October 8, 2020 edition of the Bay Area Reporter

Generic Truvada available

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LGBTQ accountants

Answers sought in trans death

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ARTS

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Tom Dolby

The

www.ebar.com

Serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities since 1971

Vol. 50 • No. 41 • October 8-14, 2020

Thomas, Alito critical of ‘15 same-sex marriage ruling

Courtesy Governor’s Office

Governor Gavin Newsom, left, introduces retired Justice Martin Jenkins as his pick for the state Supreme Court

LGBTQ groups praise CA high court pick

by Lisa Keen

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by Matthew S. Bajko

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aving encouraged Governor Gavin Newsom to name an out person to fill a vacancy on the state’s highest court earlier this year, LGBTQ leaders reacted with exuberance Monday following the nomination of retired Justice Martin Jenkins, who is gay and lives in Oakland.

Should the 66-year-old Jenkins be seated, all three West Coast states will have out justices on their state supreme courts. Jenkins will be the first openly LGBTQ person and the third Black man to serve on the California Supreme Court.

Having served as Newsom’s judicial appointments secretary since 2019, he is expected to easily win confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments. Before now Jenkins had not been publicly out, having come out of the closet late in life, something he addressed during a joint appearance with Newsom Monday.

See page 5 >>

wo U.S. Supreme Court associate justices used the first day of the new term Monday to lambaste the 2015 decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

Associate Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito used the October 5 opening day to make an unusual, unsolicited statement indicating they are still opposed to the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which struck down state bans on marriage for same-sex couples.

Thomas and Alito made the declaration alongside the court’s announcement that it would not hear the appeal of a Kentucky county clerk, Kim Davis, who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in defiance of Obergefell.

Thomas and Alito’s statement complained that the Obergefell decision had forced Davis to choose between her religious beliefs and her job.

They did not mention that Davis lost her appeal at the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals before a panel of three Republican appointees, including Judge John Bush, an appointee of President Donald Trump.

“Davis may have been one of the first victims of this court’s cavalier treatment of religion in its Obergefell decision, but she will not be the last,” warned the statement penned

by Thomas. “... Obergefell enables courts and governments to brand religious adherents who

State Senate Dist. 11: Scott Wiener SF Supervisors District 1: Connie Chan District 3: Aaron Peskin District 5: Dean Preston District 7: Myrna Melgar District 9: Hillary Ronen District 11: Ahsha Safaí

She got only two, even though the court currently has five conservative justices.

Her appeal did not win the support of Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., who also dissented in the Obergefell decision. And it did not get the support of Trump’s two appointees – Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.

What troubles LGBT legal activists, however, is that the Obergefell decision in 2015 was a close one: 5-4, with now-retired Justice Anthony Kennedy joining four liberal justices See page 8 >>

ENDORSEMENTS

Archives aim to preserve Southern queer history

C A L I F O R N I A

by Matthew S. Bajko

State Assembly (Bay Area) Dist. 15: Buffy Wicks Dist. 18: Rob Bonta Dist. 16: Rebecca Bauer-Kahan Dist. 25: Alex Lee Dist. 28: Evan Low State Senate (Other) District 5: Susan Talamantes Eggman District 9: Nancy Skinner District 17: John Laird

SF City College Board Shanell Williams Tom Temprano Aliya Chisti Alan Wong

Congress (Bay Area) Dist. 2: Jared Huffman Dist. 3: John Garamendi Dist. 5: Mike Thompson Dist. 10: Josh Harder Dist. 11: Mark DeSaulnier Dist. 12: Nancy Pelosi Dist. 13: Barbara Lee Dist. 14: Jackie Speier Dist. 15: Eric Swalwell Dist. 17: Ro Khanna Dist. 18: Anna Eshoo Dist. 19: Zoe Lofgren

BART Board District 9: Bevan Dufty District 7: Lateefah Simon

JUDGES Alameda County Superior Court Office 2: Mark Fickes

State Assembly (SF) Dist. 17: David Chiu Dist. 19: Phil Ting

Bay Area (Other) Oakland City Council, At-Large: Rebecca Kaplan District 3: Lynette McElhaney Alameda City Council: Jim Oddie

SF School Board Mark Sanchez Jenny Lam Michelle Parker Kevine Boggess

believe that marriage is between one man and one woman as bigots, making their religious liberty concerns that much easier to dismiss.”

Thomas and Alito agreed that the case Davis brought before the Supreme Court did not “cleanly” present an issue through which the court could revisit Obergefell and address “a problem that only it can fix.”

Until then, Obergefell will continue to have “ruinous consequences for religious liberty,” the statement read.

Davis needed at least four justices to say yes in order for the high court to take her appeal.

B.A.R. GENER AL ELEC TION

President / Vice President: Joe Biden, Kamala Harris

Public domain

Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas, left, and Samuel Alito issued a statement decrying the court’s 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage.

Remember to vote by Nov. 3!

Fremont Mayor: Justin Sha San Ramon City Council, Dist. 3: Sameera Rajwade AC Transit, At-Large: Victoria Fierce AC Transit, Ward 1: Ben Fong Livermore City Council, Dist. 3: Brittni Kiick Morgan Hill City Council, Dist.

C: Rene Spring Santa Clara City Council, Dist. 6: Anthony Becker South San Francisco City Council, Dist. 4: James Coleman Santa Clara County Board of Education Trustee, Area 4: Ketzal Gomez San Jose-Evergreen Community College Trustee, Area 7: Ali Sapirman Palo Alto Unified School Dist.

Board of Education: Katie Causey Pinole County Council: Devin Murphy SAN FRANCISCO PROPS Yes on: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, RR CALIFORNIA PROPOSITIONS Yes on: 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 25 No on: 20, 22, 23, 24

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hen Spectrum, the undergraduate LGBTQ student group at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, launched in 1983 it became a resource not just for those on campus but for queer people living in that part of the South. Over time people from as far away as Mobile rang its office seeking support and referrals for services.

If nobody picked up the phone, callers left messages on an answering machine. Such devices are largely relics today but somehow the one used by Spectrum survived with its original tape. A librarian and faculty member who had advised the group for years had stored it in her garage.

“When I plugged it into the wall, it was so heartwarming and heartbreaking to listen to it.

All these people were saying, “I am so glad you are here,’” recalled Joshua Burford, who earned undergraduate and master’s degrees from the university.

Burford, 45, who is queer and grew up in Anniston, Alabama, first listened to the recorded messages in 2008 while assembling the Miller-Stephens GLBTQ UA Student Organization Collection housed at the University of Alabama Libraries Special Collections. About a decade prior he had met with the student group’s first faculty adviser, who agreed to turn over the archival material stored in his garage.

“I built this tiny collection out of, I think, five boxes,” recalled Burford. “But man those five boxes set me on a completely different course in my life.”

In 2013, he had taken a job as an assistant director for Sexual & Gender Diversity at UNCCharlotte in order to create the city’s first LGBTQ archive housed at the campus’ J. Murrey Atkins Library. Known as the King-HenryBrockington LGBTQ+ Archive, one of its

Courtesy Invisible Histories Project

A photo from the Miss Gay Alabama pageant for 1980, taken in 1979 at the Ram’s Head, a gay bar in Birmingham. In the image, from left, are Barbara Jean (Lady BJ), Mandy Lynn, and Bronzie De’Marco, who has been a drag performer in Alabama for more than 50 years. The man at right is unidentified. Photo: Courtesy Invisible Histories Project

oldest contents is a stash of photos from 1940 detailing a queer bar night in Charlotte held at the Barringer Hotel’s Hornet’s Nest Lounge.

A lesbian who worked as a bookkeeper at the hotel started inviting her queer friends to the bar on Tuesday nights after realizing it was largely bereft of patrons on those evenings, recalled Burford.

“So it became this underground guerrilla gay bar,” he said.

Two years ago Burford moved to Birmingham, Alabama to work on launching the Invisible Histories Project with a fellow academic, Maigen Sullivan, in order to preserve queer Southern history, particularly in the states of Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. They had first met in the mid-2000s on the Tuscaloosa See page 5 >>

<< Health News

2 • Bay Area Reporter • October 8-14, 2020

Tom Ammiano Former State Assembly

David Campos Former Supervisor

Bevan Dufty BART Director

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Mark Sanchez President SF School Board

Janice Li BART Director

Join LGBTQ community leaders and allies in supporting AP

A generic version of Truvada is now available.

Generic Truvada now available For over 20 years, I’ve been serving the students and families of San Francisco as a public school teacher and the founder and principal of June Jordan School for Equity. I’m currently a community organizer with Faith in Action Bay Area. My experience in SFUSD and knowledge of our community will bring a needed voice to the School Board.

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

by Liz Highleyman

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long-awaited generic version of Truvada, used for both HIV treatment and PrEP, went on the market Friday, October 2. But the wholesale cost of the new pill from Teva Pharmaceuticals – about $1,455 – is only a couple hundred dollars less than the brand-name product from Gilead Sciences.

What’s more, given the complexities of the American drug pricing and insurance system, some people may find that they have trouble getting coverage for either the generic or the brand-name pills, or they may end up actually paying less for the original product.

“This is a historic day in HIV prevention,” said Montica Levy, biomedical HIV prevention coordinator at the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s City Clinic. “The change to generic will hopefully eventually usher in an era of easier access to affordable PrEP, but in the short-term, the change could cause confusion for patients and could paradoxically increase their costs and therefore cause patients to stop PrEP.” To that end, the DPH has issued a fact sheet answering frequently asked questions and encouraging PrEP users to seek assistance if they encounter any roadblocks rather than discontinuing PrEP. “Depending on your insurance situation, you may be charged for your PrEP medication when you go to the pharmacy,” the fact sheet reads. “Upon your next visit to the pharmacy to pick up your PrEP, if you face ANY challenges, or if you are charged more than you’ve been charged in the past, please contact your PrEP provider immediately!”

Most insurance plans operating in California are required by state regulations to start covering PrEP medication and the associated tests and medical services without cost sharing

by January 1, 2021, according to the fact sheet. People who are uninsured or have Medi-Cal should not see any changes in PrEP cost.

Price may fall next spring

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10/6/20 1:36 PM

The federal Food and Drug Administration approved Truvada (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine) for HIV treatment in 2004 and for PrEP in 2012. Although the TDF component is already off patent, the patent for emtricitabine is not set to expire until next September.

Last year, Gilead announced agreement with Teva to give the Israeli company exclusive rights to sell a generic version of Truvada in the United States a year ahead of schedule. These rights will last for

six months, after which other companies may join the market. Generic versions of the combo pill are already available in other countries, sold under names such as Tenof-EM, TavinEM, and Ricovir.

While the arrival of generics can lead to dramatic price reductions thanks to increased competition, this does not necessarily happen when only a single generic version is available.

According to Teva, generic Truvada is expected to be available at a wholesale acquisition cost of $48.51 per tablet, which works out to about $1,455 for a 30-day supply. Brandname Truvada typically sells for around $1,600 to $1,800 per month.

Generic versions of TDF/emtricitabine cost about $25 a month in other countries.

Many people do not pay full price for brand-name Truvada because it is covered by commercial insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare. Gilead offers a patient assistance program for lowincome people without insurance and a co-pay card to cover out-ofpocket costs for those with private insurance.

Teva is also offering a co-pay card for generic Truvada that will cover $600 worth of out-of-pocket costs for a month’s supply. This is the same annual amount as Gilead’s co-pay card, though Gilead now sets the benefit at $7,200 per year with no monthly limit, after some people had trouble negotiating insurance deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums.

Safe and effective

Teva’s generic version is as safe and effective as brand-name Truvada.

“A generic medicine is the same as a brand-name medicine in dosage, safety, effectiveness, strength, stability, and quality, as well as in the way it is taken and should be used,” although the pills may look different, according to the DPH fact sheet.

People taking either version of Truvada for PrEP must be tested before starting to ensure that they do not already have HIV, and they should receive regular tests for HIV, sexually transmitted infections, and kidney function while using it.

Generic Truvada comes with the same safety concerns, namely decreased kidney function and bone loss. However, studies have shown that Truvada is a safe PrEP option for most people. The drugs in Truvada are also active against hepatitis B, but it is not approved for this indication. People should be tested for hepatitis B before starting Truvada and closely monitored after stopping, as this can lead to liver disease flare-ups. t

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Community News>>

October 8-14, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 3

Newsom names Goodall to CA aging panel compiled by Cynthia Laird

“We’ve been aware of Eric’s long career in Bay Area broadcasting so it’s exciting to finally collaborate with Out in the Bay to bring more quality content to our audiences by doing what we each do best, and in time extend our partnership to new projects,” he stated.

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overnor Gavin Newsom has appointed a Black Oakland lesbian to a seat on the California Commission on Aging.

Brendalynn Goodall, 69, is a longtime LGBTQ activist, having served as president of the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club.

In an email to the Bay Area Reporter, Goodall said she was “honored and excited” about the appointment.

“With over 30 years in the field of aging, I will have the opportunity to turn my passion into purpose,” she stated. “I have been an advocate and voice for elders, people of color, and LGBTQ individuals on a state, local, and national level. Serving as a commissioner, I am confident that I will continue to make a positive impact.”

Goodall was the summer jobs program coordinator in the Oakland mayor’s office from 2012 to 2014. She was division manager for Aging and Adult Services for the City of Oakland Department of Human Services from 2002 to 2011 and senior services supervisor and program director for the City of Oakland Department of Aging, Health and Human Services from 1990 to 2002.

In March, Goodall won her bid for reelection on the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee. Her new term on that body begins in January.

Goodall earned a master of social work degree from San Francisco State University.

This state aging commission position does not require state Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Goodall is a Democrat.

B.A.R., Out in the Bay announce partnership

The B.A.R. and Out in the Bay-

LGBTQ journalists on panel Thursday

The Academy, an LGBTQ social club in San Francisco, is hosting a panel of LGBTQ journalists Thursday, October 8, at 2 p.m. Pacific Time.

“Raising LGBTQ Voices in the Media” is free.

Panelists will include Reggie Aqui, anchor of ABC7’s “Morning in the SF Bay Area;” Jeffrey Masters, creator and host of LGBTQ&A, an interview podcast co-produced by the Advocate; Mark Segal, publisher of Philadelphia Gay News; Kim Severson, national food correspondent for the New York Times; and Kara Swisher, editor-atlarge of New York Media, host of the Pivot podcast, and executive producer of the Code conference.

They will be talking about the importance of raising queer voices in the media.

Liam Mayclem, TV personality of “Eye on the Bay,” will moderate.

To reserve a ticket, go to https://bit.ly/33zRYpq.

Courtesy Facebook

Brendalynn Goodall

Queer Radio have entered into a partnership to share LGBTQ news.

Every Friday, the paper will post an online item about the latest program in advance of its Saturday rebroadcast on KSFP Radio, 102.5 FM in San Francisco only, and online anytime at https://www.outinthebay.org/. The B.A.R. will also be contributing to the radio program monthly.

Eric Jansen, co-producer of Out in the Bay, said his team is pleased with the arrangement.

“I and my co-producers, Truc Nguyen and Kendra Klang, are thrilled about this new partnership with the Bay Area Reporter,” Jansen stated. “Journalism that covers and serves specific communities is threatened financially all over the country.

This partnership helps us reach a wider audience through the B.A.R.’s award-winning website and newspaper, and we hope to help the B.A.R. reach new readers through our podcasts and radio broadcasts.”

B.A.R. publisher Michael Yamashita explained that the partnership would help both entities.

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Queer Japanese American exhibit opens online

The first exhibit to look at Japanese Americans who were involved in intimate same-sex relationships or defied gender roles in the early 20th century will open online during LGBTQ History Month.

“Seen and Unseen: Queering Japanese American History Before 1945”

WITH ALICE BY NOVEMBER 3RD!

will open Sunday, October 11, to coincide with National Coming Out Day. It is hosted by J-Sei and co-curated by Amy Sueyoshi and Stan Yogi.

A news release noted that the exhibit brings to light a hidden past when same-sex relationships and female impersonation were accepted parts of Japanese immigrant culture, and how queer Japanese Americans expressed themselves as the Nikkei community came to mirror white American fears of same-sex intimacy and gender nonconformity.

The exhibit will run until February 14 and includes several programs, which are free but require an RSVP to receive the Zoom link.

For more information, go to https://j-sei.org/seen-and-unseen.

Shepard foundation honors Tomlin, Wagner

Lesbian comedian Lily Tomlin and her spouse, playwright Jane Wagner, will be honored during the Matthew Shepard Foundation’s Bear to Make a Difference gala, which will be held online Saturday, October 10, starting at 5 p.m. Pacific Time.

The women will receive the foundation’s Making a Difference Award.

Tomlin and Wagner, who met in 1971, have used their platform to serve as advocates for equal rights and feminism throughout the decades, a news release from the foundation stated. The award recognizes individuals and organizations committed to replacing hate with understanding, compassion and acceptance.

Other honorees include Julie Chavez, who will receive the Dennis Dougherty Award for Community

Leadership and Jude, a 13-year-old trans student who will accept the Spirit of Matthew Award. (Jude’s last name is being withheld because she is a minor.)

The foundation was established in honor of Matthew Shepard, a gay man who was beaten, tortured, and left to die near Laramie, Wyoming in 1998. He did die six days later. His parents, Judy and Dennis Shepard, later started the foundation.

The foundation was involved with the country’s first federal hate crimes legislation in 2009, which is named after Shepard and James Byrd Jr., a Black man who was dragged to his death in Texas. President Barack Obama signed the law.

Tickets for the gala are $20 and available at https://www.matthewshepard.org/gala/.

Trevor Project CEO receives award

Trevor Project CEO Amit Paley recently received the 2020 One Mind Champion Award.

The announcement was made last month at One Mind’s 26th annual music festival for brain health. One Mind is a leading mental health and brain research nonprofit. It raised over $3 million at the music festival, which was held virtually along with a scientific symposium in Rutherford in the Napa Valley.

The Trevor Project is a national nonprofit providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ young people under 25.

Chantel Garrett, founding director of Strong 365, received the 2020 One Mind Gamechanger Award.

For more information about One Mind, visit http://www.onemind. org.

See page 9 >>

Learn more about Alice at www.AliceBToklas.org

Scott has been a leader in our community since his days as Alice Co-Chair. He is an effective state legislator who fights for the LGBTQ community, better public transportation, a fairer justice system, and more housing!

SCOTT WIENER FOR STATE SENATE

SAN FRANCISCO PROPOSITIONS:

SAN FRANCISCO SUPERVISORS

VALLIE BROWN

DEAN PRESTON

MYRNA MELGAR

District 5

District 5

District 7

#1 Ranked Choice

#2 Ranked Choice

#1 Ranked Choice

JOEL ENGARDIO #2 Ranked Choice

District 7

AHSHA SAFAĺ #1 Ranked Choice

District 11

SAN FRANCISCO BOARD OF EDUCATION

ALIDA FISHER

MICHELLE PARKER

JENNY LAM

MARK SANCHEZ

COMMUNITY COLLEGE BOARD

YES

Prop A: Health, Homelessness, Parks, and Streets Bond

YES

Prop F: Business Tax Overhaul

YES

Prop I: Real Estate Transfer Tax

YES

Prop K: Affordable Housing Authorization – Social Housing

CALIFORNIA STATE PROPOSITIONS: YES

Prop 15: Schools and Communities First

YES

Prop 16: Repeals Proposition 209, ending the ban on affirmative action

NO

Prop 20: Tougher on parole, property crimes

YES

Prop 21: Rent Control

NO

Prop 22: Harms ride-hail and other appdrivers by removing worker protections

YES

Prop 25: End Cash Bail

Partial list, for all endorsements: www.alicebtoklas.org/2020/08/nov2020endorsements ALIYA CHISTI

TOM TEMPRANO

SHANELL WILLIAMS

ALAN WONG

indicates the candidate is LGBTQ

This ad was paid for by the Alice B. Toklas Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club PAC, FPPC# 842018. This advertisement was not authorized or paid for by a candidate for this office or a committee controlled by a candidate for this office. Financial disclosures available at sfethics. org. Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club • 2261 Market Street #1800, San Francisco, CA 94114

<< Open Forum

4 • Bay Area Reporter • October 8-14, 2020

Volume 50, Number 41 October 8-14, 2020 www.ebar.com

PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird CULTURE EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • John Ferrannini CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Tavo Amador • Roger Brigham Brian Bromberger • Victoria A. Brownworth Philip Campbell • Heather Cassell Michael Flanagan • Jim Gladstone Liz Highleyman • Lisa Keen Matthew Kennedy • David Lamble David-Elijah Nahmod • Paul Parish Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith •Sari Staver • Charlie Wagner Ed Walsh • Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood

ART DIRECTION Max Leger PRODUCTION/DESIGN Ernesto Sopprani PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • FBFE Rick Gerharter • Gareth Gooch Jose Guzman-Colon • Rudy K. Lawidjaja Georg Lester • Rich Stadtmiller • Fred Rowe Steven Underhill • Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Christine Smith

VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING Scott Wazlowski – 415.829.8937

NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

LEGAL COUNSEL Paul H. Melbostad, Esq.

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McElhaney in Oakland; Murphy in Pinole O

ur final endorsements are for the District 3 Oakland City Council race and one of the City Council seats in Pinole. In Oakland, Councilwoman Lynette McElhaney, an ally, is seeking reelection, while in Pinole, gay resident Devin Murphy will become the second out person elected to the City Council, as only two candidates are running for two seats. His name, however, will appear on the ballot (unlike some other unopposed candidates whose names will not.) For Oaklanders in D3, we recommend McElhaney; in Pinole, voters should elect Murphy.

Oakland

Lynette McElhaney has been a strong ally on the council and is seeking a third term. She has been an effective councilmember, working to establish the city’s police commission and coCourtesy Lynette McElhaney authoring the Protect Lynette Oakland Renters Act, McElhaney which was approved by voters in 2016. Her district includes West Oakland, the Jack London Square neighborhood, downtown, and Uptown.

In responses to our candidate questionnaire, McElhaney wrote that she supported redirecting police department funds “to invest in people.” In June, she was among the City Council members who voted to cut $14.6 million from the Oakland Police Department’s budget. For some, that doesn’t go far enough, but McElhaney pointed out that the city needs to change from its “War on Drugs financial model that has made cities more dangerous and all but destroyed families. ... As we look to reclaim funds, we must begin to look at phases for funding, allowing for growth in human-centered budgeting that will strengthen over time,” she wrote.

She calls for funding a social worker model for mental health crisis response and a support system for families to interrupt the syndrome of intimate partner/domestic violence and child abuse.

On housing, McElhaney supports middleincome housing programs, such as subsidies for first-time home buyers, which she stated allows low- and moderate-income families to

build stability; tax rebates for landlords that rent to moderate-income families without a subsidy, thus rewarding tenure; and expanding accessory dwelling units. She supports building housing on or near BART property, which is happening in Oakland, particularly mixed income housing and subsidized units in every census tract. During the pandemic, McElhaney wants to see statewide rent relief; Oakland already passed an eviction moratorium for those affected by COVID. She would like to see more representation by lower income people on city boards and commissions, including Black, Brown, and LGBTQ residents. To encourage that, she has suggested removing transportation barriers by permitting virtual participation (something that is happening for all meetings now because of the pandemic); and perhaps holding some commission meetings on weekends since many BIPOC work at night. She would also like to expand mentorship, apprenticeship, and internship opportunities so that people can increase their participation in civic affairs. McElhaney would like to fund and expand the city’s Department of Race and Equity to provide training on inclusion in outreach efforts.

As we recently reported in an interview with McElhaney, her queer son, Victor, was killed in a shooting in Los Angeles last year, and she began speaking publicly about his life last month.

Overall, McElhaney brings her life experience to the City Council, where she has been a productive member.

To help small businesses, she wrote that she led the effort to rush $25 million in federal CARES COVID funds to support them, along with arts and rental relief. “Our goal is to keep Oaklanders in business and home as we ride out the recession,” she wrote.

McElhaney has accomplished much on the City Council; voters should reelect her to continue her work.

Pinole

Voters in the East Bay city almost certainly will elect Devin Murphy to one of two City Council seats, as there are only two candidates on the ballot. He answered our candidate questionnaire

with the goal of producing a higher vote total to demonstrate the strength of his support.

A gay man and planning commissioner in the city, Murphy is also the Courtesy Devin Murphy first Black person to lead the Lambda Democratic Devin Murphy Club of Contra Costa County, which was instrumental this year in moving various cities and towns in the East Bay to fly the Pride flag in June.

Murphy founded Visit Pinole, a campaign to support economic growth and vitality of small businesses there. He also served as an appointee of the City Council and West Contra Costa Unified School District to the Citizens Bond Oversight Committee where he was responsible for overseeing $1.6 billion in funding from voterapproved bond measures. In short, he has experience in local government that should serve him well on the council.

On policing, Murphy wrote that defunding the police means reallocating or redirecting money from the police department to other local government agencies that “create tangible community solutions to some of our deepest public safety issues, including homelessness, neighborhood violence, and mental illness.” Toward that end, Murphy wants to reinvest in parks and trails, youth programs, fire safety, and full funding for the arts and recreation.

He supports constructing housing near BART, and wrote that East Bay cities, including Pinole, “must steer toward the direction of affordable transit-oriented housing.” That also includes along San Pablo Avenue, which is a main route for Western Contra Costa County buses.

Murphy wants to make local government responsive to constituents and proposes to equip residents with open access to the city through online forms and using social media to inform them of news and important updates. Greater access and involvement could increase diversity and participation on city panels, he contends.

In short, Murphy has experience working in local government, and has a vision for the council. t

Queer Asian candidates are proudly out

by Michael Nguyen and Mike Chen

“G Bay Area Reporter 44 Gough Street, Suite 204 San Francisco, CA 94103 415.861.5019 • www.ebar.com A division of BAR Media, Inc. © 2020 President: Michael M. Yamashita Director: Scott Wazlowski

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Advertising rates available upon request.

Our list of subscribers and advertisers is confidential and is not sold. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, and writers published herein is neither inferred nor implied. We are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or artwork.

et back in the closet.” “You are a disgrace.”

“Stop talking about your sexuality.” “You should be disowned.” These vicious statements are a sampling of the intolerant messages now being leveled in social media at Alex Lee, Justin Sha, and Lucy Shen. They are young ChineseAmericans who are running for office in Fremont and the South Bay. Their crime? Being openly and outspokenly LGBTQ. Shen, a nonbinary candidate for Fremont Board of Education who uses any pronouns, including they/them, has borne the brunt of public attacks from anonymous Twitter accounts. One account called them a disgrace to the Asian community. Another account said that they would disown their kids if they turned out like Shen.

While we in the Bay Area pride ourselves on being a welcoming community, LGBTQ people still struggle to be seen, heard, and feel safe. Elected board of education members in Fremont and Cupertino have resisted public school sex education curricula that is inclusive and positive of LGBTQ individuals. In June, a manager of a Livermore Farmers Market berated a vendor for handing out Pride flags. Residents in San Francisco have been harassed and attacked based on their sexuality. After the COVID-19 crisis started, LGBTQ Asian and Pacific Islanders faced a double whammy of hate and discrimination.

Across the country, it is open season on LGBTQ elected officials and candidates. The rightwing conspiracy group QAnon called gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) a pedophile for his LGBTQ rights legislation, inciting an internet mob and death threats.

Alex Morse, candidate for Congress in Massachusetts, had his primary campaign smeared by baseless accusations of sexual harassment. That is wrong, and it must stop.

Some of the attackers say that they are fine with LGBTQ people, but they are bothered by candidates “flaunting their sexuality.” “Keep your

Courtesy the campaigns

Candidates Lucy Shen, Justin Sha, and Alex Lee

private life private,” they say. “Sexual orientation has nothing to do with elected positions.” Lee, Sha, and Shen’s honesty and transparency is not flaunting their sexuality. Straight candidates can freely mention their spouses and children because society allows them to “flaunt” their private lives without fear of recrimination. We demand the same for LGBTQ people: to be seen for who they are, who they love, and who they care for without shame or fear. We stand with Lee, Sha, and Shen in proudly proclaiming that representation is important: we need positive, uplifting role models of queer Asian American achievement and civic engagement for children and teens who are not accepted for their gender or sexual identity, or not blessed with supportive parents.

To those in our communities who think that we should be ashamed of who we are, we have a simple message: we are not going back in the closet. Your time of silencing and shaming us is ending. We will confront homophobia and transphobia wherever and whenever they rear their ugly heads. And, yes, we will continue reaching out to our Asian families and communities to build hope, love, and inclusion, so that

we can celebrate our cultures and thrive together.

We call on all candidates in Fremont to condemn hostility toward LGBTQ people. We must stand up for our LGBTQ Asian and Pacific Islander candidates, let them stand on their own merits, support their campaigns, and defend them against attacks on their gender identity and sexuality. Lee, a bisexual man running for the California Assembly, belongs here. Sha, a gay man running for mayor of Fremont, belongs here. Shen belongs here.

We API and LGBTQ and allied leaders ask readers who support LGBTQ rights and equality to continue to stand in solidarity with our LGBTQ API community and beyond as we work to combat bigotry and hatred in our society. t Michael Nguyen and Mike Shen are the chair and political director, respectively, for GAPA, an advocacy group for the queer and transgender API community. This op-ed is co-signed by state Senator Scott Wiener, San Francisco Assemblymen David Chiu (D) and Phil Ting (D), Assemblyman Rob Bonta (D-Oakland), Assemblyman Ash Kalra (D-San Jose), and Assemblyman Evan Low (D-Cupertino).

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Politics >>

High court pick

From page 1

“I want to say to some young person who may be out there watching today who is struggling with their identity. Anyone who knows me knows my identity has been as a gay man perhaps the greatest challenge of my life. And it has not been easy,” said Jenkins. “But I want to say today to those young people who may be watching and those who may hear about what has transpired here: that I’m not here in spite of the struggle, I am here because of the struggle.”

Despite rumors of there being a closeted jurist on the Supreme Court of California, there has never been an out LGBTQ person serving on it, as the Bay Area Reporter has noted for years in stories about the demographic makeup of the Golden State’s judiciary. All six of the current Supreme Court members identify as straight according to the annual reports that detail the sexual orientation and gender identity of the state’s judges.

As did retired Justice Ming Chin, the court’s first Chinese American justice who stepped down this summer. Appointed by former Republican Governor Pete Wilson, Chin was part of the minority in 2008 that dissented against the court’s decision in favor of same-sex marriage in a lawsuit sparked by Newsom’s ordering San Francisco officials to wed same-sex couples in 2004 while serving as the city’s mayor.

The vacancy is Newsom’s first opportunity to reshape the state’s highest court. Chin was considered to be the court’s most conservative member, while Jenkins is a Democrat like Newsom who litigated various civil rights cases during his legal career.

Newsom’s predecessor Jerry Brown, during his second go-around as governor, named four of the current justices on the state Supreme Court. Having named the first out LGBTQ judge in the state when he first served as governor in the late 1970s and 1980s, Brown disappointed LGBTQ advocates by not breaking another judicial pink ceiling with his picks for high court vacancies.

Gay lawmakers state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Assemblyman Todd Gloria (D-San Diego), the chair and vice chair, respectively, of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, sent Newsom a letter in February urging him to nominate an LGBTQ judge to succeed Chin.

Monday they commended the governor “for once again making history”

<<

October 8-14, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 5

Courtesy Governor’s office.

Martin Jenkins had served as Governor Gavin Newsom’s judicial appointments secretary.

with his “strong pick” of Jenkins.

“The LGBTQ community is dramatically under-represented in the judiciary, and particularly so at the appellate level. This appointment is a major step toward a judiciary that represents the entire community,” stated the out lawmakers in a joint press release. “Justice Jenkins is superbly qualified to serve on the court.

His distinguished legal career, particularly as a Justice on the California Court of Appeal and a United States District Judge, will serve him and all of us well. Moreover, as a Black gay man, Justice Jenkins brings an important perspective to the court during a period of time when our society is moving through a longoverdue reckoning on race.”

In July, all seven LGBTQ bar associations in the state also wrote Newsom and Jenkins to express their desire to see “an LGBTQ+ individual, a person of color, or, preferably, an LGBTQ+ person of color” as Chin’s successor on the court. In a statement Monday, the Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom said it was “rejoicing” at the selection of Jenkins for the seat.

“We applaud Governor Newsom’s decision to continue leading in the realm of LGBTQI+ equality,” stated the local LGBTQ bar association, adding, “Our court is now more representative of our great and diverse state because of Governor Newsom’s wise decision.”

Jenkins, born and raised in San Francisco’s Ingleside neighborhood, is set to become the sixth out person serving on a state’s highest court, according to a database compiled by the LGBTQ Victory Fund. Earlier this year Grace Helen Whitener, a Black disabled lesbian, was appointed to

Southern queer history

From page 1

campus of the University of Alabama, where Sullivan also received her undergraduate and master’s degrees.

Rather than the story of the queer South being one of LGBTQ people fleeing for the coasts to find acceptance and community, they are unearthing how LGBTQ Southerners thrived in their hometowns. For instance, an LGBTQ community center opened in Birmingham in 1980, noted Burford, while there were various queer publications across the region in the 1970s.

“We can’t see us because we have been fully ignored this entire time.

The South, especially the queer South, exists as a cautionary tale,” said Burford. “And as long as we are a cautionary tale, we can never be anything else. We are trying to fix it.”

Nonprofit formed

In 2016, they formed a nonprofit to begin raising awareness about, and money for, the archival project.

After the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation awarded them a two-year

Courtesy Invisible Histories Project

A button from Birmingham’s first Pride march in 1989

$300,000 grant last year, they were both able to work full-time on the project. Burford is its director of outreach and lead archivist; Sullivan is its director of research and development.

“We both were really disappointed in the stories and narratives about being queer in the South we had been told for like, forever, or the lack of stories and access we had had,” said Sullivan, 37, who is queer and grew up near Sand Mountain in the Appalachian part of Alabama.

“We knew all these amazing people, and not just currently living but had

the Washington Supreme Court and serves alongside Justice Mary Yu, a lesbian Asian American Latina.

Rives Kistler, a gay man, sits on the Oregon Supreme Court, while lesbian Justice Lidia Stiglich serves on the Nevada Supreme Court. Paul Feinman, who is gay, serves on the New York Court of Appeals, the highest court in the Empire State.

In his remarks Monday, Jenkins advised younger LGBTQ people that “the greatest gift” they can award themselves is to live “a life of authenticity.” Doing so, he said, “has deepened my character, afforded me sensibilities about the world, and about people who are not so willing to accept that people can love differently than they do, but nevertheless love sincerely, genuinely and affectively.”

As the B.A.R. noted in an online story Monday, Jenkins attended two Jesuit-run universities in the Bay Area, Santa Clara University and the University of San Francisco School of Law. He had signed a contract with the Seattle Seahawks football team but pivoted to pursue a career in the legal profession.

He started out as a prosecutor for the Alameda County District Attorney’s office in the early 1980s and then went to work for the U.S. Department of Justice during the Reagan administration. After a brief stint in the private sector, Jenkins served as a state judge and then on the federal bench.

He stepped down as a state appellate justice last year when Newsom tapped him to offer guidance on filling judicial vacancies on the state’s courts. Newsom noted that he has “seen firsthand that Justice Jenkins possesses brilliance and humility in equal measure. The people of California could not ask for a better jurist or kinder person to take on this important responsibility.”

Jenkins thanked Newsom for “the extraordinary opportunity” he had offered him and promised “to do my best to dispatch the enormous responsibilities that are incumbent with this great office.”

His confirmation hearing could come as early as later this month. On the court, Jenkins will make $261,949 a year. 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 an SF candidate using LGBT in their ballot designation for the first time.

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

heard stories of other people. How can we let other people know what we know?”

A similar project is underway at the Mid-South LGBTQ+ Archive housed at the special collections department of the University of Memphis campus library. A group of eight interested preservationists formed the LGBTQ Community of Researchers in 2018 and received a $2,500 seed grant from Tennessee’s public research university to launch the archive.

Last spring, the group took possession of the LGBTQ+ community center OUT Memphis’s historical records.

“They had all this stuff in closets. By us taking it and putting it in the library, hopefully it will make it more accessible to the community,” said Robert “Robby” Byrd, 40, a gay man who grew up in the rural Mississippi town of Amory and is now an assistant professor of journalism at the university.

The Mid-South archive is focused on preserving queer history in Arkansas, Mississippi, and parts of See page 8 >>

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6 • Bay Area Reporter • October 8-14, 2020

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t

A 17-year saga for transparency in the Nizah Morris case analysis by Timothy Cwiek

T

his month marks the 65th birthday of Nizah Morris. It’s difficult to believe that Morris would be a senior citizen if she were alive today.

She was born on October 19, 1955.

So much has changed since her tragic death in 2002 – possibly connected to an encounter with Philadelphia police.

This year marks my 17th year – and counting – reporting on her case. Today, widespread police reform efforts are underway. But when Morris was alive, many police officers believed they could brutalize the LGBTQ community with impunity.

Courtesy PGN At the time of her death, Morris was a 47-year-old trans woman A candlelight memorial for Nizah Morris, who died in 2002. of color and a beloved figure in the Philadelphia community. She was a Morris. She said I could pick up a if she were to survive. But when parapopular entertainer and advocated for copy at the 9th Police District in the medics finally placed Morris onto a transgender rights.

Fairmount section. gurney for transport to Jefferson HosOn December 22, 2002, she atBerry wrote the police report but pital, Berry put Morris’ jacket over her tended a private party at the old wasn’t available to answer questions face, as if she were already dead, acKey West Bar, near 13th and Walnut about it. I was dumbfounded when cording to an eyewitness. streets. From all accounts, she had too I saw that Berry speculated about Morris died 64 hours later at Jefmuch to drink at the party. Morris Morris’ LGBTQ status in his report. ferson Hospital. She was alone. The was stumbling and falling outside Key He wrote that Morris appeared to be police didn’t try to identify her and West. At 3:07 a.m., a person identified a “transsexual.” Police officers aren’t summon her family. On December only as “Anisa” placed a 911 call on supposed to speculate about the LG25, 2002, the medical examiner’s ofMorris’ behalf, seeking an ambulance BTQ status of a simple “hospital case” fice declared Morris’ death to be a because Morris couldn’t stand with– which is what Berry deemed Morris “homicide” due to “blunt-force head out assistance. to be. Berry’s report was mystifying trauma.” Several days later, when relaOfficers Kenneth Novak and Elizaand increased my curiosity about the tives were informed about Morris’ beth Skala were dispatched to investipolice response to Morris. courtesy ride, they became deeply gate Morris at 3:10 a.m. Paramedics In December 2003, Abraham anconcerned that police were linked to were also summoned. Skala arrived nounced that the DA’s Morris invesher death. first, canceled the paramedics, and tigation reached an impasse with no told the dispatcher she would “drop Police question whether criminal suspects identified – thus off” Morris at 15th and Walnut. Skala homicide occurred clearing the way for public hearings said this at 3:13 a.m., according to 911 Police officials initially refused to before the Police Advisory Commistapes. (Skala later told investigators accept that Morris was a homicide sion for possible violations of poshe thought Morris lived at 15th and victim. They retained a neuropalice department regulations. Due to Walnut. But Morris lived three miles thologist, Lucy Rorke, to review the protracted resistance from the police away in West Philadelphia.) Novak’s medical examiner’s findings. Rorke department, the hearings didn’t take movements during the “courtesy ride” reaffirmed that Morris was a homiplace until December 2006. for Morris remain unclear. cide victim. But a police spokesperson The main thing I remember about Twelve minutes later, at 3:25 a.m., a insisted that any suggestion that pothe PAC’s 2006 hearings was Skala’s passing motorist called 911, reporting lice were responsible for Morris’ death complete inability to distance herself that someone was lying unconscious would be “preposterous.” from Morris’ head injury. I will never in the street at 16th and Walnut, Philadelphia Gay News’ coverage of forget this exchange between PAC bleeding from the head. the case intensified in January 2003, Commissioner Adam Rodgers and Once again, paramedics were sumwhen Morris’ mother, Roslyn Wilkins, Skala: moned. But when they arrived at contacted this reporter and expressed Rodgers: For the record, your best 16th and Walnut, they acted strangeconcern that police killed her daughestimate is she’s with you for 16 minly – speaking at length with Officer ter. Wilkins simply couldn’t believe utes and you dropped her off?

Thomas Berry rather than tending to the story she was getting from police.

Skala: Yes. Morris, according to an eyewitness. A I’ll never forget Wilkins’ question to Skala’s 16-minute estimate placed few minutes earlier, Berry had offered me: “Since when are the police a taxi her squarely with Morris at the time to help Morris out of Skala’s car, but service?” As for Skala thinking Morris of her head injury. Please remember: his help wasn’t needed, Berry later lived at 15th and Walnut, Wilkins said: At 3:10 a.m. Skala and Novak were told investigators.

Below Market Rate (BMR) Rental Apartments Available “Nobody lives at 15th and Walnut.” dispatched to investigate Morris near Morris had City a subdural hematoma Common Gardens 333 12th St, San Francisco, CA 94103 13th and Walnut. At 3:25 a.m. the first and needed prompt medical attention Lengthy effort begins post-injury 911 call for Morris was

14 2 bedroom rental units available at $1,585 per month Thus began a lengthy effort to anplaced at 16th and Walnut. That’s 15 13 4 bedroom rental units available at $1,903 swer the question: “Who per killed month Nizah minutes after Skala and Novak were Below Market Rate (BMR) Rental Apartments Available Morris?” The first thing I did after initially dispatched. If Skala was with Below Market Rate (BMR) Rental Apartments Available Wilkins’ phone call was to request Morristhe for 16 minutes, she had to be Common City Gardens 333 12th San Francisco, CAmust 94103 MustSt, be income eligible and not own a home. Households must earn no more than maximum police reports for the pre-injury and present when Morris sustained her Common City Gardens 333 12th St, San Francisco, CA 94103 income levels below: post-injury incidents involving Mor-

head injury. Just do the math.

Also during the hearings, I was struck that Novak wasn’t called to Morris’ relatives implored PAC One person - $45,600; 2 persons - $52,100; 3 personswritten - $58,600; 4 persons - $65,100; testify.

5 persons$70,300 for either incident. This inacstaff and commissioners to require Must be income eligible and must not own a home. Households must earn curate information was sent to me via Novak to testify. But for some reason, Must be income eligible and must not own a home. Households must earn no more than the maximum income levels below: the U.S. Postal Service. I asked the ponever explained to the public, Novak no more than the maximum income levels below: lice department’s LGBT liaison officer wasn’t required Applications must be submitted online at ​http://housing.sfgov.org​ due to Covid-19.

Paperto testify at the PAC 55% of Area Median Income to look into the matter, but he was of hearings. applications will- not be accepted due to Covid-10 state of emergency Public Health Order. dispatch records One person - $45,600; 2 persons - $52,100; 3 persons $58,600; no assistance.

Computer-aided 55% of Area Median Income 4 persons - $65,100; 5 persons$70,300 Applications of qualified applicants with conviction histories will be considered.

After I wrote a PGN story about the released during the PAC hearings in2 persons - $56,400; 3 persons - $63,400; 4 persons - $70,450; police’s assertion that no report had dicated that several Morris 911 transApplications must be submitted at http://housing.sfgov.org due to$87,350; Covid-19. Paper been written about Morris, her sister, missions had never been released to 5 persons$76,100; 6online persons$81,750; 7 personsApplications versions can be downloaded from ​http://housing.sfgov.org​ or picked up from one of the applications will not be accepted due to Covid-10 state of emergency Public Health Order.

Andrea Brunson, contacted me and the public. That prompted me to file 8 persons$93,000; ; 9 persons – $98,650 housing counseling agencies listed at h ​ ttp://housing.sfgov.org/housing-counselors Applications of qualified applicants with conviction histories will be considered. said she saw a police report among an open-records request with the pothe possessions of a homicide deteclice for a complete set of 911 transmistive who visited Wilkins’ home.

Applications can be downloaded from http://housing.sfgov.org or online Lottery sions relating to the Morris incident.

Applications mustversions be received by 5pm on October 29, 2020. Apply I conveyed this information to The litigation ended when the police picked up from one of thehousing counseling agencies listed at through DAHLIA, the SF Housing – housing.sfgov.org.

DuePortal to the Covid-19 state of emergency Public Health Order, the Lottery willwho be held virtually,acknowledged and a PGN’s then-editor, Patti Tihey, department its entire http://housing.sfgov.org/housing-counselors recording will be made available to thecalling public. wrote an editorial for an FBI Morris homicide file was missing. investigation of Morris’ death.

Mind you, the Morris case was receivFor more information contactLottery Common leasing at (415) 862-2331 Perhaps as a preemptive measure, Due to the Covid-19 state of emergency Public Health Order, For more information contact Common leasing at (415) 862 - 2331ing a fair amount of media attention or admissions@common.com then-District Attorney Lynne Abraat the time. Yet the police still manthe Lottery will be held virtually, and arecording will be made available to the public. ham telephoned me after the editorial aged to lose their entire Morris homiappeared and said her office would cide file.

Units available through the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development and Units available through the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and the For more information contact Common leasing at (415) 862 - 2331.

Units available through investigate the case.

That happened in At PGN’s insistence, SanCommunity Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and are Community andare subjectrestrictions. to Development are subject to monitoring and other restrictions. subjectDevelopment to monitoring and other Visit ​www.sfmohcd.org​ for program information. the city Law April 2003.

Department agreed to contact various monitoring andVisit other restrictions.

Visit www.sfmohcd.org for program information. www.sfmohcd.org for program information.

Abraham also told me that police See page 7 >> did write an incident report about ris. I paid $30 expecting to receive two 14 2-bedroom rental units available at $1,585 per month 14 2 bedroom rental units available at $1,585 per month reports. Income Instead, I got a letter from 55% of Area Median 13 4-bedroom rental units at $1,903 per month 13 4 bedroom rental units available available at $1,903 per month police claiming no police report was

Commons (City Garden) 18579.indd 1 Untitled-3 1

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Business News>>

October 8-14, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 7

Accounting field launches first LGBTQ survey

by Matthew S. Bajko

A

s it works to increase interest among high school and college students in its field, the accounting profession is also striving to better understand the issues that LGBTQ accountants encounter in their workplaces. It is undertaking its first-ever survey to gather sexual orientation and gender identity demographics, with the results to be released in the spring.

The Institute of Management Accountants and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants have teamed up to conduct the research, which is also examining the experiences of people of color in the profession. Their aim is to attract a diverse pipeline of new recruits interested in becoming certified public accountants.

“Once we have the information, we can start to understand the trends we are seeing. If no one indicates they are a member of the LGBTQIA community, then we have a problem to solve,” said Anthony Pugliese, a gay man who has been president and CEO of CalCPA since January 2019.

In his first media interview about the survey, Pugliese told the Bay Area Reporter that the accounting profession tends to attract more Caucasians than people of color and more men than women. In addition to a lack of diversity, the field also has to contend with how it is portrayed in popular culture.

“We are trying to influence opinions about the accounting profession. It is a lot more than the stereotypical things you think of, like tax returns. The profession has a whole lot more going on than it did decades ago,” said Pugliese, who spent 21 years with the American Institute of CPAs based in Durham, North Carolina. “A lot of our CPAs in California are financial planners managing portfolios for high net worth people or people who want to save money.”

Pugliese, 53, recently relocated from the Bay Area to Sacramento, where his husband, Greg Ford, and their 9-year-old twin daughters Brooke and Chloe joined him. The family had been living in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the couple’s son, Jonathan, 18, is a freshman at UNC in Charlotte.

<<

Morris case

From page 6

city agencies in an effort to reconstruct the Morris homicide file. I was given a copy of the reconstructed file. Several city agencies contributed records to it, including the district attorney’s office and the PAC. If additional Morris documents were located, they were supposed to be placed in the reconstructed file – which I would be permitted to access upon request. This agreement was memorialized in a stipulated order signed by Common Pleas Judge Jane Cutler Greenspan in May 2008.

In January 2011, I was pleased when a new group of PAC commissioners agreed to reopen the Morris probe.

(The previous PAC cleared police of any responsibility for Morris’ death.)

The new PAC commissioners subpoenaed all Morris records at the DA’s office. In response, a contingent of commissioners was permitted to visit the DA’s office and photocopy Morris records never revealed to the public.

But due to a nondisclosure agreement, PAC commissioners couldn’t

Courtesy CalCPA

Anthony Pugliese is president and CEO of the California Society of Certified Public Accountants.

In the early 1990s Pugliese had lived in San Francisco when he worked for Deloitte after graduating from the University of North Florida in 1989. He had switched his major from marketing to accounting after being told that CPAs are never out of work. In good times and in bad, accountants are always needed, noted Pugliese.

That promise of job security is one he hopes to convey to young people contemplating their career paths. CPAs with one year of experience typically earn $66,000 and within five years can make $119,000 a year.

“One of the things about the accounting field, in general, is it prospers in times of prosperity and in times of recession or even depression,” said Pugliese. “The same consultative advice CPAs provide is important, perhaps even more so, in times of recession.”

CalCPA has 45,000 members in the state, while the IMA has 40,000 members based in the United States out of a global membership of 140,000. Yet, there is a shortage of CPAs to meet the current job needs, and the industry estimates that nearly a quarter of working accountants will retire in the next five years.

“There are not enough CPAs to fill the demand,” said Pugliese.

Having come out at work in his 20s, Pugliese said he didn’t encounter any blatant homophobia.

But he also didn’t meet many other LGBTQ CPAs. share the DA’s records with the public.

Moreover, the records weren’t deposited in the reconstructed Morris homicide file, which, in my opinion, was a violation of Greenspan’s order.

Still, the PAC’s second investigation was helpful because it unearthed an unredacted version of Berry’s report.

The unredacted version shows that Berry made emendations to his report after visiting Morris at Jefferson Hospital around 6 a.m. December 22, 2002. Novak and Skala also were there. I don’t know why all three officers visited Morris at Jefferson Hospital. But I do know their patrol logs and Berry’s police report document Morris solely in the context of being a “hospital case.” My concern is that all three officers waited to complete their paperwork until they visited Jefferson Hospital and could write about Morris in that context.

In doing so, the officers avoided documenting the courtesy ride and Morris’ fatal head wound. Such details wouldn’t be necessary for a simple hospital case that was transported to a hospital by paramedics, not by police.

“Early in my professional career, I would have loved to find another gay person as a mentor,” he said.

Following the Black Lives Matter protests earlier this year, Pugliese announced that CalCPA had created a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission to examine how it could create a more diverse and equitable culture in the accounting and finance profession. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 23% of accountants and auditors are non-white and according to the National Association of Black Accountants, less than 1% of CPAs in the U.S. are Black.

Later this year the accounting groups plan to release their first report, “Race and Ethnicity in the U.S.,” based on the racial and SOGI survey they are conducting. Their goal is to use the data to identify actionable ideas for diversifying the profession in meaningful ways.

Pugliese told the B.A.R. he doesn’t want to see the initiative degraded into a situation where an accounting firm or employer thinks they can check off a diversity box by hiring one CPA of color or someone from the LGBTQ community. He is striving for more systemic changes that will bolster the profession for years to come, especially as the country’s population grows even more diverse.

“This is a business problem as much as anything else,” he said.

“A large section of different demographic groups think our profession is not attractive to go into. It is incumbent upon us to figure out why.”

To learn more about CalCPA, visit its website at http://www.calcpa.org.

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Dance instructor volunteer needed

Openhouse, the LGBTQ senior services provider based in San Francisco, is seeking a volunteer aerobics dance instructor to help its clients get in some low-impact, fun exercise while they shelter in place during the health crisis. The virtual sessions would be held at least once a week until the COVID pandemic ends.

Anyone interested should contact Ariel Mellinger by calling (415) 503-4180 or emailing ariel@ openhouse-sf.org.t

Got a tip on LGBTQ business news? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 829-8836 or e-mail m.bajko@ ebar.com.

I’ve tried on numerous occasions to obtain clarity about the officers’ paperwork, to no avail. In my opinion, it’s outrageous that police don’t feel the need to publicly explain these official documents. Perhaps with the national movement for systemic police reform currently underway, an explanation will be forthcoming.

In 2013, the PAC issued a supplemental Morris opinion, calling for state and federal probes of the Morris case. So far, neither the U.S. Attorney’s Office nor the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office has agreed to investigate the matter. Attorney General Josh Shapiro has stated publicly that he would review the case if the Legislature gives him the power to do so. As of press time, no such legislation has been introduced.

In 2014, I was honored by the Society of Professional Journalists with a Sigma Delta Chi Investigative Reporting Award for my coverage of the Morris case. I will always remember the trip to D.C. to receive the award, accom-

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See page 9 >> Untitled-3 1

9/18/20 12:10 PM

<< National News

8 • Bay Area Reporter • October 8-14, 2020

<<

Marriage ruling

From page 1

in the majority. Now, not only is Kennedy gone but so is another member of the Obergefell majority: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died September 18 following a long struggle against cancer. And, to replace her, Trump has

<<

Southern queer history

From page 5

Tennessee and Missouri.

“It was important to start this because there was no other formal repository of queer history in the area that existed,” explained Cookie Woolner, 46, a queer femme who has been a history professor at the university since 2016. “There wasn’t a centralized place, archive, or organization focused on compiling local queer history.”

Byrd added that they are working to ensure it isn’t seen as an “ivory tower” collection meant solely for academic research and use.

“We want it to be a community archive so people feel comfortable using it and feel comfortable contributing to it,” he said.

Brigitte Billeaudeaux, 37, a queer questioning cisgender female, has worked as a librarian and archivist for special collections at the Memphis campus and is helping to organize the queer archive. It aims to collect everything from people’s paper records to the queer ephemera they have saved.

“We can also give people the option to donate just images of their artifacts or allow us to image it so they can keep their possessions,” she said.

Gay Memphis native Vincent C. Astor, 66, who helped found the city’s LGBT community center and writes about Southern queer history for various local publications, donated items he had collected

nominated a judge with a documented hostility to same-sex marriages: Amy Coney Barrett.

“The nightmare of a hostile Supreme Court majority is already here,” said Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund CEO Kevin Jennings.

“The confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett haven’t even started yet and Justices Thomas and Alito over the years to the archive. He has a number of archival collections housed at local institutions, including the city’s public library, which only collects two-dimensional historical records, and the local history museum, where he donated ephemera from the city’s Pride event, like T-shirts and souvenirs.

“I have always been interested in history and historic preservation,” said Astor, known as the official historian of Memphis’ gay and lesbian community.

He gave his collection of old gay newspapers to his alma mater Rhodes College, which was known as Southwestern at Memphis when he earned degrees in German and theater there in 1975.

“When I heard about the archive at U of M, I gave them a big boatload of my stuff, the physical stuff.

I had a lot of mementos from the Emerald Theater Company,” said Astor, referring to the local gay theater troupe with which he had performed, including twice as the flamboyant Emory in productions of the play “Boys in the Band.”

He hopes the archival material will shed some light for today’s young people and future generations about what it was like to be a gay man in the South.

“Young people’s frame of reference is so far removed, even from AIDS, that they have to be taught a little more intensely,” said Astor.

“I am a museum person, I know these things just slumber until they are needed. That doesn’t bother me

are already creating a laundry list of cases they want to overturn. And unsurprisingly, marriage equality is first on the chopping block. Confirming Judge Barrett would be the final puzzle piece they need in order to make it happen.

“Overturning our right to legally marry the person we love and to protect our families would only be the be-

ginning,” said Jennings, adding, “none of the hard-fought rights that we have won in the courts are safe. That includes the right to marry, to work, or to be recognized as the legal parents of our children.”

The Human Rights Campaign issued a statement saying that, while it is good news that there were not four justices to grant Davis’ appeal, Thom-

Courtesy Invisible Histories Project

The Invisible Histories Project believes that Albatross was published in the Florida panhandle and ran until about the mid-1980s.

at all. I just like the fact that they are there if someone like me comes along in 25 years and wants to know what it was like.”

Film, video collections

One of the archive’s prized possessions is video from 51 years ago of the first Miss Memphis Revue, a drag show held on Halloween, as it was the only day men could legally dress in women’s clothing. A crowdfunding campaign netted $2,000 to digitize the 16-millimeter film.

There is additional film of the annual event they hope to also digitize at some point.

“There is quite a bit of film. We have no idea what’s on it,” said Billeaudeaux. “It was donated to OUT Memphis at some point. It is unclear if it was given directly from the person responsible for the film or given to someone else and then passed on.”

When she also found a letter in the donated materials from Bill Kendall, the founder of the drag event, that helped to contextualize the videos, “My hairs were standing up. I had goose bumps,” said Billeaudeaux.

Via its Instagram and Twitter accounts at 901lgbtqarchive, the archive routinely posts images of its holdings in order to help raise awareness of the collection. It would like to add more personal narratives from people in the community, especially those who are Black or Latinx.

“I think that is necessary to help tell the story,” said Billeaudeaux. “I would like to expand our narrative beyond one side of what we have seen, mostly European American history.”

A conduit for queer history

Sullivan and Burford’s Invisible Histories Project is unusual in that it is not working to build its own archival collection about Southern LGBTQ history. Rather, they aim to connect LGBTQ people with established institutions, whether a local or university library’s historical collections, a collecting museum, or a historical society, where they can donate the items they have preserved over the years or record their oral stories about their lived experience in the South.

“We are an intermediary between queer and trans people and organizations and libraries and universities and museums,” said Sullivan.

“We are a conduit. We research and locate potential collections.”

Their aim is to ensure the archives are accessible to the local queer community, noted Burford.

“I think one of the central tenets of our work is we want the materials

to stay local. As local as we can keep it and as close to the communities that produce it,” said Burford. “Now, at some point in the future, if there is a drive or desire for a History Center for the Queer South, that is certainly something we wouldn’t say no to.”

In the meantime, Burford feels urgency to the work they are doing to preserve not only people’s memories but also memorabilia.

“I know it sounds a little hyperbolic, but I wake up at night thinking about how much we have lost,” he said. “What went into the trash intentionally and unintentionally?”

They have utilized social media to their advantage in seeking out people and materials. In some cases they tag individuals online they are interested in talking to, and in others people reach out to them.

“When we go to meet someone for collecting, we ask them for 10 to 15 people we should talk to,” said Sullivan. “It is old school, grassroots queer Southern networking.”

Such was the case when Janelle Sweeney, a straight woman who lives in Birmingham, contacted the project out of the blue about a guide to gay bars she had discovered at an estate sale. Sweeney resells vintage and kitschy items she finds via her Instagram and Facebook pages under her business name of Janelle’s Attic Gold. Her former boyfriend, who is bisexual, happened upon a cache of men’s fitness magazines at an estate sale they had stopped at and came running over to her excitedly to ask if she wanted to buy them.

“I said, ‘Fuck yeah, grab it all!’

It was my beefcake jackpot; it was amazing,” recalled Sweeney, who believes she paid around $10 for the four boxes worth of old publications.

Thinking she could resell the muscle magazines, Sweeney was sorting through them when she was amazed to discover a second edition of the 1964 International Guild Guide to various gay bars from around the globe.

“I was fascinated. This one I had was international and had gay bars from just about everywhere all over the world, from the U.S. to Greece,” said Sweeney.

She ended up donating the guide to the archival project at the suggestion of a friend who is part of the local kink scene and had seen her social media post about it.

“I never knew it existed,” said Sweeney, who was impressed by their passion to preserve LGBTQ history. “Just the drive they had about it, especially for saving ephemera. It is a beautiful part of history that was never meant to have lasted.”

t

as and Alito “took it as an opportunity to renew their war on LGBTQ rights and the historic marriage equality decision ...

“They are paving the way for an anti-equality court, just as Senate Republicans rush to confirm Amy Coney Barrett, who herself is an antiequality extremist,” HRC added.t

Sullivan and Burford are working on their first queer history exhibits based on the materials they have collected, one of which will be a small virtual exhibit they hope to unveil online later this year. In the spring they aim to open a larger exhibit on Birmingham’s LGBTQ history at a local art gallery in the city’s downtown, while the third isn’t ready to be revealed at this time.

They have also formed the Queer History South network that has brought together more than 350 historians, archivists, and community preservationists from 13 Southern states. It held its first conference in March 2019 and plans its second in 2022 in Dallas, having to postpone it from its original dates next February due to the COVID pandemic.

The Memphis archive has also had to postpone its plans due to the health crisis. After hosting a one-day symposium last fall, which marked its official coming out to the public, it had hoped to participate in various community events this year to increase its visibility and meet people willing to donate their materials or tape their own oral histories.

It is advising the local Pink Palace Museum on an expansive LGBTQ history exhibit the natural history museum plans to open in 2022.

“It would be lovely one day to have a Mid-South LGBTQ+ Museum,” said Byrd, “or at least an exhibit we can send around to local institutions.”

Meanwhile, both archival efforts continue to collect archival materials and oral histories from LGBTQ Southerners. They have helped preserved dozens of collections to date.

“A lot of the time we are convincing people, especially elder queer and trans folks, they are historically important,” said Sullivan. “They don’t think of themselves that way.”

Diversity is key

Sullivan and Burford have recruited a diverse board of directors to advise them on the archival project and ensure it encompasses more than just white, cisgender LGBTQ history. They have helped to digitize the records for Birmingham’s Black Pride organization.

Another project they are working on is doing oral histories with Black queer and trans individuals in conjunction with the Margaret Walker Center, an archive and museum at the historically Black Jackson State University in Mississippi.

“It is all part of this web of Deep South history we want to collect and highlight,” said Sullivan.

The Memphis archive plans to form its own community advisory board to ensure it is hearing from and working with diverse voices.

“We are all ready for the pandemic to subside. We were gaining some momentum then this hit and put everything on hold,” said Byrd. “As soon as we can get back to this we will start collecting in earnest and getting the community involved and growing this collection. We want it to be more reflective of the community too and not just portions of it.”t To learn more about the Invisible Histories Project, visit its website at https://invisiblehistory.org/ To learn more about the MidSouth LGBTQ+ Archive, visits its Facebook page at https://www. facebook.com/901LGBTQArchive/

t <<

Community News>>

News Briefs

From page 3

Scholarships for CA youth volunteers

California youth volunteers can now apply for 2021 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.

Students in grades 5-12 can apply if they have made meaningful

<<

Morris case

From page 7

panied by PGN publisher Mark Segal and then-editor Jen Colletta. It was the first time an LGBTQ media outlet had been honored with a Sigma Delta Chi award. The recognition was deeply appreciated and helped shine a spotlight on the case. I hope that Morris was looking down, smiling.

The struggle for transparency in Morris’ death continues to this day.

October 8-14, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 9

contributions to their communities through volunteering within the past 12 months – virtually or otherwise, according to a news release.

The top middle level and high school volunteer from each state and the District of Columbia will be named State Honorees in February.

They will receive $1,000 scholarships, engraved silver medallions, and an invitation to the program’s national

recognition events in early May. The awards are through Prudential Financial and the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

In May, the program will name America’s top 10 youth volunteers of 2021. Those National Honorees will receive additional $5,000 scholarships, gold medallions, crystal trophies for their nominating schools or organizations, and $5,000 Prudential

grants for nonprofit charitable organizations of their choice.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards was created in 1995 to recognize the exemplary volunteer work of middle level and high school students. Since then, awards have been granted to more than 140,000 middle and high school students across the country at the local, state, and national level. Spirit of Commu-

nity programs are also conducted in Japan, Ireland, India, China, and Brazil, where Prudential has significant business operations.

For complete details on the program and the stories of California’s top youth volunteers from years past, visit http://spirit.prudential.comi The deadline is November 10. t

The Edelstein Law Firm recently was retained by PGN to help enforce the stipulated order signed by Greenspan in 2008. It is hoped that city officials will cooperate with the order and deposit all of the city’s Morris records in a reconstructed homicide file – without the need for additional litigation.

Julie Chovanes, a civil rights attorney and transgender advocate, is also trying to bring transparency to the Morris case. Thanks to Chovanes, the police department released its Mor-

ris Internal Affair Bureau file in July 2018 – a huge achievement that the city resisted for many years. Chovanes is currently seeking all Morris records at the DA’s office. Her open-records request remains pending in Commonwealth Court.

The Morris saga is far from over. Many questions remain: Why couldn’t Skala distance herself from Morris’ head injury at the PAC hearings? Why didn’t Novak testify at the PAC hearings? Why did Berry place

a jacket over Morris’ face as she was clinging to life? Why did all three officers visit Morris at Jefferson Hospital?

Are local authorities pursuing justice or perpetrating a cover-up?

Releasing the city’s Morris records could potentially answer many of these lingering questions. Greenspan didn’t see any danger with transparency in 2008. I don’t see any danger with transparency in 2020. Information is power. As I told DA Larry Krasner not long ago, transparency in

the Morris case would be akin to applying Mercurochrome to a festering wound. Then, the healing process can begin.t

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-20-555905

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF MICHELE PAYNE AKA MICHELE PAYNE-SALOMON AKA MICHELE OSTROFF IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES-20-303799

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF ROBERT SCOTT MADISON IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN MATEO: FILE 20-PRO-01276

CITATION FOR FREEDOM FROM PARENTAL CUSTODY AND CONTROL IN SUPERIOR COURT, COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO: CASE 20AD000356C

Timothy Cwiek (timothy@epgn. com) has been reporting on the LGBTQ community since 1976. He has been covering the Nizah Morris case for Philadelphia Gay News since 2003.

Legals>> FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039152500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SAUCE OF MINE, 2112 MARKET ST #301, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JUAN HERRERA. 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 09/10/20.

SEP 17, 24, OCT 01, 08, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039152200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as CRAZY CALIFORNIA COOKIES, 2000 ALEMENY BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SCOTT SACHS. 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 09/10/20.

SEP 17, 24, OCT 01, 08, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039149600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ROSE DELIGHTS, 32 SHOTWELL ST #A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed A TRIBE OF US COLLECTIVE (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 08/31/20.

SEP 17, 24, OCT 01, 08, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039140100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as TOWER BURGER, 729 PORTOLA DR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed WON DAE YOON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/01/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/21/20.

SEP 17, 24, OCT 01, 08, 2020 SUMMONS IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF THE FIFTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT OF THE STATE OF IDAHO IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF CASSIA CASE NO. CV16-20-00571

IDAHO STATE POLICE, by and through Colonel Kedrick R. Wills, Director, Plaintiff, vs. $2,855.00 DOLLARS IN UNITED STATES CURRENCY, Defendant.

NOTICE: A CIVIL FORFEITURE ACTION HAS BEEN FILED AGAINST THE ABOVE DESCRIBED PROPERTY

BY THE ABOVE-NAMED PLAINTIFF(S). IF YOU FAIL TO FILE AN ANSWER TO ASSERT YOUR RIGHT, TITLE OR INTEREST IN THE ABOVE-DESCRIBED PROPERTY WITHIN TWENTY-ONE (21) DAYS OF THE SERVICE OF THIS SUMMONS, OR WITHIHN TWENTY-ONE (21) DAYS OF THE LAST PUBLICATION OF THIS SUMMONS, WHICHEVER IS EARLIER, THE COURT MAY ENTER JUDGMENT TERMINATING ANY RIGHT YOU MAY HAVE IN THE DEFENDANT PROPERTY WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE. READ THE INFORMATION BELOW. TO LILY RAE McCLEARY: You are hereby notified that in order to defend this lawsuit, an appropriate written response must be filed with the Fifth Judicial District County of Cassia, 1559 Overland Avenue, Burley, ID 83318, within 21 days after service of this Summons on you, or by mail, within 21 days after mailing this Summons. If you fail to respond the court may enter judgment as demanded by the Plaintiff(s) in the Complaint. A copy of the Complaint is served with this Summons.

If you wish to seek the advice or representation by an attorney in this matter, you should do so promptly so that your written response, if any, may be filed in time and other legal rights protected. An appropriate written response requires compliance with Rule 8(b) and other Idaho Rules of Civil Procedure and shall also include: 1. The title and number of this case; 2.

If your response is an Answer to the Complaint, it must contain admissions or denials of the separate allegations of the Complaint and other defenses you may claim, and must be verified; 3. Your signature, mailing address and telephone number, or the signature, mailing address and telephone number of your attorney; 4. Proof of mailing or delivery of a copy of your response to plaintiff’s attorney, as designated above. To determine whether you must pay a filing fee with your response, contact the Clerk of the above-named court. Dated 6/23/2020, by Noemi Alandis, Deputy, Clerk of the District Court.

SEP 24, OCT 01, 08, 15, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039157300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as AXE DIGITAL LLC, 130 BUSH ST, 9TH FL, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed AXE DIGITAL LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/05/06. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/17/20.

OCT 01, 08, 15, 22, 2020

In the matter of the application of YAOL OENN WONG, 581 SOMERSET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner YAOL OENN WONG is requesting that the name YAOL OENN WONG AKA YAOL DENN WONG be changed to LARRY YAOL WONG. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103, on the 5th of November 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

SEP 24, OCT 01, 08, 15, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-20-555891

In the matter of the application of HELEN TRUONG, 239 2ND AVE #5, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner HELEN TRUONG is requesting that the name HELEN TRUONG be changed to HIEU THI TRUONG. 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 27th of October 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

SEP 24, OCT 01, 08, 15, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039155900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as CASTRO NAIL SALON, 431 CASTRO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed RIYAD M. KHOURY & MAHA G. KHOURY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/15/04. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/16/20.

SEP 24, OCT 01, 08, 15, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039151800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SEVEN FIGURE SHIFT, 424 CLAY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SEO SYMBIOSIS, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/08/20.

SEP 24, OCT 01, 08, 15, 2020 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-038598100

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as NORTH BEACH GYROS, 561 COLUMBUS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business was conducted by a corporation and signed by BERMAL ASMIN, INC. (CA). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/08/19.

SEP 24, OCT 01, 08, 15, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039155600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as WORLD GYM SHOWPLACE SQUARE, 260 DEHARO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed TALMADGE & TALMADGE INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/31/03. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/15/20.

OCT 01, 08, 15, 22, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039160000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ARARAT INVESTMENTS LLC, 2429 VALLEJO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed ARARAT INVESTMENTS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/28/02. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/24/20.

OCT 01, 08, 15, 22, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039157700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as KAILASH HOTEL, 179 JULIAN AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed HARIOMBAPU, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/17/20.

OCT 01, 08, 15, 22, 2020

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of MICHELE PAYNE AKA MICHELE PAYNE-SALOMON AKA MICHELE OSTROFF. A Petition for Probate has been filed by GABLE PAYNE in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that GABLE PAYNE 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 26, 2020, 9:00 am, Dept. 204, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the 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: RACHEL H. ROSENFELD (SBN 297064), HEISLER ROSENFELD LLP, 610 COURT ST. #205, MARTINEZ, CA 94553; Ph. (925) 386-6885.

OCT 01, 08, 15, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-20-555903

In the matter of the application of JUAN ANTONIO GAMEZ AGUAYO, 2370 31ST AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner JUAN ANTONIO GAMEZ AGUAYO is requesting that the name JUAN ANTONIO GAMEZ AGUAYO be changed to JUAN ANTONIO GAMEZ. 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 3rd of November 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

OCT 01, 08, 15, 22, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039155300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as BLUEGOAL HOUSEHOLD SERVICES, 270 TURK ST #207, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MIGUEL EUSEBIO. 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 09/15/20.

OCT 01, 08, 15, 22, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039157800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as NEXT GENERATION MEETINGS & EVENTS; NXG MEETINGS & EVENTS; 293 2ND AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed PRISCILLA LEE & PATTREE DUKE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/30/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/17/20.

OCT 01, 08, 15, 22, 2020

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of ROBERT SCOTT MADISON. A Petition for Probate has been filed by ZENA HUNT in the Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo. The Petition for Probate requests that ZENA HUNT be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: December 14, 2020, 9:00 am, Dept. 28, Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo, 400 County Center, Redwood City, CA 94063.

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: ANNE STEELE (SBN 52956), 456 SAN MATEO AVE #8, SAN BRUNO, CA 94066; Ph. (650) 952-0950.

OCT 08, 15, 22, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039163300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as STANDARD STUDIO, 702 BRODERICK ST UNIT C, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MICHAEL DOLAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/01/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/30/20.

In the matter of ANABELLA CHIKEI LIN, a minor, to JIAHUI LIN, you are ordered to appear in the Superior Court of California, County of San Diego, in Department 903 at the court location 2851 Meadow Park Dr., San Diego, CA 92123, on December 11, 2020 at 9:00am to show cause why ANABELLA CHIKEI LIN should not be declared free from parental custody and control for the purpose of placement for adoption as required in the petition. At the hearing, the judge will read the petition and, if requested, will explain the effect of the granting of the petition, any term or allegation contained therein and the nature of the proceeding, its procedures and possible consequences, and may continue the matter for not more than 30 days for the appointment of counsel or to give counsel time to prepare. The court may appoint counsel to represent the minor whether or not the minor is able to afford counsel. If any parent appears and is unable to afford counsel, the court shall appoint counsel to represent each parent who appears unless such representation is knowingly and intelligently waived. Someone over the age of 18 – not the petitioner – must serve the other party with all the forms and complete a proof of service form, such as Proof of Service (JC Form #FL-330 or JC Form #FL-335), telling when and how the other party was served and file that with the court. If you wish to seek the advice of an attorney in this matter, you should do so promptly so that your pleading, if any, may be filed on time. Party Without Attorney: Gabriel Blaluk Idip & Yanshan Tan, 17810 Pueblo Vista Ln, San Diego, CA 92127. Date: 09/25/2020, Edlene McKenzie, Judge of the Superior Court.

OCT 08, 15, 22, 29, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-20-555924

In the matter of the application of DAVID PHONG BUI & KEVIN MICHAEL MCCARTHY, 2331 12TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner DAVID PHONG BUI & KEVIN MICHAEL MCCARTHY is requesting that the name GAVIN ALAN MINH MCCARTHY BUI be changed to GAVIN ALAN MINH MCCARTHY-BUI. 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 17th of November 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

OCT 08, 15, 22, 29, 2020

OCT 08, 15, 22, 29, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039162100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as EYE LEVEL OPTOMETRY, 1544 CHURCH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed NG BONNIE OD, A PROF CORP (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/10/05. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/29/20.

OCT 08, 15, 22, 29, 2020

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Actually, it’s kind of an interesting connection, because in both films it’s really about their relationship with their family and navigating that. We don’t get into that so much specifically in the film, but in terms of Angela’s relationship with Richard, I had written out a whole back story for her, and I think in the early days her being gay was a point of contention for him. Not that he didn’t accept her, but just that he was angry at the world and he didn’t understand her and so it became this additional element in their relationship that was a source of tension because there was poor communication there.

by Gregg Shapiro

I

n The Artist’s Wife (Strand Releasing), Lena Olin plays Claire, the titular woman who put her own artistic career on hold so that her successful and established artist husband Richard (Bruce Dern) could continue being in the spotlight. But, the light begins to fade following his Alzheimer’s diagnosis and his rapid decline causes their life to begin crumbling.

Slightly reminiscent of the 2017 Glenn Close movie The Wife (for which she received an Oscar nomination), The Artist’s Wife is very much its own movie, but don’t be surprised if Olin gets her own Oscar nomination for her performance.

The Artist’s Wife’s gay writer/director Tom Dolby, who some may recall from his 2001 debut novel The Trouble Boy, as well as his work as producer of high-profile films such as Call Me By Your Name and Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood, was kind enough to answer a few questions before the new movie was released in September 2020.

Gregg Shapiro: What did you enjoy most about writing and being an editor?

Tom Dolby: I really like the collaborative nature of it, in terms of editing the essays and working with Melissa (de la Cruz) and working with the other writers. That was very much what led me from novel writing to filmmaking. My last novel came out in 2011, so it’s been quite a while. I would love to write more novels, but I have found that the filmmaking process is so much more collaborative. I do enjoy being in touch with people and communicating with other people and exchanging ideas. Being a novelist can be very isolating which, obviously these days, is the last thing we need.

In addition to producing, you’ve also gotten behind the camera as a director, as well as a screenwriter, for 2014’s Last Weekend and your new film The Artist’s Wife. What

Tom Dolby

Making art and ‘The Artist’s Wife’

has that transitional experience of being a writer/ director been like for you?

I really love directing because, for me, it involves so many different disciplines that I’m interested in. Certainly, the storytelling aspect of it ties in with the writing. As a director, when you’re in the editing room, you’re constantly rewriting your own script (because of) the performance the actor gave or if the actor maybe did an ad-lib or something happened by accident or whatever. You’re constantly reshaping and rewriting really until you have locked your cut. That part is exciting to me.

But, again, it’s the collaboration. I love working with actors. I love giving them, on set, a safe space to do their work. I think that’s why I have done well with these stories that are often very emotional. The actors feel like it’s a safe space for them to do whatever it is they want to do and they’re going to be supported in that. I love all the other aspects of it, too.

I’ve learned so much about production design and costumes and cinematography. That’s all very exciting.

While not specifically gay films, both The Artist’s Wife and Last Weekend feature prominent queer characters. How important is it to you have that kind of representation in your movies?

It’s really important. I love the fact that in Last Weekend and The Artist’s Wife, two of the characters are gay and they are important characters, but the plot is not about them being gay. I think we’ve moved beyond that.

Call Me By Your Name was a perfect example of how there’s still a lot of ground to explore in the coming out genre. But I love that for gay people, in terms of our visibility on screen, we’ve moved beyond that. It doesn’t always have to be about coming out.

Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney in Bad Education

Plot for Teacher Hugh Jackman’s school corruption flick gets an A+

by Brian Bromberger

D

uring these COVID-19/racial disparity times, one of the questions asked is how true are we being to the ideals enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, or is it a front for inequality to preserve white/ middle-class privilege?

This underlying theme pervades the new superb HBO Max streaming movie, Bad Education, just nominated for two Primetime Emmys: Outstanding Television Movie (which it won) and Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie (Hugh Jackman).

Based on a true story adapted from a New York magazine article by Robert Kolker about a $11 million embezzlement scheme in Roslyn, NY (on Long Island) in the early 2000s, it became the largest public school theft in American history. Fortunately rather than focusing on the mind-numbing complex numerical details

of the scam, director Cory Findley (Thoroughbreds) and screenwriter Mike Makowsky (a seventh-grade student in Roslyn during the scandal) have judiciously explored the professional and personal lives of the two main culprits: the charismatic, sociopathic Superintendent Frank Tassone (Hugh Jackman) and his cunning assistant Pam Gluckin (Allison Janney).

It’s 2002 and with the brilliant Tassone at the helm, Roslyn High School is rated number 4 in the nation and is gunning for number 1 by adding an $8 million skywalk to the campus, making it easier for students to get to and from classes. Roslyn’s ascent has led aspiring wellto-do families into enrolling their children in the district’s schools, so they can attend prestigious/Ivy League colleges.

Tassone’s success is built on slick peoplepleasing skills, inspiring students to excellence with a go-getter spirit. Tassone exemplifies that impulse by driving a Mercedes, wearing Canali suits, maintaining his youthful good looks with

Botox cosmetic surgery, and first-class Concorde Jet vacations, all paid for by misappropriated district funds. This flagrant misuse of taxpayer money has been covered up through creative bookkeeping by Gluckin, who has fraudulently reimbursed herself with two huge homes and set up family members on the district’s payroll.

Tassone fends off advances from amorous mothers, claiming he still hasn’t recovered from the death of his wife (invented) years ago, but is actually a closeted gay man who has a 33-year domestic partnership with Tom Tuggiero (Stephen Spinella, Angels in America) in Manhattan. During a Las Vegas school convention he begins a relationship with a former Roslyn student now exotic dancer/bartender Kyle Contreras (Rafael Casal).

Meanwhile, during a routine interview with student newspaper reporter Rachel Bhargava (Geraldine Viswanathan) about the skywalk boondoggle, Tassone inadvertently, Frankensteinlike, creates his own downfall by challeng-

The Artist’s Wife features mature actresses such as Olin, Tonya Pinkins and Stephanie Powers, while Last Weekend’s cast included Patricia Clarkson, Judith Light and Mary Kay Place. Can you please say something about writing for and directing these kinds of performers?

I really love female characters of a certain age. I certainly love all my characters, but I do feel like women in that age group are under-represented on screen. I do like showing different aspects of their life. I find that there’s a richness and a depth to their experiences and that it’s so relatable. It’s so relatable how we see Claire with her perfect refrigerator, instead of attending to her painting career. At least when we first see her at the beginning of the film, it’s almost like her art is her picture-perfect refrigerator, ready to be photographed.t

Read the full interview on www.ebar.com

Bruce Dern and Lena Olin in The Artist’s Wife

ing her to write a more in-depth article. “It’s only a puff piece if you let it be a puff piece.”

She is skeptical about the skywalk since the school’s ceilings are constantly leaking and other physical repairs remain unfixed. In her investigations, she will discover huge consulting fees paid to nonexistent companies (including Tuggiero’s address and Gluckin’s husband’s car dealership) and unfulfilled shipping orders. Gluckin’s crooked district expense credit card is used by her niece for personal expenses and her son to pay for construction materials to foot her home renovations.

A relative of school board President Bob Spicer (Ray Romano) alerts him to the abuse and he confronts Gluckin with her misuse of at least $250,000 public funds. The board wants to go to the police about the crime, but Tassone, in personal damage control, persuades them to cover up the scandal, as it would have a devastating effect on the school’s reputation, scholastic achievements, and the town’s skyrocketing property values.

Gluckin is forced to resign under cover of a false medical retirement and pay restitution for what she stole. However, Bhargava publishes her story in the school newspaper, implicating Tassone’s prime role in the embezzlement scheme.

Gluckin is arrested. To avoid her family being prosecuted, she agrees to testify against Tassone.

He resigns, fleeing to Las Vegas to live with Kyle in the house he bought for him, where he will be arrested. The resulting trial complete with an epilogue postscript about Tassone delivers the stunning farcical conclusion.

Bad Education is one of the finest movies of the year, showcasing how this breach of public trust (reminiscent of 2019’s parental college admissions scandal) and embroilment in a culture of greed by our educational institutions, signifies their potential downfall to the nation’s detriment.t www.hbo.com/movies/bad-education

Read the full review on www.ebar.com

t

Music & Books>>

October 8-14, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 11

Fall into LGBTQ+ tunes

Everything essential for

daughter Jessie. Walkin’ Through This World (Blue Lobster), Bullen’s debut recording as Cidny, is another powerful personal statement. The title track, “Little Pieces,” “The Gender Line,” “Call Me By My Name” and “Healing the Break” are all meaningful, necessary and welcome additions to the growing playlist of songs about the trans experience.

Queer subject matter isn’t limited to those who identify as members of the community. Chicago emo trio The Lawrence Arms hint at a message of coexistence in the song “Pigeons and Spies” from its new album Skeleton Coast (Epitaph). The verse goes as follows, “You are the locker room. I am the queer/keenly aware that you don’t like that I’m here./All we have in common is that you hate me./All we have in common is that we’ll both be.”

Something Nice I Want to Tell You

by Seattle underground-supergroup The Demon Rind (led by Kwab Eugene Copeland) features guest vocals by queer artist Lance Moore on “Everywhere Everyone,” a song about remaining open to the various possibilities of attraction.

Long before The Lawrence Arms or The Demon Rind ventured into our territory, music legend Jonathan Richman came dancing. The MASKS, MAKEUP, FEATHERS, FABRIC, eternally brilliant “I Was Dancing BOAS, COSTUMES, GLITTER & DECORATIONS in the Lesbian Bar,” from Richman’s 1992 lo-fi masterwork I, Jonathan (Craft/Rounder), making its vinyl debut, remains a classic in his considerable repertoire. Moving from “uptight” to out of sight, from “stop and stare” to “laissez-faire,” the song has a great beat, you can dance to it, 479 Castro Street (415) 431-5365 and the message is as delightful as it is effective. Other standout tracks www.cliffsvariety.com include “Velvet Underground” (a tribute to the band of the same PLAYMATES OR SOULMATES name), the warm and sunny “That Browse & Reply FREE! 9/30/20 11:13 AM Summer Feeling,” and the spoken-Cliffs_100120.indd 1 SF - 415-692-5774 1-888-MegaMates word/sung walking tour “Twilight Free to Listen & Reply, 18+ in Boston.”t

HALLOWEEN

Left: Evangeline Gentle Right: Kim David Smith

by Gregg Shapiro

Y

oung (23), queer, Scottish-Canadian singer/songwriter Evangeline Gentle makes an indelible impression with their eponymous Sonic Unyon debut album. Striking the right balance between personal love songs (“Sundays,” “Long Time Love,” “Neither of Us”) and universal observations (“Ordinary People,” The Strongest People Have Tender Hearts”). “Even If,” the lightly twang-tinged tune deserves the attention of country music lovers of all stripes.

If McKee is working in a thoroughly modern cabaret vein, then gay Aussie Kim David Smith is singing old school cabaret in which the “T” isn’t silent, but emphasized, on Live at Joe’s Pub. There’s something ironic in listening to the song selection of mostly Brecht/Weil songs as neo-Nazis are marching through the streets with Trump’s blessing. Nevertheless, Smith gives them all he’s got and that’s saying something.

There are likely any number of ways with which you may be familiar with the newly out (welcome to the club!) singer/songwriter Maria McKee. Perhaps you recognize her powerful and distinctive voice from when she was lead vocalist in cowpunk (read: pre-alternative country) band Lone Justice who had a couple of minor mid-`80s hits (“Ways to be Wicked” and “Shelter”).

McKee also had a decent solo career (and hit single “Show Me Heaven”), with both major label and independent releases. Feargal Sharkey (of The Undertones fame) had a 1985 hit with her song “A Good Heart,” and McKee also had a tune (“If Love Is A Red Dress”) on the popular Pulp Fiction soundtrack.

Gay men of a certain age may also recall that Bette Midler recorded a pair of McKee songs (“To Deserve You” and “The Last Time”) on her 1995 Bette of Roses album. Now that we got the (re)introduction out of the way, we can praise La Vita Nuova (American Fire), McKee’s new album, her first in more than a

dozen years.

Fittingly translated as “new life,” the 14 songs on the album have more in common with her early 21st-century discs than those that preceded them. Theatrical, almost operatic, McKee wails and belts like the grandest of divas, creating a modern-day cabaret style and sound. Her voice is as strong and expressive as ever and there are no clunkers to be found, with the title track as well as “Right Down to the Heart of London,” “The Last Boy,” “I Never Asked,” “Effigy of Salt” and “I Just Want to Know That You’re All Right,” deserving of singling out.

Bay Area-based lesbian singer/ songwriter Rachel Garlin has not been sitting idle during the pandemic. In addition to releasing a new Julie Wolf-produced album, Mondegreens, she performs weekly Sidewalk Sessions, live shows from the garage of her Noe Valley home.

She wrote the score for Out There, Thibault Mathieu’s augmentedreality short film (featuring vocals

by Vanessa Williams). Oh, and her cover of Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer” from Mondegreens is respectful and respectable.

Pansexuality! All the kids are doing it! Pansexual singer/songwriter and longtime side-woman Bonnie Whitmore takes a daring approach to Americana (especially when it comes to subject matter) on her new album Last Will & Testatment (Aviatrix). Whitmore kicks it off with the bruising blues of the title cut, a song about losing someone to suicide. Also worth mentioning is “Asked For It,” a strong response to sexual assault. Whitmore co-wrote the infectious song “Fine” with Mary Gauthier’s partner Jaime Harris, making her another powerful queer voice worth exploring.

Trans singer/songwriter Cidny Bullens may be another familiar performer to some. Bullens, who came out as trans in 2012, previously had a recording career as Cindy Bullens, putting out eight albums, including the acclaimed 1999 release Somewhere Between Earth and Heaven about the death of their

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<< Books & TV

12 • Bay Area Reporter • October 8-14, 2020

Picture this New photo books’ loving look at LGBTQ lives

by Jim Provenzano

T

hree new photo books visualize queer lives from the past and present day in uniquely different ways. Rainbow Revolution, Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love 1850s-1950s, and Self Evident Truths: 10,000 Portraits of Queer America each deserve a special place in your art book collection.

Although a first look portrays a somber tone with its all-black-andwhite imagery, iO Tillett Wright’s’s expansive series of portraits, Self Evident Truths: 10,000 Portraits of Queer America, shot at many Pride events and other gatherings around the country over several years, reveals a mirthful sense of self-regard among most of the thousands of subjects in the photographer’s remarkable book.

The results of Wright’s ten-year journey –across 90 cities in the United States to photograph 10,000 people who identify as queer– showcases the full spectrum of sexuality and gender with an inclusive approach in the representation of race, ethnicity, age, profession, and class. Famous folk like Margaret Cho, Sarah Paulson, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin are paired with First Nation Midwesterners, nurses, truckers and doctors.

With a black backdrop used for each portrait, Wright pays homage to photographers Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Nan Goldin and others. A darker inspiration is that

of Nhem En, a teenager forced to photograph 14,000 people in Cambodia who were executed by the Khmer Rouge. Wright’s focus both references LGBTQ oppression, while highlighting our present upfront out status as an undeniably strong and diverse community.

Loving it

Called “a love letter to the world, a powerful depiction of love between two people” by its co-authors, Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love, 1850-1950 is already being lauded weeks before its mid-October release. While not the first book of collected vintage male images of same-sex affection, it’s possibly the largest (11.02 x 1.26 x 8.82 inches), and includes 300 never-before-seen photos.

Native Texans, collectors Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell are arts professionals currently living in New York City, and are also a married couple. The two have a decades-long hobby of scouring garage sales and estate auctions for vintage same-sex images from the past. Their collection has grown over a period of 20 years to include over 2700 images. And now it’s a book with 300 of the best photos chosen for publication.

“Our collection reveals to the world, and even to us, for the first time and voluminously, that feelings of love, attachment, or longing between two people are the same—regardless of the gender make-up of the couple. Their images evoke as powerful a sense of love and humanity as has ever been

filmed, or written about, or acted out on a stage.

“They appear in many varied contexts that repeat across time and global geography. They pose together in the bow of a boat, on a tree branch, on a bicycle, at the beach, in a forest, leaning against a car, and even in, or on, a bed. From a social perspective, the range is extensive as the images reflect back nineteenthcentury working class figures, fashionably dressed businessmen, university students, and soldiers and sailors of all ages.”

Taste the Rainbow

In contrast to Wright’s black backgrounds, photographer Magnus Hastings showcases drag queens, celebrities and queer families in 300 solo and group portraits

Comic Relief

t

in a large framed white box in Rainbow Revolution.

Combining glamour and wholesome natural beauty, his subjects shine in his clean framing device.

Celebrities include out gay actor Luke Evans, Nick Tortorella, drag star and musician Adore Delano, veteran dancer/choreographer Gus Solomon, Jr., and L.A. nightlife photographer Dusti Cunningham.

Despite its focus toward the famous, the collection still embraces diversity. The photo series “celebrates pride, embraces identity, and elevates the individual,” as quoted in the press statement. “Additionally, some portraits include personal essays. From drag queens to school teachers, pop stars to lawyers, Rainbow Revolution spotlights the colorful spectrum of queerness.”

With a November 24 release, this and the other two books will make a perfect holiday gift for a loved one, or for yourself.t Self Evident Truths: 10,000 Portraits of Queer America (Penguin/Random House, $40) www.iolovesyou.com www.penguinrandomhouse.com Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love 1850s-1950s (5 Continents Editions, $58.50) www.fivecontinentseditions.com Rainbow Revolution (Chronicle Books, $40) www.magnushastings.com www.chroniclebooks.com

The BAYlies project to showcase LGBT and POC cartoonists

Stranger than fiction Trump’s ‘Covita’ balcony moment highlights a week of surreal news, and ‘Saturday Night Lives’s return oddly recaps the presidential debate in a parody that wasn’t as bizarre as the real one. Read Victoria A. Brownworth’s Lavender Tube column on www.ebar.com.

SERVING OUR FULL MENU!!

Left: Trinidad Escobar’s Talisman Right: Maia Kobabe’s Top Surgery: It’s A Process

by Jim Provenzano

A The new hours of Orphan Andy’s will be 9am--8:30pm 7days a week.

and in partnership with Twin Peaks serving food at their sidewalk tables Sunday- Thursday 1pm-8pm Fridays and Saturdays 1pm-9pm

3991-A 17th Street, Market & Castro 415-864-9795

new comics anthology hopes to showcase the work of Bay Area People of Color and LGBTQ artists in a fundraiser for its first issue. Titled The BAYlies, the project will include both established and rising illustrators.

On the roster for The BAYlies are Jaime Crespo, Fred Noland, Justin Hall and newer artists Maia Kobabe, Trinidad Escobar, and newcomers such as Ivy Rose and Queenlioncomics. 22 artists in total will contribute.

“I chose cartoonists that make up the long legacy of Bay Area Comics,” said producer and editor Lawrence Lindell in an email interview. “Jaime Crespo has been doing this for 40+ years. He was around for the ’80s, ’90s and early 2000s comic eras here in the Bay Area. Ajuan Mance’s Gender Studies comics are some of my favorite comics. Justin Hall, is a comics historian and an organizer of Queers

and Comics.”

Each contributor will have a full page to add to the first issue.

“Two cartoonists have graciously already completed the comics that will be in the magazine,” said Lindell, “Maia Kobabe’s Top Surgery: It’s A Process and Trinidad Escobar’s Talisman.” Three cartoonists recently won an Ignatz award for their contributions to The Nibs’ Be Gay Do Comics Anthology.

Themes and topics are open to the artists.

“I asked the cartoonists to write and talk about whatever they wish,” said Lindell, “but I can almost guarantee that the themes will touch on race, gender, queer magic, horror and more. I intentionally kept the magazine theme-less, because I want to see what the creators do with free rage and autonomy over their work.”

With the Kickstarter campaign begun last week, the project has raised more than $2,300 of its $16,700 goal. The BAYlies Art

Grant has already provided $100 grants to eleven Bay Area cartoonists to get the project underway.

Each participating cartoonist will receive $500 for a single comic page and an additional $500 to the cover artist. All cartoonists involved will not be required to contribute their page until the funds are secured.

The premiere issue will be 8.5x11, 30+ pages, with a print run of 2500 copies. Any funds made off of sales will go directly to The BAYlies Art Grant to fund additional queer cartoonists and cartoonists of color in The Bay Area.

“The magazine is more than just a collection of great cartoonists,” said Lindell. “It’s hopefully a reflection of the rich and diverse comics community here in the Bay Area.”

The project will only be funded if it reaches its goal by October 30.

Read more about the BAYlies and donate at www.kickstarter. com/projects/thebayliescomics/ the-baylies-issue-1t