October 6, 2011 edition of the Bay Area Reporter by Bay Area Reporter

Frameline programmer departs

Gay History Month

Mill Valley highlights

The

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EQCA: No Prop 8 repeal in 2012

Key SB 48 date looms by Seth Hemmelgarn

rganizations that support the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful Education Act are facing the likelihood that opponents of the measure will succeed in putting their referendum on Karen England the ballot in 2012. Anti-gay activists have until Wednesday, October 12 to collect more than 500,000 valid signatures to place the issue before voters. Among other things, the act – also known as Senate Bill 48 – amends the state Education Code to require that schools teach about LGBT people’s contributions to the economic and social development of California and the U.S. Openly gay state Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) authored the bill. Governor Jerry Brown signed it into law in July. The Stop SB 48 campaign is believed to have collected 415,000 signatures, although that figure could not be verified. Karen England, one of the repeal leaders, hasn’t responded to interview requests. In recent emails, however, the Stop SB 48 campaign has spoken of needing to gather 100,000 more signatures. “Based on what we’ve been hearing from our opponents over the last week in particular, indicating they only need 100,000 more signatures, we realize that indicates they could in fact qualify for the ballot. We always believed we should not underestimate their ability to do that,” Equality California spokeswoman Rebekah Orr said during a conference call with reporters Thursday, September 29. Having paid signature gatherers has been seen as key to the anti-gay activists’ efforts. It’s not clear whether they’ve been able to collect the money needed to do that. But Orr said if the Stop SB 48 campaign is able to launch a paid signature gathering campaign, “they could very likely qualify for the ballot.” Efforts to preserve SB 48 have been largely invisible. EQCA Executive Director Roland Palencia said they’ve sent out “hundreds of thousands of emails to our supporters,” and their coalition partners have been engaged in “a number of activities.” EQCA has been working with Gay-Straight Alliance Network, among others, to support SB 48. Orr said EQCA and the other groups would “continue to do preparation work on our end” for “a really strong, aggressive campaign and [to] win at the ballot,” she said. But as in previous conference calls, Orr indicated research was one of the main activities in which EQCA has been involved. See page 8 >>

by Seth Hemmelgarn

E Jane Philomen Cleland

Dancing at the fair

allisto Damore finishes a dance behind Walgreens as attendees mingle during the 38th annual Castro Street Fair Sunday, October 2. The day featured lots

of entertainment and plenty of food, along with vendor and community booths. The fair expects to distribute proceeds to various nonprofits later this fall.

quality California has opted not to pursue a repeal of Proposition 8 in 2012, the statewide lobbying group announced this week. Instead, it is partnering with other organizations to launch Lydia Gonzales The Breakthrough Conversation, a public Roland Palencia education project designed to soften people’s views on LGBT issues. “For decades, opponents of equality have used prejudicial and dehumanizing myths about LGBT people being a harm to kids and See page 12 >>

Exploratorium staff reaches out to LGBT youth by Matthew S. Bajko

ne transgender employee discusses being picked on for looking like a man on a female basketball team in high school. A woman discusses attempting suicide as a teenager and being glad as an adult that she was unsuccessful. More than a dozen staffers of the Exploratorium, a science-based learning museum located near San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, appear in a video released this week aimed at reaching LGBT youth struggling to accept their sexual orientation or gender identity. It is part of the ongoing It Gets Better project started by gay Seattle writer Dan Savage in the wake of a rash of teenage suicides last year. Adrienne Barnett, 34, a lesbian who is the program manager of the teacher institute at the Exploratorium, instituted the creation of the video after seeing both the California Academy of Sciences and the San Francisco Giants produce their own versions. Watching those videos prompted Barnett to recall her own struggles as a teen coming to terms with her sexual orientation. “I thought this would be a great way for the Exploratorium to give back as well as bring our team as a staff together,” said Barnett, who is one of the employees featured in the video. After discussing the idea with a select few coworkers, Barnett then pitched it to Exploratorium management, who quickly

Rick Gerharter

Exploratorium employees who participated in the filming of an It Gets Better video include, back row: Jeff Hamilton, Adrienne Barnett, Kurt Feichtmeir, and Diana Buchbinder; seated: Kate Roddy, Ryan Ames.

signed off on the project. A staff-wide call for help elicited 70 volunteers and led to a packed meeting to throw out ideas on how to make the video unique. Jeff Hamilton, 52, a gay man who works as the Exploratorium’s government relations

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Vol. 41 • No. 40 • October 6-12, 2011

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director, agreed to take part. He said it became evident working on the video how the topic ties into the museum’s mission of exploring not only science but also the human experience. See page 12 >>

<< Community News

2 • BAY AREA REPORTER • October 6-12, 2011

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No decision yet on Telegraph Hill project by Tony K. LeTigre

ebar.com

o decision has yet been made, but Telegraph Hill residents Corey Ruda and Michael Barron are embroiled in a controversy with their landlord that could spell eviction for them and lead to a significant impact on the rest of their illustrious neighborhood. The landlord, David Taylor, surprised the gay couple in late March and announced plans to add on to the living room and decks of their apartment, located on the eastern slope of Telegraph Hill near the Greenwich Street Stairs. Taylor said that the extensive construction would require Ruda and Barron, both 42, as well as their upstairs neighbor, to vacate the property for as long as six months – in real estate jargon, a capital improvement eviction. “This proposed project would result in the loss of green space on the hillside that supports beautiful old trees, wildlife, and provides privacy between neighbors,” Ruda wrote in an op-ed piece in the Bay Area Reporter last month. He added that the property would become “a McMansion, with a Disneyland facade in front and a massive eyesore and incongruence in the rear.” Originally Taylor planned to begin construction in July, but that date came and went without work starting or even any permits being issued, as Ruda and Barron have chosen to stand their ground and fight for their rent-controlled slice of historic San Francisco. Ruda, who works as the marketing director for Community Thrift store, moved into the apartment on Montgomery Street

Jane Philomen Cleland

Michael Barron, left, and Corey Ruda sit in their Telegraph Hill apartment with their dog, Jeremy.

in 2004, and had lived just a few doors down before that – “I’ve lived on the same lot since my late 20s.” Barron, he said, moved in with him later the same year. Taylor purchased the property, and two others in the vicinity, in 2008. Soon thereafter, the new landlord questioned him about Barron sharing the apartment, suggesting he should increase the rent. He backed down after Ruda confronted him. Barron and Ruda both stated they don’t believe Taylor to be homophobic, but rather new to the area, and motivated by financial concerns. “Out of the three buildings that he owns here, our unit and our upstairs neighbor’s unit pay the least because we are the longest term residents,” Barron said. “New tenants pay at least double what we pay. I feel that the plan is more to convert these to a TIC unit and sell them, since he is using Master Builders SF, which claim to be TIC specialists on their website.” TICs, or tenancies in common, represent a loophole landlords use to get around the Ellis Act and the Condominium Conversion Ordinance, which regulate evictions and limit condo conversions citywide to 200 annually. Barron also noted that Taylor’s associate is Peter Iskander, a North Beach developer who has gained notoriety for tactics such as his recent eviction of four ailing and elderly Greenwich Street tenants with no alternative home. Taylor denied the TIC accusation. “There never has been an intention to TIC the building,” he said. “Iskander is not a colleague but is the builder I hired to do my addition.” Ruda and Barron’s upstairs housemate declined to be interviewed. Jon Golinger is the current president of the Telegraph Hill Dwellers, a nonprofit organization founded in 1954 that has played a key role in keeping high-rises, parking lots, and chain stores out of the unique and touristattracting neighborhood. He told the B.A.R. that construction evictions of this sort surged during the dot-com boom of the late 1990s, “when the economy was hot,” and speculated that a similar wave is beginning now in anticipation of the America’s Cup, which will come to San Francisco in 2013. Golinger described Taylor’s proposed additions as “dramatically more than a minor tweak” that will require a special variance by the Historic Preservation Commission.

To date, all parties concerned have attended five separate hearings of the commission at City Hall. In early September, Barron and Ruda hosted an open house for the commissioners to visit the property and get a first-hand feel for what the expansion would mean. During a September 7 hearing, a number of concerned neighbors gave testimony. In addition to Barron, six others spoke out against the project, including Mark Bittner, author of The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, which inspired the film of the same name by Bittner’s wife, Judy Irving. Taylor’s proposal was referred to further hearings before the Architectural Review Committee. Aaron Peskin, former president of the Board of Supervisors and now chair of the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee, is another neighbor who has offered support to the couple. “I’ve known Corey forever,” Peskin said, who is also a former president of the Telegraph Hill Dwellers. “We’re a tight-knit neighborhood; we stick up for each other. Telegraph Hill Dwellers has always been concerned with tenants’ rights, as well as preservation. I’m a landlord myself, I get a reasonable return on my property, and I like rent control. What you’re seeing here is greedy behavior by a landlord who is not respecting the rights of long-term tenants.” Taylor disagreed. “I am trying to improve the building within known building codes to capture the views and expand the living space from approximately 600 to 800 square feet,” Taylor said. “Corey is a nice guy who disagrees with my plans to improve my property.” Ruda said the neighborhood’s historical significance should be considered. “I can see his perspective,” Ruda said of Taylor’s plans. “‘I own the building, I can do whatever I want with it.’ But if you own property in a historic district in San Francisco with rent-controlled tenants, it’s not that simple. This neighborhood is like no other area in the world.” Golinger echoed that sentiment. “No one likes restrictions on changes to their property,” he said. “But when you buy into an area like Telegraph Hill, you have effectively signed a contract for the benefit of living in a special place. You have the parrots soaring overhead. You are part of something bigger and better than personal gain.”▼ Follow the matter and find audio recordings and minutes of the hearings at sf-planning.org /index.aspx?page=1982.

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Community News >>

October 6-12, 2011 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 3

Gay couple with AIDS faces eviction by Seth Hemmelgarn

Authority, said, “It’s not an issue the Housing Authority has any say in. It’s strictly between the landlord and the tenant.” She added, “The situation there is subject to the same rental ordinances and laws that would bind and obligate any lessee or lessor relationship in San Francisco.”

San Francisco couple who are both living with AIDS and disabled are facing eviction from their apartment of 19 years. The landlord for David Ellenberg, 54, and Cuauhtemoc “Temo” Andrade, 52, wants to raise the rent on their unit in the 300 block of Shotwell Street. The couple relies heavily on Section 8 housing assistance and can’t afford the increase. “We’ve been taking care of each other for 23 years,” Ellenberg said. “We both have AIDS. Part of our survival is we’ve had stable housing, and in the last 19 years, we’ve never had to worry about housing.” Andrade said, “I’ve been in a lot of stress since this thing happened. I haven’t really slept at all.” Ellenberg said their building was constructed after 1979, so the city’s rent control laws don’t protect them. Current rent control law in San Francisco limits rent increases on units built in June 1979 or earlier based on cost-of-living increases. They’ve lived in the twobedroom, two-bath unit since 1992, the same year the building was constructed. The rent’s only been raised once, and that was 10 years ago. Edward Breyburg has been their landlord the whole time, according to Ellenberg. Documentation provided by the couple show that they pay $792 on the unit, and the San Francisco Housing Authority, which oversees their Section 8 participation, provides $1,008, for a total of $1,800 a month. Ellenberg said that with their housing assistance, the maximum amount charged for any twobedroom unit they rent could be about $1,830 per month. He said that in May, Breyburg tried to raise

‘Godsend’

Rick Gerharter

David Ellenberg, left, and Cuauhtemac Andrade stand on the rear deck of their apartment with their dog Cooper. The couple is facing eviction today.

the rent by $200, but the couple told the Housing Authority about Breyburg’s attempt. The agency, which Ellenberg said requires any rent increase proposals to go through them, returned the paperwork to Breyburg because it wasn’t dated, Ellenberg said. He said the landlord doesn’t want to deal with the agency anymore so that he can raise the rent. Ellenberg said they’ve been looking for a solution ever since they received an eviction notice dated July 6, which gave them 90 days to leave. That period ends today (Thursday, October 6). Daniel Bornstein, who represents landlords Edward and Ludmila Breyburg, signed the document, a copy of which the couple provided to the Bay Area Reporter. The notice cites a Section 8 rule that allows eviction for “a business or economic reason” such as “the owner’s desire to rent the unit

for a higher rent.” Ellenberg said their lease includes a similar clause allowing the landlord to break his contract with the Housing Authority. The couple received a Section 8 certificate four years ago and Breyburg agreed to take it because “he wanted to keep us here,” Ellenberg said. Breyburg confirmed that he’s evicting the couple because they won’t agree to a rent increase, and that they’re supposed to be out of the apartment by October 6. He declined to talk about other details and referred questions to Bornstein, his attorney. Ludmila Breyburg declined to comment, also directing questions to Bornstein. Bornstein said, “I was not given permission to speak on the record by Mr. Breyburg, so I have no comment.” Rose Marie Dennis, a spokeswoman for the Housing

For two people who depend on Social Security Disability Insurance, Ellenberg said the apartment has been a “godsend.” They don’t have any other income, he said. For a two-bedroom apartment, Ellenberg said their options are “almost non-existent.” He said they considered moving to a onebedroom unit, but they would have to change their voucher, which is a time-consuming process, and the limit for that type of allowance is about $1,500 a month. Among other problems, Ellenberg said, prospective landlords hesitate

to accept housing vouchers like theirs. Their poodle, Cooper, also complicates things, since many landlords won’t allow the dog. Ellenberg said their “last option” would be to leave the city, but the thought is “so depressing.” Andrade has serious cardiovascular problems, on top of having AIDS, and he wants to stay close to Saint Mary’s Medical Center, where he’s received care. On Wednesday, October 5, according to Ellenberg, the couple tried to pay their portion of the rent, but Breyburg rejected it. He said that Breyburg also told them that he’d sent back money he’d received from the Housing Authority for the agency’s part of their rent. The couple expected to be served with an unlawful detainer notice Thursday, to which they would have five days to respond. He’s asking anyone with a twobedroom apartment who might be able to help the couple to call them at (415) 864-1342.▼

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<< Open Forum

4 • BAY AREA REPORTER • October 6-12, 2011

Volume 41, Number 40 October 6-12, 2011 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Thomas E. Horn Bob Ross (Founder, 1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko Seth Hemmelgarn Jim Provenzano CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dan Aiello • Tavo Amador • Erin Blackwell Roger Brigham • Scott Brogan Victoria A. Brownworth • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Chuck Colbert Richard Dodds • David Duran Raymond Flournoy • David Guarino Liz Highleyman • Brandon Judell John F. Karr • Lisa Keen • Matthew Kennedy David Lamble • Tony K. LeTigre Michael McDonagh • Paul Parish Lois Pearlman • Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota Bob Roehr • Donna Sachet • Adam Sandel Jason Serinus • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith • Ed Walsh • Sura Wood

ART DIRECTION Kurt Thomas PRODUCTION MANAGER T. Scott King PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland Marc Geller Rick Gerharter Lydia Gonzales Rudy K. Lawidjaja Steven Underhill Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge Christine Smith

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News Editor • news@ebar.com Arts Editor • arts@ebar.com Out & About listings • events@ebar.com Advertising • advertising@ebar.com Letters • letters@ebar.com A division of Benro Enterprises, Inc. © 2011 Published weekly. Bay Area Reporter reserves the right to edit or reject any advertisement which the publisher believes is in poor taste or which advertises illegal items which might result in legal action against Bay Area Reporter. Ads will not be rejected solely on the basis of politics, philosophy, religion, race, age, or sexual orientation. Advertising rates available upon request. Our list of subscribers and advertisers is conﬁdential and is not sold. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, and writers published herein is neither inferred nor implied. We are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or artwork.

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It ain’t a choice, Herman B

usinessman Herman Cain, whose presidential stock rose following his surprise win in a recent Florida Republican straw poll, went before the women of The View Tuesday and said that being gay is a choice. “You show me the science that says it’s not,” he said. Almost immediately, R. Clarke Cooper, head of Log Cabin Republicans, issued a statement saying the group would be happy to show Cain the science. “The claim that a person chooses to be gay or lesbian has been discredited by every major professional medical organization, starting with the American Psychological Association and the American Medical Association,” Cooper said. “An individual’s orientation is no more a choice than the color of his skin or whether he is left-handed, and too many people have been hurt because of failed attempts to change the way they were born.” Gay-is-a-choice was debunked long ago and is a position held today mainly by fringe conservatives and people who are not educated on the subject. That the crop of Republicans hoping to unseat President Barack Obama next year is made up almost entirely of extreme candidates might be one of the few encouraging signs to the president’s re-election chances, given that the economy is in the dumps and he is unable to move legislation that would benefit the unemployed, working poor, and middle class. We found Cain’s comments Tuesday somewhat surprising because just last Sunday he was on ABC’s This Week, where he opined that he should have spoken out against the rabid booing that followed a gay soldier’s question on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” during a recent GOP debate in Orlando. The soldier was booed when he asked, via video, whether the candidates would try to reverse the repeal of DADT should they be elected. The incident marked the third time in as many debates when audiences have exhibited bad behavior and hateful sentiments. In one case, someone shouted “yeah” when

candidate Ron Paul was asked a series of questions about health care and the possibility that a sick patient without insurance should be left to die. Before that, candidate Rick Perry, the governor of Texas, received cheers when a question pointed out that since he took office in 2000, he has overseen a record 234 executions. But the booing of the gay soldier, who is currently serving in Iraq, marked a new low by GOP debate audiences and the candidates themselves. One of the qualities voters look for in a president is leadership for all Americans, which none of the nine candidates on the stage that night in Florida exhibited. One of them should have spoken up, and reminded the homophobes in the audience that this young man was serving his country. And if none of the Republican candidates can do that, they’re not leaders. Say what you will about Obama – and we’ve said

plenty over the last three years – but it’s clear that no one in the GOP field is up to the task of running our diverse country. The candidates are so concerned with not offending the tea party ideologues that common sense goes out the window. Michelle Bachmann told a radio caller “Thanks” when he said he’d vote for convicted murderer Charles Manson over Obama. The list goes on and on. Don’t these people hear what they’re saying? That a minority within the Republican Party can exert such outsized importance also speaks volumes about the state of the party: there is no room for compromise or meaningful discussion. There’s another GOP debate Tuesday – National Coming Out Day – in New Hampshire. Would it be too much to expect to see some leadership from the candidates if the booing starts? And we hope by then Cain will have met with Log Cabin and educated himself on sexual orientation and gender identity. We know it’s a lot to ask, but someone’s got to raise these issues.▼

SF needs Prop B to fix our roads by Scott Wiener, Amy Brown, and Susan Mizner

e all use our streets. Whether it is through public transit, biking, driving, or walking on the sidewalk, if we leave our house, we use our streets. But, San Francisco’s roads, sidewalks, bridges, and overpasses have been deteriorating for decades. That’s why the mayor and nine supervisors – including our own Supervisors Scott Wiener and David Campos – placed Proposition B, the 2011 Road Repair and Street Safety Bond, on the ballot. We urge you to vote yes on Prop B on November 8. While the city has been spending money on routine maintenance, it has not been enough to prevent potholes or to keep our streets and sidewalks from crumbling. Nearly half of the city’s 850 miles of streets have deteriorated to the point where they can no longer be repaired with regular maintenance. Instead, the underlying problem must be addressed. We need to resurface or reconstruct these streets. Resurfacing or reconstructing is properly considered capital improvements with a 20- to 30-year life span. That’s why this bond is recommended in the city’s 2012-2022 capital plan and is the city’s top capital priority. Under this bond, approximately 1,390 street segments will be repaved over the next three years – improving the current street condition index score from a current 64 to a 66. The bond will invest $65.5 million in repaving for the next three years. Street resurfacing projects will be distributed equitably across the city, consistent with the city’s five-year paving plan. We want to ensure that the streets that get the most use and are used as emergency routes get done first. The longer we wait to conduct these vital improvements, the more the repairs will cost in the future – the estimate is five times more over the course of the next 70 years.

Rick Gerharter

Deteriorating road pavement at Castro and Market streets would be repaired under Prop B.

Plus, interest rates are low right now, so this is an optimal time to make these capital investments. Prop B also provides important funding to improve the safety and accessibility of our city. We have over 5,000 corners with no curb ramp at all. We need more accessible pedestrian signals for people who are blind and low vision; and we need sidewalks with fewer tripping hazards caused by tree roots and cracks. People in our community are living longer and healthier with HIV and AIDS. But the disease still takes its toll, with mobility, vision, and endurance limitations. The access improvements that Prop B will fund are critical for people with disabilities. Indeed, as we all age, and if we want to keep the LGBT community in San Francisco, we need to invest in the infrastructure that will make walking around and getting around our city safer and easier. In the last decade, over 200 pedestrians have

been killed in our city – many of them seniors. Prop B will improve the safety of our streets and sidewalks for our most vulnerable – the elderly, children and families, and those with disabilities, especially at intersections near schools. Prop B also will create over 1,000 jobs providing a much-needed boost to the local economy. All the benefits of Prop B will occur without raising property tax rates. By complying with the city policy of only issuing new bonds as old ones are paid off, this measure’s full costs can be funded at current tax rates with no increase. Both the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club and the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club have endorsed Prop B. For all these reasons, we ask that you join them and us in voting yes on Prop B.▼ Scott Wiener represents District 8 on the Board of Supervisors. Amy Brown is acting city administrator, the first LGBT person to hold that position. Susan Mizner is the director of the Mayor’s Office on Disability.

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Letters >>

October 6-12, 2011 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 5

Prop E attack is off base Richard Reidy’s letter [Mailstrom, September 29] attacking Supervisor Scott Wiener and Proposition E is way off base. Reidy states, without support, that Prop E will undermine rent control. That is untrue. What Prop E will do is begin fixing our dysfunctional ballot measure system. That’s why Prop E is endorsed by the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club, Noe Valley Democratic Club, Plan C, and SPUR, as well as repeated favorable editorials by the San Francisco Chronicle. More information is at www.yesonballotreform.com. Prop E is common sense. In San Francisco, as in California, when voters adopt legislation, that legislation is effectively frozen in time. No matter how much time has passed, if you want to make even the tiniest change to correct an error or account for changed circumstances, you have to go back to the voters with yet another ballot measure. This almost never happens because it’s a big deal to put any measure on the ballot. Instead, we are stuck with an ever-growing list of voter-approved ordinances that, effectively, can never be amended. California is the only state that has this rigid system. Every other state that provides for voter-adopted legislation gives some degree of flexibility to the legislative body after the fact.

Prop E would allow the Board of Supervisors and the mayor, after a number of years have gone by, to make changes to voter-approved ordinances that were placed on the ballot by the board or mayor. Prop E would not apply to measures placed on the ballot by voter signature. The board would be unable to touch voter-signed measures. When the board or mayor places ordinances on the ballot, those measures frequently have had no prior public scrutiny. They are rushed onto the ballot and often poorly drafted. If the voters pass them, they are then effectively impossible to fix or update. Prop E would address that problem. Prop E only applies to future measures. It doesn’t apply to past measures, like the ones that Reidy cites in his letter. As for rent control, Wiener’s support speaks for itself. Wiener has a long history of support for rent control, and his first piece of legislation was an ordinance making it easier for renters displaced by disasters to obtain temporary apartments at affordable rents while their units are fixed. To suggest that Wiener would sponsor legislation undermining rent control, frankly, is a joke. Joe Fera San Francisco

Farewell for Nolan tonight partment’s liaison to the LGBT community, at jennifer.thompson@sfgov. org or (415) 734-3274 or Ken Craig, a member of the forum, at kencraig@ communitypatrolusa.org or (415) 260-6239.

compiled by Cynthia Laird

farewell celebration will be held this evening (Thursday, October 6) for Project Open Hand Executive Director Tom Nolan, who in February announced he was leaving the organization at the end of the year. Nolan, a former San Mateo County supervisor, has led the nonprofit for 16 years. Project Open Hand provides meals and groceries to critically ill homebound clients, seniors, and people living with HIV/AIDS. It was founded in 1985 by Ruth Brinker. She died in August at the age of 89. Tonight’s party takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the agency’s offices, 730 Polk Street. People will be able to reminisce and enjoy tasty bites from Open Hand’s kitchen, complimentary beverages, and music from DJ Tiny. There will also be guest speakers and fun surprises. Admission is free but people are asked to RSVP to events@openhand.org.

Gay Men’s Chorus to honor Stuart Milk, B.A.R. The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus will honor Stuart Milk, the openly gay nephew of slain San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk, and the Bay Area Reporter at its Crescendo brunch benefit Sunday, October 9 at noon at the Four Seasons Hotel, 757 Market Street. Diageo Americas will be recognized as the group’s corporate champion. The event is set to dazzle with delicious food, music, and special guests. Milk will receive the chorus’ Champion Award for his dedicated contribution to human rights. The B.A.R. will be recognized as a media champion. Special musical guest will be Jacques Snyman, countertenor and an internationally acclaimed South African LGBT activist and rugby player. The chorus’ own Lollipop Guild and Vocal Minority will also provide entertainment. “Through Crescendo, SFGMC joins together the many men, women, and organizations who have found a home, a family, a voice, and a community through the power of music and a universal message of acceptance,” chorus board President Michael Tate said in a statement. Tickets are $125 and can be purchased online at www.sfgmc.org.

LGBT center hosts Economic Empowerment Week The San Francisco LGBT Community Center kicks off its Economic Empowerment Week

LGBT investment symposium

Rick Gerharter

Project Open Hand Executive Director Tom Nolan

on Tuesday, October 11 – National Coming Out Day – and will hold its 25th job fair Wednesday, October 12. Activities include the center’s newest initiative, the Lending Circles program, in which everyone in a circle contributes money to a loan, and everyone has an opportunity at taking out a loan. The program was piloted by the Mission Asset Fund as a way for people to improve their credit scores, among other benefits. Wednesday’s job fair, which runs from 1 to 4 p.m. at the center, 1800 Market Street, is expected to include employers from Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, and Salesforce. Other items of interest during the week include financial education, job readiness support, small business training, and first-time homeownership. For more information, visit the center’s website at www.sfcenter.org.

SFPD hate crimes forum On the heels of a Human Rights Commission forum in the Castro last month that discussed LGBT hate crimes, the San Francisco Police Department’s LGBT community advisory forum will hold a hate crimes public education event Thursday, October 13 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market Street. Timed to occur around National Coming Out Day, the forum will include presentations by the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI, the San Francisco District Attorney’s office, and the SFPD. There will also be a moderated question and answer session. The evening is dedicated to Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr., the two hate crime victims for which the federal hate crime law is named. For more information contact Officer Jennifer Thompson, the de-

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney will host an investment symposium for LGBT couples on Thursday, October 20 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Rosewood Sand Hill, 2825 Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park. The discussion will feature Alan Wolberg, executive director of wealth advisory resources at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney; Jennifer Pizer, legal director at the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law; and Patrick Lam, regional marketing director for Lincoln Financial Distributors. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served. Admission is free but seating is limited. Those interested in attending should RSVP by October 12 to AnneMarie Held at anne-marie.held@ mssb.com or (415) 693-6935.

SF HRC panel seeks members The San Francisco Human Rights Commission’s LGBT advisory committee is seeking new members. One of three standing committees, the LGBT advisory committee is one of the most active; it identifies and addresses issues and concerns of the LGBT and HIV-affected communities in the city. The committee is looking for members who are community activists knowledgeable and skilled in such areas as racism, HIV/AIDS, antibullying, violence, civil rights, class, disability, diversity, education, gender, intersex, health, women’s, senior, and youth issues. Applicants must be San Francisco residents and must make a firm commitment to attend meetings on the third Tuesday of every month at 5:30 p.m., and to spend additional time in work groups. Commissioners Cecilia Chung and Todd Mavis head the committee. Interested persons must send a letter (by mail, fax, e-mail, or personal delivery) detailing why they would like to serve on the committee, their community involvement and areas of expertise, and any other qualities they could bring to the post. Applications can also be submitted via the commission’s website at www.sf-hrc.org. The deadline for correspondence to be received is Friday, October 21 at 5 p.m. Letters should be addressed to: Nadia Babella, San Francisco Human Rights Commission, 25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 800, San Francisco, CA 94102-6033. The fax number is (415) 431-5764; the e-mail address is nadia. babella@sfgov.org.▼

<< Community News

6 • BAY AREA REPORTER • October 6-12, 2011

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Frameline programmer Morris leaves organization by David-Elijah Nahmod

yebrows were raised in the gay film community when Frameline quietly announced the departure of longtime festival programmer Jennifer Morris last month. A familiar face at the annual Frameline LGBT Film Festival, Morris became involved with the organization in 1988. She began as a volunteer and an intern, becoming a paid staffer in 1994. Morris has served as the festival programmer and festival director. Her departure was announced by the organization near the end of its newsletter that came out September 22. Frameline Executive Director K.C. Price said that Morris’s position has been eliminated due to financial concerns. “Like many nonprofits in the Bay Area, Frameline has experienced a decline in contributions to the organization since the recession began,” Price said this week. “In 2010, Frameline restructured and cut two other staff positions as part of a reorganization. I have taken a voluntary 15 percent cut to my salary.” In the organization’s federal 990 tax form for 2009, the most recent available online, Price’s salary was listed at $85,000. Price reports that Frameline’s annual budget is to be $1.45 million. This covers staff salaries, the cost of presenting the annual LGBT film festival, as well as special programs in which the organization distributes LGBT cinema. Frameline has a long history

Rick Gerharter

Jennifer Morris

of offering platforms to the marginalized. In 2008, it launched Youth in Motion, a program that provides free LGBT-themed films and curriculum resources to California schools. Frameline Voices seeks to present films by and about people of color, transgenders, youth, and elders. The organization also offers completion grants to filmmakers. Gay film aficionados were saddened by Morris’s departure. Marc Huestis is an award winning filmmaker whose work has frequently been showcased at Frameline. “I’m so sad about Jennifer’s departure,” Huestis said in an email. “She’s been a vital programmer for the festival. I remember the first time I saw her pouring swill to folks in the mezzanine, circa 1988. Best to her and here’s hoping there will

be some celebration of her amazing tenure.” Price said that attendees of future Frameline festivals won’t notice the changes. “Desiree Buford and Frances Wallace, two long term Frameline employees, will be part of the programming team for the festival and exhibition programs,” he said. “I will continue to support programming as I’ve done the past three years.” Buford has been with Frameline since 2003. She has experience with the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival and the Mill Valley Film Festival. She holds a B.A. from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, with a minor in LGBT studies. Wallace resides in New York City, where she will act as Frameline’s point person on the East Coast. She will also contribute to the programming team. She studied film producing and writing at New York University, and worked as film festival manager and programmer for the CMJ Music Marathon and Film Festival in New York. Wallace has established relationships with major broadcast channels and distributors in New York to support Frameline’s highquality LGBT programming and facilitate industry connections with independent filmmakers, according to Frameline’s newsletter. Sarah Deragon, who’s been with Frameline since 2008, will be the organization’s new director of educational programming and acquisitions. The B.A.R. was unable to reach Morris.▼

Pelosi slams DADT boos at GOP debate by David Duran

ouse Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) told a crowd at the LGBT Community Center last week that she was appalled by the audience at a Republican presidential debate in Orlando who booed a gay soldier after he asked a question about the end of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” via video. “They couldn’t answer for everybody in the audience, these presidential candidates, but they could answer for themselves, and they didn’t,” Pelosi said September 30 during remarks with gay service members. Just days after the September 20 repeal, GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum responded to the soldier at the debate, saying, “What we are doing is playing social

David Duran

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, center, is flanked by SLDN board Co-Chair Zoe Dunning and former Petty Officer Third Class Joseph Rocha at the LGBT Community Center last week. They are holding signed copies of a Washington Post front page reporting the end of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

experimentation with our military right now. That’s tragic. I would just say that going forward we would reinstitute that policy if Rick Santorum was president.” Santorum was responding to a YouTube question from a recently out soldier serving in Iraq. “That policy would be reinstituted as far as people in, I would not throw them out because that would be unfair to them because of the policy of this administration. But we would move forward in conformity with what was

happening in the past.” The clip of the audience booing went viral and prompted President Barack Obama to comment. “That’s not reflective of who we are,” the president said during a fundraiser in the Bay Area, according to press reports.

Life after DADT In the weeks since the end of DADT, service members previously discharged under the policy are See page 13 >>

Politics>>

▼ Lesbian seeks Marin college board seat

October 6-12, 2011 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 7

by Matthew S. Bajko

tephanie O’Brien, a Marin County resident and local school board official, is running for a seat on the College of Marin Board of Trustees November 8. Should she win, O’Brien would be the second out lesbian to serve on the college board. The College of Marin’s main campus is in Kentfield and it has a satellite campus in Novato. Created in 1926, the two-year community college enrolls 10,000 students each year and helps to prepare them to transfer to a four-year institution. The board last fall hired a gay man, David Wain Coon, to be its superintendent/ president. O’Brien is running to fill the seat of Carole Hayashino, who is stepping down this year and recruited O’Brien to succeed her. Three incumbents on the seven-person board are seeking re-election, and there are a total of seven people running for the four open seats. O’Brien, 52, lives in Woodacre, an unincorporated town in west Marin. Her 12-year-old son, Alec LevyO’Brien, attends seventh grade in the Lagunitas School District, where O’Brien has served on the school board for 10 years. Her current term is set to expire in 2013, when O’Brien had planned to run for college board. But she changed her mind after Hayashino informed her of her decision to step down. “I had been thinking of running for this board for years and had intended to run in two years. But when Carole approached me, I realized the timing for me to run is good,” said O’Brien, who owns her own consulting firm that advises community colleges. “I have a lot of name recognition in the public education environment, so that helps.” O’Brien, who divorced her wife after being together 16 years and is now single, is trying to raise upwards of $40,000 to pay for campaign mailers. She has put $8,000 of her own money into the campaign. She is focusing her attention on those Marin towns and cities that have local elections this year as that

Courtesy O’Brien campaign

Marin college board candidate Stephanie O’Brien

is where the majority of voters live who are likely to cast ballots in the nonpartisan, countywide college board race. By the luck of the draw, her name will be the second listed on the ballot, which could prove to be helpful as some people are likely to vote for the first four candidates. Last month O’Brien won the endorsement of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund. The fund has been a backer of her previous school board races and also has supported current Marin college board member Wanden P. Treanor, a lesbian attorney who first ran in 1996 and will be up for reelection in 2013. But due to some negative comments about having two lesbians serving alongside one another on the college board, O’Brien said she has not asked Treanor to endorse her candidacy. “Marin is pretty progressive but there are places in Marin where, when the fact I am gay is mentioned, some people have an issue with it,” she said. O’Brien is in the process of updating her campaign website at obrienforcomtrustee2011.com/.

Berkeley hires lesbian city manager The Berkeley City Council has hired lesbian deputy city manager Christine Daniel to be its next city

manager. Not only is Daniel the first lesbian to hold the post but also the first woman. During a special executive session Monday, October 3 the council voted unanimously to hire Daniel for the position, which she will start December 1. City Manager Phil Kamlarz is retiring as of November 30 after 35 years in the job. The city is still negotiating what Daniel’s new salary will be. Her current pay is $195,000 and her new salary is expected to be less than the $250,000 Kamlarz was making. Initially employed in the Berkeley City Attorney’s office, Daniel left to work for the city attorney of Fremont. Kamlarz then hired her back as his second-in-command and had been training her to taken over the job. Daniel did not respond to a request for comment by press time. Openly gay Berkeley City Councilman Kriss Worthington, who made the motion to hire Daniel, lauded her skills in tackling controversial problems in the East Bay city. “I didn’t make the motion because she is lesbian. I made the motion because Phil Kamlarz was an excellent city manager, but Christine answered my emails even faster than he did. I like getting answers to my emails quickly,” said Worthington. “Phil is an expert recruiter and trainer. He wouldn’t just stick her out there after one month on the job and say. ‘Here, why don’t you make her city manager.’ I think he brought her back from Fremont and gave her hard projects to work on.”

Baum kicks off mayoral bid Terry Joan Baum, a lesbian playwright and Green Party member running to be San Francisco’s mayor, is hosting a campaign “kick off” this weekend. But the event, noted Baum, isn’t exactly a kick off because “We’ve been campaigning full-time for a while.” One of only two LGBT people running for mayor, Baum is considered a long shot and has had trouble getting invited to debates. Had progressive Supervisor John Avalos gotten into the race earlier than he did, Baum has said she would not have entered the contest as they share a similar vision for the city. Nonetheless, Baum remains on

Supes OK Marina housing project by Matthew S. Bajko

controversial Marina housing project expected to benefit LGBT young adults won the support of San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors this week. Two local nonprofits plan to turn the Edward II, an old hotel on Lombard Street, into housing for 24 youth aged 18 to 24 who are either at risk for homelessness or aging out of the foster care system. The Planning Commission approved the proposal this summer but five Marina neighborhood groups appealed its decision. An effort to broker a compromise between the project sponsors and the neighborhood groups fell short. After hearing several hours of heated testimony from supporters and detractors of the project, the board voted 9-1, with Supervisor Eric Mar absent, to approve the zoning changes required to allow the project to move forward. “I wish the issues we had in front of us had been resolved previously,” said board President David Chiu, who sponsored the legislation to approve the project. “We live in the city of St. Francis, in a city that prides ourselves and judges ourselves on how we help those in need, on how

Rick Gerharter

Supervisor Mark Farrell

we help those in transition, and how we help those in need of housing.” The lone dissenter was District 2 Supervisor Mark Farrell, who represents the area where the housing will be located. Farrell stressed that he does not object to having the housing located in his district. And he denounced those Marina residents who made disparaging remarks about the youth who will live there. “To dismiss the biggest myth out there, I don’t believe the opposition to this project has anything to do

with quote, unquote they don’t want these kids in the neighborhood,” said Farrell. “For those District 2 residents who came out and talked ill of this project, I am sorry. It does not reflect my feelings or the vast majority of people who live in this area.” He added that calling people who have legitimate questions about the zoning changes and other aspects of the project “NIMBYs is a real cheap shot.” His objections to the project, said Farrell, center on how the city handled the planning process. Critical of the lack of notice neighbors received about the project prior to its announcement, Farrell introduced legislation this week that would require more public notification about future projects supported by the city. “No one likes the way this project has evolved,” he said. “There has to be a better way to construct these projects in our neighborhoods.” Despite his no vote this week, Farrell pledged to work with all sides involved in the housing dispute to see that it is successful. When construction will proceed remains in doubt, as it is expected that at least one of the neighborhood groups will file a lawsuit to block the project from being built.▼

the ballot and has invited supporters to join her from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday, October 9 at Mission bar Doc’s Clock, 2575 Mission Street, to learn more about her platform and campaign. Both lesbian pioneer Phyllis Lyon and peace activist Cindy Sheehan are scheduled to speak.▼ Web Extra: For more queer political news, be sure to check www. ebar.com Monday mornings around 11 a.m. for Political Notes, the notebook’s online companion. This week’s column reports on SF City Treasurer Jose Cisneros’s being in line to be the first out president of the League of CA Cities.

<< Community News

8 • BAY AREA REPORTER • October 6-12, 2011

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Complaints filed over SB 48 repeal tactics by Dan Aiello

wo organizations of the coalition to defend California’s FAIR Education Act have filed complaints with local and state authorities after a video surfaced showing Stop SB 48 volunteers referring to the law as protection for child molesters in their effort to gather enough signatures to repeal the measure and questions surrounding the groups’ spending. The law, Senate Bill 48, actually amends the state Education Code to require that schools teach about LGBT people’s contributions to the economic and social development of California and the U.S. Courage Campaign spokeswoman Ana Beatriz said that the organization filed its complaint with state Attorney General Kamala Harris and John Mullen, the city attorney of Oceanside where the alleged incident occurred. The complaint was filed September 30 on behalf of Courage Campaign member and Oceanside resident Max Disposti. On Monday, October 3 Equality California filed its complaint with the Fair Political Practices Commission. “Our complaint is entirely different from the Courage complaint and not tied to any specific event,” said EQCA spokeswoman Rebekah Orr. “It was in the works before the Oceanside event. Frankly, we would have filed it last week, but it was Rosh Hashanah and our attorney was observing that holiday so he would have been unavailable to answer questions about the complaint.” EQCA’s complaint alleges that three entities – the Stop SB 48 campaign committee, the Pacific Justice Institute, and the Capitol Resource Institute/Capitol Resource Family Impact – are engaging in “an unlawful scheme to support the qualification of a referendum on SB 48,” also known as the FAIR Education Act. EQCA’s complaint states that Capitol Resource Institute and Pacific Justice Institute should have registered as campaign committees because they are raising and spending money to qualify the repeal for the ballot, the Associated Press reported. Courage’s complaint was specific to the tactics shown in the video taken by Disposti near his home. “It looks like this person broke the law,” said Courage Campaign founder Rick Jacobs, referring to the Oceanside incident. “There are two things I think need to happen immediately, one, there should be a very thorough investigation and two, the Stop SB 48 campaign needs to disavow this tactic and apologize.” Jacobs thinks what the video shows is a clear breaking of the

Key date

From page 1

Asked if they would defeat the repeal efforts, Orr said, “through the course of our research we have been doing as part of our campaign effort,” they think they have “a more even fight than what we originally expected.” She wouldn’t discuss data such as specific polling figures. Despite being almost two months into their efforts, EQCA and the other groups still don’t appear to have come up with an effective message strategy. “We know a lot more, but do we know enough? No. ... That’s why this research work is so important,” Orr said. She said it would be safe to say that if the repeal referendum qualifies,

Rick Gerharter

Courage Campaign founder Rick Jacobs

state’s campaign laws. “Coercing people through lies in order to get them to sign an official state campaign document is illegal,” he said. “People lose confidence in the process if this sort of thing is allowed to happen.” Jacobs was asked how this affects the signature-qualification process. “This is a really key question, if indeed, and I think this is unlikely, the Stop SB 48 campaign collects what it believes to be enough qualifying signatures,” said Jacobs. “If that should occur, of course we will be vigilant in monitoring the checking of signatures.” State Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), who authored SB 48, was asked about the video. “I have seen the video and found it very disturbing, if not all that surprising,” Leno told the Bay Area Reporter. A spokeswoman for Harris’s office said they have not received the complaint yet. “But to be honest, it’s not the policy of the attorney general to give any statements on complaints filed with us,” said Lynda Gledhill. Reached by phone last Friday afternoon, Mullen told B.A.R. that he had not yet seen either the video or the complaint. Calls to his office on Tuesday had not been returned by press time. Based on emails from the Stop SB 48 campaign that it needs to collect another 100,000 signatures by October 12, it is believed the referendum zcampaign has gathered about 400,000 signatures. In his monthly newsletter, Eugene McMullan of Catholics for Marriage Equality said that anti-gay signature gatherers have been showing up at Catholic churches in Marin County. He urged people who see such gatherers to use their cell phones to make a video and share it.▼

the campaign would cost “tens of millions of dollars.” Neither Palencia nor Orr would say how much money EQCA has raised to support SB 48, an indication that the figure is low. Anti-gay activists have used children to scare voters into believing that if LGBTs gain support, kids could be harmed. Palencia said what’s “pioneering” about the coalition’s efforts “is this is the core issue that keeps coming back to defeat us” on issues including the Prop 8 samesex marriage ban, employment discrimination, and hate crimes. “If we don’t win this, it will also impact other pro-equality fights,” he said. “It’s really, really critical we take a stand.”▼

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Community News >>

October 6-12, 2011 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 9

SJ Pride cut to one day for 2012 by Seth Hemmelgarn

said. “However, without that sponsorship support, there’s just not a way for us to do that.” San Jose Pride has a budget of $250,000. Mueller said there’s been an overall reduction in sponsorships of 60 percent over the last three years.

an Jose’s LGBT Pride celebration will be a Saturday-only event in 2012. The festival’s board decided to cut what had been a two-day celebration after disappointing attendance numbers this summer. Next year’s Pride will be Saturday, August 18. In addition to drawing fewer people to the second day of this year’s event, the organization, formally known as the Gay Pride Celebration Committee of San Jose Inc. continues to run a deficit, even though it had a surplus this year. Board member Ray Mueller said the board felt “this was a successful event.” Mueller, who joined Pride earlier this year as sponsorship chair, said for 2011 alone, San Jose Pride had a surplus of $20,000. However, “Despite aggressive fundraising and cost cutting measures, the Pride festival, for the fourth year, was in debt,” he said. The overall projected deficit is about $17,000. Mueller said that attendance at the second day of this year’s festival – Sunday, August 21 – was down by 800 people to 3,100 compared to last year. He cited the recession as one reason for the lower attendance. However, he said Santa Clara County has over 1.7 million people, “and if the people that are here do not wish to support the local organization, then it’s time to consider whether it’s really worth the time and effort.” Mueller said a day was cut from the celebration because “Our perception is the community doesn’t necessarily find two days useful.” He added that this year, “If we’d had all the people on one day, I think it would have been a much better festival.” As in 2010, there was no parade

Date change

Jo-Lynn Otto

Dancers strut in heels on stage at San Jose Pride.

this year. Also, a past participant was absent. “We heard a lot of commentary on ‘Where’s the parade?’” Mueller said, as well as a few people wondering where the Latin stage was. Club Papi chose not to participate this year. San Jose Pride board President Steve Bass sounded even more frustrated than Mueller. He said board members are all volunteers, and added, “I’m not doing this for me. I’m not getting laid out of this thing. My dick didn’t get sucked out of it.” “What does the community really want? If the community doesn’t want to support this, then why are we doing it?” he asked. Ticket prices could be part of Pride’s problems. Saturday, August 20, was a free day, but it cost $15 to get in Sunday (those who purchased tickets in advance were able to enter for $10). Saturday attendance for 2011 and 2010 was estimated to be roughly 3,000. “We do feel we would like to reduce our ticket prices,” Mueller

Another factor that may have hurt the South Bay city’s Pride festival is a date change. In 2010, Pride’s board decided to move the festival from June to August, so as not to compete with other Pride festivals taking place in June. Mueller has said many people didn’t realize the switch had happened, and attendance was down in 2010. It appears that could still be a problem. He said Pride officials worked hard this year to market the event through videos, Facebook, and events at local bars such as Renegades and Splash. There has been discussion about moving the celebration back to June, but “the board felt that we needed to truly give August a chance,” Mueller said, adding that other cities such as Oakland hold their festivals even later than San Jose. He addressed some of the other concerns people had about this year’s festival. He said the board’s committed to bringing the parade back. Mueller said the board voted through email to have the event on a Saturday in 2012. He said that vote tally was finalized Wednesday, September 28. The vote was 6-2, with two more members not responding. The board decided at its September meeting to restrict the event to one day. He also said the loss of sponsorship from Club Papi was part of the reason See page 13 >>

ebar.com

<< Gay History Month

10 • BAY AREA REPORTER • October 6-12, 2011

Introduction to the National Gay History Project by Mark Segal

istorians take note. This year’s National Gay History Project is a shout out to say that the LGBT community will no longer allow insensitivity, intentional or not, to downplay the contributions LGBT people have made to this country. To put it simply, this year’s project is definitive. Without people who were LGBT or LGBT allies, there would be no United States of America. We helped create this nation and we helped keep it together through the Civil War. And indeed, the Founding Fathers not only had us in mind when creating this country, they welcomed and recruited us in their efforts. Welcome to “We Are America.” Stories in this series will run in the paper and online at ebar.com. ▼ Mark Segal is the coordinator of the National Gay History Project and publisher of the Philadelphia Gay News.

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We Are America >>

America likely had a gay president mansion’s decor and activities that took place there during the later years of Buchanan’s life, he added. Wheatland also has about 45 volunteer tour guides, and to Clarke’s knowledge, none of the guides is openly gay. “The volunteer guides who we train to share the history of James Buchanan’s life and times are directed to take a neutral stance regarding [his] sexual preference,” Clarke said. But Clarke said he wouldn’t object if a volunteer offered a personal opinion that Buchanan was gay, if asked by a visitor. “When you have 50 minutes to take people through a nine-room house, there’s only so much you can discuss,” Clarke said. “But if the question is raised, the guide may express a personal opinion.”

by Timothy Cwiek

ore than 150 years before America elected its first black president, Barack Obama, it most likely had its first gay president, James Buchanan (1791-1868). Buchanan, a Democrat from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, was the 15th president of the United States, and a lifelong bachelor. He served as president from 1857-61, tumultuous years leading up to the Civil War. Historian James W. Loewen has done extensive research into Buchanan’s personal life, and he’s convinced Buchanan was gay. Loewen is the author of the acclaimed book Lies Across America, which examines how historical sites inaccurately portray figures and events in America’s past. “I’m sure that Buchanan was gay,” Loewen said. “There is clear evidence that he was gay. And since I haven’t seen any evidence that he was heterosexual, I don’t believe he was bisexual.” According to Loewen, Buchanan shared a residence with William Rufus DeVane King, a former vice president (under Franklin Pierce) and Democratic senator from Alabama, for several years in Washington, D.C. Loewen said contemporary records indicate the two men were inseparable, and wags would refer to

Buchanan rated low by historians

Courtesy National Gay History Project

President James Buchanan was a lifelong bachelor.

them as “the Siamese twins.” Loewen also said Buchanan was “fairly open” about his relationship with King, causing some colleagues to view the men as a couple. For example, Aaron Brown, a prominent Democrat, writing to Mrs. James K. Polk, referred to King as Buchanan’s “better half,” “his wife,” and “Aunt Fancy ... rigged out in her best clothes.” In 1844, when King was appointed minister to France, he wrote Buchanan, “I am selfish enough to hope you will not be able to procure an associate who will cause you to feel no regret at our separation.” Loewen also said a letter Buchanan wrote to a friend after King went to France shows the depth of his feeling for King. “I am now solitary and alone, having no companion in the house with me,” Buchanan wrote. “I have gone a wooing to several gentlemen, but have not succeeded with any one of them. I feel that it is not good for man to be alone; and should not be astonished to find myself married to some old maid who can nurse me when I am sick, provide good dinners for me when I am well, and not expect from me any very ardent or romantic affection.” Loewen said their relationship – though interrupted due to foreignservice obligations – ended only with King’s death in 1853, four years before Buchanan became president.

Visit to Wheatland In the late 1990s, Loewen visited Wheatland, the mansion in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where Buchanan spent his later years. Loewen said he asked a staffer at Wheatland if Buchanan was gay, and the reply was: “He most definitely was not.” Loewen said the staffer pointed to a portrait of Ann Coleman, the daughter of a wealthy iron maker, whom Buchanan was engaged to briefly in 1819 – shortly before she committed suicide. However, Loewen scoffed at the staffer’s suggestion that the brief engagement to Coleman proved Buchanan was heterosexual. Loewen said Buchanan showed little interest in Coleman, appeared more interested in her fortune, and possibly contributed to her suicide due to his emotional detachment. Patrick Clarke, the director of Wheatland, said the staff now takes a neutral stance on Buchanan’s sexual or affectional preference. “There’s no solid proof that Buchanan was heterosexual, nor is there solid proof that he was homosexual,” Clarke said. “If we ever come up with a smoking gun that proves it one way or the other, I would definitely encourage our staff to share it with the public.” But, he said Coleman’s portrait no longer is displayed at Wheatland. The tours focus mainly on the

Loewen said many historians rate Buchanan as one of the worst U.S. presidents. Buchanan was part of the pro-slavery wing of the Democratic Party, and corruption plagued his administration. But Loewen said those flaws shouldn’t discourage members of the LGBT community from acknowledging Buchanan’s status as a gay man. “Lots of gay people have been exemplary,” he said. “Let’s look at Walt Whitman. For my money, he’s the best poet in the history of the country. But we also have to acknowledge the failures. If we only admit that really great people are gay, what kind of history is that? And how is that believable? It’s ridiculous. We have to tell it like it was.” As a heterosexual male, Loewen added, he has no hidden agenda in outing Buchanan. “I’m not gay,” Loewen said. “I don’t run around trying to find gay folks or black folks underneath every rock. But I’m not going to ignore clear evidence.”▼ Timothy Cwiek holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in U.S. history from West Chester University. He has written for Philadelphia Gay News since the late 1970s and written freelance articles for numerous publications on topics such as the Lincoln assassination, the Kennedy family, the shootings at Kent State University, first ladies, and the macrobiotic movement in America. This story and others in this series are part of the National Gay History Project that was coordinated by Mark Segal, publisher of the Philadelphia Gay News.

CA takes final cut on local anti-circumcision bans by Heather Cassell

ocal LGBT community leaders and elected officials applauded Governor Jerry Brown’s signing of AB 768, a law that bans cities from regulating medical procedures, in particular male circumcision, handing over full oversight to the state. The law immediately went into effect after the governor’s signature October 2. The legislation, authored by Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Burbank), was introduced in July a week before San Francisco Superior Court Judge Loretta Giorgi yanked a measure from the November ballot in San Francisco that sought to ban male circumcision in the city. Gatto was inspired by the San Francisco controversy. The San Francisco proposition allowed for a well-defined medical

Lydia Gonzales

Governor Jerry Brown

exclusion, but not a religious exception. The lack of religious exception sparked unrest in Jewish and Muslim communities. A firestorm

ensued after the publication of an anti-Semitic comic book, Foreskin Man, created by Matthew Hess, the original author of the Male Genital Mutilation bill. Gatto thanked Brown for standing up for medical, personal, and religious freedoms. Local politicians agreed. Openly gay state Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), who supported the bill and is Jewish, said that Brown’s signature ended “any confusion or ambiguity” about state control over medical procedures conducted by licensed health care professionals, preempting local governments. District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener, an openly gay Jewish politician, added that the governor’s signature placed “California firmly on record as supporting religious minorities and supporting the right of the doctors to perform medical See page 11 >>

▼

Obituaries >>

Tom Aldis September 15, 1928 – August 28, 2011

Like many a Midwestern boy heading off to war in Korea, Tom passed through San Francisco, and like many, left his heart here. After returning home to Illinois, Tom decided to make the move west and recapture his heart, never again to leave the San Francisco he loved so much. To his friends, Tom became their personal version of Herb Caen, awakening them to the treasures hidden in every neighborhood, and opening their eyes and hearts to the place we are all so lucky to call home. As friends go, there was none better than Tom Aldis. In conversation with Tom, one always walked away feeling better about life and one’s self. Tom had the unique ability to see the true nature of a person, and through conversation reflect back to that person why he truly loved him or her. His gentle tongue and acidic wit were always there to keep one on an even keel – the product of Midwestern manners and sensibilities ingrained in him so long ago. Tom leaves behind his two greatest treasures; his great-nieces Aya and Anju, and a host of friends who feel blessed for having been a part of his California family.

Rodger Charles Brooks November 11, 1943 – September 26, 2011

With great sadness I must announce the death of my partner, Rodger Charles Brooks. He died at Kaiser Hospital in San Francisco on September 26 from complications of HIV. He was a longterm survivor. Rodger was an activist going back to his teens when he participated in the 1963 March on Washington. While attending the University of Hawaii in the 1960s, he was involved in the anti-war movement. In the 1970s he and his partner, Larry Berner, a gay schoolteacher, were involved in fighting Proposition 6 in California, which tried to ban gays from teaching in the public schools; it was defeated. Rodger was a co-chair of the 1978 Gay Freedom Day celebration, and helped politicize that event in light of the anti-gay movements then arising in the country. He worked under Carole Migden at Operation Concern. In the 1980s he was an Amma Massage practitioner targeting men sick and dying from HIV. He, himself, participated in an early clinical trial of AZT in 1989. In the past 10 years he joined the HIV/AIDS advisory board of SF Kaiser; wrote for the Kaiser HIV Update newsletter under the name of Ol’ Codger Rodger; and initiated the World AIDS Day Red Ribbon Awards at Kaiser for outstanding service to the HIV community. In October 2007, he received a Community

Circumcision

From page 10

procedures without interference by government.” Openly gay San Francisco mayoral candidate Bevan Dufty took the issue on a more personal note. “As a Jew, I believe that our religious traditions should be removed from the balloting process,” said Dufty. Lloyd Schofield, sponsor of the MSM bill, called the moves made on the ballot initiative “extremely undemocratic” and the new state law “dangerous.” He wasn’t surprised by the end result. It was clear, he said, that there was no room for debate in Sacramento as the bill “slipped right through the Assembly and the Senate” within a few days. Supporters to end male

October 6-12, 2011 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 11

Hero Award from the SF Gay Men’s Community Initiative for his work in the community. He was active with Thriving in SF, a support group for long-term HIV survivors, for the past several years. Rodger leaves his partner of the past 28 years, Bernard A. Niechlanski, as well as his beloved sister, Gail (Kenneth) Brooks Jackson of Illinois; his brother Robert (Bonnie) Brooks of Ohio; nieces, nephews, and other extended family. A celebration of Rodger’s life is planned for his birthday on November 11. Contact Bernard Niechlanski for details at rodgernick@ hotmail.com.

William A. “Bill” Cox December 11, 1951 – September 6, 2011

Bill Cox tragically lost his life on September 6, succumbing to massive injuries suffered when he was struck by a SUV driver at 14th and Noe streets in San Francisco. Born in Moscow, Idaho, and raised in Spokane, Washington, Bill moved to the Bay Area in the early 1980s. He worked for Wells Fargo and the California Appellate Project, and was an artist. Bill was a member of he Episcopal Church of St. Giles, Moraga, and attended the Episcopal Church of St. John the Evangelist, San Francisco, after moving to the city two and a half years ago. Bill is survived by two brothers, Clyde and Darrel Cox, both of Hawaii, their families, and many cousins. He is deeply missed by a close circle of friends in San Francisco, his fellow parishioners, and many acquaintances in the South of Market and Castro districts’ LGBT communities. A Requiem Eucharist celebrating Bill’s life will be held on Saturday, October 8, at 2:30 p.m. at the Episcopal Church of St. John the Evangelist, 1661 15th Street (at Julian Avenue), San Francisco. All are welcome to attend. Donations to favorite charities and personal involvement in community advocacy for pedestrian safety are suggested as memorial tributes.

Jim Medeiros September 8, 2011

Jim Medeiros passed away Thursday, September 8, after a courageous two-year battle with cancer. He had be a resident of San Leandro for 12 years. Jim was born in Maine but grew up in Fremont where he graduated from Irvington High School, Class of 1972. Before retiring he was employed at Katrina Rozelle’s Bakery in Alamo for 17 years as their head cake finisher. He is survived by his partner of 18 years Gary Langbehn, his mother Lorraine Medeiros, two brothers, four sisters, and numerous nieces and nephews. A private family memorial was held. The family asks that donations in his name be made to Project Open Hand, www.openhand.org.

circumcision aren’t giving up. An estimated 30 activists manned the Bay Area Intactivist and the Canadian Foreskin Awareness Project booths at last weekend’s Castro Street Fair and other activists were present at the Baby Fair at Fort Mason last weekend, according to Schofield. “The heavy hand that came down on us is an awakening to many people to speak up on the issue,” said Schofield.▼

On the web Online content this week includes the Jock Talk, Out in the World, and Transmissions columns, a second Gay History Month feature, and an article about a gay federal judge’s nomination hearing in the Senate. www.ebar.com.

<< Community News

12 • BAY AREA REPORTER • October 6-12, 2011

▼

Exploratorium prepares for larger profile by Matthew S. Bajko

ong hidden in the shadow of the Palace of Fine Arts and shrouded in the Golden Gate’s infamous fog, the Exploratorium is preparing to move into a waterfront space that will give it a larger public profile. In a sense, the science institution is prepping its own coming out to a new audience of Bay Area residents and the tourists who flock to San Francisco. “I would say it is an opening out and breaking out of the cave we have been in and cave mentality to a much more open and welcoming and accessible place, both physically and intellectually I would say,” said Kurt Feichtmeir, a gay man who is the Exploratorium’s director of extended learning and has worked there for 30 years. “We are going through a real transformation.” Work is already under way at its

new home, Piers 15 and 17 along the Embarcadero north of the Ferry Building. The $300 million relocation project is slated for completion in 2013 with a grand opening sometime in the spring or early summer of that year. Due to the lack of public transit options at its current site, which the Exploratorium has occupied since 1969, it has been a priority since 1998 to find a more accessible address for the institution, said Executive Director Dennis Bartels, Ph.D. “We had been in search of an adequate place for the Exploratorium to move to and we found more than an adequate one,” said Bartels. “It is a big, empty shell with steel girders, high ceilings and a concrete floor.” The new facility will be five times larger with a total of 360,000 square feet of indoor space plus another 200,000 square feet outdoors.

Rick Gerharter

Exploratorium Executive Director Dennis Bartels

Exploratorium

From page 1

PERSONAL TRAINER

“Scientists throughout history have been persecuted for proposing things like the Earth revolves around the sun and not the other way around,” said Hamilton. “Science is really there it get people to think.” A member of his high school swim team, Hamilton said he himself was not bullied as a kid for being gay. But he did witness a classmate be called a fag and get stuffed in a garbage can by other students. “Even if you personally were not bullied, you saw other people get bullied. That sent the message about being gay. You knew that was something you didn’t want to be,” he said. “It is interesting how bullying terrorizes the whole environment.” Having grown up at a time when the LGBT community was not as visible or accepted as it is today, Hamilton said he was surprised to see how supportive straight colleagues have been about the video. “Given my generation and age group, I was so shocked and moved by it,” he said. “To see so many straight people walk into a room to support a ‘gay’ function says a lot about us as an institution.” Exploratorium Executive Director Dennis Bartels, Ph.D., in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter, said the issue of being bullied for who you are resonates with many of the Exploratorium’s staff of more than 500 people. Whether straight or LGBT, the employees have often been considered outside the norm, he said,

“There is room to experiment and grow. We are a creative idea shop,” said Bartels. The Exploratorium staff is already preparing for the move and thinking of how to introduce itself to San Francisco’s eastern neighborhoods and residents of the East Bay. Bartels said the institution is looking at how to bring its exhibits into places like the Castro, Mission, and Hunter’s Point. “We want to find new ways to connect with the rest of the city,” he said. It is also working with the city’s visitor bureau on marketing to LGBT tourists as well as the international market and conventions, something Bartels said the Exploratorium has not done in the past. “We weren’t getting a lot of tourists out there. With the new location it is going to be a totally different dynamic,” he said.

Already a magnet for school groups – the Exploratorium estimates more than 400,000 students a year use its inquiry-based teaching tools – it expects its new site will not only broaden its reach with Bay Area schools but also attract more adults. It is planning to be open late several nights a week to accommodate older visitors. “Right now, we are open one evening a month. To be open three evenings a week is a game changer,” said Feichtmeir. “It makes it more possible for working people and adults who don’t want to be trampled by school groups to visit. It is going to be a different environment.” The Exploratorium is documenting construction on its new home and launched a special section on its website to track the progress. It can be accessed at www.exploratorium.edu/ tv/?project=103.▼

try to offer domestic partner benefits to its employees. “We have worked really hard to make benefits fair and equal.” A core group of seven people helped determine what course to take with the video and ensure it adhered to the project’s focus. “We did not want this to turn into a marketing tool for the Exploratorium. This is about staying true to the project and reaching teens who need help,” said Barnett, who has known several straight people who committed suicide. The video is six minutes and 19 seconds long and splices together personal testimonials from a select group of LGBT staffers. It ends with a group shot of nearly 100 employees who shout, “It gets better.” “What was touching for me were the emails from staff about their experience being bullied as a teen. I had emails even from people who are not LGBT but were bullied because they were perceived as being LGBT,” said Barnett. “We have a place where those misfits and people who don’t feel like they fit in come here and find a home.” Barnett said she has had past jobs where she didn’t feel accepted as an LGBT staffer. “To come here and after only one year be allowed to run with this project has made a huge difference in my life where I could be myself,” she said. “It sounds like a plug for the Exploratorium, but it isn’t. Often you feel like you have to hide something in some way and I don’t feel like that here.” Housed at the Palace of Fine Arts adjacent to the Presidio, the Exploratorium has long worked with youth. Oppenheimer recruited high school students to serve as docents and help explain exhibits to visitors. Called the Explainer Program, upwards of 100 high school students, some who identify as LGBT, are recruited each year for the program. Ryan Ames, 29, who manages the Explainer Program, is gay and took part in making the video. Growing up

in rural Maine, he said his classmates in high school would often talk about going to the local gay bar with baseball bats. “It made it very uncomfortable for anyone coming out,” he recalled. Even if the video only helps one LGBT youth in knowing they are not alone and that there is support out there, Ames believes it will have been worth the effort. He said it is incumbent upon LGBT adults to speak up and offer assistance to the community’s next generation. “I have no idea who it is going to help, but I want it to help whoever it reaches,” he said. “I just hope it really gets the point across. I hope it helps somebody.” Barnett said she hopes it does make an impact. “If one teen clicks on ours and it helps them not to commit suicide or get through the day, then great,” she said. The video project has already had an impact on the LGBT staff, who until now had never thought of forming an LGBT employee group. It wasn’t until they started working on the video that they realized just how many LGBT people work at the Exploratorium. “People kind of came out of the woodwork,” said Feichtmeir. Another discussion that has emerged out of the video collaboration is what the Exploratorium can do to connect with the LGBT community on an ongoing basis. Ideas include taking part in the city’s Pride festival and hosting events marketed to the LGBT community. “One question is how to design programming more inclusive of different families,” said Barnett, who has taken part in panels looking at making museums more LGBT inclusive during the annual conference for the Association of Science and Technology Centers. “For instance, when you host a family day making sure people know it is open to single parents, same-sex parents and grandparents who are raising their grandchildren.” To view the video visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzpmnuJ2gmY. ▼

trainings across California to help LGBTs and allies talk to friends, neighbors, and relatives. EQCA’s partners will include Gay-Straight Alliance Network, Faith for Equality, Our Family Coalition, and Latino Equality Alliance, among others. In an interview, Latino Equality Alliance Co-Chair Ari Gutierrez said what’s critical about the project is that it focuses on outreach to communities where “we haven’t done a lot of work in, in the past,” such as communities of faith and color, and family and parent organizations.

California voters passed Prop 8 three years ago, amending the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage. Since then, many have spoken of the importance of talking to friends and neighbors about LGBT rights, and some have pushed for efforts to repeal the marriage ban. Meanwhile the federal Perry v. Brown lawsuit seeking to overturn Prop 8 has been making its way through the courts, and could eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court. See page 13 >>

Video

Rick Gerharter

Exploratorium volunteers create a spiral design, taking directions from a visitor to the museum.

due to their interests or talents. “The Exploratorium is a place for misfits, for people who see the world a little bit differently than the rest of the world,” said Bartels. “We see things with new eyes. We can celebrate the diversity within the collection of people here. So many people come to us from nontraditional paths.” That mix of artists, scientists, tinkerers, and aspiring engineers, said Bartels, “is part of the secret of the Exploratorium.”

Welcoming place It has long been a welcoming place for LGBT people, said Kurt Feichtmeir, a gay man who is the Exploratorium’s director of extended learning and has worked there for 30 years. When he and his then partner, who

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also worked there, wanted to build a float for the 1981 Pride Parade on behalf of their country western dance group, Feichtmeir recalled that founder Frank Oppenheimer made no objections to their using the museum’s machine shop. “I think he was not totally sold on the gay thing but he did come around, as did the whole organization,” said Feichtmeir, whose first partner, Jad King, died from AIDS on February 14, 1985. Several years later Feichtmeir was part of the team that launched the Exploratorium’s groundbreaking exhibit about AIDS. One aspect of the show featured the stories of people from nearly 30 local AIDS agencies. “It showed the human face of the epidemic and the response to the epidemic,” said Feichtmeir. “It really felt like we had come a long way.” The video is one way for the Exploratorium to spotlight its embracing diversity, said Diana Buchbinder, 58, a lesbian who is its human resources director. “We are dedicated to being accessible to everyone. Making this video allows us to show those things we say in our mission statement reflects the work we do and the people we attract,” said Buchbinder, who in 1999 pushed the Exploratorium to become one of the first museums in the coun-

EQCA

From page 1

families as a weapon against us in the legislature, in the courts and at the ballot,” EQCA Executive Director Roland Palencia said in a statement released Wednesday, October 5. He added that it is time to “confront major societal barriers that prevent us from securing full and lasting equality, including marriage.” The project will include “cuttingedge” research, media tools, and

â&#x2013;ź <<

Community News >>

SJ Pride

From page 9

Pride didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have an international stage this year. Club Papi owner Jamie Awad said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We just needed to take a break this year,â&#x20AC;? but he and his troupe, which typically includes scantily clad dancers, look forward to returning in 2012. San Jose resident Clark Williams

EQCA

From page 12

EQCAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s board had originally planned to make its Prop 8 repeal decision by the end of September. The nonprofitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s former executive director, Geoff Kors, had been a member of the No on Prop 8 campaignâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s executive committee in 2008. As the only statewide LGBT group, its participation in any repeal effort would be crucial. Altogether, both sides raised about $90 million during the 2008 marriage fight. Asked why it took so long for EQCAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s board to make its choice against a 2012 repeal effort, Rebekah Orr, a spokeswoman for the organization, said it was â&#x20AC;&#x153;a very hard decision.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very painful to consider that we may have to wait a little longer, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also painful to imagine what another loss could to do our state ... and to our movement,â&#x20AC;? she said. She said public opinion on marriage equality has shifted more in favor of such unions, but â&#x20AC;&#x153;itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just not enough yet to launch an initiative campaign without assuming a tremendous amount of risk.â&#x20AC;? Orr declined to say what the boardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vote had been, referring that question to board member Michael Dunn. Dunn didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t respond to interview requests.

Costs Orr said EQCA estimates that the

Pelosi

From page 6

having trouble returning to their previously held positions. Many soldiers are now facing uncertainty when trying to return to the military, according to Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. Most have been told that they will not be able to return to their same position or their rank last held. The Army is reporting an overflow of military personnel and stating it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the space available. This has frustrated out service members who were waiting for the repeal so they could return to the armed forces. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is difficult for any veteran to quickly return to the service, even more for the many that were discharged under DADT,â&#x20AC;? said former Marine Danny Hernandez, who was discharged under the policy. Hernandez is planning his return to the Marines, but â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now I am approaching re-entry more cautiously and perhaps more realistically as I plan for my next step,â&#x20AC;? he added. While returning to the same rank might not be an issue for junior enlisted service members, it will be a problem for non-commissioned officers, senior non-commissioned officers, warrant officers, and all other officers who will have to compete for limited slots in their respective rank compared to the job they wish to do, according to SLDN, which has been monitoring the post-DADT landscape. Since repeal, recruitment levels remain the same, according to reports. It appears as if the LGB community is not jumping at the opportunity to enlist. Recruiters in the Bay Area are

October 6-12, 2011 â&#x20AC;˘ BAY AREA REPORTER â&#x20AC;˘ 13

said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I had a great timeâ&#x20AC;? at this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s celebration, â&#x20AC;&#x153;and I think anyone who attended Pride this year had a really good time.â&#x20AC;? He said that he was â&#x20AC;&#x153;happy to hearâ&#x20AC;? Prideâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s board has been working to make the event fiscally responsible, and they â&#x20AC;&#x153;should be examining ways to reduce costs and make the event even better.â&#x20AC;? One cost that might be reduced is what San Jose Pride spends on the festival director. The board has put

out a request for proposal for that contract. Mueller said that position is their biggest individual cost. Longtime director Gary Walker, whose contract was for $20,000 this year, didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t respond to an interview request for this story. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s previously said that amount included what was paid to him and others. Mueller indicated Walker would be able to bid for the position.â&#x2013;ź

Legal Notices>>

education campaign would cost close to $1 million. She said the organization has secured about a third of the money. Matt Foreman, director of gay and immigrant rights programs at the Haas Jr. Fund, said that so far, Haasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gay and lesbian program has committed $220,000 to the project and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re working to raise more. He said itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;an incredibly valuable project for advancing marriage equality not just here in California, but across the country.â&#x20AC;? Orr didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know where the rest of the money would come from. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll look at a combination of grants, major donors, and grassroots funding support,â&#x20AC;? she said. The timeline for when there will be tangible signs of the campaign hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t yet been drafted. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of the very first components has to be the research, and we have some sense of what that will look like, but we need do some additional planning,â&#x20AC;? Orr said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of the challenges we have is we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have all the information we need in order to understand how to effectively move folks on this issue and really disarm our opponents of this weapon,â&#x20AC;? Orr said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Having access to a lot of that information is a really incredible tool.â&#x20AC;? She also said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Clearly, the capacity of all our organizations is going to be significantly impacted by the campaign on the FAIR Education Act.â&#x20AC;? That act, also known as Senate Bill

48 and signed into law this summer, would require that schools teach about LGBT peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contributions to Californiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s social and economic development, among other things. SB 48â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s opponents have just under a week to turn in more than 500,000 valid petition signatures to get their referendum on the ballot in 2012. [See related stories, pages 1, 8.]

Port of San Francisco As-needed Real Estate Economics and Planning Services RFQ: The Port is seeking to qualify D SRRO RI DV QHHGHG FRQVXOWLQJ WHDPV ZLWK H[SHUWLVH LQ WKH IROORZLQJ Ă&#x20AC;YH FRUH DUHDV UHDO HVWDWH economics, site and master planning, urban design and architecture, historic preservation, and transportation planning. Successful respondents must have experience working with ports, PXQLFLSDOLWLHV RU VLPLODU JRYHUQPHQW DJHQFLHV LQ VSHFLDOL]HG Ă&#x20AC;HOGV DQG EH IDPLOLDU ZLWK 6DQ Franciscoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s waterfront and its regulatory environment, including local, regional, and state regulations affecting waterfront development. Please visit http://www.sfport.com/index.aspx?page=18, http:// sfgsa.org/index.aspx?page=359, or contact Linda Battaglia at Linda.battaglia@sfport.com.

reporting no spikes in enlistments since repeal took effect. The majority of the recruitment offices in the Bay Area made no special changes for the day after the repeal. It was reported that recruiting stations in other parts of the country had decorated offices with rainbow flags and prepared for the big day with celebrations. This was not the case in San Francisco or the surrounding areas. LGBT community centers were also said to have hosted recruiters for the big day. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The end of DADT is an important milestone in the acknowledgement that LGBT people have equal contributions to make to our country and deserve equal treatment,â&#x20AC;? Rebecca Rolfe, executive director of the LGBT Community Center in San Francisco, told the Bay Area Reporter. She added, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have any explicit plans to bring recruitment services into the building, but as with any other issue, we would be open to a conversation.â&#x20AC;? During her remarks last week, Pelosi stressed the fact that all families in the military needed to be treated the same. She praised the decision made by the Department of Defense that military chaplains are allowed to perform any lawful ceremony that is consistent with his or her beliefs and is not required to perform a ceremony that is inconsistent with those beliefs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When we pass this bill and we end discrimination in America in our military, we will be making America more American,â&#x20AC;? Pelosi said, reiterating a previous statement she made. She was joined at the center by Servicemembers Legal Defense Network board Co-

Reluctance Asked about the possibility of trying to repeal Prop 8 at the ballot box in 2012 before EQCAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision was announced, many LGBT leaders expressed reluctance. Lorri Jean, CEO of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, said trying to repeal Prop 8 in 2012 would be â&#x20AC;&#x153;a terrible idea.â&#x20AC;? Jean, who like Kors was on the No on Prop 8 executive committee, said that for one thing, the Perry v. Brown case is â&#x20AC;&#x153;doing pretty well,â&#x20AC;? and it would be better to focus on that. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our community is very divided. ... We cannot be a divided community. We have got to be of one mind,â&#x20AC;? she said. Openly gay Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) expressed similar feelings. He said that before working for repeal in 2012, there should be â&#x20AC;&#x153;strong conviction that the entire community wants to go in that direction, because to be at cross-purposes would not serve us well, and the stakes will be extraordinarily high.â&#x20AC;?â&#x2013;ź

Chair Zoe Dunning and former Petty Officer Third Class Joseph Rocha. Some people have been waiting for DADT repeal so they could finally join and serve their country. But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s possible that while waiting the 120 days after certification by the president and top military brass, some gays have changed their minds. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I really wanted to join the Army, but after listening to the Republican [presidential candidates], I am a bit scared to join and then have the possibility of the policy being put back in place,â&#x20AC;? said Wesley Santos, a Bay Area resident and recent high school graduate. Discharged Army Captain Alberto Aryeh Perez-Dejesus is not fully convinced the repeal will do much to change things. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People who were opposed to repeal are now finding creative ways to fire gay soldiers and those suspected of being gay,â&#x20AC;? he said. Perez-Dejesus is involved in a complicated legal battle over his case. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wrote the governor of Connecticut, and launched seven congressional and senatorial complaints,â&#x20AC;? he said. DADT repeal has also been used as a reason to allow military recruiters and Reserve Officersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Training Corps programs back onto college campuses. For years, some college campuses refused to allow military recruiters to work and speak on their campuses, arguing that the discriminatory DADT policy was in direct conflict with their schoolsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; non-discrimination policies regarding sexual orientation. Now, with that conflict resolved, recruiters are being welcomed back at some campuses.â&#x2013;ź

City and County of San Francisco October 2011 San Francisco Animal Care & Control Pet Pride Day 2011 Sunday, October 30, 11am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 3pm, Sharon Meadow, Golden Gate Park For more information visit: http://helpacc.org/petprideday/Pet_Pride_Day_2011.html Redevelopment Agency of the City and County of San Francisco The Redevelopment Agency, on behalf of Community Facilities District No. 1 (â&#x20AC;&#x153;CFD 1â&#x20AC;?), is requesting proposals from California licensed landscape contractors who possess a Class C-27 license or equivalent to provide landscape maintenance and other related services. Responses to (RFP) will be accepted until November 4, 2011, 4:00 p.m. Copies of the RFP packet are available at 1 South Van Ness Avenue, Fifth Floor, or online at www.sfgov.org/sfra. Questions? Please contact Audrey Kay, Property Management Supervisor, (415) 749-2485.

0D\RUÂˇV 2IĂ&#x20AC;FH RI +RXVLQJ 2IĂ&#x20AC;FH RI (FRQRPLF DQG :RUNIRUFH 'HYHORSPHQW Residents, business owners, representatives of community-based organizations and other stakeholders are invited to attend a community meeting being convened by the Citizenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Committee RQ &RPPXQLW\ 'HYHORSPHQW 0D\RUÂˇV 2IĂ&#x20AC;FH RI +RXVLQJ DQG 2IĂ&#x20AC;FH RI (FRQRPLF DQG :RUNIRUFH Development to solicit ideas concerning San Franciscoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s FY â&#x20AC;&#x2122;12-â&#x20AC;&#x2122;13 RFPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s for our cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Community 'HYHORSPHQW %ORFN *UDQW (PHUJHQF\ 6ROXWLRQV *UDQW +RPH ,QYHVWPHQW 3DUWQHUVKLS DQG +RXVLQJ 2SSRUWXQLWLHV IRU 3HUVRQV :LWK $,'6 The meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 18, 2011; 6:15pm-8:15pm at Donaldina &DPHURQ +RXVH 6DFUDPHQWR 6W 6DQ )UDQFLVFR &$ For more information visit: www.sfgov.org/moh or call 415-701-5500 'HSW RI WKH (QYLURQPHQW ,PDJLQH D ZRUOG LQ ZKLFK QRWKLQJ JRHV WR WKH ODQGĂ&#x20AC;OO 6DQ )UDQFLVFR LV RQ LWV ZD\ WR PDNLQJ this a reality. Today we recycle or compost 77% of our discarded materials and keep them out of WKH ODQGĂ&#x20AC;OO EULQJLQJ XV FORVHU WR RXU JRDO RI ]HUR ZDVWH E\ 6WLOO HYHU\ \HDU ZH VHQG 7216 RI PDWHULDO WR WKH ODQGĂ&#x20AC;OO UGV RI ZKLFK FRXOG EH UHF\FOHG RU FRPSRVWHG :H QHHG \RXU FRQWLQXHG VXSSRUW DQG SDUWLFLSDWLRQ WR UHPDLQ RQ WKH SDWK RI VXFFHVV ,I \RX KDYH TXHVWLRQV DERXW ZKDW WR SXW ZKHUH FKHFN RXW WKH (FR)LQGHU DW http:// www.sfenvironment.org/ :,& &DQ +HOS <RX 7KH 6DQ )UDQFLVFR 'HSDUWPHQW RI 3XEOLF +HDOWK :RPHQ ,QIDQWV DQG &KLOGUHQ :,& 6XSSOHPHQWDO 1XWULWLRQ 3URJUDP RIIHUV EHQHĂ&#x20AC;WV WR ORZ LQFRPH SUHJQDQW ZRPHQ EUHDVWIHHGLQJ mothers, postpartum mothers and women with recent pregnancy terminations; infants and FKLOGUHQ XQGHU WKH DJH RI \HDUV %HQHĂ&#x20AC;WV LQFOXGH QXWULWLRQ EUHDVWIHHGLQJ HGXFDWLRQ DQG support, supplemental foods and referral services. :,& VWDII VSHDNV (QJOLVK 6SDQLVK &DQWRQHVH 0DQGDULQ 9LHWQDPHVH DQG &DPERGLDQ )RU PRUH LQIRUPDWLRQ SOHDVH FDOO :,& LV DQ HTXDO RSSRUWXQLW\ SURYLGHU The City and County of San Francisco encourage public outreach. Articles are translated into several languages to provide better public access. The newspaper makes every effort to translate the articles of general interest correctly. No liability is assumed by the City and County of San Francisco or the newspapers for errors and omissions.

NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR CHANGE IN OWNERSHIP OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE LICENSE Dated 9/26/11 To Whom It May Concern: The name(s) of the applicant(s) is/are : E & S SUNSET GROUP INC. The applicants listed above are applying to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control at 71 Stevenson Street, Suite 1500, San Francisco, CA 94105 to sell alcoholic beverages at 1201 Vicente St., San Francisco, CA 94116-3045. Type of license applied for:

41- ON-SALE BEER AND WINE EATING PLACE OCT. 6,2011 NOTICE OF APPLICATION TO SELL ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES Dated 9/14/11 To Whom It May Concern: The name(s) of the applicant(s) is/are : 1102 TARAVAL LLC. The applicants listed above are applying to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control at 71 Stevenson Street, Suite 1500, San Francisco, CA 94105 to sell alcoholic beverages at 1102 Taraval St., San Francisco, CA 94116-2440. Type of license applied for:

47- ON-SALE GENERAL EATING PLACE OCT. 6,2011 STATEMENT FILE A-033815300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as NUTRITIONALLYOURS,2670 Pine St., SF,CA 94115.This business is conducted by an individual, signed Jessica Nelsen.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ďŹ ctitious business name or names on 01/05/11. The statement was ďŹ led with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/09/11.

SEPT15,22,29,OCT.6,2011 NOTICE OF APPLICATION TO SELL ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES Dated 9/28/11 To Whom It May Concern: The name(s) of the applicant(s) is/are : ECO SUSHI LLC. The applicants listed above are applying to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control at 71 Stevenson Street, Suite 1500, San Francisco, CA 94105 to sell alcoholic beverages at 678 Chenery St.,San Francisco,CA 94131-3034. Type of license applied for:

41- ON-SALE BEER AND WINE â&#x20AC;&#x201C; EATING PLACE OCT. 6,2011 STATEMENT FILE A-033803000 NOTICE OF APPLICATION TO SELL ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES Date of Filing 9/19/11 To Whom It May Concern: The name(s) of the applicant(s) is/are : 550 VALENCIA LLC. The applicants listed above are applying to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control at 71 Stevenson Street, Suite 1500, San Francisco, CA 94105 to sell alcoholic beverages at 550 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA 94110-1115. Type of license applied for:

47- ON-SALE GENERAL EATING PLACE SEPT.22,29,OCT.6,2011

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STATEMENT FILE A-033815100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SLAM DUNK SOUND & ENTERTAINMENT,1951 Oak St., #4,SF,CA 94117.This business is conducted by an individual, signed A.Haley Myer. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ďŹ ctitious business name or names on 05/01/11. The statement was ďŹ led with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/09/11.

SEPT15,22,29,OCT.6,2011 STATEMENT FILE A-033808100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as 1.HERITAGE WEALTH 2.MATURE MD CONCIERGE 3.LEGACY FINANCIAL 4.1 + MIND DESIGN 5.STABILITYSAFE GROUP 6.WEB CHANNEL 7.NOPAIN HOSPICE,301 Main St.,#28 A, SF, CA 94105.This business is conducted by a corporation, signed Myron H. Marshall.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ďŹ ctitious business name or names on 09/06/11. The statement was ďŹ led with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/07/11.

SEPT15,22,29,OCT.6,2011 STATEMENT FILE A-033807000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ZHANGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MOVING CO.,1671 40TH Ave., SF,CA 94122.This business is conducted by an individual, signed Andy Zhang.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ďŹ ctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ďŹ led with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/07/11.

SEPT15,22,29,OCT.6,2011 STATEMENT FILE A-033813600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as LEE PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES,582 Market St.,Suite 708, SF,CA 94104.This business is conducted by an individual, signed William.Lee. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ďŹ ctitious business name or names on 09/19/11. The statement was ďŹ led with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/09/11.

SEPT15,22,29,OCT.6,2011 STATEMENT FILE A-033808200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as BEX SPEX, 1215 Castro St.,#1, SF,CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, signed Rebekeah Kouy-Ghadosh.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ďŹ ctitious business name or names on 09/01/11. The statement was ďŹ led with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/07/11.

SEPT15,22,29,OCT.6,2011 STATE OF CALIFORNIA IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE# CNC-11-548018 In the matter of the application of AMY RAPHAEL HANSEN for change of name. The application of AMY RAPHAEL HANSEN for change of name having been ďŹ led in Court, and it appearing from said application that AMY RAPHAEL HANSEN ďŹ led an application proposing that his/her name be changed to AMY RAPHAEL CORSO. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Room 514 on the 3rd of November, 2011 at 9:00 am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

SEPT15,22,29,OCT.6,2011

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In the superior court of the state of california in and for the city of San Francisco Case # Pes 11-294955 In re: the Ludwig M. Gruber Revocable Living Trust Dated October 1,2003 Notice is hereby given to the creditors and contingent creditors of the above-named decedent, that all persons having claims against the Decedent are required to file them with the Superior Court at 400 McAllister, San Francisco, California 94102, and mail or deliver a copy to Ming Y.Suen,as trustee of the the LudwigM. Gruber Revocable Living Trust dated October 1,2003,of which the Decedent was the Settlor, at 4477 Mission Street, San Francisco, California 94112 within the later of 4 months after September 15,2011(the date of the first publication of notice to creditors) or, if notice is mailed or personally delivered to you,60 days after the date this notice is mailed or personally delivered to you, or you must petition to file a late claim as provided in Probate Code 19103. For your protection, you are encouraged to file your claim by certified mail, with return receipt requested.Dated August 31,2011. Signed, Ming Y.Suen, Trustee of the Ludwig M. Gruber Living Trust dated October 1,2003.

Sept.15,22,29,2011 nOTICE OF APPLICATIoN to sell AlCOHOLIC BEVERAGEs Dated 9/22/11 To Whom It May Concern: The name(s) of the applicant(s) is/are : LITTLE VINE LLC. The applicants listed above are applying to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control at 71 Stevenson Street, Suite 1500, San Francisco, CA 94105 to sell alcoholic beverages at 1541 GRANT AVE., San Francisco, CA 94133-3323. Type of license applied for:

20- OFF-sale BEER AND WINE SEPT 29,oct.6,13,2011 state of california in and for the county of san francisco file# cnc-11-548071 In the matter of the application of VERONIKA CAULEY for change of name. The application of VERONIKA CAULEY for change of name having been filed in Court, and it appearing from said application that VERONIKA CAULEY filed an application proposing that his/her name be changed to VERONIKA FIMBRES. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Room 514 on the 22nd of November, 2011 at 9:00 am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

SEPT22,29,oct.6,13,2011 statement file A-033793600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as R.A. MARKETING, 2095 Jackson St.,Apt.204, SF,CA 94109.This business is conducted by an individual, signed Gerard Roy.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 08/31/11.

SEPT22,29,oct.6,13,2011 statement file A-033817900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as JAKE’S ON MARKET, 2223 Market St., SF,CA 94114.This business is conducted by a limited liability company, signed Tim Travelstead.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/09/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/12/11.

SEPT22,29,oct.6,13,2011 statement file A-033780300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as INSCRIBE DIGITAL,444 Spear St.,Suite 213, SF,CA 94105.This business is conducted by a corporation, signed Robb McDaniels.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/25/11.

SEPT22,29,oct.6,13,2011 statement file A-033819700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as GOLDEN MOUNTAIN CO.,1654 23rd Ave., #4,SF,CA 94122.This business is conducted by an individual, signed Qunhui Qi.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 09/13/11.

SEPT22,29,oct.6,13,2011 statement file A-033782400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as THUNDERDOG,,4620 17th St., SF,CA 94117.This business is conducted by an individual, signed Eric Flaniken.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/26/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/26/11.

SEPT22,29,oct.6,13,2011

statement file A-033792000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as 1.PURELY DELICIOUS,2.PURELY DELICIOUS GIFTS,2023 44TH Ave., SF,CA 94116.This business is conducted by an individual, signed Brendan Witkowski.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 08/31/11.

SEPT22,29,oct.6,13,2011 statement file A-033818900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as NEAT ASIAN THINGS, 1825 Post St.,#115, SF,CA 94115.This business is conducted by an individual, signed Etsuyoshi Shimada.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/13/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/13/11.

SEPT22,29,oct.6,13,2011 statement file A-033822400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as S.F. HEALTH CENTER,2721 Judah St., SF,CA 94122.This business is conducted by an individual, signed Haobin Fang.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/14/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/14/11.

SEPT22,29,oct.6,13,2011 statement file A-033821700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as 1.THE MIDNIGHT SUN, 2.MIDNIGHT SUN, 4067 18th St., SF,CA 94114.This business is conducted by a corporation, signed Jeff Eubanks.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/12/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/14/11.

SEPT22,29,oct.6,13,2011 statement file A-033812000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as INDIGO RESTAURANT,687 McAllister St., SF,CA 94102.This business is conducted by a limited liability company, signed Michael Whang.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/08/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/08/11.

SEPT22,29,oct.6,13,2011 statement file A-033826900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as YUGEN DESIGN,1115 Webster St.,#3, SF,CA 94115.This business is conducted by an individual, signed Christina Cavallaro.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/16/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/16/11.

SEPT22,29,oct.6,13,2011 statement file A-033817500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as QUINTERO’S RESTAURANT MEXICAN FOOD, 393 Eddy St., SF,CA 94102.This business is conducted by an individual, signed Jose Jaime-Cabello.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 09/12/11.

SEPT22,29,oct.6,13,2011 statement file A-033819300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE INTERFAITH OBSERVER, 2107 Van Ness Ave., #300, SF,CA 94109.This business is conducted by a husband and wife, signed Paul C. Chaffee.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/15/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/13/11.

SEPT22,29,oct.6,13,2011 statement file A-033802400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as PRIDE OF THE FLEET,3150 18th St., #301,SF,CA 94110.This business is conducted by an individual, signed Roscoe Burns.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/06/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/06/11.

SEPT22,29,oct.6,13,2011 statement file A-033803400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as MMMASSAGE,930 Sutter St., #408,SF,CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, signed Gilbert Colorina.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 09/06/11.

SEPT22,29,oct.6,13,2011 statement file A-033845500

nOTICE OF APPLICATIoN to sell AlCOHOLIC BEVERAGEs Dated 10/04/11 To Whom It May Concern: The name(s) of the applicant(s) is/are : BYUNG ILL LIM. The applicants listed above are applying to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control at 71 Stevenson Street, Suite 1500, San Francisco, CA 94105 to sell alcoholic beverages at 201 Pine St.,San Francisco, CA 94104-2701. Type of license applied for:

41- On-sale beer and wineeating place Oct. 6,13,20,2011 statement file A-033827000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as PLAY LAND,1351 Polk St., SF,CA 94109.This business is conducted by an individual, signed Steve Schefsky.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 09/16/11.

sept29,oct.6,13,20,2011 statement file A-033831300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ART CONSTRUCTION,3627 Ortega St.,SF,CA 94122.This business is conducted by an individual, signed Zhiyi Liang.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/20/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/20/11.

sept29,oct.6,13,20,2011 statement file A-033831400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as A & K CONSTRUCTION,2348 21st Ave., SF,CA 94116.This business is conducted by an individual, signed Xuanfa Zhou.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/20/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/20/11.

sept29,oct.6,13,20,2011 statement file A-033840300

statement file A-033822200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as VIBRANT REIKI,399 Arguello Blvd., SF,CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, signed Anna Dorian.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/01/06. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/14/11.

oct.6,13,20,27,2011 statement file A-033853900

oct.6,13,20,27,2011 statement file A-033857600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as APARTMENT 24SF,440 Broadway St.,SF,CA 94133. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, signed Michael Lok.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/29/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/29/11.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SECURE WEALTH,960 Baker St.,#3,SF,CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, signed Jason Walker.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/03/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/03/11.

oct.6,13,20,27,2011 statement file A-033846600

oct.6,13,20,27,2011 statement file A-033844100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as FULLER SAFETY,182 Flood Ave.,SF,CA 94131.This business is conducted by an individual, signed Barbara Ann Fuller.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 09/27/11.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as CITY KIDS DAY SCHOOL,1424 Vallejo St.,SF,CA 94109.This business is conducted by an individual, signed Lisa Baisman.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/20/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/27/11.

oct.6,13,20,27,2011 statement file A-033802000

oct.6,13,20,27,2011 statement file A-033859000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as ASPIRE CONSULTING,1032 Irving St.,#312,SF,CA 94122.This business is conducted by an individual, signed Tom Hehir.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/09/96. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/06/11.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as PAPI CHULO SALSA,999 Wisconsin St.,#10,SF,CA 94107.This business is conducted by a corporation, signed Eleanore A, Biggs.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/01/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/03/11.

oct.6,13,20,27,2011 statement file A-033849200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as REAL VOCAL STRING QUARTET, 1336 Carleton St.,Berkeley,CA 94702.This business is conducted by a general partnership, signed Alisa Rose.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/28/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/28/11.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as COPPER BOTANICALS, 226 Ellsworth St., SF,CA 94110.This business is conducted by an individual, signed Deborah Caperton.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/26/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/26/11.

sept29,oct.6,13,20,2011 statement file A-033841200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as BALBOA LIQUOR AND DELI, 3524 Balboa St., SF,CA 94121.This business is conducted by a general partnership, signed Duc Thai.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/05/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/26/11.

sept29,oct.6,13,20,2011 statement file A-033800700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as 1.EMERGENCE, 2. EMERGENCE HEALING ARTS STUDIO, 3. EMERGENCE HEALING ARTS, 4. EMERGENCE HEALING ARTS CENTER, 5.INTEGRATIVE MASSAGE AND TRAUMA HEALING, 6.MASSAGE AND TRAUMA HEALING, 4052 18TH St., SF,CA 94114.This business is conducted by an individual, signed Tiffany Wade. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/23/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/02/11.

sept29,oct.6,13,20,2011 Statement of abandonment of use of fictitious business name: #A-0298818-00

The following person(s) is/are doing business as BRODERS, 3251 20TH Ave., #255,SF,CA 94137. This business is conducted by an individual, signed Martin J. Carmody.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/27/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/27/11.

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as INDIGO RESTAURANT,687 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94103.This business was conducted by a limited liability company, signed Greg Medow. The ficticious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/04/06.

sept29,oct.6,13,20,2011

oct.6,13,20,27,2011

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The following person(s) is/are doing business as S.F. ANTIQUE & DESIGN MALL.,248 Utah St., SF,CA 94103.This business is conducted by a corporation, signed Randall Markins.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 09/26/11.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as JING YING CHINESE OPERA INSTITUTE., 146 Waverly Pl., SF,CA 94108.This business is conducted by an individual, signed Xiu Ben Chen.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/28/07. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/23/11.

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notice of petition to administer estate of : margaret rose marano Case Number: pes-11-295041 superior court of california county of san francisco 400 Mcallister, sf, ca 94102 petitioner: RUBY ALTAMIRANO

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate or both of MARGARET ROSE MARANO A petition for probate has been filed by RUBY ALTAMIRANO in the Superior Court of California, San Francisco County. The petition for probate requests that RUBY ALTAMIRANO be appointed as personal representative to administer estate of the 395 the Ninth Street S.F. decedent. The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. FAX PHONE 415.861.5019 The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act.(This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. a hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: October 24, 2011, 9:00 am Probate Department, RM 204, 400 McAllister Street, 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 a contingent creditor of the decendent, you must file with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within four months from the date of first issuance of letters as provided in Probate Code scetion 9100. The time for filing claims will not expire before four months from the hearing date noticed above. 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 the petitioner:

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CATHERINE A.TULLNER-SBN 253154,799 Castro Street,San Francisco, Ca 94114. 415-294-0829

oct.6,13,20,2011

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Bound for glory

Hollywood party

Found 'Weekend'

O&A Out &About The

Vol. 41 • No. 40 • October 6-12, 2011

www.ebar.com/arts

Scene from director Dee Rees’ Pariah. Courtesy of Focus Features

he 34th Mill Valley Film Festival (Oct. 6-16 at the Rafael Film Center and Mill Valley’s Sequoia Twin) has a variety of queer accents. We go from Glenn Close’s moving recreation of her award-winning off-Broadway vehicle Albert Nobbs to an entertaining glimpse at a teenage African-American lesbian-in-training’s bid to keep up with a hip dyke Brooklyn club crowd without totally unhinging mom, in Pariah. There’s a double-dip taste of incendiary New York teenage film actor Ezra Miller, who takes an entire family emotionally hostage in Sam Levinson’s Another Day, a mere appetizer for his bravura

34th Mill Valley Film Festival highlights by David Lamble turn as a troubled, duplicitous, flat-out evil teen in We Need to Talk About Kevin, the long-awaited return of Scottish director Lynne Ramsey. All this, plus Michelle Williams recalling a glam moment when the still-rising star power of Marilyn Monroe confronted the frosty British stage genius Lawrence Olivier (Kenneth

Branagh), as chronicled by a nervous production assistant (Eddie Redmayne) in My Week With Marilyn. The creator of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Stephan Elliott returns with an Aussie outback wedding farce, A Few Good Men, with Twilight’s Xavier Samuel as the groom and Grease pop icon Olivia Newton-John as mom-

in-law. There’s also Elizabeth Olsen as a religiouscult victim in recovery in Martha Marcy May Marlene; and a Mill Valley tribute to a leading African auteur, Burkina Faso’s Gaston Kaboré. Albert Nobbs This is a fascinating if somewhat frustrating star vehicle. Glenn Close, who has astonished us for decades with noholds-barred performances as women who can be tough, downright ruthless, even deranged (The Big Chill, Damages, Fatal Attraction), here dials down her wattage to almost disappear into a talented ensemble dedicated to the plight of See page 29 >>

Adapt; ability AXIS Dance premieres new work by Jim Provenzano

n a large, airy dance studio with a lofty ceiling, Mark Brew experiments with a few dancers on ways to stand on, jump off and even wheel around a wooden table. His new work, Full of Words, commissioned as part of AXIS Dance Company’s home season, premieres this weekend at Oakland’s Malonga Casquelourd Center. Set with two couples and solitary man, Full of Words explores how the interpretation of words and greetings limits and expands personal interaction, particularly between people who

use wheelchairs and those who don’t. “We’ve got three different sets; straight away that brings you to your living room,” said Brew. “I wanted to see how they could explore different uses with their chairs, oh, and a bathtub. It’s going to be a challenge.” Challenge is nothing new for AXIS Dance Company, the premiere physically integrated performance ensemble. Between commissioned and company work, AXIS has performed about 75-80 pieces that bring disabled and non-disabled artists together. See page 28 >>

Tiago d’Oliviera

Choreographer Marc Brew, with Carolyn Bowditch.

{ SECOND OF TWO SECTIONS }

<< Out There

18 • BAY AREA REPORTER • October 6-12, 2011

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Season to taste: art, altars & activism by Roberto Friedman

he arts season has started in earnest, fellow culture consumers! Since putting the paper to bed last week, Out There has attended premieres both musical (Thomas Adés’ Polaris, with the San Francisco Symphony), theatrical (Once in a Lifetime at ACT) and artworld. The sculpture pictured here, “Openings,” is a work by queer activist artist Doyle Johnson, who is based in the Castro and participating in SF Open Studios (citywide, through the month) this year. In The World of the Surface at Frey Norris Contemporary & Modern in downtown SF, Australian artist Lionel Bawden shows works that “explore flux, transformation and repetition.” Bawden’s art practice uses hexagonal colored Staedtler pencils as a sculptural material, reconfigured and carved into amorphous shapes, making the pencils’ rich qualities of color work in new ways. The opening reception last Saturday night was well-attended and abuzz (161 Jessie St., SF), and the sculptures made of pencils really pop.

Craig Bender

“The World of the Surface,” a sculpture by Lionel Bawden, now showing at Frey Norris Contemporary & Modern.

Over at the SOMArts Cultural Center, its 12th annual Day of the Dead exhibit, Illuminations: Dia de los Muertos 2011, opens tomorrow evening, Fri., Oct. 7. Drawing on the Mexican tradition of creating Day of the Dead altars, the show, like so much else in the Bay Area, is truly a multicultural affair. More than 80

Bay Area artists contribute, including some out gay artists. Through Nov. 5 (934 Brannan St., SF), bring it on. It’s a little bit later on, but we’re looking forward to SOMArts’ next exhibit, Man as Object: Reversing the Gaze, described as “women artists opening new possibilities for the gaze through an examination of gender, society and the politics of exposure,” coming up Nov. 4-30. The release says it’s “a traveling survey of 117 artworks which place the male form in a position of objecthood, and reverse conventional hierarchies in the culture of display. The exhibition includes an extensive collection of male adoration, male impersonation and male appendages, as well as works which probe contemporary expressions of feminism.” Accompanying events include an opening reception with performance, a peepshow drawing circle, a screening of historic feminist film Fuses by Carolee Schneemann, and a featured-artists panel with feminist-art pioneers and transdisciplinary artists Schneemann and Annie Sprinkle. Wowsa. Gay Christian author Keith Sharpe challenges ignorance and prejudice about LGBT people in his new book, The Gay Gospels, in which he stands against the “clobber texts” which condemn gay people, and argues that gay lives are in fact validated in the Bible. Sharpe gives a book signing and talk tonight, Thurs., Oct. 6, 7 p.m. at St. Mark’s Lutheran

Courtesy of the artist

“Openings,” a sculpture by Doyle Johnson, part of SF Open Studios.

Church in SF (www.stmarks-sf. org). Tomorrow, Fri., Oct. 7, he signs books, beginning at 12:30 p.m., at Alexander Book Co. in SF (www.alexanderbook. com). Then Sharpe offers a talk on “The Biblical Evidence that Jesus Was Gay” at the San Francisco LGBT Community Center (www.sfcenter.org) on Sat., Oct. 8, at 11 a.m. Rise and shine! OT’s day covering the cultural beat does not end at sundown. Last Monday night found us chilling with the worthies of the northern CA chapter of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Assn. (NLGJA) at their Fall Honors, at Orson. The laurels were bestowed upon KQED Forum host Michael Krasny and the online Bay Citizen. Tuesday night we mingled with vips from the Napa Valley Wine Train and Flora Springs Winery at the Hyatt Regency as the glam hotel launched their Hyatt Culture Club. Culture vulture that we are, we fit right in.

‘Half’ hearted Wry gay humorist David Rakoff (Fraud, Don’t Get Too Comfortable) falls somewhere on the spectrum between wry gay humorist David Sedaris and wry, gay? humorist Fran Lebowitz. Notwithstanding that he was born Canadian, Rakoff is a Manhattanite by choice and nature, and in the essays of Half Empty (in paperback newly out from Anchor Books), he brings his gelid eye and acerbic wit to bear on the NYC media world and many others. Here’s Rakoff on taking a meeting with some self-appointed barons of the new media: “’What makes a story really good and Webby,’ said one, ‘is, say, we post an item on David Geffen on a Monday, and then one of Geffen’s people calls us to correct it, we can have a whole new version up by Tuesday.’ This was typical Dawn of the New Millennium denigration of print, which always seemed to lead to the faulty logic that it was not just the delivery system that was outmoded but such underlying practices as authoritative voice and credibility, fact-checking, editing, and impartiality that needed throwing out, too.” Visiting Salt Lake City, Rakoff is privy to the hearsay that “there is a higher-than-average incidence of homosexuality among Mormon men. (This tidbit was always accompanied

by a hyperlink to a calendar of shirtless missionaries and, like many theories in the ‘Who’s gay?’ phylum, almost invariably followed up with the super-scientific assessment that ‘Mormon boys are the hottest.’)” Covering NYC’s first Exotic Erotic Ball and Expo, he is shocked and appalled to discover that there is only one gay exhibitor at the pornindustry trade show, and it is “Lucas Entertainment, the porn studio owned and operated by Russian impresario Michael Lucas. Lucas is the Sergei Diaghilev of gay erotica, known for his high production values and array of impossibly perfect men.” Richard, the studio’s national distribution manager, “has been a lone presence and a figure of derision since his arrival, when the guys working security called him a faggot. ‘This is New York City. It’s not Utah, for God’s sake. I almost jumped over the table to kick somebody’s ass,’ he says.” Rakoff contributes to NPR’s This American Life, has fleeting appearances in the movies Capote and Strangers with Candy, and adapted and starred in Joachim Beck’s film The New Tenants, which won the 2010 Oscar for Best Live Action Short. It’s tribute to his fearlessness as a writer that the final essay in the collection, “Another Shoe,” does not riff on Mormons or adult-industry capitalists, but takes us through his confrontation with life-threatening illness, not once but twice, and looks mortality squarely in the eye. Yet there’s nothing morbid or sentimental in his reflections, and in fact they are funny – not slapstick funny, but ironic funny, rueful funny, ain’t-that-how-life-is funny. More power and many more years to David Rakoff.▼

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Theatre >>

October 6-12, 2011 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 19

Kevin Berne

A trio of down-at-their-heels vaudevillians hop a train to Hollywood hoping to sell themselves as elocution experts in the talkies frenzy in Once in a Lifetime, at ACT.

Let them talkie by Richard Dodds

nce in a lifetime may overstate the opportunities a theatergoer gets to see a high-toned, professional production of Kaufman and Hart’s Once in a Lifetime. I read the 1930 play in high school, right after lapping up Moss Hart’s bio-paean to Broadway, Act One. I bounded over to Mr. Abney with my discovery for a school production, but the Spanish teacher/drama coach said no way: too many sets, too many actors, too much powdered hair and greasepaint age-lines for dozens of older characters. Instead, we did Harvey (and I played Judge Gaffney, with powdered hair and heavy age makeup that would read fake from the back row of the Hollywood Bowl). I won’t say exactly how long ago that was, except to say it was when Lyndon Johnson was still a popular president. But at long last, my predraft-card desires have met up with my post-AARP-membership life. Here’s a happy slap on the back to ACT for making this bucket-list theater wish come true, and in a way that justifies the wait. This first collaboration between the dry-witted, taciturn George S. Kaufman and the much younger Moss Hart produced a play filled with clever ripostes mixed into a kind of Hellzapoppin’ world. More worlds collide in the story Kaufman and Hart conjured just three years after Hollywood went topsy-turvy over The Jazz Singer. Vaudeville, already on the ropes because of radio and silent films, was pretty much down for the count when you could both see and hear your favorite actors at the same time. Panicked studio execs looked to the “legitimate theater” to provide performers who could talk without stammering or sibilance, and to playwrights whose scripts contained more words than stage directions. (Nell looked to the heavens while the landlord shook the lease in her face.) In Once in a Lifetime, a vaudeville trio, already on the skids long before Jolson had his way with “Mammy” via VitaPhone, come up with a genuinely good idea: move West and start a school of elocution to train challenged silent-film stars in the art of tawking good. A good idea, save for the fact that Julia, George, and Jerry are total flimflam artists. That doesn’t stop frantic studio executives from hiring then, and as it becomes clear that their students are immune to improvement, the ax is about to fall again and again and again – with unlikely salvation provided by George, the dimmest of the trio, who continuously

fails upward. As George, Patrick Lane regularly grabs with seeming innocuousness any scene he is in. With his deadpan face, Lane is always a beat behind, an obliviousness that has a truth rooted in a happy soul. Lane has a lot of company on the ACT stage, 14 other actors doubling and tripling in the dozens of roles with which Kaufman and Hart populated their play, without economic concerns. While a feisty Julia Coffey and a slick John Wernke are bright lights as George’s scam mates (she a bit more distinctive than he), this is also a play in which the cup of character roles overfloweth. Tapping into professionals and MFA students from the ACT conservatory, unexpected gems continually reveal themselves. If you’re looking for an example of scene-stealing, a misnomer here because the attention is earned, look no further than Nick Gabriel’s performance as the top studio secretary Miss Leighton. From row L, at least, I had no idea it was a man playing this supercilious vamp built of strange angles who dramatically guards the gates to the executive offices. With his nervous body energy and desperate comb-over, it’s also a good moment whenever the savvy Will LeBow is on stage as studio chieftain Herman Glogauer. Of the verbally challenged stars trying to shed various vocal impediments, Jessica Kitchens gets several delightful cameos, including a disastrous screen-test created for this production. Director Mark Rucker has made wonderful use of both vintage and newly created film clips to help set the tone and to cover the enormous set changes required and so handsomely designed by Dennis Ostling. There’s a bit of Jolson singing “Toot, Toot, Tootsie,” followed by a bizarre musical number from the properly obscure Hollywood Party, and a very young Bing Crosby leading thousands of extras through a life-size mockup of Grand Central Station as he sings “Goin’ Hollywood.” Alex Jaeger’s period costumes and James F. Ingall’s necessarily complex lighting design are more examples of a theatrical luxuriousness that nowadays is saved mainly for musicals and Shakespeare. It all contributes to a rollicking forgetyour-troubles joyousness that is a good tonic for anyone who has the unfortunate habit of reading the morning newspaper.▼ Once in a Lifetime will run at ACT through Oct. 16. Tickets are $10-$85. Call 749-2288 or go to www.act-sf.org.

ebar.com

<< Fine Arts

20 • BAY AREA REPORTER • October 6-12, 2011

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Escape artist by Sura Wood

illions of Europeans fleeing persecution in their native countries made the arduous trek to America in the late 19th and early 20th century, seeking freedom and reinventing themselves once they landed in their new home. Perhaps no public figure of the era embodied liberation against insurmountable odds more than escape artist and magician extraordinaire Harry Houdini, a Jewish immigrant who could free himself from handcuffs, milk cans, straitjackets and chained streamer trunks, whether submerged underwater or suspended precariously upside down from vertigo-inducing heights. With his unrivaled catalogue of increasingly dangerous, deathdefying feats, Houdini seemed to cheat death, but it is his life story that’s both a triumph over adversity and a metaphor for escape, metamorphosis and transformation. Perhaps the most profound mystery and most impressive magic act is

how Houdini, ne Ehrich Weiss, the diminutive Hungarian son of a rabbi, overcame poverty and anti-Semitism to become an international celebrity whose famous name and mystique persist 85 years after his death. Houdini: Art and Magic, a new exhibition now at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, doesn’t so much explain the how or delve into the why as document and describe what Houdini did, as well as amplify the facts of his personal history and career trajectory with archival materials, though it studiously avoids revealing the great mystifier’s trade secrets. While a little on the thin side, the exhibition is fascinating, mostly due to the larger-than-life presence of its subject. The show’s 160 objects include numerous black-andwhite photographs, a collection of promotional Art Nouveau posters noteworthy for their artistry and hyperbolic claims, travel diaries, theater playbills promising miraculous events, magic

paraphernalia like oversize milk cans, an assortment of handcuffs and straitjackets like the formidable, copper-studded one constructed from canvas and leather, and the “Metamorphosis” trunk employed for an illusion in which Houdini, bagged and sealed inside, and his assistant, standing by decoratively onstage, would apparently switch places. A replica of the notorious, glasspaneled Water Torture Cell, a surprisingly small, claustrophobic box that, during performances, was filled was water, is also here. Houdini was lowered into this vessel headfirst and locked in before emerging soaking wet but unscathed. (A lithograph advertising the stunt depicts an inverted Houdini with his face pressed against the glass.) In an age before multiple entertainment platforms and mass marketing, Houdini was a sensation and an indefatigable selfpromoter; he staged free events outside newspaper offices in cities where he was performing, and he was a top-tier celebrity who rubbed shoulders and was photographed with glitterati such as W.C. Fields, Charlie Chaplin, Teddy Roosevelt, Sarah Bernhardt and Jennie the Elephant at the Hippodrome. He packed in crowds numbering in the tens of thousands to his shows and outdoor spectacles. One of several pictures of these throngs, jammed into downtown squares, is blown up and covers an entire wall of a gallery. Houdini was, by definition, a man of action, and video projections of his wriggling out of straitjackets, 20 stories up, high above city streets, with captivated audiences gazing skyward, convey what must have been thrilling to witness in person. Houdini worked hard to separate himself from flimflam artists (he was one, very early in his career) and launched a campaign debunking spiritualism as hokum. But as his dying wish, he asked his wife, Bess, to attempt to commune with him after his death. This failed. Although the exact cause of Houdini’s death, in 1926, has been a matter of speculation – that he was poisoned, faked his own death, drowned in the Water Torture Cell, etc. – the reason appears to be more mundane and perhaps attributable to the magician’s delusions of invincibility. Reportedly, he agreed to let a student who wanted to test Houdini’s strength punch him in the stomach. Despite suffering intense pain from the blow, he refused to cancel performances or seek medical care, and died a week later. The show does an excellent

Harvard Theatre Collection, Houghton Library, Cambridge, MA

Studio photograph of Houdini in white trunks and chains (c. 1905), modern photograph.

job of integrating works by 26 contemporary artists inspired by the Houdini legend like Carol Yeh, whose enigmatic etchings were included in a special edition of E.L. Doctorow’s 1976 novel Ragtime. In Ikuo Nakamura’s eerie “Materialization,” a pair of green, holographic handcuffed hands rise over a milk can; and a short excerpt from Cremaster 2, a film by Matthew Barney, who has called Houdini his alter ego, sweeps across snow-covered mountain peaks. Yes, that’s Norman Mailer portraying Houdini, though Mailer is a little bombastic to be cast as a sleight-ofhand artist, but there you go. New York printmaker, painter and collector of magic books Jane Hammond has created a painting where a magician’s head pops out of a blue magic trunk as birds fly around the stage, though Houdini favored nuts-and-bolts hardware over magician-standard-issue doves, feathers and smoke. She compares the artist’s ability to conjure imagery on a blank canvas to the magician’s talent for pulling a trick out of thin air. “Houdini

pried open my consciousness [by] coming through a different door – being tied up, ropes and bondage,” Hammond explains in the exhibition catalogue. “Houdini has as much to with bondage as with the escape. Today, bondage has a wildly sexual connotation, but it’s really about more than that.” Paintings by Deborah Oropallo, a Bay Area artist with an affinity for magic whose work flirts with disguise, deception and illusion, are haunting verging on disturbing. In one, Houdini is bound with ropes and trumpets and tied to a chair that’s turned on its side; the words “look, answer, tell” appear in shadow behind him. In another, ghostly images of pairs of hands float along the top of an all-white canvas. “[The] rope was about survival and escape,” she says in a catalogue interview. “People are attracted to the double-edged aspect – that what can save you can also destroy you. You can jump rope, or hang yourself with it.”▼ Through Jan. 16, 2012, at CJM. Info: www.thecjm.org.

Courtesy of the Kevin A. Connolly Collection

“Houdini Upside-Down in the Water Torture Cell” (c. 1912), photograph by unidentified artist.

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Theatre >>

October 6-12, 2011 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 21

Reinventing the repertoire by Richard Dodds

er repertoire veers from Cole Porter to the Monkees, Bruce Springsteen to Jacques Brel, the Kinks to Jimmy Cliff, the Everly Brothers to Bob Dylan. These compare-and-contrasts could go on and on, but the real point is that all of the songs emerge as unmistakable Barb Jungr creations. Such diversity, delivered in arrangements that dig deep into the songs and in a voice that is rich, complex and embracing, can be a wonderful reward for listeners who have found their way to the English singer’s recordings and rare American appearances. But for producers, publicists, and bookers, there is no easy hook to promote this underappreciated phenomenon. No one knows better than Jungr herself. “It’s a risk to put me on,” she says of the operators of the Rrazz Room. She did two nights at the room last December, and she’s back for three nights on Oct. 10-12. “They took a gamble on me, thank you very much that they did that, and now with three nights I hope I get a chance to

build some word of mouth.” That her new act is drawn from her two CDs devoted to Bob Dylan songs, most prominently from the recent The Man in the Long Black Coat, should not be considered a clue as to how the performance will actually sound. These are reinventions that should not disturb Dylan purists, while pleasing a cabaret audience that has its own notions of what is right and proper. Consider her take on “It Ain’t Me, Babe,” a Dylan song popularized in the 1960s by the Turtles as a catchy poprock tune. “I knew with ‘It Ain’t Me, Babe,’ I wanted something quite floral, and I wanted a very soft way into that,” she said from her home in London. “It seems to me to be such a cruel song, and I think the most vicious cruelty is gentle cruelty, and I love the song for that.” How did she come into the Dylan world? “It was weird,” she said. “I was at home after a late gig, and I put on the TV and poured a glass of wine, getting the running motor out of my head, and this voice said, ‘You must sing the songs of Bob Dylan.’

Steve Ullathorne

The hard-to-define British singer Barb Jungr will be singing the songs of Bob Dylan at her upcoming Rrazz Room run.

And I burst out laughing because I thought that was ridiculous. So I phoned a friend in America, and I said don’t laugh, but what if I said to you I must sing the songs of Bob Dylan? And he said, ‘Do it.’ You have to absolutely trust those impulses.” Jungr grew up in Stockport in Greater Manchester, home to the UK’s only museum dedicated to hats, and a place that she was eager to leave. After graduating from Leeds College, she headed to London to

Harvest of horrors by Richard Dodds

fter nearly two giddy years of Pearls Over Shanghai and a couple other Cockettes revivals, Thrillpeddlers returns to its primary raison d’etre – bloody horror in the Grand Guignol style – but the thrill is too much gone in the trio of plays created by Eddie Muller for the troupe’s annual Shocktoberfest production. Fear Over Frisco, the umbrella title, implies San Francisco connections to the plots of the three playlets, but they offer a scant presence. The pieces don’t feel specific to any location, but each contains a dollop of last-minute gore that follows a dry and/or predictable set-up. Providing at least some eerie

atmosphere are the louche musical preludes to each play, performed by various cast members with a worldweary panache. And there is more good news in that three pieces build in interest and intensity as the evening progresses. Muller’s The Grand Inquisitor riffs off the Zodiac killings, and a young woman with a Louise Brooks bob confronts an elderly recluse with evidence of her complicity in the unsolved murders. Mary Gibboney as the possible suspect has a good way with old and crotchety, though softspoken Bonni Suval underplays to the point of inaudibility before weapons are pulled. In An Obvious Explanation, also written and directed by Muller, a cast of seven wonders where the loot has gone when the chief thief suffers from

davidallenstudio.com

Eric Tyson Wertz plays the host of a party with guests that include a blinded artist (Flynn de Marco) and possibly the woman responsible for the heinous crime in The Drug, part of Thrillpeddlers’ annual Shocktoberfest production.

a bout of amnesia. This piece finds some twists and surprises before a big-bang ending. Muller adapted The Drug from a play by Grand Guignol pioneer Rene Berton, and it is the strongest entry in the portfolio. A deputy district attorney investigating the blinding of a famous artist falls in love with the

be a – well, she didn’t really know. “I think I was going to be a writer, but God knows what I thought I was going to write,” she said. While she had always found joy in singing, and even put together a folk group with friends, it was not a career encouraged back in Stockport. “I just didn’t come from a background where people would say, ‘You know what? You ought to be a singer.’ It wasn’t in the language of my upbringing, so it had to come

woman who may or may not have been responsible. Eric Tyson Wertz as an opium party host, Kara Emry as the suspect, and Flynn de Marco as the blinded artist offer memorable work under Russell Blackwood’s direction. Thrillpeddlers Artistic Director Russell Blackwood and his company are certainly more expert in the ways of Grand Guignol than this writer, but I do recognize a vintage TV formula used most famously by Alfred

out of me by accident. When I came to London, I had a boyfriend who said, ‘I don’t understand why you don’t sing.’ Just having someone validate that outside your own head gave me the impetus to do it.” But back then, Jungr didn’t know how to channel her talents or what direction she should be headed. “It was a really long and tortuous way forward, which really didn’t find a bedrock till I was in my 40s,” she said. “Now I’m really glad I did all that singing, because it was really helpful in the long run, but from the point of view of a career trajectory, it was rubbish.” Even now, her uncategorizable sound is a challenge. “If I had to compare myself to another singer, and I can barely say this in the same breath, it would be somebody like Nina Simone. Her capacity to reinterpret, her unusual vocal timbre, her inability to stay within the lines of a genre.” But forced to categorize her own genre, Jungr says it is jazz. “But jazz in the wide church of jazz that draws on all kinds of things,” she said. “It’s much easier if you can go, ‘Oh, it’s like Tony Bennett.’”▼ Tickets for Jungr’s three-night run are available at www.therrazzroom.com.

Hitchcock. Twenty or so minutes of set-up, and then a twist – a twist that always involves a final-curtain burst of blood in these Thrillpeddlers plays. But the horror, it seems to me, should be more endemic in each piece rather than simply a push-button coda.▼ Shocktoberfest 12: Fear Over Frisco will run at the Hypnodrome Theatre through Nov. 19. Tickets are $25-$35. Call 377-4202 or go to www.thrillpeddlers.com.

<< Books

22 • BAY AREA REPORTER • October 6-12, 2011

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The little death by Tim Pfaff

onsidered narrowly, Alan Hollinghurst’s new novel The Stranger’s Child (Knopf) is about the reception of a not particularly good poem over the course of nearly a century. Viewed in another, it’s about how enduring and splendid a thing male love is, and how it kills. Although Oscar Wilde is one of the few British literary figures who does not hover over this densely allusive book, it’s about the love that dares not speak its name. At nearly 600 pages, The Stranger’s

Child has room to be about a lot of things, including literature and architecture, yet it won’t be contained in a précis. But as it sweeps you along, this story of essentially uncomplicated if hidden love between two very young men is powered by an undercurrent of innocence crushed and corrupted. Its central character, Cecil Valance (whose name, we learn, is pronounced “Sizzle”), is a brash, young, rich, aristocratic, not particularly good (but published) poet and blowhard whose fame comes from a single poem, the preposterously entitled “Two Acres.” That’s the name of the

family home of his Cambridge friend, George Sawle, whom he’s been boffing. The poem bearing its name begins life when, on Cecil’s visit there, George’s younger sister, Daphne – in her own way as enamored of Cecil as her brother is – asks Cecil to write something in Two Acres’ visitors’ book. Of all the major characters, Cecil gets the least page-time as an actual person. Clearly modeled on the famously bisexual WWI poet Rupert Brooke (Hollinghurst slyly has Cecil comment that he knew Brooke), Cecil is also slain on the battlefield, Churchill uses “Two Acres” in a speech, and war-torn England finds its soul. Then things get worse. No sooner is Cecil a legend than he is also an object of curiosity and a field of study, and everyone who ever knew him becomes part of an inquiry. Chief among the inquisitors, a half-century later, is deeply conflicted homosexual Paul Bryant, a onetime bank clerk turned literary biographer motivated by something more sinister than fandom and more complex than admiration. Munching through Cecil’s past and its living survivors like an infinitely patient termite, he parses memories as well as drafts of the poem to demonstrate that its love object was not Daphne but George. In the final, brisk but chilly section of the novel, set at a London funeral in 2008, Bryant is expelled from a heavily armored literary world that no longer cares about Cecil and George. Only this final chapter bears an epigraph, as direct as it is cryptic, from the poem “In Memoriam Alfred Lord Tennyson” by the late Scottish poet Mick Imlah (the dedicatee of The Stranger’s Child): “No one

b you at all.” ll” remembers The novel’s haunting title comes from Tennyson, who does hover over the book from its earliest pages. The poem is “In Memoriam A.H.H.,” an elegy for his best friend, poet Arthur Hallam, that has homoerotic overtones. The passage containing the title is among the things Cecil reads, drunkenly, at Two Acres. While far more subtle than the explicit gay sex in Hollinghurst’s The Swimming Pool Library, the homoeroticism in The Stranger’s Child is every bit as charged. The feelings assigned to George before an alfresco sex bout in the woods with Cecil have a familiar ache: “It was all so new, the pleasure flecked with its opposite, with little hurts and contradictions that came to seem as much a part of love as the clear gaze of acceptance.” A paragraph break later, Cecil stands up and mutters, “That was very good.” Then come words any man who has ever experienced orgasm and its aftermath knows: “He

h had a way of distancing himself aat once, and seemed almost to ccounter the bleak little minute of iirrational sadness by pretending tthat nothing had happened. H His words might have followed a merely adequate meal, his tthoughts already on something m more important.” There’s no doubt that Cecil is, fr from our century-later vantage p point, fundamentally gay, despite o one of his memoirists declaring th that “he would fuck anything,” aand Cecil himself taunting George w with the line, “I don’t share your fa fastidious horror at the mere idea o of a cunt.” Cecil is not depicted aas any better a man than he was a poet, but then there’s no one in the vast gallery of characters constellated around him you’d want to be, either – though all of them, down to the domestics in their walk-ons, are credible and even sympathetic. This is fiction at its most virtuosic and penetrating. Critically, Hollinghurst gets the music right. The five sections of the novel operate like the segments of Mahler’s bigboned, five-movement symphonies, which, though they may seem sprawling, have both internal logic and inexorable thrust and, anyway, could not be otherwise. Not foreseeing the hardscrabble prose of the final section, I took the inexplicably long gap between the British publication of The Stranger’s Child (Picador) and the American one to read the novel out loud, off the paper pages of a hardbound book, an act of indulgence almost as audacious as Hollinghurst’s in writing a novel so – in the deepest sense, despite its postmodernist architecture – traditional. Not a word, I discovered, is amiss.▼

Emmy Awards, an impressive roster of film and television credits, and her success as cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester on Glee, Jane Lynch has one more iron in the fire: her memoir Happy Accidents, both a heartbreaking chronicle and a slap-happy, hopeful tribute. In the book’s gushing foreword, comedic icon Carol Burnett believes Lynch to be “cut from the same cloth as Jack Benny,” since “she doesn’t need a joke to get a laugh.” But Lynch concedes that it’s been a long, hard road to the fame she currently enjoys. Born with “an extra helping of angst,” she was raised in Dolton, Illinois, feeling “odd and misunderstood,” which festered internally as she grew up. This unhappiness eventually manifested itself in drinking binges as a high school freshman. With steely drive and determination to realize her dream to become a successful actress, Lynch enrolled in Illinois State University as a theater major, but the drinking binges continued even as she yielded to her sexuality as a lesbian. Turned off by improvisational theatre but drawn instinctively to dramatic roles, Lynch got cast in major productions, even though the dark shadow of being an “everyday drinker since the end of high school” hung over both her personal and professional lives. Realizing she had a larger-thanmanageable problem on her hands, Lynch reflects on the downturn her life took when she tried to quit drinking on her own, save for nightly shots of Nyquil. But things finally improved after she attended her first Alcoholics Anonymous meetings,

where “the emotional honesty and good humor blew me away.” Her luck improved after being cast with Harrison Ford in The Fugitive, and onward and upward in films like Best in Show, The 40-Year Old Virgin, and scores of bit-part television roles. Lynch’s story of true love with wife Lara Embry (the couple were married in western Massachusetts in 2010) and her current time on Glee form the happy high-point of the memoir (including some behind-the-scenes narrative of her slick remake of Madonna’s “Vogue” music video). The book is generously loaded with pictures and memorabilia of Lynch’s life (including a photo taken during Lynch’s younger, misguided days, at the breakfast table nursing a Miller Lite tall-boy), and there’s more than a few revelations about life and love included. Avoiding the pitfalls of so many schmaltzy, mawkish celebrity memoirs, Lynch bares all with a confident, honest writing style that straddles the poignant and the comedic.▼

Gleeful by Jim Piechota Happy Accidents by Jane Lynch; Hyperion, $25.99

fter a radiant performance hosting the 2011 Primetime

▼

Read more online at www.ebar.com

October 6-12, 2011 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 23

Film>>

Hooking up for lust & love Director Andrew Haigh on his gay chamber-piece ‘Weekend’ by David Lamble

n a season filled with smart, funny, and emotionally nimble and insightful boys’ films (50/50, Moneyball, The Guard), who’d have thought that a scrappy little twohander about two gay blokes who hook up in a Nottingham disco for a night of mindless shagging would be hailed by Time magazine as “one of the loveliest romances of the year?” But Weekend was. A lifeguard, Russell (Tom Cullen), drops by the flat of his straight best mate, Jamie (Jonathan Race). Lost in a hetero party, we haven’t a clue that Russell is a gay boy until he begs off for home on the tram, and instead hits a queer dance club. Fending off a hard cruise from a pushy, ferocious kisser, Russell is whisked off by a high-metabolism artist, Glen (the scene-stealing Chris New), with a sharp tongue and a hidden agenda. Next morning, over eye-opening cups of black coffee, Russ and Glen tease, flirt and taunt each other. “You were pretty wasted last night.” “Sorry.” “You don’t have to apologize. “Was I a dick?” “I had to save you from the Hobbit.” “Don’t be nasty. He was alright – a bit camp. He had a nice smile, though.” “Is that what you came for, a nice smile?” “No, just little people.” “Have I got morning breath?” “Quite the contrary, you’ve brushed your teeth?” “No.” “I can smell toothpaste. Now you’ve broken our unwritten rule, cause now you smell all minty-fresh, and I smell of cock-n-bum.” “Did you like the club?” “Did you like the club?” “Not really, no. I hated it!” “Right, you ready then?”

Tom Cullen and Chris New in Andrew Haigh’s Weekend.

“For what?” “You can’t get out of it now, you promised me. And I’ve come for my pound of flesh.” “I thought you were joking.” “Listen, do you think I would have slept with you otherwise?” Glen’s pound of flesh turns out to be a personal art project where shy Russ is expected to bare his soul into a small digital recorder about the size of his partner’s cock. Writer/ director Andrew Haigh’s pound of flesh is to seduce us into feeling that we’re snooping in on something raw and real, boundlessly complex and beautiful: two masculine-identified men, neither bears nor camp, who start surrendering pieces of themselves slowly, grudgingly at first, so that by the time one of them feels the urge to tell the other to “piss off,” the emotional hooks are already in too deep to be retracted without real scars and pain. Filmed in boundary-crossing close-ups across the landscape of provincial Nottingham – on trams, in decibel-pounding discos, middleclass high-rises, train-station waiting rooms – Haigh and his brilliant boys

semen, just as my mate walked in.” “Oh my god!” “And he looked at me, and he looked at the TV screen, and he saw Rupert Graves’ shuttering cock.” “What did he say?” “He called me a faggot, he called me a queer. The weird thing was, at that moment, I could see myself through his eyes. I could see what I looked like. And you know what?” “You didn’t care.” “I didn’t care. If he wants to see me as some horny little faggoty angry child, well that’s fine with me.” “Are you still friends with him?” “Nah, and I wasn’t friends with anyone else after he told the rest of the school.” Weekend reminds us that real romance need not be sanctified by church or state. If you’re hungry for mold-breaking cinema, catch this one.

Music >>

Sounds of silence by Jason Serinus Maneesh de Moor, Signatures on Water (Sounds True)

rom the sounds of Signature on Water, Maneesh de Moor is one of relatively few major New

Age composers who truly tap into a higher source for inspiration. If you seek meditation music that transcends the clichés of airy ambiance, synthesized choruses, and overdubbed nature sounds that lead to ennui rather than nirvana, this is it. De Moor, born in the Netherlands and “currently traveling,” has become known for his collaborations with Deva Premal & Miten, and a number of

Quinnford & Scout

other spiritually centered artists. Grounded in classical piano and pop music, he brings his expertise to full flower in Signatures on Water. Composed in November 2009 in the south of Portugal, this selfdescribed “five-phased backdrop for meditation and healing” uses keyboards, gongs, b bells, and synthesized ssounds to help lilisteners transcend eeveryday thoughts aand emotions. Even if the very concept is p paradoxical – if you w wish to still the mind sso that it does not ccling to thoughts, w why would you s substitute sound f for silence? – de M Moor’s journey is s structured to take l listeners deeper and d deeper. The first three tracks, “Mindfulness,” “Galaxies Within,” and “Silent Mirror,” propose to lead you to a state of serenity. The fourth track, “OM,” introduces exactly that, inviting you to join in if so moved. “Compassion” offers a glimpse of “the infinite substance of which this universe is composed.” Speaking personally, this music works. Not only does it relax me to the core, but it also helps open my heart and elevate my spirit.▼

demand that you cock an ear to the tiniest whisper, the slurred cadence of British slang and the universal language of love. Stage actor Chris New risks making his Glen a bit of a heartless prick to justify his bid, bordering on cruel, to shed old mates and Russ in order to set himself up with a new life in America. Soft-spoken Tom Cullen is easier to love but just as elusive in his core identity. Fans of P.J. Castellaneta’s classic claustrophobic American chamberpiece Together Alone, where two strangers debate the ethics of AIDSera one-night-stands, will appreciate that Haigh’s feisty couple go toe-totoe over the hottest buttons in the queer world post-Stonewall, postAIDS, post-caring what straight folks think about us. Glen reveals a painful teenage memory: when his straight mate caught him jerking off to a video image from A Room with a View. “And I was tanking away, and I spat up a huge spider web of juvenile

On the record Writer/director Andrew Haigh joined me for a Pride Month chat in the office of his San Francisco

publicist, the site of the old Ritch Street Baths. David Lamble: It feels like you took one of my little cameras and just went in there and captured something with their permission. Andrew Haigh: I wanted it to feel like we had just turned up and happened to be standing in a corner of the room, and we just filmed it. Talk about the design of this: you have a script. I didn’t want it to feel like it was a debate. So I spent a long time just working on character and trying to find a reason for their philosophies in life. Our philosophies always come from how we’ve lived, and our experiences. How realistic is the sex? I wanted it to feel real without it being real. There’s an awful lot of really explicit sex in some films that, unless it’s done really well, serves to take you out of the film rather than keep you in the film. [Opens Fri.]▼

<< Out&About

24 • BAY AREA REPORTER • October 6-12, 2011

Rita Moreno: Life Without Makeup @ Berkeley Rep

opposite sides of the Bosnian War. Tue-Thu 7pm. Fri & Sat 8pm. Also Sat 3pm. Thru Nov 5. 533 Sutter St. 677-9596. www.sfplayhouse.org

Tony Taccone and Rita Moreno’s must-see solo show about the award-winning actress’s life and times; with music, two very handsome back-up dancers, and a four-piece band. $14-$73. Tue, Fri, Sat 8pm. Wed & Sun 7pm. Thu, Sat, Sun 2pm. Thru Nov. 6. Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison St. (510) 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org

Illuminations: Dia de los Muertos @ SOMArts Cultural Center Opening reception for a month-long exhibit of Day of the Dead altars and installations. Reception $5-$10. 6pm-9pm. Reg hours Tue-Fri 12pm-7pm. Sat 12pm5pm. Thru Nov. 5. 934 Brannan St. www.somarts.org

Chris Adrian

SF Open Studios @ Citywide

Making Porn @ Box Car Theatre Ronnie Larsen returns with a new production of his popular play about, well, making porn, starring muscle stud Matthew Rush, with guaranteed male nudity; adults only! $25$50. Thu 8pm. Fri & Sat 7pm & 10pm. Sun 7pm. Thru Oct. 29. 125A Hyde St. www.ronnielarsen.com

Marga Gomez @ The Marsh Veteran lesbian comic performs Not Getting Any Younger, a new solo show about her ‘coming of middle age.’ $15-$50. Thu & Fri 8pm. Sat 8:30pm. Sun 3pm. Thru Oct. 23. 1062 Valencia St. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Literation 4 3 by Jim Provenzano

hether you’re a Kindler, Nookist, or old-fashioned page turner, literary events with a queer bent abound in various locales throughout the annual Litquake, Oct. 7-15. Get the full schedule at www.litquake.org This week’s LGBT-themed events start off Sunday, October 9 in Buena Vista Park, with a picnic, party and readings from brilliant doctor/author Chris Adrian’s magical fourth novel Great Night, a modern faerie-filled adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket) MCs, and clowns and a string quartet join in. Free. 4pm. Haight St. at Buena Vista Ave. Tuesday, October 11, which is also NaMichael McAllister tional Coming Out Day, writer Michael McAllister reads and welcomes LGBT authors Michael Alenyikov, Nick Krieger, Malinda Lo, Monica Nolan and Rob Rosen to his recently-wedded hubby Joe Gallagher’s everso cool Joe’s Barbershop. Get there early to get a comfy barber chair. $5$10. 9pm. 2150 Market St. www.dogpoet.com One can’t say “San Francisco Queer Lit” without mentioning the prolific Michelle Tea’s Radar Reading Series at the SF Public Library. At the Wednesday, October 12 edition, Tea welcomes gay chef Yasmin Golan, Myriam Gurba, playwright Genny Lim, zinester Shannon O’Malley, acclaimed novelist K.M. Soehnlein, Masha Tupitsyn and Laurie Weeks. For more on the feast of fiction, poetry and nonfiction writers reading, including next week’s Lit Crawl bar and café blitz, get thee Michelle Tea to www.litquake.org

Fri 7>> Artery Project @ Various Venues San Francisco Arts Commission’s expansive lineup of arts events include gallery exhibits, store window installations, dance, music, outdoor performances and more. Ongoing. www.sfartscommission.org/ artery

AXIS Dance @ Malonga Casquelourd Center, Oakland Innovative dance company whose performers include wheelchair users premieres a commissioned work by UK choreographer Mark Brew, local dancer-choreographer Sebastian Grubb, and other works (see feature, page 24). $12-$24. Oct 7 & 8, 8pm; Oct 9 at 3pm. 1428 Alice Street at 14th, Oakland. (800) 836-3006. www.axisdance.org

Central Market Arts @ Various Venues Ambitious 24-day indoor-outdoor festival of performing and visual arts. Many independent events are grouped as part of the festival to showcase the area’s growth and artistic diversity. Thru Oct. 16. www. facebooks.com/CentralMarketArts

Collected @ Museum of the African Diaspora Subtitled Stories of Acquisition and Reclamation, this new exhibit displays more than 100 objects that help narrate the struggles and contributions of African Amercians in California. Thru March 4. 685 Mission St. at 3rd. 358-7200. www.moadsf.org

A Delicate Balance @ Aurora Theatre, Berkeley Edward Albee’s brutal comedy of manners about responsibility to others. $10-$55. Wed-Sat 8pm. Tue & Sun 7pm, also Sun 2pm. Extended thru Oct. 16. 2081 Addison St. (510) 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org

The classic Laurents/Styne/Sondheim musical about burlesque stripper Gypsy Rose Lee’s show biz life is given a local staging. $24-$50. Thu-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm (also Sat Oct 2pm). Thru Oct. 9. 2215 Broadway St. at Winslow. (650) 579-5565. www.broadwaybythebay.org

42nd Street Moon’s production of the Cole Porter/Romney Brent madcap musical farce set in 1930s Europe. $20-$45. Wed 7pm. Thu & Fri 8pm. Sat 6pm. Sun 3pm. Thru Oct. 23. 215 Jackson St. 255-8207. www.42ndstmoon.org

Once in a Lifetime @ A.C.T. The hilarious Moss Hart/George S. Kaufman Hollywood comedy gets a visually inventive production by American Conservatory Theatre, with an ensemble cast of 15 playing 70 roles; directed by Mark Rucker. $10-$85. Tue-Sat 8pm. Wed, Sat, Sun 2pm. (Some different dates; pay what you can nights, lectures and special events; pre-show silent films screened Sept 30, Oct 7 & 14. Thru Oct. 16. 415 Geary St. 749-2228. www.act-sf.org

San Francisco Olympians Festival @ Exit Theater No Nude Men Productions presents its 2nd annual flurry of 32 new short and full-length plays by 29 local writers, performed in 12 nights, each a modern variation on the stories of ancient myths and gods. $10 each (Multiple play discounts). Thu-Sat 8pm thru Oct. 29. 156 Eddy St. www.sfolympians.com

Show Ho @ New Conservatory Theatre Sara Moore’s comic solo show about a quirky clown’s life in a low-rent circus. $20$32. Thu-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. Thru Oct. 9. 25 Van Ness Ave at Market. 861-8972. www.nctcsf.org

Time @ The Lab Opening reception for a group exhibit of multimedia and conceptual works exploring the definable aspects of time. 6pm-9pm, including live performances. Reg hours TueSat 1pm-6pm. Thru Oct. 29. 2948 16th St. 864-8855. www.thelab.org

A play about a handkerchief, Paula Vogel’s comic romp plays on the backstage drama of three women in Shakespeare’s Othello. $15-$35. Mon-Sat 8pm. Sun 3pm. Thru Nov 5. 505 Natoma St. www.boxcartheatre.org

Beach Blanket Babylon @ Club Fugazi

Grants for the Arts Concert @ City Hall 50th anniversary showcase of recipients of local arts grants, with Theatre Flamenco, Patrick Makuakane’s Hawaiian dance company Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu and a special appearance by members of the cast of Beach Blanket Babylon, and remarks by Mayor Edwin M. Lee. Free. 12pm. Rotunda; reception afterwards. 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place at Grove St. www.sfgfta.org

Honey Brown Eyes @ SF Playhouse West Coast premiere of Stefanie Zadravec’s play about two former rock musicians on

The air hostess with the mostes’ campy comedy act (aka Australian comic Caroline Reid) lands at SFO. You’ll take off with her dishy wit. Sasha Soprano hosts. $35-$50. 7:30pm. 429 Castro St. www.biggaycomedy.com www.castrotheatre.com

Hafiz Karmali’s new commissioned play about Armenian immigrants to the U.S. $20$36. Thu 8:30pm, Fri & Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. South Side Theatre, Fort Mason, Narina St. at Buchanan. 345-7575. Thru Oct. 9. www.fortmason.org www.goldenthread.org

Sat 8>>

Thrillpeddlers’ new trio of Noir-Horror oneact plays, penned by “Czar of Noir” Eddie Muller offer a pre-Halloween thrill. Prepare to be shockingly entertained. $25-$35. Thu-Sat 8pm. Thru Nov. 19. 575 10th St. at Division/ Bryant. 377-4202. www.thrillpeddlers.com

Pam Ann @ Castro Theatre

Gypsy @ Fox Theatre, Redwood City

Desdemona @ Boxcar Theatre

Fear Over Frisco @ Hypnodrome Theatre

Fri 7

Night Over Erzinga @ Magic Theatre

Nymph Errant @ Eureka Theatre

Musical comedy revue, now in its 35th year, with an ever-changing lineup of political and pop culture icons, all in gigantic wigs. $25-$130. Wed, Thu, Fri at 8pm. Sat 6:30, 9:30pm. Sun 2pm, 5pm. (Beer/wine served; cash only). 678 Beach Blanket Babylon Blvd (Green St.). 421-4222. www.beachblanketbabylon.com

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How to Write a New Book for the Bible @ Berkeley Rep

2nd weekend of a two-day event where 100s of artists show their work in studios; includes many LGBT artists. Subsequent schedules each weekend thru October in different neighborhoods. www.artspan.org

Shamanism Class @ LGBT Center Meet your “power animal” at the LGBTinclusive ritual drumming shamanism class; monthly, 2nd Saturdays. $25 or pay what you can. 10am-12pm. 1800 Market St. www.sfcenter.org

Teatro Zinzanni @ Pier 29 The new show Up in the Air, about a struggling radio station, stars Geoff Hoyle, blues musician Duffy Bishop, and a slew of amazingly talented acrobats, singers, musicians, plus you get a five-course dinner. $117-$145. Saturday 11:30am “Breve” show $63-$78. Wed-Sat 6pm (Sun 5pm) Thru Dec 31, when the show goes on hiatus for World Cup Sailing pier renovations. Pier 29 at Embarcadero Ave. 438-2668. www.teatrozinzanni.com

Sun 9>> Adam Mansbach @ Kanbar Hall

World premiere of Bill Cain’s new play about religion, and how parents’ sins ruin their children’s lives. $14-$81. Previews. Opening night Oct. 12. Wed & Sun 7pm. Tue, Thu Fri Sat 8pm. Sat & Sun 2pm. Thru Nov. 28. Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. at Shattuck. (510) 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org

Author of the popular Go the F**k to Sleep discusses his witty adult-kids book. $10$25. 7pm. Jewish Community Center, 3200 California St at Presidio. 292-1233. www.jccsf.org/arts

Line Dance Classes @ ODC Dance Commons

Singer-Songwriters Night features acoustic sets by Brendan Getzell, Dave Gursom, Storm Florez, Megan Keely and J White, plus host-composer Trauma Flintstone. $5. 7pm-9pm. 4 Valencia St. www.dragatmartunis.com

New fun line dance classes taught by Sundance Saloon’s Sean Ray, with a special LGBT-anybody-inclusive ambiance, and not just country music. $14. Weekly Saturdays, 6pm-8pm. 351 Shotwell St. www.odcdance.org

Love Will Fix It @ Hot Spot DJ Bus Station John’s intimate monthly (now 2nd Saturdays) retro disco night, now renamed (formerly Perles Del Squallor), revamped with an R&B focus, re-decorates the cozy dive bar into a cool dance hangout. $5. 2 for 1 drinks 9pm-11pm. Open til 2am. 1414 Market St. at Polk.

Lucrezia Borgia @ War Memorial Opera House The Washington National Opera production of Gaetano Donizetti’s bel canto masterpiece about the historic femme fatale features soprano Renée Fleming in the title role; in Italian with English supertitles. $30-$389. 8pm. Also Oct. 11, 8pm. 301 Van Ness Ave. 864-3330. www.sfopera.com

Bijou @ Martuni’s

Crescendo @ The Four Seasons San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus fundraiser brunch and awards ceremony, honoring Stuart Milk, Diageo Americas and The Bay Area Reporter. Music by the chorus ensembles, and South African rugby player, gay activist and counter-tenor Jacques Snyman; plus a fabulous brunch! $125. 12pm-3pm. 757 Market St. www.sfgmc.org

A Funny Night for Comedy @ Actors Theatre Natasha Muse and her sidekick Ryan Cronin welcome other comics in a talk-show parody format. $10. 7pm. 855 Bush St. 345-1287. www.natashamuse.com

Kronos Quartet @ Hertz Hall, Berkeley

Design & Dissolution: sculpture and mixed media, an exhibit of the art of two eclectic designers. Thru Nov. 18. 66 Elgin Park. 577-4396. www.gallery60six.com

Cal Performances presents the globally acclaimed music ensemble in a special concert of works by minimalist composer Steve Reich, including Different Trains; Triple Quartet; selections from The Cave; and the Bay Area premiere of WTC 9/11. $50. 7pm. Bancroft Way at Telegraph Ave. UC Berkeley campus. (510) 642-9988. www.calperformances.org

Phaedra @ Ashby Stage, Berkeley

Paul Klee and Andrew Schoultz @ SF MOMA

Shotgun Players’ production of Adam Bock’s commissioned modern tabloid-style adaptation of Racine’s tragedy about a woman who’s in love with her husband’s son. $17-$26. Thu 7pm. Fri & Sat 8pm. Sun 5pm. thru Oct. 23. 1901 Ashby Ave. (510) 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org

Exhibit of works by the Bay Area artist in response to Klee’s drawings and prints. Thru Jan 8. Also, Less and More: the Design Ethos of Dieter Rams (thru Feb 20). Other exhibits ongoing. Free-$18. 151 Third St. www.sfmoma.org

Oliver DiCicco and Julian Hönig @ Gallery 60SIX

Cabaret @ The Stage, San Jose Kander & Ebb’s Tony Award-winning musical based on the Christopher Isherwood novel gets a local staging, based on the cabaretstyle Broadway revival. $20-$45. Wed & Thu 7:30pm. Fri & Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. Thru Oct. 23. 490 South First St., San Jose. (408) 283-7142. www.thestage.org

Frisco Freakout @ Thee Parkside Psychedelic dance party and fundraiser for Creativity Explored, the arts group for developmentally challenged folks. Donations. All ages, all day; 1:30pm-2am. 1600 17th St. www.friscofreakout.com www.theeparkside.com

Sat 8 Viewer Discretion Advised (Tape 96) @ Toad Hall Screening party with the cast and crew of Drew Stephens’ award-winning short film, based on a locally-produced play, about a gay couple dealing with addiction. 3pm. Optional $10 beer bust, raffle prizes including a cameo movie role; music by the Gay Asian Pacific Alliance Men’s Chorus. 4146 18th St. www.VDAtape96.com

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Out&About >>

October 6-12, 2011 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 25

Tue 11>>

Funny Tuesdays @ Harvey’s Ronn Vigh hosts the weekly LGBT and gayfriendly comedy night, with Deb Campo, Liz Grant, Clara Bijl and Max Curry. One drink or menu item minimum. 9pm. 500 Castro St. at 18th. 431-HARV. www.harveyssf.com

Our Bodies, Ourselves Contributors @ Book Passage 40th anniversary of the pioneering women’s health manual, with a panel and book-signing featuring contributors Judy Norsigian, Ellen Shaffer, Marcy Darnovsky and Emily Leaird. 6pm. 1 Ferry Bldg. 835-1020. www.bookpassage.com

Thu 13 Blood is Mere Decoration @ Intersection for the Arts A Ritual for Liberation, writer Anthony Julius Williams’ multimedia solo performance work, critiques the U.S. prison system’s treatment of African American men. $10-$15. 8pm. Thru Oct 15. 925 Mission St. www.anthonyjuliuswilliams.com

Politics is a Drag @ Beatbox Heklina hosts a fundraiser for Bevan Dufty’s mayoral campaign, with drag acts by local talents. 11th St. www.bevandufty.com www.beatboxsf.com

Remember the Party @ City Nights

Nanette Harris @ SF Public Library Blue People by a Green Painter, an exhibit of works by by the artist who paints people of color in different tones, and uses recycled paint. Part of the Afro Solo Arts Fest. Thru Oct. 20. 100 Larkin St. www.afrosolo.org www.sfpl.org

It’s a Mighty Real Disco! Celebrate the classic dance club days as DJ Jerry Bonham spins ‘70s and ‘80s hits, with a musical spotlight on Sylvester. Partial proceeds benefit Under One Roof. $25-$30. 6pm-3am. 715 Harrison St at 3rd. www.remembertheparty.com

Sunday’s a Drag @ Starlight Room

Local Butoh theatre-dance company performs new and repertory comedic works. $12-$18. Sundays and Mondays thru Oct. 24. 2840 Mariposa St. at Florida. www.theatreofyugen.org

Tuscan Renaissance Faire @ Marin Art & Garden Center Fundraiser for Meals of Marin, with live music, jugglers, performers, all in period costume (guests encouraged to dress up as well); live and silent auctions $125 (kids $5$25). 3pm-8pm. 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Ross. 455-5260. www.magc.org www.mealsofmarin.net

Mon 10>> Barb Jungr @ The Rrazz Room British singer returns to perform her concert of Bob Dylan songs. $30. 8pm. Thru Oct 12. 2-drink min. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. www.therrazzroom.com

Wed 12>> Big Gay Poetry Show @ The Garage Baruch Porras-Hernandez hosts two nights of poetry and spoken word, featuring Regie Cabico, with Terry Taplin, Wonder Dave. Musicians Daniel Owens, Jen G. $12. 8pm. Also Oct 13 at 8pm, with the same readers, plus musicians All My Pretty Ones and Blythe Baldwin. 975 Howard St. www.975howard.com

Unusual exhibit of the Belgian artist’s selfportraits, videos and installation examining his life-long obsession with Barbra Streisand. Thru Oct. 30. Wed-Fri 2pm-6pm. 3043 Clay St. 529-1221. www.highlightgallery.com

Sunday Skool with Baby D @ Academy of Ballet

Theatre of Yugen @ NOHspace

Brilliant pianist performs Brahms’ Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5, Liszt’s Transcendental Etudes (selections), and Prokoviev’s Piano Sonata No. 8 in B-flat major, Op. 84. $15-$75. 8pm. Bancroft Way at Telegraph Ave. UC Berkeley campus. (510) 642-9988. www.calperformances.org

Christophe Coppens @ Highlight Gallery

Donna Sachet and Harry Denton host the fabulous weekly brunch and drag show. $45. 11am, show at noon; 1:30pm, show at 2:30pm. 450 Powell St. in Union Square. 395-8595. www.harrydenton.com

D’arcy Drollinger (Enrique) returns to SF with a campy aerobics weekly workout set to music from the 80s-today. Retro Spandex and Solid Gold gear encouraged. Dance by donation. Sundays at 11am. 2121 Market St. at Church.

Yefim Bronfman @ Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley

RawDance @ Orson

Tue 11 Juanita More @ Harris Check out the incomparable local nightlife icon’s book documenting her career, plus a one-night art opening for Not For Sale, an exhibit of collaborative works with, by and about More. Book $35 (softcover) or $65 (hardcover). 1131 Mission St. 6pm-9pm. www.juanitamore.com

Queer Comedy Night @ El Rio Host Lisa Geduldig welcomes comics Joe Klocek, Dhaya Lakshminarayanan, Kazumi Kusano and Brendan Lynch. $7-$20. 8pm. 3158 Mission St. 522-3737. www.koshercomedy.com www.elriosf.com

Rex Ray @ Gallery 16 Exhibit of colorful graphic abstract paintings by the local artist-designer. Mon-Fri 10am5pm. Sat 11am-5pm. Thru Oct. 29. 501 3rd St. 626-7495. www.gallery16.com

The innovative local dance company performs A Public Affair, a riff on foodie culture and flash mobs, at the stylish bar/restaurant. 7pm & 8:30pm. Also Oct. 18 & 19. 508 4th St. www.rawdance.org

Revel @ California Academy of Sciences The Art of Activism, a benefit for the Rainforest ActionNetwork, with a rainforest tour, sponsor dinner and awards ceremony featuring Naomi Klein and The Yes Men. Enjoy organic cuisine, cocktails and dancing with DJed music and live sets by The Pimps of Joytime. $500 and up: dinner events 6pm-9pm. $125: dancing 8pm-12am. www.ran.org

Thu 13>> Edwin Hawkins @ The Rrazz Room

Legendary gospel singer performs with his vocal ensemble. $40-$45. 8pm. Thru Oct 16 (7pm). 2-drink min. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. www.therrazzroom.com

Justin Torres @ Alexander Book Co. Author of the highly acclaimed debut novel We the Animals, about a trio of brothers growing up in New York, reads from and discusses his work. Free. 12:30pm. 50 2nd St. 495-2992. www.alexanderbook.indiebound.com

Our Vast Queer Past @ GLBT History Museum Fascinating exhibit from the GLBT Historical Society, with a wide array of rare historic items on display. Free for members-$5. Wed-Sat 11am-7pm. Sun 12pm-5pm. 4127 18th St. www.glbthistory.org

Same-Sex Dancing @ Queer Ballroom Ongoing partner dance lessons and open dancing in a variety of styles- Argentine tango, Cha Cha, Rhumba and more; different each night. $5-$25 open dancing to $55 for private lessons. 151 Potrero Ave. at 15th. www.QueerBallroom.com

Thomas Dolby @ Bimbo’s

Thu 13 Sundance Stompede @ Various Venues Yeehaw. The annual LGBT & friends country western dancing weekend is back. Thu Oct 13, 6:30-11pm. $10 at 550 Barneveld. Welcome Dance, Oct 14, $15, 7:30pm1am at The Holiday Inn, 1500 Van Ness Ave. Hoedown with performances, singers and fundraising Saturday Oct. 15, 7:30pm-1am, $45, at the Regency Ballroom, 1300 Van Ness Ave. The Stompede Ball includes a line-dance marathon, a dance contest and more, Oct. 16, 5pm-11pm ($10) at Sundance Saloon at Space 550, 550 Barneveld Ave. 820-1403. Dance workshops each day at the Holiday Inn ($20-$30). www.stompede.com

80s pop singer will blind you with science and his other hits. The techno designer gives a combination science lecture and unplugged concert of his new CD, A Map of the Floating City. $25. 8pm. 9pm. 1025 Columbus Ave. 474-0365. www.bimbos365club.com

To submit event listings, email jim@ebar.com. Deadline is each Thursday, a week before publication. For bar and nightlife events, go to www.bartabsf.com

<< Leather+

26 • BAY AREA REPORTER • October 6-12, 2011

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Ms. SF Leather 2012 this weekend by Scott Brogan

he one and only Ms. SF Leather contest takes place this Saturday at the Hotel Whitcomb SF (1231 Market). If you’ve never attended, you should! It’s more than just a fun contest, it’s a great night. You won’t be disappointed. I find myself saying this every year because every year I have a great time. Not that I’m surprised. The crowd is a diverse one, with an unique energy that seems to be charged with everything from sweat, sex, leather, gear, pheromones (I love that word) and who knows what else? Whatever it is, it’s infectious and fun. The current Ms. SF Leather 2011 Leo Peralta (congrats on a great year!) will give up her title to one of these three (at press time) contestants: Ms. SF Citadel 2011 Miss Bethie Bee, sponsored by the SF Citadel and Dark Garden Corsetry; SF girls of Leather President Leland Carina, sponsored by the Leather Alliance; and Exiles Board Member Rio, sponsored by the Exiles and the Leather Alliance. Emceeing again this year is the inimitable Miranda. She’s fun and keeps things going at a fast clip. The judges are: Ms. Margaret (Producer, Northwest Leather Celebration); Tracy Wolf (Ms. San Francisco Leather 2009 and Women’s International Leather Legacy 2011); Jason DaBoi (International Ms. Bootblack 2010); Darren Bondy (Mr. SF Leather 2011 and Bare Chest Calendar Man); plus a secret judge who will not be revealed until the night of the contest. That’s always one of the night’s many highlights. The contest starts at 7:30 p.m., doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 for preferred seating, and $10 for general if purchased ahead of time at: www.brownpapertickets.com/

Leland Carina

Ms. SF Leather 2011 Leo Peralta (seen here with Mr. SF Leather 2010 Lance Holman) gives up her title this weekend at the Ms. SF Leather contest.

event/195405. Add $5 to each of those prices if you purchase your tickets at the door the night of the event. Don’t miss the Contestant Meet & Greet at the Lone Star Saloon Friday night. Meet the contestants, judges, and have some fun! Starts at 7:30 p.m., and is free. Go to: www.mssfleather.org. Leather Week was great. As if there were any doubt, this year’s Leather Week was another great success. From the raising of the Leather Flag over Harvey Milk Plaza in the

Castro on Sun., Sept. 18 to the grand finale Folsom Street Fair on Sun., Sept. 25, this year’s events didn’t disappoint. I’ve always wondered if there is anyone out there who manages to make it to every major event, or perhaps every official event. I don’t think even the staff of Folsom Street Events, as amazing as they are, can make it to everything. If there is anyone out there who’s accomplished this, let me know. I’d love to chat about it. Highlights (and there were so many) included the 20th anniversary of the Leather Walk, which officially kicked off the week’s festivities with one of the biggest turnouts in recent years. See page 27 >>

Coming up in leather and kink Thu., Oct. 6: Locker Room Thursdays at Kok Bar (1225 Folsom). Featuring new contests like “sweaty balls,” “hairy crack,” etc. Fun, & stupid. Free clothes check. 9 p.m.-close. Go to: www.kokbarsf.com. Thu., Oct. 6: Underwear Night at The Powerhouse (1347 Folsom). Show off your undies for drink specials. 10 p.m.-close. Go to: www.powerhouse-sf.com. Fri., Oct. 7: Stefanos and Chey present Bent at the SF Citadel (1277 Mission). Starts at 10 p.m. Bent is for kinky youth: 18, 19, 20s, 30s. Go to: www.sfcitadel.org. Fri.-Sun., Oct. 7-9: American Brotherhood Weekend at The Leather Archives and Museum in Chicago. Tons of great events, ending with the American Leatherman, Leatherwoman, and Leatherboy 2012 contests on Sun. night. Go to: www.americanbrotherhood.com. Fri., Oct. 7: Leatherman of Color 2012 Contest at The Filling Station (1258 Gordon Highway, Augusta, GA). 7 p.m. Go to: www.facebook.com /event.php?eid=279916832036278.

at the Lone Star Saloon (1354 Harrison). 7:30 p.m. Go to: www.mssfleather.org. Sat., Oct. 8: Ms. SF Leather Contest at the Hotel Witcomb (1231 Market). 6 p.m. Go to: www.mssfleather.org. Sat., Oct. 8: All Beef Saturday Nights at the Lone Star (1354 Harrison). 100% SoMa Beef & Co. 9 p.m. Go to: www.facebook.com/lonestarsf. Sat., Oct. 8: Open Play Party at the SF Citadel. 8 p.m.-1 a.m. $25 plus membership. Go to: www.sfcitadel.org. Sun., Oct. 9: Castrobear presents Sunday Furry Sunday at 440 Castro. 4-10 p.m. Go to: www.castrobear.com. Mon., Oct. 10: Happy Hour After Gym at Kok Bar SF. All day happy hour Mon.; Tue.-Thurs., 6 -9 p.m.; Fri. & Sat., 4-9 p.m. Go to: www.kokbarsf.com. Mon., Oct. 10: Dirty Dicks at the Powerhouse. 4-10 p.m. $3 well drinks. Go to: www.powerhouse-sf.com.

Fri., Oct. 7: Truck Wash at Truck (1900 Folsom). 10 p.m.-close. Live shower boys, drink specials. Go to: www.trucksf.com.

Tue., Oct. 11: Part 1: Piercing as Play, or What to do Beyond Poking Around, at the SF Citadel. Presented by The BadMice. 8-10 p.m. Go to: www.sfcitadel.org.

Fri., Oct. 7: Pec night at The Powerhouse. Drink specials for the shirtless. 9 p.m.-close. Go to: www.powerhouse-sf.com.

Tue., Oct. 11: Daddy’s Trumer Tuesdays at Kok Bar. Trumer & Jager specials, porntastic entertainment! 10 p.m.-close. Go to: www.kokbarsf.com.

Fri., Oct. 7: Locker Room at The Edge (4149 Collingwood). Hosted by Michael Brandon. Celebrate your sports gear fetish! 9 p.m.-close. Go to: www.edgesf.com.

Tue., Oct. 11: Busted at Truck. $5 beer bust 9-11 p.m. Go to: www.trucksf.com.

Fri., Oct. 7: Go Go Studs at Kok Bar. Come have some Jager and Shiner specials and enjoy the boys! Go to: www.kokbarsf.com.

Wed., Oct. 12: Golden Shower Buddies at Blow Buddies (933 Harrison). This is a male-only club. Doors open 8 p.m.-12 a.m. Play till late. Go to: www.blowbuddies.com

Fri., Oct. 7: Ms. SF Leather Contest Meet & Greet

Tue., Oct. 11: Ink & Metal at The Powerhouse. 9 p.m.-close. Go to: www.powerhouse-sf.com.

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Karrnal >>

October 6-12, 2011 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 27

Brutish behavior by John F. Karr

f you want your movies butch, but find the stuff you’ve been watching has become much of a sameness, try the DVDs from Butch Dixon. They can be a refreshing and mostly effective change. Dixon says his films feature “mature muscle daddies, gay bears, masculine hairy guys, hairy muscle cubs.” That jumble of similar words translates to a whole lot of hairy, basically bear-y, mostly daddy, occasionally cubby, and ditto muscley. And just for good measure, throw in some more hair. I like that there are lot of tattoos. And hair, too. Butch Dixon has been creating 20-minute scenes at his website for man-lovers since late 2008. He doesn’t usually depend on stars (although at the site and dotting several of the DVDs you’ll find lots of well-known butch dudes). Take your Lone Star kind of guy. Knock off some pounds, ratchet up the looks a couple notches, and you’ve got the very watchable kind of masculine good-lookers that Dixon features. There are six Butch Dixon anthology DVDs, which could be collectively called Scenes from a Website. The two I’ve got my hands on are Hungry Holes and Bear Boned – generic names that could easily be switched. Neither is too recent, but both are representative, as newer scenes that I streamed didn’t vary much in format or style. Both of the anthologies show the company’s overdependence on prison sex in a cheap-looking jail set (holy testicles, how I hate that prison-cell scenario), as well as a worn-down story-line that keeps coming back to find some pusher or petty thief down at the police station stripping for a cavity search. I’m not so fond of the woozy framing Dixon indulges in, but I like the absence of music on his DVDs, and I’m just fine with production values being kept to a minimum. Dixon leaves fancy-shmancy to the big companies. No-frills suits the look of his men and the look of the films they’re in. Both are butch without ostentation, and not being as studied as those big-name studios, frequently show a greater spontaneity. Hungry Holes worked me. Ross Hurston looks peeved at the amount of saliva his interrogator

Butch Dixon

Marco De Brute in Butch Dixon’s Bear Boned.

keeps spitting in his face, but he gets off strongly on a RC that makes him cum heartily. Then he takes a mouthwatering and very messy OCS from the guy. Two guys encased in latex look great but don’t get around to much actual sex – although some good dildoing brings on a zow! of a propellant orgasm. A leatherman pleasures himself for some time with his dildo, and Christian Torrent is his usual butch, piggy self in a strong scene; the oral cum-shot he takes isn’t visible – because the shooting cock is deep in his throat. He subsequently shows ample gooey proof of where the cum landed. I liked Bear Boned a little less than Hungry Holes. The criminal/ cavity-search thing shows up in two scenes. The first has a set-up that’s highly unbelievable. But you’ll believe the hot sex with Albert, who’s a compact cutie with great pecs and nips. The second features Dylan Buck and has a novel twist. The crook’s cavity-search is fruitless – because the diamonds are under

his foreskin! There’s a sorta wan scene for a pair of somewhat ordinary guys, although they do play with a dildo for a bit. An outdoor three-way would be a highlight of any movie, and finds young Tony Greco with attractive real-life lovers Max and Jason. One is gymbuilt, ponderously cock-ringed and hung. The other has a shaved head and a memorably handsome cock. They’re a yummy couple. The three guys feast on each other in all possible combinations, showing off each of their considerable assets. After the lovers ream the kid, a chain fuck sure is nice, but too brief. A slightly longer DP precedes a festival of dropping loads. And then there’s a toy-playing solo for Marco De Brute. Where do they get these names? This nom de porn sure one-ups Francesco D’Macho. It’s apt, though. De Brute’s more brute-looking than handsome, like Mr. D’Macho. Marco rips off his ornate leathers pretty quick, and brutally rides a thick and long dildo for an exciting spell. But though he seems ready to blow as he bounces, he cums only after he’s off it. Still, he made my sweet pucker percolate.▼

Leather +

From page 26

Brian James and the gang at the Leathermen’s Discussion Group should be commended for putting together the eight annual Fetish Fair at the SF Citadel that featured the sexy Tony Buff (sext me!) causing some kinky “trouble,” and Nick Moretti & Leo Forte from Kink. com, among other demos and fetish fun. It was a big success, as evidenced by this statement from an attendee: “This has got to be the greatest gathering of the breadth and depth of the leather/kink/fetish/bdsm/ gear/etc. men’s community I’ve seen outside of a street fair.” Another successful event was the sold-out official Saturday night dance party, Magnitude. I wasn’t there, but judging from years past, this is one event that’s filled with an endless array of meat and muscle, causing more than a few of us to be rather late to the actual fair the next day. Speaking of which, what happened to the folks who gave me their expectations the week before?

Rich Trove

A twisted game of “Twister” at last month’s packed Folsom Street Fair.

Well, I hope they all survived (I haven’t touched base with all of them yet). I’m sure that Santiago’s kept his perverted integrity intact, getting that desired blowjob and nice piece of ass on his face. David’s “Gay Nerd” look was hysterically perfect, and oddly sexy. A baby stroller didn’t snag Ray’s rubber. Everyone else was able to see

their friends, make new ones, and celebrate their unusualness. As my predecessor Mr. Marcus (who was no doubt there in spirit) would say: “A good time was had by all.” Now all we have to do is survive the next 10 months until the Dore Alley (Up Your Alley) Street Fair. I’m sure we’ll find something to occupy our time.▼

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28 • BAY AREA REPORTER • October 6-12, 2011

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Music >>

Haunted by Maria Callas by Tim Pfaff

pera seasons are opening throughout the land, yet some of us incorrigibles will be thinking, “Out with the new, in with the old,” as a couple of new, live oldies steal onto the recording map. So what, you say, another Callas Traviata, a Rosenkavalier with Montserrat Caballe as the Marschallin? But what if one of them is the recording to have? Once upon a time, when we didn’t yet know that true Verdi singers were going to go the way of the tufted puffin, Verdi’s La Traviata was a repertory staple, everywhere. It’s hardly that it’s gone out of fashion, but despite a steady supply of sopranos who can sing all the notes of the demanding role of Violetta Valery, the ones capable of fully exploring the multifaceted demands of the “traviata” (errant woman) of the title have been few since Maria Callas took on the role she was born to sing, quite possibly her greatest. Having lived for a month now with a new release of a superbly remastered privately recorded tape of the June 20, 1958 Covent Garden La Traviata with Callas (ICA Classics) – the opening night of a five-performance run likely taped from a box near the stage – I’m prepared to call it the best available modern recording of Traviata, bar none. The performance comes three months after the more famous

“Lisbon” Traviata, and puts that fine performance in the shade. Remarkably, this marks its first appearance on a label you don’t have to know someone to access, and the new remastering alone is worth the price of admission. If you’re a sound queen, you’re in sizzly water, but Callas only recorded Traviata in the studio once, early, before her contract with EMI, and of her Violettas, this live one – which did not make the EMI reissue series – is in by far the best sound of all of them, with a startling clarity that makes up for some occasional fuzz, and an immediacy to match the urgency of the performance. Then, too, a Callas detractor could find in this performance hard evidence of all the commonly acknowledged tics and flaws associated with the singer, whose peerless technique was, throughout her career, tethered to an unruly if anything but undisciplined voice. But there’s never any mistaking her intention, which is an odd thing to say about a singer, but Callas’ customary concentration becomes, on this occasion, focused at a ferocious level, and even on the rare occasions the voice lets her down, she nails you with an interpretation etched in acid. The arias and set-pieces are the best she ever sang them – and beware, because once you hear them,

you’re ruined on others for life. The long-held B-flat “Ah” before “Dite alla giovine,” the dramatic fulcrum of Verdi’s perfectly calculated opera, floats effortlessly, yet subtly continues to change color as Violetta considers her lover’s father’s request that she leave him for his sake, then sinks into the aria over a breathtaking downward portamento. There were adumbrations of this moment in earlier performances, but here the character is at full ripeness. But, as so often with this singer, it’s the tiny details, the spontaneous turns of phrase, the in-the-moment fresh realizations that astonish and live on to haunt you, only to be replaced with different details on a subsequent listening. Singing just doesn’t get more live than this – nor

does it happen in a vacuum. Callas’ career may have peaked with the 1955 Traviata at La Scala with the great Carlo Maria Giulini in the pit, but in London Nicola Rescigno, always one of her best collaborators, is Giulini’s equal. He’s in supreme control but on fire, and the Royal Opera Orchestra is a character of its own in the evening’s drama, as detailed in its every utterance as the prima donna. Cesare Valetti is a dream Alfredo, master of a Verdi style we no longer hear, and baritone Mario Zanasi as his father assures that the great scene with Violetta at the heart of this opera is a masterwork of smoldering subtlety. It was hard not to get almost as excited by the prospect of a 1965

Glyndebourne Der Rosenkavalier with Montserrat Caballe in pristine early voice in one of the Strauss roles for which she was celebrated but seldom heard. But the soprano, a SF Opera house favorite for a decade, is but one of many disappointments in this performance led by John Pritchard, whose SF Rosenkavalier in 1985 was one of the high points of his tenure as the company’s music director. The booklet accompanying the Glyndebourne house-label CDs acknowledge that Caballe arrived for rehearsals not knowing the part, and predictably what you get is some glorious voice, almost no text, and a generic central character her colleagues all seem content to match in kind.▼

AXIS Dance Co.

From page 17

“We do a lot of work collaboratively,” said Artistic Director Judith Smith. “My favorite thing is to find a choreographer and suggest a composer, and they really click.” Previous commissioned choreographers include Bill T. Jones, Stephen Petronio, Joe Goode, and Victoria Marks. Along with a new work by Brew, company member Sebastian Grub’s Narrowing and New York-based David Dorfman’s Light Shelter will be performed this week. Getting Brew, a dancer and choreographer before and after the car accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down, took years of planning, but Smith persisted. “Most don’t have both sides of the coin as Mark does,” said Smith. “Others can bring in a whole new palette to paint with, in a sense. We get really good work from people because they’re able to think differently, and apply it to different ways of moving. Rather than being a limitation, it opens up a whole world that wouldn’t exist. Even though we’ve been at this for 25 years, I feel like we’re still at the tip of the iceberg.” Trained as a professional ballet dancer, the Australian-born Brew, who now lives in London, danced all over the world in several companies, most recently CandoCo Dance Company, a collective of disabled and non-disabled performers. Along with his recent appointment as Associate Director of the Scottish Dance Theatre, he’s created new works for dozens of dance companies around the world. Along with his own company based in London, the choreographer is in high demand for commissioned works. While his earlier training and performance in the more traditional

“With all my work, I do try to build this human connection, the physical connection.” – choreographer Marc Brew ballet, including the Australian Ballet Company, may have focused on the abstract, Brew says his own work has become more personable. “That training and discipline, including abstracting shapes for ballet, is a part of my work,” he said. “But I think about humanity, who we are as people. That really had to adjust and change according to my circumstances. Being in dance, accepting who you are, in your new body. It did make me more interested in how we connect to each other as people. With all my work, I do try to build this human connection. Just by having two people onstage, they have a relationship. So I explore that, the connection between us, the physical conversation.” Asked about gender and implied gay or lesbian themes in his work, Brew said that he works with it, and around it. The pairings between different dancers inspire different movement.

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Trib LaPrade

AXIS Dance Company’s Sonsherée Giles and Rodney Bell in Joe Goode’s “the beauty that was mine, through the middle, without stopping,” choreographed by Joe Goode.

“Just having two women together brings about a different dynamic. I said to them, ‘It’s not that you’re gay,’ but it does bring a different quality to them. Two strong women together has a different dynamic, and I like that. It’s been an interesting exploration for them all. We interact with the process. When an audience sees people, not just dancers, they can relate to them more.” The June 30 episode of the Fox show So You Think You Can Dance brought the company a burst of fame and a three-minute audience of 13 million viewers. Company members Sonsherée Giles and Rodney Bell performed a section of an intimate duet choreographed by Alex Ketley. Rodney Bell joined AXIS in 2007 after years as a co-founder of New Zealand’s Touch Compass Dance Company, as well as a decade playing wheelchair basketball. Of the highly edited version of their performance, Bell said, “You gain

something and lose something at the same time. The interesting layer is the ripple effect and exposure it gave to our company, and for physically integrated dance.” As cool as the pair seem about their TV appearance, they’re both aware of its impact. Giles explained. “A friend said, ‘You have the potential to change the landscape of dance.’ Using such a mainstream cultural venue was worth it.” Developing a work for AXIS even has variations between some dancers’ wheelchairs, be they motorized or manual. “It’s also specific to the person and what they need,” said Brew. “These days, we’ve come so far from the generic hospital chair.” Brew’s own chair is custom-made to fit his leg length and his preferences for movement. Along with any dancer’s occasional body injuries, chair malfunctions can occur.

“Oh, yeah. I’ve had spokes come off, flat tires,” he said, admitting that he’s not mechanically skilled. “But a smart lad always has a few spare parts in his bag.” Of his globe-trekking artistic career, Brew said the greatest challenge is access. Although the UK has similar regulations as the Americans with Disabilities Act, not all facilities have been fully changed. “Since the 1990s when I was there, there’ve been tremendous changes,” said Brew. “There are also more people creating work, and even the older theatres are making reasonable adjustments. We have to be adaptable. The point is to get the work out there.”▼ AXIS Dance performs at the Malonga Casquelourd Center, 1428 Alice St. at 14th St., Oakland, Oct. 7 & 8 at 8 p.m.; October 9 at 3 p.m. $12-$24. Call (800) 836-3006. www.axisdance.org

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Read more online at www.ebar.com

October 6-12, 2011 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 29

Music >>

Seven seconds of pleasure by Gregg Shapiro

f you are expecting more of the same of what made Lykke Li’s debut such a memorable disc, then you are in for a surprise when it comes to her second album Wounded Rhymes (Atlantic/LL). Casting aside the more ethereal electro and girly components for a more mature and poised persona, Lykke Li might even send some listeners running for cover with the slamming garage-pop of “Get Some,” “Rich Kids Blues” and “Youth Knows No Pain.” But rest assured that while she can’t be faulted for wanting to expand her following, she understands loyalty and rewards listeners on “Sadness Is a Blessing,” “I Know Places” and “I Follow Rivers.” On her 2008 debut, Priscilla Ahn came off as a throwback to the singer/songwriters of the early 1970s while putting her own contemporary spin on things. Ahn considers her new disc When You Grow Up (Blue Note) to be proof of her growth as a songwriter and performer. And she’s right. To begin with, she’s found some groovy collaborators in Eleni Mandell (on “Oo La La”), Inara George (“City Lights (Pretty Lights)”) and Sia Furler (“I Will Get Over You”). Solo compositions such as “Cry Baby” and “Torch Song” also

live up to Ahn’s claim. As playful debuts go, they don’t come much more fun-filled than Rachel Goodrich’s 2008 disc Tinker Toys. But Goodrich’s eponymous second disc on West London is a great leap forward. She is in motion right from the start on “Morning Light,” and exhibits a maturity in songs such as the gorgeous “Let Me Go,” and “Popsicles.” But don’t worry, Goodrich hasn’t lost her spirit of fun, as you can hear on “Easier Said Than Done,” the skiffle

of “Light Bulb” and the toe-tapper “Hold On.” Super-popular with the hipster kids, Sharon Van Etten calls her second album Epic (Ba Da Bing). That might seem like a strange name for a seven-song disc, but with a full band behind her on most of the songs, the title begins to make more sense. It’s less than three minutes long, but the folk-rocker “Peace Signs” feels substantial. Van Etten ventures into country territory on the heartstring plucker “Save

Yourself.” “Dsharpg” is the longest and most experimental track, and might not be everyone’s cup of G, but “Don’t Do It” is more accessible. Lenka had her work cut out for her when it came to following up her self-titled 2008 debut disc. As it turns out, Lenka was up to the task as is evident on her second album, Two (Epic). The foot-stomping title track gets things off to a good start, and the upbeat rhythms continue on “Heart Skips a Beat” and the dancefloor-destined “Shock Me into

Love.” Lenka’s also perfectly capable of slowing things down, with good results on “Blinded by Love” and “Here To Stay.” Samantha Crain didn’t let too much time pass between the release of her full-length debut disc and its follow-up, You (Understood) (Ramseur). Crain sounds like she has a lot musically in common with Van Etten. Backed by a different band than on her previous album, she navigates a course between the acoustic (“We Are the Same”) and electric (“Two-Sidedness”) landscapes. On Teenage and Torture (Knitting Factory), her second disc with her band The Happy Hookers, Shilpa Ray sounds like she could be the love child of Blondie-era Debbie Harry and Patti Smith who was born not in a manger, but a garage. Raw and rocking, these 10 bluesbruised tracks get under your skin and raise your body temperature a few degrees. If the online-sex opus “Hookers” and the “Lemonpledged and Massengill-douched” “Venus Shaver” are too much for you, the heavenly “Heaven in Stereo” is downright accessible. But don’t get too comfortable, because “Stick It to the Woman” is a painful dose of reality. So bring your own bandages.▼

Courtesy of Phase 4 Films

Scene from director Sam Levinson’s Another Happy Day.

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Scene from the Duplass Brothers’ Jeff Who Lives at Home.

Mill Valley Film Fest

From page 17

19th-century woman who lived their lives as men, not for the thrill of it, but mainly for sheer economic survival. Albert Nobbs has been laboring meekly for decades as a butler in a posh Dublin hotel (c. 1898) catering to Ireland’s British-empowered gentry. Her disguise threatened by the sudden appearance of handsome, “virile” house painter Mr. Page (thoroughly convincing Janet McTeer), Nobbs instead discovers a new friend who has created an unimaginable life for herself, married to another woman. Emboldened to reach for a life she never dared imagine, Nobbs embarks on a bold courtship with a hotel maid (Mia Wasikowska), risking the boozefueled wrath of her handsome bastard boyfriend (Nowhere Boy’s Aaron Johnson). (Rafael opening night, 10/6, part of Glenn Close tribute) Pariah Director Dee Rees plants an African-American baby butch (newcomer Adepere Oduye) in lovely limbo between a hot dyke Brooklyn club scene and the cell-phone tether of her conservative parents. In the following scene, 17-year-old Alike does her quick-change act on an

MTA bus before confronting a disapproving mom. “Where have you been?” “At the movies.” “The movies are over by Midnight. Your curfew is 12:30.” “Sorry, I just lost track of time.” “I don’t much care for the girl you’re running around with.” “Look, I’m not your husband, your companion, or your best friend. I’m your daughter, so butt out!” Rees provides saucy plotlines including Alike’s complex but mostly positive relationship with her NYPD detective dad, and the delicious irony that Mom, trying her best to end Alike’s “tomboy phase,” actually steers her towards a hot overnighter with a church lady’s daughter. (Rafael, 10/10) Jeff Who Lives at Home Fans of indie torture comedy, be advised: the Duplass Brothers Jay and Mark (The Puffy Chair) are back with another silly brother act. Jeff (Jason Segel) is a 30something slacker/voluntary shut-in who has finally got a plan that might allow him to leave the nagging custody of Mom (Susan Sarandon). Meanwhile, older bro (Ed Helms) is blowing up his semi-detached life, including a same-sex affair that ignites so unexpectedly that it sets off

the office sprinkler system. (Sequoia Opening Night, 10/6) Another Happy Day For anyone who has a serious Johnson for films that nail the dizzying vertigo of unhappy families, director Sam Levinson’s rambunctious first feature is a hyperkinetic rollercoaster ride, shot on real celluloid against the claustrophobic, almost sinister beauty of a Michigan lakefront paradise. In the ring with Ellen Barkin’s needy Mom and Ellen Burstyn’s exasperated Grandma, Hoboken-born newcomer Ezra Miller turns his borderline bipolar, drug-taking, cynical 17-year-old prep school dropout Elliot into an adolescent rebel raging against the nuclear family, with a host of sad causes. While gay buds endure pulpy biker movies to eyeball the feral beauty and emotionally bereft acting of Twilight’s Matt Lautner, Ezra Miller has the goods, pivoting from a brash, compulsively rude showoff to a one-boy Greek chorus. Here, Elliot ambushes Grandma about the sweet ironies of family bonding. “It seems there has been an inordinate amount of drama since we got here. It made me think if we came down here for a funeral instead

of a wedding, we might actually all be getting along. Death is actually a more unifying force within family than love.” “That’s a despicable thing to say.” “Take 9/11. I know I was young when it happened, but honestly, it may have been the only time in my entire life that I ever really, truly felt connected to every single member of my family. It’s like some strange, intangible nexus just unveiled itself for a moment. It’s odd that it takes tragedy for it to be brought out.” This is a dark comedy and a primal scream, with dueling moms, group therapy sessions just shy of homicidal, and a troubled if bitterly funny boy’s desperate attempts to avoid ending it all. Note the wary eye contact between Miller and veteran Arthur Kennedy as Elliot swipes Grandpa’s painkillers. (Rafael, 10/12; Sequoia, 10/13) Thumbs Oscar-winning producer of Common Threads: Stories From the Quilt Bill Couturié makes a valiant attempt to explain the madness behind teen texting with an MTV-produced doc that takes us to a NYC texting competition. Here we learn that while the boys are quicker on the draw, the girls blow them away with accuracy. Nice profile of the African-American, Brooklyn champ, and yes, somebody does get carpal tunnel syndrome. (Throckmorton/ Mill Valley venue, 10/9) California State of Mind: The Legacy of Pat Brown Ever since I imbibed Joan Didion’s “Holy Water” essay from The White Album, I too

have been fascinated by California’s mysterious water wars. Sascha Rice’s intimate bio of her granddad Edmund G. “Pat” Brown (father of our once-and-future gov) explains his towering achievements as a builder: California’s university system, roads, and ultimately the grand matrix of waterways. This well-researched doc shows how we got to our present state of deadlock while making it perfectly clear how inadequate a term infrastructure is to describe the foundation of our desert society. (Rafael, 10/11) Stage Left: A Story of Theater in San Francisco Austin Forbord really connects the dots in his survey of the politics behind our distinctly radical theatre scene. With an impressive visual timeline and engrossing chats with the surviving players, Forbord deftly connects the singular history of Bay Area queer theatre to broader themes and personalities. Good use of available performance footage to reclaim precious moments from companies as diverse as the Cockettes and the Pickle Family Circus. (Sequoia, 10/10; Rafael, 10/12) Gold Violin: Bow of Death Openly gay director Mark Pope demonstrates the power of short films to convey important chunks of forgotten cultural history in his passionate tale of Eduard Reményi’s treasured instrument. (On the program Plays Like a Lion, Rafael, 10/9; Sequoia, 10/12)▼ www.mvff.com

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