October 7, 2021 edition of the Bay Area Reporter, America's LGBTQ newspaper

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Vol. 51 • No. 40 • October 7-13, 2021

Courtesy Lisa Middleton

State Senate candidate Lisa Middleton

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy Toni Boumans

Middleton enters SoCal Senate race

Willem Arondeus on the island of Urk

Dutch gay man defied the Nazis and saved thousands

by Matthew S. Bajko

L

by Victoria Ebner

I

n the final days before his execution in July 1943 at the hands of the Nazis, Willem Arondeus asked his lawyer for one last request: to spread a message after he was gone.

“Let it be known,” he said. “Homosexuals are not cowards.”

A battle cry of defiance and a bold assertion of his strength, Arondeus lived his life by these words. An openly gay man and a tireless member of the Dutch resistance against the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, he willingly sacrificed his life for a mission that ultimately protected hundreds of thousands of Jews’ lives.

See page 16 >>

Fair celebrates the Castro

T

he footprint was smaller at the October 3 Castro Street Fair, but people turned out to enjoy the fall afternoon and celebrate the LGBTQ neighborhood. The street fair included entertainment and a much-needed boost for busi-

Steven Underhill

nesses in the area. The late supervisor Harvey Milk, a gay man who owned a camera shop on Castro Street, organized the first Castro Street Fair in 1974 to drum up some excitement in the business district catering to the city’s Eureka Valley area.

Newsom signs bills to broaden STD and hepatitis testing

by John Ferrannini

Courtesy B.A.R.

The Bay Area Reporter’s cover from March 19, 2020, after a lockdown was ordered due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

B.A.R. wins press club awards

by Cynthia Laird

C

apping off an exciting 50th anniversary year, the Bay Area Reporter took home several honors in the recent San Francisco Press Club awards, including overall excellence in the newspapers non-daily category.

The paper’s cover for March 19, 2020 – its first issue after the COVID-19 lockdown went into effect, was cited. The headline read “SF SHUTS DOWN” and featured a photo of the empty intersection at Castro and 18th streets.

Publisher Michael Yamashita, news editor Cynthia Laird, arts and nightlife editor Jim Provenzano, and assistant editors Matthew S. Bajko and John Ferrannini were cited.

See page 2 >>

ast year, Palm Springs Mayor Pro Tem Lisa Middleton, the first transgender person in California elected to a non-judicial position, opted to sit out the special election for the open 28th Senate District seat and instead run for reelection to her city council seat in the LGBTQ tourist and retirement mecca.

Republican former state Senator Jeff Stone had resigned in November 2019 to work for the Trump administration in the Department of Labor, leading to the special election to succeed him in the Legislature. Middleton was strongly urged to jump into the race, as she would attract nationwide attention for aiming to become the first transgender person elected to the state Legislature.

W

ith rates of sexually transmitted diseases and hepatitis B and C on the rise in California, Governor Gavin Newsom signed two bills October 4 to address the issue.

Senate Bill 306 will strengthen the STD public health infrastructure in California. Assembly Bill 489 makes the Golden State the first in the nation to provide adults voluntary screenings for hepatitis B and C.

STD Coverage and Care Act

Courtesy AP

SB 306, the STD Coverage and Care Act, will require health plans to cover at-home test kits for HIV and STDs; update California’s Expedited Partner Therapy statute to include provider liability protections used in other states; permit HIV counselors to administer rapid STD tests; and require syphilis screening during both the first and third trimester of pregnancy.

The bill was co-authored by gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Senator Dr. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento), a straight ally, who introduced it in February.

Wiener put the signing in the context of rising sexually transmitted infection rates throughout the state.

“California has a growing problem with

Governor Gavin Newsom

STI infections, and we must do more to get people tested and treated,” Wiener stated. “SB 306 is a huge step forward in creating a much stronger system to test for and treat STIs. It’s a game changer.”

The rate of syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea infections in the state – taken together – rose 40% from 2013 to 2019. With the decline of STD testing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, experts are predicting the rates to go even higher in the coming years, as the B.A.R. previously reported.

Indeed San Francisco’s latest publicly available STD report (for July 2021) shows cases of gonorrhea and syphilis are up compared

See page 4 >>

to the same point in 2020. There have been 2,636 year-to-date cases of gonorrhea by the end of July 2021, compared with 2,383 yearto-date cases of gonorrhea by the end of July 2020; and 1,136 year-to-date cases of syphilis by the end of July 2021 compared with 953 year-to-date cases of syphilis by the end of July 2020. Cases of chlamydia declined (3,343 by the end of July 2021, compared to 3,522 by the end of July 2020).

The rise in cases of congenital syphilis – when a person with syphilis passes the infection on to their baby during pregnancy – is particularly worrisome to health experts.

Cases of congenital syphilis nationwide rose 261% from 2013 to 2018, according to researchers with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Much of that rise occurred in Southern and Western states, with the crystal meth epidemic in the Central Valley being blamed as a major reason in California, as the B.A.R. previously reported.

“There has been a crystal meth epidemic in the Central Valley for years, with Fresno being a hotspot,” Dr. Ina Park, a straight ally who is an associate professor at the UCSF School of Medicine, told the B.A.R. in March.

“Congenital syphilis infections are known to See page 14 >>

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<< Community News

t Gay ex-CHP officer settles bias suit for $2.2 million 2 • Bay Area Reporter • October 7-13, 2021

by John Ferrannini

‘A powerful message’

A

gay man alleging discrimination in a lawsuit against the California Highway Patrol has settled the case for $2.2 million.

As the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, Jay Brome, a former CHP officer, sued the agency in 2018 alleging he’d experienced decades of harassment in the CHP, starting in the academy and continuing through his work in the San Francisco, Solano, and Contra Costa county offices.

A Solano County Superior Court judge initially threw out the case, ruling that it was filed after the statute of limitations had expired. However, in a unanimous decision in January 2020, the California Court of Appeal for the First District reversed the dismissal and allowed the case to proceed.

After more than a year and a half of pre-trial hearings, the case settled in July, just weeks before a trial was scheduled to begin.

“In the year and a half that ensued, the case was remanded to the superior court,” one of Brome’s attorneys, Gay Grunfeld, told the Bay Area Reporter.

“Discovery was quite robust. We in-

<<

Courtesy RBGG Law Offices

Former California Highway Patrol Officer Jay Brome won a $2.2 million settlement in his discrimination case against the statewide law enforcement agency.

spected three area offices and we took 32 depositions – many lasting more than a day.”

Also speaking to the B.A.R., Brome said that he feels justice was done.

“I’m always told justice is the process, not the outcome,” Brome said.

“We made the process work.”

Press club awards

Gay Ass: My trip down the Yellow Brick Road through activism, stand-up, and politics,” (April 8, 2020); queer former congressional candidate Shahid Buttar’s cam-S A N paign meltdown amid accusations of a toxic workplace environment (August 4, 2020); and a profile on bisexual Assembly candidate Alex Lee that was among the first media stories of his surprising campaign (January 22, 2020).

In the newspapers non-daily news story category, Bajko received second place for his article

From page 1

“I’m immensely proud of the B.A.R. team and gratified by the San Francisco Press Club’s recognition of our work,” Yamashita stated.

Additionally, Bajko won two awards. He took first place in the newspapers non-daily columns news/political category for his three Political Notebook columns on gay former Assemblyman Tom Ammiano’s memoir, “Kiss My

30-40 people. It got to be too much.

It’s all these things that triggered it.”

Brome went to management but the problems continued.

“The department refused to address the problem,” Brome said. “The response was always ‘protect the department.’”

His case was dismissed in March 2018, with the Solano judge ruling that it couldn’t go forward because of the statute of limitations. It was then that Brome got the assistance of the San Francisco firm Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP, which Grunfeld said specializes in appeals.

“I was so lucky to have Gay Grunfeld to build a case,” Brome said.

The appellate court reversed the lower court’s ruling by adding 285 days to the period to which the statute of limitations applies – which was one year – because Brome’s workers’ compensation case was pending for that amount of time.

Lisa Ells, a partner at the firm, handled the appeal. Grunfeld handled the trial work.

“The case has been long, longfought, and challenging,” Grunfeld said. “But Jay is such an amazing fighter. This sends a powerful message to the California Highway Patrol that

they need to reform how they treat LGBTQ officers.”

Brome and Grunfeld both bemoaned that the CHP doesn’t do outreach to the LGBTQ community.

Brome said that there’s no excuse why, for example, the CHP doesn’t celebrate Pride Month with social media posts, or by participating in the LGBTQ Pride festivities.

The Twitter feed for the CHP’s Golden Gate division, for example, has a tweet from May 5 celebrating Cinco de Mayo, but nothing for Pride Month. The San Francisco CHP Twitter account posted nothing for Pride Month but also posted a Cinco de Mayo tweet.

He said that the pre-trial preparation was a learning experience for his former colleagues.

“Hopefully, with all the depositions, a lot of people who didn’t know about my case learned about it through that process,” Brome said. “Other people will now be able to use my case in their cases about statutes of limitations and worker’s compensation.”

Grunfeld said that the CHP needs to put in the effort to create an LGBTQ affinity group, and have an ombudsman, or public advocate, to investigate complaints. t

detailing how a trove of naval recited the library’s document for cords he obtained showed that a the book. document housed at the San FranYamashita praised the recognicisco Public Library claiming slain tion for the story and for Bajko’s Rgay A FA E L R I C H Mwhich OND San Francisco supervisor Harweekly political columns, vey Milk had received an honorhe has penned since September of able discharge from the Navy was 2006. In the 1970s Milk had writr i c h m o n d - s a n ra f a e l b r i d g e faked (February 12, 2020). ten the B.A.R.’s first political colThe disclosure led author and umn in the paper. historian Lillian Faderman to tell “The club’s awards for Matthe B.A.R. that she would update thew Bajko are well deserved for her 2018 biography “Harvey Milk: his superb reporting on LGBTQ His Lives and Death” to say that issues and politics in California,” he had been given an “other than he stated. honorable” discharge. She had The awards, announced Octo-

ber 1 in an online program, highlighted a year of recognition for the B.A.R., which started publishing April 1, 1971 and has become the leading LGBTQ newspaper in the state, and is the oldest continuously publishing queer paper in the country.

In May, the National Center for Lesbian Rights honored the paper for its work over the past halfcentury and, in September, statewide LGBTQ rights organization Equality California also recognized the B.A.R. t

Brome, 57, first filed suit in September 2016. He claimed that his coworkers demeaned him with homophobic epithets and comments, and that one even held a gun to his head as the result of his sexual orientation. He claimed one man who harassed him, Steve Ramos, was promoted and became a commander in San Francisco.

The CHP declined a request for comment. The San Francisco CHP office forwarded a B.A.R. request to interview Ramos to the CHP Golden Gate Division, which forwarded the B.A.R. to CHP Public Information Officer Sergeant Raul Gonzalez, who told the B.A.R. to email the request in writing. That email has not been returned as of press time.

Brome said one reason he’d been initially attracted to working in San Francisco was because he’d initially thought there’d be a friendly work environment there for queer officers.

As his career was drawing to a close, Brome’s health began to deteriorate as fellow officers refused to respond to his requests for backup in dangerous situations.

“I’d work my full shift and not see another officer,” Brome told the B.A.R. last year. “This was an office of

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<< Community News

4 • Bay Area Reporter • October 7-13, 2021

Evans sworn in as Alameda County judge

by Cynthia Laird

A

lameda County Superior Court got its newest LGBTQ judge October 4 when Kelli Evans was sworn in during a hybrid ceremony.

A Democrat who identifies as queer Evans, 52, was appointed to the East Bay bench by Governor Gavin Newsom in July. Evans and her wife, Terri Shaw, joined Presiding Judge Tara Desautels in-person at the René C. Davidson Courthouse in Oakland. Shaw enrobed Evans before she took the oath of office, administered by Desautels.

The couple’s daughter, Kaden Evans-Shaw, 18, joined virtually while in between classes at college, Evans said.

“I want to thank Governor Newsom and the staff members in the governor’s office,” Evans said during her remarks. Prior to being appointed a judge, Evans had been serving as Newsom’s chief deputy legal affairs secretary since last year. She initially was brought on as the governor’s deputy legal affairs secretary for criminal justice when Newsom took his oath of office in 2019.

<<

Middleton

From page 1

Instead, then-Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez (R-Lake Elsinore) won the seat, defeating several other candidates, including lesbian affordable housing advocate Joy Silver. A Democrat, Silver had come close to

Screenshot

Alameda County Superior Court Judge Terri Evans, right, was sworn in October 4 by Presiding Judge Tara Desautels.

As the Bay Area Reporter noted when the governor appointed Evans, the Oakland resident had served as a special assistant to former state attorney general Xavier Becerra from 2017 to 2019. She had left her position as senior director for the administration

of justice at the California State Bar to join Becerra’s staff.

Evans said that she has been “fortunate in my career to be surrounded by insightful friends.” She also recalled her late grandmother, who only had an eighth grade education. She pur-

ousting Stone in 2018.

Now, with Melendez barred from seeking a full four-year Senate term due to the state’s term limits and exploring a run for lieutenant governor in 2022, Middleton is jumping into next year’s open race for the legislative seat. She made her candidacy official Monday, October 4, announcing

endorsements already from the Legislative LGBTQ Caucus and former United States Senator Barbara Boxer (D-California).

“I’m thrilled today to be announcing my campaign for state Senate District 28. I’m running to make a difference in Sacramento and be an effective voice for the 28th District

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chased “on an installment plan,” Evans noted, a set of encyclopedias that Evans read when she was growing up.

Evans also referenced her grandmother in a story two years ago in the Los Angeles Blade about Newsom’s LGBTQ staff members. Evans married Shaw, her college sweetheart, and she told the LGBTQ newspaper that she has “deep appreciation to my grandmother who raised me and to all those who came before us who made it possible for a queer Black girl from the projects to be where I am today.”

During her remarks Monday, Evans said that it’s important for judges to be humble.

“I know that the courts don’t belong to judges,” she said. “The courts belong to the people. Everyone deserves to be heard, and to be treated with dignity, fairly, and with respect. I promise to do that the best I can.”

Evans graduated from the UC Davis School of Law and, in 1995, went to work as an assistant public defender at the Sacramento County Public Defender’s office. She

also served as an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California from 1995 to 1998, when she became a senior trial attorney in the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

From 2001 to 2004 Evans was an associate at Relman and Associates then was a partner at Independent Assessment & Monitoring LLP from 2006 to 2010. She returned to the ACLU as an associate director until 2013. Evans also was a member of federal court-appointed monitoring teams for the Oakland and Cleveland police departments.

Evans fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Thomas C. Rogers from the East Bay bench.

Following Evans’ remarks, Desautels announced that she will be assigned to a general civil calendar at the Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse in downtown Oakland. She will hear civil harassment and small claims cases, the presiding judge said. t

by bringing pragmatic, practical solutions that will improve the lives of all Californians,” stated Middleton, 69, who lives with her wife, Cheryl O’Callaghan, and is now a grandmother to a newly born grandson.

The couple moved to Palm Springs in 2011, and Middleton had served on the city’s planning commission. Her election to a citywide council seat in 2017 was part of a wave of historic victories for transgender candidates across the country that November.

Middleton easily won reelection last November to a four-year term in the newly created District 5 City Council seat. Her Senate campaign announcement noted that the majority of Riverside County voters in the 28th Senate District backed Joe Biden for president last fall and that the district now has a two-point Democratic registration advantage.

“Throughout my career, I have been a leader who listens, unifies and gets things done for the people I represent,” stated Middleton. “It is time that Riverside County and the 28th District receive our fair share of California’s budget. Our region is one of the fastest growing regions of the country. To win the 21st century, we need a local and regional infrastructure built for the 21st century. We cannot wait to address climate change. It is past time we ensure opportunity for all does in fact include everyone.”

In offering her “enthusiastic endorsement” of Middleton, Boxer called her “a fearless fighter for the people she represents” and someone who “is a compassionate, principled and savvy leader who will fight for those most in need in Sacramento while bringing people and ideas to the table to solve big problems. California needs Lisa’s forward-thinking ideas, compassion, grit and determination in the state Senate.”

In a joint statement the current eight members of the affinity group for LGBTQ legislators noted, “it’s far past time that transgender Californians were represented in Sacramento. We know that Lisa will be a pioneering, relentless advocate for the 28th District and all Californians, working tirelessly to make the state more inclusive, fair, and just. We’re with her 100% and look forward to helping Lisa get elected.”

A native Californian, having grown up in East Los Angeles, Middleton graduated from UCLA and received a master’s in public administration from the University of Southern California.

She moved to San Francisco in 1994 when she was working for California’s State Compensation Insurance Fund. It was at that time that she transitioned.

She served on the San Francisco See page 16 >>

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10/4/21 11:31 AM

GBTQs who embraced Levi’s popular button fly 501 blue jeans were in for a shock when the May 15, 1997 Bay Area Reporter had a cover story on the possibility of San Francisco-based Levi Strauss & Co. no longer selling the denim items in some establishments.

Leather columnist Mister Marcus, aka Marcus Hernandez, broke the news, writing that in 1995 the company began notifying about two-dozen retailers – out of some 3,500 outlets – that they “were not conducive to our brand image.” Among those targeted were the Leather Rack in Washington, D.C. and Male Hide Leathers in Chicago. A Levi’s spokeswoman said the move had noth-

ing to do with the fact that the clientele at these stores were predominantly gay, it had to do with sexual paraphernalia being sold at the establishments.

Leather store retailers said the decision smacked of discrimination and brought up the possibility of a national boycott. That doesn’t appear to have happened, and today, Levi’s is one of the most LGBTQ-friendly companies in the country, with a store in San Francisco’s LGBTQ Castro district. For nearly 20 years it has received a perfect 100 score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index. To view the issue, go to https://archive.org/ details/BAR_19970515

t National News >> Report: Queer dating app users want less toxicity

October 7-13, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 5

by John Ferrannini

T

internalize negative experiences that could be mitigated by changes in the design of the apps.

“I was struck by the number of guys who put all the responsibility on the user,” Wohlfeiler said. “‘Just grow a pair,’ ‘don’t be a pussy.’”

While toxicity in queer online spaces is “not a new phenomenon,” Wohlfeiler said, “it’s not that hard to work with the apps to provide them with tools that with very little effort can make the experience easier for everyone.”

Not everyone felt that way, though, with a plurality of Latinx users saying they didn’t want to be filtered by race/ ethnicity. White users were split 35%35% on the matter.

“Some brought up how filtering by race created uncomfortable dynamics,” the report states. “One focus group participant summarized it by saying, ‘I don’t want to be found by my race. I don’t want to educate anyone on the Black experience.’ Other POC users objected to being ‘filtered

out of the grid,’ believing it encouraged sexual racism and discrimination. However, a few POC users in our focus groups expressed not minding being ‘filtered out’ by white users; for them, filtering out people based on their race or ethnicity was a red flag indicating racist attitudes which could lead to mistreatment.”

Hecht called it a “complex and nuanced issue” with “no one clear directive everyone agrees on.”

Hecht also said that “we will be

working with [the apps] in the future about how to implement” the recommendations. Grindr stated it is considering the results of the report in making future changes to the app.

“This is an issue we take seriously,” Alice Hunsberger, the senior director of Grindr’s customer experience, stated. “We are already looking at ways to implement the ideas that BHOC was able to solicit from users.”

SCRUFF and Jack’d did not respond to requests for comment. t

he NiceAF campaign – which encourages people to be nicer to one another on GBTQ dating apps – has released in a report the results of a survey about what app users want to see to facilitate kinder and better communication.

“The No. 1 recommendation from app users was that they want unlimited blocks and we don’t want to have to pay for it,” Jen Hecht, a queer woman who is the co-founder of Building Healthy Online Communities, told Recommendations the Bay Area Reporter last week.

The 36-page report gives recomAs the B.A.R. reported last year, mendations for the apps going forpopular dating and pickup platforms ward based on the survey responsuch as Grindr, SCRUFF, and Jack’d dents’ opinions. joined together with BHOC to create These include unlimited blocks, the NiceAF campaign. The campaign more options for customizing indilaunched with a video competition vidual profiles, expanding filtering that ended July 2, 2020 asking folks to functionality, allowing people to use share their personal experiences with pre-written phrases for different situTheme: “The Power of Acceptance” stigmas (such as racial, HIV status, or ations, and prioritizing the needs of When: Saturday, October 16th body shaming) and belligerent behavusers who experience stigma in future ior on the apps. development and implementation.

Time: 9am to Noon Subsequently, Hecht said, the camWohlfeiler said that, in developWhere: In your own home via Zoom! paign conducted a survey from Aprilment, apps especially need to “priCost: Free and open to all!

June 2021 that ultimately included oritize people of color and trans 5,500 responses from app and site users. people,” who often bear the brunt of *You’ll receive Zoom link via email after registering “While gay, bi, and trans people discrimination in app settings. As one have long been subjected to discrimitrans respondent stated in the survey, nation, stigma, and hate speech from “Many of us who are trans see slurs outside our communities, the way we in people’s profiles. Many of us are in treat each other online can also cause vulnerable positions. People will atharm,” the report’s executive sumtack you. We should have protection.” mary states. “Queer dating app and “The apps can structurally never be site users can harm others because of 100% neutral,” Hecht said. “There are their race, gender identity, age, body ways the apps can change.” size, disability, or because they’re livFor example, pre-written phrases ing with HIV.” can “make it easier for someone to App users’ negative language has reply in a positive way [to someone] derogatory impacts on others, the they’re not interested in.”

Conference Starts! Welcome and introductions from Thomas Kingery, LGBTQ Programs Coordinator/Community Liaison.

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Unlimited blocks could also be Next, SantaAsClara County Supervisor Joe Simitian, an advocate of the LGBTQ Initiative, will provide his unique insights into the a matter of fact, studies have helpful at preventing harassment. As Gold Sponsor: Home Instead significance of the LGBTQ movement. shown that in-group discrimination in one survey respondent put it, it isn’t Community Partners: Project More, Q Corner, queer communities is more detrimenright to make people “pay more monRainbow Chamber of Commerce, San Mateo Pride Center Keynote Presentation: ‘Staying Sane ineyThese tal to an individual’s mental health than to put upCrazy with lessTimes’ abuse.” by Dr. Fred Luskin, Stanford Forgiveness Project. from non-LGBTQs. such as Grindr, put anour physical and mental health. He offers easily practiced skills Dr. Luskindiscrimination will discuss how to do our best Some workapps, through honoring Preferential phrases as “No real end to ability to filter by race/ for staying calm in the facesuch of danger, orusers’ perceived. fats,” “No femmes,” and “Clean only” ethnicity last year amid the national [no HIV] and “their derogatory imDoor prizes courtesy of Home Instead! upheaval following the police murplications are all too prevalent,” the der of George Floyd in Minneapolis, executive summary states. “Yale UniMinnesota.

SESSIONversity 1 (choose Workshop 1 or Workshop 2)such moves have proved researchers John Pachankis, However, Ph.D. and Charles Burton, Ph.D., to be unpopular.

WORKSHOP 1 for some gay and bi men, A compelling 2 keynote speech entitled “Let’s Get Physical: Sexuality and found that “A significant percentage of people WORKSHOP being repeatedlyHOUSING rejected by other gay of nearly all races wanted to filter others LEGAL LGBTQ INCLUSIVE ISSUES Aging,” by Jane Fleishman, PhD, Certified Sexuality Educator, researcher, and and bi menOffice online isofassociated with Housing by race or ethnicity,” the report states. Attorney Diana Dean Gendotti Openhouse Supportive and writer. Her mission is to promote the sexual well-being of older adults greater risk for HIV and symptoms of “Many POC users voiced their disapJoin us todepression hear Openhouse share their journey to provide Gendotti is anrelationships. estate planning and trust administration and same-sex and anxiety.” pointment that filtering by race was Diana LGTBQ+ inclusive Francisco.

Said Hecht:housing “We knowoptions queer peo-in San removed by some apps and wanted attorney who has been licensed for 31 years, and has an face discrimination externally, but County ofpleSanta Clara Office of Supportive Housing willusers of specific office in Los Altos. She will highlight the critical aspects of the option to only see The chance to learn how to make sense of the “Financial Challenges when negativity of happens thebe coming races or ethnicities. one focus group estate discuss the potential whatwithin could to theAsCounty planning, especially as it relates to LGBTQ issues.

Covid,”questions! a workshop presented by Dan Dean, Attorney. Dan has community that can have a negative participant noted, ‘When I’m search- BringDuring in the future. any burning impact on mental health and well-being for someone, I want to talk with been with his husband for 20 years, so he knows first-hand the estate ing ... more harmful than the external people who know my culture. Where Stretch break sponsored Jenni Castaldo, Standing Instructor, will lead everyone in community. a quick and planning issues facing the LGBTQ negative experience.” by Care Indeed!

I live, there are no Asians. I’m looking STRONG invigoratingDan stretch so iswe can feel forwho thearenext workshop.

Wohlfeiler a gay man whoenergized for people interested in my has been working in HIV and STD culture. It’s not always about sex.’”

The discovery of how a research project: “Supporting the Next sinceWorkshop 1987. He co-foundAmong 4) Black respondents to the SESSIONprevention 2 (choose 3 or Workshop Generation,” helps ethnically, racially and religiously diverse families ed BHOC with Hecht. survey, a majority (55%) wanted to be 4 LGBTQ children. This workshop is presented by Family WORKSHOP “This 3 is the first time anyone has able to filter others by race and ethnicity. WORKSHOP support their brought all the apps together on “In our focus groups, some Black BUILD YOUR VILLAGE OVERCOMING DISCRIMINATION Acceptance Project® Director Caitlin Ryan. things that have a big impact on the participants wanted to only meet othFacilitators: Jenn Chan and Loretta Austin, Avenidas Facilitators: Openhouse, Thomas Kingery and Keenan Murray, mental health of their users,” Wohler Black people to avoid racism, parAvenidas feiler told the B.A.R. especially important right from now. Building and Family Program. ticularly being fetishized or rejected Community Gettingisto hear about foster care the Resource Wohlfeiler said that forms many people based on their race,” states. strengthening your village will help you thrive. Discover We will examine different of discrimination, howthetoreport over-

2nd Annual Avenidas Rainbow Collective’s LGBTQ Conference and Celebration!

What You’ll Experience at this Virtual Conference:

come them, and how to be an advocate for change. Discussion with colleagues at Openhouse and review why some people might be asking about SOGIE (Sexual Orientation Gender Identity Expression) and why you should answer honestly!

LGBTQ children and youth are overrepresented in foster care and so

opportunities for new connections with our intergenerational there is a huge LGBTQ-affirming pen pal program andneed socialfor groups.

Learn where homes to find and caregivers. This presentation willand highlight family connections and finding community resources how tocreating build a safe space.

meaning and purpose in caring for community members.

Conclusion: Maribel Martínez, Director of the County of Santa Clara Office of LGBTQ Affairs, will conclude the day with a reflection on the significance of an inaugural LGBTQ Seniors Conference and share more about the County’s commitment to serving LGBTQ seniors as a way to build a strong, vibrant community for today and tomorrow.

With support from the County of Santa Clara, Office of LGBTQ Affairs

(650) 289-5400 • www.avenidas.org

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0) 289-5445 for more information or sign up at www.avenidas.org Courtesy Nice AF campaign

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<< Open Forum

t Newsom should sign press protest bill

6 • Bay Area Reporter • October 7-13, 2021

Volume 51, Number 40 October 7-13, 2021 www.ebar.com

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f the many pieces of legislation awaiting action by Governor Gavin Newsom, Senate Bill 98 should be signed without hesitation. Authored by state Senator Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) and co-authored by gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), among others, the bill clarifies the rights of journalists at protest scenes. That we even need to have legislation addressing this issue speaks to how law enforcement agencies around the state have run roughshod over reporters, photographers, and other news gatherers covering protests, often violating their rights in the process. According to a summary of the bill, it would prohibit officers from assaulting, interfering with, or obstructing a journalist from covering a protest or demonstration. It also allows a journalist who has been detained to speak to the supervisory officer to immediately challenge their detention. A letter supporting SB 98 was sent by a coalition of media and free speech organizations, including the California News Publishers Association, the American Civil Liberties Union, the First Amendment Coalition, the California Broadcasters Association, La Opinión, California Black Media, and Ethnic Media Services. (The Bay Area Reporter is a member of CNPA.) In their letter, the organizations cited several examples of inappropriate behavior by law enforcement officers toward journalists at demonstrations: Barbara Davidson, a Pulitzer Prizewinning photojournalist, was covering a protest in Los Angeles when a police officer told her to move. After she showed him her credentials, he

Courtesy Reuters

Governor Gavin Newsom

responded that he did not care. She again identified herself as press, and, as she began to walk away, the officer shoved her, causing her to trip and hit her head on a fire hydrant. San Diego Union-Tribune reporter Andrew Dyer was shot with pepper bullets while he was documenting protests in La Mesa, California on May 31, 2020.

Closer to home, the letter also includes incidents reported by Bay Area news organizations: Katie Nielsen, a reporter with KPIX 5 News, was detained by officers in Oakland while reportedly identifying herself as press with visible credentials. The detention was brief but it interrupted her reporting on a peaceful protest by Oakland Tech High School students. And Leonardo Castañeda, a reporter with the San Jose Mercury News, was zip-tied and detained by San Francisco police officers.

Those are just a few of the reported incidents.

“In California and across the country, police have

arrested, detained, and have physically assaulted journalists with rubber bullets, pepper spray, tear gas, batons, and fists,” the letter states. “In many cases there are strong indications that the officers injuring journalists knew their targets were members of the press.”

That’s not surprising. Police have a vested selfinterest in preventing journalists from reporting on their actions during protests. We’ve all seen the images of officers using excessive force on protesters, bystanders, and members of the media. Here in San Francisco, the issue becomes even murkier because it’s the police department that issues press passes, which are supposed to allow the media into areas normally inaccessible to the general public. In theory – and in practice – SFPD has even used that power to keep reporters out of meetings. As we wrote in this space in 2017, a reporter for 48 Hills was kicked out of a police news conference because she did not have a press pass. We’ve long called on the police department to revamp its outdated policy, and have serious concerns about whether SFPD should even be in control of press passes in the first place due to potential abuse and conflicts of interest.

Newsom should sign AB 98 because it’s one more safeguard against police misconduct, in this case, against working members of the press. Members of the public should support this bill because it’s only by journalists actively covering protests and demonstrations that they can see for themselves the actions of law enforcement. t

National Dems miss an opportunity

T

he Democratic National Comfor change, and now she – and by exmittee’s decision to scrap a Black tension Black trans people – will no trans woman as an at-large member longer have a direct voice in the seof the DNC was disheartening and nior levels of party leadership to proconfusing to many, more so because it vide her unique perspective. That’s a was tone deaf to calls for diversity and shame. equitable representation. Marisa RichThat is not to say the DNC will be mond, Ph.D., wrote on her Facebook lacking in trans members, just trans Courtesy Facebook page October 3 that she received news people of color. “The transgender comthat she will not be reappointed – her Marisa Richmond munity will still be represented by Milast meeting is this Saturday. She was chelle Risher of Oregon, who will be the first Black trans woman who was a member joined by newly appointed at-large member [state] of the DNC. Senator Sarah McBride of Delaware,” Richmond Richmond lives in Nashville, Tennessee, a ruby wrote.“I love them both dearly and I know they will red state with an atrocious record on LGBTQ work hard to represent transgender interests, but rights. (It’s one of 18 states that is on California with Black and Brown trans people being targeted and San Francisco’s no-fly lists for taxpayerfor hate crimes around this country, and with so funded travel because of its anti-LGBTQ laws.) many racist and transphobic laws being pushed by In addition to her qualifications, that’s all the the other party, having a trans person of color on more reason to have someone like Richmond the DNC sent a powerful message of inclusion and on the DNC. She served for four years working diversity.

“I was extremely disappointed because it means that one of the most marginalized groups will no longer have a direct voice in the senior levels of party leadership,” she added.

We’re disappointed too. The DNC, which is led

by Jaime Harrison, a Black man, needs more people of color at all levels of the organization, particularly LGBTQ people of color, with an emphasis on the T. We hope that DNC leadership won’t wait four years before appointing another trans person of color as an at-large member. Biden and Harrison have the power to nominate the at-large members of the DNC, of which Richmond was heretofore one. We know that McBride is close to President Joe Biden – she worked for his late son, Beau, and the elder Biden wrote the forward for her book – and it is his party now, but the optics of not reappointing a trans woman of color are a bad look for a party that prides itself on inclusiveness.

It’s a loss for the DNC, and for all Democrats. t

Democratic leadership is good for SF

by Faauuga Moliga

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an interview with the San Francisco Weekly dated September 1, 2021, n San Francisco those of us who commented that recalls are necessary are Democrats dominate politics in because they “are an especially importhe city. Virtually every elected office tant tool in overwhelmingly Demois currently held by a member of the cratic San Francisco to compensate Democratic Party. While we have plenfor the lack of competition in many ty of disagreements over policy, the elections.” Raj went on to add, “We debate has ultimately been a discusdon’t have a competitive democracy sion among different shades of blue and therefore sometimes the only way Courtesy Faauuga Moliga that always come together around our SF school board you have of exerting your will upon a shared values that include a women’s Vice President political class and a political process is right to choose, easy access to voting, Faauuga Moliga through the recall effort.” a living wage, and equal treatment unIf you are unfamiliar with Raj, der the law. We also work together to a bisexual father, you are not alone. The San stop threats to our democracy such as Trumpism.

Francisco Examiner reported on April 1, 2021, Another current threat in San Francisco where that Raj and his partner, Autumn Looijen, Democrats are on the same page is dealing with moved to the city in December 2020 and withthe COVID-19 pandemic. We are living a reasonin just a few weeks decided to initiate a recall of able existence at a time when the pandemic ravme and two of my colleagues, Gabriela López ages much of the country, where angry debates and Alison Collins. To promote their recall rage over masking and who and how a person can the pair appeared as guests on conservative access restaurants, retail stores and public schools. firebrand Glenn Beck’s political opinion radio In our city roughly 80% of residents are vaccinatshow on March 14, 2021. Beck concluded his ed, and wearing a mask to protect themselves and interview with Raj and Looijen by stattheir neighbors is accepted practice. Our public ing, “So glad to see you do this and schools are functioning as normal as possible with lead this and stop this madness of very little COVID exposure. Parents and school local authoritarian style of ruling.” staff do not have to worry about shouting matches As everyone expected, a recall efregarding safety protocols at campus entrances, fort led by two residents new to San and residents do not have to fear being harassed or Francisco and cheered on by Beck mocked for wearing masks in public. was floundering by the end of May. All of this relative calm, created by a city where Recognizing this, Raj and Looijen Democrats control every elected position, should sent out an email on May 25 informbe something that reassures us in our everyday ing people they did not have enough volunteer life. However, not everyone is happy with Demosupport and needed to expand their fundraising crats holding so much power over San Francisco to include the largest donations possible for the policy. One of these people is Siva Raj, co-leader purpose of hiring paid petition circulators. of the school board recall campaign, who in Their fundraising call was heeded. The recall

I

campaign landed individual checks for thousands of dollars over the summer. Raj and Looijen put this windfall to good use. San Francisco Ethics reports reveal they paid Accelevate 2020, a petition circulation company out of Texas, $195,458.12 to gather enough signatures to potentially trigger a recall election. Their strategy worked and the recall went from 25,000 signatures near the end of June to 80,000 submitted to the Department of Elections on September 7.

Janet Edwards, a political consultant quoted in the same SF Weekly article as Raj, stated, “If someone is willing to put enough money into paid signature gathering, you can get almost anything on the ballot,” and this is what appears to be happening with this recall. Raj will get his wish of exerting his will on the voters of San Francisco, because in his opinion San Francisco’s “overwhelmingly Democratic” leadership is bad for our city.

I view San Francisco politics differently than Raj and Looijen. I feel fortunate that we are a city where Democrats are at the helm. Our leadership is good for San Francisco and better than the alternative, which is why I ask everyone to oppose their effort to recall me and my colleagues.

Instead of participating in a hackneyed process championed by Raj and Looijen to benefit the desire of a few, let’s judge the merits of our work as individual school board commissioners the way Democrats always do, as different shades of blue during a general election in November 2022. t Faauuga Moliga is an elected member of the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee and vice president of the San Francisco Board of Education. Faauuga is the only Pacific Islander ever elected to citywide office.

October 7-13, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 7

SF leather bar one step closer to landmark status

WALLBEDS

AND

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Politics >>

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by Matthew S. Bajko

S

an Francisco’s gay-owned Eagle bar is one step closer to being the second leather bar in the U.S. of the same name to become a local landmark. The city’s Board of Supervisors granted preliminary approval for doing so at its meeting Tuesday, its first during LGBTQ History Month.

Because it is an ordinance, the supervisors will need to vote a second time at the board’s October 19 meeting to make the city’s first landmark related to leather history official. It will also be the city’s third gay bar location to be landmarked and the eighth property in San Francisco with ties to LGBTQ history to be designated a city landmark.

Atlanta officials christened their Eagle bar, which opened in 1987, a city landmark in December 2020.

San Francisco’s Eagle bar, under different ownership than that of its East Coast counterpart, first opened in February 1981 at 396-398 12th Street at Harrison in the South of Market neighborhood.

The area had earned the nickname of the “Miracle Mile” due to the numerous businesses catering to the LGBTQ community on Folsom and Harrison streets in the 1970s and 1980s. While that part of western SOMA is now part of the Leather and LGBTQ Cultural District, the Eagle is one of the few leather bars remaining.

It was shuttered for two years between April 2011 and March 2013 when Lex Montiel and his late business partner Mike Leon took over the ownership and management of the bar. Montiel has voiced his support for landmarking the Eagle, which is best known for its Sunday beer bust fundraisers on its outdoor patio.

The bar also provides the name for the newly built Eagle Plaza on the block of 12th Street fronting the bar. It honors the city’s leather, kink, and LGBTQ communities and was also supported by the bar owners.

District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney, who represents the area, instigated the landmark process for the bar last year shortly after

Call us for an apppointment!

Rick Gerharter

The leather pride flag flew outside the Eagle bar in 2018 as construction continued on a mixed-use development that paid for a leather-themed public plaza nearby.

the roughly 5,153 square foot, irregularly-shaped rectangular lot where it is situated was put up for sale. The property, listed at just shy of $3 million, has yet to sell.

Noting that the Eagle “is a cornerstone of the Leather and LGBTQ Cultural District, an important historical asset, a cultural institution, and a community anchor that deserves all of the protections and privileges that the city can provide,” Haney said Tuesday that “it is imperative that we acknowledge this significance, and that we endeavor to prevent this rich history and essential part of SOMA from being erased due to the de-stabilizing pressures of ongoing gentrification and development.”

SF employment SOGI data vote delayed

The supervisors had also been expected to give preliminary approval Tuesday for tracking how many LGBTQ people are employed by, and are applying for, city and county jobs. But the item was sent back to the board’s Rules Committee in order to clarify how the sexual orientation and gender identity data would be collected.

As the Bay Area Reporter first reported in June, city leaders want to strike a restriction in the city’s municipal code that forbids it from inquiring into the “sexual orientation, practices, or habits” of city employees. Known as

Chapter 12E, the City Employee’s Sexual Privacy Ordinance of the Administrative Code, it was enacted in 1985 during the height of the AIDS epidemic as a way to protect LGBTQ applicants and city employees from being discriminated against.

With those fears no longer a concern, and SOGI data routinely asked of people seeking various city services and in public health settings, Mayor London Breed and gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman introduced legislation during Pride Month that would repeal that section of the Administrative Code. Once passed, it will be up to the city’s Department of Human Resources to implement it.

The Rules Committee, on which Mandelman serves, had approved doing so at its September 27 meeting.

But an issue was flagged ahead of the full board’s voting on it October 5.

The SOGI data will not be collected anonymously, as Breed and Mandelman had said it would be in announcing the change to the code. It will be collected confidentially in a way that protects the privacy of respondents.

“The city attorney and DHR wanted to make sure we are very, very clear about what the expectations are given the privacy concerns,” Victor Ruiz-Cornejo, a gay man who advises Breed on LGBTQ policies, explained to the B.A.R. in a phone interview ahead of Tuesday’s board meeting. “As written, it says anonymously. It is See page 17 >>

I am the executive director of the Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza, the organization that has been working since 2016 to see the community’s vision for honoring Milk at the intersection of Castro and Market streets is realized. I want to respond to something that appeared in your recent article titled “SF arts panel backs latest Harvey Milk Plaza design” [September 23].

In the article you wrote: “... the plaza has been found to have historical significance worthy of preservation ...”

Yes, the historic resource evaluation, or HRE, did find that the plaza is individually eligible for listing in the California Register, however, this is only due to its association with historic gatherings and events that occurred at the intersection – namely, the Candlelight Vigil on the evening of the assassinations of supervisor Milk and mayor George Moscone and the White Night riots that followed the trial verdict for ex-supervisor Dan White. So, its significance was determined to be narrowly programmatic, and not rooted in its actual architecture.

In fact, the HRE very specifically finds that the architecture itself is not of historic significance. To this point, the report reads unequivocally: “The plaza is also not significant under Criterion 3 for its architecture as it does not embody the distinctive characteristics of a type or method of construction. Although the plaza was designed by Reid and

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Letters >> Responding to Milk plaza article

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Tarics, it is not considered the best example of their work.”

When in It is important to note that the HRE declares that there advance, you canofdesign every detail of your ownand unique memorial detail own memorial provide are three “defining features” of the plaza. So long as these Contact usyour today about theunique beautiful ways to create a lasting legacy three features are retained in any redesign (as they carefully at the San Francisco Columbarium. and provide your loved ones with true peace mind.

Planning ahead your loved ones with true peace ofof mind.

Planning have been in the new design proposal created by SWA,protects an your loved ones from unnecessary stress and financial ahead protectsProudly yourserving loved onesCommunity. from unnecessary burden, the LGBT international landscape, architecture, planning, and urban allowing them focus on whatburden, will matter most them at thattotime—you. design firm), then the plaza is, in the eyes of the report, constresstoand financial allowing sidered to be unchanged: focus on what will matter most at that time—you.

Location at the southwest corner of MarContact us today about the beautiful ways to create a lasting legacy ket and Castro streets; at the San Contact FranciscousColumbarium.

Large plaza at the street level that serves today about the beautiful ways to create as a main gathering space; a lasting legacy at the San Francisco Columbarium.

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SanFranciscoColumbarium.com As you know, there has been a decadesProudly serving the LGBT Community. long conversation in our community about FD 1306 / COA 660 reimagining the plaza so that it represents and celebrates Milk’s enduring significance not only to the citizens of this neighborhood, but also to the international LGBTQ+ community.

Nobody has proposed tearing down something that is “historically significant” or “worthy of preservation,” nor would we advocate for doing so.

Many thanks for allowing me this opportunity to provide clarification around this issue.

One Loraine Ct. | San Francisco | 415-771-0717 Brian Springfield, Executive Director The Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza San Francisco

SanFranciscoColumbarium.com FD 1306 / COA 660

<< Community News

8 • Bay Area Reporter • October 7-13, 2021

t

SF LGBTQ youth agency LYRIC hires new ED

by Matthew S. Bajko

S

an Francisco’s main LGBTQ youth agency has hired a new executive director to lead it as it prepares to undertake a major renovation of its building in the LGBTQ Castro district in early 2022. Laura Lala-Chávez, a nonbinary, first-generation Mexican American, will begin in the role at the Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center Monday, October 25.

Lala-Chávez, 42, later this month will step down as executive director of Challenge Day, a national organization focused on building empathy, compassion, and equity in school communities across the country. They had previously served as associate executive director of the YMCA in San Francisco.

“I am really humbled and excited about this opportunity,” LalaChávez told the Bay Area Reporter in a phone interview ahead of the official announcement Thursday, October 7, of their hiring. “I feel like I couldn’t have dreamt up a better opportunity. It is exciting.”

They grew up on the Mexican side of the Tijuana-San Diego border and attended school on the American side, receiving their U.S. citizenship as a child. In 2003, LalaChávez moved to Northern California to attend San Francisco State University, where they received a B.A. in recreation and leisure nonprofit management.

“As soon as you come to the San Francisco Bay Area, you either love it or hate it. I completely loved it,” said Lala-Chávez, who also received their master’s in school and MFT counseling from SF State.

They held several positions with the San Francisco Unified School District and also worked for two years at Pathways for Success, a

Cheryl Lala-Chávez

New LYRIC Executive Director Laura Lala-Chávez

youth health center in Daly City. In 2013 Lala-Chávez took a job as associate director of Columbia University’s Upward Bound program.

While in New York City they married their wife, Cheryl Lala-Chávez, who identifies as queer. The couple returned to the Bay Area in the fall of 2015 when Lala-Chávez was first hired as the YMCA’s senior director of community programs.

The couple lives with their two children, Ava, 6, and Alina Mateo, 3, in San Francisco’s Portola district.

Lala-Chávez told the B.A.R. they have always been impressed with the work that LYRIC has done to support local LGBTQ youth, especially those from minority communities and those who are gender-nonconforming.

“I have been a fan of LYRIC the entire time I have been in San Francisco and have been working in youth development,” said Lala-Chávez, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns but is OK with female ones.

Leading the agency will combine both Lala-Chávez’s personal pas-

sions and professional interests.

“It serves young people in the city who are a direct reflection of me and my self and my background. This is where I live and I am deeply rooted in San Francisco and I am definitely invested,” they said. “Above all my passion is for creating a safe, nurturing community space for queer youth. What better place to do it than in my backyard with an organization I have really admired for a long time?”

One of two final applicants living in the Bay Area that LYRIC’s board considered for the executive director position, Lala-Chávez won over the directors with their vision for the agency divided into three main points of “heart, direction, and purpose,” board co-chair Michael T. Appel told the B.A.R. “Within each of those core values, or whatever you want to call them, she outlined a beautiful, important, and impactful vision that will take LYRIC to the next level, which is what we were looking to in the new executive director,” said Appel, a gay man in the first year of his two-year term leading the board.

Lala-Chávez’s salary will be $160,000; LYRIC’s current fiscal year budget is set at roughly $3 million. Their breadth of experience in San Francisco also impressed the board and led to its unanimous decision to hire Lala-Chávez, said LYRIC board co-chair Phil Kim. “She is so embedded in San Francisco, that really stood out for us,” said Kim, a gay man who is finishing his two-year term leading the board of directors.

Appel added, “I think given her incredible experience in San Francisco, her experience leading organizations, fundraising, and working successfully with internal and external stakeholders, she was the

full package. We are all so excited. It is one of the most transformational times in LYRIC’s history, so it is kind of fitting we are bringing on a new executive director to see all of this through.”

Last October, LYRIC had brought on Toni Newman in an interim capacity to helm it following the departure of its longtime executive director, Jodi Schwartz, after 15 years in the position. Schwartz, a queer woman, transitioned to overseeing the capital campaign for the long-planned renovations of the nonprofit’s “Purple House” at 127 Collingwood Street.

In late September, Newman, a Black transgender woman, announced she would become interim CEO of the Black AIDS Institute in November. The Los Angeles-based agency has been buffeted by controversy since it let go its previous CEO Raniyah Copeland in late August.

Her abrupt departure led critics of the move to demand BAI’s board resign and see Copeland be reinstated. As Poz magazine reported over the summer, Copeland in January had raised allegations of bullying, harassment, and creating a hostile work environment against her supervisor, BAI’s board Chair Grazell R. Howard, leading to months of internal strife at the agency.

Newman told the B.A.R. she is “so excited to welcome” Lala-Chávez as LYRIC’s new executive director as they are “very qualified to lead LYRIC into the next phase and growth.

LYRIC will be in good hands.”

Kim praised Newman’s leadership of the agency over the last year.

“Toni has been a phenomenal leader and interim executive director for LYRIC,” said Kim. “She has been truly just an incredible force as we have been keeping LYRIC moving forward.”

Closing in on capital campaign

The nonprofit is closing in on its $2.5 million “Flourish with LYRIC” fundraising goal to cover the cost of the renovations of its building. Initially set for completion this summer, the project will now see a groundbreaking sometime next year.

Rui Bing, LYRIC’s interim fund development and communications director, told the B.A.R. last month that permitting issues and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic had delayed the project’s start date.

The plans, approved last fall, call for enclosing a portion of the purple-painted building’s driveway by pushing out the ground floor facade to bring it flush with the rest of the building.

In front would be a courtyard area, while the interior will be remodeled and an exterior outdoor area between the main building and a rear-yard structure will also receive a refresh. LYRIC expects to continue providing its services during the course of construction.

The agency has resumed fulltime to in-person services, with its building now open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Youth 24 years of age and under can drop by to access information on programming and services.

They can also pick up food bags, hygiene kits, safer sex supplies, and connect with staff. Those youth receiving case management with one of LYRIC’s youth advocates, however, can only meet there in person by appointment at this time. t To learn more about LYRIC’s fundraising campaign, visit https:// lyricflourishing.org/

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While turning off the power helps prevent wildfires, we know it can be disruptive. We are working year-round to improve PSPS events for our customers and communities.

HERE ARE 5 WAYS TO PREPARE FOR A PSPS: pge.com pge.com/mywildfirealerts

Make sure PG&E can reach you before a PSPS by updating your contact information at pge.com/ mywildfirealerts.

Pack or restock your family’s emergency kit including food, water, batteries, radio and a first aid kit.

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PSPS Updates

<< Community News

10 • Bay Area Reporter • October 7-13, 2021

SF’s truth and justice panel to launch soon

by John Ferrannini

M

ore than a year after San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin announced the creation of a truth, justice and reconciliation commission amid 2020’s nationwide protests stemming from the police murder of George Floyd, an Oakland nonprofit is putting the panel together.

Though final plans won’t be finalized for several weeks, “people are focusing on sharing the truths about systemic disinvestment and the Black disappearance we’ve seen in San Francisco since 1970,” according to attorney Fania Davis, who is involved with the project and is the sister of out professor and activist Angela Davis.

As the Bay Area Reporter reported July 1, 2020, Boudin joined the top prosecutors in Philadelphia and Boston, along with two civil rights advocates, to announce the formation of truth, justice, and reconciliation commissions, or TJRCs, in each of the cities – during the nationwide protests following the police murder of Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota – to review and officially acknowledge longstanding systemic racial inequities in the criminal justice system.

But one would be mistaken in thinking that just because Boudin announced the commission that means it’ll be run out of his office. Instead, the W. Haywood Burns Institute, a local nonprofit, will head up the efforts.

Boudin’s office did facilitate $150,000 in private funding to be paid by one nonprofit to another for the commission, which his chief of staff, David Campos, a gay man, said is a “publicprivate initiative.”

The money came from the San Francisco-based Grassroots Law Project and went to the Burns institute.

James Bell, an attorney who focused on representing incarcerated youth for over 20 years, founded it in 2001.

Bill Wilson

San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, center, shown here at the October 2 women’s march, and his office are working with a nonprofit organization to establish a truth and reconciliation commission.

Bell told the B.A.R. that in a September 17 meeting, the institute’s design team would be deciding what the commission will be focusing on.

After that meeting, Bell referred the B.A.R. to Davis, who said that due to “emergencies” the design team didn’t make a final decision that day.

“The stars just weren’t aligned,” Davis said, adding that one member of the design team had a death in the family and that the team didn’t want to make final decisions without their input.

Davis said that the general sense of the design team is that they want to set up spaces where individuals affected by the displacement of San Francisco’s Black community can share their stories and demand accountability, either in public testimony or one-on-one interviews.

The Black community of San Francisco has shrunk significantly in the last 50 years, from 13.4% of the population in 1970 (around 96,000 people) to 5.6% in 2020 (around 50,000 people), according to U.S. census data.

Davis also said that the team wants to set up spaces for landlords and developers to account for their actions.

“We want responsible parties to take responsibility for the harm they’ve caused,” Davis said. “We want healing spaces and to promote respect and dialogue.”

Davis said that the commission will also look at police killings, which she said is the main focus of the other cities’ commissions.

The exact state of the East Coast commissions is unclear, however. The Philadelphia District Attorney’s office has not responded to multiple emails and phone calls from the B.A.R. Suffolk County (Boston) District Attorney’s Office Communications Director Matthew Brelis did, however.

When asked via email if the commission had been formed, had met, and if not, why, Brelis stated: “The office under DA Rachael Rollins has always had a restorative justice approach in how we handle things.

“The global pandemic has required us to adapt and reallocate our attention to deal with the disparities in health care, education, housing, and public health and public safety in some of the poorest communities in Suffolk County and in our BIPOC

A community you can connect with.

communities,” Brelis continued.

“That said, we continue to explore how the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission may be able to help the community and we seek community input.”

Brelis did not respond to a followup email asking him to clarify if there will be a commission at some point and, if so, when.

President Joe Biden has chosen Rollins to serve as the next U.S. attorney for Massachusetts, according to a story on WBUR. If confirmed by the Senate, Rollins would become the first Black woman to serve as the top federal law enforcement official in the state. The station reported that the Senate Judiciary Committee subsequently deadlocked in an 11-11 vote along party lines on Rollins’ nomination, forcing Democrats to bring the vote to the full Senate.

SF commission

Bell said it’s up to the design committee to decide the form the San Francisco commission will take.

“They’ll be making two decisions: first, what the conversation should be, and second, what is the vehicle to get input from people,” Bell had said in an earlier interview. “A committee with testimony? Several committees?

South Africa-style or Canada-style?

So we’re going to decide that, have one more meeting and go live.”

The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established in 1996, as the country emerged from apartheid. A court-like restorative justice body, it consisted of three committees and ended in 2003. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, which lasted from 2008 to 2015, looked into crimes committed against First Nations at the Indian Residential Schools. It concluded with specific calls to action to reconcile Indigenous and other Canadians.

While the San Francisco commission’s meetings will be open to the general public, the design team’s meetings are not.

“It [the commission] is not an entity while we’re still during the planning process,” Bell said. “The planning goes better when we can deliberate.”

Davis said hopefully the final topic will be made official at the October meeting, which Bell said will go over logistical issues, such as whether commission work should be on Zoom, or in-person, or a combination of the two.

Formal start to commission delayed

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In last year’s virtual announcement, Boudin was joined by Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner; Suffolk County, Massachusetts DA Rollins; civil rights activist Shaun King; and civil rights attorney Lee Merritt.

King and Merritt are co-founders of the aforementioned Grassroots Law Project, which seeks to combine grassroots activism and legal expertise to “radically transform the American legal system to end abuses of authority.” Boudin said the commission would be of a South Africa style.

The DA’s office reported the $150,000 that went from the Grassroots Law Project to the Burns institute as a behest payment “in an abundance of caution,” according to Arcelia Hurtado, a bisexual woman who is the managing attorney in charge of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the DA’s office. A behest payment is one made with the cooperation or solicitation of a public official – in this case, Boudin.

Hurtado also told the B.A.R. that she is involved in the TJRC project “as a representative of the DA.” The B.A.R. reached Boudin directly August 31. When asked why he announced the commission if it is going to be a nonprofit enterprise, he twice said he did not understand the question before saying he had to hang up, citing the impending birth of his child.

t

The B.A.R. followed up by speaking with Campos, who said that it was always the intention that this commission would be spearheaded by a third party.

“The announcement was a way to say that this is a priority for the office,” Campos said. “So it’s not entirely a public effort; also it’s not entirely a private effort. This is the best approach, considering the relationships our office has and the institute has.”

The Burns institute is a nonprofit organization “working to transform the notion of what justice means in a country with the history that we share ... through challenging racial hierarchy and the social control of communities of color by the justice sector and other public systems,” according to its website.

Bell had told the B.A.R. in August that the form the commission would take would be decided by the beginning of September.

“We pulled together a group of folks – representatives of the community – to decide how we want to go forward,” Bell said. “Will it be a commission that hears testimony? Several panels people can listen to? So, we haven’t decided on the vehicle.”

Bell said that the DA’s office reached out to him and Davis.

“The district attorney’s office was the entity that was reached out to by the funding source and the office was like ‘we’re not the most appropriate to do this,’ so they reached out to Davis and to Burns, to us,” Bell said. “Chesa was like ‘we are interested in this but we aren’t the folks to do this.’ When Chesa got this he said it should be done by somebody else.”

Bell said that the planning meetings are not covered by the Brown Act because “we are not an official city body in any way,” but that commission meetings will be public. Once the format of the commission is determined, members will be selected, Bell said.

Bell did not know the projected end-date of the commission.

Graduate paper published

Public records from the DA’s office requested by local gay activist Michael Petrelis stated in a July 9 email that a group of graduate students at Berkeley Law’s international human rights clinic “provided research assistance on the formation of [truth, justice and reconciliation commissions] generally, both domestically and internationally. The clinic’s students are in the process of finalizing a 200-page white paper based on their research which will be published this fall and will serve to guide the work of the TJRC’s design team, as well as the formation of other TJRCs across the country.”

(Petrelis said he only received answers from the DA’s office after showing up with a bullhorn to an event where Boudin was speaking in person.)

This email describes Hurtado as the liaison to the students, and Bell referred the B.A.R. to Hurtado for questions about the graduate students’ work.

From Bell’s understanding a month later, this paper relates to “the history of the Black community with law enforcement.”

“I don’t know that the focus is going to be police misconduct and Black people,” Bell said.

Hurtado confirmed in August that the paper “relates to the Black community and the police in S.F.” Finally, on October 4, the San Francisco DA office’s Twitter account announced the publication of the paper, titled “Forming a San Francisco Truth Commission” – 15 months after that initial press announcement about the formation of the commission.

“This working paper represents a small step toward shaping a truth commission addressing police violence in San Francisco,” the 105-page document states. “The authors hope that it helps support ongoing dialogue; invites further reflection, research, and analysis; and contributes to meaningful societal change in San Francisco.”t

t

Community News>>

October 7-13, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 11

Cannabis compassion back in season

by Sari Staver

I

t’s “Croptober,” the time outdoor cannabis is ready for harvest and, this year, also the time that cannabis compassion programs are gearing up to go back into business. Compassion programs distribute cannabis products to low-income medical patients but they slowed down because Proposition 64 (2016), which legalized the recreational sale of cannabis starting in 2018, also contained a provision that hurt the compassion program by requiring operators to pay the sales tax on donated goods.

Thanks in large part to the passage of Senate Bill 34 in 2020 – waiving the tax on donated cannabis products – the programs are back in business and bigger than ever. The bill was sponsored by gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), who has been a major supporter of cannabis during his political career. As previously reported in the Bay Area Reporter, the bill was named the Dennis Peron and Brownie Mary Act. Peron, a gay man, and Mary Jane Rathbun, known as Brownie Mary, were medical marijuana pioneers. Peron died in 2018, Rathbun passed away in 1999.

Two longtime cannabis advocates, David Goldman and his husband, Kenneth Koehn, have launched a new compassion program under the auspices of the San Francisco chapter of the Brownie Mary Democratic Club, where Goldman is president and Koehn serves as secretary.

The gay couple had been operating a compassion program informally in the Castro for years, with mostly neighborhood residents who met monthly at their home to pick up donated products.

The new program is currently serving some 30 patients but has a waiting list for low-income patients with a physician’s recommendation.

In a telephone interview with the B.A.R., Goldman urged anyone interested in joining the movement for improved cannabis access to attend the club’s virtual meetings on the second Wednesday of every month. They

Sari Staver

A mural of medical cannabis pioneers Mary Jane Rathbun, aka Brownie Mary, left, and Dennis Peron brightens a garage in San Francisco’s Castro LGBTQ neighborhood.

are currently looking for a new space to eventually resume in-person meetings, Goldman said.

While the Brownie Mary club program is not limited to gay men, Goldman, who lives in the LGBTQ Castro neighborhood, has brought many residents into it and estimates the club will donate about $30,000 worth of products. The Brownie Mary club has recruited the California Street Cannabis Company and Ease to be its supply chain partners.

Goldman was also encouraged by the September 22 San Francisco Board of Supervisors vote on an appeal to approve a new cannabis dispensary at 5801 Mission Street. The vote was 8-3 with no votes from Supervisors Connie Chan (District 1), Gordon Mar (District 4), and Ahsha Safaí, who represents District 11, where the dispensary will be located. During public comment, dozens testified in support, only two people spoke against the project.

“I am pleased that the Board of Supervisors supported improved access to cannabis access,” Goldman said.

That vote came about after the dispensary was first approved by the San Francisco Planning Commission by a vote of 4-2. The neighboring church filed an appeal of that decision to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

Goldman is modest about his ongoing compassion program, calling it a “small fry” compared to the Bay Area’s oldest and largest compassion program, Sweetleaf Collective.

Sweetleaf Collective

As reported previously in the B.A.R., Sweetleaf has been donating to low-income medical patients, most with HIV or cancer, for several decades. Joe Airone, its founder and executive director, told the B.A.R. in a recent phone interview that the group hopes to donate $2 million worth of pot this year.

Airone, a straight ally, said his group is also compiling a wait list.

Airone said the program has undergone some changes. Sweetleaf used to deliver products donated by growers but that too was prohibited by the cannabis legalization measure, requiring the group to use legal, already packaged products. Sweetleaf is partnering with SPARC, founded by a gay man, Erich Pearson.

Sweetleaf is growing rapidly. Its patients have received over $3.5 million worth of cannabis since 1996. Sweetleaf has launched its own fundraiser

to pay for the compassion giveaway, selling lighters and rolling papers through dispensaries and delivery services. They retail for $3 each. The money raised from the sale of one lighter or one pack of rolling papers goes to pay the overhead on dispensing 3.5 grams of compassionate cannabis, Airone said.

Airone said Sweetleaf gave away more than $500,000 worth of cannabis last year and, thanks to a recent donation of 200 pounds of pot, the goal this year is the aforementioned $2 million. Airone said they are in talks with dispensaries in Humboldt, Mendocino, Sonoma, Sacramento, and Los Angeles counties and are hoping to have more locations providing free medicine.

Newsom signs medical cannabis bill

In late September, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 311, Ryan’s Law, requiring hospitals and medical facilities to allow end-stage patients to use medical cannabis instead of opiates for pain relief.

In a prepared statement, legislative sponsor state Senator Ben Hueso (D-El Centro) said that “endstage patients in California medical facilities are given heavy opiates that take away precious last moments with family and friends,” Hueso said. “This is a simple yet important move that brings relief, compassion, and dignity” to Californians.

SB 311 does not apply to patients receiving emergency medical care and explicitly prohibits smoking and vaporizing cannabis.

The law was named after Ryan Bartell, a California native and Coast Guard veteran who died in 2018 after fighting pancreatic cancer. Bartell was given morphine and fentanyl in the last few weeks of his

life and was unable to keep awake for his family and friends, according to the legislation.

New SF dispensary approved

And finally, congratulations are in order for Oakland’s Amber E. Senter, a longtime cannabis entrepreneur, on the San Francisco Planning Commission’s approval of a dispensary at 2428 Clement Street in the Richmond district. On September 30, the commission approved the retail store, following a three-year wait from the time Senter first filed her application for a new business.

Senter, a lesbian, was also honored in early October with two awards during a cannabis industry retreat. Senter, who is president of Breeze Distro, a distributor of cannabis products, was recognized for having the best equity organization and the best social equity program in California.

“We accept these awards on behalf of all the advocacy organizations doing the hard work of lowering barriers of entry for Black and Brown people in cannabis,” she posted on Facebook.

As previously reported in the B.A.R., last year Senter launched the first publicly funded social equity kitchen supporting people of color to enter the infused cannabis market. Senter is also a co-founder of “Supernova Women,” a 6-year-old nonprofit whose mission is to empower people of color to become self-sufficient shareholders in the cannabis industry.” t

For more information on the Brownie Mary Democratic Club program, contact Goldman at brownie.MarySF@gmail.com or visit the website, http://www. browniemarydemclub.org.

For more information on Sweetleaf Collective, email sweetleafjoe@ gmail.com or visit the website, sweetleafcollective.org/.

Final SOMA 2nd Sat. event coming up compiled by Cynthia Laird

T

he final opportunity this season for people to stroll around South of Market and look for cool items will be October 9, when the last SOMA Second Saturday event of 2021 takes place from noon to 5 p.m. on 12th Street between Eagle Plaza and Folsom Street.

Organized by the Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District, Folsom Street Events, and the SOMA West Community Benefit District, the monthly bazaars proved popular for shoppers and merchants alike.

The afternoon event includes some of the finest queer and kink artists, artisans, and craftspeople, a news release stated.

The series, which started in May, has been a welcoming space for the leather and kink communities as San Francisco has reopened amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In May, as it became safe to hold outdoor events, our three organizations partnered to provide the community with a safe and fun event to gather with friends old and new,” stated Cal Callahan, a gay man who is manager of the Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District. “We also wanted to provide artists and craftspeople a venue to sell their work after a long

shelter-in-place, and to bring revenue to local businesses that had been so severely impacted by the pandemic.”

Callahan said the Second Saturdays have been “an incredible success” and stated that another series of programs and events are expected during the winter months.

None of the booths will be serving refreshments, but the Eagle, at 12th and Harrison streets, will be serving drinks. The longtime leather and LGBTQ bar moved one step closer to city landmark status this week after the San Francisco Board of Supervisors gave its preliminary approval (https://www.ebar.com/index. php?id=309462). (Because the landmarking legislation is an ordinance, the supervisors will take a second and final vote October 19. See the Political Notebook column.)

At the DNA Lounge, DJ Cip Cipriano will be on deck, and people can dine at the Willows and Manora’s Thai at Folsom and 12th streets.

The release stated that COVID safety protocols will be enforced, and it is a non-smoking event. Staff, volunteers, and vendors will be wearing masks and organizers strongly encourage attendees to do the same.

See page 14 >>

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<< Community News

14 • BAY AREA REPORTER • October 7-13, 2021

<<

STD bills

From page 1

be associated with maternal meth/ substance use, homelessness, lack of access to prenatal care, incarceration. So there is an intersection of the crystal meth epidemic with the rise of syphilis in women, which has led to increases in congenital syphilis.”

Pan’s office issued its own statement in an October 5 news release.

“STI rates across the country have

reached crisis levels and it has become worse as an antibiotic-resistant strain of gonorrhea spread across the country,” Pan stated. “SB 306 is an essential public health measure, and I am proud to have partnered with such a strong coalition of community health organizations to strengthen public health and expand access to STI diagnosis and treatment in California.”

The bill was co-sponsored by APLA Health, Black Women for Wellness Action Project, Essential Access

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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.

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Health, Fresno Barrios Unidos, Los Angeles LGBT Center, and San Francisco AIDS Foundation. APLA Health CEO Craig E. Thompson issued a statement October 4.

“California is facing an out-ofcontrol STI crisis that was raging even before the [COVID-19] pandemic – disproportionately impacting youth, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community,” Thompson stated. “SB 306 provides a comprehensive approach to strengthen the state’s public health infrastructure and expand access to STI testing and treatment at a time when it is most desperately needed. We applaud Dr. Pan for taking on this urgent issue and thank Governor Newsom for signing the bill into law.”

Essential Access Health made its own statement via Twitter early October 5.

All the six co-sponsors made a joint statement later October 5.

“SB 306 is the bold action California needs to turn the tide on rising STI rates,” the statement reads.

“The bill seeks to expand the tools and resources that health providers can use to increase access, reduce STI transmission and improve health outcomes across the state in partnership with advocates, local organizations and community members.

“We applaud Dr. Pan for his leadership in introducing this comprehensive and robust approach to STI prevention, and thank Governor Newsom for signing this important measure into state law,” the statement continues. “California will once again lead with innovation and best practices in STI prevention and care, and serve as a model for other states to follow.”

SF AIDS Foundation interim CEO Kevin Rogers told the B.A.R. that “the passing of SB 306 is an important step forward in addressing the skyrocketing STI epidemic in California, and will expand access to STI services to individuals and communities who may be disproportionately impacted by STIs and experience barriers in accessing quality STI prevention and care.”

“We extend our thanks to the Governor and California State Legislature

Courtesy senators’ offices

State Senators Scott Wiener, left, and Dr. Richard Pan teamed up on an STD bill.

for passing SB 306 and helping to ensure that all Californians have the sexual health resources they need,” Rogers continued.

The Los Angeles LGBT Center did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

AB 789

Newsom also signed AB 789, which was co-authored by Pan, gay Assemblyman Evan Low (D-Campbell), and straight Assemblymen Mike A. Gipson (D-Carson), and David Chiu (D-San Francisco).

This bill mandates that health facilities begin offering voluntary testing for hepatitis B and C at routine medical appointments, and that care and treatment are provided for those who test positive.

Hepatitis B is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus. It is spread by exposure to infected blood and bodily fluids, and is most spread by intravenous drug use and sexual intercourse. It has been preventable by vaccination since 1982.

Hepatitis C is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis C virus. It is spread primarily by exposure to infected blood, and is most spread by intravenous drug use, poorly sanitized medical equipment, needlestick injuries in the health care industry, and blood transfusions. There is no vaccine, but antiviral medications can cure most infections.

Significant numbers of people in-

<<

News Briefs

From page 11

Pride center to hold coming out panel

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The San Mateo County Pride Center will join with several other Peninsula LGBTQ groups to hold a virtual panel in observance of National Coming Out Day Tuesday, October 12, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Other participants include the San Mateo County LGBTQ Commission, San Mateo County Pride Initiative, and Coast Pride. (National Coming Out Day is October 11, but the Pride center and other organizations will be closed that day in observance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a news release noted.)

The panel will include Kai Doran, Ana Paula Garay, and Cameron Zeller, who will share their coming out stories and ways to create safe coming out spaces at work, home, and school. Kiku Johnson, executive director of the Rainbow Community Center in Concord, will moderate.

The event is free, but registration is required and can be made at https://bit.ly/2ZWYCH3.

Livermore Pride will be in-person

Organizers of Livermore Pride have announced that the event will be in-person this year, taking place Saturday, October 16, from noon to 5 p.m. at Carnegie Park, 2155 Third Street.

The performance schedule includes Cheer-SF, the LGBTQfocused spirit squad; a drag show with Charity Kase and Ava LaShay and friends; a pooch parade to

fected with hepatitis B (two-thirds) and C (40%) are unaware of their infection, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Dr. Samuel So, a Stanford University professor and the director of the Asian Liver Center there, stated that “by closing the gaps in diagnosis and treatment, AB 789 is an important, lifesaving legislation that would help end the silent epidemic of liver disease and liver cancer deaths in California caused by untreated hepatitis B and C.” Chiu, who will in a matter of weeks be leaving the Legislature’s lower chamber to become San Francisco city attorney, stated that, “Expanding access to hepatitis B and C screenings will save lives in California.

“Hepatitis B disproportionately impacts our Asian American communities,” Chiu added. “By signing this bill, California is equipping patients with the information they need and working to address disparate health outcomes in communities of color.”

Low stated he was “so grateful to the coalition that worked on this bill, and to Gov. Newsom for recognizing that all Californians deserve access to hepatitis B and C screenings.

Hepatitis particularly affects so many people in AAPI [Asian American Pacific Islander] and Black communities across California, which is why a screening is actually priceless when it comes to keeping our loved ones with us for many years to come.” t

compete for the title of “Proudest Pup;” and several other local performing artists.

A news release stated that the festival will feature food and drink options from local vendors and dozens of LGBTQ-owned and allied small businesses selling their Pride-themed or aligned wares and services. There will be a crafts zone, lawn games, and an area showcasing local nonprofits, groups, and community services.

“We are thrilled to be able to bring our community together for a day of celebration and camaraderie. Ending isolation is one of our core tenets, and supporting our community with this annual festival is one of the best ways we can do that right now,” stated Amy Rose, the executive director of Livermore Pride.

The festival is part of a full weekend of activities. Local entrepreneur Nadia Breiz will host an 18 and over business event, Fortune’s Follies, Friday, October 15, and her popular Match Maker’s Market Sunday, October 17 (also at Carnegie Park).

Festival organizers ask that all attendees be fully vaccinated against COVID (if able), maintain physical distancing, and wear masks unless eating or drinking, even with the event being held outdoors.

This will be the third annual Livermore Pride event, though last year’s was held online due to the pandemic. All ages are welcome to attend the free event. For tickets, go to https://www.livermorepride. org/. For information on the Follies event, where tickets start at $75, go to https://bit.ly/3oCiREg. t

t

LGBTQ History Month>>

October 7-13, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 15

Until legal ruling, Disneyland banned same-sex dancers

by Matthew S. Bajko

D

eemed the “Happiest Place on Earth” Disneyland sadly didn’t live up to that billing for same-sex couples during its first three decades.

Opened in 1955 by the late Walt Disney, the family-oriented amusement park was built on a former orange orchard in Anaheim, California.

Two years later, with it launching “date nights” that featured dancing under the stars to lure local Orange County couples, especially teenagers, on weekends, Disneyland management adopted a strict policy for who was allowed to show off their dance moves. The rule made clear that “couples only are allowed on the dance floor (male/female)” but did make an allowance that “small children may dance as non-couples if floor space permits.”

The park’s security officers strictly enforced the homophobic policy, quickly breaking up any couple that deviated from it. So was the case when a young lesbian showed up at the park in 1980 and was told she couldn’t dance with other girls.

Her roommate at the time was Andrew Exler, who had grown up less than two miles from Disneyland and often attended the theme park, even at times skipping school to spend the day among its fantastical lands.

A young gay activist who had already tangled with his local school district over its censorious policies pertaining to students who wanted to provide public comment during school board meetings, the 19-year-old Exler sprang into action.

He wrote and called Disneyland executives to raise objections about the dancing restrictions. Disappointed in the response he received, Exler enlisted a 17-year-old Shawn Elliott, another

Stephen Stewart

Andrew Exler, who has since changed his name to Crusader, sits in front of a whale at Disneyland in a photo that he sent to his parents.

gay teen he had befriended at their local LGBTQ community center, to help him protest the policy during date night on Saturday, September 13, 1980.

None of the local reporters Exler had contacted to give them a heads up agreed to document their dance floor rebellion, telling him they doubted park employees would do anything so harsh as to kick them out of the park.

Undaunted, and clad in a dragonadorned light blue kimono he had bought at a Judy’s department store “Gear for Guys” section – “we called it Gear for Gays,” he recalled – Exler arrived at the park that evening with Elliott and headed to the Tomorrowland Terrace in the space-themed land of the park to join the dance floor.

“I probably sticked out like a sore thumb. Shawn was in more normal stuff clothing,” recalled Exler, 60, who legally changed his name to Crusader in 1995, in a recent phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter.

The pair of platonic friends soon

were grooving to disco tunes along with the other dancing couples. Never did the young men touch each other or embrace for a slow dance, as Crusader noted in a guest opinion piece published in the October 17, 1991 issue of the B.A.R. marking the 11th anniversary of their ejection from the park.

“Our crime was disco dancing,” he wrote. “We didn’t touch, we didn’t kiss, we didn’t bump and grind. We simply danced to the sounds of some horrible disco band.”

Nonetheless, it didn’t take long for park security officers to approach them and demand they leave the dance floor or find girls to dance with them. Security officer William Acker would later recall that he told the teenagers their dancing together “was of a controversial nature at that point, and I believe specifically I said something to the effect of alternate lifestyle that wasn’t in keeping with the traditional aspects of the company, of what Disneyland represents.”

Crusader remembers one security officer tried to break up the two teens by standing in the middle of them.

“I danced around him. I just moved and danced around and got to the other side of Shawn,” said Crusader, who was living in Fullerton at the time and working for Orange County.

By then five security officers had surrounded them on the dance floor.

One grabbed Crusader on his left side, another grabbed him on his right.

“They brought me to a complete stop,” he said. “They escorted me and told Shawn to follow your partner.”

After a brief exchange near the dance floor where the security personnel explained the park’s ban on same-sex couples dancing, the friends were led to the front entrance to Disneyland. They held hands as they walked down the park’s Main Street.

“People must be thinking, ‘What the fuck did they do?’ In the security office they interviewed us to get our names, addresses, ages,” said Crusader. “Then they said you can stay tonight in the park as long as you don’t dance together. We said nothing doing, we don’t agree to that.”

While they were told they had to leave and couldn’t return that night, Crusader remembers being informed they would be welcomed back any other time. The next day he granted an exclusive interview to a Los Angeles Times reporter, and her story was featured in the Monday edition.

Lawsuit filed

It resulted in a flurry of local press coverage, and the two teens sued Disneyland claiming its same-sex-dance ban violated their rights under California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act. The nondiscrimination code applies to businesses serving the public and at

Bay Area Reporter — 9.75 x 7.625

the time expressly prohibited discrimination in public accommodation based upon sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, and medical condition.

As detailed in their lawsuit filed September 22, 1980 with the Orange County Superior Court, the two friends “desire to return to Disneyland and to consensually dance with other males on the dance floor but are prevented from doing so by Disneyland’s enforcement of its no-samesex-dancing policy.”

Taking the case was attorney Ronald Talmo, a straight ally a few years out of law school with a solo practice who had worked with Crusader on a free speech matter against the local school district. Speaking to the B.A.R. Talmo said he did so because he was confident they had a compelling legal argument.

“It was blatant,” said Talmo, of the discriminatory policy Disneyland was enforcing. “The idea was even though you are a place of public accommodation and think you can exclude whoever you want, you can’t.”

No one thought he and his clients had a chance in court. Other gay people told Crusader he was “too flamboyant” and shouldn’t be taking on Disneyland.

“The Disneyland case, the gay community didn’t give two shits about,” he said, as it received little coverage in the gay press at the time.

Fellow lawyers told Talmo they didn’t think he could win, and a lesbian attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union’s Los Angeles office tried to persuade him to drop the case for fear it would set back the fight for gay rights.

“Other lawyers told me I was nuts to take it,” said Talmo.

See page 16 >>

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<< LGBTQ History Month

16 • Bay Area Reporter • October 7-13, 2021

<<

Dutch gay man

While Arondeus had many artistic talents, he is much more recognized for his courageous acts of rebellion as a member of the Dutch resistance during World War II – which he joined in 1940 and where he truly found his voice as an activist.

“When you read [his] diary you see an insecure artist, even doubting his own success ... he always felt as an outsider,” said Mueller. “But when he joined the resistance, he found his own voice – you see a man who is determined, who knows the risks, but doesn’t feel like an outsider anymore.”

Though Arondeus was focused on defending the safety of the Dutch

they would blow up the facility – along with the hundreds of thousands of documents inside.

Frieda Belinfante, an openly gay woman who fought alongside Arondeus in the resistance and participated in the plan, said in an old video interview that while both of them knew the danger that would come if they were caught, each knew it was necessary to carry out their mission.

“He said, ‘Do you think that we see the end of this war?’ and I said, ‘I don’t think so,’ and he said, ‘I don’t think so either,’” Belinfante recalled in a video interview that was recently shown by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum recognizing Pride Month. She spoke about a conversation the two had about the danger of their plan. “And then he said, ‘Do you mind?’ and I said, ‘No I don’t,’ and he said, ‘I don’t either.’”

And so, on March 27, 1943, a group of resistance fighters led by Arondeus entered the facility disguised as Dutch police, drugged the guards, and blew up about 800,000 identity cards.

Yet, just several days later on April 1, an anonymous source informed authorities of the attack and Arondeus was arrested. Though he attempted to take full responsibility for the attack and refused to give the names of his team, his notebook was found and many of the contributors were revealed.

Some were able to escape and flee the country, but exactly three months later, Arondeus and 12 others – including two other gay men – were brought before a firing squad and executed.

Diego in 2004 for work.

Middleton has two adult children: John Middleton and Lauren Medlin, who both became teachers. In 2010 she retired from her job with the state agency after 36 years.

Yet she didn’t slow down in retirement, chairing the Organized Neighborhoods of Palm Springs and serving on the Desert Horticulture Society’s board of directors in addition to her LGBT advocacy and city planning work. As a City Council member, Middleton addresses re-

gional transit issues as a member of the Riverside County Transportation Commission and the Sunline Transit Board of Directors.

She is also a member of the League of California Cities Board of Directors, chairing its Cal Cities Revenue & Taxation Policy Committee, and sits on the California State Department of Transportation Zero Traffic Fatalities Task Force. In April 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom appointed her to the Board of Administrators of the California Public Employees Retirement

System, where she chairs the Risk & Audit Committee and is vice chair of the Governance Committee.

“In the state Senate, I will work to return our state and country back to a place where a crisis – whether it be a pandemic, wildfire, or earthquake – is not an opportunity for partisanship but for us to work together to save lives. In our state, it is always going to be not if, but when and how bad is the next emergency,” stated Middleton. “My foundation is the neighborhoods I represent. My path to being

the first transgender Californian to be elected to a political office began by standing up for Palm Springs neighborhoods and street repair funding.

I will go to work every day in the State Senate to improve the quality of your life, in your neighborhood.” t

not from Orange County assigned the case, Talmo expected that Ross would be the sole person to hear the lawsuit and decide on their injunction request to end the same-sex-dancing ban. Their lawsuit initially had sought $10,000 in statutory damages for the plaintiffs, but Talmo had decided not to seek any money from the company for his clients, which negated the need for a jury.

Yet the lawyers from the firm Disneyland hired to defend it – Hill, Farrer & Burrill – surprised Talmo and Ross during their first meeting about the lawsuit by pulling out a 28-page brief arguing to have an advisory jury weigh in on the case. The jurors would proffer a decision that Ross could then accept, or reject and issue his own ruling.

“The judge says, and I remember this really clearly, ‘Let’s impanel a jury, this should be fun.’ That’s how we ended up with a jury,” recalled Talmo.

At first Talmo had his doubts about seating an impartial jury. During juror selection one man who looked to be over 6 feet tall with tattoos covering both his arms told the judge the case offended him as a Roman Catholic.

“I turn to Andrew [Crusader] and say, ‘We are in trouble buddy,’” recalled Talmo, even though the man was dismissed.

Disneyland’s legal team argued that the same-sex dancing prohibition didn’t discriminate on the basis of the teens’ sex or “sexual preference.”

Rather they argued it is “a regulation of specific conduct that is rationally related to the services performed and

the facilities provided at Disneyland.”

In effect, the lawyers argued that the policy was merely an “innocuous deportment regulation” that meant “no one has the right to dance at Disneyland except upon those terms Disneyland permits.”

Richard Nunis, then Disneyland’s president, had helped formulate the rule in 1957 and testified during the trial that the regulation wasn’t adopted to preclude homosexuals from dancing with each other. Such a possibility wasn’t even discussed at the time, he claimed, and their focus was how to keep the dance floor from being overcrowded.

Nunis explained to the jury that the real concern had to do with pairs of women overtaking the dance floor.

Back then, he said, it was common for two women to dance together in public if they had no men to dance with them.

had got to me, as I always brushed it aside. Apparently, I hadn’t brushed anything aside. It was just overwhelming that Disneyland case.”

Disneyland did file an appeal of the ruling. Its lawyers in their August 9, 1985 brief before the state’s 4th Appellate District court referred to various marriage rights cases such as Perez v.

Sharp and Loving v. Virginia in making their point that “in California, by statute, people of the same sex do not have the right to marry” nor by extension to dance together at a theme park.

“Homosexuals, as a class, are not barred from dancing. They are simply required to dance in the traditional manner, with partners of the opposite sex, as are heterosexuals and bisexuals,” the lawyers argued, stressing that it applied to every dancing duo at Disneyland. “The rule prevents any same gender couple from gaining access to the dance floor, regardless of the sexual preference of the two individuals.”

Coincidentally, it was another case Talmo had filed on behalf of a man upset at being denied the discounts that nightclubs, bars, and car washes offered women on so-called “ladies nights” that torpedoed Disneyland’s appeal. Three days before they were to argue in that case, the California Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Koire v. Metro Car Wash that the businesses were in violation of the Unruh Act. “The impact of that decision is a business’ reason for doing the discrimination does not matter,” explained Talmo.

Thus, Disneyland no longer had a legal defense for why its samesex-dance ban should be allowed to remain. Its lead attorney called up Talmo to congratulate him on the win in the other case and offered a settlement agreement in Exler v.

Disneyland.

The company paid Talmo $25,000 to cover most of his legal fees in the case, dismissed its appeal, and allowed the trial judge’s ruling to stand.

Although it only applied to Crusader and Elliott, the ruling did have a wider impact, contended Talmo.

A budding artist struggling to survive

<<

Middleton

From page 4

Human Rights Commission’s LGBT advisory committee and, between 2001 and 2004, Middleton served on the board of Lyon-Martin Women’s Health Services, the San Franciscobased health clinic for lesbians, bisexual women, and transgender individuals that is now part of HealthRIGHT 360. During that time she and O’Callaghan moved to Belmont on the Peninsula until relocating to San

<<

Disneyland

From page 15

Taking on a giant

Reflecting its clout both as a behemoth in the entertainment industry and the largest private employer in Orange County, Disneyland had never lost a legal battle in court. Until then the lawsuits filed against it largely had to do with people claiming they had been injured in the park.

“I was told Disneyland usually was sued 50 times a year since it had opened in 1955. Although it settled a case here and there, which is rare, it never lost one,” said Talmo. “Until ours.”

Initially, it looked like Disneyland would score another legal victory. The state courts declined Talmo’s request for an immediate injunction against the park’s dancing policy, with the case then sent back to the local superior court to be heard on its merits.

A lucky break then came for Talmo and his clients when the scheduling judge in Orange County deliberately assigned the case to Judge James R. Ross, who had practiced law in Los Angeles County. Years later Talmo would learn about the scheduling subterfuge.

“The master calendar judge knows what the case is about. He says, ‘You know I had to decide who to give this case to. The courtrooms open I wasn’t going to send you to because I thought you should win, and I didn’t think you were going to get a fair trial anywhere,’” recalled Talmo.

With an “out of county” judge

Arondeus’ leadership due to the fact that he was a gay man.

So, while his family did receive a medal of honor for his sacrifices in the years following his death, homophobia that persisted throughout the 1950s and 1960s prevented LGBTQ war heroes like Arondeus from getting the recognition they deserved.

This went against Arondeus’ final message to his lawyer for the public to be informed of LGBTQ participation in the mission.

It was only in 1984 that Arondeus was posthumously awarded the Resistance Memorial Cross, and in 1986 that he was declared a Righteous Among the Nations honor – given to those during the Holocaust who were not Jewish but protected the rights of Jewish citizens in need.

And in 1990, he finally got his wish to be recognized not only as a hero, but as a member of the LGBTQ community. His sexuality was revealed in a TV program, and the Dutch public finally learned the true extent of his bravery – forever cementing his efforts as a symbol of heroism in the LGBTQ community for years to come.

“He was a great hero who was most willing to give his life for the cause,” Belinfante, who died in 1995, said in the video.

To learn more about Willem Arondeus, visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s website and YouTube channel. t

Jews, he and other LGBTQ citizens also saw the imminent threat of the Nazis to their community.

Upon their occupation of the Netherlands at the start of the 1940s, the Germans brought with them Paragraph 175 – a law first introduced by Adolf Hitler in Germany in an effort to cleanse the country of homosexual activity. The ruling, which first began by expelling any gay and lesbian organizations in Germany, was revised to make homosexual activity between men punishable by imprisonment. Even the slightest bit of suggested evidence could send them behind bars, and as a result, over 100,000 German men were arrested and 50,000 were imprisoned.

Further, over the course of the Nazi rule, it is estimated that between 5,000 and 15,000 gay men were sent to concentration camps. Marked by pink triangle badges, they were brutally abused; and many underwent experimental medical treatments aimed at curing their sexualities.

(San Francisco’s pink triangle installation atop Twin Peaks during June’s Pride Month and the small Pink Triangle Park and Memorial in the Castro both pay tribute to this history and reclaim the symbol for LGBTQs.) Cognizant of this dire threat, Arondeus sprang into action right at the start of the Nazi occupation. Along with publishing anti-Nazi information, he and other members of the resistance created about 70,000 false identification cards of Dutch Jews – preventing them from being tracked down by the Nazis.

Yet over time, the Nazis began to catch on more and more to the forged documents, which could be double checked at the Amsterdam registry building.

Arondeus and the rest of his unit constructed their riskiest plan yet:

From page 1

From an early age, Arondeus was no stranger to the concept of defiance.

Born in 1894 as the youngest of six siblings in Naarden, near the Dutch capital of Amsterdam, Arondeus began to have constant fights with his parents over his sexuality.

Often deemed the birthplace of LGBTQ rights, the Netherlands decriminalized homosexuality in 1811, but restrictive rules still barred homosexuality in the early 20th century.

In 1911, the beliefs of the ruling political parties led to the age of consent for homosexuality to be changed to 21 in the Netherlands – despite the age for heterosexuality remaining at 16.

Despite the first gay bar opening its doors during this time, these restrictive age rulings, along with other laws against public indecency, were used to unfairly target gay men.

But these rulings did not intimidate Arondeus. He refused to suppress his identity as a gay man, leaving home that year at age 17 and severing ties with his family.

Picking up work where he could find it, Arondeus struggled financially but continued to pursue his passion for writing and painting for the next three decades – going on to complete a mural for the Rotterdam Town Hall in 1923, and, later, writing a biography of Dutch painter Matthijs Maris in 1938. During that time he met his partner, Jan Tijssen, with whom he lived for seven years.

Arondeus quickly learned, though, that persistent discrimination against LGBTQs made life difficult. Alongside living in poverty, he also struggled to find housing due to his refusal to hide his sexuality.

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United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy Marco Entrop

A portrait of Willem Arondeus

“Willem, as an exception, lived as openly as he could,” Klaus Mueller, the European representative for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, said during the virtual event “Pride Month: Defying Nazi Persecution” in July. “In his diaries ... he wrote about being kicked out of apartments because he was gay, there was no protection.”

A calling to activism

Stunning decision

The jury wasn’t swayed by Disneyland’s reasoning and advised the judge to side for the plaintiffs, which Ross readily agreed to in May 1984. His decision so stunned Talmo that the young attorney began to uncontrollably sob as it sunk in that he had scored a legal victory against Disneyland.

“I started bawling, not tearing up, I am bawling and sitting down. One of the jurors walks over to the witness stand, grabs the box of tissues, and puts it in front of me,” said Talmo. “I never felt pressure from the people telling me to drop it. I didn’t think it

A legacy overshadowed

Though the bombing of the Amsterdam registry building was widely regarded after the Holocaust as a lifesaving moment in history, education about the heroic moment omitted

Victoria Ebner is a Philadelphia native who holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland College Park.

Her work as a campus reporter earned her recognition from the Maryland Delaware, District of Columbia Press Association and the Society of Professional Journalists.

For more information about her Senate campaign, visit https:// www.electlisamiddleton.com/

Groundwork for future cases

The company could never again use the same defense in court if it was sued again over its same-sex-dancing ban, he noted, and other businesses were put on notice that they could be held legally liable for their own homophobic policies. In terms of the legal fight for LGBTQ rights, Talmo sees the case as helping to lay the groundwork for rulings in future cases.

“Other than a large corporate American business tried to defend family values in the way they saw the definition of family and they lost, I think it was one of just many small steps that happened accumulatively in California and nationwide,” said Talmo, 70, who is considering retiring from the law next year. “It fits in with the small steps that were made redefining or making a deeper analysis really of what is family, what are relationships.”

See page 17 >>

t <<

LGBTQ History Month>>

Disneyland

From page 16

According to a story in the L.A. Times Disneyland relaxed its dancing policy in 1985. Al Flores, a spokesman for the company, had told the paper that because the park’s Videopolis dance club venue was popular with teenagers, “we see a lot of situations where two girls come together and want to dance and ask to. We have always said no, but we changed our minds.”

Yet, in 1988, three gay UCLA students sued Disneyland after they said security personnel stopped them from slow dancing at Videopolis. This time Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the LGBTQ legal advocacy nonprofit, represented them in court.

According to an OC Weekly story, the suit was dropped after Disneyland pledged it would no longer discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. The newspaper reported that Crusader returned to Disneyland in 1989 with a group of eight male couples who danced the night away without incident.

Hits and misses

Since then Disneyland and its parent company have become

<<

October 7-13, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 17

Political Notebook

From page 7

not kept anonymously; it is kept confidentially.”

The Rules Committee is now expected to pass the revised ordinance language when it next meets Monday, October 18. The full board could take up the matter at its meeting the next day or on Tuesday, October 26. Because it is an ordinance, the board must twice vote to approve the code change for it to become official.

SF arts commission Oks new Milk plaza design

The full San Francisco Arts Commission has given its support to the latest redesign plan for the public parklet named after gay slain supervisor Harvey Milk in

Tom Johnson

An editorial cartoon poked fun at Disneyland’s ban on same-sex dancing.

strong advocates of the LGBTQ community, financially donating to LGBTQ causes and nonprofits. It unofficially welcomes LGBTQ attendees of annual Gay Days events at its parks in Anaheim and outside Orlando, Florida, while a few years ago Disneyland Paris become the first of its theme parks to officially sponsor a Gay Days event.

George Kalogridis, a gay man who was president of both Disneyland and Walt Disney World between 2009 and 2019, recently

was presented with his own window on a Main Street building at the Magic Kingdom theme park in Florida, one of the company’s highest honors for its employees.

Yet Disney and its divisions still have a ways to go in fully representing LGBTQ people on-screen.

While it has touted the inclusion of out characters in several of its movies and animated programming, often they are easy to miss unless the viewer is clued in.

In this summer’s release “The Jun-

the city’s LGBTQ Castro district. It did so unanimously without comment at its October 4 meeting.

The commission’s Civic Design Review Committee had unanimously voted September 20 to back the current modifications for the project. The committee members praised the new design for Harvey Milk Plaza as a “breath of fresh air” and an “astounding” change from previous proposals they had voted on, as the B.A.R. reported last month.

The Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza is aiming to reimagine the entrance area into the Castro Muni Station to make it more userfriendly and better honor Milk, the first out LGBTQ person elected to public office in San Francisco and California. He was killed November 27, 1978 inside City Hall 11 months into his first term along

with then-mayor George Moscone by disgruntled former supervisor Dan White.

City officials named the plaza in honor of Milk, a vocal public transit advocate during his lifetime, in 1985. But the windswept area has long drawn complaints that it doesn’t provide much usable space for the public to enjoy.

For several years the friends group has been seeking city approval to transform the area. The latest plan calls for a smaller stairway leading to the underground subway station with a rose-colored, transparent overhang above the escalator that goes to the Muni station to protect it from rainwater.

A new spiral podium feature would be built at the entrance of the plaza at the intersection of Castro and Market streets. Quotes

gle Cruise,” for example, a main character is clearly gay though the word “gay” or “homosexual” is never uttered.

And Disney continues to face claims of anti-gay bias in court. In June, Joel Hopkins, the vice president of production finance at ABC Signature, alleged in a discrimination lawsuit against the Disney company that the television channel’s CFO, Jim Hedges, ruined his chances for advancement because of his sexual orientation.

As for LGBTQ legal rights in the years after Exler v. Disneyland, the California Supreme Court consistently ruled that the state’s Unruh Act applied to LGBTQ people.

State lawmakers codified such rulings in the law with their passage of the Civil Rights Act of 2005. Written by gay then-Assemblyman John Laird, now a state Senator (D-Santa Cruz), Assembly Bill 1400 added sexual orientation, gender, and marital status to the Unruh Act. Former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed it into law that September. It went into effect January 1, 2006.

Papers lost

Talmo lost most of his papers related to the Disneyland case

of Milk’s would be embedded throughout the plaza.

A memorial grove with 11 trees, of different kinds, symbolizing Milk’s time in office would stand at the plaza’s entrance from Collingwood Street. In the same area would be a “hope grove,” symbolizing the candlelight vigil that took mourners from the Castro to City Hall the evening that Milk and Moscone were assassinated.

The construction costs for the project have yet to be finalized, with earlier estimates saying it would be at least $10 million.

Although it has broad support among Castro civic groups, the project also has its detractors who say improving the memorial aspects can be achieved by less intrusive cosmetic changes done for less cost.

The design still needs additional

when he joined a law firm around the time of the verdict. If anything, he wishes he had a transcript of the trial documenting the moments of levity and hilarity in the courtroom.

“It kills Andrew [Crusader] and I that neither of us have it anymore,” he said. “The court reporter died, so we couldn’t get it from her.”

Crusader, who also waged a successful legal fight so men could attend shows of the male Chippendales dancers, told the B.A.R. he lost many of his clippings and documents from the trial when his storage unit was broken into.

Elliott, who mostly eschewed the media spotlight during the trial and thereafter, died several years ago, he said.

Now living in Menifee, California (Riverside County) with his parents after being evicted from his apartment in Palm Springs in 2008, Crusader is a proofreader of court transcripts and depositions for court recorders. He helped promote the very first Gay Days at Disneyland that took place on Saturday, October 10, 1998.

“To my memory that was the last time I went to Disneyland,” said Crusader.. t

approvals from various city oversight panels and transit agencies.

The friends group also has yet to secure funding to pay for the construction. t Web Extra: For more queer political news, be sure to check http:// www.ebar.com Monday mornings for Political Notes, the notebook’s online companion. This week’s column reported on the historic candidacy of a lesbian gubernatorial candidate in Oregon.

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

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

Legals>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556594

In the matter of the application of CLAUS RALPH GOLDBERG, 1212 10TH AVE #306, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner CLAUS RALPH GOLDBERG is requesting that the name CLAUS RALPH GOLDBERG be changed to CLAUS RALPH COOPER. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 103 on the 19th of OCTOBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556600

In the matter of the application of KOUNG MENG TEAR, 126 TAPIA DR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner KOUNG MENG TEAR is requesting that the name KOUNG MENG TEAR be changed to TOMMY MENG THEA. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 21st of OCTOBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556605

In the matter of the application of HILDA JOANNA MENDEZ, 115 CENTRAL AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner HILDA JOANNA MENDEZ is requesting that the name HILDA JOANNA MENDEZ be changed to JOANNA VALENTINA DE PIRUL. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 23rd of NOVEMBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556611

In the matter of the application of CLIFFTOINETTE ANGELA ROGERS AKA C. ANGELA ROGERS, 1350 35TH AVE #2, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner CLIFFTOINETTE ANGELA ROGERS AKA C. ANGELA ROGERS is requesting that the name CLIFFTOINETTE ANGELA ROGERS AKA C. ANGELA ROGERS be

changed to ANGELA. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 23rd of NOVEMBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556607

In the matter of the application of BENJAMIN LOUIE, 170 GRAVEN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner BENJAMIN LOUIE is requesting that the name BENJAMIN LOUIE be changed to BENJAMIN LOUIE RUAN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 23rd of NOVEMBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556599

In the matter of the application of YUNA SUH & WADIE ROPHAEL, 4144 24TH ST #1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner YUNA SUH & WADIE ROPHAEL is requesting that the name CELINA ROPHAEL be changed to SAERIN ROPHAEL. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 23rd of NOVEMBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556609

In the matter of the application of GREGORY ALLEN JONES, 1521 GOLDEN GATE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner GREGORY ALLEN JONES is requesting that the name GREGORY ALLEN JONES AKA CHRISTOPHER GREGORY DEWINTER be changed to CHRISTOPHER GREGORY DEWINTER. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 23rd of NOVEMBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN

FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556613

In the matter of the application of KELLE ANN PEDRO, 1282 23RD AVE #A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner KELLE ANN PEDRO is requesting that the name KELLE ANN PEDRO be changed to KELLE ANN NICHOLS. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 103 on the 26th of OCTOBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556615

In the matter of the application of RONALD ANWAR ASWAN GIBSON, 162 KISKA RD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner RONALD ANWAR ASWAN GIBSON is requesting that the name RONALD ANWAR ASWAN GIBSON be changed to EMMITT JOVON LEWIS JR. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 103 on the 28th of OCTOBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039479200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as LUMODOS, 1 HAWTHORNE ST UNIT 15A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LESTER SAN LUIS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/09/21.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039481700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SOCIUS STRATEGIES, 2816 PACHECO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ROSALIND COHEN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/10/21.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039466300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SF HOUSE OF NAILS 2, 3221 PIERCE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LIEN LOI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/18/21.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/23/21.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039482900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ALOHA KITCHEN, 752 VAN NESS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LISA CHAU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/13/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/13/21.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039479400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE CALIFORNIA STREET STUDIO, 5954 CALIFORNIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MONICA T. SAMANIEGO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/13/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/09/21.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039476600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as WETZEL’S PRETZELS, 3251 20TH AVE #102, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed INNOVATIVE IMPACT INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/03/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/08/21.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039481400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as GOTT’S ROADSIDE – MISSION BAY, 151 WARRIORS WAY #102-3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94158. This business is conducted by a limited partnership, and is signed GOTT’S PARTNERS LP, GENERAL PARTNER GOTT BROTHERS DEVELOPMENT LLC (CA), 1344 ADAMS ST, ST HELENA, CA 94574. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct, JOEL A. GOTT, as Manager of Gott Brothers Development LLC as GP for Gott’s Partners, LP. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/10/21. Deputy County Clerk, Sonya Yi.

on 08/14/17.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-039111800

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as ALOHA KITCHEN, 752 VAN NESS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business was conducted by a corporation and signed by LISA CYNTHIA CHAU (CA). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/07/20.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556608

In the matter of the application of MEENA HARRIS & NIKOLAS AJAGU, C/O DEBORAH WALD, THE WALD LAW GROUP, PC, 100 BUSH ST #1900, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner MEENA HARRIS & NIKOLAS AJAGU is requesting that the name AMARA SHYAMALA UKA AJAGU be changed to AMARA SHYAMALA HARRIS AJAGU. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept.

103N, Rm. 103N on the 21st of OCTOBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039486500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SNOWLION MEDICAL TRANSPORTATION, 495 38TH AVE #3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TASHI DHONDUP. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/11/10. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/15/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039476200

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SAPPHIRE CONSIGNMENT, 1105 BUSH ST #B, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DOUGLAS WATSON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/03/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/07/21.

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037723800

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039481800

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as MESSY LENS, 3545 24TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110.

This business was conducted by an individual and signed by HEATHER HORTER. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021

The following person(s) is/are doing business as TINY SEEDS DAYCARE, 138 SOUTHWOOD DR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KATERINE VALDERRAMOS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business

<< Legals

18 • Bay Area Reporter • October 7-13, 2021

name or names on 03/09/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/10/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039473500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as DREAMSCAPES; LANDRY & COMPANY; 980 TERESITA BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SUSAN LANDRY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/02/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039488400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as HT PAVING AND SEAL COATING SERVICES, 131 ROCK HARBOR LN, FOSTER CITY, CA 94404. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HUGO APARECIDA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/17/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/17/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039481300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as FILM INSTALL PROS, 3239 MISSION ST #A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed IVAN GOMEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/09/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/10/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039489700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as MEGA CLEANING SF, 380 HANOVER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LUIS LOPEZ CRUZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/20/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/20/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039476100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as CHEAP TICKETS TRAVEL, 816 GEARY BLVD #34, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual,, and is signed MAUNG YANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/01/01. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/07/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039487700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as POTRERO PHYSICAL THERAPY, 550 15TH ST #36A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed INNER BAR INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/30/07. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/16/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039487800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as OCEAN BEACH PHYSICAL THERAPY, 3401 TARAVAL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed INNER BAR INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/14/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/16/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-03948680

The following person(s) is/are doing business as DISCOVER HEALTH, 990 COLUMBUS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed DISCOVER HEALTH MEDICAL GROUP (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/15/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039490800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as REPUBLIC BUILDING MAINTENANCE, 1 MARKET ST 36TH FL, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed REPUBLIC ENTERPRISES INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/21/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039489400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as JADE BAZAAR, 480 GRANT AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed JADE MOUNTAIN INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/97. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/20/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039474600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as HUCKLEBERRY BICYCLES, 1255 BATTERY ST #120, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed ROCK DOVE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/03/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/02/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039473100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SFC JUNK REMOVAL, 318 WOOLSEY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SFC JUNK REMOVAL LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/13/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/02/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039487000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as DISCOVER HEALTH, 990 COLUMBUS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MYDOCPLUS (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/15/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-038833300

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as PARTNERS, 3896 NORIEGA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business was conducted by a general partnership and signed by PAUL EDWARD GREER, PAUL CURTIS SUGIMOTO & RICHARD CHARLES TUCKER. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/22/19.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556642

In the matter of the application of NELIDA SANCHEZ TAPIA, 3331 17TH ST #B, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner NELIDA SANCHEZ TAPIA is requesting that the name WAEL IBRAHIM MOHAMMED SANCHEZ be changed to WAEL IBRAHIM MOHAMMED. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 9th of NOVEMBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

SEP 30, OCT 07, 14, 21, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039485600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as WISITAHOE REALTY, 811 BEACH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ALOIS BETSCHART. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/18/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/14/21.

SEP 30, OCT 07, 14, 21, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039492400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE GARDEN WITCH, 1025 PORTOLA DR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ASTRID EDMONDSON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/04/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/22/21.

SEP 30, OCT 07, 14, 21, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039497000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as L & T NAILS, 1085 FILLMORE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LOAN K. NGUYEN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/31/21.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/24/21.

SEP 30, OCT 07, 14, 21, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039483400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ALFARO TRUCK, 1538 PALOU AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MARCO AGUILAR. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/10/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/13/21.

SEP 30, OCT 07, 14, 21, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039475200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as HESTER’S DESIGNS; HESTER’S SCHOOL OF DESIGN & SEWING; 63 EDINBURGH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HESTER A. MICHAEL. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/02/96.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/07/21.

SEP 30, OCT 07, 14, 21, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039492500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as REFACTOR EQ, 870 MARKET ST #1123, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed COFOUNDER AND MARRIAGE COUNSELING PC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/22/21.

SEP 30, OCT 07, 14, 21, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039494600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as LAUREL VILLAGE DENTAL LOFT, 3501 CALIFORNIA ST #201, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BAYSAC DENTAL HEALTH 3580 CALIFORNIA PC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/22/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/23/21.

SEP 30, OCT 07, 14, 21, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039495200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as WEST PORTAL PRODUCE MARKET, 222 WEST PORTAL AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed KDS FRESH INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/23/21.

SEP 30, OCT 07, 14, 21, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039496600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as MOSADDEGH DRY EYE CENTER OF EXCELLENCE, 490 POST ST #1440, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102.

This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed LILLIE MOSADDEGH MD INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/24/21.

SEP 30, OCT 07, 14, 21, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039493700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as PRACTICE SAN FRANCISCO, 2901 WEBSTER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed MIGHTY MINDS PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/19/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/23/21.

SEP 30, OCT 07, 14, 21, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039498700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as POLISH NAIL AND BEAUTY SPA, 301 CORNWALL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed POLISH INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/18/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/28/21.

SEP 30, OCT 07, 14, 21, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039476500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as DONAJI, 3161 24TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110.

This business is conducted by a limited liability

company, and is signed CUEVAS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/20/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/08/21.

SEP 30, OCT 07, 14, 21, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039473600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as VALVOLINE INSTANT OIL CHANGE IH0011, 300 7TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed HENLEY PACIFIC LLC (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/02/21.

SEP 30, OCT 07, 14, 21, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039473700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as VALVOLINE INSTANT OIL CHANGE IH0004, 1799 19TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed HENLEY PACIFIC LLC (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/21.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/02/21.

SEP 30, OCT 07, 14, 21, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039495000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as HILDA AND JESSE, 701 UNION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed HILDA AND JESSE RK, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/23/21.

SEP 30, OCT 07, 14, 21, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039494000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as VANCE APARTMENTS, 830 EDDY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed 830 EDDY STREET, LLC (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/10/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/23/21.

SEP 30, OCT 07, 14, 21, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039489800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as BOUTIQUE FAWN, 313 IVY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed 415 NATIVE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/20/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/20/21.

SEP 30, OCT 07, 14, 21, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039494800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as CREATE IMPACT; CREATE IMPACT AGENCY; 3100 FULTON ST #5, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed WATERS EDGE GLOBAL (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/23/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/23/21.

SEP 30, OCT 07, 14, 21, 2021

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF JESUSITA A. DOMATOL IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES-21-304829

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of JESUSITA A. DOMATOL, C/O JANE K. PENHALIGEN (SBA #132628), LAW OFFICE OF JANE K. PENHALIGEN, 3478 BUSKIRK AVE #1000, PLEASANT HILL, CA 94523. A Petition for Probate has been filed by SUNDAY P. ROSA in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco.

The Petition for Probate requests that SUNDAY P. ROSA be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court.

The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval.

Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: OCTOBER 25, 2021, 9:00 am, Rm. 204, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the latter of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: JANE K. PENHALIGEN (SBA #132628), LAW OFFICE OF JANE K. PENHALIGEN, 3478 BUSKIRK AVE #1000, PLEASANT HILL, CA 94523; Ph. (925) 746-7113.

OCT 07, 14, 21, 2021

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556655

In the matter of the application of TEH TSEING WANG, 1640 STEINER ST #4A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner TEH TSEING WANG is requesting that the name TEH TSEING WANG be changed to SAN WANG. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 16th of NOVEMBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

OCT 07, 14, 21, 28, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039499100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as TAMALPAIS VALLEY SHUTTLE SERVICE, 2492 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOSE CONTRERAS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/01/21. The statement

was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/28/21.

OCT 07, 14, 21, 28, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039489500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ANDROCUTS, 4147 19TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ELIZABETH ANDRONACO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/24/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/20/21.

OCT 07, 14, 21, 28, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039501300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as LG HOUSE CLEANER SERVICE, 412 MADRID ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed EVELIN LOPEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/29/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/29/21.

OCT 07, 14, 21, 28, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039505000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as HELLO BANH MI, 681 TOWNSEND AT, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed QUANG DU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/30/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/30/21.

OCT 07, 14, 21, 28, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039506000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as DRIPPIN PAINT, 1311 GILMAN AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RENAE WILBORN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/30/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/30/21.

OCT 07, 14, 21, 28, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039494500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as RICHMOND ACCOUNTING & TAX SERVICES, 414 CLEMENT ST #6, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LI MING CHEN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/23/21.

OCT 07, 14, 21, 28, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039486600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as TAZ AUTO MOBILE DETAILING, 355 MCALLISTER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LAMONTE JOHNSON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/13/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/15/21.

OCT 07, 14, 21, 28, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039505900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as LESLIE’S NAILS, 1548 FILLMORE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CAN QUANG LE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/30/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/30/21.

OCT 07, 14, 21, 28, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039509600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as LILY NAILS SPA, 1198 HYDE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RICKY PHUONG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/04/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/04/21.

OCT 07, 14, 21, 28, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039510300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as NOTARY GURU ON WHEELZ, 1321 STEINER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed YOLANDA R. JONES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/04/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/04/21.

OCT 07, 14, 21, 28, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039511200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as MARQUEE MEDICINE, 18 10TH ST #2233, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANTHONY CHU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/05/21.

OCT 07, 14, 21, 28, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039488100

t

business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/23/21.

OCT 07, 14, 21, 28, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039503200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as BROWN THERAPY CENTER, 110 GOUGH ST #403, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BROWN FAMILY THERAPY, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/30/21.

OCT 07, 14, 21, 28, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039508500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as LONE STAR SALOON, 1354 FOLSOM ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BEAR TRAP LSSF INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/19/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/01/21.

OCT 07, 14, 21, 28, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039484600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as VEO OPTICS, 1799 UNION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed RESTUA VISION, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/14/21.

OCT 07, 14, 21, 28, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039488000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as DOGFORK LAMP ARTS LLC, 1000 QUESADA AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed DOGFORK LAMP ARTS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/07/07. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/16/21.

OCT 07, 14, 21, 28, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039501000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as WICKED 6 BAR AND BITES, 4092 18TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed EYLUL LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/29/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/29/21.

OCT 07, 14, 21, 28, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039500900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as DHARMA MERCHANT SERVICES, 801 38TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed DHARMA PAYMENTS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/29/21.

OCT 07, 14, 21, 28, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039498200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as LIZ BOER SKINCARE, 3356 SACRAMENTO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed LIZ BOER SKINCARE AND WAXING STUDIO, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/10/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/28/21.

OCT 07, 14, 21, 28, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039504700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as OCTAVIA, 1701 OCTAVIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed KORE RESTAURANT GROUP LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/30/21.

OCT 07, 14, 21, 28, 2021

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IF YOU KNEW THE LATE NEIL COMERFORD formerly of San Francisco and Oakland, please contact Howard, (925) 930-7461.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as LAMP SHADES SF, 1000 QUESADA AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed RICHARD M. DONNELLY & ROBERT L. MILLS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/16/21.

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FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039496800

Tech Support

OCT 07, 14, 21, 28, 2021

The following person(s) is/are doing business as ORIZURU; RIGHTSART; 236 WEST PORTAL AVE #133, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed RAY FOK, NGA WING ARIANA CHAN & CHUN CHEN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/21/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/24/21.

OCT 07, 14, 21, 28, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039475700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as MUMU HOT POT, 2 VARELA AVE #5, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed H&H INVESTMENT ENTERPRISE INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/15/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/07/21.

OCT 07, 14, 21, 28, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039494100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as NORTH HARBOR ESCROW A NON-INDEPENDENT BROKER ESCROW, 2282 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed EXCLUSIVE LIFESTYLES, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact

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Arts & Nightlife

Air supply

by Jim Gladstone

O

n an early August afternoon amid the dust and debris of a radical reconstruction, local native Gypsy Snider says, “I have lived in a Socialized Democracy where art and education and healthcare are all considered essential for everyone.”

Snider is the co-creator of Dear San Francisco: A High Flying Love Story, which officially opens a residential run at Club Fugazi on October 12. But while her declaration may seem to describe a rosy, mythologized version of the 1970s’ San Francisco that Snider grew up in as the daughter of Pickle Family Circus founders Peggy Snider and Larry Pisoni, she’s actually referring to Canada, her adopted home since moving to Montreal.

There, in 2002, along with Shana Carroll –a friend since childhood and daughter of longtime San Francisco Chronicle columnist Jon Carroll– she co-founded the now-worldrenowned 7 Fingers artists’ collective, a leader of the global nouveau cirque movement, focused on stripping away circus’ carnivalesque frippery to showcase its athletic and emotional heart.

There’s no question that Snider and Carroll have long hoped to bring their work and its philosophical underpinnings back to the city that inspired it, which is why August found them overseeing a major interior overhaul of North Beach’s Club Fugazi, dark since the closing of Beach Blanket Babylon’s 45-year run and the pandemic that followed.

“It’s actually the pandemic that finally let us put this show together,” Snider says, explaining that 7 Fingers’ other productions came to

‘Dear San Francisco’ revives Club Fugazi

a halt as of last March, opening an unprecedented hole in her globetrotting schedule.

“In some ways,” says Snider, reflecting on the moment in which she and Carroll find themselves back in San Francisco, “It feels like the city has been burned down and is being rebuilt.”

Fire in the heart

It’s no coincidence that the opening choreography of Dear San Francisco is inspired

Cassandra Peterson

Elvira star’s coming-out memoir

by Jim Piechota

F

or those readers of a certain age who remember the kooky, campy, slinky, boobtastic, more-sexy-than-scary Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, her long-running horror movie screening series remains a camp classic. Her persona had the uncanny ability to appeal to gay audiences for her kneeslapping bad humor and Gothic costuming, and straight men for hypnotic, mesmerizing abilities of her heaving cleavage, which Elvira graciously compacted into black dresses that

left little to the imagination.

The millennials weren’t there and won’t get it, but Elvira fans certainly will, and her new memoir is packed with insider details and a few shocking surprises which no one saw coming, except folks closest to her plunging neckline.

Born in Manhattan, Kansas, “a bad place to be from if you’re destined for a life in show business,” Cassandra Gay Peterson recalls tragedy early on when, as a toddler, she had an accident with a pot of boiling water and scalded a third of her body which required massive skin grafts.

by the great fire of 1906. “Its conceptual,” says Snider,“So the audience won’t see literal images of burning and flames and smoke. But they will see movement that clearly shows people helping each other in the face of disaster. And this sounds so cheesy, but I think the show, in a way, is really about the fire within us, too.”

“People have always said, ‘San Francisco isn’t what it used to be.’ This is a place that is always changing and being rebuilt, but there’s a certain spirit that’s always been here. As the The daughter to a loving “knight in shining armor” father and an unpredictable, insulthurling, abusive mother, Halloween soon became her favorite holiday as she entered puberty and sprouted breasts early (“I developed faster than a Polaroid”) and pursued an internal call to act and perform.

At 14, Peterson became inspired by Ann Margaret in Viva Las Vegas and began gogo dancing at Army base officers’ clubs, which led to gigs as a topless Las Vegas showgirl in a stripping extravaganza called Vive Les Girls! in the early 1970s. A surreptitious conversation with Elvis and a disastrous deflowering session with Tom Jones ushered her into adulthood with blood and tears.

After acting and singing stints in Italy, Peterson writes passionately about returning to Los Angeles, buzzing around in a beat-up orange Volkswagen Beetle and hunting down acting jobs, all while getting groped and assaulted by everyone from perverted agents to basketball royalty Wilt Chamberlain. She also had a brief fling and posed in Playgirl with model Bill Cable.

A staunch advocate for women’s rights, Peterson righteously makes her case for women who, even today, try and seek out acting roles only to become predatory fodder for the Hollywood casting couch’s slippery-handed agents and directors.

“It’s great to grow up feeling like you’re being hunted, right girls?” she writes.

After a stagnant career and waning patience with humiliating casting calls, the now 70-year-old actress and personality rose to fame with Elvira’s Movie Macabre. Debuting in September, 1981, this soon-to-become cult favorite program (even broadcast in 3D!) featured the buxom beauty of crass humor as she

city comes back to life after the pandemic, we’re in a place to make big choices.”

Snider points out that, as Club Fugazi has been undergoing reconstruction, the cast has rehearsed at the San Francisco Circus Center in the Panhandle, beginning to build connections and potential collaborations for themselves and Dear San Francisco.

“We’re able to pay our performers enough to live on, but they’re going to be doing other workwhilethey’rehere,includingteachingand coaching. The career of a circus performer has anexpirationdateonit,sotheyneedtodoother things,includingtrainingthenextgenerations of performers, who might eventually become part of Dear San Francisco. We want to be part of an ecosystem that’s constantly morphing.”

Thematically, in addition to acrobatics that abstractly evoke pivotal moments in local history, the show builds on the cast’s own stories and their experiences in the city.

“There’s nothing plug and play about it,” says Snider, “We haven’t hired circus acts and stuck them into a review. We’re creating original material that’s build around the performers we’re working with.”

Four of those performers, including Bella Diaz –a queer movement artist originally from ChicagowhostudiedwiththeJoffreyBalletand has toured with Pilobolus– were working with Snider just prior to the pandemic on a show created for the launch of the Virgin Voyages cruise line and its flagship, the Scarlet Lady.

Now, they’re rebuilding their careers from a shared apartment in Fisherman’s Wharf, walking to work in North Beach each day and seeing San Francisco with an optimistic, constructive vision shared by their directors.

“It feels so good to be here,”says Diaz.“Whatevertalentswebring,they’redowntoworkinto theshow.It’sbeensolongsinceworkhasn’thad me travelling all the time. It will be so nice to really get engaged in a city. My original contract is for the first six months of the show, but I think I’m going to sign on to stay longer.”t Dear San Francisco: A High Flying Love Story at Club Fugazi, 678 Green St. Open-ended run starting October 10. Wednesdays-Fridays, 7:30pm,Saturdays,2pmand7:30pm,Sundays, 2pm and 6pm. $35-$69. (415) 273-0600 www.clubfugazisf.com

Read the full interview on www.ebar.com introduced a variety of schlocky horror movies, then popping in periodically with satirical commentary. Elvira eventually became a name brand as billboards, endorsement deals, a cult classic 1988 movie, and fan merchandise soon followed.

Peterson’s memoir is written in much the same style as her persona and delivers her mildly sardonic yet warmly funny lines easily, but it’s not all jokes and sarcasm.

There’s an honesty that satisfyingly saturates these chapters. Fans will savor personal stories about her rocky upbringing, her determination to make it in Hollywood, and, most touchingly, her deep shock and sadness at losing several close friends to the burgeoning AIDS epidemic while attempting to remain focused on her career.

There are a few zingers Peterson elaborates on which will undoubtedly surprise even hardcore fans of this dark enchantress, particularly the memoir’s closing chapters intimately detailing her 19-year loving relationship with former female bodybuilder Teresa “T” Wierson, whom she met at Gold’s Gym in Hollywood.

Their relationship came on the heels of her divorce from longtime husband Mark Pierson and has made Peterson feel “safe, blessed, and truly loved” ever since they moved in together.

She cautions adoring devotees and entertainment producers everywhere that “if something as personal as my private relationship causes some fans to no longer enjoy my work, or if a company chooses not to work with me because of it –well, all I can say is, “Fuck ’em.” That’s their problem.”t

Yours Cruelly, Elvira by Cassandra Peterson; Hachette Books, $29

<<Funny Boy

20 • BayArea Reporter • October 7-13, 2021

Chris Kelly

‘The Other Two’ co-creator on finding truth through gay comedy

Cary (Drew Tarver) and Brooke (Heléne York) enjoy First Class feet in The Other Two.

by Jim Provenzano

“F

ame is a mother,” reads the tagline for The Other Two, the acclaimed HBO Max comedy series that just got a greenlight for its third season. Whether or not you’ve seen the show –and why not?– you’ve probably already laughed at the writing of the show’s co-creator, Chris Kelly.

When he and Sarah Schneider were hired to write sketches for Saturday Night Live in 2011, they paired up for some of the most bitingly funny, and timely, comedy of the next several years.

Seven Emmy nominations later, including a Peabody Award for political writing, Kelly and Schneider left SNL after six years when the pilot for their scripted show The Other Two got picked up.

Season one, broadcast in 2019

by Comedy Central, introduced us to the Dubek family: Chase (Case Walker) rises to abrupt fame via his Beiber-esque singing. His mom Pat (Molly Shannon) tags along, gaining a chat show of her own.

And then there are Pat’s ‘other two’ kids. Cary (Drew Tarver), a gay struggling actor-waiter, gets asked to butch it up at inane commercial auditions. His sister, Brooke (Heléne York), a former dancer, flounders from job to job.

Add some eccentric boyfriends

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Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider

(the adorable Josh Segarra as Lance), tricks, managers (Ken Marino as Streeter) and executives (Wanda Sykes as a trend-making music publicist), plus a slew of celebrity cameos, and hilarious interconnected antics ensue, all with a tickling balance of realism and absurdity.

After a full year’s shutdown during the pandemic, Season 2 of The Other Two was finally shot and aired. In a phone interview, Chris Kelly discussed his and Schneider’s

inspiration for the show, his SNL obsessions that became a career, and growing up gay in conservative Sacramento.

Live from New York

Among the autobiographical moments in the show are some excruciating yet hilarious bits, like Cary auditioning for a commercial role as ‘Man at Party Who Smells Fart.’

“Auditioning for it, and being asked to play it straighter, is something that actually happened to me,” Kelly, 38, admitted, adding, “Another one –I don’t know why I even went in for it– was for a commercial with a guy shoveling fertilizer. I was supposed to pick up

a bag and lay some fertilizer. They said, ‘Try it again, but think of this as a family guy; he’s got a wife,’ basically saying, ‘Don’t be so gay.’ So I did it again, while grunting. It was a nightmare. But even so, I remember thinking, ‘This will be funny some day, so I can tuck it away.’”

After attending UC Irvine, Kelly soon became a staff writer and director with Funny or Die and Onion News Network, Broad City, and made short films along with some acting. But it was Saturday Night Live that catapulted his career, along with his now-longtime collaborator, Sarah Schneider.

As we shared favorite classic SNL sketches and characters, Kelly mentioned an often-told anecdote.

“I would leave high school dances to make sure I was home in time for SNL. I would also record it every week and make my friends watch in Drama class at lunch. I memorized sketches.”

As his comedy dream became a real job, Kelly was notably the first openly gay head writer for the show, with memorable sketches and music videos, including one with Hillary Clinton as a bartender giving advice to Kate McKinnon as Clinton. He and Schneider primarily wrote for Aidy Bryant and McKinnon, including the cop drama parody “Dyke and Fats.” Kelly has been nominated for seven Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on SNL. Asked if he found the pressing SNL schedule boosted his creativity, Kelly said, “I need deadlines, and SNL was definitely helpful with that. The pace is relentless.

The schedule is sort of the best and worst part. We write everything on Tuesdays; on Wednesday, the sketches are picked, then rehearsed for two days, and then it’s done. So you can’t overthink yourself. It’s good to have someone say, ‘Okay; pencils down.’

For SNL, “Sometimes you end up with a real stinker, but then it’s over. You move on. By the next Tuesday, no one’s talking about it.

There is something deeply lovely about that. But sometimes you write something really great that you can recall years from now.”

With The Other Two, he and Schneider have enjoyed more time to blend more nuance into their own show. “It has been lovely because we get to dig a little deeper, more than you can in a four-minute sketch.”

Train-ing Days

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Jesse Plemons and Molly Shannon in Other People.

his comedy, watch Kelly’s debut feature film, Other People, his 2016 roman a clef story about a writer (Jesse Plemons) returning to his family’s Sacramento home to help care for his cancer-stricken mother (Molly Shannon). The cast includes several notable actors like Bradley Whitford (The West Wing), and even a few folks who would later costar in The Other Two. Kelly’s film captures the joys and doldrums of returning home, whether one has ‘made it’ or not.

He met many fans of Other People on the festival circuit who empathized with the story, having lost family members. “It’s good and bad when someone tells me about their loss,” said Kelly. “Compliments are nice, but they’ve gone through a terrible time.”

As with both his film and TV show, casting is prime.

“The cast is terrific,” agreed Kelly of both projects. “I was kind of hobbling it together, one after the other.”

For the comedy show, “we wrote the pilot script first,” he said. “I thought of Molly for the mother, but I didn’t want to bother her, since she’d just done my movie. She was definitely the person we wanted, and when we contacted her, she read it and said yes.

“Once you start filming and writing a whole season, you know who you have to work with. You can hear their voices in your head as you write, and it really helps.

That’s been one of the nice things about the show; different than the movie,” which Kelly wrote a few years before Other People began shooting.

Creative freedom

The second season of The Other Two includes some hilarious pokes at Instagays, the sudden viral nature of leaked nude selfies, even gay awards shows, while the family’s connection become more frayed as their varying fame-seeking becomes more bizarre. Instead of promoting a positive-only gay agenda, The Other Two shows our worst selves, while leaving viewers still caring about its characters.

Asked when he felt the freedom to dig deeper into such satirical themes, Kelly said, “I don’t think that Sarah and I think of it on a deeper level, like, ‘How are we gonna tackle ‘Gay.’ When we pitched the show, either it was confidence, naiveté, or a combination of both. I’m gay; one of the See page 21 >>

Surge

October 7-13, 2021 • BayArea Reporter • 21

Ben Whishaw’s unhinged drama

by Gregg Shapiro

O

ut actor Ben Whishaw is nothing if not versatile. From his performances as Sebastian in the 2008 movie version of Brideshead Revisited and a grieving gay man in 2014’s Lilting, to his recurring roles as James Bond’s gadget guru Q, and the voice of the titular character in the Paddington Bear movies, there doesn’t appear to be much Whishaw can’t do.

In Aneil Karia’s deeply disturbing Surge (Filmrise/BBC Films), Whishaw delivers a devastating performance as a man descending into madness. Calling it difficult to watch is an understatement. Nevertheless, it’s worth watching to see Whishaw in action in this challenging film.

Socially awkward Joseph (Whishaw) works security at a London airport. The job is stressful, and you can see the degra-

dation of the searched and the searcher. Joseph is an outsider in the employee lunchroom, on the commute home, in his apartment building. Even his interactions with his parents (played by Ellie Haddington and Ian Gelder), the kinds of unnecessarily critical and sour people who probably never should have had children, are uncomfortable, even unpleasant.The particularly hostile visit with his folks results in him biting through a drinking glass, cutting his lower lip and gums.

This sets off a series of surprising events, including a confrontation with an annoying neighbor perpetually fussing with and revving his motorbike. Joseph’s increasingly erratic behavior leads to him having a full-on breakdown on the job.

Sent home, Joseph continues to act out in bizarre ways. He jumps a turnstile at a public transit station, he shows up at the flat of sick co-

worker Lily (Jasmine Jobson), the only person who is kind to him at work, to help her with the problem she mentioned having with her TV. His attempt to purchase the necessary cable for Lily and the decline of his bank card causes him to become more unhinged.

When an ATM eats his card, he makes his most drastic move; he holds up a teller at his bank.

It’s an indication of how far Joseph has slid and how close he is to the precipice.

With plenty of cash at his disposal, he returns to the store, buys the cable, and, evading the police, goes back to Lily’s apartment where he not only fixes her tech issue, but lets off a little steam by having sex with her. Unbeknownst to her, he also hides a bag full of stolen money in her kitchen cabinet.

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Chris Kelly

From page 20

characters is largely based on me.

We didn’t think too much about that. You pull stories from your life, and that’s the show we made.

You just want to write authentically from your experience.”

Kelly said that when working with Comedy Central and HBO Max, “No one said, ‘It’s too gay!’

We’ve been very lucky.” Conversely, he did say that several companies passed on it when they initially pitched the show. “I don’t know why some passed on it; I guess they were homophobic. Let’s go with that,” he quipped.

With Comedy Central and HBO Max, he said, “We’ve had a lot of creative freedom. We have felt very lucky.”

Chris Kelly and Molly Shannon

Emboldened by the day’s activities, he holds up a second bank.

While he does get away with it, his But while fame in some ways harms the lives of his characters, who at one point dodge being in ‘the industry,’ Kelly said it hasn’t effected him.

“I’m just a writer. Brooke wants to be known as a manager. She dresses like one, like a little girl playing the role. But by the end of season two, she’s actually so much a manager, she doesn’t want anyone to know. She wants to be something, but when she is, she doesn’t want to talk about being that thing. It’s a funny reversal that I don’t quite relate to, because I’m a writer, but I get the idea of relating to it.”

With the success of the show, and a third season in the formative stages, Kelly looks forward to expanding the many characters who’ve shaped the show. In creat-

exhilaration is short-lived when the dye pack is set off a few blocks away. With nowhere to turn, he checks into a high-end hotel, where his actions, including the total trashing of the hotel room and the crashingofaweddingparty,go further off the rails.

Just when you think things can’t get any weirder, they do!

This includes a joyride on a stolen motorbike, a car accident, a physical beating, a return to his parents’ house, and another brazen robbery.

Whishaw’s elastic facial expressions, complete with full-body ticks, give Joseph a shocking authenticity. His breathtaking performance, as well as that of Haddington and Jobson, are truly riveting. But even at just over 90 minutes, Surge may be too much for some people. Forewarned is forearmed. Rating: Bt ing the second season, the show’s longer run-time led to more development.

“We can follow some of the other characters more than we would have been able to, like Drew Tarver (Cary), who we absolutely love to humiliate. He’s so good at it. Or, we try the opposite; ‘We haven’t seen him do this yet.”

Asked for details about The Other Two’s next season, Kelly said, “We don’t know, and I’m not being coy. We only finished mixing season two, like, a month ago.

I think it’s good to take a little break and collect our thoughts and think about what could be before we dive right in.”t

Read the full interview on www.ebar.com

ILLUSTRATION: KELLY MALKA

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Film & 50 in 50>>

50 years in 50 weeks: 1997 got booked

OC TO BE R 7T H– 23 RD 20 21

by Jim Provenzano

B

ack in the mid-1990s, the explosion of lesbian and gay books continued to be published. I refrain from using the full LGBTQ acronym (few books by transgender or bisexual authors were published back then, and queer was still iffy). But every author –and their eager publicists– knew the value of a good or even bad review in the Bay Area Reporter. It got your book noticed. As an author myself, I understood that value.

As the Arts Editor, now I’m on the receiving end, getting press releases every day for yet one more tome after another; memoirs, cookbooks, children’s books, illustrated books, all kinds of books.

Unfortunately we can’t publish them all these days, and we usually get PDFs instead of review copies, which back then would pile up in a box for freelancers to rummage through. We also had an annual entire section devoted to books.

One deserved standout was the work of Scott Heim, who revolutionized the literary world with poetic, disturbing, and beautiful prose about abuse, alien abductions and family interactions.

In our July 3 issue, Heim spoke with arts writer and editor Roberto Friedman about his inspiration, his work’s rural settings, and his readers. He discussed his novel In Awe as his debut novel, Mysterious Skin, had yet to be adapted into the critically ac-

claimed film.

“A lot of my audience are people who maybe don’t know the atmosphere of Kansas and that’s one thing that sets me apart from another rider so why not just go crazy with it?”

For more literary history, visit https://archive.org/details/bayareareportert

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<< TV

22 • BayArea Reporter • October 7-13, 2021

Chosen family viewing

Nuclear Family

by Victoria A. Brownworth

I

t is impossible not to love HBO’s amazing three-part documentary series Nuclear Family, even as you sob through at least half of it. It’s history, it’s personal journey and it tells a provocative and utterly stunning story of one family and the legal battles that were necessary to allow that family to exist.

Filmmaker Ry Russo-Young documents her personal history and that of her parents–two lesbian mothers rocking convention in the 1970s as part of their own love story. Why, this deeply loving lesbian couple asked, couldn’t they have children and build a family like their heterosexual peers? Ry and her sister Cade were born via insemination from two different sperm donors.

The simplicity of the story belies the shocking turn events take. the younger daughter of Sandy Russo and Robin Young, Ry became the focal point of a groundbreaking custody suit when Thomas Steel, the man who had donated the sperm for her conception into an artichoke hearts jar, sued Russo and Young for visitation and full parental rights.

The legal battle began when Ry was 9 and ended when she was 13 and the court found in Steel’s favor.

Ry details the threat the lawsuit was

to her and her family.

This riveting story upends everything we knew/know about the meaning of family and who and what makes a family. It also explores what it is like for a child to feel her family and sense of family is threatened.

HBO writes that the docuseries addresses the Russo-Young family “from its origins in outlaw counterculture, to the mainstream court system’s attack on and ultimate defense of Ry’s and her moms’ rights and existence, ending in a landmark legal decision that would change the way LGBTQ+ families were perceived forever.”

There is so much in this series about how we view the people closest to us, how falling in love with a child can make us make heartbreaking mistakes and how hard we have had to fight to define our queer families in a straight and deeply misogynist society that devalues women, over-values men and makes no space for LGBTQ autonomy.

With archival footage, interviews, home movies that veritably scream “idyllic childhood” and a strong narrative thread throughout that tells a story of queer history as well as familial conflict, Ry RussoYoung’s docuseries is a deeply emotional journey and some very fine filmmaking.

My Name Is Pauli Murray

Pauli Murray is the most important Black gender queer activist you never –or only vaguely– heard of.

A poet, essayist, legal scholar, Civil Rights and feminist activist, attorney and priest, Murray was born in 1910, died in 1985 and lived a life so full and consequential it honestly takes one’s breath away. Murray’s story is detailed in the new Amazon Prime original documentary, My Name Is Pauli Murray, which debuted Oct. 1.

Words like iconoclast and pioneer are wildly overused, but Murray was both. She was breaking the color barrier on public transport years before Rosa Parks. Her legal concepts were so brilliant and forward-thinking, that the great Thurgood Marshall used them as a predicate and later Ruth Bader Ginsburg partnered with her.

Murray was close friends (but not lovers) with Eleanor Roosevelt, was appointed to John F. Kennedy’s Presidential Commission on the Status of Women, was a co-founder of NOW (National Organization for Women) and was also the first Black woman ordained in the Episcopal Church.

She wrote her first memoir working alongside James Baldwin at the MacDowell Colony. Yale recently created Pauli Murray College, making Murray the first Black and LGBTQ person to have an institute named for them.

Throughout this extraordinary life, Murray was also struggling with her lesbianism, gender dys-

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Above: Adam Grenier in Clickbait Below: My Name is Pauli Murray

phoria and trans masculine identity and was in a relationship with another woman, Irene “Renee” Barlow, for decades.

Directors Julie Cohen and Betsy West previously made the Oscarnominated documentary RBG. That is when they discovered Murray. As West explained in an interview in January, “Ruth Bader Ginsburg had written ‘Pauli Murray’ on the front cover of her first women’s rights brief before the Supreme Court to give credit for the idea she’d be arguing.”

In 1965, Murray had written a law journal article in which she asserted that the 14th Amendment could be used to protect gender equality. It would be a foundational idea for Ginsburg. (That article was also the predicate for Marshall to argue Brown v. Topeka Board of Education.) “People talk about Jim Crow,” Murray wrote, “well, I’m dealing with Jane Crow.”

My Name Is Pauli Murray is the result of that revelation for the directors while researching Ginsburg and RBG was the first person the directors interviewed for their documentary. RBG calls Murray “feisty.”

There’s a lot in My Name Is Pauli Murray. Some might argue there’s too much. The film’s 91 minutes is stuffed with data and interviews and remarkable clips of Murray herself, which are, truly, the best part of the film as Murray is, like her work, larger than life. As Murray notes in the film, “What I say very often, is that I’ve lived to see my lost causes found.”

My Name is Pauli Murray also tells the love story between Murray and Barlow, who met at the law firm at which they both worked.

There are bits and pieces of love letters in the film.

There is also a lot about Murray’s gender confusion and struggles with whether she was a man or a woman, all of which is frankly heartbreaking. One aches for Murray to have had access to other gender nonconforming, non-binary

t

and trans people in her time, as well as lesbian-affirming people.

Murray had so much personal conflict over sexual orientation and gender identity, it caused fairly constant emotional distress.

While a more uneven execution than RBG, My Name Is Pauli Murray is riveting because Murray is so compelling. Complex, complicated and essential, Murray is an icon for our time and ahead of her own.

Clickbait Clickbait is the most binge-wor-

thy series we’ve watched in a while.

A Netflix original by gay director and producer Tony Ayers, it is currently number one on Nielsen’s streaming rankings, as it should be.

We wanted to watch this entire series in one sitting, it was that compelling.

The storyline seems simple enough: Nick Brewer (Adam Grenier), is a white man married to Sophie, a Black woman (Betty Gabriel). They have two kids and there is a lot of familial conflict. Out of nowhere, Nick gets abducted as he is biking to work. The kidnapping is posted online and the horror – and mystery– begins.

The series is told from various vantage points that include Nick’s sister, Pia (Zoe Kazan), Sophie, older son Ethan (Camaron Engels), the detective, Roshan (Phoenix Raei) who is Muslim and the reporter, Ben (Abraham Lim) who broke the kidnapping story, who is Asian and gay.

Clickbait out-Rashomons Rashomon and literally nothing is as it seems. The ending is so startling, you will have to resist (or not) rewatching for clues you missed.

Everyone has a secret or more.

There is a strong queer thread as well as discourse on race, misogyny, #MeToo and who gets to be a victim. It’s stellar and the acting is pitch perfect, as is the directing.t

ºº––––Read more on www.ebar.com

t

Music>>

October 7-13, 2021 • BayArea Reporter • 23

Ellen Foley

From rock epics to Night Court and back Wait.” Did you choose to record it for the album because you had performed it at the Jim Steinman tribute show?

No. “Heaven Can Wait” has been part of my repertoire since ’77. I met Meat and Steinman doing this tour of this National Lampoon show which ended in ’76.

Then Jim put together a production of his musical called Neverland at the Kennedy Center and I played Wendy, who’s got the virginal mother/goddess figure and sang “Heaven Can Wait” in that. I think it might have been the first time it was sung in public. I’m sure Meat Loaf would disagree [laughs]. “[In Meat Loaf ’s voice] No, I sang it at the Elks Club [laughs].”

In all my rock and roll bands and cabaret acts I’ve always sung it. This version was recorded for a little indie film I did called Lies I Told My Little Sister. The producer wanted me to sing it and Jim gave us permission. The track was recorded in L.A. by Andrew Williams. He did this really beautiful orchestral version and sent it to me, and I recorded it in New York. It played over the closing credits.

Ellen Foley at a recent concert

by Gregg Shapiro

W

hen it comes to impressive curriculum vitae, it’s hard to beat that of actress and music legend Ellen Foley. From her duet vocal on Meat Loaf ’s hit single “Paradise by the Dashboard Lights” to her performance in the “Black Boys/White Boys” number in the movie version of Hair to playing public defender Billie on the NBC sitcom Night Court and originating the role of the witch in Into the Woods, Foley’s outstanding career achievements speak for themselves.

Her timeless 1979 debut album Night Out remains a classic and perfectly shows off her amazing vocal abilities. Fighting Words (Urban Noise Music), Foley’s first new album in eight years, is a return to form featuring catchy tunes mostly in a rock vein and closing with her cover of “Heaven Can Wait,” her tribute to the late

Jim Steinman (the writer of Meat Loaf ’s biggest hits).

me and Robert I., and his husband Tom Aulino directed it.

One of the most distinguishing aspects of your musical career is your history of collaboration – from Meat Loaf ’s 1977 Bat out of Hell album to Mick Ronson and Ian Hunter on your 1978 debut record Night Out, to your ex-boyfriend Mick Jones and his Clash-mates on your 1981 Spirit of St. Louis album, all the way to the present day via your collaborations with Paul Foglino on your new album Fighting Words and Robert I. Rubinsky on the offBroadway musical Club Dada.

I’m so glad you have Robert in there because he’s my only gay collaborator. In rock and roll, it’s a pretty hetero genre. But, of course, in the theater where I’ve been in between rock and roll, I have a lot of gay friends. In this project, Club Dada (in difficult times), it’s just

Well, this was just a long way of asking you what makes you so good at playing well with others?

Well, I went to Catholic school [laughs]. They taught us to play well with others. I’m a singer and I’m not saying I can be molded, but I am an interpreter and I’m able to take other people’s ideas and create something that’s my own. I basically worked with people –basically, let’s underline that– worked with people who I really respected and felt respect from. Even Ronson and Ian! I came to New York in 1972 and by ’77 I was making the Meatloaf record.

I was like, “Well, this is incredible!

What a great piece of music this is as a whole, and certainly “Paradise…”

That was a blast, but then I didn’t think about it that much because I had never sung on a record before.

Then the head of the (Cleveland International Records) label, a guy named Steve Popovich, who was just a brilliant guy putting at people together, he’s the one that after everybody rejected Meatloaf, signed him.

He then gave me a deal and put me together with Hunter and Ronson, which was sort of like being thrown into the deep end of the pool.

How did the wonderful duet with fellow Meat Loaf alum Karla DeVito on “I’m Just Happy To Be Here,” come to pass?

Strangely enough, Karla and I, although our careers sort of intersected,neverreallykneweachother, never really hung out. I think in the first few years, the whole thing was stuck in my craw about the (“Paradise by the Dashboard Lights”) video [that featured DeVito and not Foley]. She represented the thing that was kind of upsetting to me, even though any time I ever saw her she was this little ball of cheer.

A few years back there was a tribute show to Jim Steinman. He was already quite sick. Barry Keating, who was Jim’s friend from Amherst College and a guy named Pat Cerasaro put together a tribute at 54 Below. It was us and a bunch of young kids, chorines. I was pissed!

She didn’t care because she’s nice, but they didn’t really respect us or understand who we were. We just sat together [laughs] in the dressing room and we so clicked talking about our families.

Ellen Foley in a 1980s concert

Fighting Words closes with your stunning rendition of “Heaven Can

There is, no doubt, a whole generation of gay men who became aware of you from your stage work on and off-Broadway, as well as from your performance in Miloš Forman’s Oscar-nominated movie version of Hair. How aware are you of a gay following?

Always! Obviously, the gays are so important to me because they’re my friendsandbeinginthetheaters.

But rock and roll had always been more of a hetero genre, so I didn’t know how many (gay) fans I had. It

turns out I did! When I hear from people: Twitter and all that it is kind of a blessing because you hear (from people). It’s really important to me to have a gay fan base. I sing rock and roll, but I sing it as a woman, and I think a lot of stuff I sing is really passionate and there’s a humor to it that the gay audience would dig. They knew me from theater stuff and, of course, I originated the Witch in Into the Woods, which I think the community is aware of this. I’m really dying for the community to hear this record.

Are you able to promise not to keep us waiting so long between albums?

Who knows? I don’t like to say it, but who cares, but I’m 70. The fact is this album really rocks! I’m in the midst of booking at least one show here in New York and possibly going to Europe. I feel no trepidation about that. I’m healthy and I manage to keep it together. I look good. I think I sound good on the new record.

These past 15, 16 months I haven’t really been singing, but after we finish talking, I’m going to go down and vocalize. When you know you have a gig, all of a sudden, you’re singing every day. But in terms of a record, who knows?

Paul kind of snuck up on me with this record. He had all these songs, so maybe he’ll do it again. Why not? Look at my idol, my hero, my true love, Mick Jagger. Look at him!

Holy crap!t

www.ellenfoley.com Read the full interview, with music clips, on www.ebar.com

k k c e i l r ly t ap opening celebration oct 23 9:30 am–9 pm RUNWAY OF LOVE

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Join us as we honor the life and legacy of Black fashion designer Patrick Kelly with an all-day celebration at the de Young museum.

Visit dey.ng/patrick-kelly-opening to reserve your tickets today!

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*This ticket does not guarantee admission to the special exhibitions Patrick Kelly: Runway of Love or Judy Chicago: A Retrospective.

Patrick Kelly: Runway of Love tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, on-site at the de Young museum on the day of the event. Limit 4 per family; space is limited.

The OpeningDay Celebration for Patrick Kelly: Runway of Love is sponsored

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