May 2, 2019 edition of the Bay Area Reporter

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Checking in with Rahaim

Time to plant that pot

ARTS

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SF Silent Film Fest

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Vol. 49 • No. 18 • May 2-8, 2019

Battle tested, Nicholson ready to lead SF Fire Department

by Matthew S. Bajko

Courtesy KGO-TV

Lance Silva, left, a onetime suspect in the murder of Brian Egg, was released from jail last week.

Friends shocked at Egg suspect’s release from jail

by Ed Walsh

N

eighbors, family, and a San Francisco supervisor are expressing anger, shock, and concern over the release of a man who had been arrested in connection with the death of Brian Egg, 65, a gay man whose decomposed torso was found in a fish tank in his South of Market home last summer.

As the Bay Area Reporter first reported online last week, Lance Silva was released from jail Wednesday, April 24.

Silva, 40, was being held on an Alameda See page 12 >>

CA LGBT inmates detail life behind bars

by Alex Madison

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GBT inmates in the California prison system allege a culture of sexual abuse, discrimination, and, for some, violence.

The Bay Area Reporter has corresponded with a small group of inmates, who are, or were, part of an LGBT support group at California Medical Facility in Vacaville. They shared their experiences, how current law aimed to protect them is working, and what they feel should be done to help mitigate the disproportionate injustices LGBT people face in jail.

“We live in an environment where we are barely tolerated, often ridiculed or disrespected, misgendered, humiliated, abused, assaulted, sexually assaulted, raped, and attacked,” wrote Yekaterina Wesa Patience, a trans woman at CMF, an allmen’s facility.

Another CMF inmate, Cole M. Bienek, a gay man, said, “I’ve been locked up for 34 of my 49 years. I’ve fought a long hard battle to figure myself out while trying to survive in a toxic environment, and I have a need to live an authentic life.”

Bienek is serving a sentence of 16 years to life for second-degree murder. He was 18 when he killed a man he went home with.

In letters some of the inmates describe how there are no protections against other offenders See page 6 >>

A

decade ago Jeanine Nicholson and five other firefighters survived being severely injured fighting an arson fire. She ended up with burns over 15% of her body, while several of her male colleagues suffered even worse injuries.

Then came her diagnosis in 2012 of having an aggressive form of breast cancer. She underwent a double mastectomy and 16 rounds of chemotherapy as she fought her way back to being healthy and able to return to work.

“While I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, it was an absolute learning and growing experience for me to go through that and come out on the other side,” said Nicholson during a recent interview with the Bay Area Reporter at the fire department headquarters. “So going through something like that certainly helped prepare me, you know.”

Those experiences have steeled Nicholson, 54, known as “Neen” to her friends, for the latest challenge she will confront. Monday, May 6, Mayor London Breed will swear in Nicholson as San Francisco’s next fire chief, overseeing a department with more than 1,700 personnel.

“I am honored and humbled and gobsmacked,” she said. “It is an incredible honor and opportunity.”

As the B.A.R. noted in March when her appointment was announced, Nicholson will be the city’s

Rick Gerharter

Retired San Francisco Department of Emergency Management head Anne Kronenberg, left, hugs Deputy Fire Chief Jeanine Nicholson at a recent Golden Gate Business Association mixer.

first LGBT fire chief and one of only a handful of out leaders to oversee a major city fire department. The 25-year veteran of the fire department is succeeding Chief Joanne Hayes-White, who is retiring Sunday.

“The response that I’ve gotten has been really just supportive and warm and just wonderful.

I really, really appreciated all the support and well wishes of people,” said Nicholson, currently the fire department’s deputy chief of administration overseeing support services, homeland security, human resources, investigative services, and See page 6 >>

Appel, Bernstein head home after collision

B

by Madison Silva erkeley school board president Judy Appel and her wife, attorney Alison Bernstein, continue to make remarkable recoveries following a collision in which both were hit by a car in January.

Appel recently sent out an email providing more details about the couple’s healing. Bernstein is now at home, and Appel was expected to return home this week, she wrote.

“Right now we are both doing a rehab program,” Appel wrote.

On January 5, shortly after midnight, Appel and Bernstein were using the crosswalk on Martin Luther King Jr. Way near Stuart Street when an 81-year-old male driver struck them with his car. The couple, who have two children, were reported to have been walking back to their Berkeley home at the time of the collision.

Berkeley police have investigated the incident.

Officer Byron White, a police spokesman, told the Bay Area Reporter last week that the man, whose name was not released, was not arrested.

“The driver is the responsible party for the collision, which appears accidental,” White wrote in an email.

Appel wrote in the April 10 email, sent through Lotsa Healing Hands and obtained by the B.A.R., that she and Bernstein were initially taken to the intensive care unit at Highland Hospital, as was reported at the time. The women

Courtesy Judy Appel

Alison Bernstein, left, and Judy Appel continue to recover after being hit by a car in January.

were later moved into the rehab unit there in the following weeks.

As was previously reported, Bernstein suffered a brain injury, as well as skeletal fractures, and Appel suffered several fractures along the left side of her body. The GoFundMe account for Appel and Bernstein raised over $14,000 to help cover their medical bills and is no longer active.

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The women were later transferred to the acute rehab program at John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek, Appel wrote.

“About three weeks ago, Alison went to the Center for Neuro Services in Emeryville, and I followed about a week later,” Appel wrote.

“This program is really helping us heal. We have See page 6 >>

<< Community News

2 • Bay Area Reporter • May 2-8, 2019

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t Church St. vacancies easing, property group tells residents

by David-Elijah Nahmod

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real estate investment firm that has a lot of properties in the around the intersection of Church and Market streets updated residents Monday, April 29, saying that progress has been made in filling vacant storefronts.

Officials from Veritas spoke to audience members, and noted the meeting was a follow-up to one held last year that was called by gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman while he was a candidate for the office. At the time, the storefront vacancy rate around the Castro and upper Market business district was 12-15%. Mandelman called for this week’s meeting as well.

It was held at the new offices of the Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District, at 693 14th Street. It is right around the corner from Church and Market.

In addition to representatives from Veritas, officials from Mission Dolores Neighborhood Association, Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association, Castro/Eureka Valley Neighborhood Association, Castro Merchants, the CBD, and Maven Properties attended the meeting.

“Some of you may recall that a little over a year ago some of the neighborhood groups and I convened a meeting,” Mandelman said. “There was much concern at the time by what seemed to be a clearing out of retail and restaurants in this Church Street corridor. We had a meeting then with Veritas, one of the major property owners here, and they made a few commitments. One of the commitments was to get more involved in neighborhood organizations.”

Mandelman thanked Justine Shoemaker, assistant manager for Veritas, for consistently showing up at meetings of various organizations and for providing the community with updates.

Rick Gerharter

Veritas representatives Andrew Silverman, left, and Justine Shoemaker, gave an update at a community meeting Monday on the status of retail vacancies in the Church and Market streets area.

“I continue to see a lot of vacancies here and I hear from my constituents about their ongoing concerns, so we felt it was time for an update to the community with Veritas-owned properties in this area,” said Mandelman.

Santino DeRose of Maven Retail, part of Maven Properties, Veritas’ broker, said that his firm was working hard to lease many of the spaces in the neighborhood, and that progress has been made.

Before she began her update, Shoemaker said that she works exclusively with Veritas’ retail properties. She listed all of the Veritas properties on the Church/Market corridor: 2075 Market Street, 235 Church Street, 2339 Market, 2099 Market, 210 Church, and 252 Church. She noted that Veritas does not own the building that housed the former Aardvark Books, nor does it own 215 Church, where a new restaurant called Cook Shoppe is set to open May 6, according to Hoodline. Cook Shoppe is occupying the storefront where the recently shuttered Chow had operated.

Shoemaker then informed attendees about the businesses that have leased

Racism allegations roil East Bay drag court

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Veritas properties, such as the Boombox Studio, a fitness training facility that opened at 2109 Market Street.

Also coming is the upscale restaurant Gramercy Park, which will operate at 212 and 216 Church Street. Shoemaker noted that the space was being built to look like a park, which is where the name comes from. Gramercy is slated for a June or July opening.

“They will be open late, which is what I think this corridor needs,” Shoemaker said. “And next door they’re opening up a Gramercy Park take-out in the smaller space.”

Opening at 235 Church is Il Casaro, an expansion of a popular pizzeria and mozzarella bar that has operated in North Beach since 2014.

“He’s had a tough go of it, trying to get it open,” said Shoemaker. “It’s been really challenging, from the soft story retrofitting that was done in this space to the electrical to the upgrades to the plumbing to the gas, but finally we’re there. He has gotten all of his permits signed off. Pretty soon he’ll be opening his doors, so we’re very excited about that.”

See page 12 >>

T

wo former board members of the Imperial Star Empire, a chapter of the International Imperial Court System that represents Alameda and Contra Costa counties, are demanding the group’s elected monarch, Regent Empress XL Jessica Avalon, be stripped of her title following allegations of racist remarks she made to them in January.

Viva Commotion, also known as Monolito Wilson, and his husband, Princess Monet Sparkles, also known as Moses Green, were given the titles of Her Most Imperial Highness Imperial Crown Princess XL and Her Most Imperial Highness Imperial Crown Princess Royale XL, respectively, by Avalon in September. According to Commotion, when he asked Avalon in January about her expectations of them, she responded, “I hate to say this, but for lack of a better word, you are basically my ‘stepin fetchits.’”

The racist term is a reference to a 1930s African American vaudeville persona whose name was a play on “step and fetch it.” Commotion and Sparkles are both African American.

Avalon is white.

When Commotion and Sparkles brought attention to Avalon’s comment, their titles were suspended in February and they were removed from the board in April.

“I was removed for speaking my

Courtesy Moses Green

Viva Commotion, aka Monolito Wilson, left, with his husband, Princess Monet Sparkles, aka Moses Green

truth,” said Commotion. He added that after the incident, most of Avalon’s court members – many of whom were his friends and court family – dropped out of the organization.

“Her court had about 12 people in it; 10 of them dropped out. That’s part of why she initially got so mad,” he said.

Deneka St. James held the title of Absolute Govern Empress XXV before it was suspended. She had been involved with the chapter for 18 years.

“I spoke up about the racism

from the empress, and said we should not be dealing with this in 2019,” St. James said in a phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter.

St. James added that 13 years ago, she was accused of misappropriating organization funds while she was board president. She denied the allegations, which she said involved her writing a personal check for a court event and then seeking reimbursement, which she said was the practice back then.

“They’re trying to come up with any bullshit they can to try and make me look like I was inappropriate as a president, all because I called them out on their racism,” she said.

The Imperial Star Empire, or ISE, was established in 1978, 13 years after the Imperial Court System was first founded in San Francisco. The court system’s chapters, or empires, operate as individual nonprofit organizations that raise funds for various charitable causes through drag shows, balls, galas, and other events.

Together, the court system’s 65 empires make up one of the world’s oldest and most extensive LGBT organizations.

When confronted about her comment, Commotion said Avalon’s response was that “stepin fetchit” is customary slang among court monarchs to describe lowerposition members, and that she isn’t See page 12 >>

Community News>>

t GAPA troupe to perform in Asian American festival

May 2-8, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 3

by Charlie Wagner

I

n three shows scheduled for May 10-12, the Gay Asian Pacific Alliance will present “Finding Your Voice,” a collection of original works written and performed by members of the GAPA Theatre Group at Bindlestiff Studio in San Francisco.

The show is part of the 22nd annual United States of Asian America Festival, presented by the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center and the Asian American Women’s Artists Association. The festival itself runs through June 22.

The festival’s theme is “Collective// Memories.”

Cesar Cadabes, 58, is the artistic director of the GAPA Theatre Group.

GAPA was formed in 1987 and Cadabes had joined in its early days, simply because “there were not a lot of opportunities for gay Asian men to socialize,” he said. His route to becoming an actor and later the artistic director was more complicated, and related to how his life had taken some unexpected turns in the late 1980s.

Cadabes first discovered his interest in performing after he volunteered for a speakers program called Wedge run by the San Francisco Department of Public Health. Wedge organized volunteers to talk with young people in San Francisco high school classrooms about what they were experiencing as HIV-positive gay men.

Cadabes was an enthusiastic speaker because he found he enjoyed being in front of an audience.

“Wedge instilled in me a concern for stories about our communities, whether you’re queer or HIV-positive,” he recalled. “It was a way to advocate and be political.”

That experience motivated him to help organize GAPA’s response to the HIV epidemic in 1988. That program later became part of the Asian and

Courtesy GAPA Theatre Group

Members of the GAPA Theatre Group will perform as part of the Asian American Arts Festival.

Pacific Islander Wellness Center, now known as the San Francisco Community Health Center.

And, in 1994, it motivated him to be a founding member of GAPA’s first theater program.

“Our goal was to promote queer Asian stories, as well as to educate and combat stigma about HIV in the Asian Pacific Islander community,” he explained.

Cadabes remembers the group’s productions would “talk about sex and the dynamics of dating Asian and other men.”

“Our friends were dying and we stepped up to the plate,” he added.

Cadabes left San Francisco a few years later, but when he moved back in 2008, the GAPA Theatre Group was no longer active. So, in 2015, Cadabes said he “started getting my feet wet” at Bindlestiff Studio, a multi-media performing arts venue that features Filipino and Filipino American artists.

He wanted to do something that he felt was “a political or cultural expression.” In 2017, he helped resurrect

GAPA Theatre, “partly as a response to the last election, when we started seeing people like [President Donald] Trump doing this narrative about people of color.”

Fast-forward to late 2018, when the revived theater group’s growing energy inspired it to apply for, and be awarded, a grant from APICC to sponsor its participation in the USAA Festival. A month later, the group started playwriting workshops to develop material for the USAA show.

“As folks became more confident,” Cadabes said, “they wanted to move forward with their playwriting. Ultimately, the group developed three single-person narratives and four multi-person vignettes.”

Diverse stories

The three narratives were written by, and about, an especially diverse group: a Vietnamese man born and raised in Poland, describing his move and adjustment to San Francisco; a 20-something Hmong gay man in

the San Joaquin Valley, portraying how his bond with his mother gives him strength as he discovers himself; and an older biracial gay man, talking about his identity.

For writer and performer Dennis Wong, his piece about his mother was something that spoke to “the approval and love of our parents” that “are treasures that we innately and tirelessly strive for consistently throughout the Asian American diaspora.”

“I’m excited to share my ‘Summertime Magic’ on stage about a journey I took with my mother to build a loving and understanding relationship,” he wrote in an email, “and hope my story will uplift and remind others of how valuable and heartwarming the love of a parent can be.”

The four multi-person vignettes include: “Hear me out,” about a young gay Asian man struggling to express himself; “Bravery,” about the lasting impact of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” on a gay couple serving in the army; “Different Boy,” about a mother teaching

her son to be who he is; and “Lunar New Year,” about a Chinese gay man finding connection and commonality with his father through the process of dumpling making.

Kevin Lim is the writer and performer of one of the vignettes.

“My short play, ‘Lunar New Year,’ is a letter of gratitude to my parents for all the support they’ve given to me on my artistic and personal journey,” he wrote in an email. “Hopefully, this play will be an opportunity for those struggling with navigating family dynamics and alternative cultural identities to reevaluate the way they balance their relationships and, ultimately, find fulfillment within themselves and their families.”

This is the first time the GAPA Theatre Group worked with APICC on the festival.

“They are great at getting together very diverse group of people,” Cadabes said. “And they always include LGBTQ folks in this festival.”

As a news release stated, “What is unique about GAPA Theatre is that stories come from the members and their lived experience.”

“The information they are sharing is pretty incredible,” Cadabes said. “It’s Mother’s Day on May 12 and some are considering inviting their parents.”

On Saturday, May 4, GAPA is holding a “GAPAret” benefit to raise money for the group’s Pride contingent.

It will be hosted by the current Miss GAPA, Shumai, at Manny’s, located at 3092 16th Street in San Francisco. t Tickets for “Finding Your Voice” are $15 and can be purchased at https://bit.ly/2V8EHC1. For more information about that or the May 4 event, email gapa.theatre@ gmail.com.

For information about the USAA Festival, visit http://www.apiculturalcenter.org/usaaf.

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4 • Bay Area Reporter • May 2-8, 2019

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t

Prez hopefuls need better LGBT answers T

he quest for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination has just begun with 20 declared candidates, but already, two have stumbled on answers about LGBT issues. As the primary campaign unfolds, we hope all candidates offer policies to protect LGBT rights, particularly since President Donald Trump and his administration have spent the last three years rescinding and repealing protections, while implementing new discriminatory measures like the trans military ban.

California Senator Kamala Harris and gay South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg each appeared separately during April 22 town halls on CNN. Both generally gave satisfying answers during the forums, but each either made mistakes (Harris) or missed an opportunity (Buttigieg).

Harris

Harris, as former California attorney general and former San Francisco district attorney, is well-known to readers. In response to a question from the audience about “protections” she would provide to the LGBTQ community, she said she has been an ally to the community her entire career and life. And she spoke about her decision as AG not to defend Proposition 8, the state’s samesex marriage ban that, at the time of her taking office, was embroiled in a legal fight.

“And I’ll tell you my background on this,” she said. “I was, as attorney general, it was one of the pivotal issues in my race to become attorney general, whether or not the elected attorney general would defend a patently unconstitutional law which denied same-sex couples the right to marry.

I said I would not defend it because I knew it to be unconstitutional. I won, and I did not defend it. Prop 8 went to the United States Supreme Court. We won, and the wedding bells rang across the country. I’m very proud of that.”

Harris took some criticism for her decision not to defend Prop 8, especially since she personally opposed the death penalty but chose to defend the state’s capital punishment law. In the ensuing years, critics have asked, what’s the difference? She was opposed to Prop 8 and didn’t defend that, yet she’s opposed to the death penalty but defended it in her role as attorney general.

Her stance reinforces criticism that Harris is too cautious with an eye on higher office. A more cynical analysis might say Harris was pandering to LGBT residents, who vote, and was unwill-

ing to rock the boat on the death penalty – and inmates can’t vote. (That issue was also debated among the candidates at the town hall, after Senator Bernie Sanders said during his appearance that all prisoners should be able to vote.

When Harris was asked, she said she thought people should have a “conversation” about the issue. Buttigieg flatly said no, prisoners lose rights when they’re incarcerated, though he supported voting rights being restored once people have served their time.)

On transgender rights, Harris either misspoke or misgendered people.

“I will tell you, you’ll remember the tragic cases involving transgender men who were killed, and there was this defense that was happening in court where the murderer was calling it the gay panic defense. ‘Oh, I panicked because I didn’t know he was gay and therefore I should not be convicted of murder.’ And this was happening around the Matthew Shepard case, around that era,” she said.

We think Harris meant to say trans women, since she was aware of the issue before. She was San Francisco DA in 2005 when the second trial was held for the murderers of trans teen Gwen Araujo in Alameda County. That case drew wide coverage in the Bay Area, and there were rallies in San Francisco in support of Araujo and her mom, Sylvia Guerrero. It was also around this time that Harris held a symposium for other DAs around the trans and gay panic defenses, as she noted during the town hall.

“When I was district attorney of San Francisco, knowing this was happening, I brought DAs from around the country to San Francisco where I hosted and created a training for prosecutors around the country on how to defeat the gay panic defense,” she said.

Going forward, Harris needs to communicate accurately about the different issues facing trans men and trans women. This simple mistake unleashed an unintended firestorm on social media questioning her knowledge of the issues. While both groups certainly face violence, it’s the murders of trans women across the country that is a national problem – and has been for years. Unfortunately, the trans panic defense, similar to gay panic, is alive and well and defense attorneys use it because it works.

One more thing, Harris also goofed last week when she said she would “pass” the Equality Act

on day 1 of her presidency. We’re pretty sure she meant to say “sign” the act, as presidents don’t actually pass legislation.

Whether she’s nervous at these town halls or is not briefed by staff, her campaign, which did not respond to an email seeking comment about these matters, needs to avoid preventable missteps.

Buttigieg

As a gay man running for the highest office in the land, Buttigieg can expect a lot of questions about LGBT issues. So far, he has answered most of them well, but he missed a tremendous opportunity last week when he was asked by an audience member, “How would you cooperate with countries that view homosexuality as a sin and a crime that is punishable by death?”

“Well, I think it’s wrong to harm or punish people because they’re part of the LGBTQ community,” he said. “I get that not every country is there. In some dramatically milder respects, but still very bothersome ones, our own country is not there.

“I believe that this is an example of why the world needs an America that is strong, that’s credible, and that people believe keeps its word,” he added. “Because, frankly, our ability, the ability of the next president and of the U.S. in general to lead on this issue – I mean, to really try to guide countries toward doing the right thing, largely depends on whether we have any moral authority at all. Does anybody think right now that the U.S. has an awful lot of moral authority in the world? It has plummeted.”

When asked specifically about LGBT identity as it relates to foreign policy, Buttigieg suggested that U.S. moral authority would persuade countries to “do the right thing” by rescinding their anti-LGBT laws. While this is partly true, he missed an opportunity to say that those countries would have to cooperate with the U.S. and with him as the first out gay president. There are currently 73 countries where it is illegal to be gay and is sometimes punishable by death, many of them U.S. allies like Saudi Arabia, Kenya, and Brunei. Anti-LGBT sentiment is growing around the world with the rise of nationalist movements, yet he missed a chance to speak specifically about this troubling development for our foreign policy.

There are now 20 Democratic candidates running for president. We want a robust discussion about the diversity of the LGBT community, including minorities and trans folks. t

Coming out in prison

by Cole M. Bienek

I

live in an environment where the expression of my sexuality is against the law. The California Medical Facility in Vacaville is enlightened enough to offer free condoms to inmates, yet the use of them to have sex is specifically prohibited.

My stay in prison began 31 years ago in the fall of 1988. I was a methamphetamine-addicted, damaged, 18-year-old ticking time bomb hustling men on the streets of Palm Springs. I snapped one night and unleashed my shamefueled rage on one of the men with whom I went home. I took a man’s life and received a sentence of 16 years to life for second-degree murder.

I didn’t believe that a soft, young, blondehaired kid could survive California’s violent, gang-ruled, racially toxic, virulently homophobic prison system, so I disappeared into a closet and welded the door shut.

Over the next 27 years, I found affection and human connection in secret – and that rarely.

I hid who I truly was and went to extremes to prove that I was as ruthless, hateful, and vicious as those around me were. In the 1990s, I survived the Pelican Bay Security Housing Unit, or SHU, California’s infamous supermax prison, with my sanity intact, largely because I found comfort in the arms of my cellmate.

For the next decade, I lived my lonely, secret life still convinced that it was too dangerous to display my authentic self to the world.

I began coming out in 2013 when I opened up to a psychologist. She assured me that nothing was wrong with me, yet it was hard medicine to swallow when out on the yard I still felt unsafe. I knew some people who were out; most were transgender women, it was certainly a lot harder for them to hide. However, I also knew a handful of openly gay men, and others who were partnered up with girlfriends – even some who were exclusively at-

Courtesy KCBS

The California Medical Facility in Vacaville

tached, prison-married. I envied their courage.

In 2016, I transferred to CMF and took the plunge. I came out in a men’s support group after receiving a three-year parole denial. My heart pounded, my palms sweated, I could hardly catch my breath; in the end I received support and encouragement from everyone in the circle, even those who didn’t agree with my lifestyle.

Since then, I’ve been on a mission to explore who I am. I came in as a teenager and adopted a series of false identities, so I found myself doing a lot of hard work in my 40s that should have been done in my 20s.

The hardest thing about being LGBT in prison is having to censor my behavior and suppress my feelings and needs. At times, it is emotional torture. Surrounded by openly hostile staff, bigotry, and hatred from other inmates, it’s practically impossible to have anything close to a healthy relationship.

If l do happen to click with someone, we will have to live the fear of being caught, or separated

by the system and transferred to opposite sides of the state, not to mention having to endure the daily slings and arrows of the homophobes.

However, it’s not all darkness and depression.

The occasional tryst, stolen kisses, the brush of a hand, sitting side-by-side with legs touching, a long, tension-filled exquisite moment looking into someone’s eyes, pouring my heart out to someone who knows, all these are like air to a drowning person, made all the more poignant and heartbreaking for their rarity.

I am fortunate to be here at CMF where the environment is far less toxic than the other nine prisons I’ve been to; here I found a small LGBT community. We are like a family, and like all families, we have our moments. It’s like living in a smaller town within a small town – everyone knows everyone’s business. And, being honest, that business is often quite dramatic, after all, we are a creative and passionate people. We have a few support groups, and there are enough of us that I can usually find someone to talk to if I’m going through it.

I don’t want to give the impression that everybody is part of the problem – it’s the prison culture that supports and propagates the “might is right,” heterosexist, bully-rich environment. There are many compassionate and supportive staff that find it possible to do their jobs while at the same time affirming the humanity of those whom they treat or guard.

Likewise, there are inmates who don’t support the culture of fear and violence – some are straight allies, others are accepting or tolerant of beliefs and lifestyles other than their own. t Cole M. Bienek resides at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville.

t

Politics>>

May 2-8, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 5

EQCA to honor gay SF planning director

by Matthew S. Bajko

S

ince January 2008 John Rahaim has overseen San Francisco’s planning department as the city has been convulsed by numerous zoning and development battles, largely driven by the influx of tech workers.

His tenure has spanned across four mayoral administrations.

A gay man who lives in the city’s Mission district, Rahaim is currently the longest serving out mayoral appointee overseeing a city agency.

Set to turn 64 in a few months, Rahaim recently told the Bay Area Reporter he has no plans to leave anytime soon.

“It’s been 11 years and I’m very proud of that fact,” said Rahaim, who had previously served as Seattle’s planning director for four years.

“When I compare my tenure to some of my counterparts in other cities, I think the average tenure across the country is something like three and a half or four years or something. So I’m very proud of that fact. Actually, it’s been a great honor, challenging as hell but a great honor.”

His stewardship of the planning department is being recognized this year by Equality California.

The statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization will honor Rahaim with its Civic Leadership Award at its May 11 gala in San Francisco.

“It’s a huge honor and I was kind of taken aback and taken by surprise and quite, quite moved by it,” said Rahaim. “They’re an incredible organization. They’ve done amazing things around the movement and especially around legislation.”

He said he found the honor from EQCA particularly moving since he hasn’t been involved in the legislative and legal battles the nonprofit has waged over the years to advance the rights of LGBT Californians.

“I kind of see it as a kind of honor to sort of unsung public sector folks who don’t get thanked too much, frankly,” said Rahaim.

As development issues have garnered statewide attention due to housing costs skyrocketing across California, and not just in the Bay Area, Rahaim told the B.A.R. that rezoning neighborhoods with single-family housing to allow for denser developments “isn’t going to magically solve the housing crisis.”

He does support legislative proposals allowing for taller in-fill developments in certain areas of cities.

“If you look at Pacific Heights today, right, for example, there are seven-story or eight-story apartment buildings scattered throughout the neighborhood. From an urban design standpoint I don’t have a problem with that. It’s part of what the city is all about,” said Rahaim.

“But I do think that, you know, I think that we are more likely to get the bigger bang for our buck if we were concentrating, for example, on commercial corridors.”

Rising construction costs and a limited labor supply are combining to slow down developers’ ability to break ground on projects that have already been approved, pointed out Rahaim. He added that “is very frustrating,” considering the state’s need for new housing units.

Rahaim said he supports the goal of establishing a regional housing entity that would be charged with raising money for affordable housing and providing technical assistance to communities to build affordable housing.

Cynthia Laird

San Francisco planning director John Rahaim

“It has no authority over permits or project approvals or anything like that,” he noted. “We all need to look at other ways of providing more affordable housing, you know. This entity could help do that, and help do it regionally. I think that’s a really good thing.”

One of his biggest frustrations, said Rahaim, is the notion that affordable housing is somehow a big city problem and not a regional problem.

“I think that’s just unfair, and it also sort of is a way of kind of reinforcing the sort of culture of who can live in one community,” said Rahaim. “So I actually think that’s a very healthy thing.

I will say that a lot of other folks in the region are opposed to it because it’s perceived to take away some local control or whatever. But it really doesn’t do that.”

With the gubernatorial election last year of former San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom, who hired Rahaim as the city’s planning director, California continues to have an executive with firsthand knowledge of the housing issues confronting cities across the state. Former governor Jerry Brown had also dealt with housing concerns when he served as Oakland’s mayor.

Having Newsom move to address the issue “is hugely beneficial,” said Rahaim. “And I think it’s because he saw firsthand, you know, the issue here and other parts in the Bay Area.”

While he supports seeing continued growth in the city, Rahaim said it is important for city leaders to properly manage new development so that it isn’t causing adverse impacts.

“The growth doesn’t scare me.

It’s doing it the right way and doing it in a way that doesn’t, kind of, kind of push out existing residents and businesses, which the cost of housing is doing right now in ways that makes me really unhappy,” said Rahaim. “And so I think we have to concentrate more on that. The city, or the planning department, has a role to play there, and I’m trying to play some of that role.”

EQCA will also be honoring gay state Senator Scott Wiener (DSan Francisco) with its Vanguard Leadership Award and actress Rita Moreno with its Ally Leadership Award at the San Francisco event.

It had also planned to honor San Francisco International Airport, which had been led by gay former director John L. Martin for more than two decades and was the first airport in the U.S. to incorporate gender-neutral bathrooms into its larger, multi-use bathrooms.

But as the B.A.R. first reported

in March, it rescinded the award for SFO in light of community complaints about how airport officials have bungled the signage for the Harvey Milk Terminal. The airport’s repeated moves to downplay the heralded gay icon on the signage for the terminal not only was publicly criticized but led to the passage of a city ordinance requiring that the name of the city’s first gay supervisor be prominently displayed on all signs for the currently under renovation Terminal 1.

To purchase tickets to the EQCA gala, visit https://www.eqca.org/ e q u a l i t y - aw a rd s / s a n - f r a n c i s co-2019-2/.

Newsom names trans leader to state board

Late Tuesday Newsom named transgender Palm Springs City Councilwoman Lisa Middleton to a seat on the board that oversees the California Public Employees’ Retirement System. She is one of the first out transgender people to serve on a state board or commission, according to LGBT advocates.

In 2017, Middleton made history by becoming the first known transgender person to be elected to a nonjudicial office in the Golden State when she won her council seat.

She had been serving as a planning commissioner in the gay resort and retirement mecca.

She brings to the CalPERS board her 36 years of experience working for the State Compensation Insurance Fund. Middleton, 66, worked for the agency as its San Diego district manager and then as a claims/ rehabilitation manager. When she retired in December 2010, she was serving as its senior vice president for internal affairs.

EQCA has been working to see more LGBT people be appointed to the state’s various boards and commissions. The application process was a focal point of a summit it held earlier this year for LGBT leaders from across California.

EQCA Executive Director Rick Zbur hailed Middleton’s appointment, stating in a news release that there is no one “more qualified” to serve on the CalPERS Board. Her being named to the oversight body, added Zbur, ensures “that the transgender community is never an afterthought for the state board charged with managing pension and health benefits for more than 1.6 million public employees, retirees and their families.”

Middleton’s appointment doesn’t require state Senate confirmation.

She will receive a $100 per diem.

According to EQCA, the other known transgender state board member is Mariana Marroquin, who was named to the Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board by former attorney general Kamala Harris, now the state’s junior U.S. senator and a Democratic presidential candidate. Marroquin, a Guatemalan actress and community advocate, is the program manager for the Trans Wellness Center in Los Angeles.t Web Extra: For more queer political news, be sure to check http:// www.ebar.com Monday mornings for Political Notes, the notebook’s online companion. This week’s column reported on a CA bill aimed at helping LGBT-owned firms win hospital contracts.

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

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

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<< From the Cover

6 • Bay Area Reporter • May 2-8, 2019

<<

LGBT inmates

From page 1

who sexually harass or abuse them, that their allegations are not taken seriously by prison staff, are not treated equally, for example not being offered the same job opportunities as other inmates, and have been retaliated against by correctional officers for complaints.

Gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) recognizes the violence and civil inequalities LGB and, in particular, transgender inmates face. In January he introduced Senate Bill 132, the Transgender Respect, Agency and Dignity Act, which would require trans inmates to be housed in a facility that corresponds to their gender identity when the incarcerated person believes such housing would be safer.

Currently, California houses inmates based solely on their biological gender, leaving trans women to be housed in men’s facilities. Connecticut is the only state that allows trans inmates to be housed where they choose, although Massachusetts in January transferred a trans woman to a women’s facility, a first for the state.

“There is a lot of work ahead of us to improve the lives of transgender prisoners and housing is one of them, but not the only one,” Wiener told the B.A.R. “Right now, we are focused on housing. Once people are properly housed, that can resolve other issues.

For instance, a trans woman is often put into isolation as to not be victimized and the reason she is being victimized is because she is being housed with men instead of [according to] her gender identity.”

In California, a study of the state’s prisons designated for men found that the rate of sexual assault for transgender women in those facilities was 13 times higher than for men in the same prisons, states a summary of Wiener’s bill.

The legislation would also allow trans inmates to self-report their identity and first name in the intake process and require all prison employees and staff to use the inmate’s preferred gender pronoun and name.

They would also be able to choose the sex of the correctional officer who searches them.

Today, trans inmates can obtain a name or gender change under lesbian state Senator Toni Atkins’ (D-San Diego) Name and Dignity Act, signed last year by former Governor Jerry Brown. It requires the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation or county jails to use the new name of a person who obtains a name change and to list the prior name only as an alias.

Prior to this law, incarcerated individuals were required to receive permission from their parole agent or probation officer, who determines that the name change will not pose a security risk to the community and grants prior written approval.

As for SB 132, Wiener said there has been no opposition from CDCR, which operates the state prisons.

“CDCR is much more open and working with us this year and ex-

<<

Appel, Bernstein

From page 1

therapies in both speech and cognitive reasoning, as well as physical and occupational therapies.”

Made apparent in the email, the couple is “healing and in good spirits.” Appel continued in her update, “We are immensely grateful for the

<<

SF Fire

From page 1

the assignment/personnel offices.

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

pressed to us they are not opposed to making changes in how they house trans inmates,” Wiener said. “In addition, we have a new governor who gets it when it comes to LGBT issues.”

Last year, the senator’s SB 990 was killed in the Legislature, due to concerns over the high cost to implement it. The bill would have required that incarcerated transgender people in correctional facilities be referred to by their preferred pronouns, gender, and name. Wiener said he does not foresee this being an issue this legislative session, due to CDCR’s cooperation.

CDCR spokeswoman Terry Thornton declined to comment on pending legislation.

An April 24, 2018 memo from Kathleen Allison, director of the CDCR Division of Adult Institutions, outlined the department’s code of conduct with respect to fellow employees, offenders, families of offenders, and the public and that all must be respected and treated fairly. This is regardless of sex/gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression, as well as race, disability, and other categories.

“When an inmate has advised staff they identify specifically as male or female and wish to be addressed as such, staff can use the preferred pronouns or gender-neutral pronouns when speaking or referring to the inmate,” the memo states.

It also states, “repeatedly calling a transgender inmate by the wrong pronouns after the inmate has provided notice of his or her transition is inappropriate.”

Life in prison

The trans inmates the B.A.R. corresponded with over the last seven months strongly agree with the need to have their preferred gender be recognized and to be housed where they feel safe.

“I think consideration should definitely be given to the housing problems and needs of transgenders,” wrote Patience.

She received a life sentence in 1995 at the age of 18 for an incident in which three people were involved with the burglary and killing of a 25-year-old woman and attempted murder of a 12-year-old child in El Segundo in southern California. A crime for which, Patience said, “she is deeply ashamed.”

Violence against trans inmates is one of the most pressing reasons for the need to house trans prisoners at the facility of their choice. Data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics confirms that, nationwide, transgender inmates experience exceptionally high rates of sexual abuse. A 2011-2012 survey revealed that 40% of incarcerated trans people reported experiencing sexual victimization while in jail compared to 4% of other inmates, and 38% of trans prisoners reported being harassed by correctional officers or staff.

Patience described an incident at CMF in which another inmate began to stalk her and, after multiple complaints, no action was taken to help protect her. An investigation was opened and found her claims to be

Courtesy Jennifer Orthwein

Candice Crowder, shown before she was incarcerated in 2015, is housed at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville.

substantiated, yet she continued to be exposed to the stalker and was eventually attacked by him. Patience was issued a rules violation after the attack.

“How is it fair that I defended myself from violence, from a known stalker?” she wrote. “More protections must be offered.”

Thornton did not answer questions regarding these allegations, saying she needed to “verify” the incidents prior to answering. She also said she would, at a later date, comment on what CDCR was currently doing to help protect trans inmates. She did say, “CDCR cares about everyone’s safety,” and acknowledged that trans inmates are at higher risk for violence.

“I have relayed these allegations to CDCR’s PREA Unit,” Thornton wrote in an April 19 email, referring to the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003.

“They will investigate this and make sure any appropriate action is taken.”

Another trans female inmate, Candice Crowder, who now resides at Kern Valley State Prison, filed an amended complaint against the California State Prison system in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California in January. She alleges being brutalized by correctional officers and inmates, sexually assaulted, raped, and knifed while in custody at multiple men’s prisons since January 2015, including CMF. At the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility in Corcoran, Crowder, a woman of color, was raped and had cellmates constantly pressure her to perform sex acts on them after being transferred there in August 2015, according to the complaint. She was then, like many trans female prisoners, locked in solitary confinement for nine months, said her attorney, Jennifer Orthwein, who identifies as nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns.

Crowder then came to CMF, where her ex-boyfriend was also imprisoned. In one incident he threatened to kill her, and she reported it to a staff member, who did not document it or take any action, according to Orthwein. Two days later her former partner attacked her with a box cutter, slashing her face, head, and neck.

The suit claims that correctional officers asked Crowder questions

t

implying that she provoked the assault for flirting with the attacker and making him jealous. The assailant was eventually prosecuted and convicted and had an additional four years added to his sentence. Crowder continued to suffer from discrimination after the incident. “[CMF] denied to provide her with adequate medical care,” Orthwein told the B.A.R., adding that Crowder’s injuries were severe. “She was not provided any kind of observations related to her medical injuries.”

Things escalated from there with Crowder being targeted by correctional officers, Orthwein explained.

In a biannual trans risk assessment, a correctional counselor determined that Crowder was safe in the cell she was staying in with her then partner.

That decision was overridden, however, and Crowder was again forced to be in the same open spaces as her ex-partner.

“She was targeted because she filed lawsuits and multiple complaints against the staff for gender discrimination and for not keeping her safe and placing her in solitary confinement following the attack,” Orthwein said.

The CDCR declined to comment on Crowder’s allegations, saying it was not able to comment on ongoing litigation.

Thornton did write in an email, “CDCR is committed to providing a safe, humane, secure environment for all offenders. CDCR has a zerotolerance for sexual violence, sexual misconduct, and sexual harassment.

Retaliation is not tolerated.”

The suit also alleges that officials at CMF routinely humiliate gay and transgender inmates by calling them slurs and subjecting them to stripsearches in front of other inmates.

Crowder claims at least 15 correctional officers at CMF have called her a “faggot” or misgendered her.

During her time at North Kern State Prison, Crowder was beaten by correctional officers when she expressed concerns about being housed with a transphobic cellmate in 2015.

She suffered bruising and permanent scarring, had a seizure, and was refused medical attention for her injuries, according to the complaint.

“I am not alone in this struggle,” Crowder said in a January 7 news release. “Transgender prisoners are systemically abused behind prison walls. I refuse to be silenced while correctional staff harm me and my community. Unfortunately, my resilience has come at a great cost. I hope that CDCR finally realizes it has a problem and takes meaningful action to address its anti-LGBTQ culture so that no more transgender prisoners have to endure what I have survived.”

Orthwein, who is also representing other trans inmates in suits alleging gender discrimination, said a culture of transphobia and suppressing and ignoring any complaints of sexual abuse or discrimination is present at nearly all 14 of the state prisons that house trans inmates. Orthwein helped write SB 132 and said it’s absolutely necessary to house trans inmates where they feel most safe. They said

they could, “not overstate the type of violence taking place in this culture.”

Other grievances

The trans and LGB prisoners also shared the less violent grievances they experience, one of them being not able to shower in privacy. The Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003, which has many provisions, allows trans and intersex inmates to shower privately.

This, however, is not being enforced at CMF, according to the inmates.

CDCR’s Thornton wrote in an email that the agency is “required to provide transgender inmates separate shower times. CDCR officials will look into these allegations.”

The PREA in 2016 also directed authorities to decide on a case-by-case basis whether to house transgender inmates in a male or female facility.

When President Donald Trump took office, however, this language was rewritten in 2018 to require inmates to be housed according to their biological sex.

“There is no privacy in the bathroom areas, in showers, or at your bunk area, in changing clothes,” said Patience, who added she, too, is forced to be strip-searched by male staff, an occurrence she said often can cause mental flashbacks to her former sexual assault.

Not having equal job opportunities while incarcerated is something both Patience and Crowder have faced during their jail time. As well, they do not have access to things other female inmates usually do including women’s underwear, make-up, and jewelry such as earrings.

Both of the inmates have taken advantage of being able to legally change their name and gender, a process both said has been difficult. Crowder was informed of the law by her attorney, not facility staff. Patience was informed by staff of the law and was the first at CMF to submit paperwork to get her name and gender changed in September 2018. Due to the newness of the law, she needed to re-file twice due to the facility not initially having updated forms, she explained. She is waiting on the court’s response.

All three of the prisoners say significant changes need to be made in order for them to receive equal civil protections and to be safe where they are imprisoned. Something all three have been grateful for is the LGBT support group at CMF. According to Thornton, San Quentin and California Institution for Men in Chino also have LGBT support groups.

For one prisoner, Bienek, the support group is where he came out. He said CMF is less toxic than the other facilities he’s been housed at.

He hopes the LGBT community becomes more involved in the lives of prisoners, in hopes they will not only gain understanding of the hardships they face, but that they will see inmates in a different light.

“What I’d like to see is for the outside LGBT community to become more involved in the prisons,” he wrote. “Every prison has LGBT people. It would be great to have some community volunteers come to spend time with us.”t

love and support of our wonderful friends and family, and eager to continue our rehabilitation.”

The women, who are both walking, “mostly without a cane,” Appel wrote, plan to continue their rehabilitation through an outpatient program.

“So, we are slowly returning to ourselves and gradually putting our lives back together, and we are ever

so grateful that is the case. We are so proud of our children, Tris and Kobi, for their strength and resilience. We are so thankful for all of the ways that our friends, family, and community have helped us. We are so grateful for your love and care, and that you are a part of our lives,” wrote Appel.

While many friends have ex-

pressed a desire to see the women, Appel requested no visitors now.

“While we are doing great, please understand that we are still not very social,” Appel wrote. “We still have healing to do, both physically and neurologically. We do get tired – this rehab stuff is hard work.”

At the time of the collision, Appel, 53, had just started her term as

the president of the Berkeley school board. Appel was the first out lesbian elected to the Berkeley school board in 2012; she was re-elected in 2016. Bernstein, 54, was working as a senior deputy attorney at the Office of the State Public Defender. She’s been at the office for over 16 years, representing capitally sentenced people. t

captain, and a battalion chief.

The job instills a closeness among firefighters that is unique, said Nicholson, who is single and last week moved from Berkeley into the city’s Park Merced neighborhood with her two dogs and a cat.

“We forge bonds that I think that other people don’t have necessarily

in their jobs, you know,” she said. “We deal with life or death situations and we do it as a team. And because of that, we are resilient.”

K. (Ken) Cleaveland, a gay man who serves on the oversight body. From the beginning she was at the top of the list of those under consideration, he noted.

“I will tell you that Joanne HayesWhite, our current chief of 15 years, is going to be a hard act to follow. But Jeanine Nicholson was always in our top five from day one,” said Cleave-

land, who co-hosted a meet-and-greet Monday night with the incoming chief and leaders of the city’s LGBT community. “We knew she had the experience and temperament to lead the department, and that is very important.”

Keith Baraka, a recruiter for the

Top of the list

She was one of 30 people the city’s fire commission considered for the department’s top post, said William

See page 8 >>

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<< Commentary

8 • Bay Area Reporter • May 2-8, 2019

t

‘In the Dark’ gets the blind experience wrong

by Belo Cipriani

O

ver the past year, there has been a lot of public debate on ablebodied actors playing characters with disabilities. From Dwayne Johnson playing a below-the-knee leg amputee in “Skyscraper” (2018) and Joaquin Phoenix playing a quadriplegic in “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot” (2018), to, more recently, Bryan Cranston being cast as a quadriplegic in “The Upside” (2019).

Some claim it’s an actor’s job to play roles outside their own experience, while many people with disabilities and their allies argue ablebodied actors are taking jobs away from actors with disabilities – a group that is already underrepresented in the workforce across several industries.

As an accessibility consultant and a blind consumer of entertainment, I can say a lot of films and TV shows not only lack disability representation, but also accessibility features.

A few weeks ago, the internet erupted with outcries over the casting of Perry Mattfeld in the leading role of Murphy – a blind woman in the CW’s new series “In the Dark.” The National Federation of the Blind protested outside CBS Studios, which owns the CW, in New York City and launched the hashtag #letusplayus.

While I was disappointed that, yet again, my community would be represented by an outsider, I was happy to hear the show did have one blind supporting character and a blindness consultant on staff. Thus, I decided to

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SF Fire

From page 6

fire department, told the B.A.R. he is “cautiously optimistic” about seeing an out firefighter lead the agency.

Five years ago Baraka, who is gay and African American, went public about the homophobic and racist behavior he had to contend with while stationed at the firehouse in the city’s gay Castro district.

“It is really important for us to have a chief that runs a department that is free of discrimination, retaliation, and harassment, and that is in our mission statement,” he said. “Some of the things that have happened on the last chief’s watch haven’t necessarily met that standard in my opinion. But I am really hopeful this new chief will change some of the course of things.”

Now president of the department’s LGBT affinity group SF ResQ, which formed around the

give the show a chance. Using Comcast’s audio description feature, which automatically plays the narration for the blind for shows and commercials that offer it, I sat on my couch to listen to the first episode during its Thursday night airing.

None of the CW’s shows offer descriptive audio for the blind, and “In the Dark” was sadly not an exception.

Still, I was surprised because Calle Watson, the visually impaired actor who plays Chloe, a blind teen, and Lori Bernson, the show’s blindness consultant, who is also legally blind, did an interview where they emphasized the importance of descriptive audio.

Some networks, such as Fox, TNT, and TBS are wonderful about descriptive audio for the blind, while ABC and NBC are hit and miss. I reached out to gay, blind writer Robert Kingett, who singlehandedly got Netflix to add descriptive audio to the streaming service, to weigh in on film and TV access.

“Most of the time, people see audio description, especially on federally mandated TV, for example, as a chore they have to do or else – whoops! – don’t want to get a fine from the FCC,” he said. “This, in turn, causes studios and others to plunk down the bare minimum.”

Kingett believes financing plays a major role when it comes to accessibility features for film and TV. Also,

the studio must have the desire not to do a sloppy job when it comes to access. It took Kingett five years of calling, emailing, and blogging to get Netflix to add descriptive audio, and now it is the leader in providing access to films and shows to the blind.

With the second episode I took a different approach. I recorded it with my Comcast DVR, which also would have recorded the descriptive audio feature had it been available, to help me understand the events in the scenes. A 42-minute show turned into an hour and a half of constantly hitting the rewind button. Ultimately, I got frustrated and stopped listening to it.

Up to this point, I had enjoyed the acting of Watson. The banter between her and her father is heartwarming and fun, while Murphy, played by Mattfeld, came across as forced and very stiff. I was also horrified by how Murphy treated her guide dog, and was unclear why her mother did not know how to interact with her blind daughter. Yet, based on Watson’s performance alone, I recruited Peter Gawtry, who works at the Center for Academic Excellence at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minnesota, and is well-versed in working with students with disabilities, to provide me with descriptive audio for the third episode of the show.

Over the phone, Gawtry narrated

same time he spoke out about his experiences, Baraka said the number of LGBT people working for SFFD is still minimal considering the size of the local community.

There are about 30 people signed up for SF ResQ’s email group.

“I think it has gotten better but I think we have some more work to do,” said Baraka.

He and the other members of SF ResQ are already planning to increase their recruitment efforts at this year’s Pride parade and festival in light of having the first out fire chief participating.

“I am just very hopeful this new chief will do the right thing,” said Baraka. “I am always hopeful, but again, we can do better.”

During her time with the fire department, Nicholson said her sexual orientation has never been an issue.

She aims to oversee a department that is diverse and reflects the demograph-

ics of San Francisco.

“I never, ever had a problem being out in the fire department,” she said.

In fact, it was while attending the annual Pride parade in June 1991 where Nicholson was “recruited,” she recalled, to join the fire department by a lesbian firefighter. She was drawn to San Francisco due to its LGBT community and reputation as an accepting city where one could live out and proud.

“I was joking with my mom, though, that it only took 54 years to make her proud. That’s not really true, it’s more of a joke. But she’s been proud of me for a long time,” said Nicholson, whose mother is expected to attend her swearing-in ceremony.

“That’s sort of a joke mostly from our struggles when I first came out when I was 19 or 20. Do you know what I mean? And that was the 1980s. And so, things have certainly changed since then as our relationship has grown.”

She grew up in Pelham, New York

photo

Perry Mattfeld stars as a blind woman in the TV show “In the Dark.”

the scenes and described the characters to me. I soon learned the show has flashbacks, and that was one of the reasons why so many of the scenes were unclear. I also discovered that Murphy slept on a mattress without a bed frame, and confirmed that she was physically distant from her guide dog – even though she ran a guide dog school her parents opened up just so she would have a place to work.

I could not help but wonder: how can a show with a blindness consultant get the blind experience so wrong? I contacted Greg Shane, artistic director at CRE Outreach, an arts nonprofit that provides performing opportunities to underserved popunortheast of New York City; her late father and paternal grandfather were both volunteer firefighters.

“As a little kid I grew up across the street from a fire station but I didn’t have those role models. As a kid I went to vote there with my dad,” recalled Nicholson. “I did not have the imagination then that I could do this.”

Nicholson and Hayes-White have been working closely over the last two months on the leadership transition. A top priority has been the department’s budget request to the mayor and supervisors, as well as ensuring there is a smooth hand off in the operational and logistical oversight of the agency.

“Because we are such a critical piece of this city, we can’t afford any hiccups.

So we’ve been working really closely on the transition,” said Nicholson.

As more and more people are priced out of San Francisco, which has caused a recruitment problem for the fire department, Nicholson is aiming

lations, and is the home of Theatre by the Blind, to shine some light on this topic. He said, “I would recommend for studios wanting to do disability-themed productions, to hire at least two or three consultants. It is limiting to think that one person alone can hold the experiences of an entire community.”

“Hiring multiple disability consultants,” he continued, “will not just provide a representative range, but also give jobs to people with disabilities.”

I reached out to “In the Dark’s” publicist, Cyndee Ellefson, for comment, but did not get a reply. I also took a look at the show’s viewership and was not surprised to see it was not doing so well.

Mattfeld was described to me as tall, thin, and pretty, and if the show gets canceled, she will have the ability to go on and get roles playing all types of characters. In fact, we may see her on another CW show playing a sassy friend, strict teacher, demon, super hero, or beautiful enchantress. However, Watson, the stronger actor, will have limited roles to audition for over the next few years. Studios may see her talent, but ultimately pass on her because she would have limited credits to her name – a result of also losing parts to sighted actors. t Belo Cipriani is an award-winning author and prize-winning journalist. His new book, “Firsts: Coming of Age Stories by People with Disabilities,” is now available. Learn more at www.olebbooks.com.

to inspire students in the city’s schools to think about careers with the agency.

“They know the city; they have buy-in on the city, you know, and, in the event of a disaster, they’re here,” she said. “So that is something that I’m, I’m certainly exploring, and would love to see come to fruition.”

Working as a team and building bonds with her co-workers and community members has been key to her success in the department, said Nicholson.

“I am not here because it’s just me, me, me. I am here because I have had incredible training, support, leadership, and friendship from people inside this department, and in the fire service and the EMS service, and I owe so much to them,” said Nicholson.

“And as well to my queer community.

So, you know, people believing in me when I didn’t necessarily believe in myself when I was very young.” t

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Community News>>

Music center honors Hormel, Nguyen

by David-Elijah Nahmod

F

ormer ambassador James C. Hormel and his husband, Michael P. Nguyen, will be honored with the Gertrude Field Community Impact Award when the Community Music Center holds its annual Spring Gala later this month.

The couple is being recognized for their support of the CMC’s New Voices Bay Area TIGQ Chorus for people who self-identify as transgender, intersex, and genderqueer.

Hormel, 86, is the first LGBTidentified person to serve as a United States ambassador – he served in Courtesy CMC Luxembourg from 1999-2001 under President Bill Clinton. Hormel is also Former ambassador James C. a co-founder of the Human Rights Hormel, left, and his husband, Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBT Michael Nguyen, will be honrights organizations. He funded the ored by the Community Music James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center at Center. the San Francisco Public Library and was given the lifetime achievement Reporter. “CMC was founded with the grand marshal award in 2010 by the vision that music and music education San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebrashould be accessible to all people.” tion Committee.

Different types of music from all “We believe that safe spaces for over the world are part of CMC’s transgender people to come together, curriculum and performance to create music, and to explore artisschedule, including classical, jazz, tic expression are vitally important,” rock, Latin, traditional Chinese muHormel and Nguyen said in a joint sic, Middle Eastern music, and pop, statement. “We’re pleased that Comamong genres. The annual budget munity Music Center has provided for CMC is currently $5.6 milthat opportunity through the New lion. Tuition is part of the funding Voices TIGQ Chorus, and we’re proud structure, but money is also raised to support musical study that takes through foundations, individuals, into account the whole person. That’s corporations, and special events. something that everyone deserves.”

“CMC is always working to build The Community Music Center Novwas9, 1955 - Apr 13, more resources to not only2019 ensure founded in 1921 by Field, for whom the sustainability of our organizathe Community Impact Award is tion but also our ability to grow and named. The center’s mission is to respond to what we understand is make music accessible to everyone, needed in the communities that we according to Executive Director Julie serve,” Steinberg said.

Rulyak Steinberg. The center offers Steinberg also spoke of the TIGQ lessons, classes, cultural experiences, New Voices Bay Area Chorus, explainand performances. ing that the idea for it was sparked “Today, CMC is serving the most by a community member who apstudents its ever served, serving over proached Steinberg several years ago 2,800 students around the city with and said that there was a need that free and low-cost music programAllan was born needed to be filled.on Long ming,” Steinberg told the Bay Area Island, New York. He See page 12 >>

May 2-8, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 9

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Allan Keith Galanter

attended Hebrew school and had his Bar Mitzvah at 13; as an adult he identie loved anified as a secular Jew and ported Guide Buddhist. He always found Blind. She great solace in nature and compiled Laird member of by Cynthiameditation. isco Chinese ongtime lesbian activist He and was very proud of his educator Sally Miller Gearhart liary andnowthe high needs 24-hour care and friendsschool work in media pti-Ms. Club. have set up a crowdfunding page and toreferred to those years accept donations. a member of asout“transformative and Gearhart, 88, was the first lesa Cameron bian to receive a tenure-track posilife-defining.”

He studied at tion at San Francisco State Univerprogram,sity and Syracuse University in New in 1973. She established one of meron House the first women’s and gender studiesbetween 1973 and York at SF er life. programs in the country while 1976, where he was a memState, and was a leading LGBT activto her children ist throughout the 1970s and 1980s.of Theta Chi fraternity. ber The San dren, Edna is Francisco LGBT HePride moved to San Francisco Celebration Committee recognized rothers Gearhart Ray for her work in 2016 SF Pride when and studied filmMelanie forNathan/via a year she received the Heritage of Pride, sister Helen, Sally Miller Gearhart at the San Francisco Art Pride Freedom Award. She was unended family. able to attend the parade. Institute, then transferred Corky Wick, a lesbian and former the Osailblazer Gearhart and was featured into San Francisco State told the student of Gearhart’s, car-winning documentary to all who Bay Area Reporter thathe she University (SFSU), where “The Times of Harvey was a big influence on her.

Milk” (1984), will always be having completed his “Ibachelor’s probably came out been a friend and colbecausehe of her,” Wick said degree. In 1983, earned league of Milk, the late a phone interview last vices willSan Francisco supervi- his Masters in inEducation, week. “Sally has done Gearhart worked with e family.sor. much for all of us.”

Milk on the 1978 defeat of InterdisciplinarysoStudies, Wick added that Proposition y be sent to 6, a Califor- and Training Systems anddoes while Gearhart nia ballot initiative that ital of San receive her sought to exclude gay Development at SFSU. pension, the costs of her care men and lesbians from Donaldina Allan worked Dean are such that for additional funds are teaching in public schools. Gearhart use. necessary.

Witter Reynolds and Merrill is also an acclaimed author of femipage 12 >> nist science fiction.

Lynch; and later as See a legal secretary. He was also a freelance photographer, and

Friends seek funds for lesbian activist

L

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Joanne Allan Keith Galanter Mar Nov 9, 1955 – April 13, 2019

Joanne Marie Brice,

Allan was born on Long Island, York. He attended founder ofNew Blossom Hill Hebrew school and had his Bar Mitzvah at 13; as an adult Crafts in and Los Gatos and he identified as a secular Jew Buddhist.

He always found great solace in nature and meditation. teacher and mentor to thouHe was very proud of his high school work in media and sands pottersandthroughout referred to those years as of “transformative life-defining.” He studied at Syracuse University in New York northern California, died between 1973 and 1976, where he was a member of Theta on April 11 in Los Gatos.

Chi fraternity. He moved to San Francisco and studied was Art a native San film for a yearJoanne at the San Francisco Institute, then transferred to San Francisco State University (SFSU), Franciscan born to Walter where he completed his bachelor’s degree. In 1983, he andinLillian Brice earned his Masters Education,(Antonini) Interdisciplinary Studies, and Training Systems and Development at SFSU. on November 2, 1942 at St.

Luke’s Hospital and then Allan worked for Dean Witter Reynolds and Merrill Lynch; and later as a legal secretary. He was also a freelance photographer, and was published in several magazines; photography always gave him great joy.and His baptized at St. Peter and a facilitator at theforUCSF last position was in patient relations UCSF Medical Center; it was his favorite and most meaningful job.

Paul Church in North Beach.

AIDS Health Project for Allan’s working career was cut short by HIV/AIDS, and he retired on disability in 1996. He lived with She graduated from Marin many years. He participated this illness for 40 years and was one of the longest-term survivors of the epidemic. Over those decades he Catholic High School and infought several medical and overcame more thanstudies 30 opportunistic illnesses, repeatedly returning from near-death with the in 1965 fromhisSan Francisco aid of new medications treatments. his His spirit always returned to being positive, outlook hopeful, over the years,andhoping spiritual, and loving, despite being predeceased by almost all his contemporaries.

Allan always said: is State College. Soon “life theremisfortune could assist” Heinfilled his journey with about the journey, not the destination. as much love, joy, and peace as possible. after she began a teaching healing others; he was also To that end, he always enjoyed traveling and exploring other cultures.

His favorite destinations included career at Holy Cross High involved in many New Zealand, where he hikedalternathe Milford Trek, a Mediterranean cruise, visits to family, and multiple trips School in Mountain View. to Hawaii, which he groups, always considered a spiritual home. tive healing always While teaching high exploring perspectives and Despite his physical limitations, Allan remained active to the degree he could. He was both a group memschool Joannein took a potber and a facilitator at the UCSF AIDS Health Project for many years. He participated several medical approaches from other studies over the years, hoping his misfortune could assist in healing he was also involved in many teryothers; class and quickly fell cultures.

He attended the alternative healing groups, always exploring perspectives and approaches from other cultures. He attended in love with the craft. She Washington, the Washington, D.C.,D.C., showingsshowings of the AIDS Memorial quilt. His lifelong interest in film and its power to started Blossom Hill Crafts transform lives led him to be a stalwartquilt. benefactor of Frameline, the San Francisco LGBT Film Festival, of the AIDS Memorial which he attended faithfully for many years. in 1970 with two potters His lifelong interest in film one electric kiln and Over the his physical strength and stamina slowly butwheels, inexorably diminished, and in his last and itsdecades, power to transform decade he spent much of his time home-bound. Despite his relative isolation, he enjoyed hearingseveral about the 12 students.

After lives led world himandtowasbe a buoyed stalwart local outside always by the love of friends and family, even though he could rarely years she left teaching at see them. benefactor of Frameline, Holy Cross altogether and the San Francisco LGBT Film His latest health challenge was oral cancer, which he fought for over three years. He underwent eight surbegan to grow Blossom geries and seven weeks of he radiation.

In the end, the physical exhaustion, side-effects, and damage caused by Festival, which attended the radiation were simply too much for his exhausted body to Hill overcome.

He diedinto the waywhat he alwayswould said he Crafts faithfully for many years. wanted: quickly, at home, without more suffering, and in the arms of his devoted husband. become one of the largest Over the decades, his pottery studio and Allan is survived by his husband and partner of 30-plus years,private Cal James Domingue; his siblings Lea and physical strength and Carl and his wife Carol; his nephews and niece, Nathan, Aaronschool and his wifein Erica, and Alison and her husnorthern Califorstamina but and inexoband Andrew;slowly his grand-nieces grand-nephew Olivia, Adison, and Miles; his step-brother David and nia.

Over Joanne his wife Karen, and step-sister and Leslie and husband James and son John; by histhe lovingyears in-laws Bea, Dave rably diminished, in her his and Kevin Domingue; and by Allan’s and Cal’s family member, Bill Beiersdorfer. has had a major impact on last decade he spent much BayhisArea and Allan wished to behome-bound. cremated; a memorial in his honor and to inurn remainsceramics will be held at the San has of his time Francisco Columbarium & Funeral Home on Monday, Augusttaught 5, 2019, at 11:00 am. Should anyone wish to many thousands Despite his relative isolation, make a donation in his name, one of Allan’s favorite charities was The Nature Conservancy. to throw on the potter’s he enjoyed hearing about the local outside world and was always buoyed by the love of friends and family,

whe on bus Joh J by h sist surv nep McN McN J me of L sev offi in h rais dol Am the Gat 5 at Joa sen Los Gat

<< Community News

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10 • Bay Area Reporter • May 2-8, 2019

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ttention: Cannabis shoppers.

If the idea of slashing your budget for pot is appealing, read on.

Dispensary sales, discount no-frills delivery services, and black market marijuana can save you up to 50% off the retail price of flowers, but growing your own beats those by a mile.

You will need a patch of outdoor sunlight – a deck or balcony will do – but once you’ve found that, the rest is easy – and legal.

I’ve been doing it for over a decade (when you had to have a doctor’s note to comply with the law) and although I had advice from experienced gardeners, I’d never grown anything before and I found the process simple and easy.

Although growing from seed is considered the gold standard of gardening, I recommend newcomers start by growing from small starter plants, known as clones, which are ready to go when you get them home. If you really want to grow from seed, http://www.sparcsf. com has a wide variety for sale.

The time to buy clones is in May for harvest in October or November, when you may have enough to eliminate all your holiday shopping.

Cannabis is an annual and the drill gets easier each spring.

Clones have become increasingly difficult to find, but if you’re willing to travel to the East Bay, Harborside Oakland (http://www.shopharborside.com) and Berkeley Patients Group (http:// www.mybpg.com/) often have a limited selection from the prestigious Dark Heart Nursery. As of Monday, the Harborside clone menu included only one variety, Remedy Heartlet, and BPG was out of stock, but normally both carry at least several varities. Check their websites, or even better, call before going as supplies change constantly. Prices at both locations are $14 and up plus tax. Both dispensaries limit purchases to six per day, the state limit on how many plants a recreational user is allowed to grow. State law also says that cannabis gardeners must grow in an area that is not visible to the public, according to an email from the San Francisco Office of Cannabis.

While I’ve had great results from Dark Heart Nursery (http://www. darkheartnursery.com) clones in past years, the small variety available and the limits on number of clones you can purchase daily leads me to prefer buying from an unlicensed grower.

But in any case, the Dark Heart website has an enormous amount of

Sari Staver

Adolescent cannabis clones

up-to-date information about growing and is worth checking out. You can also find out which varieties will be delivered to which dispensaries (“clone drop”) so you can plan your visit accordingly.

While it is difficult to judge the quality from black market dealers and they typically have a 50-plant minimum purchase, clones are typically 75% cheaper on the black market and several nurseries offer door-to-door delivery or will meet you at a convenient location in San Francisco.

Since Craigslist last year banned all ads with the words “cannabis” or “clone,” it has become increasingly difficult to find local growers who sell clones. I used Craigslist for years and was able to find great prices and good quality close to home in a few minutes. This year, I found unlicensed growers through two websites: http:// www.budtrader.com and http://www. budbay.com. Each has a constantly updated list of growers, with prices starting at $7 and many with dozens of varieties to choose from.

In addition, there are several large southern California growers who will deliver to the Bay Area. Check the websites of http://www.clonesbros. com and http://www.cloudcityclones. com for pricing and details.

Once you’ve purchased your clones, you also need some soil because they will soon need to be transplanted into a larger container or into the ground.

A great source for soil is Flower Craft Nursery (http://www.flowercraftgc.com), which sells a variety of soil and related products said to be created specially for cannabis. You’ll also want to pick up plastic or clay pots for transplantation. Most clones are about six inches tall, growing in rock wool when you buy them, and

need to go into something larger soon after you’ve brought them home.

If you want to learn more, I recommend the two classic growing texts, “Marijuana Horticulture” by Jorge Cervantes and “Marijuana Grower’s Handbook” by Ed Rosenthal. There are hundreds of websites and YouTube videos on growing cannabis.

While it’s common wisdom that a south-facing yard will get enough sun to succeed, if your outdoor space is less than ideal, go for it anyway. It’s a weed, and weeds grow everywhere.

Finally, and this part can be a little tricky, you’ll need to figure out just how much water your plant needs and how often you want to water. The secret is to avoid drowning or starving and learning the signs that your plant may not be happy with the mixture of sunlight and water it’s getting.

Harvesting and drying your plants are, for many gardeners, the most exciting part of the process, because you are finally approaching the day you will get to enjoy homegrown, organic pot.

Figuring out the optimal time to harvest your plant is made easy by examining the ripened flowers and comparing it to buds you see on cannabis websites, such as http://www. marijuanagrowing.com, which is Cervantes’ website.

Drying is the simplest step; simply hang the branches on string or rope in your doorways. In a few weeks, you are ready to trim and store in an airtight container.

If neighbors complain about the skunky smell coming from your yard, be sure to tell them you’re planning to share the crop and will share flowers and other goodies at the end of the year. t

from San Francisco to Hawaii. He retired in 1986 from the U.S. government, where he had worked in freight traffic and was a compliance specialist in foreign military sales for the Department of Defense.

Gardner was always very active and supportive of the San Francisco gay community. He was an early member of the Society for Individual Rights and a member of the group that founded Operation Concern (New Leaf). In 1974, Gardner and his jogging friend and partner, Jack Baker, organized and held the first run of what would become the International Front Runners, in Golden Gate Park on January 6, 1974. Today, there are more than 100 Front Runners chapters around the world. After a hip replacement 30 years ago, Gardner stopped running, but stayed active, and loved playing croquet in the city at the San Francisco Croquet Club, and at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage.

In San Francisco, Gardner was also involved – with his then-partner, Hector Caceres – with the Imperial Court, and the founder of the Imperial Court system, Jose Sarria. In 1985, Gardner was a

charter member in founding the Castro Lions and served as president of what was the first gay chapter. Gardner knew the late San Francisco police commissioner (and former Bay Area Reporter political editor) Wayne Friday. He always wanted to attend Gardner and Hector’s annual Christmas parties, but they were full and so, he never got an invite. But Harvey Milk would attend. After Milk’s death, they finally invited Friday over to Christmas. It was then that Friday said, “Geez, I had to wait until Harvey passed away for an invite.”

Gardner relocated to the desert in 2002. Gardner was a true renaissance man, with a wide array of interests, including all things Western, from jewelry to clothes to hats to boots. He co-authored a book on Sumida Ware, a type of Japanese pottery.

In addition to his husband, Gardner is survived by his former partner, Ed Emond-Worline, and many other friends in San Francisco, Cathedral City, and Palm Springs.

Reflections on Mr. Pond were part of the April 25 Jock Talk column, at https:// www.ebar.com/news/news/275320.

Bay Area Cannasseur usually runs the first Thursday of the month. To send column ideas or tips, email Sari Staver at sfsari@ gmail.com.

Obituaries >> Gardner Perry Pond July 24, 1927 – April 8, 2019

Gardner Perry Pond was born July 24, 1927, in Santa Cruz, California to Perry S. Pond and Mary Brocar Pond.

His father’s family were descendants of early pioneers in California who “came around the horn” to reach California.

Gardner passed away peacefully from natural causes at his home in Palm Springs, California April 8, 2019 at the age of 91, his loving husband, H.L. Todd, at his side.

From 1945 until 1947, right out of high school, Gardner enlisted in the U.S. Maritime Service. Upon return to the U.S. Gardner attended the University of the Pacific, graduating with a B.A. in 1952. After graduation he enlisted in the Army and served for two years. Gardner began his first job working for United Airlines, where he remembered booking space for Henry J. Kaiser on flights

t

Sports >>

May 2-8, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 11

Rippon revels in candor, some snark in SF

by Roger Brigham

I

f you’re a get-off-my-lawn curmudgeon like Judge Judy or me, your first impression when hearing Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon chatter, throw shade, and coyly chuckle just might be that he’s a lightweight with not much to offer – but man, what a mistake that would be.

Once you stop counting the number of times he overuses and misuses the word “like” in a sentence, you can concentrate on the deeper meaning of those sentences. It is then you assess how driven and disciplined he is when he sets his sights on a goal.

Whether he is talking about his roller-coaster quest to reach the Olympics, his heavily publicized exchanges with Vice President Mike Pence during the Olympics, or his activities since announcing his retirement from competitive skating last November, the dude is seriously funny.

Rippon, 29, spoke for an hour Sunday, March 28, at the Commonwealth Club as part of “The Michelle Meow Show” about his activism, accomplishments, and ambitions. (The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus at its gala had honored him Saturday night.) He talked about his coming out, his doubts during training, his excitement about the future. He did it all with a casual candor and sarcastic wit that left the audience wanting more.

He mentioned to the crowd he was from Scranton, Pennsylvania.

A couple of audience members whooped, indicating they were from Scranton as well.

Jane Philomen Cleland

Former Olympian Adam Rippon, center, talked about coming out and elite skating competitions with Michelle Meow, left, and John Zipperer Sunday on “The Michelle Meow Show” at the Commonwealth Club.

“Well, you’re here now,” Rippon said. “You must have liked it as much as I did.”

At one point, he said, he was just mucking along, never quite doing enough to get over the top. His mother, he said, told him during a visit, “You better get your shit together or this is going to be a sad ending.”

Which, he said, was exactly what he had been thinking. He said retiring without succeeding at making the Olympics he was told he should make would have been a terrible fate.

“I didn’t want to be not successful, a little bit fat, and gay,” he said.

That would be a disappointing Tinder profile.

Rippon finished just out of the running his first two tries for the U.S. Olympic men’s figure skating team, being named an alternate in 2010, but performing below par at

the nationals four years later – a time at which the skating gods say he should have been at his peak.

He won the nationals in 2016 but missed out on the nationals the next season with a broken foot.

Rippon came out quietly in a skating magazine not long before those 2016 nationals.

“When I came out, I’d never been to the Olympics,” he said. “Nobody made a big deal of my coming out until I made the Olympics.”

But once he did make the 2018 Olympics, a big deal of it was made. He was the first openly gay American winter Olympian, then doubled down on that achievement in South Korea, where he helped the U.S. win the figure skating team bronze medal.

Rippon said he had, by then, started to be more open and honest in interview responses rather than just providing the sort of tepid don’t-rock-the-boat responses younger athletes often give. (“It felt good,” the rookie said when

asked how it felt to score the winning goal. “It felt real good.”) He spoke candidly about falling in routines or hoping competition stress would help him lose weight.

So, when a reporter asked him what he thought about Pence as President Donald Trump’s selection to lead the national delegation, Rippon said he thought it was a poor choice. He cited Pence’s record on LGBT rights and conversion therapy and said he did not think he was a good representative of all Americans.

Pence tried to meet with Rippon and sent messages through social media. Rippon said he thought for a moment about meeting with Pence, but then rejected the idea as being just political theater.

“He was going to lecture me,” Rippon said. “I don’t need to be lectured.”

As for the Olympics themselves, Rippon said he came to realize they exist not for the athletes, but for television audiences. Normally, he

noted, skaters in big meets practice in the morning, then have all day to prepare for the evening performance. At the Olympics, they practice in the wee hours so they can perform at 10 in the morning.

“It’s all so we can perform live for television audiences,” he said.

He said he thought athletes competing on snow have it worse. Usually major ski meets have long open blocks of time so competition can be held when conditions are safe and optimal. Not so at the Olympics.

“They said, ‘Just go out there!’”

Rippon said. “It’s like, ‘Let’s be gladiators and fight to the death.

Let’s go!’”

It was also on the way to the medals podium at the Olympics that Rippon said he realized that getting the medal really was not the moment he had been preparing for his entire life. It was afterward, when he could share the joy with teammates, friends, and family. It was afterward, when he could meet with reporters and make them laugh. It was afterward, when he could get out in the world, speak his truth, and continue to make people laugh while making a difference.

So there he was this week, talking about a book he had in the works and a YouTube channel he had just launched.

If you listened to him for just five minutes, you probably would have written him off as an entertaining flash-in-the-pan lightweight. But if you stayed for the whole hour – and really, nobody was walking away from that laugh fest – you realized you just might be hearing a generational shift in LGBT sports leadership and advocacy.

Funny serious. t

Cable Car Gearbox Rehabilitation

Bus substitute for Powell and Mason Cable Cars Starting May 2, for about 10 days In support of the Cable Car Gearbox Rehabilitation Project, Muni will run bus shuttles for the Powell and Mason cable car lines between the turntable at Powell & Market and the Mason northern terminal at Bay & Taylor.

Bus service will begin Thurs., May 2 at 5:30 a.m. and continue during regular service hours for about 10 days or until the work is completed.

During this time, the California Cable Cars will operate as usual. The Hyde Line will run partial service between Powell & Washington and Hyde & Beach.

The project is to overhaul and refurbish the five gearboxes that have been in service since 1984 in order to keep the world famous cable cars running properly on the streets of San Francisco.

Thank you for your support.

SFMTA.com/CableCarGearbox

<< Community News

12 • Bay Area Reporter • May 2-8, 2019

<<

Egg suspect

<<

Church St. vacancies

From page 2

Shoemaker then expressed her pleasure that the CBD has moved into a space formerly occupied by a launderette.

“We’re really pleased to have a group come into the space that’s community focused and does such good work in the community,” said Shoemaker. “Andrea Aiello, who is the executive director here, does great work, and it’s hard work. When you look around, you see the people

<<

Music center

From page 9

“Soprano, alto, tenor, base is generally very gendered and is often uncomfortable for TIGQ people,” Steinberg said. “And so this idea was born. In talking about it with the program staff at the time, CMC wanted to embrace it. We gathered together a group of stakeholders in the TIGQ community who understood how to reach these folks and how to engage in conversations, and also what CMC should do to prepare to really welcome in a formal

<<

News Briefs

From page 9

As of Monday, the GoFundMe campaign has raised $11,700 of its $12,000 goal. To donate, visit https://bit.ly/2V5rcme.

HealthRIGHT 360 unveils new program

HealthRIGHT 360 will have the grand opening of its new children’s dental clinic pilot program Satur-

<<

Drag court

From page 2

racist because she “has black family members.”

“I’m friends with court members from all over,” said Commotion. “I’ve asked almost everybody I know of, from San Francisco to New York, if that’s a term we use in the court system. They all said they’ve never heard it.”

Carlos Vargas, the Imperial Star Empire’s board president, wrote a post on the chapter’s Facebook page addressing the situation. “The important issues brought to our atten-

San Francisco police did not respond to the B.A.R.’s requests for comment. According to jail records, Silva was freed as of April 24. The reason listed for his release was “sentence served.”

Some neighbors said they were angry and frustrated that police did not search Egg’s house early on after they reported their suspicions. Devon Egg took a conciliatory tone when asked about the police investigation.

“I am not in a position to condemn the police,” the brother said. “I don’t know if I could do a better job than the police did. There were a lot of mistakes, all along the way. If I can forgive Lance Silva, I got to be able to forgive the SF Police Department.

We all make mistakes.”

Egg’s home is near the intersection of Fifth and Harrison streets, an area that has seen a lot of new housing and skyrocketing real estate prices.

According to real estate records, Egg’s home is about to be sold and is currently in escrow. The asking price was just over $1.5 million. Egg purchased the home in 1976 for $19,000.

Egg had been a fixture in the neighborhood along with his dog, Lucky. The dog was eventually adopted. A neighbor posted on Nextdoor last week that she had spotted the dog with its new owner in Union Square recently and “seemed to be awesome.”t

Neighbors said that Silva had been living in the home during the time Egg was missing. Devon Egg told the B.A.R. that he called his brother in late June or early July and an answering machine picked up. He was suspicious because his brother never used an answering machine and the recorded greeting was not his brother’s voice. The voice asked callers to leave a message. He called again later and someone answered the phone who identified himself as Nate. He said Egg was out walking his dog and that he would have him call right back. No one called back.

“I have confidence that this is going to come to fruition and that Lance Silva is not going to get away with what he has done,” he said.

After the B.A.R. broke the news about Silva’s release last week, San Francisco District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney posted a link to the paper’s story on Facebook writing, “This is really shocking. A couple guys were found in Brian Egg’s house, after hiring a cleaning crew, and using his credit cards. After a couple checks on the house, they found his mutilated body in a fish tank. And yet now there is apparently no suspect in his death, no further information,

and his family finds out through the media that the one suspect has been released. This is awful.”

Free lives on Clara Street near Egg’s home. He helped rally support among Egg’s friends and neighbors after Egg had gone missing over the summer. San Francisco police said Egg had been last seen in late May or early June 2018. Despite numerous calls from neighbors, police did not enter the home until mid-August, after a private crime scene cleanup crew arrived at the home.

Free used the neighborhood social media site Nextdoor to help first raise awareness of Egg’s disappearance with a post last August 2.

Neighbors have added their concerns over the handling of the case since then. Last week, neighbor Christopher Cobo posted, “Let’s keep this post constantly bumped until we get an answer. This could happen to any of us if criminals are no longer afraid of punishment by the law. There should be a full audit on this case to see where the ball was dropped if people are walking free and a person remains missing.”

Another concerned neighbor posted, “SFPD absolutely has to explain why Silva was squatting in Brian’s house; using his debit card; and tampering with a crime scene yet has not been charged with any connected crime?! There is clearly something seriously wrong here.”

who are doing the graffiti removal, cleaning the streets, and helping with the homeless crisis that we have here, this is the woman who is backing the whole train that is helping to improve this neighborhood.”

Shoemaker then spoke of a pending lease at the old Apothecarium space at 2099 Market Street for the gay-owned business called Plant Therapy. She referred to the business’ Tenderloin location as “the cutest, quaintest store if you need plants and flowers. They give classes on how to do different types of plants and pot-

ting, and so they’re bringing this concept into our lovely Apothecarium space, now called Plant Therapy.

I’m very excited about that – they’re so reasonably priced.”

She added that she hoped to have an executed lease by next week, and that Plant Therapy should be open in about three months. She also noted that 2099 Market is also occupied

by Compass Realty, a residential real estate firm.

There are still a couple of remaining vacancies owned by Veritas, one at 213 Church Street, which is be-

ing renovated to comply with ADA regulations, and another at 2075 Market Street. Finding tenants for both locations were top priorities, Shoemaker said.

Daniel Bergerac, immediate past president of Castro Merchants, said that he was pleased with the progress that was being made.

Others were also satisfied.

“It was a productive meeting,” said Danny Yadegar, a 33-year-old gay man who was a consultant on the CBD’s retail strategy for the Castro. “It showed their commitment to

the community in addressing the concerns from the previous meeting around vacant space. We’re happy that Veritas is a partner in addressing the issues in the Castro/Upper Market neighborhood.”

Mandelman said it was a “good meeting.”

“I asked Veritas to do it because I thought it was important to update the neighborhood,” he told the B.A.R. “They have some exciting tenants coming in and I’m hoping things will look significantly better in the next six months.” t

way a group we had not served with a distinct program before.”

The program is tuition-free. Funding for it was raised through a variety of sources, including with the help of Hormel. The chorus was launched last September, and is now over 40 members strong. It meets weekly, on Sunday evenings. Steinberg noted that the group sings a diverse repertoire and is welcoming to singers of all backgrounds, and all levels of experience.

“It is such a powerful experience to be part of the rehearsals, to be a part of the group, and to see how they’ve come together, how they’ve explored

the idea of singing without a specific gender expression,” she said.

Steinberg added that the organization has learned a lot from the formation of the TIGQ chorus, such as a greater understanding of how to treat the voice of someone who doesn’t identify as a traditional male or female or may be transitioning.

The chorus is already beginning to make its mark, with performances taking place for the Transgender Day Of Remembrance at UC Hastings Law School and for World AIDS Day at Grace Cathedral.

When Hormel and Nguyen are

honored at the May 11 gala for their support of the chorus, the evening will include a performance from pianist Robin Sutherland, who held the principal keyboards position at San Francisco Symphony for 45 years.

There will be performances by faculty and students, and a banquet dinner.

Funds raised at the gala support financial aid and student scholarships totaling over $2 million annually.

Steinberg noted that the support from someone of Hormel’s stature lends incredible credibility to CMC. “It helps us to communicate the seriousness that we have in growing this

program,” she said. “It speaks overall to CMC’s work in providing access to marginalized communities, to communities of color, to communities that are in need. It really is an incredible honor to be supported by them in this way.” t

day, May 4, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the agency’s integrated care center located at 1562 Mission Street in San Francisco.

The pilot program will serve lowincome children up to age 18, and helps bridge the gap for low-income families, many of whom have no dental insurance.

Officials noted that tooth decay, though largely preventable, is the most chronic childhood disease.

In San Francisco, the rate of tooth

decay in kindergarten-aged children ranges from 40 to 60%, and is higher in neighborhoods with African American, Latino, and Asian American populations, according to a news release.

Clinic hours will be Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and it will provide dental exams, cleanings, and fluoride varnish, as well as specialty treatments including night guards, primary tooth root canals, same-day toothache appointments, and more.

For more information, visit https://www.healthright360.org/ san-francisco.

from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro will be speaking Wednesday, May 15, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Senator Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota) will be at the cafe Thursday, May 30, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Finally, Senator Cory Booker (New Jersey) will speak Sunday, June 2, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. t

tion,” the post read, “were discussed and resolved by the board of directors. But because of the board’s decision and outcome this particular group of persons decided to go public, and to take it upon themselves to criticize and only stating their side of story. Gossip and rumors are never good!”

In an email, Sparkles wrote that he brought up Avalon’s comment to Vargas but that he “brushed it off.”

“The last meeting I attended in April is where they decided to vote us off the board,” Sparkles wrote, referring to himself and Commotion.

Neither Vargas nor Avalon re-

sponded to multiple requests seeking comment.

After the April meeting, Commotion created an online petition demanding Avalon’s removal as the Imperial Star Empire’s head.

“Even if you say you’re not racist,” he said, “the fact that you even have to say that shows me you should not be head of state of an organization made up of predominantly African American and Hispanic people.”

The Imperial Star Empire is celebrating its 40th reign this year.

“Forty years is a long time for a gay organization to survive,” Vargas wrote in his Facebook

statement, “but we know that our achievements, longevity, and successes aren’t by accident. I am not stating that it has all been good, but the testimony of our loyalty to the communities does. Our vision of working for our communities for all the people regardless of race, color, creed, gender, sexual orientation and to deliver the promise of our mission we started in 1978 and its reason of conception still holds true.”

Commotion said requests for a formal meeting and public trial have been ignored.

“I’m not doing this because of a

From page 1

County parole violation at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. San Francisco police initially arrested Silva and another man for suspicion of Egg’s homicide but the district attorney’s office declined to file charges, pending further investigation.

“This is a travesty. What a shocking development,” Egg’s longtime friend and neighbor, Scot Free, told the B.A.R. “The one-year anniversary is looming but still no real developments. Looks like justice won’t be served in this case. Disgusting” Free and Egg’s relatives learned of Silva’s release from the B.A.R. Egg’s older brother, Devon Egg, 69, told the B.A.R. that his family was given no advance notice that the onetime prime suspect in the case would be freed.

“I am very angry about this,” the brother said.“I got no notice about this.”

Devon Egg added that he was later forwarded an official email notice with information about Silva’s release and he called the number listed on the notice but the person who answered said they were connected with a correctional institution and could not help him.

The brother said he was taking solace in his Christian faith, that he forgave Silva and that he believed justice would be done.

t

Courtesy SFPD

Homicide victim Brian Egg

Police finally enter home

Police said officers went by Egg’s home three times but never searched the house. Officers finally entered the home August 14 after a cleanup crew arrived at the house. Police said Silva had used Egg’s debit card to pay the workers. Investigators said the crew was met by Robert McCaffrey.

San Francisco police initially arrested Silva and McCaffrey for suspicion of Egg’s homicide as well as for fraud, theft, identity theft, and elder abuse, but the district attorney’s office declined to file charges, pending further investigation. Silva had previously been convicted in 2015 for stealing money from the retirement accounts of employees who worked for an upholstery company he once owned in Emeryville.

Dem prez candidates head to Manny’s

Four Democratic candidates seeking the party’s 2020 presidential nomination will be stopping in San Francisco at Manny’s, 3092 16th Street, in the next few weeks.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee will be appearing Thursday, May 2,

The May 11 gala takes place from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the InterContinental Hotel, 888 Howard Street, in San Francisco. Tickets start at $350, or $500 for VIP, and can be purchased at tinyurl.com/CMCGala-2019.

title,” he said. “That doesn’t mean anything to me. I’m doing this because I have grandchildren I’m responsible for. If I step down, how does that make me look if somebody says the same thing to them?”

The controversy comes ahead of this weekend’s eighth annual awards gala for the Imperial Star Empire, which takes place Saturday, May 4, from 5 to 9 p.m. at the White Horse Bar, 6551 Telegraph Avenue in Oakland.

To read or sign the petition, go to https://bit.ly/2vs1s4j.t

t

International News>>

May 2-8, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 13

LGBTs visit US-Mexico border, meet asylum seekers

by Heather Cassell

P

resident Donald Trump threw asylum seekers and immigration advocates another wrench April 29, proposing new restrictions targeting the United States’ southwestern border.

Late Monday, Trump ordered acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan and Attorney General William P. Barr to propose new asylum regulations and implement them within 90 days.

Trump’s orders will pose more challenges for immigration advocates, especially LGBT asylum seekers’ claims for “integrity of credible fear adjudications.” Trump ordered the Department of Homeland Security to reorganize its staff to “improve the integrity of credible fear adjudications, strengthen law enforcement, and enforce removal orders from immigration judges,” reported the Washington Post.

The new policy comes a week after Trump issued a separate memorandum targeting visa overstays in his attempt to sidestep Congress.

In early April, in a plan some politicians said will make matters worse, PBS NewsHour reported that Trump announced cuts in aid to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

The announcement coincided with California Governor Gavin Newsom’s (D) tour of El Salvador.

Trump’s moves contrast with Newsom’s actions. Since Newsom took office in January, he’s said that California will remain a “sanctuary state” and proposed $25 million in California aid to asylum seekers.

His goals in El Salvador were to study the root causes bringing thousands of people to the U.S. border in an attempt to see if California can begin to stem the migration.

The White House’s newest attack on the Central American migrants

comes nearly two weeks after the first-ever LGBT delegation traveled to Mexico to visit Tijuana’s only LGBT shelter, which was created after migrants first arrived in November.

“Immigration issues are LGBTQ issues,” Equality California Executive Director Rick Zbur, who went on the fact-finding mission, said in a news release. “It’s heartbreaking to know that our government continues to violate our own laws and values to deny them safety.”

That’s why more than 30 LGBT celebrities, athletes, elected officials, activists, and journalists crossed the United States-Mexico border for the one-day trip.

Celebrity design team Nate Berkus and his husband, Jeremiah Brent, of TLC’s “Nate and Jeremiah

by Design,” and gay retired NBA star Jason Collins were among those who participated in the April 16 visit.

Gay politicians also took part, including California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara (D), state Senator Scott Wiener (DSan Francisco), Assemblyman Todd Gloria (DSan Diego), Sacramento City Councilman Steve Hansen, and Los Angeles Board of Public Works President Kevin James.

The trip was hosted by EQCA and the group This Is About Humanity.

It was co-hosted by Border Angels at El Bordo (the Border) and the shelter La Embajada del Migrante/ Undocumented Cafe, according to the EQCA release.

This Is About Humanity is a humanitarian organization focused on aiding migrants in Tijuana with basic needs and educating people about their experiences.

The trip was the sixth that the group has made since launching the project in 2018 and the first LGBTfocused trip. The trips are funded by donations from individuals, companies, and organizations through a

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Legal Notices>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-554753

In the matter of the application of: MIGUEL CORDERO, 1839 15TH ST #465, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner MIGUEL CORDERO, is requesting that the name MIGUEL CORDERO, be changed to MIGUEL-ANGEL CORDEROCHAVEZ. 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 23rd of May 2019 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

APR 18, 25, MAY 02, 09, 2019

Courtesy Equality California

Retired NBA player Jason Collins, left, joined celebrity interior designer Nate Berkus; Yolanda Rocha, director of Casa Jardin de las Mariposas; Berkus’ husband, designer Jeremiah Brent; and Jaime Antonio Marin Rocha, who also works at the Casa Jardin shelter.

fund at the International Community Foundation, organizers said.

The organizers’ names aren’t being published due to recent threats they said they received through social media.

Currently, there are about 34 queer migrants living at the Tijuana shelter, Casa Jardin de las Mariposas (www.facebook.com/Jardin-DeLas-Mariposas-986203511414045), the organizers said. They showed

pictures to the B.A.R. of migrants sleeping on mattresses strewn on the floors of the four-bedroom house where they share a single bathroom.

The shelter doubles as a substance and narcotic abuse center.

The EQCA delegation met three migrants – who remained anonymous for their safety – who shared their stories.

One transgender woman said she

IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CALIFORNIA BARREL COMPANY LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, Plaintiff, v.

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

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

Witness my hand and the seal of said court, DATE: APR 15 2019 Clerk, By JUDITH C. NUNEZ, DEPUTY [SEAL], CLERK OF THE COURT Memorandum Disclosing Adverse Interest [CCP § 751.07] The following persons are said to claim an interest in, or lien upon, said property adverse to Plaintiff: 1. PG&E, 245 Market Street, N10A, Room 1015, P.O. Box 770000, San Francisco, CA 94177; 2. City and County of San Francisco, Office of the City Attorney, Room 234, City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102, 3. Trans Bay Cable LLC, One Letterman Drive, C5-100, San Francisco, CA 94129; 4. San Francisco Port Authority, Pier 1, The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94111; 5. California Regional Water Quality Control Board for the San Francisco Bay Region, 1515 Clay Street, Suite 1400, Oakland, CA 94612; 6. NRG Potrero LLC, c/o GenOn, 1360 Post Oak Boulevard, Suite 2000, Houston TX 77056 SUMMONS_revised041619.indd 1

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038613700

fled Honduras after surviving sexual assault and years of serious threats from her family and gangs.

She “literally would be killed if she were to go back to her home country,” said Collins, who said his family was the exact opposite of the woman’s experience when he publicly came out in 2013. He was accepted and supported.

“If anyone would hear her story it would bring tears to your [eyes].

It would break your heart,” he said.

A lesbian who arrived only 24 hours before the delegation’s visit explained how she escaped a powerful gang that brutally raped her and was still pursuing her in Mexico, delegates said.

She said, “I just want to live,” Collins recounted.

The delegation also visited Movimiento Juventud 2000 in the Zona Norte, where they handed out books and snacks to families and kids.

At the shelter for families, the group spoke with a family from El Salvador who lost everything – their home and business – to the gangs who targeted them for extortion and violence, Collins and Wiener recalled.

A longer version of this column is online at ebar.com. t

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038603500

4/16/19 12:56 PM

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038605900

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038603800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WANGND. COM, 355 OCTAVIA ST #34, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JAMES WANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/16/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/16/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CEBE VISUAL ARTS, 167 SKYVIEW WAY, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CHRISTOPHE BERAUD. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/31/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/10/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GAMED UP & PRETTY YOUNG BALLER, 1471 KANSAS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CELINA HARRINGTON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/11/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/11/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CREATIVE SOLUTIONS, 280 NEWHALL ST #D, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CRYSTAL TIMMS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/10/19.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/10/19.

APR 18, 25, MAY 02, 09, 2019

APR 18, 25, MAY 02, 09, 2019

APR 18, 25, MAY 02, 09, 2019

APR 18, 25, MAY 02, 09, 2019

<< Legals

14 • Bay Area Reporter • May 2-8, 2019

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Legal Notices>> SUMMONS (FAMILY LAW) SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO NOTICE TO RESPONDENT: JULIO CESAR CAAMAL ARGUELLO, YOU ARE BEING SUED. PETITIONER’S NAME IS MARIA MAGDALENA LUNA GODOY CASE NO. FDI-19-791286

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, phone call, or court appearance 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 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.

1. The name and address of the court are: SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, County of San Francisco, 400 McAllister St, San Francisco, CA 94102; 2. The name, address, and telephone number of petitioner’s attorney, or the petitioner without an attorney, are: Maria Magdalena Luna Godoy, 320 Turk St, #404, San Francisco, CA 94102 415-947-9899 March 8, 2019 Clerk of the Superior Court by Damon Carter, Deputy

APR 11, 18, 25, MAY 02, 2019 IN SUPERIOR COURT, STATE OF WASHINGTON, COUNTY OF KING IN RE THE INTEREST OF: ABRAHAM J. M. GRIBBON, A MINOR. NO. 19-5-00312-1 SEA SUMMONS AND NOTICE OF HEARING RE TERMINATION OF PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP TO: JOHN DOE (UNKNOWN)

A Petition for Termination of Parent-Child Relationship asks that the parent-child relationship between the above-named parent and child be terminated.

You may respond to the Summons and Notice by filing a written response with the Court Clerk and serving a copy on David Andersen. If you do not serve your written response within thirty days after the date this Summons was served on you, the court may, without further notice, enter an Order of Default against you, enter an order relinquishing the child to the Petitioners, permanently terminating your parent-child relationship, and approving the adoption of the above-named child. The child was born on Dec 28, 2016, in Bellevue, WA; The natural mother is Elisabeth Gribbon.

The court hearing on this matter shall be on May 13, 2019, at 1:30 p.m. in Rm W325, King County Courthouse, 516 3rd Ave, Seattle, WA 98104.

Any indigent alleged father has the right to be represented by an attorney if so requested; and, upon such request one will be appointed.

Your failure to file a claim of paternity under chapter 26.26 RCW or your failure to respond to the Petition within thirty days of the date of service of Summons and Notice upon you, is grounds to terminate your parent-child relationship with respect to the child.

WITNESS: The Hon. Henry H. Judson III, Court Commissioner of said Superior Court and the seal of said court hereunto affixed this date: Apr 08, 2019 Barbara Miner, King County Superior Court Clerk, For King County, WA. K Rich, Deputy Clerk FILE RESPONSE WITH: Superior Court Clerk, King County Courthouse, 516 3rd Ave, Rm W325, Seattle, WA 98104, 206-296-9300 SERVE COPY OF RESPONSE ON: David Andersen, 5507 35th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105, 206-547-1400

APRIL 11, 18, 25, 2019 NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF IMELDINE BLAIR AKA IMELDINE PARTRICIA BLAIR IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES-19-302649

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of IMELDINE BLAIR AKA IMELDINE PARTRICIA BLAIR. A Petition for Probate has been filed

by RICHARD WILLIAM BLAIR II in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that RICHARD WILLIAM BLAIR II be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court.. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: May 01, 2019, 9:00 am, Rm. 204, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing.

Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the latter of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court.

If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: Mr. Gary R. Lieberman, Esq., 7 Mt. Lassen Drive, Suite A-150, San Rafael, CA 94903 (415) 897-2226.

APR 11, 18, 25, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038595000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DIMPLES COCKTAIL LOUNGE, 1700 POST ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed 1700 DIMPLES 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 04/04/19.

APR 11, 18, 25, MAY 02, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038591000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SUPREME BUILT, 2754 GREENWICH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed TALBCO DEVELOPMENT CORP. (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 04/02/19.

APR 11, 18, 25, MAY 02, 2019

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038602100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PLUSH NAILS SPA, 1791 CHURCH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed UT SON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/10/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/10/19.

APR 18, 25, MAY 02, 09, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038606400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CARBON CORPORATION, 530 HOWARD ST, LOWER LEVEL, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ALEXANDER WOLFE INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/10/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/11/19.

APR 18, 25, MAY 02, 09, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038572800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: EJ FOOD DISTRIBUTOR, 301 TOLAND ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124.

This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed GRUBMARKET, INC. (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/19/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/21/19.

APR 18, 25, MAY 02, 09, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038574500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MANGOLOTE, 41 THOMAS AVE #9, BRISBANE, CA 94005. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed VICTOR J. VILLAMONTE VENEGAS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/22/19.

APR 11, 18, 25, MAY 02, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038586100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AL’S DELI, 598 GUERRERO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed FIRST DELI LLC (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/29/19.

APR 11, 18, 25, MAY 02, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038580000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GAME OF BUDZ, 1355 TAYLOR ST #A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed VERDAMPFER ENTERPRISES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/14/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/26/19.

APR 11, 18, 25, MAY 02, 2019 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-038212900

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: L’AMOUR DE SAIGON, 321 W. PORTAL AVE #A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127.

This business was conducted by a corporation and signed

by TFLH CORP (CA). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/09/18.

APR 11, 18, 25, MAY 02, 2019 NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF DONALD EDWARD STEVENS IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES-19-302700

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of DONALD EDWARD STEVENS. A Petition for Probate has been filed by KATHLEEN M. STEVENS in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that KATHLEEN M. STEVENS be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: May 15, 2019, 9:00 a.m., Rm. 204, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the latter of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor.

You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250.

A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: Lauren T. Corman #292981, The Corman Law Offices, APC, 740 Front St #200, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, 831-427-2414.

APR 18, 25, MAY 02, 2019 PLAINTIFF’S CLAIM AND ORDER TO GO TO COURT (SMALL CLAIMS COURT) MARIN COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT, 3501 CIVIC CENTER DR, RM 113, P.O. BOX 4988, SAN RAFAEL, CA 94913-4988 NOTICE TO THE PERSON BEING SUED DEFENDANT: HERBERT DERUNGS AKA HERBIE CHRISTIANSEN, YOU ARE BEING SUED. PETITIONER: KIA BRUMETT CASE NO. SMC 1910123 Notice to the person being sued: You are the defendant.

The person suing you is the plaintiff. You and the plaintiff must go to court on the trial date listed below. If you do not go to court, you may lose the case. If you lose, the court can order that your wages, money, or property be taken to pay this claim. Bring witnesses, receipts, and any evidence you need to prove your case. Read this form and all pages attached to understand the claims against you and to protect your rights. ORDER TO GO TO COURT: The defendant and plaintiff must go to court June 21st, 2019, 10:30 am. Clerk, by Q. Roary, Deputy, James M. Kim.

APR 18, 25, MAY 02, 09, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038587100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SUBWAY SANDWICHES 36339, 1099 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed LETAP GROUP, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/27/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/01/19.

APR 18, 25, MAY 02, 09, 2019

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-554758 In the matter of the application of: VIKKI CERNIGLIA FRIEDMAN, C/O TERRY A. SZUCSKO #258096, CFLS, LVOVICH & SZUCSKO, P.C., 50 OSGOOD PL #500, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner VIKKI CERNIGLIA FRIEDMAN, is requesting that the name VIKKI CERNIGLIA FRIEDMAN be changed to VIKKI ANN CERNIGLIA; LUCAS COLE FRIEDMAN be changed to LUCAS COLE CERNIGLIA; and MAXWELL FINNEGAN FRIEDMAN be changed to MAXIMILIAN SAMUEL CERNIGLIA. 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 23rd of May 2019 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

APR 18, 25, MAY 02, 09, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038587200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SUBWAY SANDWICHES 7307, 2375 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed LETAP GROUP, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/27/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/01/19.

APR 18, 25, MAY 02, 09, 2019 NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF LORRAINE D. ELLIOTT IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES-19-302771

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of LORRAINE DRISCOLL ELLIOTT, LORRAINE D. ELLIOTT, LORRAINE ELLIOTT. A Petition for Probate has been filed by JENNIFER REZENTES in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco.

The Petition for Probate requests that JENNIFER REZENTES be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: MAY 15, 2019, 9:00 a.m., Dept: 204, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102-4514. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the latter of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: BRYAN D. CORYELL, 420 AVIATION BLVD #201, SANTA ROSA, CA 95403; Ph. 707-543-4900.

APR 25, MAY 02, 09, 2019 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-554777

In the matter of the application of: JIAYI LI HAYNER, 1222 HARRISON ST # 4408, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner JIAYI LI HAYNER, is requesting that the name JIAYI LI HAYNER, be changed to MADISYN LI HAYNER. 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 6th of June 2019 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

APR 25, MAY 02, 09, 16, 2019 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-554786

In the matter of the application of: JOSE LUIS JIMENEZ GOMEZ & METADEL GEBYAW YIRDAW, 1617 HOWARD ST #12, SAN FRANCISCO CA 94103, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner JOSE LUIS JIMENEZ GOMEZ & METADEL GEBYAW YIRDAW, is requesting that the name MARCOS JIMENEZ GOMEZ, be changed to MARCOS JIMENEZ-GOMEZ. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 11th of June 2019 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

APR 25, MAY 02, 09, 16, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038589900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CHACHI’S, 1008 DIVISADERO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DANIEL NEMIROVSKY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/02/19.

APR 25, MAY 02, 09, 16, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038621900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MAGOMEDOV LAW GROUP, 534 PACIFIC AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed YULIYA MAGOMEDOV. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/29/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/19/19.

APR 25, MAY 02, 09, 16, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038613800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SUGA STUDIO, 499 ALABAMA ST #112, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NOBUTO SUGA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/25/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/16/19.

APR 25, MAY 02, 09, 16, 2019

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038620400

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038590400

APR 25, MAY 02, 09, 16, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038618500

APR 25, MAY 02, 09, 16, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038588800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: A.G.WELLNESS & CO., 126 TERRA VISTA AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANGIE WANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/18/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/18/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: EL TESORO TAQUERIA AND GRILL, 710 POST ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed FAJITA EXPRESS INC (CA).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/18/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/02/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TAX & ACCOUNTING SERVICES, 474-A 28TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JENNIE T. DIEP. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/17/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/17/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MASON DINER, 320 MASON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed KI YOUNG CHUNG & SARAH CHUNG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/01/19.

APR 25, MAY 02, 09, 16, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038596100

APR 25, MAY 02, 09, 16, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038609500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BONDED BEGINNINGS, 20 QUARTZ WAY, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed EMILY GOVERNALE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/05/19.

APR 25, MAY 02, 09, 16, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038618200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: EL PARCE CAFE, 517 O’FARRELL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MAURICIO BEJARANO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/17/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/17/19.

APR 25, MAY 02, 09, 16, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038611200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JGKSF CONSULTING, 153 ALPINE TERRACE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JO ELLEN GREEN KAISER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/15/19.

APR 25, MAY 02, 09, 16, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038615200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CHOUADRA FOUED, 1208 CONNECTICUT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual and is signed FOUED CHOUADRA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/16/19.

APR 25, MAY 02, 09, 16, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038602200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE MAGIC OVEN, 214 SHRADER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOYCE LAGOS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/10/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/10/19.

APR 25, MAY 02, 09, 16, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038611800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TRULLLA SOFTWARE, 875 VERMONT ST #101, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SLAWOMIR LIGUS. 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 04/15/19.

APR 25, MAY 02, 09, 16, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038592100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: A F SEWING CO., 245 SOUTH VAN NESS AVE #302, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed QI FEI LI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/03/19.

APR 25, MAY 02, 09, 16, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038611700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MG HAIR AND BEAUTY SALON, 2772 SAN BRUNO AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed XIAOMEI PENG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/15/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/15/19.

APR 25, MAY 02, 09, 16, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038609200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: URBAN FLEUR, 660 4TH ST # 525, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JANE DAVID. 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 04/12/19.

APR 25, MAY 02, 09, 16, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038604300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE WOODS, 910 VALENCIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SANDRA CHU. 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 04/11/19.

APR 25, MAY 02, 09, 16, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038600600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: VISUAL PRESENTATION, 301 8TH ST #210, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed JEANNE HANGAUER & TAINA KISSINGER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/31/99. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/09/19.

APR 25, MAY 02, 09, 16, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038617400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FINESSE PAINTING INC., 601 VAN NESS AVE #E610, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed FINESSE PAINTING INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/17/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/17/19.

APR 25, MAY 02, 09, 16, 2019

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SASA BEAUTY, 1112 TARAVAL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116.

This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SA & G 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 04/12/19.

APR 25, MAY 02, 09, 16, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038609100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CHIC CHICK SIAMESE EATERY, 2550 GEARY BLVD # 306, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MITT SINTH LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/12/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/12/19.

APR 25, MAY 02, 09, 16, 2019 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-554789 In the matter of the application of: AARON EUGENE BALDWIN, 183 EUREKA ST #1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner AARON EUGENE BALDWIN, is requesting that the name AARON EUGENE BALDWIN, be changed to AARON FURTADO BALDWIN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 11th of June 2019 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAY 02, 09, 16, 23, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038631100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DALY CITY FALCONS BASKETBALL CLUB, 207 SKYLINE BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HIEN TRAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/29/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/29/19.

MAY 02, 09, 16, 23, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038629900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AWAKENED SELF, 109 STONECREST DR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SANTIAGO ROCHA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/26/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/26/19.

MAY 02, 09, 16, 23, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038627500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LCR CONSTRUCTION, 29 FAIRLAWN AVE, DALY CITY, CA 94015. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LUCIANO DA CONCEICAO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/24/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/24/19.

MAY 02, 09, 16, 23, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038626100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LOVE IS IN THE HAIR, 1163 BUSH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ELIAS LOPEZ SOTO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/22/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/23/19.

MAY 02, 09, 16, 23, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038624300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PRESENCE, 1600 BRYANT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JULIE PHAM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/22/19.

MAY 02, 09, 16, 23, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038625000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GLIDE INSURANCE SERVICES, 1049 MARKET ST #602, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed GLIDE LABS, INC (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/23/19.

MAY 02, 09, 16, 23, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038626400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GREENFORCE PATROLS, 2031 UNION ST #6, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed GREENFORCE SECURITY INTERNATIONAL GGGG YY PPP LTD, LLC (NM). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/24/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/24/19.

MAY 02, 09, 16, 23, 2019 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037833500

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: DALY CITY FALCONS BASKETBALL CLUB, 207 SKYLINE BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business was conducted by a general partnership and signed by HIEN TRAN & JUNES AUBE VALDEMORO. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/08/17.

MAY 02, 09, 16, 23, 2019

16

Frameline forward

18

20

19

Vanity case

Silent nights

Babe Ruth

Vol. 49 • No. 18 • May 2-8, 2019

www.ebar.com/arts

San Francisco Silent Film Festival rides again!

Courtesy SFSFF

by Sura Wood

B

race yourself. Here comes a five-day marathon of silent classics and newly uncovered and restored gems roaring out of the past at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. From “Hell Bent,” a relatively brief, early Western directed by John Ford, and “Lights of Old Broadway,” where William Randolph Hearst’s former squeeze Marion Davies plays twins separated at birth, to “The Signal Tower,” a railroad drama with Wallace Berry and a runaway train set in the redwoods of Mendocino, they’ll all be screening at the palatial Castro Theatre, accompanied by live scores performed by musicians who are the best in the biz.

See page 20 >>

Strand Releasing

Scene from “The Cameraman” (1928), with Buster Keaton.

Lyrical expression

Addicted to danger Mat Hennk

by Philip Campbell

S

an Francisco Symphony Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas returns from early spring hiatus next week. In his absence, the Orchestra has kept busy at Davies Symphony Hall, working with a range of prominent visiting conductors and some exciting guest soloists.

See page 18 >>

by David Lamble

Pianist Helene Grimaud played Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto with the San Francisco Symphony.

Felix Maritaud as Leo in director Camille VidalNaquet’s “Sauvage.”

{ SECOND OF THREE SECTIONS }

I

n “Sauvage” (opening Friday), Leo, a young French hustler, dismisses the advice he’s getting from a therapist about his addictions.

See page 18 >>

<< Out There

16 • Bay Area Reporter • May 2-8, 2019

t

StevenUnderhill PHOTOGRAPHY

Courtesy Frameline

Vita Sackville-West (Gemma Arterton) and Virginia Woolf (Elizabeth Debicki) are literary lovers in director Chanya Button’s “Vita & Virginia,” coming to Frameline 43.

415 370 7152

StevenUnderhill.com StevenUnderhillPhotos@gmail.com

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1 3 . c e D g n i s Clo tseatsavailable! a Gr ea

GETTICKETS TICKETS NOW! NOW! GET

Frameline forecast: Fab!

by Roberto Friedman

F

rameline 43, the San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, announced a dozen of its highest-profile programs coming this summer, June 20-30, to San Francisco, Berkeley, and Oakland.

The announced attractions include Opening Night, Closing Night and Centerpiece selections, found below.

The complete Frameline 43 program will be announced on May 21.

Frameline Director of Exhibition & Programming Paul Struthers selected 12 films to announce before the full program launch. “We have curated a Festival that really has films about and for all of the LGBTQ+ communities,” Struthers said. “These 12 features offer a perfect appetizer for what Frameline 43 has in store. We will be screening over 170 stories from all over the world, including awardwinning titles, exciting world premieres, and very special presentations.”

Opening Night film will be “Vita & Virginia” (June 20), directed by Chanya Button. Frameline says, “Sensational star turns

by Elizabeth Debicki as Virginia Woolf and Gemma Arterton as Vita Sackville-West bring to dazzling, erotic life one of the great lesbian love affairs of the 20th century in this enchanting blend of literary biography and romantic intrigue.”

Isabella Rossellini turns up in a supporting role as Vita’s mother.

Woolf is thought to have used her lover Sackville-West as the muse for her novel “Orlando.” Premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. Opening Night Gala will be at Terra Gallery.

Closing Night film will be “Gay Chorus Deep South” (June 30), directed by David Charles Rodrigues. “To combat the reemergence of anti-LGBTQ+ laws and hate crimes brought upon by the Trump era, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus boldly toured areas of the southern United States, bringing their message of love and inclusion for everyone. Fueled by fantastic music, this dynamic documentary captures the heart and soul of a contemporary civil rights movement.” Premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival. Closing Night Party will be at Oasis.

Centerpiece Presentations include the World Premiere of “Sid & Judy” (June 26), a documentary directed

by Stephen Kijak. “June 2019 marks 50 years since the death of the extravagantly talented and tragically short-lived entertainer Judy Garland, whose perseverance and

powerful charisma have made her a gay icon for generations. This revelatory and poignant new portrait, rich with spectacular film clips and rare concert footage, is told through the memoirs, recently published, of the man who, for a tumultuous decade, was her confidant, producer, and husband, Sid Luft.”

“Before You Know It” (June 24), directed by Hannah Pearl Utt. “Exceptionally funny, smart, and heartfelt, ‘BYKI’ welcomes us into the eccentric Gurner family home, perched atop their business, a community theater in downtown NYC. Type-A lesbian Rachel’s responsibilities as the stage manager of both their performances and private lives have kept her from having her own life.” With performances by Judith Light, Mandy Patinkin, and Alec Baldwin. Premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.

“Temblores” (“Tremors”) (June 25), directed

by Jayro Bustamante.

“When confident, sophisticated Pablo reveals that he is going to leave his wife and children to live with the man he loves, his affluent evangelical family in Guatemala is ripped apart.” Premiered at the 2019 Berlin International Film Festival.

“A Luv Tale: The Series” (June 27), directed by Kim Oyegan, written and created by Sidra Smith.

“This Harlem-set episodic series follows four stunning queer women of color as they navigate their friendships, love lives, and artistic careers.” Cast includes Vanessa Williams and Leon.

“Bit” (June 22), directed by Brad Michael Elmore. “A summer vacation in LA quickly turns into a

fight to survive for Laurel (Nicole Maines from CBS’ ‘Supergirl’), a transgender teenage girl who falls in with a glamorous quartet of queer feminist vampires.”

“End of the Century” (June 21 & 29), directed by Lucio Castro.

In Barcelona, we see “the relationship between handsome Ocho and Javi over decades.” Premiered at the New Directors/New Films Festival in NYC. “Kinky Boots: The Musical” (June 22), directed by Jerry Mitchell & Brett Sullivan. World premiere screening of the Tony & Olivier Award-winning musical in performance from London’s Adelphi Theatre. With a book by Harvey Fierstein and original songs by Cyndi Lauper, stars Killian Donnelly as Charlie and Matt Henry as Lola, the drag queen who saves the day.

“Trixie Mattel: Moving Parts” (June 25), directed by Nick ZeigOwens, a “behind-the-scenes exposé of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ star and country music songstress Trixie Mattel.” Premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival. Trixie Mattel (Brian Firkus) will appear for Q&A following the screening.

“You Don’t Nomi” (June 27), directed by Jeffrey McHale. Peaches Christ hosts this “reassessment of a Hollywood disaster, Paul Verhoeven’s ‘Showgirls.’” Premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival.

“Kattumaram” (June 23 & 27), directed by Swarnavel Eswaran.

“In a small Indian village ravaged by a tsunami, local schoolteacher Anandhi refuses to be married off, until a new friendship with a fellow female teacher.”

Watch these pages for more to come on the world’s longest-running and largest showcase of queer cinema.t

Courtesy Frameline

Scene from director Lucio Castro’s “End of the Century,” set in Barcelona.

Open March 22 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; May 27 Throw back your spring break 66 million years.

Experience life-size dinosaurs that move and roar, and unearth fossils like a paleontologist in our East Garden.

Plus, see real specimens and enjoy dino-themed activities throughout the entire Academy. Hurryâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;buy online and save before it goes extinct!

GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY

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

29671-CAS-Dino Days-Bay Area Reporter-9.75x16-04.25.19-FA.indd 1

4/23/19 11:55 AM

<< Theatre

18 • Bay Area Reporter • May 2-8, 2019

Vanity night live

by Jim Gladstone

W

illiam Makepeace Thackeray’s “Vanity Fair” is best known as an 800-page gorilla of a novel, but the episodic tale of social-climbing young Englishwoman Becky Sharp’s adventures among the aristocrats was originally published as a monthly serial by the humor magazine Punch.

The installments were subtitled “pen and pencil sketches of English society,” and at its best, the stage adaptation by Kate Hamill, in which the story is told by a tatty 19th-century music hall troupe, is delightfully sketchy, in every sense of the word.

There’s plenty of unsavory behavior on display in this American Conservatory Theater co-production with Washington, D.C.’s Shakespeare Theatre Company, including a mercenary marriage, neglect of small children, compulsive gambling and all manner of conniving for cash and finery.

It’s all drawn quickly and broadly, in a series of set-pieces directed with fleet-footed verve by Jessica Stone, greatly aided by Alexander Dodge’s charming Victorianvaudeville scenic design, with its quick-dropping background flats and a wonderful crank-driven contraption that pulls a giant scroll of illustrations one-by-one through a frame to indicate location changes.

And in terms of sketch comedy, with much of the cast playing multiple characters from one scene to the next, there are moments of the sublime:

<<

SF Symphony

From page 15

MTT has concerts scheduled May 9-11 that feature pianist Pierre-

INSIDE

PRIDE The official magazine of San Francisco Pride 2019 A Publication of VIA MEDIA [Caselli Partners LLC]

Vincent Randazzo is a hoot as Jos Sedley, the Tweedledumpy brother of poor Becky Sharp’s wealthy boarding-school pal Amelia (Maribel Martinez). He’s dopily oblivious when Becky (Rebekah Brockman) puts the moves on him, her sights set on the family fortune. Jos is a shy manchild, speaking in monosyllabic babytalk, his chin perpetually tucked into his high collar. After a quick change for the following scene, he’s back as slothful Sir Crawley, an oleaginous personification of the idle rich, calling to mind a creepier Meatloaf in a limp pageboy. Jennifer Moeller’s costumes and wigs manage to simultaneously convey the finery of the elites being satirized and the modest budget of the burlesque players doing the satirizing.

Dan Hiatt, too, is a double delight in his most substantial roles.

As the company manager and narrator, he offers winking commentary on the audience, wondering which members of the crowd have been unwillingly dragged to the theater by their spouses and singling out a likely napper, predicting a bout of disruptive snoring. But Hiatt lifts the show to its greatest comic heights when, kitted out in a pink-ribboned bonnet and ruffled dress, he assumes the role of society doyenne Miss Matilda Crawley, who briefly takes Becky under her wing. And, gentle reader, there is wind beneath that wing, as revealed in a fusillade of flatulence gags.

There’s a cheerful ribaldry to Laurent Amaud in the spellbinding Ligeti Concerto, and Women of the SFS Chorus adding seductive power to the “Sirenes” episode in Claude Debussy’s beautiful “Nocturnes.” Other Impressionist (he deplored the term) masterpieces by the same composer, Prelude to “The Afternoon of a Faun” and “La Mer,” complete the dreamily evocative program.

This week, Marek Janowski conducts Canadian virtuoso James Ehnes in Bruch’s lyrical Violin Concerto No.1, and the acknowledged master of the music of the German tradition also brings passionately sensual love music by Richard Wagner to add heat to a springtime concert. The Overture and Venusberg Music from “Tannhauser” (yes, bacchanal = orgy) and the Prelude and “Liebestod” (uh-oh, love/death) from ”Tristan und Isolde” aren’t exactly your typical Maypole dances.

Last week, former associate conductor of the SFS (2006-09), Chief Conductor of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the Nether-

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Sauvage

From page 15

La femme médecin: “Shall we try something to get you off the drugs for a while?”

Léo: “But, why?”

“What do you mean, why?”

“To do what?”

“Hold on a second. It’s not either crack or nothing.”

“It is.”

“You don’t want to change?”

“Why would I?” “Sauvage” is an entertaining but dark take on the Parisian male hustling scene. It’s a world of brutal acts and emotionally desperate people.

The film overflows with a feral cast of young and aging rent boys with futures that only slightly exceed the life expectancy of hummingbirds.

Leo (impressively seductive Felix Maritaud) is a 22-year-old hustler who spits in the wind of a world that

Scott Suchman

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most every scene in “Vanity Fair.”

But there are more than two hours of such scenes in this production, and their sum doesn’t offer much more than each part.

As Becky and Amelia, Brockman and Martinez are the only cast members who play single roles throughout, and their evolving friendship is intended to serve as a narrative throughline. But to a large degree, the strategy backfires. The pair’s consistent, relatively straightforward performances are overshadowed by the attention-grabbing quick changes and broad-stroked caricatures that surround them.

Brockman makes as much as she can from a knowing eyeroll here, a crooked smirk there, but her slyness is recessive amidst the surrounding buffoonery. Becky Sharp is supposed to be the protagonist of this story, but in contrast to her surname she moves through this picaresque as a bit of a blur.

Playwright Hamill’s “Vanity Fair” amusingly pounds the upper crust into crumbs. But, as in sketch comedy, there’s a surplus of silliness and little sense of stakes. The public fell in love with Thackeray’s version when it was published in brief installments. That’s not a particularly feasible way to present a stage production, but one can see how this material might benefit from the approach.t

Dan Hiatt as Miss Matilda Crawley, Rebekah Brockman as Becky Sharp, in Kate Hamill’s “Vanity Fair,” playing ACT’s Geary Theater.

Vanity Fair, through May 12 at ACT’s Geary Theater, 415 Geary St., SF. (415) 749-2228, www.act-sf.org.

lands Radio Philharmonic James Gaffigan returned to DSH with a big American symphonic surprise and a marvelous guest pianist cleaning the smudges from a significant Beethoven Concerto.

French musical artist Helene Grimaud has strong opinions about interpretation of the classics, but she only added loving articulation to Beethoven’s groundbreaking Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Opus 58. The composer charted a new course by replacing the typical virtuoso concerto of the period with a more lyrical expression. Grimaud simply played the notes perfectly, with exquisite subtlety and confident pacing.

Her performance followed the concert’s opening Good Friday Spell from the opera “Parsifal” by Wagner. It was an unlikely, albeit well-played curtain-raiser, curiously programmed in the week after Easter. It didn’t pose much of a problem for Grimaud, though she did seem to have some minor issues with the physical placement of the piano itself and the distant (and persistent)

is deservedly admired. Still, it is the famous “Adagio,” ripped off and plunked into so many soundtracks, that keeps his name alive.

The Cello Concerto and other orchestral pieces are also worth tracking down. We are grateful to James Gaffigan for bringing us such a rarity as the Symphony No. 1. He fashioned a cohesive and stirring statement, and the SFS musicians followed his lead with obvious commitment.

In mid-May, MTT leads performances of his signature composer Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 7, May 16-18. Christian Reif leads the SFS Youth Orchestra in Mahler’s First on May 19, with excellent contemporary composer Nathaniel Stookey’s “Mahlerwerk.” Kinetic conductor Krzysztof Urbanski appears with violinist Vilde Frang May 23-26, and Juraj Valcuha joins concertmaster Alexander Barantschik May 30-June 1 for some J.S. Bach and the Shostakovich Eighth.t

lays odds he won’t live to see 25. He’s a true orphan; we never get a hint about where he’s from.

Praised at Cannes, “Sauvage” plows ground familiar to fans of nihilistic queer classics like the Montreal-set “Being at Home With Claude.” Seldom does anyone take a shower or shave, despite their patented two days’ growth of beard. If you’re looking for a feckless young hero who prefers the streets to a bed, trading his body for Euros, but still clinging to the notion that true love awaits, Leo’s your man. He has an unrealistic crush on his straightidentified hustler buddy, Ahd (ferocious Éric Bernard).

Writer-director Camille VidalNaquet, in his debut feature, ponders whether Leo will opt for a dangerous freedom or the suffocating safety of a stable relationship with, in his words, “an ugly older man.”t

telephone ring-tone of an audience member’s mobile. She managed to move past the petty distractions and achieved an artistic triumph, wisely choosing Beethoven’s own cadenzas and gracefully dancing through one of his wittiest final movements.

After intermission, Gaffigan returned with a loud and rather mismanaged account of Mozart’s Symphony No. 31 in D Major, “Paris.” It was another somewhat unnecessary addition to a full program, but it settled listeners in for the rousing impact of gay American composer Samuel Barber’s terse (20 mins.)

Symphony No. 1, written in 1936.

“The most talented and deserving student of music in America” won the Prix de Rome in spring 1935, and went on to a fine career that included accomplished but neglected operas “Vanessa” and “Antony and Cleopatra,” written for legendary diva Leontyne Price and the opening of the “new” Met at Lincoln Center in 1966. Barber’s warmly nostalgic “Knoxville-Summer of 1915” gets more performances, and the gorgeous Violin Concerto

Info: sfsymphony.org

Strand Releasing

Felix Maritaud (Leo) in “Sauvage.”

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Film>>

May 2-8, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 19

Dr. Ruth wants you to have good sex

by David-Elijah Nahmod

T

here are just a few things that Dr. Ruth won’t say. In “Ask Dr. Ruth,” a delightful new documentary from filmmaker Ryan White, the good doctor assures the camera that no one will ever know who she’s sleeping with or how much money she has. Beyond that, you can expect just about anything from Dr. Ruth.

“You should insert the penis into the vagina from behind,” she says matter-of-factly on one of her television appearances. Her bluntness makes some audience members giggle. Talk show host Arsenio Hall blushes as he’s prodded by the doctor to say “vagina” on the air. One man is so shocked by Dr. Ruth’s frankness that he tries to put her under citizen’s arrest.

But most people adore the cute, folksy grandmotherly type with the thick German accent. She makes it OK to talk about forbidden topics.

She doesn’t judge. And the advice she gives is sound.

“Don’t worry about her past,” she says to one young man who’s concerned that his girlfriend has had too many bad relationships before she got together with him.

You can say anything to Dr. Ruth.

One young man bemoans the size of his 14-inch penis, which he says frightens the women he dates.

“Ask Dr. Ruth” tells the whole story of this unusual woman’s life.

Magnolia Pictures

Subject of director Ryan White’s “Ask Dr. Ruth.”

Born Karola Ruth Siegel to Orthodox Jewish parents in 1928, the film recalls what began as an idyllic childhood in Frankfurt, Germany.

But young Ruth’s innocence was shattered when the Nazis forcefully took her father to a labor camp.

Ruth’s mother and grandmother sent her to an orphanage in Switzerland where she was able to escape the horrors of the Holocaust.

She never saw her family again. In one of the film’s most moving se-

quences, Ruth visits Yad Vashem, the world Holocaust memorial center in Jerusalem, where computer files verify what she already knew: that her entire family was murdered by the Nazis.

As someone who understands all-too-well the harm that hatred and bigotry can do, Ruth becomes a champion for people who are viewed as “subhuman.” Her rise to fame in the 1980s, which began with a Midnight radio show called

“Sexually Speaking,” coincided with the onset of the AIDS epidemic, which hit the gay community especially hard. Ruth finds herself answering a question from a young man whose girlfriend has a lot of gay friends. He’s afraid that she’ll pick up the disease from them and pass it along to him. Holocaust survivor Ruth refuses to stigmatize anyone.

“I don’t waste my time blaming people,” she says.

For all her celebrity, Dr. Ruth is a simple woman. She still lives in the same cluttered, two-bedroom apartment in New York City that she’s called home for 54 years, where she lived with her husband of nearly 40 years and raised her children.

It’s a comfortable apartment, filled with mementos of a life well-lived.

Though her husband has since passed on, she maintains a close relationship with her children and grandchildren.

“He would love to have seen his grandchildren grow up,” she says of her husband, one of the few times she lets her private emotions show.

Now 90 years old, Dr. Ruth has yet to slow down. She continues to make television appearances, write books, teach college courses, and speak frankly about everyone’s favorite topic, sex. You can still ask Dr. Ruth anything about sex, and she’ll cheerfully give you a no-holdsbarred answer.

As a film, “Ask Dr. Ruth” is a delight. It’s a peek inside the mind and psyche of a remarkable woman who’s had a memorable impact on society. There’s never been anyone quite like Dr. Ruth. It’s highly unlikely we’ll see anyone like her again.t Opens on May 3 at Landmark’s Opera Plaza in San Francisco and Landmark’s Shattuck Cinemas in Berkeley.

Everybody must get stoned

Courtesy Farrar, Straus and Giroux

by Tim Pfaff

H

eavy readers know that there are few pleasures greater than happening on a fine piece of writing that is not trying to be writerly.

In the part of his life that begins after the events chronicled in his new book “The Light Years” (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), Chris Rush has become known as a painter. With no intention of gathering them let alone publishing them, Rush wrote things about his experiences, fragments mostly – scraps that have now come together in one of those books that had to be written.

Its features are hardly unfamiliar in the realm of gay memoir, but there’s nothing common about this one. Readers like me will find deep resonances in Rush’s story, even though its particulars, which few people could have survived, offer only occasional direct correspondences and parallels. Readers who came into queer consciousness in the American post-Summer of Love 60s and 70s should brace for frequent shocks of recognition.

So there are drugs. The author tallies he took some 250 varieties of them before the predictable neardeath OD and his less-predictable

“The Light Years” author Chris Rush.

lucking into sobriety. If you’re susceptible to contact highs, plan your reading accordingly, but this is far from “that old story again.”

And there is a floridly dysfunctional family, at the eye of whose storm is Dad, a successful contractor and chronic alcoholic whose one shaky, soon failed scrape with A.A. only confirms him as a lush for life. He’s so unpredictable his family can’t even count on his drinking bouts becoming rages.

He’s the king of chaos on a family chessboard all of whose pieces are, if somewhat freer in their movements, as inevitably mated.

Of course all his gangly, effeminate son wants is his father’s love.

The closest he gets to it is recounted in Rush’s epilogue “The Portrait,” in which he paints his father’s portrait the only way that works, by having the cancer-ravaged, near-wet brain sit for him, slumped in a chair, coaxed into smiling, only occasionally and vaguely complimenting his son’s work. Rush’s mother finds the painting frightening, but “I recognize him,” the author writes. “He is my father.”

It’s said that C.G. Jung, in his single-session treatment of Bill Wilson, the founder of A.A., called alcohol-

ism a low-level search for god. Such is Chris’ search, spiritual and highminded if relentlessly high.

Extended family members – vividly drawn characters who change before your eyes – teach him the route out of the New Jersey nightmare by way of drugs. Because Jesus – and, along the way other higher powers, including UFOs and their avatars – are part of the teaching, Chris is raised to stick with pot and LSD, the chancier drugs beyond their gateway deemed death-dealing “poisons.” In no time and for a long time Chris is doing and dealing both.

He acts out his emotional homelessness (he is cast out, too, more than once) by drug-fueled travels across the country, mostly hitchhiking in an orbit around Tucson and the Western mountains. Here is writing at its purest and most original, about being overwhelmed by the Grand Tetons: “Peaks so violent, so vertical, they opposed reason.

They were monsters, shredding the clouds with their fangs.”

Eventually, if not inevitably, the pure drugs become a gateway to speed, cocaine (swallowing a rock of which almost kills him) and heroin.

Mind-altering substances wreak havoc with his budding sexuality, in ways only including tamping down his libido. The on-again, off-again relationship that most qualifies as positive is with a woman, Julia. But his fantasies about other males are as compelling as any hallucination, if as little reflected in reality. At their center is a truncated, if at intervals all-consuming, relationship with a boy named Owen.

They help each other discover sex, including its mechanics, and become uninhibited lovers soon separated by their families. Chris sees their last meeting as a reunion, but Owen, now with a girlfriend, regards it as the end of their sexual relationship for good. After a night of frenzied sex, Chris attempts a morning reprise, what with Owen still showing hard. Owen’s sharp response comes in a series of devastating one-liners: “What did I tell you? No more. Don’t ever touch me again.” “[I came here

because I just] felt sorry for you.”

“Get way from me.” “Stop begging.

You’re disgusting.”

The problem with most drug stories is that they are fundamentally boring by dint of the numbing, endless repetitions involved in addiction. What makes Rush’s compelling is his unflagging consciousness of

his actions, even at their most depraved. Getting off drugs gets him his life back, but what gets him off drugs, besides hitting bottom with them, is his willingness to walk up to grim situations, repeatedly, and go right through them, eyes however bleary and heart however stricken, open, dodging nothing.t

<< Film

20 • Bay Area Reporter • May 2-8, 2019

The Castro Theatre goes silent

Courtesy SFSFF

Still from director William Wellman’s “You Never Know Women”

by David Lamble

T

he Castro Theatre kicks off May with a signature event, the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, reminding Castro regulars of the movie palace’s origins. Opening in 1922, the Castro replaced the first Castro Theatre, now home to Cliff ’s Hardware. It’s a 1,450-seat neighborhood marvel, and swings into repertory with a state-of-the-art sound system.

San Francisco Silent Film Festival This collection of silent era (roughly 1900-33) movie-making is tribute to a time when every neighborhood had its own Nickelodeon.

The Silent Fest also recalls a time when film was shown on nitrate stock (very flammable), which is why many silent films have been lost forever. (5/1-5) “Amazing Tales from the Archives” A free program demonstrates the methods by which our precious silent-film heritage is preserved for future generations.

“Wolf Song” (1929) This end-ofthe-silent-era classic finds a youthful Gary Cooper in a nude bathing

scene directed by Victor Fleming.

Coop’s stab at stardom featured a fine supporting cast: Lupe Velez, Louis Wolheim, Constantine Romanoff. Music by Philip Carli.

“The Oyster Princess” (1919, Germany) Billy Wilder’s favorite silent-era director, Ernst Lubitsch, delivers a satire on romance among the capitalists. Music by Wayne Barker. With Ossi Oswalda, Victor Janson.

“Earth” (1930, USSR) Director Alexander Dovzhenko captures a harrowing moment in Soviet history when peasants confronted “factory farming” and ruthless Stalinism. Set in Ukraine, music by the Matti Bye Ensemble.

“The Signal Tower” (1924) Clarence Brown directs this Mendocinoset thriller. A rural family confronts a runaway train and Wallace Beery.

Music by Stephen Horne & Frank Bockius.

“Opium” (1919, Germany) Director Robert Reinert offers a hallucinatory tale of drug addiction and revenge. With a youthful Conrad Veidt (Humphrey Bogart’s Nazi antagonist in “Casablanca”)

Courtesy SFSFF

Scene from director Robert Reinert’s “Opium” (1919).

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Silent Film Fest

From page 15

No such event should be without the comic genius of Buster Keaton.

The list of those who’ve acknowledged their debt to him is long. It includes Lucille Ball, who knew Keaton from their days at MGM in the late 1940s; cartoonist Chuck Jones, Mel Brooks, Jackie Chan, George Lucas, Tom Cruise, director George Miller and animators from Pixar and Disney who’ve modeled some of their characters’ visual antics on the master. Keaton’s shenanigans and multiple talents are on parade in two films on the program, starting with the opening night feature, “The Cameraman” (1928). In this madcap romantic comedy, he plays a nerdy, hopelessly smitten photographer whose desperate attempts to win the heart of a secretary at MGM newsreels find him climbing onto moving

vehicles, doing a pantomime of hitting a home run in a deserted Yankee Stadium, and landing in the crossfire of a Tong war in Chinatown. In “Our Hospitality” (1923), a period film set in the 1830s, which he also directed, Keaton portrays Willie McKay, a hapless fellow who gets caught in the middle of the Canfield-McKay family feud – a spoof of the real Hatfields and McCoys. Shot on location in California and Oregon – Keaton nearly died performing a stunt in the rapids of the Truckee River – it artfully integrates sight gags, exasperating gadgets and the occasional steam locomotive with an adventure yarn and dramatic content. Considered his first masterpiece, it was a bona fide hit, raking in over a half-million dollars at the box office.

Among its many virtues, the festival is an entertaining crash course in the techniques (with the exception of sound) that originated

and color tinting. Music by Guenter Buchwald. (all six, 5/2) “You Never Know Women” (1926) Hollywood stalwart William Wellman (“Wings”) helms a tale set in a Russian circus troupe. Music by Philip Carli.

“Tonka of the Gallows” (1930, Czechoslovakia) Karel Anton directs the story of a country lass (Ita Rini) whose stint as a prostitute brings her a night with a man awaiting execution. Music by Stephen Horne.

“Husbands and Lovers” (1924) In John M. Stahl’s Jazz Age comedy, Lewis Stone is an unfaithful hubby to a loving wife (Florence Vidor), and Lew Cody is the loveable cad.

Music by Philip Carli.

“Rapsodia Satanica” (1917, Italy) A Faustian bargain lies at the heart of this end of WWI-era short, with Lydia Borelli as an aging countess. Music by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra.

“The Love of Jeanne Ney” (1927, Germany) Director G.W. Pabst’s love story is set in the brutal postBolshevik era of White vs. Red. Music by the Guenter Buchwald Ensemble.

“West of Zanzibar” (1928) “Freaks” creator Tod Browning presents a revenge drama with silent greats Lon Chaney, Lionel Barrymore, Mary Nolan & Warner Baxter. Music by Stephen Horne & Frank Bockius. (all 6, 5/3) “Lights of Old Broadway”(1925) Marion Davies is a pair of twins: Anne becomes a society matron, while Fely is a slum kid who heads for the stage. Music by Philip Carli.

“Hell Bent”(1918) John Ford’s vintage Western used a Remington illustration for inspiration. Ford’s rep company includes Harry Carey, Duke Lee, Neva Gerber & Vester Pegg. Plus the short “Brownie’s Little Venus” (1921), with Baby Peggy.

Music by Philip Carli.

“Goona Goona” (1920, France) Directors Andre Roosevelt & Armand Denis filmed this dramatic

romance in Bali. Music by Club Foot Gamelan.

“L’Homme Du Large” (1920, France) A Balzac short story is the basis for this Brittany-set drama about the plight of a Breton fishing clan. Music by Guenter Buchwald & Frank Bockius, intertitle narration

by Paul McGann.

“The Wedding March” (1928) Erich von Stroheim’s modest tale of an impoverished prince (von Stroheim) torn between his passion for an innkeeper’s daughter (Fay Wray) and his parents’ insistence that he marry rich girl ZaSu Pitts. Music by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra.

“L’Inferno” (1911, Italy) This version of Dante is considered Italy’s first full-length motion picture.

Co-directors Francesco Bertolini & Adolfo Padovan create a series of inventive sequences. Music by the Matti Bye Ensemble. (all six, 5/4) “Japanese Girls at the Harbor”

in the nascent years following the birth of motion pictures. The myth that’s grown up around silent film, that it was solely a monochrome medium, will likely be punctured by the presence of several movies with color. The effects, achieved through various means, from tinting, toning and hand-coloring to stencils, are on display in Nino Oxilia’s “Rapsodia Satanica” (1917), an Italian “diva” film that proves there’s nothing quite like selling your soul to the devil to fuel a plot. A feminine twist on that Faustian bargain is made by the film’s reluctantly aging, sumptuously dressed Countess d’Ottrevita, portrayed by Lydia Borelli, the reigning Italian diva of her day. Dripping in pearls and wrapped in yards of taffeta, the Countess, endeavoring to regain the beauty of her youth, makes a pact that comes at a hefty price: she’s forbidden to ever fall in love. After all, this is Satan we’re talking about, spotted here and there in voluminous robes and reclining in trees. The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra should enhance the aura of rapture and dread.

An erotic tale of revenge, addiction, infidelity and self-delusion, German director Robert Reinert’s Weimar-era melodrama “Opium” (1919) features Conrad Veidt, Werner Krauss, and the narcotic of the title, a seductive, sinister player in its own right. Shot on elaborate sets in Germany, the big-budget production, marinated in a hallucinatory delirium, follows one Professor Gesellius as he travels from England to exotic locales. Once abroad, our man visits dens of debauchery in China and India – cue the scantily clad dancing girls and procession of ceremonial elephants – to fur-

ther his studies of subjects who’ve sought and found oblivion in the arms of the drug. Along the way, he samples its pleasures – in the interest of science, of course – and rescues a beautiful girl who has fallen prey to a ruthless opium dealer.

If you’re a sucker for Dante, and even if you’re not, beat a path to “L’Inferno (1911). Based on Alighieri’s “The Divine Comedy,” and originally three hours long (only about a third survives), it was the first feature-length film made in Italy, and an international blockbuster to boot.

Carnal and sensational, it boasts remarkable special effects including color, lavish production design, baroque visuals, (allegedly) the firstever scene of full-frontal male nudity, and graphic depictions of purgatory and the nine circles of Hell inspired by the engravings of Gustave Dore and the sleight-of-hand of filmmak-

t

(1933, Japan) Director Hiroshi Shimizu’s decadent crime thriller is set in the port city of Yokohama.

Music by Guenter Buchwald & Sascha Jacobsen.

“The Home Maker” (1925) Director King Baggot’s portrait of married couple (Alice Joyce & Clive Brook) who are out of sync with their roles. Music by Stephen Horne.

“Shiraz: A Romance of India” (1928, India) Director Franz Osten’s story concerns the origins of the Taj Mahal. Music by Utsav Lai. “Sir Arne’s Treasure” (1919, Sweden) Swedish director Mauritz Stiller’s chilly drama is based on Nobel Prize-winning Selma Lagerlof ’s novel dealing with revenge and murder.

“Our Hospitality” (1923) Buster Keaton (with John G. Blystone) directs and stars in this slapdash comedy about rival Southern clans.

Music by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra. (all five, 5/5)t

Courtesy SFSFF

Still from directors Andre Roosevelt & Armand Denis’ “Goona Goona” (1920, France).

ing wizard Georges Melies. “With its horned demons, headless specters, and winged harpies [it] revels in the grotesque, the feudal, and the macabre,” notes Alicia Fletcher in the festival catalog. ”Like a fairy tale gone wrong, or a Hieronymus Bosch painting set in motion, the canonical work of Italy’s early silent era infused Biblical subject matter with fantasy, the Gothic, and the delightfully obscene. Featuring adulterers, gluttons, misers, and cameos from the vixens of antiquity – Cleopatra, Helen of Troy, and Dido – ‘L’Inferno’ was about as lascivious as early silent film came.” All that plus a pantheon of naked bodies turn asunder, ravenous giants, flaming heretics in boiling lakes, and an icy indigo hideout for the horned Pluto. Who could ask for more?t

May 1-5. Info: silentfilm.org.

Courtesy SFSFF

Scene from “L’Inferno (1911), based on Dante’s “Divine Comedy.”

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www.ebar.com

Shining Stars Vol. 49 • No. 18 • May 2-8, 2019

Nancy And Beth The girls in the band

by Jim Gladstone

G

rowing up in Oklahoma City in the 1960s, Megan Mullally performed in the local ballet company, where she heard plenty of classical music. But her primary exposure to contemporary genres came through AM radio.

See page 23 >>

Nancy And Beth, aka Megan Mullally and Stephanie Hunt.

Michael Feinstein

Ginger Minj

Michael Feinstein

Celebrating the Great American Songbook

Ginger Minj Drag, live, gay and even on roller skates

by David-Elijah Nahmod

A

n esteemed interpreter of the Great American Songbook, Michael Feinstein will appear at the club which bears his name. Beginning May 9 (and just in time for Mother’s Day), Feinstein will perform five shows at Feinstein’s at The Nikko, including a special Mother’s Day show on Sunday May 12 at 5pm.

See page 22 >>

by David-Elijah Nahmod

G

inger Minj is “the nicest bitch you’ll ever meet,” according to Joshua Eads, the actor who plays Ginger. But bitchiness is, in this case, not a sign of nastiness.

See page 22 >>

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<< Cabaret

22 • Bay Area Reporter • May 2-8, 2019

<<

Michael Feinstein

From page 21

Throughout the weekend, Feinstein will be paying tribute to some of the legendary ladies of song whom he admires, including Peggy Lee, Lena Horne, Judy Garland, and Rosemary Clooney. Feinstein is calling the show It Might as Well Be Spring.

“It’s always fun, and sometimes a little challenging to come up with different concepts for a show,” Feinstein said in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter. “In the case of this one, I thought it would give me the opportunity to do songs of the season. There are a lot of songs that are life-affirming and about

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PRIDE The official magazine of San Francisco Pride 2019 A Publication of VIA MEDIA [Caselli Partners LLC]

the renewal and the rebirth of the world, so I thought It Might as Well Be Spring is an optimistic title. It’s my job as an itinerant musician to make people feel good and to uplift in times of craziness like this.”

Feinstein noted that many female singers are more revered and remembered than their male counterparts. He recalled the great jazz singer Margaret Whiting, who, when Feinstein first moved to New York in his early 20s, took him around to various nightclubs, restaurants and hangouts and introduced him to what he now refers to as “the gang,” the nightclub community of that period.

He admires Lena Horne and Judy Garland as women who could galvanize audiences when they were on stage. He remembers seeing Horne in Palm Beach Florida, performing before an audience that wasn’t reacting to her. He watched Horne rev the audience up until she had them standing and cheering.

“I’ll never forget that,” he said. “It was a lesson not only in song interpretation, but in showmanship.”

The great jazz singer Rosemary Clooney was a second mom to Feinstein.

“I’m celebrating the great mothers of song,” he said. “Because when I think of Mother Earth I think of Spring. I think of people and voices

<<

Ginger Minj

From page 21

“The bitchiness comes from a place of love and humor and should never be taken seriously,” Eads said, in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter. “Dry and sarcastic are very funny to me.”

The nicest bitch is just one of the titles accorded to the drag performer, who appears at Oasis on May 9 and 10. As Ginger, Orlando resident Eads is also known as The Comedy Queen of the South and Glamour Toad.

“Because toads aren’t considered beautiful and that’s how I felt most of my life,” he said, “I’ve always been too short, too round; too much cheek, not enough neck. Drag gave me an opportunity to really embrace what I’d always been told was wrong with me, to throw a little glitter on my flaws, and feel just as glamorous as anyone else in the world.”

Ginger Minj is glamorous enough to have competed on RuPaul’s Drag Race, where he was a finalist on season seven. He remembers the experience as being terrifying, exhausting and fulfilling and said that RuPaul is a tough taskmaster who runs a tight ship.

But the drag race experience opened all kinds of doors for him.

Thanks to the TV exposure, Eads has been able to tour the world in solo shows, release an album which received five stars on Billboard, voice a character on Netflix’s drag superhero cartoon Super Drags, and play a supporting role in the Dolly Parton/Jennifer Aniston movie Dumplin’. Only a few weeks ago, Eads stole the show at Peaches Christ’s Castro Theatre First Wives Fight Club with a live song and dance number.

Eads said that he has a lot more irons in the fire and is excited to see where he’s taken next.

t

“The show is interactive,” he said.

“It’s fun to do things extemporaneously. I’ll be able to do that by taking requests from the piano, and the trio I’m working with is great at improvising. Every show is quite different. It’s clear that the shows are quite spontaneous and that’s one of the things that people who come to my performances enjoy. They know that it’s not phoned in, it’s very much about being in the moment.”

Feinstein feels that people who come to his show will connect with the music, even if it’s not the kind of music they normally listen to.

“When I started in my twenties, there were still a lot of people alive who grew up with that music, and now that is no longer the case,” he said. “But there are people who deeply relate to the emotions and the feelings expressed in these songs. In that sense they are timeless. They still express the human condition and that’s a great gift to be able to share.” t

Edited for space.

Read the entire article online at www.ebar.com/bartab

Michael Feinstein

who nurtured us, not only musically but spiritually.”

Feinstein is still in the process of choosing the songs he’ll be perform-

ing in San Francisco, but promises that his selection will include music closely associated with the ladies he’s paying tribute to.

“I tried to be as invisible as possible,” he said. “But I always envied these loud, brassy opinionated ladies who did and said what they wanted to do. I wanted to be them when I grew up.”

Comedy legends Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett play a big part in influencing Eads’ drag act. He said that these ladies were out doing drag before anyone else, and that he has an immediate respect for anyone who piles on three pounds of makeup, ten pounds of hair, and thirty pounds of beaded couture just to fall down the stairs and get

a pie thrown in their face.

“They showed us that it’s possible to be beautiful, glamorous, feminine and funny,” he said. “Not to mention, I have an affinity for redheads.”

Eads describes his own act as “old school with a new twist.”

“We are all there to have fun and I am willing to do whatever it takes to make sure we all laugh, cry and share our experience,” he said. “We are keeping it gay, gay, gay by celebrating iconic gay moments and songs in history. Not only are we throwing lip syncing out the win-

Michael Feinstein’s ‘It Might as Well Be Spring’ at Feinstein’s at The Nikko, May 9-12. $80-115 ($20 food/drink min.)

Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. www.feinsteinsatthenikko.com

dow and doing everything live, this time we’re doing it on roller skates, so who knows what will happen!”

Eads said that he’s thrilled to be coming to the Oasis.

“San Francisco has always embraced what I do and treated me with love and respect,” he said. “I’m not sure when I’m going to be able to come back, so let’s pack the Oasis and celebrate life together.” t Ginger Minj’s Big Gay Cabaret, Thursday and Friday May 9 and 10, 7pm. $27.50-$50. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

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The Ginger Minj character is based on all the strong Southern ladies that Eads grew up with.

“You know the type,” he said.

“They sit in the back pew of the church so they can keep tabs on everyone and may read you for filth, but are also the first to give you the shirts off their back if you need it.”

While he was growing up, Eads knew that he was different. When they were out in public his dad always reminded him not to say or do anything that would embarrass them.

Mike Windle

Ginger Minj

t

Cabaret>>

May 2-8, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 23

Crosby to Elvis Presley, is inspired by the Dinah Washington version; and “Everybody Loves A Lover” was popularized by Doris Day. Still, the quirky choreography that Mullally has created for every song in their sets certainly distinguishes the combo from most oldschool cabaret acts.

“Our selections come out of the ether and intuition,” says Hunt, in regard to a repertoire that also includes songs originally performed

by PM Dawn and Gucci Mane. “A lot of what’s magical about the band is rediscovering musical gems.”

Mullally points to Rickie Lee Jones’ classic covers albums Girl at Her Volcano and Pop Pop as curatorial inspirations, while Hunt, who grew up in Texas, says she’s a big admirer of Willie Nelson’s fluid latecareer movement between country and standards.

“We’re not looking for songs that are obscure,” adds Mullally. “We look for songs that we find compelling. They also need to have a good melody and good lyrics. That’s surprisingly hard to come by. There are a lot of songs that have one or the other.”

While understanding that Mullally’s television celebrity helps attract ticket buyers, Hunt says that audiences don’t necessarily know what to expect from a Nancy And Beth show. (The capitalization of ‘And’ is their half-hearted attempt to avoid Blondie syndrome).

“One of the magical things about the band is that it tends to attract people who are curious. So they’re open to what we do.

I feel like most everybody leaves the shows feeling happy.”

“I think people can feel our enthusiasm,” says Mullally. “This isn’t a

lark at all. It has humor in it, but the music is really serious to us. Honestly, it’s my favorite thing to do. I love doing Will & Grace, and obviously Nick [Offerman, her comedian husband] and I work together a lot, which is great.

“But there’s something about having this band that’s so much more satisfying in a weird way. We have complete autonomy. We’re in control of how we sound and what we wear. And I love doing the choreography. When we’re working on it, I’m not aware of the passage of time. I feel the childlike joy of two little girls playing.” t Nancy And Beth perform May 3, 8pm; May 4, 7pm & 10pm, at Feinstein’s at the Nikko. $95-$115.

Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. www.feinsteinsatthenikko.com

Nancy And Beth, aka Megan Mullally and Stephanie Hunt.

<<

Nancy And Beth

From page 21

“There was really only one station: WKY; just three call letters.

But they had to be all things to all people,” Mullally recalls fondly, describing a listening experience longtime San Franciscans will recognize as akin to vintage KFOG. “So they’d play everything from the Rolling Stones to Willie Nelson to Nina Simone. I think that’s part of why I have such broad taste.”

Mullally, best known for playing Karen on Will & Grace, but also a Broadway musical veteran, discovered that her eclectic musical perspective was shared by fellow singer-actress Stephanie Hunt (Friday Night Lights, The Resident) when the pair was shooting an indie film in Austin, Texas back in 2011. Hunt whipped out her ukulele for an impromptu sing-along and a partnership was sparked.

Today, alongside their film and

television careers, the twosome lead the band Nancy And Beth (upper case A, thank you!), which returns to Feinstein’s at the Nikko for three shows this weekend following a soldout gig in 2013. (Only Saturday 10pm tickets remain for this weekend).

Since then, the septet has recorded two albums (the second will be released next year) and performed their unique mix of jazz- and Americana-inflected covers at venues ranging from dive bars to the Grand Old Opry.

Later this month, they’ll have their second residency at Manhattan’s soignée Café Carlyle, better known for presenting the late likes of Bobby Short and Eartha Kitt.

“They called us the most avantgarde act that’s played there,” says Hunt of the Carlyle, but the Nancy And Beth repertoire includes plenty of tunes that aren’t inherently out of place in such a tony venue. Their take on “Harbor Lights,” which has been recorded by artists from Bing

Nancy And Beth onstage.

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<< Arts Events

24 • Bay Area Reporter • May 2-8, 2019

Coastline, Ray Troll’s illustrations paired with paleontologist Kirk Johnson’s research. Also, Take Root: Oakland Grows Food and other exhibits. Free/$15. 1000 Oak St. www.museumca.org

Arts Events May 2-9, 2019

Smuin Ballet @ YBCA Dance Series 02 is performed. $34-$81. 7:30pm. thru May 5. 700 Howard St. Also May 17, 23 & 31 thru the Bay Area. www.smuinballet.org

Arts events heat up our cultural taste buds.

Get in while it’s hot!

Thu 9

Dorrance Dance @ YBCA

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

Thu 2 110 in the Shade @ Gateway Theatre 42nd Street Moon’s energetic production of Harvey Schmidt, Tom Jones and N. Richard Nash’s popular romantic musical. $30-$70. WedSun thru May 12. 215 Jackson St. www.42ndStMoon.org

48 Hills Spring Gala @ Oasis The indie local progressive news & culture website’s 6th annual fundraiser features food, drinks, entertainment and a smart crowd, guest-speaker Pulitzer-winning journalist Martin Espinoza and Latin jazz quartet The Turnaround. $50$500 and up. 6pm-9pm. 298 11th St. www.48hills.org

Queer Yoga @ Love Story Yoga All-level weekly classes in an LGBT space. $11. 6:30pm-7:30pm. 473 Valencia St. at 16th. http://www.lovestoryyoga.com/

Time Sensitive @ Flight Deck, Oakland Amy Sass’ thoughtful contemplation of life and philosophical queries. $25$75. Thru May 4. 1540 Broadway, Oakland. www.raggedwing.org

Hannah Gadsby @ Palace of Fine Arts

May 1-5: SF Silent Film Festival. May 8: A Streetcar Named Desire and Clash by Night. May 10: Little Shop of Horrors and The Rocky Horror Picutre Show. $8-$11. 429 Castro St. http://www.castrotheatre.com/

The witty Tasmanian lesbian comic performs. $39-$60. 8pm.

Also May 3. 3301 Lyon St. www.palaceoffinearts.org

Deborah Voigt @ Herst Theatre The acclaimed soprano performs contemporary and classical songs about love (including Mahler and Cole Porter) with pianist Steven Bailey. $45-$70. 7:30pm. 401 Van Ness Ave. www.sfperformances.org

The Gentleman Caller @ NCTC Philip Dawkins’ play explores the relationship between gay playwrights Tennessee Williams and William Inge. $28-$44. Thru May 5.

25 Van Ness Ave, lower level. www.nctcsf.org

Weightless @ Strand Theater American Conservatory Theatre’s and Z Space present the Kilbanes’ rock musical about sisterhood, love, betrayal and rebirth. $15-$65.

Tue-Sat 7:30pm, thru May 12. 1127 Market St. www.act-sf.org

Fri 3 Actually @ Aurora Theatre, Berkeley Anna Ziegler’s new play dives into race, gender and sex on college campuses. $35-$70. Tue, Wed, Sun 7pm, Thu-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm, thru May 5. 2081 Addison St., Berkeley. www.AuroraTheatre.org

Bay Area Dance Week @ Multiple Venues The annual festival of dance includes theatre, outdoor performances, and in unusual spaces, too. Thru May 5. www.bayareadance.org

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory @ Golden Gate Theatre Touring company of the musical stage adaptation of Roald Dahl’s popular tale about a contest to tour the magical sweets factory. $40-$226. Thru May 12. 1 Taylor St. www.shnsf.com

The Importance of Being Earnest @ Aurora Theatre, Berkeley Oscar Wilde’s classic “trivial comedy for serious people” gets an East Bay production. $35-$70. Extended thru May 19. 2018 Addison St., Berkeley. www.auroratheatre.org

Pippin @ Julia Morgan Theater, Berkeley The Stephen Schwartz musical gets a local production Berkeley Playhouse. $20-$40. Thu-Sat 7pm &/or 1pm, 2pm; thru May 5.

2640 College Ave. www.berkeleyplayhouse.org

SF Hiking Club @ Mount Tamalpais Join GLBT hikers of the SF Hiking Club for a nine-mile hike on Mt. Tam and into Muir Woods. Meet 10am at the trailhead at Bootjack campground on Mt Tam. www.sfhiking.com

Van-Anh Vanessa Vo, Mahsa Vahdat @ St. Cyprian’s Church The Vietnamese and Iranian musicians perform a unique collaboration of music styles. $22-$25. 8pm. 2097 Turk St. www.SFLiveArts.org

Wimples of the World @ Harvey Milk Photo Center

Sat 4 Classic and New Films @ Castro Theatre

Beach Blanket Babylon @ Club Fugazi The musical comedy revue celebrates its final year with an ever-changing lineup of political and pop culture icons, all in gigantic wigs. $25-$160. Beer/wine served; cash only; 21+, except where noted.

Wed-Fri 8pm. Sat 6pm & 9pm. Sun 2pm & 5pm. 678 Beach Blanket Babylon Blvd. (Green St.). 421-4222. www.beachblanketbabylon.com

Comic Shop Hop @ Cartoon Art Museum Scavenger hunt to local comicbook stores; win prizes. 11am-5pm. Also, ongoing exhibits (Mais Kobabe’s Gender Queer, thru July 1) and classes. 781 Beach St. www.cartoonart.org

Group exhibit of art, portraits and photos of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, who celebrate their 40th anniversary. Thru May 11. 50 Scott St. harveymilkphotocenter.org

Sun 5 Expedition Reef @ California Academy of Sciences Exhibits and planetarium shows with various live, interactive and installed exhibits about animals, plants and the earth; Deep Reefs, Giants of Land and Sea, Gems and Minerals, and more. $20-$35. Mon-Sat 9:30am5pm. Sun 11am-5pm. 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park.

379-8000. www.calacademy.org

The Jungle @ Curran Theatre Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson’s acclaimed drama about French refugee camp immigrants, set in an up-close immersive and intimate staging. $79-$165. Thru May 19. 445 Geary St. www.sfcurran.com

Merce Cunningham’s Assemblage @ Delancey Street Screening Room

Thu 2

Hannah Gadsby @ Palace of Fine Arts Screening of KQED’s 1968 film documenting the gay choreographer’s abstract work Floral Exhibits performed in San Francisco; Part of @ SF Botanical Garden the SF Dance Film Festival; dancer Visit the lush gardens with displays discussion panel afterward with of trees, flowers and shrubs from Margaret Jenkins, Karen Attix, around the world, including the Charles Moulton, Bill Yahraus annual Magnolia bloom. Monthly (Assemblage film editor) and plant sales, plus art exhibits and moderated by Hope Mohr. $13-$25. gift shop; free entry with SF proof 2pm. 600 Embarcadero. of residency. $5-$10 for others. www.sfdancefilmfest.org 7:30am-closing. 9th Ave at Lincoln Way. www.sfbotanicalgarden.org

Liss Fain Dance @ Z Space Close the Door Slowly, the company’s new work, is performed, with a commissioned score by Jordan Gleen. $18-$35.

8pm. Also May 4 & 5. 450 Florida St. www.lissfaindance.org

Queer California: Untold Stories @ Oakland Museum Multimedia exhibition documenting California LGBT lives, with contemporary artwork, rare historical materials, film, photography, sculpture; thru Aug. 11. May 3, Drag Family Storytime with Momma’s Boyz and Rebel Kings (6pm). May 4: screening of Marlon Riggs’ Tongues Untied (2pm). Also, Cruisin’ the Fossil

t

Sat 4 Merce Cunningham’s Assemblage @ Delancey Street Screening Room

t

Arts Events>>

May 2-8, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 25

Jefferson Starship @ Marin Center Veterans Auditorium The Bay Area rock band and Big Brother and the Holding Company perform classic rock hits. $50-$85.

7pm. 10 Ave. of the Flags, San Rafael. www.marincenter.org

Wed 8

Chad Lawson @ Herbst Theatre

Significant Other @ SF Playhouse Joshua Harmon’s witty romantic comedy about a gay men who endures all his friends’ weddings. $20-$100. Thru June 15. 450 Post St. www.sfplayhouse.org

Willie Nelson @ Luther Burbank Arts Center The Country music legend performs; Desure opens. $103-$173. 8pm. 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. www.lutherburbankcenter.org

Wed 8 Border People @ The Marsh

Tue 7

Significant Other @ SF Playhouse

Maricela, Luis Mora @ Dance Palace Art and photo exhibit of imagery and symbolism of Danza Azteca.

503 B St., Point Reyes Station. http://dancepalace.org

Monet: The Late Years @ de Young Museum New exhibit of the French Impressionist’s great later works, including Water Lilies ; thru May 27. Also, modern and historic art, including embroidery, Maori portraits and installations. Free/$15.

50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, Golden Gate Park. www.famsf.org

Muldoon Elder @ Laguna 500 Reception for an intimate exhibit of paintings and drawings by the local artist. 6pm-10pm. 500 Laguna St. https://thelaguna500.com/

Sprightly @ SF Public Library Weekly hangout for LGBTQ youth, with crafts, snacks and activities.

12:30pm-2:30pm. James C. Hormel Center, 3rd floor, 100 Larkin St. www.sfpl.org

Mon 6 Lest We Forget @ Civic Center Plaza Luigi Toscano’s outdoor photo exhibit of 78 large-scale portraits of Holocaust survivors; thru May 19. https://bit.ly/2uSNrfO

One Night Only @ Oasis Cast members from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory touring musical, plus drag diva Ellie Monae, perform at a benefit for the Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation. $35-$50. 8pm. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Wed 8

Show Me as I Want to Be Seen @ Contemporary Jewish Museum The work of groundbreaking French Jewish artist, Surrealist, and activist Claude Cahun (1894–1954) and her lifelong lover and collaborator Marcel Moore (1892–1972), thru July. 736 Mission St. https://thecjm.org/

Various Exhibits @ SF Public Library In Search of the Glass Slipper, Perci Chester’s ‘70s gay community photo exhibit; thru May 16. Immigrant Girl, Radical Woman, an art exhibition of historical research and ephemera about early twentieth century immigrant and activist Matilda Rabinowitz; thru May 19. Portal: Group Show of Speculative Fiction, thru Feb. Art/Work: Art Created by the Staff at SFPL , thru Mar. 8.

SF Wildlife: Photography by Jouko van der Kruijssen, thru Mar. 28. 100 Larkin St. www.sfpl.org

Tue 7 Bring Change to Mind @ Herbst Theatre Glenn Close, Jessie Close, Stephen Hinshaw and Hannah Deng discuss adolescent psychology issues. $10$32. 7pm. 401 Van Ness Ave. www.commonwealthclub.org

Early Rubens @ Legion of Honor Exhibit of epic massive paintings of biblical and mythical subjects

by Peter Paul Rubens; Thru Sept 8. Also, Small Inventions: Artist’s Books by Charles Hobson (thru July 14) ; Mummies and Medicine (thru April 14) and other exhibits of classical and modern art. Free/$30.

Lincoln Park, 100 34th Ave. https://legionofhonor.famsf.org/

Tattoos in Japanese Prints @ Asian Art Museum

Dan Hoyle’s new solo show embodies multiple characters based around the U.S./Mexico border wall controversies; extended thru June 22. $25-$100. Wed-Fri 8pm, Sat 5pm. 1062 Valencia St. themarsh.org

Chad Lawson @ Herbst Theatre Pianist-composer whose works have been used in numerous TV series performs his original works. $44$50. 7:30pm. 401 Van Ness Ave. www.cityboxoffice.com

David Sedaris @ Marin Center Veterans Auditorium The popular gay author reads his stories. $35-$60. 8pm. 10 Ave. of the Flags, San Rafael. www.marincenter.org

Dustin Lance Black @ Marines’ Memorial Theatre The gay filmmaker ( Milk) discusses his new book, Mamma’s Boy, and Coming of Age in Red and Blue America. $30-$65. 6:30pm.

609 Sutter St. www.commonwealthclub.org

Various Exhibits @ Asian Art Museum Kimono Refashioned, thru May 5.

Also, contemporary works by Kim Heecheon and Liu Jianhua; Tattoos in Japanese Prints and The Bold Brush of Au Ho-Nein, both thru Aug. 18; also, eexhibits of sculpture and antiquities. Sunday café specialties from $7-$16. Free-$20. Tue-Sun 10am-5pm. 200 Larkin St. http://www.asianart.org/

Various Events @ Oakland LGBTQ Center Social events and meetings at the new LGBTQ center include film screenings and workshops, including Bruthas Rising, trans men of color meetings, 4th Tuesdays, 6:30pm. Film screenings, 4th Saturdays, 7:30pm. Game nights, Fridays 7:30pm-11pm. Vogue sessions, first Saturdays. 3207 Lakeshore Ave. Oakland. www.oaklandlgbtqcenter.org

Thu 9 Comedy Night @ Ashkenaz, Berkeley Laugh it up with Diane Amos (the Pine Sol Lady), Karinda Dobbins, Emily van Dyke, Brandi Brandes (Ashkenaz Executive Director making her comedy debut), and de facto Jewish mother and MC Lisa Geduldig. $15-$20. 8pm. 1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. www.koshercomedy.com

Dorrance Dance @ YBCA Michelle Dorrance’s innovative company takes tap-dance to new dimensions in ETM: Double Down. $15-$70. Thru May 11. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 700 Howard St. www.dorrancedance.com

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California and the Stonewall Riots @ GLBT History Museum Discussion with author/historian Marc Stein ( The Stonewall Riots: a Documentary History), 7pm. Also, SoMa Nights: 1980s-1990s Queer Club Photography, an exhibit of prints by Melissa Hawkins, and TwoSpirit Voices: Returning to the Circle. $5. 4127 18th St. glbthistory.org

With(out) With(in) the Very Moment @ SF Arts Commission Exhibit about LGBT lives, and surviving AIDS, with Elliot Anderson, Adam Ansel and more, and featuring Alternate Endings, a series of video programs by Visual AIDS for Day With(out) Art. Thru June 22. 401 Van Ness Ave. www.sfartscommission.org t

<< Nightlife Events

26 • Bay Area Reporter • May 2-8, 2019

Go Bang @ The Stud

Nightlife Events

Disco classics and mixes with guest DJs Lester Temple and Kenneth Kemp, plus residents Steve Fabus, Sergio Fedasz, Prince Wolf and Jimmy DePre. $5-$10. 9pm-3am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

May 2-9, 2019

Mother @ Oasis Heklina’s popular weekly drag show, with special guests and great music themes. May 4 is Spice Girls vs. Little Mix, and guest-star Ariel Versace. $15-$25. 10pm-3am (11:30pm show).

298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

The Playground @ Club BNB, Oakland Dance night at the popular hip hop and Latin club. $5-$15. 9pm to 3am.

2120 Broadway. (510) 759-7340. www.club-bnb.com

Seek out fun adventures in your own zip code or across the Bay.

Sun 5

Powerblouse @ Powerhouse Juanita MORE and Glamamore’s monthly drag virgin makeover night, this time with DJ Entree. $5. 10pm2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Hoodslam @ Oasis

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

Thu 2 48 Hills Spring Gala @ Oasis The indie local progressive news & culture website’s 6th annual fundraiser features food, drinks, entertainment and a smart crowd, guest-speaker Pulitzer-winning journalist Martin Espinoza and Latin jazz quartet The Turnaround. $50$500 and up. 6pm-9pm. 298 11th St. www.48hills.org www.sfoasis.com

After Dark @ Exploratorium Enjoy cocktails and science demos at the hands-on museum (Tactile dome evening hours Fri & Sat, weekly 6:15 and 7:30pm.) May 2: Bikes at Night. $15-$20. 6pm-10pm. May 3: Afterglow party ($100 and up; 8pm-12am,) with a live set by Reggie Watts. Pier 15 (Embarcadero at Green St). www.exploratorium.edu/

MGMT @ Fox Theater, Oakland The popular and innovative band performs. Warpaint opens. $45. 8pm.

1807 Telegrpah ave., Berkeley. www.thefoxoakland.com

The Monster Show @ The Edge The weekly drag show with host Sue Casa, DJ MC2, themed nights and hilarious fun. $5. 9pm-2am. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Rice Rockettes @ Lookout Local and visiting Asian drag queens’ weekly show with DJ Philip Grasso. $5. 10:30pm show. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

Rock Fag @ Hole in the Wall Enjoy hard rock and punk music from DJ Don Baird at the wonderfully divey SoMa bar. Also Fridays. 7pm-2am.

1369 Folsom St. 431-4695. www.hitws.com

Sundance Saloon @ Space 550 The popular two-stepping linedancing, not-just-country music night, with free lessons. $5.

6:30pm-10:30pm. Also Sundays 5pm10:30pm. 550 Barneveld Ave. www.sundancesaloon.org

Thursday Night Live @ SF Eagle Rock bands play at the famed leather bar. $8. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Fri 3 Bear Happy Hour @ Midnight Sun Hairy men and their pals enjoy 2-for-1 drinks and no cover. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Disco Coalition @ Lookout Juanita MORE! and Go BANG! present the weekly series of community-building party-fundraisers for local LGBTQ nonprofits. 5pm-8pm.

3600 16th St. at Market. www.lookoutsf.com

Drag & Dinner @ Hamburger Mary’s Enjoy burgers and a drag show. $5 show. 10pm. Also Saturdays. 531 Castro St. www.hamburgermarys.com

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DTF Fridays @ Port Bar, Oakland

Shake It Up @ Port Bar, Oakland

Various DJs play house music, and a few hotties gogo dance at the new gay bar’s weekly event. 9pm-2am.

2023 Broadway. portbaroakland.com

DJ Lady Char spins dance grooves; gogo studs, and drink specials, too.

9pm-2am. 2023 Broadway. (510) 8232099. www.portbaroakland.com

Jack Alexander @ Oasis

Stallion @ Midnight Sun

The cute young magician performs his Vegas-style magic act; proceeds benefit the Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation. $25-$40. 7pm. Also May 4. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

DJ Bill Dupp, intimate dance floor, gogo cuties, all in the heart of the Castro. 8pm-2am. 4067 18th St. www.midnightsunsf.com

Tudo Odara @ Elbo Room Jack London

Latin Explosion @ Club 21 The popular Latin club with gogo guys galore and Latin music. $10-$20.

9pm-3am. 2111 Franklin St., Oakland. www.club21oakland.com

Brazilian samba night with DJed grooves with Flora and Carioca, and live sets with Grupo Cocada. $10.

9:30pm-2am. 311 Broadway, Oakland. www.elboroomjacklondon.com

Manimal @ Beaux Gogo-tastic dance night starts off your weekend. $5. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Woof, Frolic @ SF Eagle Canine pup-play party (6pm-9pm) precedes the Furry fest. (8pm-2am). $5-$10. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Rorshok @ SF Eagle Goth rock and dark industrial night. $5. 9pm-2am. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Sun 5

Safada @ Oasis Brazilian, pop and Latin DJed dance night with Kahtuaba and Black Unicorn. $10. 10pm-2am. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Beer Bust @ SF Eagle The popular daytime party, where $10-$15 gets you all the beer you can drink, supporting worthy causes. 398 12th St. at Harrison. sf-eagle.com

Skate Night @ Church on 8 Wheels

Beer Bust @ Lone Star Saloon

Groove on wheels at the former Sacred Heart Church-turned disco roller skate party space, hosted by John D. Miles, the “Godfather of Skate.” 7pm-11pm. Sat afternoon sessions 1pm-2:30pm and 3pm5:30pm. $10. Kids 12 and under $5.

Skate rentals $5. 554 Fillmore St. at Fell. www.churchof8wheels.com

Beer, bears, food and DJed beats at the weekly fundraiser for various local charities. $15. 4pm-8pm. Weekly Game of Thrones viewing at 9pm.

1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Beverage Benefit @ The Edge

Stank @ Powerhouse Ododorific fetish night with the ripe pit contest, sweaty gogos and Steamworks giveaways. $5. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. powerhousebar.com

Uhaul @ Jolene’s The popular women’s dance party returns, now weekly.

10pm-2am. 2700 16th St. at Harrison. jolenessf.com

Fundraiser and fun, with proceeds going to local nonprofits. $10. 4pm7pm. 4149 18th St. www.edgesf.com

Big Gay Beer Bust @ The Cinch Benefits and plenty of beer at the historic neighborhood bar. 3pm-7pm.

1723 Polk St. www.cinchsf.com

Sat 4 Bounce @ Lookout Dance music with a view at the Castro bar. 9pm-2am. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

La Bota Loca @ Club 21, Oakland Banda Los Shakas performs live at the LGBT Latinx night. $10. 9pm-4am. 2111 Franklin St. www.club21oakland.com

GAMboiSF @ Rickshaw Stop Gay Asian dance party with Kpop and other grooves; special performance by Miss Shumai. $8-$15.

9:30pm-2am. 155 Fell St. www.rickshawstop.com

Sat 4

GAMeBoi SF @ Rickshaw Stop

t

Dirty Musical Sundays @ The Edge Sing along at the popular musical theatre night, with a bawdy edge; also Mondays and Wednesdays (but not as dirty). 7pm-2am. 2 for 1 cocktail, 5pm-closing. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Hoodslam @ Oasis The East Bay pro wrestling troupe’s back, in your face with a comic ‘90s style. $20. 3pm-8pm. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

How Weird Street Faire @ Howard & 2nd 20th annual street fair of unusual groovy art, music, pot, drinks and food. $15-$20. 12pm-8pm. Howard street at 2nd. www.HowWeird.org

Polesexual @ Powerhouse Queer variety show with Dakota Pendant and Ma Shugganuttz. $5.

10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Queer Tango @ Finnish Hall, Berkeley Same-sex partner tango dancing, including lessons for newbies, food and drinks. $5-$10. 3:30pm-6:30pm.

1970 Chestnut St, Berkeley. www.finnishhall.org

Renegade @ Atlas The weekly cruisy semi-private party. 6pm-10pm. $5-$10. 415 10th St. https://www.facebook.com/ groups/2094886877491354/

Swagger Like Us @ El Rio Queer hiphop patio dance party. $5-$10. 2pm-8pm. 3158 Mission St. www.elriosf.com

Mon 6 Bayonne, Talos @ Rickshaw Stop Electro-pop singer and multiinstrumentalist (Roger Sellers) performs on a bill with Talos (Eoin French), Palm Daze and DJ Aaron Axelsen. $13. 8pm. 155 Fell St. www.bayonnemusic.com

Munro’s at Midnight @ Midnight Sun Drag night with Mercedez Munro. No cover. 10pm. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Pillows @ Powerhouse Glamamore’s crafts and drag night.

9pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Underwear Night @ 440 Strip down to your skivvies at the popular men’s night. 9pm-2am. 440 Castro St. 621-8732. the440.com

Tue 7 Cock Shot @ Beaux The weeknight party gets going with DJ Chad Bays. No cover. 9pm-2am.

2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

t

Nightlife Events>>

May 2-8, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 27

Miss Kitty’s Trivia Night @ Wild Side West

Sun 5

The weekly fun night at the Bernal Heights bar includes prizes, hosted by Kitty Tapata. No cover.

7pm-10pm. 424 Cortland St. 647-3099. www.wildsidewest.com

How Weird Street Faire @ Howard & 2nd

Musical Wednesdays @ The Edge Sing along to shows tunes on video, lip-synched, and live, at the Castro bar, with host Brian Kent; trivia contest, and prizes. 7pm12am. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. edgesf.com

NSA @ Club OMG Gaymer Night @ Midnight Sun

Wed 8

Weekly fun night of games (video, board and other) and cocktails. 8pm12am. 4067 18th St. www.midnightsunsf.com

Betty Who @ The Fillmore

Jefferson Starship @ Marin Center Veterans Auditorium The Bay Area rock band and Big Brother and the Holding Company perform classic rock hits. $50-$85.

7pm. 10 Ave. of the Flags, San Rafael. www.marincenter.org

Trevor Daniel @ The New Parish, Oakland The emo-hiphop pop singer performs; also, Noah North and 916frosty. $15-$60. 8pm. 1743 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. https://iamtrevordaniel. com/ www.thenewparish.com

Vice Tuesdays @ Q Bar Queer femmes and friends dance party with hip hop, Top 40 and throwbacks at the stylish intimate bar, with DJs Val G and Iris Triska. 9pm2am. 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

Aussie pop star performs. Rozzi opens. $30. 8pm. 1805 Geary at Fillmore. http://thefillmore.com

Bottoms Up Bingo @ Hi Tops Play board games and win offbeat prizes. 9pm. 2247 Market St. 5512500. www.HiTopsSF.com

Castro Karaoke @ Midnight Sun

Pan Dulce @ Beaux Drag divas, gogo studs, DJed Latin grooves and drinks. April 24 is a 2-year anniversary with Las Vegas gogo studs and Yara Sofia performing.

9pm-2am (free before 10:30pm).

2344 Market St. www.clubpapi.com

Enjoy drinks at the intimate downstairs tribute to the original dive bar. Tue & Wed 6pm-9pm. Thu-Sat 5pm-2am. 86 Hardie Place.

Thu 9

Free pool and drink specials at the historic neighborhood bar. 8pm-1am.

1723 Polk St. www.cinchsf.com

Junk @ Powerhouse MrPam and Dulce de Leche cohost the weekly underwear strip night and contest, with sexy prizes. $5. 10pm2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Latin Explosion @ Club 21 Latin beats, Lulu and Jacqueline’s drag show, gogo hotties and a packed crowd. $10-$15. 9pm-4am. 2111 Franklin St. www.club21oakland.com

Queer Karaoke @ Club OMG KJ Dana hosts the weekly singing night; unleash your inner American Idol. 8pm. 43 6th St. clubomgsf.com

Thump @ White Horse, Oakland Weekly electro music night with DJ Matthew Baker and guests. 9pm-2am.

6551 Telegraph Ave, (510) 652-3820. www.whitehorsebar.com

Tubesteak Connection @ Aunt Charlie’s Lounge Disco guru DJ Bus Station John spins grooves at the intimate retro music night. $5. 10pm-2am. 133 Turk St. www.auntcharlieslounge.com t Want your nightlife event listed?

Email events@ebar.com, at least two weeks before your event.

Event photos welcome.

Wed 8

Betty Who @ The Fillmore

Queeraoke @ El Rio

Cocktail Time @ Ginger’s

Freeball Wednesdays @ The Cinch

Laugh it up with Diane Amos (the Pine Sol Lady), Karinda Dobbins, Emily van Dyke, Brandi Brandes (Ashkenaz Executive Director making her comedy debut), and de facto Jewish mother and MC Lisa Geduldig. $15-$20. 8pm.

1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. www.koshercomedy.com

Weekly underwear party at the intimate mid-Market nightclub. $1 well drinks for anyone in underwear from 9pm-10pm. 43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

Midweek drag rave and vocal open mic, with Dulce de Leche, Rhani Nothingmore, Beth Bicoastal, Ginger Snap and guests. 10pm. 3158 Mission St. www.elriosf.com

Sing out with host Bebe Sweetbriar; 2 for 1 well drinks. 8pm-2am. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. midnightsunsf.com

Comedy Night @ Ashkenaz, Berkeley

China Crisis @ Yoshi’s Oakland British ‘80s band performs. $24$54. 8pm. 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. www.yoshis.com

Shining Stars Steven Underhill Photos by

Vanity Fair @ Geary Theatre A

t American Conservatory Theatre’s opening night of Kate Hamill’s Vanity Fair, cast members, production staff and patrons schmoozed in the stylish lounge of the Geary Theatre. Hamill’s witty Music Hall-style stage adaptation of W.M. Thackeray’s 1848 satire, about social climber Becky Sharp and her friend Emmy Sedley, enjoyed an appreciative audience.

The show, directed by Jessica Stone, runs through May 12. https://www.act-sf.org/ See plenty more photos on BARtab’s Facebook page, facebook.com/lgbtsf.nightlife. See more of Steven Underhill’s photos at StevenUnderhill.com.

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For headshots, portraits or to arrange your wedding photos

ads call (415) 370-7152 or visit www.StevenUnderhill.com or email stevenunderhillphotos@gmail.com

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