May 18, 2017 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter by Bay Area Reporter

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SF prosecutor accused of lying

Vol. 47 • No. 20 • May 18-24, 2017

Artists pay homage to Milk

by Seth Hemmelgarn

an Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi is accusing an attorney prosecuting an LGBT woman of lying because the prosecutor wasn’t prepared to prove her case. In the complaint he Rick Gerharter filed May 4 with the State Bar of California Prosecutor against Assistant Dis- Maggie Buitrago trict Attorney Maggie Buitrago, Adachi says Buitrago falsely claimed she had a witness ready to testify in a case against Jacqueline Sims. Sims, 31, who was born male but identifies as female, was facing a motion to revoke the three-year probation she received in December after pleading guilty to felony second-degree burglary in a plea deal. In January, she was arrested for allegedly stabbing a man’s hand. “Buitrago lied,” said Adachi, and among other allegations, he said the prosecutor “abused her position in threatening to file a new strike case solely because she was unprepared” for a March hearing in which she would’ve had to prove the probation violation, “and after our client had already spent nearly two months in jail.” Having a new case filed against her would have likely meant more jail time for Sims. Buitrago, who’s one of the city’s hate crime prosecutors, has disputed claims that she lied, according to a court transcript. In his complaint, Adachi wrote that at the March 10 hearing on Sims’ probation, “Buitrago claimed she had a witness available in the courthouse who was in fact neither under subpoena nor expected to appear. When forced to admit she was not ready to meet her burden, Buitrago threatened to file a new case against our client without authority and for reasons unrelated to [Sims’] conduct.” Fearing a new case, “our client accepted a time-served sentence and admitted a probation violation that could not be proven,” said Adachi. In his complaint, he alleges that Buitrago violated codes related to making false statements, one of which “holds that ‘any act involving moral turpitude, dishonesty, or corruption ... constitutes a cause for disbarment or suspension.’” According to the transcript of the March hearing, Buitrago told Superior Court Judge Linda Colfax that she wasn’t “ready to proceed,” and that she’d be withdrawing the motion to revoke probation and “filing new charges.” There was an offer for Sims to admit to violating her probation in exchange for serving 90 days in a program instead of doing the time in jail. “It’s my understanding that Ms. Sims does not want that offer. And I’ll be proceeding with the new charges,” said Buitrago. See page 10 >>

As part of the Windows for Harvey initiative, the Berkshire Hathaway-Drysdale Properties office has a painting of Harvey Milk by Jun Yang in its Market Street office window.

by Matthew S. Bajko

orn in Seoul, South Korea, Jun Yang nine years ago moved to San Francisco and has become a successful painter, with his works displayed at various galleries and included in a number of curated art shows over the years.

In January, he created a series of six paintings featuring portraits of luminaries that have inspired him, including the late bisexual Mexican artist Frieda Kahlo, models Grace Jones and Twiggy, and the late singer Amy Winehouse. Also among them was Harvey Milk, the first gay elected official in a major American city, having won a

San Francisco supervisor seat in 1977. Yang, 37, based his mixed-media painting of Milk, who was assassinated at City Hall in November of 1978, on the U.S. postal stamp that was issued in Milk’s honor on May 22, 2014. The date is Milk’s birthday – he would have turned 87 this year – and now a day of See page 10 >>

Gay Ugandan refugee seeks funds to help his compatriots

Rick Gerharter

by Matthew S. Bajko

ow that he is restarting his life in the Bay Area, Ronnie Kayigoma is trying to assist other gay Ugandans who have fled anti-gay discrimination in their home country and are in Kenya waiting for their asylum applications to be processed. In March, he launched a GoFundMe page with a goal of raising $7,000 to pay for food, HIV medications, and other medical costs for LGBT HIV-positive refugees and asylum seekers in the East African country. To date, his campaign has netted $325. “I look for other people to donate so people have food and can take medication. You have to eat well to take those medicines. Some people stop taking medicine because they can’t eat the food you get in Nairobi,” said Kayigoma, who since June has sent $1,000 of his own money to LGBT people he knows who are stuck in Nairobi, Kenya waiting to be relocated to either Europe or the U.S. Kayigoma, 30, fled Kampala, Uganda in November 2014 by bus for the Kenyan capital in order to seek asylum. A gay activist and paralegal in his home country, Kayigoma had come out publicly in 2009 fighting legislation dubbed the “Kill the Gays” bill. After the country’s president signed the bill into law in February 2014, harassment of LGBT Ugandans increased.

Kelly Sullivan

Gay Ugandan refugee Ronnie Kayigoma

“It spoiled people,” recalled Kayigoma, and “they started to attack people.” At first he refused to flee and remained in Kampala to assist LGBT people who were arrested. One day on his way to the police station, Kayigoma was kidnapped. Held hostage for several days, he was able to escape after having sex with one of his captors and immediately made arrangements to leave Uganda. “I said I can’t wait for myself to die. I have

to seek asylum,” said Kayigoma. “I was already sending people to Nairobi to seek asylum.” Presenting himself as a tourist at the Kenyan border, Kayigoma made his way to the Nairobi office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to start the asylum process. As he waited for his application to be granted, he found that Kenya was no haven, as he faced discrimination for being both a foreigner and gay. Unable to work, he struggled to make ends meet on the $45 he received each month as an asylum seeker. With financial help from the Ireland-based group Front Line Defenders, which assists human rights defenders across the globe, Kayigoma was able to afford his own housing. After 18 months in Kenya, Kayigoma was resettled to the Bay Area in April 2016. Since the fall he has been living with a host family in North Berkeley and is now in the process of applying for a green card. “I have to be here, this is my country. My family disowned me and my country doesn’t love me,” said Kayigoma, who in October found work as a security guard in San Francisco, a job he works at five days a week. “I want to become a U.S. citizen, maybe continue my education.” See page 14 >>

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2 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 18-24, 2017

SF Lutheran church celebrates 150 years by Matthew S. Bajko

omeless and newly diagnosed as HIV-positive, Jordan Ward one day in 1994 found himself in front of Saint Paulus Lutheran Church and decided to sleep on the steps of the congregation’s Gothic sanctuary then at Gough and Eddy streets. The parish administrator at the time offered him a cup of coffee and engaged him in conversation. Their encounters grew into daily coffee klatches and lengthier talks, eventually leading Ward to join the congregation. Ward, a gay man, credits his doing so with saving his life. “I was homeless and really had no direction. It was that coffee and conversation which drew me into service and to be of service,” said Ward, 56, who for the past six years has served as president of Saint Paulus’ Church Council, on which he has served for 15 years. “It took seven years from that first coffee to me having permanent housing.” He also began attending the church’s weekly Friendship Banquet, started in order to provide people living with HIV and AIDS a healthy, hot meal. The seating, capped at 36, is by reservation only for the dinners, which are held most Tuesday afternoons except during the first week of the month. “But it was different from any other meal program in the city because it was a meal served on fine china with linen tablecloths, candles, and flowers. It was a chance to be waited on in a dining room experience,” said Ward, who now serves as the banquet director. It is just one of the pro-LGBT stances Saint Paulus has taken over its 150 years, a milestone anniversary that the church is marking this weekend. In 1990, for instance, it

hosted the extraordinary ordination of the first three gay candidates to the Lutheran pastoral ministry. The ordinations sparked a two-decade fight over the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s anti-gay policies and led to the ejection of two San Francisco congregations from the ELCA. “Almost right from the beginning issues that confronted the gay community the congregation has certainly been responsive,” said the Reverend Daniel Solberg, 67, who has been at Saint Paulus for 18 years. “The congregation has been open and welcoming forever, since the beginning of time.” In 2009 the national Lutheran Church revised its policies and dropped a requirement that LGBT pastors need to be celibate. The following year six LGBT pastors ordained extraordinarily and two pastors who had been dismissed from the ELCA clergy roster were received as full-fledged pastors in the church at a ceremony at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in San Francisco. Today, quite a few of Saint Paulus’s 90 congregants are members of the LGBT community. “Since I have been here, we have focused on the marginal and homeless folks. From that gathering of people there have been a rather significant number of gay folks who have entered and ascended to our congregational life,” said Solberg, a straight ally. Eight years ago Stephen Camarota, 45, a gay man who lives near Saint Paulus’ current location at 1541 Polk Street, joined the congregation after a friend he knew from the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus invited him to join the church’s choir. Four years later Camarota, who was raised Episcopalian, joined its council, on which

Rick Gerharter

The Reverend Daniel Solberg of Saint Paulus Lutheran Church speaks to his congregation May 14 during Sunday worship.

he now serves as secretary. “I had lost interest in church for a while. When I joined them I regained it,” said Camarota, who was later hired by St. Francis Lutheran Church in the Castro as its food programs administrator. “Saint Paulus has a welcoming, but not forceful, approach I find appealing.” The congregation has a “storied history,” said Solberg, noting that it survived the 1906 earthquake and fire. Its then-pastor pleaded with firefighters not to blow up the church as they formed a firebreak to halt the conflagration that was sweeping up from downtown San Francisco. “In Thanksgiving for that, the church donated its space to the first responders and acted as a hospital and shelter for 10,000 people over the course of reconstruction,” said Solberg. But in 1995 Saint Paulus did succumb to fire, believed set by an arsonist, forcing it to become a “storefront church” operating in three different locations over the

california

ensuing years. It is now finalizing architectural plans for a new 14,000 square foot church at the site of where it was founded on the corner of Gough and Eddy streets. The developer Maracor bought the property from the church and, in January, won approval to build an 80-unit housing development there. Saint Paulus will own a commercial condominium on the ground floor it expects to move into sometime in 2019. “It will have some imagery that will reflect the original Saint Paulus Church. It will look like a Lutheran church,” said Solberg. “We have been working on this quite some time. We finally nailed the contracts and all the development pre-work.” Added Camarota, “It is a great chance to, not reboot exactly, but to see where we have been and are going. We are designing every nail and piece of wood in the new building.” Having its own church again will present “an exciting opportunity” for the congregation, said Ward,

who attended a Baptist church as well as other denominations growing up in Michigan. “Because, like I said, having a permanent space gives us an opportunity to showcase ourselves and what we have to offer,” he said. “I think people don’t realize how inclusive we really are. People have an unfavorable view of religion itself. They don’t even try to look for churches that will accept them.” As part of its 150th anniversary celebration, Saint Paulus is giving $30,000 each to five local nonprofit organizations from its endowment fund and individual gifts. The organizations include Lutheran Social Services of Northern California; the Sojourn Chaplaincy at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital; the San Francisco Interfaith Council; and the San Francisco Night Ministry. The fifth is S. Maria y S. Marta Lutheran Church, its sister Latino congregation in the Mission that will use the money to send a youth delegation in June to Wittenberg, Germany for the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation and to other German cities. At 7 p.m. Friday, May 19 Saint Paulus is hosting a free anniversary concert at its Polk Street space that is open to the public. At 10 a.m. Sunday, May 21 there will be a festival worship service at the church, presided over by Bishop Mark Holmerud, followed until 3 p.m. by an open house with food and beverages provided by S. Maria y S. Marta Lutheran Church. To make a reservation for the Friendship Banquet, held most Tuesdays at 4 p.m. at the Old First Presbyterian Church, located at 1751 Sacramento Street, call (415) 673-8088. t

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Help Reduce Isolation in Your Community Give back as a one-on-one Shanti volunteer for our newest program!

2015

Shanti’s LGBT Aging & Abilities Support Network(LAASN) Supporting LGBT Seniors and Adults with Disabilities

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Since 1974, Shanti has trained 20,000 Bay Area volunteers to offer emotional and practical support to some of our most vulnerable neighbors, including those with HIV/AIDS, women’s cancers, and other life-threatening diseases. We are now excited to announce that our services are being offered to LGBT aging adults and adults with disabilities who face isolation and need greater social support and connection.

Shanti LAASN peer support volunteers: 2009

1. Go through the internationally-recognized training on the Shanti Model of Peer Support TM 2. Make a commitment of 2-4 hours a week for a minimum of 6 months

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3. Get matched with one client, for whom they serve as a non-judgmental source of emotional support and reliable practical help 4. Have one of the most rewarding volunteer experiences of their lives!

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To learn more about how you can be a Shanti volunteer, please contact Volunteer Services Coordinator, Kayla Smyth at 415-674-4708 or email: ksmyth@shanti.org. If you think you or someone you know could benefit by being a Shanti client, or to learn more about the services, please contact Joanne Kipnis at 415-625-5214 or email: jkipnis@shanti.org

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The LGBT Aging & Abilities Support Network is made possible by funding from the City and County of San Francisco’s Department of Aging and Adults Services.

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Embracing Compassion. Care, and Community Since 1974

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4 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 18-24, 2017

Volume 47, Number 20 May 18-24, 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 Charlie Wagner • Ed Walsh Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood ART DIRECTION Max Leger PRODUCTION/DESIGN Ernesto Sopprani PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • FBFE Rick Gerharter • Gareth Gooch Jose Guzman-Colon • Rudy K. Lawidjaja Georg Lester • Dan Lloyd • Jo-Lynn Otto Rich Stadtmiller • 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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News Editor • news@ebar.com Arts Editor • arts@ebar.com Out & About listings • jim@ebar.com Advertising • scott@ebar.com Letters • letters@ebar.com Published weekly. Bay Area Reporter reserves the right to edit or reject any advertisement which the publisher believes is in poor taste or which advertises illegal items which might result in legal action against Bay Area Reporter. Ads will not be rejected solely on the basis of politics, philosophy, religion, race, age, or sexual orientation. Advertising rates available upon request. Our list of subscribers and advertisers is conﬁdential and is not sold. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, and writers published herein is neither inferred nor implied. We are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or artwork.

Failed ‘War on Drugs’ lives again W

e’ve known for decades that the socalled War on Drugs was an abject failure. It did not stem the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S. and it did not stop the demand for them. What it did do was ensure that thousands of young people – disproportionality young men of color – were locked up for years for low-level drug buys and sales. When the medical marijuana movement gained traction in the late 1990s, drug convictions decreased, at least for those involving cannabis. Politically, there has been bipartisan consensus for years that “America was guilty of excessive incarceration and that large prison populations were too costly in tax dollars and the toll on families and communities,” Carl Hulse of the New York Times recently wrote. But once Jeff Sessions became attorney general in the Trump administration, all bets were off. And last week Sessions affirmed his hard line stance when he ordered federal prosecutors to pursue the highest penalties possible for criminal defendants. That, of course, includes people charged with drug crimes. Never mind that the country is in the midst of an opioid epidemic that is ravaging many communities in every state, or that more states have taken action to legalize recreational marijuana for adult use. Sessions’ efforts to undo Obama-era sentencing policies and ramp up the war on drugs comes as no surprise, and we see it as just another example of the Trump administration trying to put the screws to anything that Barack Obama did as president. Under Obama, the Justice Department took steps to ease penalties for nonviolent drug offenses. Now, Sessions is reverting to mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines that will surely result in more poor, minority

men being sent to prison for longer stretches of time. In the years since Bush was in office, however, there’s been a push by Republicans and Democrats to overhaul the criminal justice system. States have also been working on criminal reform. Former Attorney General Eric Holder, who served under Obama, encouraged prosecutors to consider the individual circumstances of defendants, and to exercise discretion in charging drug crimes, the Times reported. “In cases of nonviolent defendants with insignificant criminal histories and no connections to criminal organizations, Mr. Holder instructed prosecutors to omit details about drug quantities from charging documents so as not to trigger automatically harsh penalties,” the paper noted. Even the well-funded network overseen by conservative billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch opposes Sessions’ push for tougher punishments for drug offenders. “We favor a different approach which requires changing some of the existing federal laws,” Mark Holden, a top Koch network official who worked closely with the Obama administration on criminal justice reform told the Associated Press. “There are less costly and more effective ways to help low-level offenders who aren’t a threat to public safety other than incarceration.” The criminal justice system works best when prosecutors can do their jobs unfettered by strict policies to bring mandatory charges. Judges can do a better job when they have the ability to take the facts of a case into account to fashion a just sentence. In short, no one wins with Sessions’ new order. No one, that is, except the powerhungry Trump officials who would rather see young men of color sentenced to lengthy prison terms for buying a small bag of weed or a rock of crack than get the help they need to become

productive members of society. The private prison industry has seen an influx of new investment in anticipation of a growing prison population. California pays about $70,000 per year to house an inmate. That money could be much better spent on re-entry and job-training programs for ex-convicts, or to provide diversion instead of prison for low-level criminals. During the campaign, Trump drew a distinction between medical and recreational marijuana, supporting the former. Sessions, however, supports neither and Trump seems to have forgotten his earlier position. Now, with California readying regulations for the implementation of Proposition 64, which legalized adult use of cannabis, proponents should be very concerned about how Sessions’ new policy will affect the state’s effort to roll out legalization of recreational pot. Senator Kamala Harris (D-California), a former state attorney general and district attorney, got it right this week when she said that it’s time to fight a “war on addiction,” rather than the failed war on drugs. She was critical of Sessions, telling the Center for American Progress Ideas Conference, “He is calling for a renewed focus on essentially what is the neighborhood street-level drug dealer.” What the country needs, Harris said, is a national drug policy that “finally treats substance abuse not as a crime to be punished, but as a disease to be treated.” She said the nation needs to build on reforms instead of reviving mandatory minimum sentences and boosting the bottom line for private prisons. Harris also stated what we have believed for years, that marijuana should be decriminalized. Taking such action at the federal level – or at least getting it out of Schedule I, the category for the most serious drugs – would be a better administration of measured justice, rather than Sessions’ outdated and extreme position of enforcing harsh mandatory sentences regardless of the particular circumstances of the crime. t

From ‘coming out’ to ‘bringing in’ by John Bauters

ay brothers and sisters, you must come out. Come out to your parents. I know that it is hard and will hurt them, but think about how they will hurt you in the voting booth! Come out to your relatives. Come out to your friends, if indeed they are your friends. Come out to your neighbors, to your fellow workers, to the people who work where you eat and shop. Come out only to the people you know, and who know you, not to anyone else. But once and for all, break down the myths. Destroy the lies and distortions. For your sake. For their sake.” – Harvey Milk (1978) I remember almost coming out 22 years ago like it was yesterday. Almost. I recall preparing to tell two of my high school classmates that I was gay. After thinking about it for several months, I was confident in my plan. I would be the only student in my small Midwest high school that identified publicly as LGBTQ. Just days before my planned reveal, a classmate named Dave told several students in the drama club he was bisexual. By the end of the day the whole school knew. The following week, I remember returning to the boys locker room after gym class. As the rest of us prepared to return to class, I noticed Dave silently searching random lockers for his school clothes. Moments later he found them: in a toilet that had subsequently been used. A note affixed to the stall advised him to drop out of gym class, employing an all-too-familiar anti-gay epithet to convey the message. As the rest of us were seated against the gymnasium wall and interrogated for about an hour, I watched through the gym teacher’s office window as Dave sat sobbing, waiting for his mother to arrive with a new set of clothes so he could return to class. I imagined the humiliation he felt. I wondered how he would explain to her what had happened. Nobody confessed or fingered the culprit. After an hour we were all returned to class, free to go about our school day as if nothing had happened. There would be no justice for Dave. Gossip about Dave and the events in the boys locker room permeated the school hallways for

John Bauters

weeks. I couldn’t sleep for days. The trauma I experienced living silently alongside Dave’s public ordeal had lasting impacts on my health. I lost the ability to discern empathy and fear. I worried that Dave would hurt himself. I never executed my plan to tell my high school friends that year. Witnessing what happened to Dave delayed my own coming out by two years. To this day I still live with feelings of guilt that I did not have the courage to come out or at least be strong enough to publicly support him. Harvey Milk’s call for the LGBTQ community to come out recognized the power we possess when we act together. Since then, we have materially altered our common destiny, secured greater protections for our families, and changed the national narrative around what it means to be LGBTQ. Milk’s words have served us well in the fight for equality. As we look to the future, however, we must recognize that coming out is not where it ends, but where it begins. Forty years ago, it was far more common for LGBTQ people to come out later in their adult lives. Most had finished school, held jobs, owned homes, and found social circles they relied on to support one another. Much

like Dave’s situation, a lack of family, peer, and social supports made coming out as a youth an unimaginable prospect for most. Today, people self-identify as LGBTQ at much younger ages. People see LGBTQ voices and influences on social media and they embrace Milk’s message to come out much earlier in life. Being out and accepted is a life-affirming experience for young people who stand to live healthier and more complete lives. New challenges exist. Unlike many who came out in adulthood, today’s youth have not finished school, are often not old enough to be employed, cannot obtain health care for themselves, and do not possess the tools to be fully independent. Thus, while society has warmed to the LGBTQ community as a whole, the younger people are when they come out, the more vulnerable they are if their most immediate family and peers are not supportive. Evidence of this growing problem is everywhere. Covenant House, a national nonprofit that serves homeless youth, estimates that as much as 40 percent of the homeless youth population identifies as LGBTQ. These young people are high-risk for drug use, HIV, depression and sex trafficking. This is an issue we cannot afford to ignore. As an openly gay elected official, I stand humbly in the long shadow cast by Milk’s legacy of leadership. The call to “come out” was a rallying cry for acceptance and unity. We must take stock in our many recent accomplishments but also look to our future: today’s youth. For years I wished I could go back to my high school days be there for Dave. I lamented that I missed an opportunity to live openly and courageously as Milk implored. I don’t wish that anymore. As Milk showed us 40 years ago, courage is a commitment to our common future. With that in mind, do as Milk encouraged us to do: come out. But do more. Mentor our youth. Contribute your time and money to helping meet their needs. Build our community. Be yourself. t John Bauters is the vice mayor of Emeryville.

Guest Opinion>>

May 18-24, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 5

In the times of Harvey Milk by Kimberly Alvarenga and Carolina Morales

he spirited, populist, brashly progressive approach that Harvey Milk took in the 1970s continues to inspire our LGBT community in San Francisco, and beyond. Milk took to the bullhorn and organized us to fight back against discrimination, but what was unique about Milk was that he was committed to and built a greater unity and solidarity amongst our vast rainbow of people, communities, and movements in San Francisco. Milk built coalitions with women, labor, immigrants, people of color, seniors, and the disabled. This potent local coalition he helped to build made our city better, stronger, and more accessible to everyday people. His work even set the stage for state and national LGBT political resistance that led to the defeat of a state initiative called Proposition 6 that would have banned gays and lesbians from working in California’s public schools. Milk’s local organizing had also impressed labor activists, and the Teamsters approached him to broker a historic partnership and coalition against Coors for discriminating against gay truck drivers and union members in hiring. Gay bars boycotted Coors and the Teamsters fought for the rights of gay truck drivers. Everyday people got involved in these broad-based, populist strategic efforts and they made history that are the subject of books, TV shows, and documentaries. Yet, right now we need this very same bold strategy more than ever. Donald Trump’s agenda is a war on LGBT people, people of color, and

Rick Gerharter

Kimberly Alvarenga, left, and Carolina Morales

marginalized communities. Trump made appointments of white nationalists, anti-immigrant, anti-worker, sexist, climate denying crusaders to the highest positions of power and continues to try and build walls, not bridges. With these heightened attacks on marginalized communities, like on our very own transgender children, we need to build greater unity like Milk did – alliances with Muslims, unions, environmentalists, people of color, the disabled, immigrants, and seniors. We need a broad united front that organizes based on a populist agenda, but doesn’t silence more marginalized groups. Black and Puerto Rican trans women were who really started the Stonewall riots, and still all these decades later, they have to fight for a seat at the table in our own community. As we organize the resistance, we need to rebuild our sanctuary cities that will protect immigrants and refugees, as

well as our LGBT communities. We must seize this moment and shake our own community out of its complacency around sexism, racism, ableism, and anti-trans sentiments. Milk reminds us that “It takes no compromise to give people their rights ... it takes no money to respect the individual. It takes no political deal to give people freedom. It takes no survey to remove repression.” Join us as we honor Milk’s life and legacy Monday, May 22 in the Castro. The Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club invites all community members to enjoy two special screenings of “The Times of Harvey Milk” for Milk’s 87th birthday at the Castro Theatre, showings at noon and 6 p.m. For more information, please visit us at http:// www.milkclub.org. In Milk’s words, “We are here to recruit you.” t Kimberly Alvarenga and Carolina Morales are co-presidents of the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club. For more on this and other Milk Day activities, see the News Briefs column.

Wiener, Sheehy hold off endorsing Leno’s 2019 SF mayoral bid by Matthew S. Bajko

f the three gay men who have followed gay former state Senator Mark Leno on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in the District 8 seat, only Bevan Dufty has endorsed Leno’s 2019 mayoral bid. Both Scott Wiener, who in December succeeded Leno in the state Senate, and Jeff Sheehy, who succeeded Wiener on the board in January, told the Bay Area Reporter they are not yet ready to make an endorsement in a race that is more than two years away. Both are considered moderates, while Leno has moved closer to the progressive wing of the local Democratic Party. Dufty has also become more progressive since he won the supervisor seat in 2002 when Leno was elected to the state Assembly. He lost his own mayoral bid in 2011 against Mayor Ed Lee, a race Leno opted against entering. “Mark’s success and ambition enabled me to run for office. I have admired him, and he has mentored me,” said Dufty, now an elected member of the board overseeing the regional BART transit agency. “I think the city is ready for a progressive approach to leading San Francisco. Like my former boss (Congresswoman) Shirley Chisholm, Mark Leno is ‘unbought and unbossed.’ As relevant as that was in 1968, it is very relevant to San Francisco in 2019.”

Rick Gerharter

State Senator Scott Wiener, left, and District 8 Supervisor Jeff Sheehy are holding off on endorsing in the 2019 mayoral race.

In his Senate race last year against progressive Supervisor Jane Kim, Wiener secured Leno’s endorsement, as the two have long been political allies. Thus, when Leno pulled papers May 4 to run for mayor and released an initial list of endorsers, Wiener’s omission raised eyebrows and sparked speculation he could be eying a mayoral run. Asked if he was looking to mount a bid for Room 200 at City Hall, Wiener told the B.A.R. “No.” As for an endorsement in the race, he said he would wait to make an announcement, as there are “a number of people considering

running for mayor.” While he noted, “I am very supportive of Mark,” Wiener said he is trying “to be very respectful of all the great leaders” who may jump into the race. Among moderates, Assemblyman David Chiu (D-San Francisco) and Supervisors London Breed, the board president, and Mark Farrell are all eying a run. Kim and fellow progressive City Attorney Dennis Herrera, Wiener’s former boss whom he endorsed in the 2011 mayor’s race, are both considering mayoral bids. Sheehy, who must run next June to serve out the remainder of Wiener’s term and then run again in November for a full four-year term, said he is focused on his own campaign at See page 13 >>

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6 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 18-24, 2017

Bow tie sales to benefit LGBT center, other orgs by Alex Madison

new fundraising campaign wants people to support the LGBTQ community by purchasing rainbow-themed bow ties. But #Bows4Pride, which aims to sell 10,000 rainbow-colored bow ties in support of the LGBTQ community, is more than just a fundraiser. Organizers said that it’s also a way for supporters to put their advocacy on display and bring awareness to equality and human rights. “The bow tie is a conversation piece,” said Hendrik Pohl, a straight ally who’s owner and founder of San Francisco-based neckwear designer Bows-N-Ties. “It’s like a billboard fighting for LGBTQ rights, and right now with what’s happened with the election, it’s more important than ever.” He was referring to the Trump administration and its many antigay officials who have started to rescind LGBTQ policies around schools and other areas. The microfiber checks and plaid bow ties, designed by Bows-NTies, go on sale May 22, which also

happens to be the eighth annual observance of Harvey Milk Day. Retailing at $25, 100 percent of the proceeds of the campaign will equally support three nonprofits: the San Francisco LGBT Community Center; Free2Luv, a Seattle organization spreading equality and anti-bullying messages through arts and entertainment; and SAGE, the country’s largest and oldest agency dedicated to improving the lives of older LGBTs. For the fourth year in a row, Bows-N-Ties has designed products for fundraisers supporting various charitable organizations like the San Francisco Peninsula Camellia Society for veterans and organizations facilitating clean water projects in Africa. But this year, with the equality of LGBTQ people being threatened and increasing rhetoric advocating exclusion and hate being spread by the right-wing, Pohl said he felt it was especially important to bring awareness and support to the community. He chose the nonprofits due to the significant and varied support they offer communities in their area. “This will directly impact our community,” said Alberto Lammers,

Courtesy Bows-N-Ties

The sale of rainbow-themed bow ties will help several nonprofits, including the San Francisco LGBT Community Center.

director of communications for the LGBT community center, which offers more than 200 programs on housing, employment, education, and more to around 10,000 people monthly. “The center is a safe space for everybody, not just LGBTs. We wanted to honor the entire community with this item.” Lammers said the bow tie is a way to educate the community about

the center’s resources and that even if the campaign doesn’t reach its goal of $250,000, education is more valuable than a monetary reward. “It opens doors for community members to learn more about the things we can offer them,” he said. Free2Luv, which focuses on empowering LGBT youth, was chosen for its capability to reach audiences globally, advanced in part by its

many celebrity ambassadors from “Friends” star Lisa Kudrow to actress Vanessa Hudgens. Tonya Sandif, co-founder and president of Free2Luv, founded in 2011, said the #Bows4Pride campaign proceeds will help fund Free2BeMe, an art installation that tells the story of selfdiscovery and identity of youth from around the nation. Sandif hopes to bring the project to San Francisco and said partnerships like #Bows4Pride are incredibly important in that they unite likeminded voices in a message that love is stronger than hate. “We love synergy and holding hands with like-minded companies to make an impact on the community and give fans the opportunity to show their pride. The more we can prove love is stronger than hate the better,” she said. The #Bows4Pride campaign does not have an end date and Pohl hopes it will continue well after San Francisco Pride weekend on June 24-25. Beginning Monday, bow ties can be purchased at https://www.bows-n-ties.com/ bows4pride/. t

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an Francisco’s Castro Country Club, which hosts 12-step meetings and other services for LGBTs in recovery, has a new fiscal sponsor. The nonprofit hopes the arrangement will help it grow. For several years, the country club had been a fiscally sponsored project of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. But in May, it announced that it’s now working with Community Initiatives. The agency, which also sponsors San Francisco’s El/La Para TransLatinas and Dyke March, uses back office services such as financial management and human resources to help nonprofits focus on their missions. Country club Executive Director Billy Lemon said that when SFAF became the project’s sponsor about four years ago, “they took us on to help us get to the next step.” The plan was to eventually find a business that focuses on fiscal sponsorships for small nonprofits, Lemon said, adding, “We are really, really appreciative of the steadfast support of the AIDS

Sari Staver

Castro Country Club Executive Director Billy Lemon

foundation.” SFAF “helped us run a balanced budget,” he said. “... We’ve been in the black for the last two years.” The country club’s budget is $398,000. What’s helped has been having “a more robust advisory board with some dedicated individuals that were focused on getting us

to the point where we were more professional,” Lemon said, as well as “a loyal donor base that stepped up,” and active volunteers, which has allowed the Country Club to raise more money through participating in street fairs. Andrea Aguilar, client services manager at Community Initiatives, said the country club had been looking for “a fiscal sponsor that could provide a variety of different services, as well as help them grow as an organization.” Aguilar said her agency will provide some strategic support, along with guidance on different fundraising methods. Community Initiatives charges 10 percent of gross revenue receipts and 15 percent of government revenue, so the sponsorship could cost the country club up to 25 percent of its revenue, but “it will probably be more on the 10 percent side,” said Aguilar. Lemon estimated the country club would be paying $41,000 for Community Initiatives’ services, which is about what it had paid to SFAF. t

SF police panelist’s supporters rally by Seth Hemmelgarn

upporters of lesbian San Francisco Police Commissioner Petra DeJesus rallied in support of her Tuesday, May 16 outside City Hall, saying DeJesus’ efforts are critical to reforming the city’s troubled police department. DeJesus, who’s been on the police oversight panel since 2005, is facing competition by Olga Miranda, who’s president of Service Employees International Union Local 87. Tom Ammiano, a gay former supervisor and state assemblyman, said supporters of Miranda are “pitting two Latinas” against each other, and a statue should be erected for DeJesus, who’s shown “a fierce commitment” to reforming the police department, which has seen years of controversy related to fatal officerinvolved shootings, racist and homophobic texting among officers, and other problems. Supervisor Ahsha Safai, Miranda’s

Rick Gerharter

Former San Francisco Supervisors Harry Britt, left, and Tom Ammiano, right, joined about 30 supporters of Police Commissioner Petra DeJesus Tuesday in her effort to be reappointed.

strongest backer, has said that his position is unrelated to DeJesus’ opposition to allowing police officers to carry Tasers, but Ammiano said it’s “all about” Tasers.

He said even though the city has rules against public nudity, “apparently there is no law against naked politicking.” Lito Sandoval, the queer co-president of the San Francisco Latino Democratic Club, said, “Can we call ‘bullshit’ on Supervisor Safai’s statement that this is not a political move?” Some in the crowd of about 25 people complied and shouted “Bullshit.” Safai is “an ally” of the San Francisco Police Officers Association, said Sandoval, and “we need someone who is critical of the POA” on the police commission, “not someone who holds their hand.” (SFPOA President Martin Halloran didn’t respond to the Bay Area Reporter’s email asking whether his group supports Miranda’s bid to join the panel.) “If the Board of Supervisors supports police reform,” it will keep DeJesus on the panel, said Sandoval. See page 8 >>

Community News>>

May 18-24, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 7

Manning finally freed from Kansas prison by Liz Highleyman

helsea Manning, the trans woman who was convicted of leaking government documents, was freed from a military prison Wednesday, May 17. Manning, 29, had served seven years of a 35-year sentence. President Barack Obama commuted her sentence in January, just days before he left office. Military officials at Fort Leavenworth and Manning’s legal team confirmed she was released at about 6:30 a.m. “First steps of freedom,” Manning tweeted, showing a photo of her legs and feet. Local activists planned a release celebration in the Castro, also serving to mark International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia. Similar celebrations are happening across the country. Manning, then an Army

Courtesy Twitter

Chelsea Manning tweeted a photo of her first steps of freedom.

intelligence analyst, was convicted of releasing some 700,000 sensitive documents to WikiLeaks. She was sentenced to prison in August 2013 following a court-martial.

Assumed to be gay or transgender before she came out after her conviction, Manning roused the support of the queer community. Manning was selected as a grand marshal for the 2013 San Francisco Pride parade, but the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee board reversed the decision. This led to several contentious community meetings and ultimately resulted in the election of a more progressive board. After she came out, Manning sought to receive hormone therapy in prison, which was approved in 2015.

Chechen protest

A more somber gathering will take place Thursday, May 18, as activists protest the treatment of gay men in Chechnya. Though details have been hard to come by, around 100 gay men are thought to have

been tortured, kidnapped, and, in some cases, killed. Ramzan Kadyrov, president of the Chechen Republic, has urged families to kill their gay members. Activists in Russia are working to help the targeted men leave the country. The local vigil will take place at 6 p.m. at Harvey Milk Plaza, located at Castro and Market streets. Also on Thursday, NARAL Pro-Choice America will host the San Francisco Men for Choice Happy Hour, encouraging men to come out to support and raise funds to fight for reproductive freedom. Special guests will include comedian Nato Green and Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas, along with NARAL president Ilyse Hogue. The event will take place at 6 p.m. at Tank, 1345 Howard Street.

NARAL and others are partnering with state Senator HannahBeth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) to launch a “California Trusts Women” pro-choice license plate. Jackson’s bill to create the plate (SB 309) is now moving through the Legislature. Three women artists were commissioned to come up with designs, with the winner to be chosen by a public vote. The $50 fee for the plate will help fund the Family Planning, Access, Care, and Treatment Program, which provides family planning services for low-income Californians.

Upcoming events

On Sunday, May 21, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom will host radical feminist See page 14 >>

SF, Oakland to observe Harvey Milk Day compiled by Cynthia Laird

he eighth annual observance of Harvey Milk Day will include several activities in San Francisco. Milk was the first openly gay man elected to office in California when he won his campaign for a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. He was assassinated a year later – in November 1978 – by disgruntled former supervisor Dan White. In 2009, gay then-state Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) introduced a bill in the Legislature making May 22, Milk’s birthday, a statewide day of special significance. Signed by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the day is an unpaid state holiday. On Sunday, May 21, the Castro/ Upper Market Community Benefit District will hold its observance at 1 p.m. at Harvey Milk Plaza, located at Castro and Market streets. CBD Executive Director Andrea Aiello said that speakers will include Leno, now a mayoral candidate, gay District 8 Supervisor Jeff Sheehy, and gay City College trustee Raphael Mandelman. Last month Mandelman announced he was running against Sheehy in next June’s primary. The afternoon will open with music from the San Francisco

Crawford Barton/courtesy GLBT Historical Society.

Harvey Milk prepares to speak following the Gay Freedom Day Parade in San Francisco in June 1978.

Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band. Following the officials’ remarks, people will march down to the Human Rights Campaign’s Action Center and store, 575 Castro Street, which is where Milk’s old camera shop was located. Additionally, Aiello said that the Muni streetcar named after Milk will be parked at Jane Warner Plaza for people to explore. On Monday, May 22, the GLBT History Museum, 4127 18th Street, will

honor Harvey Milk Day by offering free admission to all visitors. The museum will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The exhibit “Queer Past Becomes Present” in the museum’s main gallery includes historical objects on display such as the bullhorn Milk used to lead many protest marches and the suit he was wearing at the moment he was murdered. Visitors can also hear Milk’s voice in the political will he recorded when he was serving on the Board of Supervisors. Finally, on May 22 the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club will offer two screenings of “The Times of Harvey Milk” at the Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street. Milk club Co-President Kimberly Alvarenga said that the first showing, at 1 p.m. (doors open at noon) focuses on youth and senior engagement and is free for youth and seniors. It is open to the general public. There will be a casual reception with co-hosts Openhouse and the Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center, or LYRIC. The evening program will include speakers from the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project and several short films they have created for the event. A VIP reception begins at

6 p.m., with the screenings at 7. The emcee is drag king and San Francisco Pride community grand marshal Alex U. Inn. General admission tickets are $15; tickets for the VIP reception are $40. Other ticket levels are also available at https://www.eventbrite. com/e/the-times-of-harvey-milkspecial-screening-for-harveys-87thbirthday-tickets-34312952966. Also on May 22, Club 21 in Oakland will be holding the northern California regionals of the Stoli Key West Cocktail Classic LGBTQ bartending competition. The event takes place from 8 to 11 p.m. at Club 21, 2111 Franklin Street. Milk’s gay nephew, Stuart Milk, of the Harvey Milk Foundation, is scheduled to be on hand. Admission is free and guests who RSVP at w w w. o ut . com / ke y westcocktailclassic, will be eligible for complimentary Stoli cocktails and other prizes. The bartending winner from northern California will go on to compete against the finalists from other regional contests during the grand finale at Key West Pride in June.

‘Live in the Castro’ kicks off

The aforementioned Castro CBD will kick off this year’s “Live in the Castro” music and performance series Saturday, May 20 from noon to 3 p.m. at Jane Warner Plaza, Castro and Market streets. Mistress of ceremonies Donna Sachet (also the Bay Area Reporter’s society columnist) will welcome attendees. Performers include Gregangelo and the Volocity Circus, Kippy Marks on violin, and the Flaggers. For a complete schedule of the free entertainment throughout the summer, visit http://castrocbd.org/ events. The CBD will also be launching a “little free library” in the plaza next week.

Grayson elder confab Saturday

The sixth annual Howard Grayson LGBT Elder Life Conference will take place Saturday, May 20 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Cadillac Hotel, 380 Eddy Street (at Leavenworth). Conference organizer Sue Englander said that this year’s conference responds to the “avalanche of hazards to ourselves and the broader community” stemming from the Trump administration. See page 13 >>

<< Community News

8 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 18-24, 2017

API trans men plan TransFusion retreat by Heather Cassell

the “brains” and the “thought leadership behind” TransFusion. he first-ever Asian Pacific Islander “This is a group of guys who are transmasculine conference will passionate about bringing comhappen in northern California in munity together,” said Matson, who August. declined to say how he identifies and A group of API transgender men who is board chair of the Transgender will gather to discuss their experiLaw Center. ences and issues important to them TransFusion organizers received as well as build skills to strengthen seed funding from the Red Envelope confidence in a variety of workshops Giving Circle and the Trans Justice during the inaugural API TransFuFunding Project, said Wilkinson, ausion Retreat. thor of the Lambda Literary AwardThe August 4-6 retreat is being winning book, “Born on the Edge of planned by six prominent San FranRace and Gender: A Voice for Cultural cisco Bay Area API transgender men: Competency.” Jun Chan, Junior Claros, Jai DeLotto, Best Wedding Desiree Thompson, a founding Photographer Min Matson, Chino Scott-Chung, member of the Envelope Givas voted byRed BAR readers and Willy Wilkinson. ing Circle, and Marin Watts, director “We have never done this before,” of operations and communications said Wilkinson, 54, who identifies as at the Trans Justice Funding Project, queer. “It is something that has been both confirmed retreat organizers needed. We haven’t had a way to come received $2,000 from each of their ortogether to get to know each other, ganizations, for a total of $4,000. talk about issues that are relevant for The organizers used the funding to us, and build community and in the secure the retreat site, said Wilkinson. process really build our self-esteem, “We found a site in northern self-confidence, and self-acceptance.” California that is trans affirming and Matson, 39, praised Wilkinson as also seems like it will be a wonderful

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Chino Scott-Chung, left, Willy Wilkinson, and Jai DeLotto are three of the organizers planning this summer’s TransFusion retreat.

secluded retreat spot for us,” he said, stressing that the group is still fundraising to produce the event. The organizers hope to attract upward of 40 attendees from API trans and intersex masculine-identified communities, including those with disabilities, immigrants, low-income, and refugees. “We are open to everyone who identifies as API and trans masculine in some way,” said Wilkinson. Matson noted that organizers still need to find ways to support people who aren’t able to afford to attend the retreat. “I think that it would be unfortunate to bring folks together and not be able to really support their different backgrounds or their different accessibility needs or whatever else,” said Matson, adding that the goal is to allow attendees to enjoy the event and

SF police panelist

From page 6

Kim Alvarenga, the lesbian copresident of the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club, called support for Miranda “a slap in the face” to 2:21 PM LGBTs, Latinos, and workers. Miranda has faced allegations of abusing people verbally and physically over the years, according to court records and at least one media account. “You don’t treat people with disrespect, you don’t treat low-wage workers with disrespect and expect to speak on their behalf ” on the police commission, said Alvarenga, whom Safai defeated last year for the District 11 supervisor seat. After the rally, DeJesus’ supporters headed into City Hall to visit the offices of gay District 8 Supervisor Jeff Sheehy, District 5 Supervisor and board President London Breed, and District 10 Supervisor Malia

“get everything they can from it.” The organizers are currently seeking proposals for workshops, volunteers, and donations. Wilkinson and Matson, who are both fathers, anticipated that the workshops will cover family issues, both of origin and created. “I’m sure we will talk about families since that tends to happen a lot when we get together,” said Wilkinson. He also anticipated discussions about cultural issues, racism, and navigating their lives as Asian trans men in their families and the world. He also anticipates workshops covering sex and relationships, health and well-being, peer support, and careers. Matson hopes to connect with other Asian Pacific Islander trans men who are adoptees at the retreat and discuss cross-nationalism, exploring their country and culture of origin Cohen, who Alvarenga suggested are the most likely to be undecided on supporting DeJesus. In an email exchange Tuesday, Miranda indicated she still wants to unseat DeJesus. In response to a question about Sandoval’s remark that if she were on the police commission she’d side with the SFPOA, Miranda said, “Interesting, I’m a Latina and a Democrat and I wasn’t invited by the Latino Democratic Club to speak.” She continued, “Some men feel they need to speak for the sisters because they might be concerned we’re capable of having our own opinion. Some Latino men haven’t overcome that challenge. As a woman in labor I don’t condone bad behavior. I do believe in due process. ... SEIU 1021 represents the hard working civilians within that department and the POA represents officers.” DeJesus and Miranda’s applications are expected to go before the Board of Supervisors Rules Committee before

from where they are today. “Given that everybody is under attack,” Wilkinson said, referring to the political climate in Washington, D.C., the retreat comes at a particularly important juncture in time. Matson agreed, adding that one of the unique qualities of hosting a retreat was creating a comfortable space for API transmen to come together and be who they are. “What we really liked about doing a retreat was, for example, we could have time for swimming and stuff like that where a lot of trans men might not feel comfortable,” said Matson, “while still having a lot of community building in spaces that feel really connected for folks.” Wilkinson added, “People come away from these kinds of retreats feeling more self-acceptance,” and “have more self-confidence.” Wilkinson hopes the retreat will build communities that are API transmasculine and ways that “we are more supportive to each other.” “I hope that they can walk away feeling like they take something with them that is irreplaceable,” said Matson. The retreat is already being well received and generating a lot of buzz, said the organizers. “People were pretty excited about it,” said Wilkinson. Registation is now open and runs through the end of June. Passes to the retreat cost up to $250; an additional $15 for bedding is optional. Some scholarships will be available. For more information, visit http://www. apitransfusion.org. t

they go to the full board. Safai chairs the rules committee, but the group’s two other members – Supervisors Sandra Lee Fewer and Norman Yee – are supporting DeJesus. Candidates don’t typically make it to the full board without the committee’s recommendation. (Fewer’s husband is a retired police officer.) A statement Sheehy’s office provided last week to the B.A.R. said he’s “in the process of meeting with and getting to know the people who are interested in being a police commissioner and looks forward to the recommendation of the rules committee hearing” when it happens. Bill Barnes, an aide to Sheehy, said Tuesday that the supervisor’s position “remains the same.” In response to a B.A.R. email, Michael Howerton, Breed’s chief of staff, said she’s supporting Miranda. Safai and Cohen didn’t respond to emails from the B.A.R. Tuesday. t

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South Bay youth have Pride

he LGBTQ Youth Space in San Jose had its first South Bay Youth Pride event May 13. The afternoon included music, entertainment, a resource fair,

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and guest speakers, all aimed at giving LGBTQ youth and their allies support in a fun setting.

International News>>

May 18-24, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 9

LGBT and allied Amsterdam delegation visit SF by Heather Cassell

delegation of human rights and LGBT activists from Amsterdam will visit San Francisco as a part of the two cities’ human rights mission. About 14 delegates from Amsterdam’s local government, its tech and business community, and LGBT and HIV/AIDS organizations will visit San Francisco on a humanitarian mission May 21-25. Members of the Netherlands’ consulate in San Francisco will join them. Amsterdam’s delegates are bringing two exhibits: the Amsterdam Rainbow Dress and winners of the Pride Photo Award. Both will be unveiled on Harvey Milk Day, May 22. The dress will be on display at San Francisco City Hall, while the photos will be shown at the San Francisco LGBT Community Center. The Amsterdam Rainbow Dress will be modeled at an event at City Hall at 10:30 a.m. Monday, kicking off the five-day exchange of ideas between the delegates and their San Francisco counterparts. The mission of the newly minted Amsterdam Rainbow Dress Foundation and the traveling dress is “spreading the soul of a city as a safe haven for people who are different and identifying that soul in different locations around the world,” said Jochem Kaan, who created the dress and co-founded the foundation with his friends Arnout van Krimpen, Mattijs van Bergen, and Oeri van Woezik. The dress was unveiled in 2016 at the end of Euro Pride. Transgender model Valentijn de Hingh wore the 52-foot wide dress, which uses Amsterdam’s city flag as the bodice and flags from 75 countries where homosexuality is criminalized for the skirt.

Pieter Henket Studio

Transgender model Valentijn de Hingh shows off the Amsterdam Rainbow Dress.

When a country institutes protections for LGBT rights its flag is replaced by a rainbow flag in the skirt of the dress, Kaan said. Since last year, one country’s flag has been replaced (Belize). Since then the dress has traveled to Rotterdam Pride in Amsterdam and New York Pride. Before it reaches San Francisco it will appear before the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs with Foreign Minister Bert Koender and 35 ambassadors from the Equal Rights Coalition, said Kaan. The foundation’s goal is to raise “awareness of the current state of affairs of LGBT rights around the world,” especially for LGBT refugees, he said. “Art is such a strong tool to get people,” said Kaan. “Basically, the essence of art is to get people thinking and discussing and exchange points of view.”

Theresa Sparks, senior adviser on transgender initiatives for San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, is expected to speak at the morning event, along with gay District 8 Supervisor Jeff Sheehy; Stuart Milk, the gay nephew of Harvey Milk and co-founder of the Harvey Milk Foundation; and Amsterdam Deputy Mayor Simone Kukenheim. Stuart Milk and Sheehy didn’t respond to requests for comment by press time. In the evening, the Amsterdam delegates and city representatives will unveil 29 photographs that won the Pride Photo Award. The photos represent half of the works that won, wrote Erik de Kruijf, a 39-year-old gay man who is the interim project manager of the Pride Photo Award, in an email interview with the B.A.R. (The top photo, from Turkey, was unavailable.) “One of the main goals of Pride Photo Award is to show a less cliche and more balanced picture of gender and sexual diversity,” wrote de Kruijf, who is a part of the delegation coming to San Francisco. “It would be great if some of the photos will leave us thinking and questioning our ideas on gender and sexuality, even or maybe especially, if it means realizing we might not be as open and accepting as we thought.” The photography award has been held in Amsterdam since 2010. The photos will be on exhibit at the LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market Street, Monday at 6 p.m. “I hope that people will see that we are not the only city in the world fighting for these rights,”

said Sparks.

Creating a progressive tide

The upcoming visit is part of an agreement between perhaps the world’s two most progressive cities – Amsterdam and San Francisco – to support each other to promote human rights, particularly LGBT rights, within the respective cities and globally. The cooperative agreement was signed by Lee and Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard van der Laan two years ago, said Sparks, who is taking the lead on coordinating the visit while Lee is out of town on business. The agreement is separate from the sister cities program, Sparks noted. The visit is also being backed largely by technology industry and corporate sponsors with very little investment by the City and County of San Francisco, she added. “San Francisco and Amsterdam have a similar DNA,” Kukenheim wrote in an email interview with the B.A.R. “Both cities view local policies as key tools to implement common values such as diversity, inclusiveness, and openness. This visit supports the common values of the two cities and supports vulnerable communities.” Kukenheim said that the delegation hopes to learn more about diversity and LGBT inclusion in higher education and the workplace, transgender issues, and HIV/AIDS during its visit. This is the second time an LGBT delegation from Amsterdam has visited San Francisco since the agreement was signed, said Sparks. Sparks participated in a delegation

from San Francisco that went to Amsterdam last year for Euro Pride. “Amsterdam is very much similar to us in a lot of ways when it comes to fighting for trans rights, LGB rights, human rights in general,” added Sparks. “As two of the most, if not the two most, progressive cities in the world when it comes to LGBT rights, we need to continue to work together to move the program forward,” said Sparks, noting it’s Lee’s mission to bring together mayors across the United States and to work with Amsterdam’s counterpart group in Europe through Mayors Against LGBT Discrimination, which he founded. The dress and photo will be available for public viewing until May 25.

Tel Aviv celebrates bisexual pride

Bisexuals are getting the visibility that they’ve long sought at Tel Aviv Pride with this year’s focus on the “B” in LGBT. Tel Aviv Pride organizers are touting the parade theme, “Bisexual Visibility,” as the “first large-scale Pride parade in the world to ever celebrate the theme bisexuality,” according to a May 9 news release from Tel Aviv Pride. The pride event is the largest one in Asia and the Middle East, the organizers claim, and one of the largest Pride parades in the world. It is also the only Pride parade that is fully sponsored by a municipality, the organizers noted in the release. Pride Week kicks off June 3, with the parade and celebration June 9. The weeklong Pride festival attracts an estimated 200,000 participants. Tel Aviv Pride organizers See page 13 >>

<< From the cover

10 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 18-24, 2017

Milk

From page 1

special significance in California celebrated across the state. A gay man himself, Yang first learned about Milk from his former boyfriend, Rafael Mandelman, a local Democratic Party activist who serves on the board overseeing City College of San Francisco, as well as from his landlord, Tim Wolfred, a gay man who served on the college board in the early 1980s and knew Milk. “As a gay immigrant artist I was inspired by Harvey. He encouraged me to have more compassion and love and positive messages to this community,” said Yang, who is now a permanent resident of the U.S. His painting of Milk is currently hanging in the window of Berkshire Hathaway-Drysdale Properties at 2324 Market Street in the city’s gay Castro district. It is one of 15 works by local artists, and that of students at the Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy, featured in Windows for Harvey, an initiative launched this year by the Castro Merchants business association to celebrate Harvey Milk Day and draw customers into the commercial corridor. In addition to hearing about Milk from his friends, Yang also drew inspiration from the 2008 biopic “Milk” starring Sean Penn, who earned an Oscar for the role. “I came here nine years ago not fully committed to living as a gay person,” said Yang, adding that watching the movie “was inspiring because it was vey courageous and I feel like the reason we can walk around the street holding hands is because of him. He worked so hard to fight for gay rights and our community.” Yang submitted his work to be featured in a window so more people would see it. “I want them to remember about his work and his message and I want them to just feel Harvey’s dignity and his courageous, positive energy

and message,” said Yang. The various works have been installed in storefront windows throughout the Castro and inside the Eureka Valley/Harvey Milk Memorial Branch Library. They will remain up through May 31, then many will be auctioned off June 1 at Spark Arts, whose founder, Angie Sticher, helped recruit the artists for the windows initiative, which the merchants are planning to organize annually to celebrate Milk Day.

Inspired by WPA posters

In a window at Canela Bistro, a gay-owned restaurant at 2272 Market Street, Oakland-based graphic designer Eva Silverman has installed prints she drew of Milk in the style of posters created by artists hired by the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression. Both feature a drawing of Milk in a blue coat, white dress shirt, and yellow tie. One print includes his quote, “I have tasted freedom. I will not give up that which I have tasted.” “The Castro I think of as a gay man ‘hood. It is nice to be a queer woman and represented as part of a project in the Castro,” said Silverman, 36, who grew up in New Jersey and learned about Milk when she relocated to the Bay Area 15 years ago. She feels a personal connection to Milk, as she is also a photographer from the East Coast whose mother’s Jewish parents survived the Holocaust but saw two of their children be killed by the Nazis. They reunited at a refugee camp in Austria, where Silverman’s mother was born, and relocated to the U.S. Milk, who owned a camera shop in the Castro, was a secular Jew whose grandfather, Morris Milk, left Lithuania and settled on Long Island, New York. Harvey Milk was part of a wave of gay men who moved to San Francisco in the 1970s to settle in the Castro, which had formerly been an Irish and Italian Catholic enclave. After several failed

Rick Gerharter

Billy Douglas, top, installs his photographs at the Harvey Milk branch of the San Francisco Public Library. At right is the decal cocreated by Juanita More!, Elaine Denham, and Robin Simmons that adorns the patio doors at QBar.

attempts at public office, Milk’s victory in 1977 marked the first time an openly LGBT person had been elected in either San Francisco or California. “I feel like his importance is really, it is important to all the queers out there, but especially he represents so much about coming to the Bay Area to be free, to be his self,” said Silverman, who included flowers and a Holga medium format camera in her window display. She had created her prints of Milk several years ago and applied for the Castro art project after an exgirlfriend who works for an LGBT nonprofit based in the neighborhood forwarded her an email on how to apply. “To me, Harvey is somebody who represents the underdog, who stood up for what he loved and who he was and did not hide that,” said Silverman. “He, for me, is an important figure and important symbol for standing up for what you believe in. And for organizing those around you to create change.”

Milk’s activism

Photography is at the heart of the installation Billy Douglas has mounted in two glass cases in the lobby entrance of the Castro’s branch library at 1 Jose Sarria Court (16th Street at Pond) as well as in a glass case in the reading area. It features black and white photos he took at protest marches since the November election of President Donald Trump as well as older photos of his. “Milk’s activism and the personal work I have been doing I thought fit nicely,” said Douglas, 58, a straight man who has lived in the Castro district since he moved to town in 1980 from Kentucky after graduating college with a degree in journalism. He recalled seeing the media coverage of Dan White’s trial for murdering both Milk and Mayor George Moscone. White’s conviction on the lesser charge of manslaughter led to rioting outside City Hall. “It wasn’t a big adjustment for me to go from not knowing a lot about gay culture to having a lot of gay friends, artists, photographers. I started to understand more historically,” said Douglas, whose friends had personally known Milk. “When I saw the Windows for Harvey call

SF prosecutor

From page 1

But Deputy Public Defender Ilona Solomon said Sims would take the offer, and Sims admitted to violating her probation. She was released that day. As the hearing was wrapping up, Solomon told Colfax that Buitrago

for artists, I thought I would love to have some of my work exhibited in the neighborhood. It has been a very influential neighborhood for me.” His Resist Series photos on display come from 30 he posted to his Facebook page to mark Trump’s 100 days in office. For Douglas, he sees “obvious parallels” between his capturing participants in the various protests of the Trump administration, including those led by women and scientists, and the work Milk undertook to fight for equal rights and other causes. “The power of resistance – that is absolutely my message,” he said. Many of the window installations zero in on Milk’s political organizing and social activism. A onetime political columnist for the Bay Area Reporter, Milk was a vocal proponent for having LGBT community members come out of the closet and publicly fight for their rights. The iconic image of Milk sitting in the back of a car in an early gay pride parade holding up a sign that said “I’m from Woodmere, NY” inspired the mural created by Danyol Leon for the window of restaurant La Mediterranee at 288 Noe Street. Inside the outline of Milk’s body and the sign he is holding up are recreations of vintage posters created by the AIDS advocacy group ACT UP. “I think he taught a lot of people it was OK to march in the streets for what you believe in,” said Leon, 47, a gay Castro resident who grew up in southern California and didn’t learn about Milk until he came out in 1991. “When the AIDS epidemic hit, people followed suit and, like Harvey, took to the streets to march for what they believed in. He gave a lot of gay men the courage to do that.” Leon said he is honored to have his work included in the show, having admired Milk and his legacy for nearly three decades. Rather than remember him as a politician, he thinks of Milk as being a community organizer. “You didn’t see him as a politician sitting behind a desk. He was going door-to-door; he was active in the community he was representing,” said Leon. “He wasn’t afraid to be a queer public figure.” Milk’s activism, and the bullhorn he used at rallies that was featured in the movie and is on display at had told her she had a victim waiting in the DA’s victim-witness room. “Given the fact that the district attorney has now stated that she is unprepared to proceed with this hearing, I believe that she lied to me,” said Solomon, according to the transcript. Buitrago responded, “I think that the only unethical thing here is that Ms. Solomon made these accusations after her client took the deal,

Decal image courtesy of Juanita More!

the GLBT History Museum in the Castro, inspired the decal that drag queen Juanita More! used to decorate two doors leading to the patio at QBar at 456 Castro Street. Co-designed by graphic artists and DJs Elaine Denham and Robin Simmons, a straight couple More! has collaborated with in the past, it also features the image of Milk from the LGBT rights march with his right fist raised in the air. Flowing out of the bullhorn are flowers, and different protest signs are embedded in the petals. They feature sayings and campaigns Milk was involved in, from supporting small businesses and the Castro Street Fair, the annual fall event Milk launched, to picking up your dog’s poop and daycare for working mothers. One sign urges “Juanita For Prez.” “I really wanted to, of course, represent Harvey in this but not just have it be Harvey’s face all over it. I wanted the spirit of Harvey to be there,” said More!, who was asked to participate in the windows display by the owners of the bar, where for eight years More! hosted a weekly Wednesday night party until she ended it in 2015. More! and the two DJs hosted a party Wednesday night at QBar to kick off the windows initiative and raise money to compensate the participating artists. In the bar’s back room More! had artist Matt Picon reinterpret the Milk decal as a photo backdrop. “It feels great to see the Castro community come together for a thing that is our project and that is being seen for free all over the neighborhood,” said More! “That I love because I am such a big art fan in general.” For a map of all the participating businesses with Milk-inspired artworks in their windows, as well information about the individual artists, visit windowsforharvey.com. t

essentially saying that this deal was coerced, which her client explicitly stated it was not.” She added that she hadn’t told Solomon the victim was available, and she said that she did have a police officer ready to testify. In his complaint, though, Adachi disputes that notion, saying that “is See page 14 >>

Community News>>

May 18-24, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 11

A Wider Bridge announces leadership change by Heather Cassell

Wider Bridge announced its founder and leader will step down next year. Arthur Slepian conceived the LGBT Jewish organization in 2010 following the tragic shooting at the LGBT community center in Tel Aviv in 2009. He guided the group from its embryonic stages into an international organization. Deputy director Tyler “Tye” Gregory, a 28-year-old gay man who joined A Wider Bridge in 2014, will take over leadership of the organization January 15, the group’s board announced in a news release last month. Slepian, a 62-year-old gay man, will step into an auxiliary role as board president of A Wider Bridge, and will continue to work in San Francisco, the two men told the B.A.R. “I think that the organization is now ready for new leadership,” said Slepian, who was positive about the change for himself personally and for the organization. “I think sometimes organizations can get too personally identified with the founder, so I think that it’s healthy when leadership can be transitioned to the next generation, so to speak. “I’m really happy that this organization that was just an idea on a piece of paper seven years ago is now something that can sustain itself,” he added. By the time Slepian officially steps down next year he will have led the organization for eight years. Gregory will continue to work out of A Wider Bridge’s New York office. “Tye is an amazing young man. I think that he’s going to do great,” said Slepian, who praised Gregory for his “passion” and for being a “skilled organizational leader. “I think the organization is very well positioned to succeed under his leadership,” he added. Gregory said the transition is exciting. “It’s a wonderful opportunity,” he said. “I feel like there are exciting opportunities ahead and it’s a great time. The time is right for this transition.”

Paving a path

Board Chair Bruce Maxwell called the leadership transition “truly a momentous one for A Wider Bridge” and in the release praised Slepian for his “vision and courage to create the organization.” “On behalf of our entire board, I want to say first, how grateful we are to Arthur for having had the vision and courage to create the organization, and for the skill and passion with which he has shepherded its growth over the past seven years,” Maxwell said. “His work has enriched the lives of so many of us, Jews and non-Jews, LGBTQ or allies, both here in the U.S. and in Israel. For nearly a decade, Slepian has built A Wider Bridge into an international organization connecting North American and Israeli LGBT Jews and non-Jews. Gregory and Slepian said its budget is nearly $700,000. A Wider Bridge currently has five full-time staff working in offices in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco. Three parttime staff work at its offices in Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; and Tel Aviv. It’s unclear what Gregory’s salary will be as his contract is still under negotiation, he said. Slepian told the Bay Area Reporter, “We don’t disclose that.” The organization didn’t report a salary for Slepian on its IRS Form 990.

The organization has 10 board members, including Slepian, and six advisory board members representing five cities across the U.S. During his tenure, Slepian has sought to forge a deeper understanding between LGBT North Americans and Israelis through annual educational trips to Israel, bringing leaders of Israeli LGBT organizations on speaking tours of the United States, and hosting an LGBT leadership conference during Tel Aviv Pride in 2015. The goal, he said, was to create a dialogue and build a relationship between the two queer communities where they could learn from each other and create philanthropic opportunities. However, it wasn’t always easy. A Wider Bridge continues to be accused by LGBT Palestinian activists and people who are against Israel’s ongoing conflict with Palestine of so-called pink washing, touting Israel’s LGBT-friendliness at the expense of the country’s atrocities against Palestine. “We’ve had our share of pushback from people who only want a certain aspect of Israel to be talked about and only want a particular kind of political perspective in the center of the conversation,” said Slepian who has maintained the organization’s focus on “building relationships between people and not advocating for a particular point of view.” Gregory added that LGBT activists can engage Israel with “shared values as progressive activists” and “people who care about social justice” without “abandoning what we care about and believe in.” However, the two men believe the movement to boycott Israel is unhealthy and have attempted to take another approach to the situation by engaging LGBT Palestinian activists and traveling to Gaza and the West Bank with U.S. LGBT leaders during the organization’s educational trips, said Gregory. “It’s a lot harder to hate us once you know us,” said Gregory, equating the situation to LGBT people’s struggle to come out. “The same thing is true when you go to Israel and the West Bank. You meet Israelis and Palestinians. You find that they are both compelling people and you want to engage with all of them. You refuse to choose between one person’s life and another.” Slepian is proud of what he’s accomplished by creating a platform for the Israeli and Palestinian LGBT communities to share their stories with U.S. LGBT activists and philanthropists. He’s equally as proud of introducing Israel to U.S. LGBT Jewish and non-Jewish leaders. “We have actually taken our name seriously as we’ve made it a wider bridge on both sides,” said Slepian. “Many people have told us that our work has been transformative for them, particularly people who have come on our trips and really gotten to see Israel for themselves.” Gregory and Slepian spoke about how LGBT activists traveled to Israel the day after Donald Trump won the election. Israeli LGBT activists shared their stories with the U.S. LGBT activists about how they’ve continued their work under a conservative government. Their stories gave the U.S. LGBT activists hope and inspired them, they said. Gregory and Slepian are working on ways for A Wider Bridge to delve deeper into lesser-known Israeli LGBT communities and connect them with U.S. LGBT leaders who are experts on the issues they are tackling, they said. In November, for the first time,

Courtesy A Wider Bridge

A Wider Bridge outgoing founder and Executive Director Arthur Slepian, left, talks with incoming executive director and current deputy director Tyler “Tye” Gregory.

the organization is partnering with San Francisco-based Olivia Travel to lead a women-only educational trip to Israel that will focus on lesbian and feminist issues. The trip, which is sold out, according to Slepian, is in addition to A Wider Bridge’s annual education trip to Israel during Tel Aviv Pride. The organization is also working on an LGBT people of color trip to Israel next year to explore LGBT rights and issues surrounding immigration and race that affect those communities in Israel and the U.S., Gregory added. The goal is to give A Wider Bridge’s guests “the most authentic experience possible when we introduce them to Israel and the activism that is happening over there,” he said. Gregory said he plans to continue the organization’s tradition

of bringing LGBT Israeli activists on educational and philanthropic tours of the U.S. four times a year.

Equality in Israel and for Israel

The organization is already moving toward its future with this transition and its new tag line, “Equality in Israel and Equality for Israel.” Gregory and Slepian share a vision of A Wider Bridge taking on more active direct advocacy and philanthropic roles and expanding the organization’s presence in Israel by working with partners on the ground and by expanding to other regions in the U.S., they said. “We want to make sure that those relationships are there either in time of opportunity or tragedy or anything in between,” said Gregory.

Gregory pointed out that A Wider Bridge’s goal is to be able to respond in a quick and supportive way to incidents such as the death of Shira Banki and the stabbing of five others at Jerusalem Pride in 2015. It also wants to aid with ongoing LGBT rights battles in Israel, such as marriage equality, that have been fought and won in the U.S. “We want Israel to be a place that really is a strong place for LGBT equality and we also want Israel to be treated fairly in the global LGBT community,” said Slepian, who expects Gregory to put his own stamp on A Wider Bridge with his vision in the future. “I think that it’s going to be a very exciting time for the future of A Wider Bridge,” said Slepian. For more information, visit www.awiderbridge.org. t

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12 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 18-24, 2017

Deaf leading actors get streaming series by Belo Cipriani

ccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly one in five people have a disability. But despite the fact that people with disabilities make up almost 20 percent of the U.S. population, a 2016 report by the Ruderman Family Foundation states that 95 percent of characters in television with disabilities are played by able-bodied actors. So, when AMC-backed streaming

service Sundance Now picked up “The Chances” – a show written by, and starring, deaf people, the announcement was not only groundbreaking, but also historic. “The Chances” centers around two best friends, Kate, played by Shoshana Stern, and Michael, played by Josh Feldman, who are supporting each other as Kate is acclimating to being newly engaged, and as Michael is attempting to get over his ex-boyfriend.

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“Not many of my friends have seen the show, since it hasn’t been released yet, but the few close friends I’ve shown it to have loved it, because it’s so rare to see our deaf community portrayed so well on screen,” said Feldman. Feldman, who is gay, and Stern have been friends for years and dreamed up the show one day over cocktails. “It was just an idea Josh and I had one day over happy hour. It basically wrote itself, and then we tried bringing the idea to some production companies. When that didn’t work out, we decided we’d just go ahead and shoot it all by ourselves with a skeleton crew,” said Stern. With a budget of $250, Feldman and Stern put a pilot together and uploaded it to YouTube. Shortly after, they were discovered by Super Deluxe, a studio based out of Los Angeles, which ensured Feldman and Stern were both properly accommodated for during shooting. “They made sure that

Tate Tullier

Deaf actors Josh Feldman, left, and Shoshana Stern star in “The Chances,” a soon-to-be-released streaming series.

we always had interpreters,” said Stern. “We also communicated via emails and text rather than phone calls. If we call them, we usually do it over relay. They also hired an ASL master who was responsible for overseeing all the sign language used in the show.” “The Chances” debuted at the 2017 Sundance Film

Festival in the short form episodic showcase to great reviews. Though, Feldman noted, the series has changed a lot from what was shown at the festival. “It’ll be a different animal. It’s almost like we have a bigger playground with a half-hour show, versus a five- to See page 13 >>

Memorial planned for Gilbert Baker by Cynthia Laird

ommunity leaders have announced that a public memorial for rainbow flag creator Gilbert Baker will be held Thursday, June 8 at 7 p.m. at the Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street. Mr. Baker died March 31 at his home in New York City of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. He was 65. Tom Taylor, a longtime city resident, said that gay public officials such as former state Senator Mark Leno (now a mayoral candidate) and District 8 Supervisor Jeff Sheehy will speak. Singer Connie Champagne will also perform, Taylor said, adding that Bay Area Reporter society columnist Donna Sachet will be part of the celebration of Mr. Baker’s life. Others are also expected to talk about Mr. Baker’s life and contributions to the LGBT community, Taylor said. Taylor and Richard Gutierrez, who is helping with the memorial, are asking that if people have digitized old photos of Mr. Baker that they would like to share for a video montage, they can be sent to Gutierrez at sanfranrich@gmail.com.

Rick Gerharter

Gilbert Baker talked about the rainbow flag during a 2012 appearance in San Francisco.

Cleve Jones, a gay man and AIDS activist who was a close friend of Mr. Baker’s, told the B.A.R. that in the late 1970s, there were conversations in the community about the need for a symbol. Eventually, Mr. Baker thought of the flag idea, and Jones said in the summer of 1978, he helped Baker dye the fabric for it at 330 Grove Street, the site of San Francisco’s

old LGBT community center. “We made quite a mess, and Gilbert created the first two flags,” Jones said. One flag had eight colored bars, and the other had eight bars with tie-dyed starbursts, somewhat resembling an American flag. The flags were “raised on two enormous flagpoles in United Nations Plaza. I remember that quite vividly,” Jones said. The more common rainbow flag has six colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. Over the years, Mr. Baker created many special versions of the rainbow flag, including one a mile-long to mark the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. His explanation for why he chose a rainbow design is simple. “It fits us,” Mr. Baker explained in 2012. “We’re all the colors, all the sexes, all the genders. Infinite people. Infinite colors.” According to Mr. Baker’s biography, the rainbow flag is in the public domain, as are all flags, and he did not profit from its usage as a commercial product. Today, the rainbow flag is a widely recognized symbol of the LGBT community. t

Obituaries >> Samuel Binder

January 23, 1971 – March 27, 2017

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Samuel Binder, 46, passed away unexpectedly March 27, 2017. Sammy was born January 23, 1971 in Cleveland, Ohio. He lived in California for the last 20 years. He is survived by his mother, Barbara Harp, and father, Samuel Binder; two sisters, Tammy Seton (Nate), and Renee Palka (Greg); and a brother, Daniel Binder. He was a dear uncle to three nieces and five nephews. Sammy loved life and always found the best in everyone and every situation. He was that guy to always put a smile on your face. A memorial was held April 8 in Cleveland.

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April 13, 1946 – April 26, 2017

Robert “Chip” Hroncich, 71, of San Francisco passed in his longtime Portola Street home on April 26, 2017. A native of Freeport, New York,

he attended Chaminade High School. He studied advertising design at Dayton Art Institute, and fine arts and advertising design at University of Dayton. His career spanned creative jobs at Roos Atkins, Joseph Magnin, Environmental Care, and the San Francisco Art Institute. Chip enjoyed music and theatre and won best actor in a musical (Golden Award) for his performance in “Dames at Sea” in 1973. He was a member of the Now Company Singers and Something Else. San Franciscans may remember his photography exhibited at various venues or from the framed pieces he generously donated to charity events. His photography was used in many advertisements and articles in Outlook-Long Island and featured in the book “Odysseus: The International Gay Travel Planner.” Chip’s laughter, talent, and generous spirit will be missed but always remembered. Friends and family can share comments on the “Remembering Chip Hroncich” Facebook page and are invited to have a toast in his honor with Chip’s nephew, Tom Malanga (New York) and Gary Virginia on Friday, May 19, from 6 to 7 p.m., at the Edge bar, 4149 18th Street in San Francisco.

Timothy Jay Oviatt April 17, 2017 Timothy Jay Oviatt died of natural causes during the week of April 17, 2017 in his apartment. He was best known in San Francisco as the owner of All American Boy on Castro Street from 1988 to 2009. His store was an anchor on Castro Street for years, attracting shoppers, gay and straight, who wanted something more creative and stylish than mass merchandiser products. He always participated in charitable activities along Castro Street. He moved to San Francisco from Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1972 when he came out and lived in the Bay Area ever since. He is survived by his only sibling and younger brother, Michael, who is writing this. In the past year Tim told me, “It’s been a life well lived.” He survived hard times since 2009 yet he still was able to laugh at the irony, absurdities, and contradictions of what he endured. He loved dogs, cooking, interior decorating, and gardening. A celebration of life was held at the Mix in the Castro on April 30. In honor of Tim, please make donations to the AIDS Emergency Fund, 12 Grace Street, San Francisco, CA 94103.

t <<

Community News>>

News Briefs

From page 7

“These perils target specific segments of the Bay Area population but, in the end, affect us all: immigrants, people of color, free speech advocates, home owners, stewards of the environment, city government and nonprofit funding, the arts, education, Medicare and Affordable Care Act recipients, and the LGBT/elderly community,” Englander said in a news release. Speakers will include gay former Supervisor Harry Britt and Joey Cain, a Radical Faerie and Haight Ashbury neighborhood activist. They will address what

Political Notebook

From page 5

the moment. Already, gay City College of San Francisco board member Rafael Mandelman, a progressive who has endorsed Leno for mayor, is running against Sheehy for the Castro-centric supervisor seat. “I know Mark, I respect him, and I am glad he is running. But that race is two and a half years away. I need to focus on my own election first,” said Sheehy. Asked about Wiener and Sheehy not being among his early endorsers, Leno told the B.A.R. “these are personal decisions and people have to make them when they feel ready.” As for if he has asked Leno to endorse his supervisor bid, Sheehy indicated he has spoken to Leno but told the B.A.R. to ask Leno if he had his support in the race. Leno, in turn, said he has yet to decide if he will endorse in the supervisor race and declined to say when he would. Mandelman, who lost to Wiener in the 2010 race for the D8 seat, told the B.A.R., “I would love to earn Mark Leno’s endorsement, but Mark is running for mayor and that has to be his first priority.” He said he early-endorsed Leno’s mayoral bid due to his being “a tremendous champion of City College” as it has fought for its survival amid an accreditation crisis the last few years. Leno passed special legislation in the Statehouse that financially assisted the troubled school. “We worked closely together during the accreditation crisis, and he was a real hero during that whole unfortunate episode” said Mandelman. “I also think he would be a great mayor.” Wiener has endorsed Sheehy’s supervisor bid, telling the B.A.R. he “thinks the world of Jeff ” and that he has already proved to be “a

Seeing in the Dark

From page 12

seven-minute webisode. So I’m excited about exploring bigger issues and taking our time with more character development,” said Feldman. While the show’s two protagonists are deaf, Stern said that the deaf experience comes after the story, and Kate

Out in the World

From page 9

estimate that of this year’s participants, 35,000 will be visitors from other countries. “Every year tens of thousands of the LGBTQ community from around the world visit Tel AvivYafo. We are proud to have them join us during Pride Week celebrating the diversity and spirit of tolerance that makes Tel Aviv the best gay city in the world,” Yaniv Weizman, city council member of Tel Aviv who is in one of the leaders in charge of LGBTQ affairs, stated in the release. City Council member Efrat Tolkowsky, agreed adding, “Both

May 18-24, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 13

issues in a historical context will look at development and preserving LGBTQ sites Tuesday, May 23 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the GLBT History Museum, 4127 18th Street in San Francisco. The conversation will feature panelists from recent and past preservation battles in San Francisco’s LGBTQ community. Admission is free for historical society members and $5 for non-members.

political organizing was like in the early years of the LGBT movement and how those experiences can inform the response to the current administration. Another panel will present the role of arts and performance as a vital part of the LGBT movement and will feature singer Blackberri and comedian Karen Ripley. Michelle Meow, president of the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee and a broadcaster, will moderate. The conference is named after Grayson, a gay black man who was a longtime member of the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club and a labor activist. He died alone in a hospital in 2011, and none of his

family or friends were informed. His death underscored the challenges of aging in the LGBT community and the club organized the conference in his memory. Englander said that the conference is dedicated to the victims of last year’s shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. There is no cost to attend. For more information, visit the Facebook page at h t t p s : / / w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / events/212579189204175/.

strong leader” on the board. Dufty has yet to endorse in the supervisor race and likely won’t until sometime next year. “I am close to both of them,” he explained. “I have offered both of them my support, counsel, and any help making connections with people.”

LGBT Democratic Club, San Francisco’s progressive LGBT political group, agreed this week to vote at their June meeting on early-endorsing Beckles in the race. Should Beckles win the seat, she could become the first out African American state legislator. If an out candidate were to win, they would be the first out state lawmaker from the East Bay.

having served nearly a decade ago. “Some of the things I’d like to see addressed are nonprofit tenants rights issues, uniform visitor policy, making sure all single occupancy common bathrooms are gender neutral, and even holding a discussion on transgender rights issues in general, among other concerns,” Davis told the B.A.R.

Lesbian Berkeley school board member Judy Appel plans to run for an East Bay Assembly seat in 2018. She will be the second out candidate in the race. As last week’s Political Notebook reported, lesbian Richmond City Councilwoman Jovanka Beckles announced this month that she is running for the 15th Assembly District seat, as the incumbent, Assemblyman Tony Thurmond (D-Richmond), is running to be the state’s superintendent of public instruction. The district includes the cities of Albany, Berkeley, El Cerrito, El Sobrante, Emeryville, Hercules, Kensington, Piedmont, Pinole, Richmond, San Pablo, Tara Hills, and a portion of Oakland. After the B.A.R. went to press last Wednesday, Appel responded to a question regarding her political plans. She confirmed that she is planning to run for the seat and is putting together her campaign team before she formally announces. Oakland City Councilmember Dan Kalb is also running for the Assembly seat. Of the three Democrats, Appel is considered a moderate, while Kalb and Beckles are both progressives. A third lesbian politician, Oakland At-Large City Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan, has been mentioned as another potential candidate. She has yet to clarify her plans. Members of the Harvey Milk

SF supes approve gay, trans commissioners

California’s Fair Political Practices Commission has fined the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund $6,500 for improperly reporting donations it received in 2012, some of which was used to assist a gay Latino Los Angeles leader who was running for an Assembly seat that year. The errors were discovered due to an audit performed by the state Franchise Tax Board’s Political Reform Audit Program. The review determined that Frank Selvaggi and Kim Hoover, who both served as the treasurer of the Victory Fund’s now closed state campaign committee, had failed to report $143,640 in received contributions and $141,002 in expenditures for the reporting periods of March 18, 2012 through May 19, 2012 and July 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012. According to the FPPC, some of the funds paid for “get out the vote auto calls” for Luis Lopez, who lost to Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez (D-Los Angeles). Gomez is now the leading candidate in the special election for the 34th Congressional District seat that was vacated earlier this year by Xavier Becerra when he became the state’s attorney general. Should Gomez win, Lopez has announced he will run in the special election this summer to serve out the remainder of Gomez’ term representing the 51st Assembly District.

does not represent a specific type of deaf person. “I would say that there are so many different kinds of deaf people in the world, and that there’s no one way to be deaf,” said Stern. “We wrote her with the hopes that she represents who and what she is as a character.” Stern is deaf from birth and attended Gallaudet University in

Washington, D.C. – the only deaf liberal arts university in the world. She booked her first acting gig with Warner Bros. in college, and has been seen in “Weeds,” “Lie to Me,” “Jericho,” and “Super Natural.” Feldman is also deaf from birth and attended Gallaudet. He has written for several online publications and won a Young Playwrights Award from Arena

Stage in Washington. A release date for “The Chances” has not been set, but you can stay updated on show information by following Sundance Now on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. t

in Israel and around the world, many bisexual people feel that they are an invisible group within the LGBTQ community. Here in Tel Aviv, we are committed to celebrating each and every LGBTQ person and ally equally, so that we can all be out and proud together.”

Eight years ago, the bisexual community was small and suffered from a visibility issue. However, a small band of bisexual activists organized a group called Panorama. That group came about after the dissolution of another bisexual group created in 2007, Shiri Eisner, an organizer of Panorama, told the B.A.R. at the time. Eisner was handing out literature and speaking with people who walked by her table in Gan Meir Park outside of the Tel Aviv Municipal LGBT Community Center during Pride that year. “What I’m trying to do is raise awareness, create visibility, and build a community, which is three

things that we need and don’t have at the moment,” said Eisner, who participated in the first bisexual Pride party that attracted more than 100 people that year. She was proud of the community and its allies. Many turned out to support the bisexual community at the party. Others were opening their doors to representatives of Israel’s bisexual community to participate on panels. Amsterdam has also put a spotlight on the bisexual community. For at least the past three years, the city has hosted a bisexual conference during the city’s eight-day Pride festivities, Sparks said. Tel Aviv Pride has previously focused on other communities

Berkeley school leader plans Assembly bid

A decade in the making

Israel’s bisexual community has come a long way during the past decade. In 2009, gay TV personality Gal Uchovsky declared during a panel discussion at Tel Aviv Pride that there were no bisexuals in Israel. However, the bisexual community does exist in the country.

Development versus preservation series

The GLBT Historical Society’s “Fighting Back” series exploring contemporary queer community

At their meeting Tuesday, the San Francisco supervisors approved two gay men to serve on the city’s aging advisory panel and a transgender woman to serve on the panel overseeing single-room occupancy hotels used to house homeless and low-income individuals. The board unanimously voted to accept the two mayoral appointments to the Aging and Adults Services Commission. The mayor reappointed Gustavo Serina to the body for a term ending July 21, 2020, while Lee named Perry Lang to serve out a term ending January 15, 2019. Serina, who writes for the B.A.R.’s arts section under the pen name Tavo Amador, is a longtime former Castro resident who now lives in a senior living facility and has been featured in its advertising. Lang is a former executive director of the Raﬁki Coalition for Health and Wellness, which had been known as the Black Coalition on AIDS. The supervisors also unanimously voted to appoint nine people to the Single Room Occupancy Task Force for terms ending December 31, 2018, including transgender activist Jordan Davis. She will be the only known LGBT person serving on the SRO oversight body and only the second known transgender person to be named to it, the first

City celebrates Jewish Heritage Month

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and Supervisors Aaron Peskin and Hillary Ronen will celebrate Jewish Heritage Month with a

State fines LGBT group

Belo Cipriani is a disability advocate, a freelance journalist, the award-winning author of “Blind:

reception Wednesday, May 24 at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place. A news release stated that San Francisco’s Jewish community has made countless contributions to the city’s cultural heritage, civic fortitude, and economic growth and that the program will commemorate these historical ties. The Jewish Community Relations Council and Jewish Community Federation and Endowment are co-sponsors of the event. An RSVP is required; to sign up, visit https://app.etapestry. com/onlineforms/JCRCSanFrancisco/JHM.html. t

Other problems were also discovered with the Victory Fund’s filings, including some reporting violations, failure to keep proper records, and issues regarding the committee’s “restricted use” and “all purpose” accounts, according to the FPPC. However, the errors are being treated as only aggravating factors and not as additional counts against the national LGBT group, which aims to elect LGBT people to public office. The additional problems do account for the fine being so high. The FPPC did conclude there was no intent to conceal the funds from the public, and both the Victory Fund and the treasurers contended the errors “were unintentional” and agreed to settle the matter by paying the fine. “Victory Fund takes its filing obligations seriously and has cooperated throughout the investigation,” stated Elliot Imse, the nonprofit’s director of communications, in an emailed reply to the B.A.R. The FPPC is expected to approve the fine at its meeting May 25. t Web Extra: For more queer political news, be sure to check http:// www.ebar.com Monday mornings at noon for Political Notes, the notebook’s online companion. This week’s column reported on a $1M ask for LGBT programs in Santa Clara County, including the creation of a program manager focused on transgender issues. 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.

A Memoir” and “Midday Dreams,” the spokesman for Guide Dogs for the Blind, and the national spokesman for 100 Percent Wine – a premium winery that donates 100 percent of proceeds to nonprofits that help people with disabilities find work. Learn more at www. belocipriani.com.

during its Pride, such as last year’s “Women for a Change,” and 2015’s “Transgender Visibility.” t Got international LGBT news tips? Call or send them to Heather Cassell at Skype: heather.cassell, or oitwnews@ gmail.com.

<< Community News

14 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 18-24, 2017

SF procecutor

From page 10

not credible given the motion clearly depended on the testimony of the civilian witness given evidentiary rules.” Among other things, he also added that Solomon had learned that the DA’s office hadn’t subpoenaed any officers for the hearing, and Central police station had said no officers involved in the case had indicated they would be in court. Asked about Buitrago’s alleged actions, Sims told the Bay Area

Resist

From page 7

author Susan Griffin, in conversation with queer local author and longtime progressive activist Kate Raphael. The topic will be “How War Erodes and Destroys Democracies.” The event will take place at 3 p.m. at the Ed Roberts Campus, 3075 Adeline Street in Berkeley. On May 22, Project Inform will host a forum to discuss growing threats to people living with and at risk for HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C in the Trump era, including the risk of losing access to medical care and defunding of treatment and prevention services. Moderated by KQED’s Scott Shafer, a gay man, the panel will feature Dan Bernal, a gay man who’s the San Francisco chief of staff for House Minority Leader

Gay Ugandan

From page 1

Remains connected

He has remained connected to LGBT asylum seekers in Kenya and Uganda via social media, often fielding pleas for financial help. During an interview with the Bay Area Reporter, seated at his host family’s kitchen table, Kayigoma scrolled through his cellphone showing the receipts and photos he asks those he helps to send him to prove the money sent is being properly spent. One photo showed a gay Ugandan in a hospital bed, his Kenyan doctor at his side, who had been attacked and needed minor surgery. Various screen shots were of receipts for HIV medications. He also uses online payment methods that allow him to better track where the money is spent. “If you don’t send me a receipt, I will not send the money to you,” said Kayigoma, who has been able to assist a dozen people since last summer. Francis Mutima, 26, who is gay and HIV-positive, has received $120 from Kayigoma to help pay for his housing, food, and medical bills. He knew Kayigoma in Uganda and is now in Nairobi waiting for his asylum application to be approved. He is one of 200 LGBT asylum seekers he knows who are currently in the city. Talking to the B.A.R. via Facebook, Mutima explained “the reason is I was disowned by my parenting the community wanted to do mob justice on me because of my sexuality.” He hopes people will donate to Kayigoma’s fundraising effort, as his friend “is transparent and he is willing to help the helpless LGBTI asylum seekers.” A former chef in a Kampala hotel, Mutima said he would like to ﬁnd work so he can pay to attend school. “Life is tough, we are arrested by the police every day, because

Reporter, “I’m not surprised. If I was a DA, I would probably pull every dirty trick in the book, too” to see “how can I keep this person in custody?” After the March 10 hearing, Sims was again arrested and released from custody weeks later. Court records indicate that Sims, who said that she’s dealt with substance abuse and that she’s been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, has been released to HealthRight360. In an interview, Laura Ernde, a spokeswoman for the state bar, said, “When someone files a complaint

against an attorney, that complaint is confidential by law unless or until disciplinary charges are filed.” The agency “generally” tries to resolve complaints “within six months,” said Ernde. Alex Bastian, a spokesman for District Attorney George Gascón, declined to comment for this story. In his complaint, which was also sent to Gascón and Presiding Superior Court Judge Teri Jackson, Adachi says his office hasn’t received “a substantive response” about the matter from Buitrago’s supervisors. t

Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), Ernest Hopkins, director of legislative affairs at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, Harm Reduction Coalition Executive Director Monique Tula, and Project Inform staff members. The event will take place at 5:30 p.m. at the San Francisco LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market Street. June 1 is the Gathering of Joyous Persistence, which aims to bring together “engaged citizens, upand-coming activists, and established leaders across generations dedicated to defying the current administration through positive actions and impactful organizing.” The all-day event, taking place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, will culminate in a public conversation between Senator Elizabeth Warren (DMassachusetts) and MSNBC host

Joy-Ann Reid. Tickets start at $100, with some scholarships available (deadline May 19). http://www. joyouspersistence.com. Also in early June, SF DocFest will screen a documentary featuring local lesbian activist Karen Topakian. Now the board chair of Greenpeace, Topakian has been arrested for activism more than 30 times over three decades, most recently for helping to hang a 70foot banner proclaiming “RESIST” on a crane near the White House. “Arrested (Again)” will show June 4 at 12:30 p.m. and June 6 at 7:15 p.m. at the Roxie Theater. “Taking risks every year is part of the credential of being an activist,” Topakian said. “With the new president, I’m concerned that if I don’t exercise my First Amendment right, he might try to take it away from us.” t

of no proper documentation and being reported to the police by neighbors once they come to know we are gays,” he wrote. Sarah Imes Borden, a college theater instructor in Nebraska, and her husband, who also teaches university-level theater classes, have also been financially assisting LGBT Ugandan asylum seekers in Kenya. She was first made aware of their situation while doing research for a book that included interviews she conducted with those involved in the first gay play mounted in Uganda. Those contacts led her to strike up an online friendship with Kayigoma while he was in Uganda. Borden helped him financially after he fled to Kenya, and he has vetted others who asked for her support. She also asks for receipts and photos of the person with the goods or medicines as a show of proof, and starts out sending smaller dollar amounts. “That is what it has been ever since; if someone reaches out to us and says this person got beat up or is starving, we try to find ways to help,” said Borden, who graduated from Cal State Fullerton with a master’s in acting. Referring to a line from a recent “Spiderman” movie, in which the title character says he has an obligation to use his abilities for good, Borden said she feels the same way when it comes to assisting refugees. She is in the process of setting up a nonprofit called the Underground Railroad of the 21st Century to formalize the assistance. “If we can help in some way, and we don’t, that is on us. It is our responsibility,” said Borden, who preferred not to disclose the amount of money she and her husband have donated over the years. As for Kayigoma launching the GoFundMe campaign, Borden said it is the right way to go. “It is going to be micro-lending and micro-giving that keeps these

people alive,” said Borden, who has been unable to afford visiting Kayigoma in person. “I do think Ronnie better understands now how it is not easy to find a large chunk of money you can send to someone without having to sacrifice things on this end.” For donors in the U.S. and elsewhere, even small amounts can translate into significant assistance due to the exchange rate in Kenya, noted Borden. “You can take $15 here, which is not going to Starbucks three days a week, and on the other end it turns into enough Kenyan shillings to eat for a week,” she said. “They can get enough rice, fruit, a dozen eggs, and they will make that last a week.” The situation for the LGBT asylum seekers in Kenya has grown more perilous under the Trump administration as its antiimmigration policies have slowed resettlement efforts to a near stop. While Kayigoma knows of some gay Ugandans who had been issued visas and were able to travel to the U.S. in recent weeks, he said those still in Africa are losing hope. “They are asking what to do. We are telling them to just wait,” he said. “For me about the Trump administration, I feel sad. Being a refugee is not a choice. We are running from our country. Someone is chasing you and they are just closing doors.” Borden also had harsh words about the president, as two men in Kenya she has been helping who were expected to be resettled this summer in the U.S. have now been waylaid and likely won’t be able to leave for another year. “This system takes an incredibly long time,” noted Borden. “Anyone who says the vetting system is not thorough has no idea what they are talking about.” To donate to Kayigoma’s GoFundMe campaign, visit https:// www.gofundme.com/poz-lgbtiasylum-seekers. t

Legal Notices>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-17-552954

In the matter of the application of: LAP TO CHOI, 670 33RD AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121, for change of name having been ﬁled in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner LAP TO CHOI, is requesting that the name LAP TO CHOI, be changed to KEN LAPTO CHOI. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, on the 13th of June 2017 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

APRIL 27, MAY 04, 11, 18, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037559000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JV ELECTRIC, 655 ELLIS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JIMMY VEGA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 04/14/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/14/17.

APR 27, MAY 04, 11, 18, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037559700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AIIM SF; ASCENDING IN INDIVIDUAL MINDS, 41 BEACHMONT DRIVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MICHELLE JOSEPHINE FONG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 04/01/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/17/17.

APR 27, MAY 04, 11, 18, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037564400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: STATE SPACE, 1295 ALABAMA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DANIELLE GRANT. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 04/19/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/19/17.

APR 27, MAY 04, 11, 18, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037562400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FILLMORE BILLIARDS, 1526 FILLMORE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NAE MOON PARK. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 04/18/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/18/17.

APR 27, MAY 04, 11/18, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037569000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HUNAN HOME’S RESTAURANT, 622 JACKSON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed NEW HUNAN HOME, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 04/24/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/24/17.

APR 27, MAY 04, 11, 18, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037566000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NARA SUSHI, 1515 POLK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed LEESUNHEE NARA CORPORATION (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 04/20/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/20/17.

APR 27, MAY 04, 11, 18, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037563900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JODI RENTALS, 2131 19TH AVE #202, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed IM PROPERTIES INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/19/17.

APR 27, MAY 04, 11, 18, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037563400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PAINTED MARY, 478 UTAH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed MARY NATALIE FINLAYSON & MATTHEW JAMES LUCKHURST. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 04/19/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/19/17.

APR 27, MAY 04, 11, 18, 2017 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037143800 The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: METIS MENTORING, 1661 GRANT AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by STEVEN HORNER. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/16/16.

APR 27, MAY 04, 11, 18, 2017 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-034504900

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: HUNAN HOME’S RESTAURANT, 622 JACKSON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business was conducted by a corporation and signed by YUANS LEGACY CORPORATION. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/03/12.

APR 27, MAY 04, 11, 18, 2017

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037271100

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: LE TREND NAIL SALON, 783 DIVISADERO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by NGUYET HA. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/20/16.

APR 27, MAY 04, 11, 18, 2017 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-17-553008 In the matter of the application of: RENEE MEDRIC BELEC, 1259 LOMBARD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109, for change of name having been ﬁled in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner RENEE MEDRIC BELEC, is requesting that the name RENEE MEDRIC BELEC, be changed to CATHERINE RENEE ARTEMISE COATEVAL. 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 29th of June 2017 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAY 04, 11, 18, 25, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037573400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: POREA COMMUNICATION DESIGN & POCO DESIGN, 290 SAN JOSE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BRIAN POREA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/02/2017. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/26/2017.

MAY 04, 11, 18, 25, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037571300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GLITZ HAIR SALON, 2387 OCEAN AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SYLVIA P. THORNE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 02/10/97. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/25/17.

MAY 04, 11, 18, 25, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037569400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TWENTY 89 HAIR DESIGN, 2089 HAYES ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RAYMOND WOO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 04/24/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/24/17.

MAY 04, 11, 18, 25, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037560400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NOAH MOVING, 68 PASADENA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed PENGFEI DONG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 04/17/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/17/17.

MAY 04, 11, 18, 25, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037554200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CHEZ NOUS CAFE, 1145 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed CHEZ NOUS INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 04/12/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/12/17.

MAY 04, 11, 18, 25, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037560700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TOP ROUND ROAST BEEF, 2962 24TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed WORK HARD 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 04/17/17.

MAY 04, 11, 18, 25, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037582000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ROOTS & BLOOMS, 1177 CALIFORNIA ST #1502, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BRITTNEY KERRIGAN. 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 05/03/17.

MAY 11, 18, 25, JUNE 01, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037583100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TRANSFORMA THERAPY, 842 CALIFORNIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ORLANDO ZUNIGA. 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 03/04/17.

MAY 11, 18, 25, JUN 01, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037588300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MAYDAY HAULING, 316 HAIGHT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DAVID DENSON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/22/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/05/17.

MAY 11, 18, 25, JUN 01, 2017

Section>>

t Classifieds

May 18-24, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 15

SUMMONS (FAMILY LAW) SUPERIOR COURT, VENTURA COUNTY,CALIFORNIA NOTICE TO RESPONDENT: JENNIFER IVEY, YOU HAVE BEEN SUED. PETITIONER’S NAME IS TIMOTHY CENICEROS CASE NO. D369912

You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this Summons and Petition are served on you to file a Response (form FL-120 or FL-123) at the court and have a copy served on the petitioner. A letter or phone call will not protect you. If you do not file your Response on time, the court may make orders affecting your marriage or domestic partnerships, your property, and custody of your children. You may be ordered to pay support and attorney fees and costs. For legal advice, contact a lawyer immediately. Get help finding a lawyer at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courts.ca.gov/selfhelp), at the California Legal Services website (www. lawhelpca.org) , or by contacting your local county bar association. NOTICE-RESTRAINING ORDERS ARE ON PAGE 2: These restraining orders are effective against both spouses or domestic partners until the petition is dismissed, a judgment is entered, or the court makes further orders. They are enforceable anywhere in California by any law enforcement officer who has received or seen a copy of them. FEE WAIVER: If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the clerk for a fee waiver form. The court may order you to pay back all or part of the fees and costs that the court waived for you or the other party. Clerk of the Superior Court by J. LUNA, Deputy. STANDARD FAMILY LAW RESTRAINING ORDERS: Starting immediately, you and your spouse or domestic partner are restrained from: 1. Removing the minor child or children of the parties, if any, from the state or applying for a new or replacement passport for those minor children without the prior written consent of the other party or an order of the court; 2. Cashing borrowing against, canceling, transferring, disposing of, or changing the beneficiaries of any insurance or other coverage, including life, health, automobile, and disability, held for the benefit of the parties and their minor children; 3. Transferring, encumbering, hypothecating, concealing, or in any way disposing of any property, real or personal, whether community, quasi-community, or separate, without the

written consent of the other party or an order of the court, except in the usual course of business or for the necessities of life; and 4. Creating a nonprobate transfer or modifying a nonprobate transfer in the manner that affects the disposition of property subject to the transfer, without the written consent of the other party or an order of the court. Before revocation of a nonprobate transfer can take effect or a right of survivorship to property can be eliminated, notice of the change must be filed and served on the other party. You must notify each other of any proposed extraordinary expenditures at least five business days prior to incurring these extraordinary expenditures and account to the court for all extraordinary expenditures made after these restraining orders are effective. However, you may use community property, quasi-community property, or your own separate property to pay an attorney to help you or to pay court costs. NOTICE - ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE HEALTH INSURANCE: Do you or someone in your household need affordable health insurance? If so, you should apply for Covered California. Covered California can help reduce the cost you pay towards high quality affordable health care. For more information, visit www.coveredca.com. Or call Covered California at 1-800-300-1506. WARNING – IMPORTANT INFORMATION California law provides that, for purposes of division of property upon dissolution of a marriage or domestic partnership or upon legal separation, property acquired by the parties during marriage or domestic partnership in joint form is presumed to be community property. If either party to this action should die before the jointly held community property is divided, the language in the deed that characterizes how title is held (ie: joint tenancy, tenants in common, or community property) will be controlling and not the community property presumption. You should consult your attorney if you want the community property presumption to be written into the recorded title to the property. The name and address of the court are SUPERIOR COURT, 800 S. VICTORIA AVENUE, VENTURA, CA 93009; The name and address of the petitioner’s attorney, or the petitioner without an attorney are: TIMOTHY CENICEROS, 257 N. LOMITA, OJAI, CA 93023, 213-3040862

MAY 11, 18, 25, JUNE 01, 2017

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037558500

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037593500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TE’SHELIMA, 121 9TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SARAH KIDANE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 04/14/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/14/17.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PROGRESSIVE PALATES, 17 SAN ANDREAS WAY, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NICOLE COOPER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 05/10/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/10/17.

MAY 11, 18, 25, JUN 01, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037578500

MAY 18, 25, JUN 01, 08, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037577400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NUG MEDICAL CANNABIS DISPENSARY, 1190 BRYANT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BI MZ1, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 04/28/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/01/17.

MAY 11, 18, 25, JUN 01, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037568100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HIGHER GRADE, 518 BRANNAN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed HGV GROUP, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 04/21/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/21/17.

MAY 11, 18, 25, JUN 01, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037565700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE CONFIDENT SPEAKER, 1740 BROADWAY #305, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RICHARD R. BANNIN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 04/28/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/28/17.

MAY 18, 25, JUN 01, 08, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037597200

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ebar.com

Vol. 47 • No. 20 • May 18-24, 2017

www.ebar.com/arts

Dorothea Lange’s unswerving eye

Summer at the movies by David Lamble

by Sura Wood

Dorothea Lange

he career of Dorothea Lange, the influential photographer who created some of the most iconic bodies of work of the 20th century, took a substantially different turn on a fateful day in 1933, See page 21 >>

Dorothea Lange, “Young Man at Manzanar Relocation Center” (1942). Collection of the Oakland Museum of California.

t’s great to report that summers are no longer a dead zone at the movies for adults. We’ve attempted to cover the waterfront starting with films that should appear in theaters in May. Caution: this list is culled from a slate of summer films some of which may never make it past the Hudson River or far north of Hollywood Blvd. See page 24 >>

From director Amir Bar Lev’s Long Strange Trip.

The fetus did it! by Erin Blackwell

enry James wrote what is perhaps the greatest “unreliable narrator” tale in the English language. The Turn of the Screw appeared in serialized bursts beginning in January 1898, making this its 119th anniversary. In book form, it runs to 100 pages and can be read swiftly in one sitting. The overcast of ambiguity spurs the unwary reader on, as if more unreliable words could resolve the central muddle. A reader who gives her trust to a delusional protagonist will be brought up short at the end. So it is with Prevenge, a wildly funny film opening Friday at the Roxie Theater. See page 23 >>

Scene from director Alice Lowe’s black comedy Prevenge.

{ SECOND OF THREE SECTIONS }

@LGBTSF

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<< Out There

18 • Bay Area Reporter • May 18-24, 2017

A city-dweller’s manifesto

Great grass-roots urban activist Jane Jacobs, from Citizen Jane: Battle for the City.

by Roberto Friedman

itizen Jane: Battle for the City, a documentary directed by Matt Tyrnauer now in theaters, is a good primer on the life of urban activist Jane Jacobs, author of The Death

and Life of American Cities (1961). Jacobs was key in developing grassroots opposition to neighborhooddestroying “urban renewal” in midcentury NYC. Her arch-nemesis was the powerful “master builder” Robert Moses.

Moses was responsible for the construction of critical infrastructure in New York, including some mighty bridges and tunnels. But he didn’t know when to stop, and his megalomaniacal plans for giant highways crisscrossing Manhattan would have destroyed Greenwich Village, SoHo, Little Italy and TriBeCa, the way his earlier projects decimated the South Bronx and East Harlem. Jacobs mobilized citizen support to protect what was left of the urban fabric, and thereby saved the soul of a great city. There’s very little in Tyrnauer’s film that any student of city planning or urban studies doesn’t already know, but the basic precepts of Jacobs’ thinking are certainly relevant for our times and our city. Here’s Out There’s take: City planning should be about people, not about buildings. You don’t start with the blueprint, you start with the existing street life, and plan out from there. Buildings that turn their backs to street life at

ground level are poisonous to cities. Streets and sidewalks only become safe spaces when there are “eyes on the street,” an intimate interplay between public and private spaces. Blank walls and parking garages do not supply this. Great cities are for everybody, not just for the rich and powerful. A great urban fabric is characterized by diversity: all kinds of people and activity, the mixed use of public space. You needn’t be a consumer to be a good citizen. A city’s parks and public spaces should not be privatized for the exclusive use of the wealthy. Every time Yerba Buena Gardens or Civic Center is closed off to host a private party for Oracle shareholders, Out There seethes inside. Single-passenger-use cars are the enemy of life in the cities. Pedestrians, cyclists, skateboarders, public-transit users, and carpoolers: all are kinder to public life than carbon-spewers speeding along in their private bubbles. Who best ex-

periences urban life? It sure ain’t the fat cat in the Uber. Perspicacious pal Pepi has a brilliant idea in response to mooks who like to drive by leaning on their car horns. Automobile manufacturers should be required to install a speaker inside their cars so that hoggy honkers can hear the level of noise pollution they’re making. Amplified. Urban development in China today is like Robert Moses on steroids. In the 21st century we’re seeing all of the mistakes of 20thcentury modernism play out in the booming new cities of Asia, except that the scale of construction is exponentially greater. Societies have to make their own mistakes? But there’s always the possibility of education, and redemption. Cities change, that’s what makes a city. But Jane Jacobs would insist we can manage the change. Be skeptical of the experts. Goals of enlightened urban planning are about more than making real estate developers, and the politicians who enable them, wealthy. Bay Area citizens, take back your cities! You have nothing to lose but your traffic jams.t

Sex among the simulators by Richard Dodds

it. When Alan Bennett writes that a character “uncoiled from his chair,” the sight of actor Soren Oliver as an oleaginous doctor adding just a fillip of exaggerated body language is a quick but jolly sight gag. There are repeated examples of this device in Word for Word’s current production, which merrily moistens the dry humor that Bennett brought to his 2011 volume of two short stories published as Smut, a collective title that belies Bennett’s gentlemanly approach to the sexual situations that arise in his heretofore genteel characters’ lives. Word for Word, a company dedicated to creating stage works from short stories without changing the authors’ prose, has chosen “The Greening of Mrs. Donaldson” from the two Smut stories for its treatment. On stage at Z Below, the results are sublime as an excellent cast in an unexpectedly elaborate production tells the tale of a recent widow who choses not to go gentle into that good night. For Mrs. Don-

aldson, that choice of cautious adventure turns into a big and obvious difference radical redirection. between fiction that is written Jane Donaldson, married for the page and fiction written for 30 years to an emotionthe stage is all those words – a.k.a. ally distant man with unalnarration – that come between loyed beliefs in traditional those times when the characters husband-wife roles, is only are actually speaking. A playwright vaguely saddened by his offers stage directions, indicating death. Despite pressure from a character’s gestures, attitudes, or her surly daughter worried expressions, but those words are about appearances, Mrs. unheard by the audience, and their Donaldson takes in a young intentions fall to the actors to incouple as lodgers, and then terpret. In fiction, dialogue doesn’t signs up to be part of a troupe necessarily reign as the supreme of “simulated patients” at source of communication, with a local hospital where they narration giving it context and flaare given various scenarios vor, with the characters’ words often on which student doctors Mel Solomon serving as periodic destinations in can practice their diagnostic Nancy Shelby, center, plays a landlady who is offered an usual form of rent the storytelling. skills and bedside manners. But when that narration is draShe becomes quite the star by her lodgers (Rosie Hallett and Andre Amarotico) in Word for Word’s Smut, matized, it can double up the effect, among the simulators, with an adaptation of one of Alan Bennett’s short stories. especially in a comic tale, as in the crafty improvisations that case of Smut: An Unseemly Story, challenge the students and partner. But if anyone runs away greening are the lodgers’ invitation where a narrated description of a earn the admiration of a superviswith the show, it’s Soren Oliver as to observe a bout of lovemaking in character’s behavior is often joined ing doctor who is clumsily trying to the supervising doctor, with his lieu of their tardy rent. The optics of by an actor’s emoting realization of court her. But more essential to her seemingly inexhaustible ability to the situation of the couple going at bring big laughs to narration that it with imaginative gusto along with only hints at that possibility. Oliver’s verbalizations of Mrs. Donaldson’s performance at a karaoke pub, singobservantly prim thoughts – and NEW CONSERVATORY THEATRE CENTER ing an overwrought version of Elton comparisons to the grim lovemakIN ASSOCIATION WITH SE ASON PRODUCERS: NORMAN AB R AMSON & DAVID B EERY John’s “Your Song” for Mrs. Doning with her late husband – become E XECUTIVE PRODUCERS: ROB ERT BU RKES & SON NGU YEN , CHARLES MAT TESON & OAKLE Y STEPHENS , TED TUCKER aldson’s benefit, is priceless. riotously funny. PRODUCERS: B EN N ET MARKS & KIM HARRIS , RICHARD M EISS & PE TER RU DY PRESENT We periodically return to the Nancy Shelby fits right into the pub, where different characters sing groove as Mrs. Donaldson, a woman cheesy pop tunes that somehow who has “knuckled under” her relate to their situations, but these whole life, and begins to blossom in sequences are entirely the invention her autumn awakening. Most of the of the resourceful adapter-director other actors play two or more charAmy Kossow. Word for Word was acters, and among the highlights are once known for its word-for-word Robert Parsons as a lecherous fellow presentations of short stories, but simulator, Delia MacDougall as this dictum has been loosened, both Mrs. Donaldson’s closest conand there are a number of small fidante among the simulators and changes and major edits that have as her humorless daughter, Patricia been made in Smut. But Bennett Silver as the diva among the simulaachingly real” approved the adaptation, and it’s an tors, and Phil Wong as a particularly opinion seconded here.t awkward student. LOS ANGELES TIMES Rosie Hallett and Andre Amarotico play the libidinous young Smut: An Unseemly Story will run lodgers, with Amarotico particuat Z Below through June 11. Tickets are $40-$60. Call (415) larly vibrant as the coyly seductive 626-0453 or go to zspace.org. and somewhat exhibitionistic male

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This week find Out & About and arts writer Tim Pfaff’s review of Colm Toibin’s new novel House of Names¸ online at ebar.com.

It’s amazing what a fossil can reveal. With massive, life-size models, an interactive flight simulator, real pterosaur fossils, and more—this new exhibit will leave a lasting impression. Fossilized forever, but only here for a limited time. Get tickets at calacademy.org Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (amnh.org)

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5/11/17 10:51 AM

<< TV

20 • Bay Area Reporter • May 18-24, 2017

Killing off the LGBT characters by Victoria A. Brownworth

pril may be the cruelest month, but for TV shows, May is. Season and series finales plus news of cancellations make it hard to let go of fave characters, especially the LGBT ones. No chance the trainwreck show out of Washington will be cancelled any time soon, though things do seem to be in escalation mode. But more on Trump’s illfated interview and the fallout with NBC anchor Lester Holt later. While many of our faves are safe for another season, we regret that some of the better LGBT programming will not be returning after this season. ABC has long been a leader in LGBT characterizations, and some of our fave network series are there, like the TGIT line-up: Grey’s Anatomy (this week’s show began with Arizona in bed with her new love, Eliza Minnick), Scandal (best gay male character on TV in Cyrus Beene, who has regular gay sex despite being 50+), How to Get Away with Murder (gay male coupling, plus HIV+ storyline) and The Catch (bisexual, gay & lesbian characters). We were sorry to see Scandal kill off Mrs. Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi, a few weeks ago. We were partial to her high-b Liz North character, who took political strategizing to a whole new level. But to say she got a slamming send-off would be to understate it. The Mystery Woman beat her to death with a golf club after she was unable to enlist the necessary help from Mellie.

Series creator Shonda Rhimes praised de Rossi, saying she would have kept her on the show through the end of the series next year, “but kidnapping is illegal.” De Rossi is starting a new career, leaving acting for now, and had asked Rhimes to have her character phased out. She got a spectacular send-off. Alas, like Liz North, several of ABC’s most LGBT-friendly shows have got the ax. Some of these cancellations shocked us. The Catch really took off in this second season and spread its bisexual wings (we see lots of bi women on the tube, but very few bisexual men like Rhys). So the May 11 season finale was, unless another network or cable picks up the spy caper, the series finale as well. American Crime is one of the best series on TV, and reading of its cancellation May 11 was stunning. The multi-Emmynominated series is the edgiest and most risk-taking show on network. Season 2 was about male rape at a private school between two gay students, one of the most compelling and disturbing stories we’ve seen in a long while. Season 3, which just ended, had a host of issues, all acutely political: opioid addiction, sex trafficking of teens (all genders), undocumented immigrant labor and domestic slavery and how they’re intertwined, and the crimes committed against these hapless victims. It was an extraordinary season, and the acting is sure to net more Emmy nods and wins from among the stellar anthology cast.

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Last month the show’s producers said season four would have focused on “women in the workplace,” with an emphasis on recent sexual harassment and assault questions raised by Fox News and Uber. We hope cable will decide to pick up the series or it will move to Netflix, Hulu or Amazon. Moving American Crime to Sunday night was clearly an error in the network’s judgment. It was never a good fit to have the show in the network’s fantasy lineup or pitted against strong cable contenders like Homeland. Also cut from ABC were Notorious, Secrets & Lies, Dr. Ken and The Real O’Neals, all of which had LGBT characters and storylines. Real O’Neals was the only gay-themed series on network, so its cancellation presents a real vacuum. We found it funny and poignant, and think it spoke directly to a younger teen audience. The CW fared better. While Vampire Diaries was scheduled for its final season last year, the network’s latest teen angst/thriller series Riverdale got approved for another season. This means the gay storyline with Kevin Keller (Casey Cott) continues. This is not your grandpa’s Archie comics. Two new shows on Fox that we really like, Shots Fired and 24: Legacy, are still in limbo, while Pitch has been cancelled. Ratings giant Empire has been renewed, as has queer-friendly Lucifer. Shots Fired and the new 24 series both have strong black leads. We hope this hasn’t influenced their being in limbo as they are both very strong dramas and address serious issues in serious ways. Plus Shots Fired has Aisha Hinds. New shows that are must-sees include a new sitcom on ABC, Downward Dog, which stars, yes, a talking dog. While that sounds just awful, it is not. It’s engaging, winsome and a little dark, debuting May 19, then moving to its regular spot May 23 (why do this, networks?). You can watch the trailer on YouTube. Nan (Allison Tolman) is a lost and confused millennial. Martin (voiced by Samm Hodges) is her lonely but thoughtful and wonderful dog that you will want to have even if you are, like we predictably are, a cat person. Three other shows you want to bookmark make their debut off network this month. Jill Solloway’s I Love Dick is her second series after the successful Transparent, and is also available from Amazon. The title should give you a head’s up. From Netflix, a new season of the brilliantly funny, incisive Master of None, as well as the return of the queer Sense 8, which we both loved and hated, but more often hated. Do with that what you will. Reelz premieres Autopsy: Prince on May 20, for those of us who still miss His Purpleness. More gayness returns with the new season of The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix May 19.

Peak moment

The biggest new show of May is the return of Twin Peaks 27 years later. The surreal drama created by director David Lynch and Mark Frost is back. It debuts on Netflix May 21, billed as Twin Peaks: The Return. Two episodes were selected to be shown at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, and Lynch has said he won’t be directing films any more, so this will be something to watch, even if you were not a cult devotee of the 1990 series. Top castmates of the 90s are back: Kyle McLachlan, Maedchen Amick, Sherilyn Fenn, Dana and Sheryl Lee. Plus Peggy Lipton and more. We. Can’t. Wait. House of Cards returns on May 30 for a fifth season on Netflix. Have we ever needed the Underwoods more? As long as Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright can keep up their end of the best political drama ever, we will be there for it. HOC once seemed so over-the-top. No more. Now it’s more docudrama headed toward straight documentary. Last week a friend of ours sent us a T-shirt that reads, “What Would Madame Defarge Do?” What indeed. We are so far past Dickens, we’ve moved straight to Stephen King’s The Stand. That dystopian TV miniseries is on Netflix: excellent time to revisit it. We watched Lester Holt’s interview with Pres. Trump on May 11 with that sense of foreboding one gets the night before major surgery. There are many lines that stick from that interview. When talking to Holt about his decision to fire FBI Director James Comey, investigating him for collusion with Russia in interfering with the U.S. election, Trump said, “In fact, when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, ‘You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story, it’s an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have won.’” Even Richard Nixon did not go on TV and say, “Yeah, I did commit obstruction to stop an election investigation, what exactly are you going to do about it?” On May 11, NBC News was promoting the interview with clips on Twitter. They also tweeted a photo of Holt, first black anchor of a solo weekly newscast, walking up the path to the White House with an umbrella and briefcase in the rain. It was the kind of photo that stays with you. It was a harbinger. As kids, our mother forced us siblings to sit in front of our blackand-white TV and watch the endlessness of the Watergate hearings. It was summer, and there were a bazillion things we would have preferred to be doing. But she insisted, “This is history in the making.” If you haven’t seen the entire Holt interview with Trump, watch at NBC. com. It is history in the making. Our fave Trump-related TV moment of the week was Anderson Cooper’s eye-roll at Kellyanne Conway on CNN’s prime time show Anderson Cooper 360. The Silver Fox

now has his own gif on Twitter with the eye-roll, which prompted Conway to complain on Fox & Friends on May 12 that Cooper was sexist for doing so. We are sensitive to this issue, despite our loathing of Conway. It is worth noting that Conway said she often faces sexism, which is both true and fair, given the way we’ve seen Conway discussed. She told Fox, “Can you imagine having a male anchor on a network roll [his] eyes at Hillary Clinton, a female representative spokeswoman for Pres. Obama or Pres. Bill Clinton? I think not.” We’ve seen male and female reporters and anchors do far worse to Clinton, so perhaps she wasn’t the best example, as we can’t recall a figure in American history who has faced more sexism. Valerie Jarrett didn’t lie to the media on a regular basis, so she didn’t inspire eye-rolls. We’re not dismissing the sexism charge. Nevertheless, Cooper’s was an eye-roll for the ages. We’re happy to report that Stephen Colbert’s ratings are way up after Trump started feuding with him and Trump deplorables started a campaign to get him fired for saying Trump sucked Putin cock. Colbert’s Trump work has been resistance-worthy in recent months. It’s come with some costs. The FCC is investigating Colbert for his penis-imagery skit about Trump, which prompted the Writer’s Guild of America to cry foul on May 11, saying they were “appalled” by the review. Yet Colbert soldiers on. In the May 11 Time magazine cover story on Trump, which is fullNixon, Trump said of Colbert, “You see a no-talent guy like Colbert. There’s nothing funny about what he says. What he says is filthy. And you have kids watching.” Says the pgrabber-in-chief. This being Trump, he couldn’t stop himself with one Colbert comment, he went on into full selfparody, telling Time Colbert insulted him because his show “was dying. They were going to take him off television, then he started attacking me and started doing better. When I did his show, which by the way was very highly-rated, it was high, highest rating. The highest rating he’s ever had.” On his May 11 show, Colbert fought back with humor, noting that he does “occasionally use adult language. And I do it in public, instead of in the privacy of an Access Hollywood bus.” Colbert admitted Trump got high ratings. “The only episode that got better ratings was the night I had Jeb Bush on. That’s right. You got beat by low-energy Jeb. But don’t worry, you won the ratings college. Since all of my success is clearly based on talking about you, if you really want to take me down, there’s an obvious way. Resign.” So for dystopian series and feelgood sitcoms, flights of fancy and wishful thinking, the return of Twin Peaks and all the news from Moscow – we mean Washington – be sure to stay tuned.t

Music>>

May 18-24, 2017 • Bay Area Reporter • 21

Spectacular vision of the end of days by Philip Campbell

wiss conductor Charles Dutoit has been a citizen of the world for most of his life, managing to make long musical partnerships with cities in Canada, England and the US. He is still a frequent flyer who regularly guests with the San Francisco Symphony. Dutoit’s recent fortnight of appearances at Davies Symphony Hall was a good example of his forthright musical approach and his well-established rapport with the Orchestra. He needed strong mutual understanding if his leadership of the massive Berlioz Requiem was to succeed. Postponed from a previous visit, this was finally an opportunity to hear top-flight musicians under Dutoit’s control in a work he has famously recorded with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and Chorus (he was Music Director for decades before a bitter parting). It was alleged he was too tough and condescending with the musicians, but that was then, and this is now. If his podium technique remains overbearing, you can bet the SFS players would let him know about it. With a work as huge as the Re-

quiem, an alert and focused traffic cop is simply de rigueur. And Berlioz needs an advocate who can not only manage the troops, but also fashion a convincing interpretation. The Requiem, Opus 5, is a thrilling vision of the end of days. Verdi scares us, Mozart and Faure offer some consolation, but Berlioz pulls all the stops out for a musical spectacular featuring brass stationed throughout the hall, a lone tenor soloist and massed choruses, all supported by an augmented orchestra. It is the apocalypse as adventure story, and Dutoit, already known for his mastery of Berlioz, clearly meant to highlight every component of the score while fashioning a cohesive listening experience. It was a smart but often surprisingly soft-edged approach that marshaled the forces through the 80-minute work with efficiency and intermittent drama, but little emotional commitment. Ragnar Bohlin’s SFS Chorus covered themselves with glory as expected, and the Young Women’s Choral Projects of San Francisco (Susan McMane, director) and Golden Gate Men’s Chorus (Joseph Piazza, director) added grandeur to the overwhelming experience.

Both photos: Dorothea Lange

Above: Dorothea Lange, “May Day Listener at Rally” (circa 1934). The Dorothea Lange Collection, the Oakland Museum of California. Below: Dorothea Lange, “Shipyard Worker, Richmond California” (circa 1943). The Dorothea Lange Collection, the Oakland Museum of California.

Dorothea Lange

From page 17

when she stepped out of her thriving San Francisco portraiture studio onto the streets and shot her first documentary photograph, “White Angel Bread Line.” The now-famous image chronicled the spectacle of a hungry, dejected man with his back to a rowdy crowd outside a soup kitchen near Filbert Street, one of many similar scenes playing out in the city at a time when the Depression was cutting deep. For Lange, who was around 40, the episode

marked an awakening to suffering in the wider world, and to the possibilities of using a camera to make an important statement about society. “Lange is someone who literally found her purpose in life one afternoon,” said Drew Johnson, curator of Dorothea Lange: Politics of Seeing, a new exhibition at the Oakland Museum of California that examines the photographer’s work in the context of the critical sociopolitical issues of her time. Among the 130 photographs on view are rare portraits of the artist that reveal the formidable woman

Tenor Paul Groves appeared as soloist (hey, no pressure there), and his contribution was clear and appropriately strong, if a bit effortful. The brass ensembles throughout DSH (how did they get some of them up so high above the Terrace?) were a majestic presence, and it was fun picking out individual faces. The rest of the Orchestra, notably the strings, could be easily heard, too, thanks to Dutoit’s carefulness. If DSH were more reverberant, the overall results might have been more inspiring, but the enthusiastic standing ovation was deserved. Last week Dutoit returned for a varied program comprised of national composers representing countries still part of the European Union. It was probably scheduled well before Brexit, but it lent the musical patchwork a unifying theme. Sibelius (yes, Finland is an EU member) contributed the first SFS performances of the catchy Karelia Suite (1893); Falla’s fiery Spanish soul was represented with Three Dances from The Three-Cornered Hat; and Mozart’s Viennese premiere in 1785, Piano Concerto No. 22, spotlighted an exquisite performance by noted interpreter Emanuel Ax. whom friends and family nicknamed “Dictator Dot,” including one taken shortly before her death in 1965 by Ansel Adams, with whom she had a complicated relationship. One also gets a taste of her range in unfamiliar works such “Little Man, Stepping Off a Cable Car” (1956), which appeared on the cover of Aperture magazine in 1950. With its ethereality, odd perspective and a disembarking passenger who might as well be stepping off the edge of the world, it’s the kind of picture Garry Winogrand could have taken years later. With access to Lange’s archive of more than 6,000 prints and 25,000 negatives, which was gifted to the museum nearly 50 years ago (she was based in Berkeley from the 1930s onward), it must have been tempting to pack the show to the brim, but Johnson, attuned to the danger of exhausting viewers, has been selective to the point of leaving some of those same viewers hungering for more. One minor caveat: the decision to exhibit work by several Lange inheritors. However deserving, they take space that otherwise could have been allocated to Lange, who doesn’t come close to wearing out her welcome in this exhibition. Aside from some brief explanatory paragraphs and a peppering of quotes from the artist, Johnson wisely lets the pictures speak for themselves, and they have a lot to say. Lange’s greatest gift was her ability to humanize her subjects. Whether they were beaten down and defeated by the Great Depression; migrants and farm families fleeing the devastation of the Dust Bowl; targets of pervasive racism in the deep South; or traumatized Japanese Americans, rounded up, forcibly displaced and shipped to internment camps during World War II, she had an unerring instinct for the small, telling, often heart-wrenching detail. In “Mended Stockings” (1934), for example, the crossed legs of a seated woman direct our attention to her hose, whose prominent, handstitched seams hint at her reduced circumstances. The ignominy of death for the poor lands like a punch to the gut in “Death in the Doorway” (1939), in which an unclaimed corpse, shot from a distance, lies at the entrance to a clapboard church in a migrant laborer shack-town. Lange’s compassion for the vulnerable was borne from her own early troubles. Her childhood was scarred by her father’s abandonment of the family, and by the polio she contracted at 7 that left her with

sohn’s Symphony No. 3, Scottish, this week with violinist Veronika Eberle joining him in the beautiful Schumann Concerto. Conductor Manfred Honeck partners with baritone Matthias Goerne for Shostakovich’s Suite on Verses of Michelangelo Buonarroti, rounding the program off with Tchaikovsky’s stirring Fifth Symphony.

Just 100 & still vital

SFS

Swiss conductor Charles Dutoit appeared with the San Francisco Symphony.

The really big finale was French composer Claude Debussy’s La Mer (1905). Dutoit’s strength matched the composer’s vision of the sea as mighty monster. The SFS musicians were ready, willing and able to follow his exciting lead. Other eminent guest conductors will be appearing at DSH through the end of May. Roberto Abbado will lead performances of Mendelsa permanent limp. She believed her disability and being “one of the walking wounded,” as she put it, enabled her to establish rapport with her subjects and earn their trust. The hallmarks of her work – deep empathy and respect for the dignity, strength and the individuality of the people she photographed – were hard-won. More than 70 years later, it remains difficult to look at her pictures of the shell-shocked Japanese Americans dispatched to internment camps during WWII. In 1942, the U.S. government hired Lange to document their so-called relocation, but given the devastating nature of her photographs, the project backfired, leading the military to seize and impound the images for the duration of the war. A plaintive sign above a Japanese grocery proclaiming, “I Am an American”; a grandmother in her Sunday best standing next to hastily packed belongings piled on the street; the unbearably bleak camp at Manzanar, a place one lives to forget, engulfed in a dust-storm; and the Stockton Assembly Center, where children wait outside barrack rooms the size of closets, are among the poignant images that memorialize a shameful chapter in American history, and still wrack the conscience. Lange’s tenure at the Farm Security Administration, which enlisted her to expose the plight of dispossessed farmers and Dust Bowl

Just 100: Homage to Lou Harrison-Gamelan Masterpieces will continue Other Minds’ memorial celebration of beloved gay composer Lou Harrison’s centennial with a performance that includes his gorgeous choral masterwork La Koro Sutro (The Heart Sutra, in Esperanto), for large mixed chorus, American Gamelan, organ and harp, conducted by Nicole Paiement (Opera Parallèle Artistic Director, Conductor and Founder). Curated by Other Minds Artistic Director Charles Amirkhanian, the concert on Sat., May 20, at Mission Dolores Basilica, 7:30 p.m., promises an exciting evening spent with friends and devotees of the late lamented, but happily feted Harrison. Info: otherminds.org/lou100/.t migrants, led to her most famous photograph, “Migrant Mother, Nipomo California” (1936). The stark black & white portrait of Florence Owens Thompson, a weatherbeaten 32-year-old woman, whose gaunt, careworn face became the definitive image of the Depression, took on a life of its own. Several versions are included here, along with mugs, T-shirts and key chains emblazoned with Thompson’s face, and newspaper articles where she expressed regret at being turned into a symbol of destitution, a perception that lingered long after her life took a turn for the better. “I didn’t get anything out of it,” Thompson lamented. “I wish she hadn’t taken my picture.” Lange’s Depression-era imagery strongly influenced John Ford’s film The Grapes of Wrath and the John Steinbeck novel on which it was based. In 1965, the author sent her a handwritten letter with his crooked letterhead stamp at the top. “There have been great ones in my time,” he wrote. “Surely, you are among the giants.” Lange received it three months before she died as she was preparing for a comprehensive exhibition at MoMA. She was the first woman photographer ever to be honored with a full retrospective at the museum.t Through Aug. 13. Info: museumca.org.

<< Film

22 • Bay Area Reporter • May 18-24, 2017

Broken promises & broken courage by Erin Blackwell

istory is never easy, but it is never so difficult as when a people have been systematically duped by their so-called democratic institutions. So it is that today, when Americans look at the world around them in bewilderment, they find absolutely no guidance from their history books or politicians. Like children, we are supposed to be incapable of withstanding the truth about our own foreign policy, and that of our parents. There are ways around this, there are independent journalists, and there are filmmakers. So you might be tempted to go see Angkor Awakens, a documentary or infomercial about Cambodia, opening Friday at the Clay. Sometimes you can tell right away where a documentarian is coming from, or at least get a sense of where she or he is heading, intuitively. Angkor Awakens – A Portrait of Cambodia kept me in suspense until minute 79 of 82 minutes’ total run-time. The word “development” inserted into an anodyne sentence provided the key to this not-somysterious compilation of bits and pieces of black-and-white archival

PhotoSynthesis Productions

A temple face in Cambodia, from Angkor Awakens: A Portrait of Cambodia.

footage, talking-head experts, fullcolor sweeping landscapes, and smiling young representatives of Cambodian youth. The movie is not a disinterested or critical history, but a backgrounder for investors and other global mercenaries.

“Cambodia can be anything, because we have reached a turning point,” are the last words of the film, spoken by a middle-aged native in precise English. They are such sad, haunting words for a once-proud, sovereign empire and sophisticated

around the CIA’s coup to overthrow Sihanouk, ignores the cause-andeffect involved in the subsequent reign of terror by the Khmer Rouge. Pol Pot, like other despots USA supports then denounces, makes a very convenient villain. Most of the film’s history lesson is devoted to bemusement over the subsequent killing of Cambodians by Cambodians. The level of hypocrisy is nauseating, the allusions by ex-government officials to Nazi Germany a delusional form of chutzpah. The history lesson ends with the arrival of Hun Sen, who rose to prominence in the fight to depose Pol Pot, got his start as foreign minister, and advanced to prime minister. The final 30 minutes lay the groundwork for getting rid of him, including tidbits from an opposition leader in exile, and cheery street demonstrations in which the youth of Cambodia in brightly colored baseball caps enthuse about some vague notion of freedom. A psychologist uses the term baksat, or “broken courage,” to describe the mass mental trauma suffered by the older generation. Now a nation of youth is apparently ripe for the picking.t

Alexandrian mysteries

Best Wedding Photographer as voted by BAR readers

by Tavo Amador

awrence Durrell’s Alexandria Quartet is among the greatest English-language literary achievements of the 20th century. In it, Durrell (1912-90) recounts the same events from four perspectives: Justine (1957), Balthazar (1958), Mountolive (1958) and Clea (1960). Set in the ancient city of Alexandria, Egypt, in the late 1930s, it is hypnotically atmospheric and a compelling analysis of the “truth.” In 1969, Twentieth Century Fox filmed Justine. It’s available in DVD. Shooting began under the direction of Joseph Strick (Genet’s The Balcony, Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man), who early on was replaced by an Oscar-winning WINNER Hollywood veteran, the openly Best Wedding Photographer Best Wedding Photographer as voted by BAR readers gay George Cukor (The Women, My Fair Lady). Lawrence B. Marcus wrote the screenplay. Like the 415 quartet’s first novel, the movie is narrated by the young school370 teacher and aspiring writer Darley 7152 WEDDINGS, HEADSHOTS, PORTRAITS (a super-sexy Michael York), who stevenunderhill.com · stevenunderhillphotos@gmail.com has returned to Alexandria after an absence of several years. He recalls his life-changing experiences as a Steven_2x5.indd 1 5/8/17 2:22 PM callow youth. Darley falls in love with the sweet, honest prostitute Melissa (Anna Karina), who is a belly-dancer at a club that features transvestite performers. He rescued her after she’d been drugged by some patrons. Melissa is the obsession of Cohen, a wealthy furrier who wanted to leave his wife and children for her, but she adamantly rejected his proposals. Darley soon meets the beautiful Justine (Anouk Aimee) and her fantastically rich husband Nessim (John Vernon). Pursewarden (Dirk Bogarde), an English diplomat, and Pombal (Philippe Noiret), a French diplomat, tell him about the illustrious couple. She is Jewish and reportedly had a daughter who was taken away from her as an infant. She searches for her in the child brothels of the city. Nessim is a Coptic Christian, half-Danish, halfEgyptian, who seems to ignore his wife’s repeated infidelities. His beloved, hotheaded, deeply religious younger brother Narouz (Robert Forster) disapproves of Justine. As Melissa had foreseen, Darley soon becomes Justine’s latest conquest. At first, he’s gloriously happy,

Steven Underhill

PHOTOGRAPHY

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culture, now doomed to be opened up for business. Odd that such a film should find distribution to a neighborhood platform for independent cinema, but these hybrid faux documentaries are more and more frequent, or I’m finally wise enough to spot them. The director, Robert Lieberman, a Cornell physicist, already produced one of these on Myanmar. Angkor Awakens is not wellmade. The first 22 minutes are a hodge-podge of multiple talking heads, none of whom is contextualized, who offer shards of a mosaic by way of unnecessary prologue. The next 30 minutes comprise a history lesson beginning in the 9th century, fleetingly and without depth. A perusal of Wikipedia would tell you the same. In 1860, Cambodia became a French protectorate, and in 1941 the well-beloved King Sihanouk took the throne and ushered in a modern golden age. Sihanouk, a true man of the people, was doomed to be crushed by Henry Kissinger, in his role as advisor to President Nixon. Angkor Awakens doesn’t lie about Nixon’s secret bombing of Cambodia, but it leaves out the part where USA secretly provides the means of Pol Pot’s coming to power, tippy-toes

5/17/17 9:24 AM

but soon becomes possessive and jealous. He’s amazed at Nessim’s polite acceptance of his wife’s infidelities. A character describes Justine as a “turnstile through which we must all pass.” But things are more complex than they seem to outsiders. The Copts fear the Moslems. Hence, Nessim bribes Memlik Pasha (Michael Constantine) and assures him that his fellow Christians will cause no trouble. But in fact, Justine and Nessim are behind an arms-smuggling operation that sends weapons to Palestine to arm Jews rebelling against British rule. Mountolive (George Baker), the English Ambassador to Egypt, arrives in Alexandria. He is engaged to Pursewarden’s sister but is unaware of the complexity of the relationship between the siblings. Mountolive has also heard rumors of the arms-smuggling, which he intends to stop. Marcus understandably takes considerable liberties in his adaptation. For example, Balthazar (Severn Darden) appears in only two scenes. Clea, a lesbian artist, is not present. Scobie, the cross-dressing character in the original, who is murdered by sailors, is absent. Instead we have Toto (Cliff Gorman), who flirts openly with the transvestite dancers and who makes his attraction to Narouz no secret. Cukor takes advantage of the location scenes to convey Durrell’s remarkable sense of place. Leon Shamroy’s fluid camera movements include rich, color-drenched setpieces, notably a Mardi Gras ball. One of the funniest moments in that sequence features Pombal, in drag, “seducing” his nemesis, the French Counsel General (Marcel Dalio), only to accuse him of attempted rape. Justine and Toto, dressed in identical red outfits, relish their respective anonymity. That anonymity becomes dangerous, however. Toto, wearing Justine’s distinctive ring, gropes Narouz, with unintended tragic results. Under Cukor’s expert guidance, most of the actors give excellent performances. York, perfectly cast, is superb, capturing Darley’s painful maturing after exposure to such complex, conflicted individuals. Bogarde is moving as the haunted

Pursewarden, especially in a memorable scene in which he reveals his deepest secret. Vernon is convincing as the sincerely religious Nessim, who nonetheless is capable of pimping his wife out to ensure the success of his illicit mission. Karina is touching as the simple, goodhearted Melissa. The transvestite dancers at the club adore her, and she them. Foster is suitably intense as Narouz. Gorman is memorable as the doomed Toto. Noiret is very funny as Pombal, and Albertson quite sympathetic as Cohen. Baker, Constantine, Dalio, Michael Dunn as a gossipy barber whose clients are the city’s elite, are all fine. Alas, Aimee fails to consistently convey Justine’s enigmatic, narcissistic, amoral nature, which makes her such a femme fatale. She’s almost inevitably placid and detached. Cukor, a noted director of actresses, complained bitterly that she made no effort to convey Justine’s conflicted character. Thanks to her large, Audrey Hepburn-like eyes and the sensational costumes by Irene Sharaff, she holds viewers’ attention, but ultimately emerges as a sphinx without a secret. The irony of the final scene seems lost on her. Jeanne Moreau would have been a better choice. Despite the disappointment of Aimee’s performance, the film is fascinating and worth seeing. Viewers shouldn’t expect a faithful version of a literary masterpiece. Instead, they should anticipate a visit to an exotic location with memorable characters living in a world long gone.t

Film>>

May 18-24, 2017 • Bay Area Reporter • 23

French meandering

Alec Baldwin, Diane Lane and Arnaud Viard in director Eleanor Coppola’s Paris Can Wait.

by David Lamble

aris Can Wait, from first-time director Eleanor Coppola, is in some ways the perfect early-summer fare: slick, semi-entertaining, and easily forgotten. The premise is workable if shopworn. A 50-something American housewife (thoroughly charming Diane Lane) finds herself trapped in Cannes with what Psychology Today magazine used to call a “Type-A” personality: a workaholic film-producer husband immune to shaming (little more than a cameo from the overbooked Alec Baldwin) who’s not only married to “the deal,” but more than likely is cheating with a stable of attractive babes half his age deftly stashed in every film capital around the globe. In the first act Anne’s excuse for not flying off to Budapest with this jerk is a pesky inner-ear infection. Plan B is for her to catch a ride to Paris with hubby’s French business partner (French actor-writer Arnaud Viard). At first it seems an odd choice, with Viard radiating little Gallic charm and frankly coming off as a kind of professional mooch out to scam free meals on somebody else’s Diner Club card. I’d love to report that our 90 minutes on the road with Anne and Jacques fly by, but sadly, no. It’s not excruciatingly awful, just dull, sort of like being trapped on Caltrain behind a couple

Prevenge

From page 17

This entire review is a spoiler and should really be read after you’ve seen the film, unless you need some convincing to spend your time and money to go see it. Good films are rare and to be savored for their surprises. Prevenge managed to consistently contradict my expectations by its steady stream of plot twists, shifts in mood, well-observed subversions, and abrupt crescendos that finished off carefully built sequences. To find oneself in the hands of a master, or in this case mistress, is a pleasure multiplied when one finds oneself in a spasms of laughter mixed with awe. Alice Lowe has been performing and writing very clever comedy over in England for some time, but I knew nothing about it. Her first feature as a director is brilliant in a Jennifer Saunders way, mordant, skillful, outrageous, and true. That a woman could write a script about being pregnant and turn the concept on its head in a manner reminiscent of Rosemary’s Baby, getting all the downtrodden, woman-alone, anti-male-privilege stuff right, is understandable. That she could also star and direct while actually pregnant is insane. If you have a stake in men’s selfimportance, or the empty pursuits of corporate culture, if you’ve never been on the receiving end of a male or female dickhead’s insults, you might not get the jokes. But if you have any sense of humor and some

whose banal conversation is pitched too loud to ignore but remains forgettable. The secret to a great road movie, one of the staples of both Hollywood and Indie-wood, is to trap two or more people in the company of folks they detest on sight. Claudette Colbert’s rich girl on the lam in Frank Capra’s groundbreaking It Happened One Night was pitted against Clark Gable’s cynical newshound who, for the first half of the picture, feigns little interest in the pampered brat except for the bounty offered by her wealthy papa. In Paris Can Wait, neither Anne nor Jacques radiates any obvious chemistry. At first, each inhabits their own movie, and even Anne’s impatience with her companion’s frequent snack breaks fails to rise above mild peevishness. Of course, they don’t know each other well enough to put on the gloves, and family politics encourage at least surface politeness. The result is like a series of trailers for a drama that never ignites. Even that surefire gimmick, the sudden highway breakdown, produces little besides a few stale under-the-hood jokes. The other way to rescue this torpid trip would be for the couple to run into some interesting hitchhikers, Coppola cousin Jason Schwartzman perhaps. Alas! The only saving grace is the food, so curiosity about what it must be like to carry the child of a man who was killed through avoidable human carelessness, this film will intrigue you. How can a woman grieve yet gestate? How can she want to die and still give birth? Tasked with bringing a new life into the world, where does she direct her rage? I’m being ponderous, unlike Prevenge, which is deft, insouciant, witty and efficient in its effects, setups, and storytelling. Ruth is a single pregnant woman whose man died on a seaside cliff in Pembrokeshire, in South West Wales. Contrary to every handbook for new mothers, the fetus emits clear high-pitched commands to its matrix to wreak revenge for the death of its progenitor. Ruth becomes a serial killer doing the bidding of her unborn fatherless child. The murders are richly deserved and awfully funny. The miracle of Prevenge is Ruth’s ambiguity, her resistance to the homicidal demands made on her by her fetus, her regret when she’s forced to off an innocent bystander. The tawdriness of the ploys she stoops to makes her cry. Ambiguity is also the crowning aspect of The Turn of the Screw, which similarly features evil children. Unlike James, Lowe appends an epilogue of sorts, when she awakes from her psychosis post-partum and sees her baby is a normal baby and herself a normal mum. This bit of anti-climax is the only thing approaching a flaw in an otherwise tour de force triple-threat slice of comic genius.t

well-photographed that I longed for that John Waters fantasy: the movie technology that would allow cast and audience to reach out and share the experience. In the best road comedy of our time, Little Miss Sunshine, the filmmakers fill their barely roadworthy yellow VW bus with a family whose members are barely on speaking terms, pressed as they are into attending a risible event, a beauty contest for 8-year-old girls. A highlight is the moment when an up-til-then mute teen (scenestealing Paul Dano) finally cracks and reads his travel mates to filth: “Divorce, bankruptcy, suicide! I hate you people!” The slickly produced Paris Can Wait lacks any spark of real feeling between characters who take up our time without the courtesy of letting us get to know them, for better or worse. Eleanor Coppola – a talented nonfiction writer whose 1989 volume Notes about hubby Francis Coppola’s disastrous experience filming his Vietnam War epic Apocalypse Now was a best-of-its-kind classic – here misses mining her fictional characters for precisely the believable quirks, warts and foibles that can make them believable. This film should be experienced, if at all, as a cable-TV time-filler. Instead, rent Francis Coppola’s terrific movies with a young Diane Lane The Outsiders, Rumblefish or The Cotton Club, or better yet, re-experience those funny, grouchy characters in Little Miss Sunshine.t

<< Film

24 • Bay Area Reporter • May 18-24, 2017

Summer movies

From page 17

The Drowning Josh Charles, late of CBS’ The Good Wife, appears as a forensic psychologist who saves a suicidal young man only to recall that their paths had crossed years earlier when Charles’ character testified against the kid as an expert witness. Bette Gordon adapts the Pat Barker novel Border Crossing. Co-stars Julia Stiles. Manifesto Cate Blanchett performs a baker’s dozen of monologue manifestos in a film adapted from live performances at New York’s Park Avenue Armory. Folk Hero & Funny Guy Standup comic Alex Karpovsky explores a comic nightmare scenario: the funny-guy slump. Karpovsky seeks redemption on a tour with a buddy, rock musician Wyatt Russell. Karpovsky’s aggressive style will turn off as many as it pleases. At his best he’s a slightly more abrasive Jerry Seinfeld. With Meredith Hagner, Michael Ian Black and Melanie Lynskey. Get Me Roger Stone This political doc spotlights a man you’ll love to hate: the op who gave us Trump. Stone, who’s a frequent Charlie Rose guest, specializes in negative ads, and the film should probe why this technique is so effective with the growing indie-swing voter. Also

appearing is The Donald’s fired campaign manager Paul Manafort. Hounds of Love This Perth, Australia-based thriller, reportedly based on a real case, follows the story of a young woman (Ashleigh Cummings) who’s kidnapped by a murderous couple (Emma Booth, Stephen Curry). King Arthur: Legend of the Sword One-time British Queer as Folk star Charlie Hunnam plays this reboot with a dash of irreverence. Jude Law is the King’s foil in this Guy Ritchie-directed adventure. Lowriders This East LA-set melodrama pits a Chicano street artist (Gabriel Chavarria) against his lowrider-loving dad (Demian Bichir). With Theo Rossi as his excon brother, Eva Longoria and TV’s Supergirl Melissa Benoist. Snatched Goldie Hawn and Amy Schumer are a battling motherdaughter combo abducted during a tropical vacation. Jonathan Levine directs Katie Dippold’s script. Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe A bio-pic tribute to the Austrian exiled writer whose writings were the basis for the films Letter from an Unknown Woman and The Grand Budapest Hotel. Tracktown This drama was inspired by the 2016 Olympics. Alexi Pappas is a US-born long-distance runner who competed for Greece. An athlete develops a crush on a

bakery worker while she’s recuperating from an injury. With Jeremy Teicher. Urban Hymn Set in 2011 riottorn UK, this redemption tale focuses on a troubled female teen (Letitia Wright) taken under the wing of a social-worker guardian angel (Shirley Henderson) to pursue her pop-singing dreams. Directed by Michael Canton-Jones. The Wall This Iraq-war-set story concerns a pair of American GIs (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, John Cena) targeted by an Iraqi sniper. A radio link between hunter and prey provides the basis for suspense in Doug Lyman’s drama. The Wedding Plan A 32-year-old woman (Noa Koler) gives herself three weeks to find a husband to fulfill her life-long dreams of a great ceremony. It’s Orthodox Jewish director Rama Burshien’s take on a Jane Austen-style story. Whisky Galore A Scottish coastal community out of their favorite drink confronts a ship captain (Eddie Izzard) who’s run aground with a full load on board. Based on a 1949 British comedy. Abacus: Small Enough to Jail Steve James returns with the drama of a tiny immigrantoriented bank. It’s a shout-out to a New York Chinatown family allegedly scapegoated for the sins of the big boys.

Afterimage The final film of the late Andrzej Wajda, who depicted the fall of the tyrannical Stalinist regime ruling post-WWII Poland. It’s the story of a painter (Boguslav Linda) who defied the Communist Party’s preference for “heroic/ socialist realism” art and saw his career crumble as a result. Alien: Covenant Ridley Scott is back with yet another lost-in-space horror fest. With Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Amy Seimetz, Demian Bichir, Danny McBride, Carmen Ejogo, and Michael Fassbinder, back as an android. The Commune The Danish Dogma director Thomas Vinterberg returns with a 1970s drama about a couple (Trine Dvrholm, Ulrich Thomsen) who launch an experiment in group living. Diary of a Wimpy Kid A reboot of Jeff Kinney’s wildly successful stories, with a new kid (Jason Ian Drucker) taking his parents (Alicia Silverstone, Tom Everett Scott) on a fun-filled road trip. Everything, Everything Young adult star Nick Robinson returns as the boy-next-door dreamboat for a girl (Amandla Stenberg) with a failing immune system. Based on the best-selling teen novel by Nicola Yoon. Fight for Space Apollo 13 astronaut James Lovell and star astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson argue

for a vigorous new governmentsponsored space program. Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and the Rise of ISIS Documentarymaking partners Sebastian Junger and Nick Quested describe how the Syrian Civil War laid the groundwork for the catastrophic rise of the Islamic State and its atrocities. Paint it Black The death of her boyfriend leads an LA woman (Alia Shawkat) into a hellish emotional bond with the guy’s mom (Janet McTeer). Amber Tamblyn directs from Janet Fitch’s novel White Oleander. The Survivalist A man (Martin McCan) living alone in a postapocalyptic forest is joined by two women (Mia Goth, Olwen Fouere). Wakefield Robin Swicord adapts E.L. Doctorow’s story. A man (Bryan Cranston) leaves his family to live in the attic of his garage. Jennifer Garner co-stars. The Woman Who Left A new work from Filipino director Lav Diaz, winner of the Golden Lion at Venice. Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan A ballet performance doc follows this New York City Ballet star through a 2014 injury. Long Strange Trip Director Amir Bar-Lev’s four-hour examination of the career of Bay Area super-band The Grateful Dead. (Continues next week.)t

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Shining Stars Vol. 47 • No. 20 • May 18-24, 2017

Brent Corrigan The popular porn star at The Nob Hill Theatre by Cornelius Washington

he Nob Hill Theatre continues its evolution into 21st-century erotica, with their premiere performance of one of the most prolific, hard-working, multi-talented, multi-tasking and scandalous studs in the history of pornography, Brent Corrigan. Yes, he has his own studio. Yes, the biopic King Cobra is about him. Whether you want to be in the audience, with him onstage, in front of the camera, behind the camera or doing a torrid 69 on top of the camera, check him out this weekend.

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Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

26 • Bay Area Reporter • May 18-24, 2017

Brent Corrigan and his boyfriend JJ Knight on set for Tony Dimarco’s video Deep Release.

Brent Corrigan in his early days in porn.

Brent Corrigan

From page 25

Cornelius Washington: I understand that your debut performances are highly anticipated. Are you aware of the theater’s history? Brent Corrigan: I’ve heard the theater mentioned in adult performer circles. This is my first time attending and performing in the space. I’m a bit intimidated, after looking into what an illustrious fixture it has been for queer men! When did you begin performing live and why? I did my first live performance on cam four or so years ago. I was seeking a way to lower the pressure and stakes for me when I was on set. I think my first performance at an event was about a year later. I’m a late bloomer in this regard! What’s your favorite aspect of

your live shows? I truly am an exhibitionist at heart. I am most comfortable in my own skin. It’s letting myself just be the best version of me that can be tough sometimes. I have great expectations of the performers who work for me when I direct. But I’m even harder on myself. Describe your most memorable audience member encounter. When I was performing in Beijing, one guy rushed the stage and leapt into my arms! I think I actually still have the video in an old iPhone. I was just dancing, thankfully. When did you first begin to acknowledge and embrace your sexuality, and how did it manifest itself? I was 16 when I moved to San Diego to live with my mother. The distance and separation from my

siblings and father allowed me to work out who I was inside and who I wanted to be in the world. I came out to my mother as gay when I was 17. However, my mother found out about my infamous adult industry connection when she read an article in Rolling Stone magazine. It was an article about my first producer’s murder and my connection with the man, while he was living. It’s my understanding that your first boyfriend was older than you, and that he introduced you to a pretty fast lifestyle. How did you escape it and what’s your advice to young men who currently are where you were? “Jake” and I weren’t meant for the long haul. I mean, what kid chooses his life partner successfully at 16? I escaped it by escaping him. It took months for me to sever ties with him, although, he was the catalyst in revealing my true age to the world. He became embittered, and couldn’t accept that we all needed to move on. Your experience with Cobra Video, and its tragedies, has been well-documented, and made into the film King Cobra. Now that the case is concluded and all matters have been settled, what valuable lessons from that period of your life, about yourself and others, will you always keep with you? In retrospect, it’s difficult to determine what I learned from which experience. I view my background and experience in the adult industry as a solid chunk, not in chapters. Sadly, after Harlow Cuadra’s trial was over and I was, in a sense, released from my moral duty to Bryan (the murder victim and owner of Cobra), I didn’t take the much-needed time to reflect on it all. I believe that’s why a lot of troubling behavior occurred a few years later. You’ve owned studios and websites for some time. When and why did you create them? I launched my first site after the truth about my underage work began to circulate fairly heavily. It was intended to set the record straight and show the industry my intentions and support. I never wanted to hurt anyone or jeopardize the status quo of the adult industry. I’m relaunching TheNewBrentCorrigan.com Memorial Day Weekend, and officially announcing casting for a reality show I am developing called Next Top Bottom. Describe your ideal fantasy porn scenario, as a director/producer. I want to start shooting three- to

five-minute-long guerilla scenes. There’s an amazing new low-light camera out there that I need to start saving for. It’s $3,000, but, totally worth it. Can you imagine what we could do without setting studio lights?! Fantasy porn?! I’m so into themes from antiquity; 20-minute scenes on period sets, with guys in costumes. Casting would be in line with what was deemed attractive for the era.

Tell us about your relationship; how long have you been together? JJ Knight and I met in Beijing, initially. It was a casual connection, about three years ago. Then, randomly, years later, we were on a Falcon shoot together. He’s been working well with me as an associate producer on Next Top Bottom. He’s a fast learner! But our love connection is very new. I have never felt this way about anyone in my life.

Your studio’s very pro-safe sex in an industry that’s becoming more bareback by the second. Please detail your position on the subject, and have you received any industry pushback because of it? I am frustrated that the healthiest men are having the riskiest sex in porn. If we must bareback, serosorting works. However, people don’t really know what it means to be negative, “unsure” or undetectable. I no longer stand by condoms in any and all environments. I believe in educating about safer sex practices. Let’s be real. Condoms won’t always be used. So to act like they are the only safe mode of sex (on and off set) is antiquated.

What item of clothing do you wear that gets your boyfriend going, whenever you wear it? He loves me in a great pair of jeans and cowboy boots. I’ve gotten him into a little bit of leather. He didn’t understand what leather was about before I came along. I like to think that I’m helping him understand a lot of queer culture that might be easily judged or misunderstood. I told him they aren’t ‘ass-less chaps,’ Just chaps. All chaps are ass-less!

What aspects of filming mainstream films did you bring with you when you returned to adult films? Pre-production planning, the need to tell a story through showing and not telling (little dialogue), and an insistence to address affirmative action in model/performer hiring. I don’t care what they say. Gay men come in all shapes, sizes, colors and ages, and you can find a sexy one in just about all of those. Unfortunately, it’s a constant struggle right now with my parent producer to let me find the guys that embody that. Casting is personal with a filmmaker. When the boss insists on approval, it complicates an already treacherous endeavor. You display a lot of courage and risk-taking when tackling professional projects and personal situations, with more than a few successes. What propels you to take on these challenges? I honestly have no idea any more. I have PTSD from living in a state of heightened fear and anxiety during Bryan’s murder investigation and Harlow’s trial. It has severely affected my ability to deal with social situations. But, somehow, I excel as a producer. I plan like crazy. I’m detail-oriented. I fixate, and I expect perfection or something as close to it. We never get everything we want or need in production, but aiming for the best is a great start.

You’ve had one hulluva ride, and you’re only 30! What’s next for Brent Corrigan? Next Top Bottom! It’s the biggest thing I’ve ever embarked upon. We are currently casting for that. I hope to direct more for Naked Sword, but I’m used to moving and shaking faster than Falcon Group is. I am ready to shoot and direct for just about anyone who likes the kind of thing I did in UltraFan. Of all of the things you’ve learned, what’s the most important, that you want to share with your friends, fans and the LGBTQ community, at large? Support your tribe. You love porn? Buy a bit of it from time to time. Always be humble and kind. Above all else, even when it feels like you’re being pulled a million different directions or you can’t figure out who the world thinks you should be, just live your life the way the universe intended! Be the best version of you that you can be.t

Read much more with Brent Corrigan at www.ebar.com/bartab Brent Corrigan performs at The Nob Hill Theatre, May 19 & 20, in two sex shows a night with JJ Knight. $25. 8pm & 10pm. 729 Bush St. at Powell. 397-6758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com Follow Brent Corrigan at twitter.com/brentcorrigan To see Cornelius Washington’s erotic photography, visit www.cuirphoto.com