 2948 16th St. www.thelab.org

Leaving the Blues @ New Conservatory Theatre Center

Poetic Address to the Nation @ YBCA

Larger Than Life @ Strut

World premiere of Jewelle Gomez’ commissioned music drama about the life of singer-songwriter Alberta Hunter. $25-$50. Previews; opens March 11. Wed-Sat 8pm, Sun 2pm. Thru April 2. 25 Van Ness Ave, lower level. nctcsf.org

Leni @ Aurora Theatre, Berkeley Bay area premiere of Sarah Greenman’s innovative biographical play about the German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, whose cinematic brilliance promoted the Nazi regime. $36-$65. Tue & Sun 7pm. Wed-Sat 8pm. Also Sun 2pm. thru May 7. 2081 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org

Roe @ Berkeley Rep Lisa Loomer’s rousing drama about the landmark 1973 lawsuit that legalized abortion, and the divergent personal journeys of lawyer Sarah Weddington and plaintiff Norma McCorvey (“Jane Roe”). $29-$100. Thru April 2. 2015 Addison St., Berkeley. www.berkeleyrep.org

Soulskin Dance @ Dance Mission Theater Satin & Swing, a concert of dances by Dylan Elmore and Robert Sund, including a vibrant male trio. $20-$25. Fri & Sat 8pm, Sun 7pm. Thru March 12. Also, online simulcast (Mar. 11) shot by Andy Mogg at concertwindow.com ($10). 3316 24th St. at Mission. soulskindance.org

The U.S. Dept. of Arts and Culture copresents a night of literary reactions to our current political situation, with 20 performers. $8. 5pm-6:30pm. Simulcast on Free Speech TV and YBCA’s Facebook page. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 700 Howard St. www.freespeech.org www.ybca.org

Sun 12

Adam Tendler @ Center for New Music The accomplished pianist and author performs intimate works by Eric Satie, Charlie Sdraulig, Marina Poleukhina, John Cage and Morton Feldman. $10-$15. 55 Taylor St. www.centerfornewmusic.com

Mon 13

Ides of Trump @ Lookout Juanita More! hosts a postcard-writing campaign to send messages to the White House; More! also serves up tasty appetizers (chicken nuggets and braised meatballs). 6pm-10pm. 3600 16th St. at Market. juanitamore.com

Tue 14

Aiden James @ Concert Window The Philly-based gay singer performs an interactive online concert; different tickets include gift items. 11:30pm. www.concertwindow.com/ aidenjames

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

Wed 15

Hippie Modernism: The Struggle for Utopia @ Berkeley Art Museum/ Pacific Film Archive New large-scale multimedia exhibit about 1960s-1970s counterculture. Thru May 21. Free-$12. 2625 Durant Ave., Berkeley. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu

LGBT Book Club @ Dog Eared Books Group discussion of The Days of Anna Madrigal, the final volume of Armistead Maupin’s Tales of The City series. 7pm. 489 Castro St. www.dogearedbooks.com

Smack Dab @ Dog Eared Books The eclectic monthly reading, performance and open mic event, now at a new location, features artist/activist Juba Kalamka (Rainbow Flava, Deep Dickollective); cohosted by Dana Hopkins and Larry-bob Roberts.8pm. 489 Castro St. www.dogearedbooks.com

Thu 16

Soledad: Queer Tango Festival @ Various Venues Abrazo, the LGBT partner dance event, celebrates with tango workshops, performances, and parties. $15-$30 per event/$220 full package. Thru March 19. Finnish Hall, 1970 Chestnut St. Berkeley; Lake Merritt Dance Center, 200 Grand Avenue, Oakland. abrazoqueertango.wordpress.com

Summer in Sanctuary @ The Marsh Al Letson’s solo show about working as a creative writing teacher in a porr Florida town. $20-$100. Fri 8pm, Sat 8:30pm. Thru March 18. 1062 Valencia St. www.themarsh.org

Sat 11

40th Anniversary @ Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts The Center celebrates four decades with a 50-year retrospective runway show of lavish historical and ethnic costumes by Salvadorian designer Mario Chacon; music by El Guajiro, and a party with food, drinks and more music. 27.$ 7pm. 2868 Mission St. www.missionculturalcenter.org

Assassins @ Alcazar Theatre Stephen Sondheim’s five Tony-winning musical about historic political killers is performed by Bay Area Musicals. $35-$65. Thu-Sat 8pm. Sat 2pm. Thru Mar. 18. 650 Geary St. bamsf.org

CAFE

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<< Dance

26 • BAY AREA REPORTER • March 9-15, 2017

Trockadero

From page 15

As taboos melt, as once-formidable boundaries become semi-permeable membranes, and the laws have made room for us, the Trocks have recruited dancers trained in the great schools of Cuba, Italy, Hungary, and gained virtuosi who like American freedoms and enjoy dancing on pointe. Moreover, they have the temperaments, physiques, and training to perform at Olympic levels. This means that the quality of the comedy has changed. From their origins as an outgrowth of Charles Ludlam’s Ridiculous Theatrical Company, they’ve arrived at a point where what had seemed tragically impossible is now quite do-able. It’s not as preposterous as it once was. In the finale of the Trocks’ Don Quixote Friday night, Alla Snizova (in “real” life the Cuban Carlos Hopuy) began turning her 32 fouettes with a quadruple pirouette – on pointe, of course. Not only that, “she” makes a perfectly respectable pretty girl. All the ballerinas, in fact, could be elected cheerleaders at Ole Miss on the basis of their looks. Yekaterina Verbosovitch (Chase Johnsey), who danced the Swan Queen in their version of Swan Lake, has a stage-face that’s a ringer for the Hollywood icon Janet Gaynor’s (A Star is Born). The technique is superb: Johnsey was voted Best Male Classical Dancer in a British critics’ award last year. Fact is, both Hopuy and Johnsey are too small in their builds to have big careers as male dancers in the great companies. That doesn’t apply to all of them. The Hungarian Laszlo Major has a huge virtuoso male technique and the staggering hunkiness of one of Mae West’s back-up dancers, which we saw in the bare-chested, harem-pantsed role of the slave Ali from the Corsaire pas de deux.

As times change, they adapt. When the Trocks got started in the Stonewall era, their first object was preposterous attention to getting the look right. But there was an initial split within the group. Where the “Gloxinia” faction aimed at being a decorative art, the Trockadero faction aimed at parodying everything ballet-lovers cherish, including the dancing. Though they loved the glitter, the make-up, and the costumes, they aimed at getting all the lore in their sights. There was always a fastidious academic wit to it, like that of Tom Lehrer’s songs, and in the sacred moments of the White Swan pas de deux, after camping up the group-dances in every conceivable way, they’d dance the duet straight, with pure style. They could be suddenly, heart-stoppingly beautiful. From the beginning, the Trocks had a Shakespearean appeal to the broad and the high. The learned audience, the balletomanes, loved them, yet it wasn’t necessary to know anything special to enjoy them. The popular audience loved them, too, as they loved Bugs Bunny’s “Figaro.” It’s stayed that way. To this day, the Trocks can make their way on boxoffice receipts alone, with no subsidies from the NEA or anybody. In their comeback after the 80s AIDS era, when they danced like there was no tomorrow – in fact, most of the dancers died – the Trocks have ventured into the exuberant side of ballet, and they have the dancers who can bring that off. They’re dancing more Soviet-era showpieces, with their huge overhead lifts, feats of balance and turning, and high-energy, huge jumps. This means they’re keeping alive some ballets rarely seen. The learned aspect, a source of their continued popularity, is the hardest aspect of their DNA to explain. Nobody nowa-

Courtesy Center for Asian American Media

Scene from director Kim Takesue’s 95 and 6 To Go.

CAAMFest

From page 15

The Tiger Hunter Lena Khan’s first feature begins with an Indian man shooting a tiger and achieves pop warp-speed when the man’s son makes plans to immigrate to America to put his engineering degree to its best use. Sami (Danny Pudi) discovers that his Indian degree only qualifies him for a spot in a singleroom flat, sharing a bed with other overqualified Indian lads. With an accomplished supporting cast including Napoleon Dynamite’s Jon Heder. (Opening night, Castro, 3/9) Re: Orientations Canadian filmmaker Richard Fung revisits the subject of his historic 1984 portrait of queer Asian Torontonians and demonstrates the profound changes wrought on the social landscape of a nation often lauded for its tolerance and openness. The film is a breezy time capsule for LGBTQ persons of a certain age, hobbled only by its omission of the role played during this era by the onetime national queer newsmagazine The Body Politic. (Roxie, 3/12)

95 and 6 To Go Meet Tom Takesue. By the time granddaughter Kim Takesue’s intimate portrait is over, you may feel close to the loquacious and still agile Japanese American widower still mourning his wife of over half-a-century. Framed by the astonishing beauty of his Hawaiian retirement cottage, the old guy doesn’t take himself too seriously and has some refreshingly candid memories of his late wife. (New People, 3/19) Guangzhou Dream Factory Christiane Badgley visits this bustling mainland Chinese city exploring longstanding trade ties between unlikely partners. Badgley uncovers some factoids: that these trading patterns overwhelmingly favor Chinese economic interests over those of rising African powers like Nigeria; that the China-Africa economic axis seems to have discouraged the building of factories and a modern industrial infrastructure in Africa; and that there is resentment building among middle-class Africans that may express itself in the near future. (New Parkway, 3/18)

Sascha Vaughan

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo appeared at UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall.

days knows the story of the Hunchback of Notre Dame, on which their very successful Esmeralda pd6 is based. Few balletomanes know why Esmeralda is so reluctant to dance with her cavalier, nor why she seems to be seeing ghosts and wandering the stage like Luna Lovegood. But the audience loves her bizarre, tilted postures and her exquisite, flamingo-like steps. She’s beautiful like Lillian Gish, and that’s enough. As Balanchine asked, “How much story you want?” There is enough there for you to feel her pain. The reason it works is that the Soviet ballets were designed to be popular. Stalin demanded that Soviet art “must be intelligible to Ivan [i.e, Joe Blow],” and Russian artists who didn’t want to go to the Gulag made ballets as acces-

sible as Disney’s movies. So as Trock technique became stronger, with Russian training, they picked them up. There was all the melodrama to parody that any drag queen could want, plus injustice, heartbreak, young love. Their version of the Corsaire pas de deux makes the one Nureyev brought with him when he defected look effete. In fact, they’ve muscled it up to a level I’ve never seen before. There’s the obvious joke of Araf Legupski’s double-biceps pose (and he kissed his muscles). But then his leaps and turns matched the level he was bragging about, and for the balletomane, it was LOL when he swapped a kneeling backbend for the supine, pelvis-lifted pose with which it usually ends. The Dying Swan is the solo that

made Anna Pavlova famous, and it’s the Trocks’ calling card. Their dancers each have a version of their own. In 1995 it was glamorous and svelte, though as she crossed the stage the dancer trailed feathers like a pillow coming undone. The feathers still fell last Friday, though this dancer, Helen Highwaters (Duane Gosa), who’s African-American and came through the Ailey School, had a much more hectic attack, and added a down-home hissy fit to her last fluttering seizure. It could have been tasteless. Indeed, it was tasteless, but she made it work. The show went over so big, they gave us an encore. Still in their Don Q costumes, they did a hora to “Hava Nagila.” It was wonderful. I hope it won’t be another decade before they come back to town.t

Out/Here This year’s edition of CAAMFEST’s queer shorts program includes contributions from the U.S., Canada and Indonesia. (Roxie, 3/11) Includes: Two-Sided Ride In a shade under nine minutes, Canadian Jason Karman puts us inside the daily work life of Alex (Brent Hirose), a young Vancouver, BC Uber driver. There are the expected hazards: nagging, brazenly rude passengers and backseat upchuck, along with unexpected treats like the attractive curly-haired young yoga teacher Oscar (Christopher Webb), who agrees to sit upfront next to the clearly aroused Alex. Both amusing and accurate to a fault in depicting a hazardous profession in the socalled “sharing economy.” The Book of Living & Dying Sara Yang opens her Manhattan-set drama with her subject hallucinating about sounds penetrating the walls of her flat. Her friend is becoming exasperated with her crazed companion. “Did you take your pills this morning?” “What pills?” “The pills you’re supposed to take every day.” “Oh, that.” It’s a nifty adaptation from a play of the same title about a subject that many of us are all-too-familiar with. The story benefits from its opening up, at one point putting its agitated protagonist on a downtown-bound subway train. Escaping Agra Pallavi Somusetty’s short doc relates the struggles of 19-year-old UC Davis student Naveen Bhat to come out to a conservative, foreign-raised mother. “My mother is very confused about lesbian sex. I’m not a lesbian. I don’t even identify as a girl. I’m non-binary, in turns masculine and not so attracted to women, but my mother refuses to acknowledge that, so lesbian it is.”

The film combines the personal story of its Indian-born protagonist with a slice of Bhat’s standup comedy act. When Bhat’s mom discovered her child’s emerging sexual identity, she confiscated all her electronic toys. This is very much a lifein-progress. NU’O’C In Quyen Nguyen-Le’s short, a Vietnamese-American lesbian finds herself in a prickly discussion with an American-raised lover. The young women are standing side-by-side in a dark room. “Dude, Vietnam was such a mistake.” “Vietnam’s a country, not a war. You just ignored all Vietnamese people.” “All I’m saying is we shouldn’t have been there.” “We weren’t there. It was a real thing that happened to real people like my mom. Don’t idealize it.” This short benefits from its fiveminute running time. A pointed discussion doesn’t get lost in the thick of a heavily-plotted, full-

length romance. NU’O’C is promising enough an effort that one is curious to see where a full-length version might go. The Vietnamese title translates as Water/Homeland. Who Killed Vincent Chin? The festival presents an encore screening of this provocative 1987 documentary. The film covers the controversy that erupted when young Chin was murdered by persons allegedly upset by the loss of American automanufacturing jobs to the growing Japanese industry. (Gray Area, 3/11) Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! Asian actors Tura Satana and Haji are featured in this pioneering full-length porn classic from director Russ Meyer. (Alamo Drafthouse, 3/15) The Chinese Exclusion Act Ric Burns and Li-Shin Yu tackle the complicated subject of the heinous bias against Chinese immigrants to this country, expressed in a thick stack of laws. (Closing night, Castro, 3/19) t Info: caamedia.org.

Courtesy Center for Asian American Media

Scene from Pallavi Somusetty’s short doc Escaping Agra.

Wine Train’s gay route

On the Tab

On the Town Vol. 47 • No. 10 • March 9-15, 2017

www.ebar.com ✶ www.bartabsf.com

Pussy Riot at their Red Square protest.

Pussy Riot courtesy Abrazo Queer Tango

Russian punkrock feminists’ world premiere

by Sari Staver

he Russian punk rock feminist protest group Pussy Riot will present the world premiere of their new theatrical work, Revolution, on March 10 at The Warfield in San Francisco. See page 29 >>

Happy Feet

Queer Tango Festival returns by David-Elijah Nahmod

early a century ago, Rudolf Valentino became one of the era’s biggest stars when he danced a Tango with actress Alice Terry in the 1921 film The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The onscreen couple’s sensual and provocative steps titillated moviegoers, and drew the ire of conservative religious groups. Both Valentino and the film were sensations, with men and women alike swooning over Latin Lover Valentino’s sexy moves. See page 28 >>

A couple dances close at a recent Queer Tango event.

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28 • BAY AREA REPORTER • March 9-15, 2017

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Happy Feet

From page 27

The tango is still considered a dance of seduction. “It’s a beautiful dance,” Karen Lubisch, one of the organizers of Queer Tango, tells Bay Area Reporter. “It always allows people to express everything that’s joyful and heartbreaking about being alive.” Lubisch, who met her wife on the dance floor, is one of the organizers of Abrazo Queer Tango, an LGBTQ centric celebration of Tango which takes place in the East Bay from March 16-19. “It’s an intimate embrace,” Lubisch said of Tango. “You’re standing directly in front of someone with no space between you. The intimate embrace of it invokes those kinds of feelings.” Lubisch was referring to Tango’s “naughty” reputation. Lubisch feels that queer tango spaces are needed, even in the present-day Bay Area. “Homophobia is alive and well,” she said. “Everything that exists in society exists in dance. We wanted a safe space for our community. In Queer Tango, you can choose your role and dance with whom you want.” The four-day party will include performances, classes and a community dance each night. “Newcomers can take a beginners class or just watch,” Lubisch said. “We’re a pretty friendly crowd.” Performers at Queer Tango will include Soledad Nani, who hails from Buenos Aires, “the heart of Tango” as Lubisch calls it. “Nani is one of the most respected queer tango dancers in the world,” Lubisch said. “She has performed throughout the USA and has taught extensively in Europe. I saw her dance in 2009 and was stunned. I decided to start this festival. I wanted to have a venue where I could invite her. She’s known for her creativity and musicality on the dance floor.” Lubisch said that an average of 50 to 75 people attend Queer Tango workshops, with around 75 percent of the dancers being women. There is also a small representation from the transgender community. “One of our teachers is a trans man,” she noted. Lubisch feels that Tango might be a way to heal from the turmoils in our current federal government. She referred to a quote by the poet June Jordan. “In times of trouble, you need art and poetry and your deepest friendships to see you through.” “Come dance into happy with us,” Lubisch said.

Top: A festive night of dancing. Bottom Three: Lessons at Berkeley’s Finnish Hall.

Classes, dances and performances will take place at the Finnish Hall, 1970 Chestnut Street in Berkeley, and at the Lake Merritt Dance Center, 200 Grand Avenue, in Oakland. Cash or checks will be

accepted at the door.t www.abrazoqueertango. wordpress.com www.facebook.com/AbrazoQueer-Tango-176990218995765