SF Latino AIDS agency ends direct services
by John Ferrannini
Alongtime San Francisco Latino HIV/ AIDS nonprofit is hanging on by a thread and has stopped providing direct services after losing city funding at the end of the last budget year. Meanwhile, preliminary data from city health officials shows the number of new HIV diagnoses among Latino men was down in 2023 in contrast to rising rates nationally.
Due to its funding loss AGUILAS has had to lay off all its employees except Executive Director Eduardo Morales, Ph.D., a gay man, and one other person, Morales told the Bay Area Reporter. It comes as recent public health reports show Latinos represent an outsize share of new federal HIV diagnoses but, in San Francisco, the community saw a dramatic decrease of 46% in new cases last year over 2022 figures.
San Francisco Department of Public Health funds stopped going to AGUILAS in 2023, as the B.A.R. previously reported, and earlier this year the city did not renew $200,000 the agency had received in Fiscal Year 2023-24 through the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development. AGUILAS has been involved in HIV prevention for 30 years, and is the only agency that offered all its services in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Morales said that he’s applied for three grants – a one-year NBCUniversal Impact Grant, a federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grant, and a ViiV Health Care Foundation grant. He hasn’t heard back regarding the first two grants, and a decision regarding the third will be rendered in October.
Morales stated August 30 AGUILAS vacated its office at the San Francisco LGBT Community Center. (The lease ended August 31 and the nonprofit can no longer afford to rent it.)
The agency is currently operating based on a UCSF subcontract, Morales said, and the good news is he heard August 28 that a UCSF study will provide $60,000 to AGUILAS from
See page 10 >>
Oakland weekend festivities to be ‘Rooted in Pride’
by John Ferrannini
Oakland is gearing up for one of the later Prides of 2024 – the annual parade is set to kick off Sunday, September 8, preceding a festival featuring popular entertainers. This year’s theme is “Rooted in Pride.”
“Oakland Pride is more than just a festival; it’s a celebration of our shared vision for a
community where
a news release. “We invite you to join us in celebrating life, love, and the vibrant diversity that makes Oakland so special. Oakland Pride continues to be a beacon of positive change and inclusivity.”
The parade will begin at 14th and Broadway at 11 a.m. and make its way to 20th and Broadway. It will be livestreamed on KGO-
TV’s website, according to the release. One of this year’s grand marshals is trans activist Jupiter Peraza, who is the manager of the statewide coalition for Openhouse and formerly worked for San Francisco’s Transgender District. She stated to the B.A.R. that she’s “incredibly honored.”
“My story as an undocumented trans
Legislators send myriad LGBTQ bills to Newsom
by Matthew S. Bajko
CSee page 13 >>
2017 Media Kit 0 a
alifornia legislators have sent Governor Gavin Newsom myriad bills aimed at protecting the rights of LGBTQ state residents and improving their health care needs.
Newsom now has until September 30 to either sign them into law or veto the legislation.
The Los Angeles Blade covers Los Angeles and California news, politics, opinion, arts and entertainment and features national and international coverage from the Blade’s award-winning reporting team. Be part of this exciting publication serving LGBT Los Angeles from the team behind the Washington Blade, the nation’s first LGBT newspaper. From the freeway to the Beltway we’ve got you covered.
As has been the case in recent legislative sessions, medical concerns and the rights of transgender individuals are the focus of a bulk of the bills. Assembly Bill 3031 co-authored by Assemblymembers Alex Lee (D-San Jose), who is bisexual, and Evan Low (D-Cupertino), who is gay, would establish a nine-person Statewide LGBTQ+ Commission to help guide lawmakers on how to better address the community’s needs.
“The LGBTQ+ Commission will recognize the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ community members,” stated Lee. “It is an important step forward to ensure that everyone can live authentically and inclusively. As a member of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, I am committed to advancing the state’s progress as the bastion of LGBTQ+ rights.”
Under Senate Bill 990, authored by gay state Senator Steve Padilla (D-San Diego), the Golden State’s disaster plans would have to address the needs of LGBTQ+ communities. If it becomes
law then the governor’s Office of Emergency Services, known as Cal-OES, would consult with LGBTQ+ organizations and community advocates on updating the State Emergency Plan by January 1, 2027.
“Ensuring that we account for all of our com-
munities when they are at their most vulnerable is in keeping with the highest of our ideals,” stated Padilla. “Our practices as a state must reflect the values that we have fought so hard to protect.”
See page 12 >>
AGUILAS Executive Director Eduardo Morales, Ph.D., said his agency has stopped providing client services due to budget cuts.
Courtesy Eduardo Morales, Ph.D.
Assemblymember Alex Lee, left, and state Senators Susan Talamantes Eggman and Steve Padilla all have LGBTQ-related bills awaiting action by Governor Gavin Newsom.
Courtesy official sites
Jane Philomen Cleland
everyone belongs,” Oakland Pride board President George Jeffery Smith III stated in
Pixar’s contingent marched in last year’s Oakland Pride parade.
Milk club president resigns amid endorsement snafu
by John Ferrannini
Some of the November endorse-
ments of San Francisco’s leading progressive LGBTQ Democratic organization were “potentially fraudulent” and “compromised,” according to a stunning statement from the club posted to Facebook on August 31. The club’s president has stepped down and an investigation is being conducted.
As of Tuesday, September 3, the club’s endorsements remained on its website and Facebook page.
Jeffrey Kwong, a gay man who was president of the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, stepped down after he “thought it best for the credibility of the club and our endorsed candidates to remove himself,” the statement read.
The club’s leadership had voted August 30 to retain an attorney as an investigation proceeds.
The identity of the attorney was confirmed as Scott Emblidge of Moscone Emblidge and Rubens, Gary McCoy, a gay man who is the club’s vice president of communications, stated to the Bay Area Reporter September 3. Emblidge will “guide the investigation with our newly created investigation subcommittee” and will have more to share at the club’s next meeting, McCoy stated.
The club’s statement was short on specifics.
“It has come to our attention this week that a number of our recent endorsement votes (PAC and Gen-
eral Membership) have been compromised and potentially fraudulent, and through the process of identifying the various related issues, we’ve also found other irregularities in our systems,” the club stated. “Overnight on Friday, most of our operational accounts for a number of committees had been deleted.”
Notably, the club’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for president was not one of the races listed as having been compromised. As the B.A.R. previously reported, the club rescinded a primary endorsement for President Joe Biden to be the party’s nominee back in January over the Biden-Harris administration’s support
for the Israel-Hamas war. (The club did make it clear at the time that this was only in relation to the Democratic Party’s primary process and that an endorsement might be forthcoming for the November election.)
Club Vice President of Membership Melissa Hernandez, a queer and bi woman, is now the acting president. Hernandez had run against Kwong last year, seeking to be a co-president with Michael Rouppet, as the Bay Area Reporter reported contemporaneously.
“My priority, shared by the entire board, is to ensure the well-being of the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club by identifying responsible parties, closing the gaps in our voting processes, and preserving the club’s legacy for future generations of LGBTQ progressives,” Hernandez stated to the B.A.R.
Kwong issued a statement September 1 saying he intended to remain involved in local politics and was grateful of the support he had received since the news of his resignation became public. He had first been elected to lead the progressive political group in 2023, making Kwong the first Asian American man to serve in the position and the first Asian American elected president of the Milk club in close to three decades, as the B.A.R. had noted at the time.
“I am proud of my tenure as president of the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club – we became the largest, most influential progressive organization in San Francisco run by volun-
teers. Internal divides and challenges aside, my focus has always been on fostering a broad multi-ethnic workingclass coalition that can win elections and drive real change,” he stated. “I am eternally grateful to allies and friends who have supported me – Thank you. As I explore new opportunities where I can have the greatest impact, I remain rooted in the words of Harvey Milk, ‘Hope will never be silent.’”
Next meeting Sept. 7
The club will meet Saturday, September 7, at 3 p.m. at the San Francisco LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market Street, McCoy stated, at which time the club will “hear from our newly created subcommittee and members that will be leading the investigation efforts on these improprieties,” according to the statement.
McCoy clarified that “since COVID, eligible [Milk club] members have been able to vote either in person at meetings, or by joining those meetings virtually on Zoom.” According to the statement, “we strongly encourage all members who can attend inperson [on September 7] to do so. In light of recent events, virtual members attending will be required to verify their identity, and will need to have their cameras on for the duration of the meeting for their votes to be considered valid.”
The club’s political action committee and general membership endorsement votes will be made on the impacted
races, which were for California’s U.S. Senate seat, San Francisco City Attorney, three of four seats on the San Francisco Board of Education, three of four seats on the San Francisco Community College District Board of Trustees, Propositions F and K (relating to police staffing and the Great Highway closure, respectively), and the vote on whether to rescind the endorsement of gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), who is more aligned with the party’s Yes in My Backyard and moderate faction. The club endorsed Wiener earlier this year.
Wiener, through a representative, declined a request for comment.
A new president will be selected at that meeting to serve the remainder of Kwong’s term through early 2025, McCoy stated. Milk club presidents, who can serve alone or with a co-president, are normally elected to a one-year term at the club’s first membership meeting of the year.
The club’s statement – prefaced as “some unfortunate news” early the Saturday of Labor Day weekend – sent shockwaves through the city’s political circles. The Milk club is the more progressive of the city’s two LGBTQ Democratic clubs. The San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee charters the clubs, and “activities include voter registration, issue advocacy, hosting candidate forums and social events, and endorsements of candidates and ballot measures,” according to the committee’s website.t
1st Chinese American selected as interim SF fire chief
by John Ferrannini
S an Francisco Mayor London Breed and the city’s lesbian outgoing fire chief announced a new interim leader for the city’s fire de-
partment had been selected at a news conference September 3.
Sandy Tong, a 35-year veteran of the San Francisco Fire Department, was sworn in by Breed at the department’s headquarters, at which time the three
made remarks. Tong is the first Chinese American to lead the SFFD, and the third woman in a row, after Joanne Hayes-White and Jeanine Nicholson, the latter of whom formally stepped down September 3 after confirming
she has “some health issues,” as the Bay Area Reporter previously reported.
Nicholson – the department’s first LGBTQ chief – had been selected in 2019.
Tong is not LGBTQ, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office told the B.A.R.
It’s now up to the fire commission to forward nominees for a permanent replacement to the mayor’s office, which hasn’t worked on the timetable for that process to take place as of press time.
Tong thanked Breed, Nicholson, and Fire Commission President Armie Morgan. The commission had met in closed session earlier September 3.
“I am humbled by the opportunity and will serve you to the best of my ability,” Tong told Breed in her remarks. She thanked the mayor for supporting a 2021 budget supplement for bringing on 60 new emergency medical technicians.
That’s personal for Tong – who has spent all of her 35 years working in emergency medical services. Until her appointment, Tong was the deputy chief of EMS and community paramedicine.
Breed had noted that while “the fire department does an extraordinary job responding to emergencies, putting
out fires and doing all the work,” upward of 80% of SFFD calls go through the EMS division.
Tong didn’t get into any specific changes she might want to bring to the department, saying, “We will continue to meet the day-to-day challenges of making the city safe.”
She did thank Nicholson for her time as chief.
“I’m so grateful to have worked for you the last five years,” Tong said.
Nicholson, for her part, expressed that she is “incredibly confident” in Tong’s leadership abilities; the outgoing chief had served under her before she became chief in 2019, she said.
“She was my supervisor when I was a paramedic in the 2000s,” Nicholson said. “Let me tell you: she suffers no fools. … She knows what she’s doing and she is a hard worker.”
Breed touted Tong’s background as a native San Franciscan, born at Chinese Hospital on Jackson Street.
“She has deep roots in Chinatown,” the mayor said. “As someone in the department for 35 years, she knows every inch and corner of this city.”
Jeffrey Kwong, former president of the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, resigned over the weekend.
John Ferrannini
Interim San Francisco Fire Chief Sandy Tong, Mayor London Breed, and former fire chief Jeanine Nicholson spoke at a news conference September 3 where Tong was sworn in.
John Ferrannini
WEST COAST PREMIERE
Olivier Messiaen’s Harawi
An American Modern Opera Company Production
Zack Winokur, director; Julia Bullock, soprano
Conor Hanick, piano; Bobbi Jene Smith, choreographer and dancer
Or Schraiber, choreographer and dancer
Olivier Messiaen’s deeply affecting, hour-long song cycle for voice and piano, is presented in a dramatic new interpretation. Moving from a musical duet to a quartet with dancers, the production breaks open Messiaen’s cycle, connects the relationship between movement and music, and grapples with the intensity of love and loss as part of human experience.
An Illuminations: “Fractured History” event. calperformances.org/illuminations
Sep 27
ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY
Mummenschanz
50 Years
The delightful Swiss mime troupe visits with a retrospective program celebrating 50 years of wonderfully inventive—and totally silent!—storytelling, bringing mesmerizing creatures and creations from its favorite repertoire to life with its distinctive charm and wit.
Oct 26–27
ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY
Igor Levit, piano
Praised for his extraordinary technique and musicianship, the German pianist enjoys assembling bold recital programs, and here matches Brahms’ moody Ballades with Liszt’s fiendishly challenging transcription of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony.
“A superlative interpreter of Beethoven, whose power is always cumulative in effect.”
Nov 19
ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY
Pilobolus re:CREATION
In this retrospective production, the pioneering acrobatic dance troupe invites us to step into a realm where imagination knows no limits, the boundaries of gravity and creativity blur, and storytelling takes on new dimensions.
Nov 30–Dec 1
ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY
BAY AREA PREMIERE Ex Machina / Robert Lepage & Cirque FLIP Fabrique SLAM!
When theater & cirque meet the mat Quebec’s revered circusarts company partners with renowned opera and theater director Robert Lepage to bring the breathtaking spectacle and daring physicality of pro wrestling to the stage.
Oct 4–6
ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY
Step Afrika!
The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence
Washington DC’s celebrated step dance company tells the story of the Great Migration in this vivid production inspired by Jacob Lawrence’s famous paintings from the 1940s, set to an uplifting soundtrack with movement that mixes stepping, tap, body percussion, and modern dance.
An Illuminations: “Fractured History” event. calperformances.org/illuminations
Nov 2–3
ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY
Maxim
Vengerov,
violin Polina Osetinskaya, piano
The multiple Grammy and Gramophone Award-winning violinist returns to Berkeley in a program that showcases the blazing virtuosity and breathtaking expressiveness that have been the hallmarks of his sound for decades. Works by Clara and Robert Schumann, Brahms, and Prokofiev.
Nov 23
ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY
BAY AREA PREMIERE
Dorrance Dance
The Nutcracker Suite
Explosive tap dance meets hot jazz rhythms in this acclaimed company’s intoxicating interpretation of the holiday classic, danced to Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s joyful take on the iconic Tchaikovsky score.
Dec 14–15
ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY
Jordi Savall, La Capella Reial de Catalunya, and Hespèrion XXI
The Tears and the Fire of the Muses Berkeley audiences adore Jordi Savall for his limitless curiosity, supreme musicality, and gift of connecting people, places, and eras through fascinating repertoire. This season, the musical polymath and viol virtuoso traces the influence of Claudio Monteverdi through his sacred and secular works.
Oct 12
ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY
Leonidas Kavakos, violin Bach’s Complete Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin
In a rare and powerful musical experience, the virtuoso Greek violinist performs Bach’s complete works for solo violin over two nights, groundbreaking compositions that conjure vast sonic landscapes. Kavakos performs Partita No. 3 and Sonatas No. 2 and 3 on night one; and Partitas No. 1 and 2 and Sonata No. 1 on night two.
Nov 15–16
ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY
Disney Concerts Presents Encanto: The Sing-Along Film Concert
Disney’s beloved animated feature comes to life in an interactive performance and screening that's perfect for the whole family. Sing along to the award-winning soundtrack with songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, played live by Banda de la Casita!
Nov 24
ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY
San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus Holiday Spectacular!
Celebrate the season with a couple hundred of your most talented neighbors at this beloved annual tradition, complete with holiday carols, satirical sketches, guest dancers, and drag artists. It’s heartfelt, it’s hilarious, and it’s a uniquely Bay Area celebration of community and holiday cheer.
Dec 21
ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY
Safety projects proposed for J Church Muni line << Community News
compiled by Cynthia Laird
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will hold an online public hearing Friday, September 6, at 10 a.m. to receive input on a new stop sign and stop changes on the J Church Muni line in Noe Valley.
According to the proposal, a new all-way stop sign would be installed at Church and 28th streets, and the spacing of J-Church stops will be adjusted on Church Street. This entails moving the Clipper Street stop to 26th Street and relocating the 27th Street stop to 28th Street, a news release stated.
“Stop spacing would be more even and would give more people access to a stop nearby,” SFMTA stated.
For information about participating in the virtual meeting, go to https://tinyurl.com/bdhtzehj.
SFMTA noted that no decisions are made at the public hearing itself. Decisions are made within a week of the public hearing based on all feedback received, the agency stated.
In other J Church news, SFMTA has announced future improvements at the intersection of Church and Market streets. According to a project introduction, SFMTA is “partnering with local merchants, neighbors, and Public Works to design a new plaza
that will better serve the neighborhood at this key hub, creating a lively new gathering space and enhanced transit boarding experience.”
To improve wheelchair accessibility and the transfer experience from surface transit to the subway, the outbound J Church stop at Church and Market streets was moved to the south side of Market Street and a temporary,
accessible wooden platform was built in late 2020, the project description stated. “After extensive public outreach and a public survey about the accessibility changes in mid-2021, the SFMTA board approved moving the stop to the south side of Market Street on a permanent basis in December 2021.”
Since then, SFMTA has embarked on a process to upgrade these tempo-
rary improvements into a high-quality transit and pedestrian plaza, with input from merchants, residents and riders. These improvements will not affect the routing of the J Church line, the agency stated.
District 8 town hall on upzoning
The Castro Merchants Association, Dolores Heights Improvement Club, Noe Neighborhood Council, and several other local groups will hold a District 8 town hall to discuss proposed upzoning to increase building heights Monday, September 9, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Noe Valley Ministry, 1021 Sanchez Street.
Invited guests are gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman and Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, who represents District 3 and is also a candidate for mayor in the November election. Moderators will be gay former planning commissioner Dennis Richards, Neighborhoods United SF co-founder Katherine Petrin, and SF Tenants Union board member Jennifer Fieber.
According to a flyer, District 8, which includes the Castro, Noe Valley, and other neighborhoods, “faces significant upzoning directed by our mayor, which aims to increase build-
ing heights throughout the city.” According to the flyer, the “towering structures” won’t address affordable housing but will instead “lead to luxury high-rises, the demolition of singlefamily homes ... and neighborhood gentrification.”
To register for the town hall, go to https://tinyurl.com/4sdxcuch
Senior group seeks volunteers
Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly is now seeking volunteers. The organization, which has an office in San Francisco, is part of a national network of nonprofits committed to relieving isolation and loneliness among older adults, a flyer noted.
Some programs the organization offers include medical escort, weekly phone calls, birthday calls, stroll buddies, tech allies, visiting volunteers, and in-home visits.
Interested people who are aged 18 or older are welcome to complete a sign-up sheet. All volunteers must complete a background check and a one-time orientation prior to participating in any LBFE social programs, according to the agency.
For more information and the form, go to https://tinyurl. com/2wbkay2u.t
<< SF fire chief
From page 2
Fire Commissioner Steve Nakajo was similarly enthused, telling the B.A.R., “I think it’s historically significant in terms of a local Chinese American woman in San Francisco, born and raised in San Francisco, 30plus years of experience, who came in the beginning of the paramedicine division of the San Francisco Fire Department, has overseen our programs from EMS 6 to crisis [response] teams, and has a tremendous amount of skill and talent.
“San Francisco will greatly benefit from her selection,” he added.
Morgan stated in a news release that the commissioners unanimously agreed to Tong’s selection.
“While the commission continues our process to help identify a longterm leader of the San Francisco Fire Department, we are confident that Chief Tong has the experience and leadership to keep this Department moving forward and keep our city safe,” he stated.
Tong’s mother is an immigrant from Canton on mainland China; her father is from Chinatown. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Sino-Soviet relations from U.C. Berkeley as well as a Ph.D. in organizational psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology, according to the release. She also served as supervisor at Station 49 (off Bayshore Boulevard) managing the personnel, fleet, and operations of the dynamically deployed ambulance division, according to the department’s website.t
Corrections
The August 29 issue article “SF mayoral hopefuls detail LGBTQ senior housing plans” should have reported that the new 187unit affordable housing project aimed at LGBTQ seniors planned for San Francisco is estimated to cost $117 million. Due to inaccurate information from the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club, the August 29 issue Political Notebook column
“Gay Pinole Councilmember Murphy faces contested election” incorrectly referred to the namesake of the LGBTQ political club’s Alicia Kester LGBTQ Creative Award. Kester was a Black queer multi-faceted artist.
hate crime and get support, go to https://www.cavshate.org/.
The online versions have been updated.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is planning safety and other improvements along the J Church Muni line.
Cynthia Laird
Gay couple set to wed 2 days before their 50th anniversary Community
by Camille Cypher
When Dan Finch and Del Turner met in 1974, the thought of being out – let alone being partnered with a family – felt like a pipe dream. Finch also believed that Turner, 6 feet 8 inches tall and a former collegiate basketball center, probably had a wife and 2 1/2 kids. But with the couple’s 50th anniversary on September 7, and a wedding set for Thursday, September 5, Finch and Turner have shattered expectations while living through LGBTQ history. Finch and Turner met while working for the same construction company up in Washington state. “I couldn’t miss him,” said Finch in a phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter. “I was just blown away by Del.”
The pair quickly grew close, and, on their first date, spent 13 hours out on the coast with a bottle of wine and a tent constructed of a tarp and driftwood. On that freezing January night, the pair started down a path five decades long. (Turner has Parkinson’s disease, so Finch did most of the talking in the interview.)
Just months after that first date, Finch and Turner, now both 79, decided to quit their jobs and take an eight-and-a-half-month trip around the U.S. and Europe. “Before we even left, we promised each other we would do our best to live to be 80,” said Finch, “and we’re almost there.”
With almost no money, the pair traveled from the Canadian border to the southern tip of Baja, from Istanbul to Portugal. They slept in a Volkswagen bus, stayed wherever they could, and, one excruciatingly hot night in Mexico, even slept out on the Bahía Concepción, balancing on air mattresses to avoid the heat. Their favorite stop was Dubrovnik, Croatia, where they paid an old Yugoslav woman with a big house and little money to make them food every day.
After their return to the U.S., Finch, a math major, worked in construction and later had a consulting business
where he managed contractual disputes. Turner, a mechanical engineer, worked for the Fuller O’Brien paint company.
Fifty years later, living part-time in San Francisco and San Diego, the pair is amazed they took the trip and remember it all fondly with a collage on the wall of their Southern California home. They have plans to return to the Bahía in November, this time with their son and grandsons. (Their son did not immediately return a request for comment.)
Everything in between
And then came everything in between. Over the next 50 years, Finch and Turner would move to San Francisco, participate in Pride parade after Pride parade, adopt a son of their own, and come to love the city where they could be out. Finch still remembers his first San Francisco Pride event in 1976. “I just couldn’t believe that gay people were going down the middle of Market Street,” he said.
Finch would go on to attend parades in Tijuana – and have rocks thrown at him – Salt Lake City – and tell off a Mormon woman – and act as a parade judge – he still has the
T-shirt. The Castro was “where you could hug your partner and not be shamed,” he said, and it was a far cry from the world Finch and Turner grew up in, where being gay was impossible. And though San Francisco provided freedom and found family, those in between years were also anything but easy.
The couple officially moved to San Francisco in 1978, shortly after the
assassination of gay supervisor Harvey Milk and then-mayor George Moscone. Finch had wanted to participate in the White Night Riots in May 1979 – a series of protests following ex-supervisor Dan White’s lenient sentencing for killing his former political colleagues – but Turner was hesitant.
“I would have been there burning police cars,” Finch laughed, “but he wouldn’t let me leave the house.”
Shortly after, in the 1980s, the AIDS epidemic ripped through San Francisco, heavily impacting the city’s gay population. Amid federal government inaction and stigma that further ostracized the LGBTQ community, the couple lost some of their closest friends, attended far too many memorials and wakes in their 30s and 40s, and spent long days caring for those afflicted by the disease. Suddenly, in the city they loved for its liveliness and liberation, they recalled “[seeing] men walking down the street who looked like skeletons.”
And when the couple briefly moved to London in 1991 so Finch could work on the Eurozone project, Turner was only allowed a tourist visa, limiting the couple’s ability to even live
together. The construction industry was another battle altogether, the pair was unable to be out professionally, and Finch even recalled a Boeing application that asked, “Are you now in, or have you ever had, a homosexual relationship?” (Both men worked at Boeing before they met each other, Finch said.)
And, all that time, they had been “living in sin” – as Finch joked – the couple partnered but not yet married. By the time marriage equality had come around, first in California in 2013 and then nationwide two years later, Finch and Turner had already been together for 40 years and didn’t feel a pressing need to wed. But Turner had apparently been “dropping heavy hints,” and finally, just about a week ago, Finch popped the question over lunch.
The couple is set to marry Thursday – two days before their 50th anniversary – in San Diego among an intimate group: their two best women, son, and grandsons. “And then we’re all going to lunch,” said Finch, “[We] don’t need all that fanfare.”
They do, in fact, already have 50 years together, a family, and a handful of once-in-a-lifetime stories to show for their love. Marriage will only legally certify what has unquestionably been true for a long, long time.
When the B.A.R. mentioned that it was rare to see queer couples together as long as they’ve been, Finch laughed and said, “Heterosexuals aren’t doing a whole lot better.”
But there is something undeniably resilient and inspiring about Finch and Turner’s relationship. It’s not just 50 years of love, but 50 years of love despite systemic homophobia and social ostracism. The secret, Finch said, “You gotta really want it ... and you just gotta never give up.” And to the younger queer generation, he advised, “Enjoy your freedoms ... don’t let the homophobes stop you from
Del Turner, left, and Dan Finch, who have been together for nearly 50 years, are expected to get married September 5.
Courtesy Dan Finch
Del Turner, left, and Dan Finch fell in love shortly after they met in 1974.
Courtesy Dan Finch
Volume 54, Number 36 September 5-11, 2024 www.ebar.com
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Yes on 3, and other recommendations
For LGBTQ voters, the most important measure on the California ballot is Proposition 3, which removes language banning same-sex marriage from the state constitution. There are nine other statewide initiatives on the November 5 ballot. Below are our recommendations.
Proposition 3: Constitutional Right to Marriage. Legislative Constitutional Amendment. YES. Simply put, removing the old language from Proposition 8, that “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California,” is overdue. Since Prop 8 was ruled unconstitutional by the federal courts, and the U.S. Supreme Court let those rulings stand in 2013, most people have gone about their lives without really thinking about it. But in 2022, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, conservative Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in a concurring opinion that maybe it’s time for the court to reconsider other precedents, such as 2015’s Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. Alarmed, LGBTQ leaders moved to excise the Prop 8 language that remained in the state’s governing document. Last year, a bipartisan vote by the Legislature put Assembly Constitutional Amendment 5 on the November 2024 ballot – that is Prop 3. If approved, it will amend the constitution to recognize the fundamental right to marriage regardless of race or sex, in addition to removing the “zombie” Prop 8 language. As gay Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Cupertino), a co-author of ACA 5, wrote in the ballot argument in favor of Prop 3, “Recent threats against fundamental rights have made it clear California must be proactive in protecting the freedom to marry regardless of gender or race.”
outdated and need repairs to meet basic health and safety standards, prepare students for college and 21st century careers, and retain and attract quality teachers, as proponents stated in the voter guide. This is a common sense measure that should be approved. Public schools and community colleges will benefit from this funding. Prop 2 also ensures that funding only be used for projects approved by local school and community college districts. Vote YES on Prop 2.
Proposition 4: Authorizes Bonds for Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, and Protecting Communities and Natural Lands from Climate Risks. Legislative Statute. YES. This measure authorizes $10 billion in state general obligation bonds for various projects to reduce climate risk and impacts: $3.8 billion for safe drinking water and water resilience; $1.95 billion for wildfire prevention and extreme heat mitigation; $1.2 billion for protection of coastal lands, bays, and oceans; $850 million for clean energy; and $300 million for agriculture. Prop 4 prioritizes projects benefiting disadvantaged communities. It appropriates money from the state general fund to repay the bonds. This measure is a sensible attempt to mitigate climate effects and protect communities. Vote YES on Prop 4.
Proposition 5. Allows Local Bonds for Affordable Housing and Public Infrastructure with 55% Voter Approval. Legislative Constitutional Amendment. YES. Housing is a top issue in California, where the cost to build is high. Local governments often help pay for housing reserved for low-income residents. One problem is that currently, there is a two-thirds approval requirement for local affordable housing bonds to pass. Prop 5 lowers that threshold to 55% for general obligation bonds if they would fund housing assistance or public infrastructure, such as roads or water treatment plants. Recent local election results suggest that an additional 20% to 50% of local bond measures would have passed under Prop 5’s lower voter requirement. Given the state’s massive shortage of affordable housing for lowand middle-income Californians, Prop 5 is one way to help alleviate that. Prop 5 does not raise taxes. Vote YES on Prop 5.
Proposition 33: Expands Local Governments’ Authority to Enact Rent Control on Residential Property. Initiative Statute. YES. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation is leading this fight – and spending millions of dollars – that would repeal the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act of 1995. According to the voter guide, Costa-Hawkins generally prevents cities and counties from limiting the initial rental rate that landlords may charge to new tenants in all types of housing, and from limiting rent increases for existing tenants in (1) residential properties that were first occupied after February 1, 1995; (2) single-family homes; and (3) condominiums. This is the third time AHF has taken this measure to the ballot – it lost in 2018 and 2020. We think local government should be able to determine if rent control is right for a jurisdiction, and to work out details so that mom-and-pop landlords aren’t adversely affected. Vote YES on Prop 33.
We know that attitudes toward same-sex marriage in the Golden State have only improved in the 16 years since Prop 8 was narrowly approved by voters. Still, we can’t take anything for granted. California voters must approve Prop 3 to protect all of our rights. Vote YES on Prop 3.
Proposition 2: Authorizes Bonds for Public School and Community College Facilities. Legislative Statute. YES. This measure authorizes $10 billion in state general obligation bonds for repair, upgrade, and construction of K-12 public schools (including charter schools) and community colleges. It also provides funding to improve school health and safety conditions at existing facilities and for classroom upgrades such as science, engineering, transitional kindergarten, and vocational classrooms. It appropriates money from the state’s general fund to repay the bonds. There are approximately 10,000 public schools statewide (including 1,300 charter schools) and 151 community colleges, according to the voter guide. Needless to say, many of the facilities are
Proposition 6: Eliminates Constitutional Provision Allowing Involuntary Servitude for Incarcerated Persons. Legislative Constitutional Amendment. YES. This measure amends the California Constitution to remove the current constitutional provision that allows jails and prisons to impose involuntary servitude to punish crime (i.e., forcing incarcerated persons to work). It prohibits the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from punishing incarcerated persons for refusing a work assignment. It allows incarcerated persons to voluntarily accept work assignments in exchange for credit to reduce their sentences. Currently, those who refuse to work or do other activities can face consequences such as losing the ability to make regular phone calls. Proponents state that Prop 6 removes all forms of slavery from the state’s carceral system. It ends forced labor, which constitutes slavery and violates human rights, they state in the voter guide. And they argue that Prop 6 enhances public safety by prioritizing rehabilitation. Vote YES on Prop 6.
Proposition 32: Raises Minimum Wage. Initiative Statute. YES. California’s minimum wage is currently $16 per hour, the voter guide states. Prop 32 increases that minimum, as follows: Employers with 26 or more employees would pay $17 hourly for the remainder of 2024 and $18 hourly beginning on January 1, 2025. Employers with 25 or fewer employees would pay $17 hourly beginning January 1, 2025, and $18 hourly beginning January 1, 2026. Thereafter, as existing law provides, the minimum wage annually adjusts for inflation. (In addition to the generally applicable minimum wage described above, current laws establish a higher minimum wage in specified industries, the voter guide states. This measure does not amend those laws.)
Proponents state that there are about 2 million Californians who are working full-time or more and making less than $18 per hour. Prop 32 would help them, and in turn, reduce the burden on taxpayers, who often make up the difference that some corporations aren’t honoring. We’ve recently seen the $20 per hour minimum wage go into effect for fast-food workers. An $18 minimum wage for those who are eligible is a tangible benefit that will help a lot of people. Vote YES on Prop 32.
Proposition 34: Restricts Spending of Prescription Drug Revenues by Certain Health Care Providers. Initiative Statute. NO. This measure is backed by the California Apartment Association and affects just one health care provider: the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. The voter guide states that Prop 34 applies only to health care providers that: (1) spent over $100,000,000 in any 10-year period on anything other than direct patient care; and (2) operated multifamily housing reported to have at least 500 high-severity health and safety violations. An article in the Los Angeles Times last November detailed squalid conditions in many of AHF’s units for formerly unhoused people, where many were also under threat of eviction. AHF, the article stated, has revenue of $2.2 billion, drawn largely from its pharmacies, and has spent $300 million sponsoring rent control ballot initiatives.
All this is to say that AHF has its issues. However, we believe writing a state ballot proposition that affects a single agency sets a bad precedent. Some other groups could try the same tactics against other nonprofits if they don’t like what those agencies are doing. If people don’t want to repeal Costa-Hawkins (see above) they can vote no, which majorities have already done twice.
To be clear, AHF should be spending the bulk of its revenue directly helping clients rather than spending millions of dollars engaged in repeated, failed attempts to repeal the rent control law. Addressing AHF’s housing issues is better left to Los Angeles County and city officials, which could adopt regulations, and AHF’s board. Vote NO on Prop 34.
Proposition 35: Provides Permanent Funding for Medi-Cal Health Care Services. Initiative Statute. YES. Prop 35 makes permanent the existing tax on managed health care insurance plans (currently set to expire in 2026), which, if approved by the federal government, provides revenues to pay for health care services for low-income families with children, seniors, disabled persons, and other Medi-Cal recipients. Prop 35 makes the existing health plan tax permanent beginning in 2027. The state would still need federal approval to charge the tax. The tax would continue to be based on the number of people to whom health plans provide health coverage. The proposition allows the state to change the tax, if needed, to get federal approval, within certain limits. Proponents state that Prop 35 will not raise taxes, since it’s an extension of a current tax. And it prevents the state from redirecting the tax funds to other purposes. Reliable revenue for Medi-Cal is important for the health care of many people. Vote YES on Prop 35.
Proposition 36: Allows Felony Charges and Increases Sentences for Certain Drug and Theft Crimes. Initiative Statute. NO. Prop 36 allows for felony charges for possessing certain drugs and for thefts under $950 – both of which are currently only chargeable as misdemeanors as voters approved with Prop 47 in See page 7 >>
Governor Gavin Newsom supports the Freedom to Marry measure, Prop 3.
Rick Gerharter
Proposition 2 is a bond measure to fund safety and other projects at community colleges, such as City College of San Francisco, and K-12 schools.
Rick Gerharter
Proposition 33 would repeal the CostaHawkins Rental Housing Act of 1995.
From AHF
Oakland candidate aims to be 1st Bay Area trans council member
by Matthew S. Bajko
Should Erin Armstrong be elected to the Oakland City Council’s District 5 seat November 5, she would become the first transgender city council member in the Bay Area. While aware of her potential to break through the political glass ceiling of local politics, Armstrong had more matter-of-fact reasons for why she entered the race.
“I am focused on clean streets, safe neighborhoods, and basic city services,” said Armstrong, adding of her gender identity, “it is always there and always comes up at interesting times. It is why its so important to have people with this lived experience in positions of leadership.”
She is no stranger to breaking through barriers. As she notes on her campaign site, (https://voteforerin. com/biography) Armstrong was one of the first openly transgender women to attend Mills College, the historically all-women’s school that recently merged with the all-gender Northeastern University.
In 2007, she vlogged about her gender transition on YouTube, believed to be the first trans woman to do so. It caught the attention of Rolling Stone magazine, which called it “the hot way to come out,” recalled Armstrong in a recent phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter about her council bid.
Now, she is believed to be the only trans candidate seeking a council seat in the Bay Area this fall.
“It just so happens I am the first wherever I go,” quipped Armstrong, 39, who grew up as one of five siblings in a Mormon family in Utah.
In order to take her seat inside Oakland City Hall, Armstrong must first defeat incumbent City Councilmember Noel Gallo. He first won election to the council in 2012 and previously had served two decades as an Oakland school board member.
Oakland City Council candidate Erin Armstrong, left, who is running for the District 5 seat, and her wife, Morgan Pulleyblank, right, are raising their daughter, Matilda, in the city’s Fruitvale district.
nated and their voters’ second choice will be tabulated in order to declare a winner. In 2020, Gallo won outright on the first round.
Having run Miley’s reelection campaign in 2020 as his campaign manager, and having served as a field director in 2018 on a successful Alameda County early education funding measure, Armstrong said she is applying the lessons learned from those races to her own. At least three to four days a week she has been canvassing the district and already has knocked on more than 2,000 doors of voters.
“The campaign part is second nature to me,” said Armstrong, though raising money she told the B.A.R. has been difficult with many people telling her they’re focusing their donations to this year’s presidential race. “The way I am winning this race is all about voter engagement.”
What she has been hearing from the people she has met is that they are unhappy with the direction of the city amid a spike in crime and news of countless business closures. Their dissatisfaction also translates to their council representative, said Armstrong.
Defeating a well-known local politician as a first-time candidate is never an easy task. And Armstrong initially had pulled papers to seek the council’s at-large seat, which is open for the first time in 16 years.
But with a crowded field – 10 people made it onto the ballot in that race, including the city’s former police chief who shares the same last name as Armstrong – and numerous people asking her why she wasn’t running for her council district seat, Armstrong decided to challenge Gallo. One deciding factor, she told the B.A.R., was seeing that he only netted 51% of the vote four years ago when two people ran against him.
It was a margin of victory she felt she could swing to her candidacy.
“I went back and did a really deep analysis in District 5 looking at past voting trends, strengths and weaknesses, and what I could do. I saw a path to winning,” said Armstrong, a senior policy adviser to Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley
Also in the council race is restaurant owner Dominic Prado. Oakland uses ranked-choice voting, so if no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote in the first round then the person with the least votes is elimi-
Editorial From page 6
2014. According to the voter guide, defendants who plead guilty to felony drug possession and complete treatment can have charges dismissed. Prop 36 also increases sentences for other specified drug and theft crimes. The measure has divided Democrats.
The Legislature recently passed a package of bills that Governor Gavin
“I have had hundreds of conversations and I hear the same thing over and over. ‘He doesn’t pick up the phone. He doesn’t return our emails. He is completely unresponsive. We don’t even know what he does.’ I think people are hungry for change in D5,” said Armstrong.
Gallo, in his early 70s, didn’t respond to the B.A.R.’s questionnaire sent to candidates or interview requests about his candidacy. According to his website, out Oakland City Councilmembers Rebecca Kaplan who is stepping down as the at-large seat holder, and Janani Ramachandran, who represents District 4, are among the elected leaders who have endorsed Gallo’s reelection bid.
Also among his endorsers are gay Port of Oakland Executive Director Danny Wan and partners Richard Fuentes and Sean Sullivan, who coown downtown Oakland LGBTQ bar Fluid 510. As for Miley, he is listed as an endorser of both Gallo’s and Armstrong’s candidacies.
Warren Logan, a gay man running against District 3 Oakland City Councilmember Carroll Fife, and gay Alameda Unified School District board member Ryan LaLonde are supporting Armstrong, as is LPAC, which works to elect LGBTQ women and nonbinary candidates to elected
Newsom signed aimed at combatting retail theft. The laws crack down on the theft and sale of stolen items; increase enforcement and prosecutions; combine values of stolen items to meet felony thresholds; target smash-andgrabs; fight car break-ins and thefts; and eliminate retail theft sunset provisions, according to the governor’s office.
We believe Prop 36 is unnecessary, as lawmakers have addressed and
office across the U.S. Armstrong is awaiting word on endorsements from other LGBTQ political groups.
Two years ago, she had voted for trans dad Nick Resnick, who was initially declared the winner of his Oakland school board race. Seeing his win be declared void due to a tabulation mistake by the county registrar was “difficult,” said Armstrong, as Resnick would have been one of a few trans elected officials in the state.
“I have always felt that lack of trans leadership. It is just not now,” said Armstrong. “But obviously, we are very public targets right now for the Republican Party in this country and one of the culture wars they are waging.”
She had been subjected to anti-trans hate due to her online presence during her transition. But Armstrong said it paled to what is occurring today.
“You can believe I have experienced the brunt of a lot of hate and a lot of this culture war, but I saw it get worse. It has never been as bad as it is today,” she said. “A part of it, I think, is the visibility that trans people have been able to achieve.”
She sees her running for office as part of the journey she has been on since coming out as trans.
“My whole journey, my whole adult life has been about creating this narrative around who trans people are and what they can achieve. Running for office is now the latest part of showing what that narrative is,” said Armstrong.
Fell in love with Oakland
Fifteen years ago, Armstrong and her wife, Morgan Pulleyblank, executive director for the Northern California chapter of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, first moved to Oakland. They currently live in the city’s Fruitvale neighborhood.
They had met in New York, where Armstrong had moved to at age 20 a year after starting her gender transition. After a May snowfall, the couple decided to head west.
“We landed in Oakland and just fell in love with the city. It has been our home ever since,” said Armstrong.
The couple are homeowners and moms to 3-year-old daughter Matilda, which means “battle maiden” in German. They picked the name since she was born 11 weeks early.
From 2010 to 2013 Armstrong had worked as the program coordinator for Trans:Thrive, a provider of trans services that is part of the nonprofit San Francisco Community Health Center. Seeing the Republican-led House at the time cut federal funding
See page 13 >>
continue to work on this problem. We do not think locking up drug users in prison is helpful; more harm reduction and drug treatment programs are needed. Opponents argue in the voter guide that Prop 36 brings back the “drug war” type of tactics from the 1980s, which the state has abandoned since it was a failure. Making simple drug possession a felony will just fill up the state’s prisons and negatively affect families. Vote NO on Prop 36.t
Courtesy the campaign
Gay GOPers are more prevalent than most realize
by Brian Bromberger
Political historian Neil J. Young
had been thinking for a few years about writing a history of the gay right. But he wasn’t motivated to start working on his book “Coming Out Republican” until 2019, when both President Donald Trump’s campaign team and the Republican National Committee launched LGBTQ voter outreach efforts in preparation for the 2020 election.
Young, in an email interview with the Bay Area Reporter, stated, “I viewed these efforts very cynically, but at the same time I knew this was historically significant – something no other Republican presidential candidate had done to this extent, and the RNC had never done before. Given the increasing visibility of LGBTQ conservatives in right-wing media and online, I thought we finally needed a history of gay Republicans, a constituency that is much larger and more influential than I think most people realize. And yes, the book’s publication date was timed for the 2024 election.”
The book was published by University of Chicago Press. Young, who is gay, is a registered Democrat but said he grew up in a conservative household.
Considering the resurgence of anti-LGBTQ state bills in the last few years, the book seems timely.
“There’s an urgency, what with the development of the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bills in Florida and elsewhere,” Young stated. “Given all this, I think my book is an especially important read for everyone concerned about the state of LGBTQ politics today and the stakes of the 2024 election.”
Trump candidacy
folks leaving Log Cabin and, in their absence, the organization becoming a completely Trumpist organization in the years since.”
But one also can’t overlook the self-described “dangerous faggot” Milo Yiannopoulos as a bridge figure fostering gay Republican support for Trump, Young noted.
“In many ways, the internet provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos best exemplified the excesses and extremisms of the Trump era – and also the place of LGBTQ conservatives in the new Republican Party. Yiannopoulos rose to fame as the bad boy of Breitbart where he churned out campy and caustic culture war screeds against feminism, liberalism, and ‘PC culture,’” Young stated, referring to the late political commentator Andrew Breitbart. “His writings and speeches frequented in outrageous and ugly attacks against women, people of color, Muslims, and trans persons, which he chalked up as harmless jokes that the humorless, ‘cancel culture’ left was trying to silence.”
Yiannopoulos and his ilk foreshadowed Trump-loving gay men, who criticized the LGBTQ rights movement, especially anything trans-related. “If you want to peek at what can be a particularly vicious subculture, click on #LGBwithouttheTQ or #gaynotqueer on social media spaces like X and TikTok. But be warned, it isn’t pretty,” Young stated.
in a positive reference.
Another chief criticism of gay Republicans is that they have undermined LGBTQ freedom, an accusation Young mostly rejects.
lative laws around minors could lead to a broader assault against LGBTQ rights, including same-sex marriage.
“None of them believe that will happen, despite the fact that many of the Republican politicians and activists working on these things have also voiced their intention to overturn marriage equality,” Young stated. “But I think gay conservatives’ refusal to recognize this bigger anti-LGBTQ project that is being revived on the right is essential to their participation in the Republican Party today and their incorporation in the MAGA movement. And their separation of gay rights from trans rights has been fundamental to their increasing prominence in conservative media, especially Fox News.”
make sure the party never changes in a way that it resembles the Democratic Party on this.”
Positive developments, ominous signs Young sees some positive signs and developments as a direct result of gay GOPers’ decades-long work.
“The 2024 Republican Party platform, for example, just removed language opposing same-sex marriage, something gay Republicans have been working on for 30 years,” Young stated. “Trump himself seems uninterested in going after gay rights, although trans rights are a much different matter. And Log Cabin Republicans has had greater access to Trump than they’ve had to any other Republican president.”
It was the advent of the candidacy of Trump that resulted in a huge gay Republican schism. “In 2016, Log Cabin’s national board narrowly voted not to endorse Trump’s presidential campaign,” Young stated. “This outraged most of LCR’s state and local chapters (including San Francisco) that were big backers of Trump. The controversy ultimately led to the ‘Never Trump’
When Trump was running for president in 2016, he proclaimed himself as “one of the most pro-LGBTQ Republican candidates ever.” He referenced the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida that had happened the month before he was formally nominated by the Republican Party. The shooter claimed to support the Islamic State terrorist group. So when Trump gave his acceptance speech at the Republican convention, he said, “As your president, I will do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens from the violence and oppression of a hateful, foreign ideology, believe me.”
Trump became the first Republican presidential candidate to say the word LGBTQ in a nomination speech and
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“But one example of how they have undermined it is through their opposition to hate crimes legislation in the 1990s. (It should be said, some gay Republicans also worked to get hate crimes legislation passed in different states. As I show repeatedly in my book, gay Republicans have often worked on opposite sides of the same issue.) More recently, their work with anti-LGBTQ Republican politicians like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has certainly not helped advance LGBTQ causes,” Young stated. “And I would also point to new groups like Gays Against Groomers that have done particular damage, including pressuring the Miami-Dade County School Board to no longer recognize LGBTQ History Month and, more importantly, reviving the most odious and harmful stereotypes about gays and lesbians as predatory threats to children.”
Undermining freedom
Young does concede that gay Republicans have undermined American freedom by supporting Trump.
“Gay Republicans have stumped for the former president on the internet and conservative media, calling him the ‘most pro-gay president in American history,’” Young wrote. “This, of course, is laughable, but it is also dangerous, especially as it is designed to assuage moderate Republicans and independents who don’t consider themselves anti-LGBTQ about their support of Trump. Beyond just LGBTQ issues, Trump is an existential threat to American democracy and our constitutional system. By backing Trump and working for his reelection, gay Republicans have contributed to his assault on the freedoms of all Americans.”
One question that arises now is how can gay conservatives say they are affirming queer rights when they seem to reject trans rights, seemingly joining MAGA in bifurcating LGB rights from trans rights.
“Most gay conservatives don’t say they affirm ‘queer rights,’” Young stated. “One thing I learned early on in interviewing gay conservatives was that many, if not most, reject the label ‘queer,’ which they say is a political identity associated with the left. Many of them don’t even like to speak of ‘LGBTQ rights,’ which, again, they view as a leftist/Democratic agenda, preferring instead to say they support ‘gay rights.’”
Young pointed out there is no uniformity on this issue of trans rights.
assistance, contact one of the housing counseling agencies listed at housing.sfgov.org/housing-counselors
This property has some units with special features for mobility-impaired or sensory-impaired households. Several preferences apply; learn more at housing.sfgov.org Income and other restrictions apply. Section 8 welcome. Equal Housing Opportunity.
This property has some units with special features for mobility-impaired or sensory-impaired households. Several preferences apply; learn more at housing.sfgov.org. Income and
“There are some gay conservatives working for trans rights and also a lot who have supported many anti-trans efforts, including issues related to athletic competition,” he stated. “Where I see them having more consensus, although even here there are some variations, is anything that involves underage minors. As several of them contended to me, they argue that they do support trans rights, especially employment protections, for adults, while standing opposed to what they call the ‘radical gender ideology being forced on the nation’s children.’”
Young was asked if all these legis-
This also begs the question of whether gay Republicans believe that the LGBTQ rights movement is over, since it finished what it set out to do decades ago.
“In a word: yes,” stated Young. “Or, rather, most of them would argue that the gay rights movement is over, as it has accomplished what it set out to do in their minds: gain public acceptance for homosexuality, end the military bam, and secure the right to same-sex marriage. This is a popular message for them to communicate on social media, especially as it allows them to attack the LGBTQ rights movement as a radical project that will never be satisfied. As Andrew Sullivan has said, ‘Once you’ve achieved your things, you should just shut down and move on.’
“Or others argue that trans rights for adults have been largely secured, pointing to the 2020 Supreme Court decision Bostock v. Clayton County that protects transgender persons from employment discrimination,” Young stated. “I think most would acknowledge that trans people are still being persecuted. But gay Republicans historically have resisted taking on what they see as a ‘victim identity’ and so tend to downplay persecution as a powerful force in American life.”
Yet many gay Republicans believe it was harder to come out as Republican than as gay, fostering a kind of identity crisis for them.
“Yes, this was an astonishing thing for me to encounter,” stated Young. “It seems so preposterous! Gay Republicans started saying this as early as the 1980s, but it has accelerated within conservative media in the last decade with the rise of Trump. I think that’s connected. This expression allows gay Republicans to do several things, including, as I’ve already mentioned, declare the gay rights movement as having been completed. It’s no longer hard to come out as gay! And gay marriage is legal. Mission accomplished. And anything the woke LGBTQ rights movement is asking for is a radical, leftist agenda that they’ll never stop pushing.”
Gay Republicans use the argument that because of their harassment and the targeting of their political beliefs just like other Republicans have experienced, they’ve earned the right to be included in the party, Young noted.
“When gay Republicans say it is harder to declare their political identity than their sexual identity, what they are really doing is bolstering white, Christian, heterosexual Republicans’ sense that they are the most aggrieved people in the nation today,” Young wrote. “So, this really is a discourse that has allowed gay Republicans to fit neatly into the Trump GOP’s politics of grievance and its sense of victimhood.”
With their support of Trump, Young discussed the future of gay Republicans in the party.
“As a historian, I always feel a bit uncomfortable making predictions about the future. But I do feel pretty confident about this one: gay Republicans will never be fully accepted by the Republican Party,” he stated. “There are too many incentives not too, and too many anti-gay voters, leaders, and activists within the GOP that will
But Young also sees ominous signs ahead.
“I’m most concerned about Project 2025 and also a surging anti-LGBTQ movement that has been really effective at the state level and has every intention of recapturing the GOP’s national agenda whether or not Trump wins a second term,” he stated, referring to the authoritarian document being pushed by Trump supporters and former Trump officials. “These activists are particularly incensed with the visibility and influence gay Republicans have gained in recent years, and they are determined to push them back to the margins, so it will be interesting to see if conservative media and Republican leadership begins to sideline gay Republicans and demonize homosexuality again.”
Gay Republicans in the past have acted as thorns in the side of the party, pressuring Republican legislators to stop anti-LGBTQ laws and supporting progressive Republicans for office.
“So much of that attitude and activism has slipped away as gay Republicans, like every other segment of the GOP, have collapsed into full-blown Trumpism and enjoyed their new access to power,” stated Young. “But gay Republicans may well be forced to return to this historic role in the near future because I think we are about to see the return of a powerful anti-LGBTQ effort within the Republican Party, no matter how the 2024 election goes.”
From a non-Republican perspective, it’s almost unimaginable that gay Republicans can support transphobic Trump actions, such as banning transgender people from serving in the military.
“I think the big thing I would say is that most of Trump’s gay supporters don’t think he has a particularly negative stand on LGBTQ issues – or rather, they cite him as good on gay issues, which just underscores how many of them have separated themselves from ideas about LGBTQ rights and especially trans issues,” stated Young. “Instead, they cite his support for same-sex marriage, his working relationship with Log Cabin Republicans, his appointment of several gay men to high-ranking positions in his administration, and, not insignificantly, at least for them, his positive public comments.”
Despite Trump’s anti-trans policies and statements, gay GOPers see him as a positive.
“But they are already used to supporting Republican presidents and presidential candidates who don’t have a good track record on LGBTQ issues, so for them Trump feels like a huge step forward,” Young stated. “I think the big question is whether they will use their influence to challenge the Trump administration’s anti-trans agenda or if they will sacrifice that for their own standing.”
Having been immersed in gay Republicans for the last four years, Young discussed their legacy.
“The first is that gay Republicans helped achieve the two most significant accomplishments of the LG-
Many gay Republicans now back former President Donald Trump in his 2024 bid to return to the White House.
Washington Blade
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Bi activist Marguerite ‘Maggi’ Rubenstein dies
by Liz Highleyman
Marguerite “Maggi” Rubenstein, Ph.D., a pioneering bisexual activist dubbed the Godmother of Sex Ed, died August 19 at her home in Red Bluff, California. The cause of death was not disclosed, but friends said her health had declined in recent months. She was 93.
After coming out as bisexual amid the cultural upheaval of the late 1960s and 1970s, Dr. Rubenstein became a leading figure in the sex education community and the nascent bisexual movement.
“In 1980, when I came out as bisexual from within the San Francisco lesbian community, Maggi had already been an out and outspoken feminist and bi activist for more than a decade,” longtime bisexual activist Lani Ka’ahumanu told the Bay Area Reporter. “Whether she was welcomed or not, she spoke up. The local and national bi+ community has lost a pioneer upon whose shoulders we are all standing.”
Dr. Rubenstein, who was born and raised in the Bay Area, initially trained as a nurse. After two heterosexual marriages, she came out as bisexual in 1969 to fellow staff members at the Center for Special Problems, a San Francisco Department of Public Health mental health program serving sexual minorities and transgender people. Around
the same time, she came out to her parents and children. “My mother said she wished I was a lesbian because all they do is hug ... which hasn’t exactly been my experience,” she recounted in a 1994 B.A.R. profile.
She also recalled the struggles between gay men and lesbians and between lesbian and bisexual women, including friction around bisexuals joining what was then known as the Gay Freedom Day Parade. “There is sexual fascism in this country, and we all have to get past the dichotomies and struggle together against people who want to kill us,” she said.
Dr. Rubenstein earned a counseling degree at the University of San Francisco and maintained a private therapy practice for four decades. In the early 1970s, she worked with Glide Memorial Church’s National Sex Forum and served on the board of the Council on Religion and the Homosexual. The National Sex Forum gave rise to the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality, where Dr. Rubenstein received a doctorate and was a faculty member and dean. Working with the late lesbian pioneer Phyllis Lyon and others, she developed training standards for sexologists.
In 1972, Dr. Rubenstein was one of the co-founders of San Francisco Sex Information, which ran a volunteer phone hotline offering confidential
information about sex and became known for its in-depth trainings covering all aspects of sexuality. Recognizing the importance of safer sex in the early years of the HIV epidemic, she and her colleagues with the Sexologists’ Sexual Health Project held workshops and did outreach at bars and sex clubs. In 1984, she was one of the founding members of Mobilization Against AIDS, and she joined the Committee to Preserve Our Sexual and Civil Liberties, a group organized to oppose the closure of San Francisco’s bathhouses.
In 1976, Dr. Rubenstein and Harriet Leve, Ph.D., co-founded the San Francisco Bisexual Center, which for a time was based at the Haight district home of her human sexuality institute colleague, the late David Lourea, Ph.D. The center offered counseling,
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September 1 to August 31, 2025. Morales stated that “the study is targeting Latinx gay men in SF and Alameda counties since CDC have noted these are hot spots for HIV and will investigate the quality of the relationships study participants have with their primary provider.”
Morales had stated August 27 that “AGUILAS is not providing any services.”
“The subcontract from UCSF for their research project is totaled $49,500, which ends August 31, 2024,” he stated, referring to the abovementioned funds. “That includes expenses for the steering committee, training, and consulting about sampling strategies for SF and Alameda counties. We expect a continued subcontract but I do not know the amount for after September 1.”
Nationwide, new HIV diagnoses stayed roughly the same between 2018 and 2022 but increased 19% among Latinos, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data also showed that though Latinos and Hispanics make up less than 20% of Americans, they comprised about a third of new diagnoses in 2022. Black Americans, who comprise 14% of the U.S. population, had the most new diagnoses, though those numbers have decreased since 2018.
In San Francisco, the B.A.R. ran two special reports earlier this year on the fact that 2022 was the first time Latino men made up the highest rate of new HIV diagnoses in the city. Latinos were the only racial or ethnic group to see an increase in new cases, and among cis men the rate of diagnoses surpassed all other racial or ethnic groups measured – even as AGUILAS received cuts in 2023.
But the city is touting that 2023 seems to have been a better year, according to an HIV semi-annual surveillance report issued earlier this month, which saw the number of Latinos in San Francisco testing positive for HIV decline 46% from 2022 to 2023, from 74 to 40. (The health department stated these numbers are preliminary and may increase due
discussion groups, social events, a newsletter, and a speakers’ bureau; it closed in 1985. She also helped start BiPOL, the first bisexual political action group, in 1983, and the Bay Area Bisexual Network (now the Bay Area Bi+ and Pan Network) in 1987.
“Maggi was a bi+ leader and a trailblazer starting in the 1970s wave of activism,” said longtime bisexual activist Robyn Ochs. “I think about what courage she must have had. I remember how hard it was when I came out to myself in the 1970s and how it took me five years to share this information with anyone else. It felt nearly impossible to be publicly bisexual. And yet Maggi was one of the brave people out there doing just that.”
As the lesbian and gay community grew in size and influence in the 1970s and 1980s, Dr. Rubenstein “became famous for going to meetings from the Castro to City Hall and shouting ‘and bisexual!’ whenever the L and G was not followed by the B,” according to a remembrance by bi activist and sex educator Carol Queen, Ph.D., director of the Center for Sex and Culture.
“Maggi’s legacy was hugely influential even before I met her, and she honestly helped make my life’s path possible,” Queen told the B.A.R. “Maggi’s influence on San Francisco sex culture is comparable to the way Margo St. James and Carol Leigh impacted it. Her loss is enormous – but so were her contributions.”
St. James, who died in 2021, was a sex-positive feminist and pioneer of the sex workers’ rights movement.. Leigh, who died in 2022, was a bisexual sex worker activist and artist.
to reporting delays. It is expected to release the annual HIV surveillance report for 2023 later this year.)
According to the report, as of the end of 2023, there were 3,042 Latino cisgender men living with HIV in San Francisco. An additional 219 Latina cis women and 161 Latina transgender women were also living with HIV per the city data.
National numbers up in 2022
Carl Schmid, a gay man who is executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute, told the B.A.R. in a phone interview that nationally “it’s gay men and younger people in particular” who are being affected, and that “you have to look at how funding is allocated in each jurisdiction” to see if it’s being effective.
The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act is the federal program to provide funds to the states and local municipalities for uninsured, under-insured, and lowincome people with HIV. These block grants are intended to give jurisdictions the ability to be more flexible.
Schmid pointed out something advocates had in the B.A.R.’s reports earlier this year – lack of access to insurance and, thus, lower PrEP uptake. PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, refers to the use of antiviral drugs to prevent people exposed to HIV from becoming infected. The pill Truvada was first approved for PrEP use in 2012 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; since then the FDA has also approved the pill Descovy for some groups and the drug Apretude as an injectable treatment. As the B.A.R. previously reported, there are large disparities of usage between whites, on the one hand, and Blacks and Latinos, on the other.
“You need to look at PrEP stats, too: that they are lower for Latinos as well,” Schmid said. “Among all Latino gay men, 46% of all new infections were ages 25-34; 19% were ages 13-24. … There’s a lot of barriers to PrEP, insurance barriers, but we really need to be focusing more outreach for our PrEP programs in the Latino community.
This is, I feel, an overlooked problem.”
Jorge Zepeda, director of Latine
Dr. Rubenstein was a proponent of numerous causes, including women’s rights and sex workers’ rights. She was active in the fight against the 1978 Briggs initiative, a state ballot measure to ban gays and lesbians from working in California public schools. (It was defeated.) She was a longtime member of the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, which awarded her the Harry Britt Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. She was chosen as the community grand marshal for the 1992 San Francisco Pride parade, and she received the GLBT Historical Society’s History Makers Award in 2020.
“Maggi was a Milk club stalwart and active in many progressive campaigns,” said gay District 8 supervisor and former club president Rafael Mandelman. “She was a fierce voice for bisexual rights and definitely made her mark in San Francisco.”
Dr. Rubenstein remained involved in the bi community as it expanded and evolved over the decades, becoming a mentor to successive generations of bisexual, pansexual, transgender, and gender-diverse advocates. She moved from her home in San Francisco’s Glen Park neighborhood to Northern California in 2017.
“Maggi was always warm and funny and had a lovely sense of humor,” recalled bi and trans activist Martin Rawlings-Fein, director of the BiCONIC Film Festival. “She co-founded everything under the sun. There’s a Maggi-shaped hole in the community’s heart right now.”
A celebration of Dr. Rubenstein’s life is being planned but does not yet have a date.t
Health Services for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, stated to the B.A.R. that the CDC findings “underscore the critical need for intensified efforts to address the disproportionate inequities in HIV prevention, treatment, and care that disproportionately impact Latine individuals.”
(In Latin America, “Latine” has been lifted up as an alternative to “Latinx” as a gender-neutral alternative to Latino. “Latinx” has been criticized, in part, because the Spanish language does not have an “x” suffix.)
“At San Francisco AIDS Foundation, we are dedicated to supporting Latine individuals, regardless of their immigration status, income level, or cultural background,” Zepeda stated. “Our programs and services are thoughtfully tailored to meet the unique needs of this diverse community. We offer practical support, culturally centered and linguistically inclusive spaces for accessing services, and targeted interventions that directly address the health challenges faced by Latine individuals living with or affected by HIV.”
A ‘snapshot’
Morales said in a phone interview that the lower numbers among Latinos in San Francisco isn’t necessarily indicative of a change in tide.
“I don’t know; that’s just one snapshot,” he said, adding that the health department “doesn’t break out” the population into smaller populations, which would be helpful for health experts to figure out why the numbers went down.
“The change might be an anomaly,” he said. “It could be a lot of people have left the city. The numbers are very small.”
Morales also pointed out that before coming down, the numbers had risen.
“If it goes up for 10 years and there’s a snapshot where it goes down … the next time it could go up again,” he said.
Asked about Morales’ comments, the San Francisco Department of Public Health stated that it doesn’t see eye-to-eye with his doubts.
“We believe that our comprehensive HIV prevention, testing and treatment
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Maggi Rubenstein attended the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club’s annual dinner in 2007.
Liz Highleyman
Lies, damned lies, and the presidential election
by Gwendolyn Ann Smith
At a summit hosted by far-right anti-LGBTQ group Moms for Liberty, former President and current Republican presidential hopeful Donald J. Trump uttered the following, “But the transgender thing is incredible. Think of it. Your kid goes to school and comes home a few days later with an operation. The school decides what’s going to happen with your child and you know many of these childs [sic] 15 years later say, what the hell happened? Who did this to me? They say, who did this to me? It’s incredible.”
I feel like I should not need to state how false this is. It should be obvious.
No one is giving kids transgender-related surgeries at school. Nor were they giving them 15 years ago, as this paragraph seems to imply. The whole thing is utter hogwash.
the Halloween candy, or migrant caravans coming to your hometown. No one is transitioning to assault anyone in a restroom when putting on a coverall and holding a mop will guarantee easier access. Likewise, no one is going to go through the onerous process of transition for a “sports advantage” that quickly vanishes once you start hormonal treatments anyway. Drag queen story times are akin to – and I mean this entirely complimentary, I promise – having a clown or other costumed character read a book. It is only as sexual as you, an adult, might impress upon the proceedings.
Oh, and as for people wanting to transition children, no, we don’t wish to do that – but we do hope that a trans child gets to survive to adulthood in a fairly hostile world, and expect to see them supported.
for Liberty gathering.” (The article did note that Trump is opposed to trans women playing sports on women’s teams and said access to gender-affirming care should be restricted,)
Trump victory. We lived through that before, and we are not, quite frankly, sure if we’ll make it through again.
We’ve never lived a very privileged existence. When Time magazine declared the “transgender tipping point” back in 2014, it was due more for our appearance in popular culture and TV shows like “Orange is the New Black,” rather than any far-reaching political gains. We still lack some pretty fundamental rights, even as state after state removes our ability to update our identity documents or prevent us from accessing health care.
Democratic National Convention showed delegates and officials fired up and ready to back Harris and her vice presidential running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
Trump’s comments are just the latest ramping up in an anti-trans culture war stoked by falsehoods.
Consider the narratives around trans issues in the last few years.
Transgender women are going to assault you in the restroom. Transgender women are transitioning just to get a clever advantage in women’s sports, such as swimming, or, oh, chess. Trans people, the LGBTQ community, and your schools want to transition children for deviant purposes. Drag queens are performing sex acts in front of children.
Each of these are fearmongering nonsense, at the same level as drugs in
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From page 10
services, along with the combined efforts of academic, health system and community partners, has contributed to these declines,” a spokesperson stated August 30. “SFDPH is currently evaluating the data, and a full analysis will be published as part of the 2023 HIV annual report this fall.”
Earlier, on August 23, the department had given a more general statement about the preliminary report.
“The decline among Latinx individuals is [a] notable change from the prior year, which saw a 17% increase in HIV diagnoses among Latinx individuals from 63 in 2021 to 74 in 2022,” a spokesperson stated. “While the decline in HIV diagnoses is encouraging, we still have work to do to address the ongoing disparities in HIV rates among Black/African Americans and Latinx individuals.”
Tyler TerMeer, Ph.D., a gay man living with HIV who is the CEO of the AIDS foundation, stated to the B.A.R. that “the decline in new HIV cases among Latine people in San Francisco is an encouraging sign that our prevention and treatment efforts are having a positive impact.”
TerMeer noted that “there has been no decline in new HIV cases among Black and African American individuals from 2022 to 2023, underscoring the persistent inequities that disproportionately impact Black communities.”
He continued that “while this local progress is promising,” the federal numbers are cause for concern.
“While we are encouraged by the strides made in reducing new HIV cases among Latine people locally, we remain committed to ensuring that these advancements extend to all communities, particularly those that are most at risk,” he stated. “We must continue to address the systemic barriers that contribute to these disparities and invest in comprehensive strategies that provide equitable access to prevention, care, and support services for everyone in San Francisco. We are dedicated to achieving a future where HIV transmission is eliminated for all San Franciscans.”t
No one, however, cares about the truth right now. The mainstream media isn’t reporting on Trump’s blatant lies, including those around trans lives. An Associated Press story appearing in the Los Angeles Times and other outlets, for example, did not include that above-mentioned quote in its coverage, providing a headline that read, “Trump questions acceptance of transgender people during Moms
Meanwhile, states continue to push bills against trans lives, courts continue to allow those bills to go into effect, diminishing the rights of transgender people nationwide, and pundits continue to spew lies about trans lives.
As a trans person, it makes these very anxious times to live in. If you spend some time in trans community spaces right now, you’ll see many pushing hard to get their medical needs attended to before November, while others do all they can to get their birth certificates and other documents updated in advance of a potential
We have had some allies who have stood behind us in the past, but those are now becoming thinner on the ground. Companies, pressed by the right, are scaling back diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) efforts around race, gender, and sexuality, in many cases thanks to the vaguest threats against their bottom lines. I’d call it the “Bud Light” or “Target” effect, after those brands were rocked by violent protests for even the weakest attempts to show support for trans and LGBTQ lives.
This brings us to the Democratic Party. With the presidential nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, we have seen a sea change in messaging from Democrats. The party is electrified, and a supercharged
But besides a few trans faces in the ceremonial roll call, and a handful of messages that included the phrase LGBT, transgender issues went unspoken. In an election that will likely see the first trans person elected to Congress, Sarah McBride, a current Delaware state senator, was not asked to speak. In a year where trans issues have been all over the lying lips of the GOP’s candidates, the Democrats have chosen to lie by omission, leaving trans rights forgotten in a time of crises.
I’m sure this is deliberate, with the idea that avoiding controversial topics will help ensure a victory.
Yet, when one of the two people who might be president is more than happy to lie about your local elementary school providing gender surgeries, we need the other candidate to push back against that blatant falsehood.
We crave honest – and vocal – representation amid an ocean of lies.t
Gwen Smith is waiting on one last piece of documentation. You can find her at www.gwensmith.com.
Christine Smith
Bill shelved as CA trans website debuts
by Matthew S. Bajko
Astate legislator has shelved her bill calling for California health officials to create a website with health care resources for transgender, gender diverse, and intersex (TGI) people and their families. The reason being the state went ahead and launched the online resource without waiting for the legislative mandate to be approved.
The site at https://tinyurl. com/4n7e57jw was created by the California Department of Managed Care. It has a wealth of information from frequently asked questions about what entails trans-inclusive and gender-affirming health care to what rights are granted to health plan enrollees in commercial and Medi-Cal managed care health plans regulated by the state agency.
There are links to various state and federal resources TGI people can access. The website also includes information for how TGI patients can
Also before Newsom is AB 2442, the Increasing Access to GenderAffirming Care bill. Authored by gay Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Hollywood), it would require various medical boards in the state to expedite medical licensure for genderaffirming care.
It is aimed at ensuring California has “a robust network of providers” to care for out-of-state transgender, gender-diverse, and intersex (TGI) patients coming to the Golden State because their home state has banned doctors from providing gender-affirming health care. The bill follows up on California declaring itself a trans refuge in light of other states adopting laws in recent years restricting their trans residents’ health care services.
“We hope to see AB 2442 signed into law so we can better meet the needs of TGI individuals by ensuring the health care provider workforce is equipped with providers across California that are trained and prepared to provide comprehensive and equitable gender-affirming care to those who seek it in our state,” stated Jodi Hicks, CEO and president of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California.
The nonprofit health care provider offers gender-affirming care to more than ten thousand patients annually in California. It does so proudly, noted Hicks, “knowing that all people must be able to access the care they need and deserve.”
And AB 1825 by Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) would prevent public libraries in the state from pulling books off their shelves or banning the purchase of titles that have to do with such subject matter as LGBTQ topics or race, or “because of the views, ideas, or opinions contained in materials.” If enacted, it would not apply to libraries at public schools.
“Libraries play a special role in the public’s civic education and the free exchange of diverse ideas and information. Over the past year, more than 3,000 books have been banned in libraries across America,” noted American Civil Liberties Union California Action. “These books disproportionately feature stories about LGBTQ+ communities, people of color, and historically marginalized communities. Book bans to this effect are not only discriminatory – they are a violation of people’s First Amendment right to access information.”
The Bay Area Reporter has been tracking 18 LGBTQ-related bills this legislative session. One calling for California health officials to create an online resource for TGI patients got shelved on August 27. Lesbian state Senator Caroline Menjivar (DSan Fernando Valley) pulled her SB 959 since the state went ahead and
seek help if their health care needs are denied.
Under legislation enacted in 2022, the state agency had convened a Transgender, Gender Diverse, or In-
launched such a website, as the B.A.R. first reported online August 28.
Newsom earlier this summer signed into law AB 1955 by gay state Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego) that bans school districts from outing trans youth without their permission to their parents unless doing so is needed to protect their mental health. He also added his signature to SB 1278 by gay state Senator John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) that requires California to officially recognize December 1 as World AIDS Day in perpetuity.
Now before Newsom to sign is Menjivar’s SB 729 that would require large group health plans to provide coverage for fertility and infertility care, including in vitro fertilization. It would update the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, also known as the Knox-Keene Act, that required health insurance policies in California to cover infertility treatment but not IVF.
It will also update the state’s definition of infertility to be inclusive of LGBTQ+ family planning experiences.
Fourteen other states have already enacted similar insurance laws.
“How much should equality cost California?” asked Mimi Demissew, who has a young son with her wife and is executive director of San Franciscobased LGBTQ family service provider Our Family Coalition. “Passing SB 729 will finally bring an end to California’s bigoted law and bring California closer to standing on the right side of history by supporting the human right of wanting to and having children. I trust that Governor Newsom will not stand in the way of progress and am hopeful that he will sign SB 729 into law.”
The bill had been put on hold last year and its status had been unclear earlier this year. But Menjivar, working with LGBTQ family advocates and gay Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, was able to shepherd it out of the Legislature in late August.
“IVF has become a national topic, and as other states look to restrict access, the California Legislature has affirmed we are the torchbearers of reproductive freedom by sending SB 729, mandating fertility treatment coverage in large group insurance plans, to the governor,” stated Menjivar. “Never before have we been so close to victory over this barrier to reproductive justice, and I urge Governor Newsom to live up to his claim to be a reproductive rights champion by signing SB 729 into law.”
Another top priority for LGBTQ advocates and lawmakers is SB 957 authored by gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco). As the B.A.R. first reported in January, the legislation aims to ensure that state health officials are meeting their requirements to ask about sexual orientation and gender identity demographics, known as SOGI data for short.
tersex (TGI) Health Care Quality Standards and Training Curriculum Working Group tasked with making recommendations to it as required under Senate Bill 923, the TGI Inclusive Care Act. Authored by gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), it required that medical professionals who interact with TGI patients receive cultural competency training.
It also called for health providers to have searchable online directories of their gender-affirming services. This year, lesbian state Senator Caroline Menjivar (D-San Fernando Valley) had authored SB 959 calling for the creation of a trans health care website in order to provide TGI patients with accurate information about accessing trans-inclusive health care.
Her bill had been sailing through the legislative process and passed out of the Senate in May. It was expected to be passed by the Assembly ahead of lawmakers’ August 31 deadline to adopt bills this session.
It is in response to a scathing 2023 report from California’s state auditor that found the statewide health department’s SOGI data collection efforts were woefully inadequate. If enacted, SB 957 would require that state health officials implement all of the recommendations in the audit.
“We can’t fix a problem we can’t measure, and with SB 957 we can take a critical step to delivering true health equity,” stated Wiener. “California must begin collecting the full range of data needed to understand the unique health challenges faced by LGBTQ people.”
Other bills deal with LGBTQ health issues
SB 1333 by lesbian state Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton) would require state and local health department employees and contractors to annually sign confidentiality agreements prior to accessing confidential HIV-related public health records. Currently, they just sign it once then the state or local health department is to yearly review the agreements.
The bill also authorizes disclosure to other local, state, or federal public health agencies or to medical researchers when confidential information is necessary for the coordination of, linkage to, or reengagement in care for the person.
Eggman authored it to address issues that came up during the mpox outbreak, where state confidentiality laws prevented health providers from noting in patient records if someone who contracted mpox was also HIVpositive, thus potentially impacting the care the person needed. It has also been an issue with people living with HIV who have other comorbidities, such as other STIs or tuberculosis.
AB 3161 by Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland) would require hospitals, as of January 1, 2026, to analyze patient safety events by sociodemographic factors, like race, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, and disability status. Known as the Equity in Health Care Act: Ensuring Safety and Accountability, the bill aims to bring to light the disparities in health that communities of color and LGBTQ communities are facing.
Additionally, AB 3161 requires hospital safety plans to include a process for addressing racism and discrimination and its impacts on patient health and safety.
Bills tackle legal, youth issues
A bill related to legal matters is AB 1979 authored by Ward and known as the Doxing Victims Recourse Act. Doxing is the release of an individual’s private information online, such as their home address and phone number. It is a tool utilized by online trolls against their critics, with transgender individuals often becoming doxing
But Menjivar pulled her bill August 27 due to the debut of the state agency’s website for TGI patients.
“I moved SB 959 to the inactive file for one of the best reasons a bill author does so, state implementation!” Menjivar explained in a news release.
She thanked both the state agency and Governor Gavin Newsom for not waiting until SB 959 made it out of the Legislature to launch the online resource. Menjivar noted it had been suggested in the 12-page Project RAINBOW Report that a coalition of more than two dozen LGBTQ+ advocate organizations and health care providers had released in February with the aim of addressing challenges faced by TGI individuals.
“This website guides TGI folks to information on their health care rights and state services, and lists resources for trans-inclusive care and resolving health plan issues,” stated Menjivar, adding that the new online resource “is vital for TGI Californians, as well
victims when they speak out against transphobic legislation or policies. The bill would allow a victim to pursue civil action to receive restitution for the harms endured as a result of being doxed.
Zbur’s AB 2477 would update state law to clarify that young adults can accumulate cash savings while in foster care. The bill would ensure such youth are not penalized for their financial safety nets and have available resources to help achieve their goals, noted California Coalition for Youth Executive Director Jevon Wilkes.
“Youth aging out or otherwise exiting foster care can face barriers to long-term stability as they take on increasing obligations for day-today adult responsibilities, like paying rental deposits or higher education fees,” stated Wilkes. “Financial capability and stability are important for all youth transitioning to adulthood but are crucial for youth transitioning out of foster care who have already faced other challenges and are expected to immediately manage their finances.”
Under SB 1491 by Eggman the California Student Aid Commission would have to provide, beginning with the 2026–27 school year, written notice to college students who receive state financial aid if their postsecondary educational institution has an exemption from either the Equity in Higher Education Act or Title IX on file with the commission.
Often religious-based colleges will seek exemptions in order to not comply with providing protections covered by the rules to LGBTQ students on their campuses. The state commission currently is only required to post which schools have exemptions online.
For state-run colleges and universities, they would need to designate a confidential point of contact on their campus for lesbian, gay, bisexual, asexual, pansexual, transgender, gender-nonconforming, intersex and two-spirit faculty, staff, and students. The bill was amended to remove having the Legislative Analyst’s Office audit the state’s community colleges and four-year colleges and universities with respect to the quality of life for their LGBTQ students, faculty and staff.
On Saturday, two bills were sent to the governor that had failed to advance last year and were brought back this session. Menjivar reintroduced her Youth Health Equity + Safety (YHES) Act as SB 954 this year to expand public school students’ access to condoms.
Newsom had vetoed her similar bill last year over its estimated $4 million price tag. But with $5 million in funding over three years now secured for it, Menjivar is hopeful of seeing the governor sign the YHES ACT into law.
“When the Governor vetoed my similar bill last year, he cited funding. This time around, we secured $5 million in the California State Budget
as those out of state who are denied guidance on their federal rights to affirming health care.”
Kathie Moehlig, the mother of an adult trans son who founded and leads the San Diego-based TransFamily Support Services (https://transfamilysos. org/) as its executive director, expressed gratitude to the state leaders and community members who helped usher in the launch of the website. At the same time, Moehlig noted the work to assist and protect TGI patients is not done.
“While the creation of this website marks a significant step forward, we recognize that there is still much work to be done to ensure it truly serves the needs of transgender, gender diverse, and intersex individuals,” stated Moehlig. “We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the Department of Managed Health Care and other partners to improve the website’s functionality and accessibility, making it the robust resource our community deserves.”t
for programs the Youth Health Equity and Safety Act will bolster or implement. I urge Governor Newsom to listen to California’s youth and sign SB 954,” she stated.
Zbur also revived a bill Newsom had vetoed last year. His AB 2258 would codify longstanding federal guidance that health plans and insurers must cover services that are integral to providing recommended preventive care. Insurers would also need to provide without cost sharing ancillary and support services for PrEP, the HIV prevention medication, including screening for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
“Everyone deserves access to preventive care that includes birth control, services that support PrEP & PEP, and other STI screenings WITHOUT cost-sharing,” Zbur had argued for why the bill was needed.
On Friday, AB 1899 by lesbian Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (D-Corona) passed out of the Legislature. It had been amended so it would no longer require jury questionnaires used by state courts to ask prospective jurors about their preferred names and pronouns. Rather, the forms would need to be “inclusive” and merely allow “a juror the ability to express their gender identity or gender expression, if applicable.” The changes would need to be done by January 1, 2026.
Housing bill held
In mid-August the Senate Appropriations Committee held Zbur’s AB 2498 that had aimed to prevent a wide range of individuals, from former foster youth, older adults, and adults with disabilities to people unemployed or who were recently incarcerated, from losing their housing. Known as the California Housing Security Act, the bill would have provided rent subsidies to the various rent-burdened populations and was co-authored by Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva (D-Fullerton).
Zbur told the B.A.R. that is “deeply disappointed” that the bill didn’t advance this year and fully intends to bring it back during the 2025 legislative session.
“One of the most cost-effective and compassionate ways to reduce homelessness is by preventing it in the first place and empowering people who are currently housed to stay in their homes. Up to ten thousand Californians become newly unhoused each year, with a disproportionate number represented by LGBTQ+ people and people of color,” stated Zbur. “The state’s 2023-2024 Master Plan for Aging also highlights the importance of housing subsidy programs as a key strategy for increasing housing stability, particularly for older adults and people with disabilities. We must focus more on prevention to best address the housing and homelessness crisis.”t
State Senator Caroline Menjivar pulled her bill calling for an online resource for TGI people after state leaders went ahead and created it.
Courtesy the subject
t Community News>>
dearly, Ivory Nicole Smith. Keep on guiding us, beautiful.”
Festival entertainment
Latina who came to the Bay Area in search of community, freedom of expression, and prosperity resonates with so many in my community,” stated Peraza, lives in San Francisco.
“I dedicate this recognition to all my trans siblings – whomst brilliance, power, and authenticity reinvigorates me every single day.”
In her remarks, Peraza also paid tribute to Ivory Nicole Smith, a former staff member for the trans district who died in San Francisco January 24, as the B.A.R. reported.
“I humbly recognize the privilege of representing the Bay Area’s transgender communities – which I do with profound pride and joy – and I look forward to a future in which we continue to push for liberation, access and equity in healthcare, employment, and housing, and the continued protection of civil rights for the transgender community across the country,” Peraza stated. “Above all, I celebrate this honor in loving memory of my trans sister who is missed
<< Gay couple
From page 5
[enjoying] the hell out of your life ... [and] always, always be honest with yourself.”
Finch and Turner are optimistic for the future. They’ve almost made it to
<< Political Notebook
From page 7
for such programs prompted Armstrong to seek her master’s in business administration and public policy; she first enrolled at an Oakland community college then transferred to Mills.
“I decided to go back to school to learn about policy and elevate that grassroots experience I had working with the community up to the policy level,” said Armstrong.
Raised in Lindon, Utah, a small city about an hour south of Salt Lake City, Armstrong is no longer a practicing Mormon. For three years in her early
page 8
BTQ rights movement: ending the military ban and legalizing same-sex marriage,” he noted. “These probably would have happened had gay Republicans not been involved, of course, but the course of their development and the timeline that brought them about would be sig-
After the parade the festival in downtown Oakland will feature Da Brat, the first female rapper to exceed over one million records sold with 1994’s “Funkdafied.”
The festival will also feature Wendy Guevara, a trans woman who won Mexico’s “Celebrity Big Brother,” on the Latin stage. Guevara will be joined by former “RuPaul’s Drag Race” contestant Jessica Wild.
Valentino Carrillo, a gay man who is proprietor of Que Rico nightclub, located at 381 15th Street, is co-producing the Latin Stage with Club Papi.
“We’ve pretty much been working on getting (Guevara) to come since January of this year, and we were finally able to get her to commit to it in early April, and we got Pride to bring her on and sign her at the end of June,” Carrillo told the B.A.R. in a phone interview. “It was a big process. ... One of the biggest artists ever for Oakland Pride, to be sure.”
Carrillo’s bar – which, as the B.A.R.
80, and their promise to make it there together, and the progress towards equality continues. In November, California voters will decide Proposition 3, which, if successful, would remove language banning same-sex marriage from the state constitution. The language was added after the
30s, she had a strained relationship with her immediate family who didn’t want her talking to their relatives due to being a queer trans woman.
“They refused to accept my identity or use my name or pronouns, things like that. It did get to the point I had cut them out of my life when we moved to Oakland,” said Armstrong, who has since reconciled with her relatives. “The happy thing is my parents are both great advocates and supporters for trans rights.”
Her father, Bruce Armstrong, a lifelong Republican now divorced, has addressed his state Legislature to speak against anti-trans bills. He told the
nificantly different, I believe. “Secondly, gay Republicans are not a monolith – and there are a lot more of them than most people realize,” he added. Fifteen percent of LGBTQ Americans are registered with the Republican Party compared to 50% who belong to the Democratic Party. But 35% of LGBTQs are registered independents, and many of them vote for Republican candidates. LGBTQ
previously reported, has been robbed 10 times in recent years to the tune of over $100,000 – started recovering from the most recent break-in with an August 3 street party. For Oakland Pride, he’s welcoming the community to come out yet again.
“We’re going to be closing the street again,” he said. “This’ll be the first time for Pride, between Webster and Franklin on 15th [street], that’ll be closed to traffic, and it’ll be one big street party. We’re calling it Pride After Dark. Music outside, DJs on Sunday night after Pride, starting around 5 o’clock until 10 p.m. outside, then inside till 2 a.m.”
That event will cap a series of Pride events for Que Rico, including a morning drag brunch September 8. Carrillo also alerted the B.A.R. to a Pride weekend bar crawl that’s kicking off September 7 at 4:45 p.m. at the Town Bar and Lounge, at 2001 Broadway.
The free bar crawl is a joint effort of all the LGBTQ bars in downtown Oakland, of which there’s been significant turnover in recent years. Club 21 and Bench & Bar shuttered years ago; more recently, the Port Bar and Feelmore Social have closed.
passage of Proposition 8 by the state’s voters 16 years ago. While Prop 8 was ultimately ruled unconstitutional by federal courts, the homophobic measure’s language remains embedded in the state’s governing document.
“It’s time that we get rid of all that nonsense,” said Finch. “Twenty years
B.A.R. he isn’t surprised by his daughter’s interest in politics. Of his five children, she was the only one who ever did when they were growing up.
“Just my great example, obviously,” he joked when asked why he thought that was.
While he is involved in conservative grassroots politics, he said it doesn’t negate their being able to talk about civic matters. It is a strength that will serve his daughter well if elected to the council seat, he said.
“She respects both sides of an issue,” said Bruce Armstrong, 65, who is in the process of turning over ownership of his property management company
Americans regularly give between one-quarter to one-third – and often as much as half – of their votes to Republican politicians in local, state, and national elections.”
Young noted that Trump’s LGBTQ supporters have increased over the years.
“Lastly, gay Republicans have been fundamental to the rise of Trump, and Trump’s LGBTQ supporters
EL PUEBLA, 1427 WALLACE AVE,
After Town Bar, the crawl will make its way to Que Rico at 6 p.m., followed by Fluid 510, at 1544 Broadway, at 7:15 p.m. and concluding with the Summer Bar & Lounge at 526 Eighth Street at 8:30 p.m. Each location will be offering $5 drink specials to participants.
Fluid 510 is owned by former Port Bar owner Sean Sullivan, a gay man who’d also spearheaded Pridefest back in 2021, after Oakland Pride was abruptly canceled just weeks before it was supposed to happen.
The B.A.R. reported extensively at the time through emails sent to the paper that the Oakland Pride organization was in serious disarray.
In 2022 there were two events –the regular Oakland Pride on Labor Day weekend, followed by Pridefest Oakland the following weekend.
Last year, as the B.A.R. reported, Pridefest and Oakland Pride joined forces. For next year, Pridefest is “looking at doing an event in June 2025,” Sullivan said.
Fluid 510 is having “a very busy week,” Sullivan added.
This includes the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club’s Pride breakfast at 8
ago, it was believed that two men or two women couldn’t have the same kind of love that a man has for a woman. And that’s all bullshit.”
Ultimately, Finch and Turner’s wedding is the culmination of much more than one article can surmise. It is, in fact, the culmination of 50 years of
to one of his sons. “We often talk about politics and we often disagree, but we never fight. We never take it personally and we try to learn from each other.”
Admittedly, he said it took the family some time, being “deep in Mormonville and completely clueless” about trans and queer issues, to fully understand and embrace his daughter after she came out. Now, he and his girlfriend plan to come out and canvass for Armstrong in the coming weeks.
“I am extremely proud of Erin and the person she has become,” said Bruce Armstrong. “Her efforts to help other people and be a force for good in the world, I could not ask for more.
have risen in number since 2016,” he stated. “Understanding why LGBTQ Americans would be attracted to Trump and how they have continued to advocate for him is essential for all of us who are worried about what a second Trump administration would mean for LGBTQ freedom and American democracy.
“I’d sum up gay Republicans’ legacy in one sentence,” Young added. “They
a.m. September 8, drag brunches at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.; a day party at 3 p.m. hosted by Nina Politan and Phoebe Cakes; and an after party at 8 p.m. with DJ Young Ella Baker and OakHella.
“There is so much going on at Fluid to make up for the loss of the Port Bar,” he said. “It’s been a challenging year for Oakland, but the LGBT community is always a leader in resilience and finding ways to celebrate, and I think we will prove that once again.”
Visit Oakland’s Pride Honors dinner will be held at Bardo Lounge & Supper Club on September 5 at 5:30 p.m. in Oakland’s new Lakeshore LGBTQ Cultural District. Children’s Fairyland will present a family Pride activity September 7 at 11 a.m., and there will be an Oakland Pride Brunch September 7 at 11 a.m. at Sobre Mesa at 1618 Franklin Street.
The other Oakland Pride grand marshals are trans activist Anita Thomas, the Royal Grand Ducal Council of Alameda & Contra Costa Counties, and the San Francisco Bay Times.
The parade is free. Admission to the Oakland Pride festival is $20. For more information, visit oaklandpride.org.t
love, history, and ultimately change.
“When I was [young],” said Finch, “it was so unimaginable that I could do anything other than marry a woman. I just thought, ‘My God, if I could just have my own partner, I’d be the happiest man in the world.’ And that’s kind of proved to be true.”t
She is an amazing person and she has done extremely well.” Armstrong will be marching in this Sunday’s Oakland Pride parade with U.S. House candidate Lateefah Simon, a BART board member she first met while at Mills and now serves in her “kitchen cabinet.” Afterward, Armstrong will have a booth at the festival grounds. To bolster her campaign coffers, Armstrong has so far raised $17,000 toward a goal of $50,000, she is hosting a fundraiser to mark turning 40 next month. It will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, October 5, at the Aloha Club at 952 Fruitvale Avenue in Oakland.t
have done much to change some of the Republican Party’s policies and attitudes about LGBTQ persons and LGBTQ rights, but it hasn’t been enough.”t
[Editor’s note: This is the second of two articles on Neil J. Young’s book, “Coming Out Republican: A History of the Gay Right.” For the first article go to https://tinyurl. com/mw9hn769.]
NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0404127 The following person(s) is/are doing business as VITAL MIND THERAPY, 2211 POST ST #300, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JORDAN LONG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/20/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/07/2024. AUG 15, 22, 29 SEPT 05, 2024
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0403959 The following person(s) is/are doing business as RS CONSULTING, 60 GOULD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RUTH SEMERE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/17/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/18/2024. AUG 15, 22, 29 SEPT 05, 2024
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0404073 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ROUNDCOLLAB, 41 GLADYS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MOHAMMED ARMAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/31/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/31/2024. AUG 15, 22, 29 SEPT 05, 2024
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0404144 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ERIK JUDE WELLNESS, 775 POST ST #108, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ERIK EVERTS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/09/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/09/2024. AUG 15, 22, 29 SEPT 05, 2024 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0404117 The following person(s) is/are doing business as
200 UPPER TERRACE #3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business was conducted by a limited liability company and signed by ROUNDCOLLAB LLC (CA). The fictitious business name statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/07/2023. The abandonment of fictitious business name statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/31/2024. AUG 15, 22, 29 SEPT 05, 2024 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-24-559030
In the matter of the application of HUI LAN CHAN, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioners YAN CHUN XUE & WING KONG CHAN are requesting that the name HUI LAN CHAN be changed to ISABELL CHAN. 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 14th of NOVEM
Harvest of movement
by Philip Mayard
San Francisco’s dance scene springs to life this fall with a vibrant array of performances.
From intimate black box theaters to outdoor parks, our city’s fall dance calendar is brimming with works that range from classical ballet to cutting-edge contemporary, offering dance enthusiasts a rich tapestry of performances to savor as the days grow shorter and the fog rolls in. We’ll have even more dance coverage in next week’s issue.
Reyes Dance
Jocelyn Reyes and her company present “DIOS,” a world premiere work about losing faith and finding personal power. Set against the backdrop of Holy Week, this innovative work follows the structure of a Catholic mass while charting Reyes’ personal evolution. The piece spans her early years as an altar server, through her awakening doubts at U.C.L.A., to a transformative health crisis in young adulthood. $10-100, September 5-7, ODC Theater, 3153 17th St. www.reyesdance.com
World Arts West
World Arts West embraces the theme “Dance as Activism.” This free event features 13 performance ensembles, including three LGBTQ dance groups. Experience a rich tapestry of cultural heritage expressed through dynamic rhythms, vivid costumes and captivating performances. The festival showcases dances from Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, the Americas, and beyond. Free, September 8, Presidio Tunnel Tops, 210 Lincoln Blvd. www.worldartswest.org
by Robert Brokl
hat a difference a few weeks makes.
WSynergistically speaking, the more upbeat national political landscape can’t help but invigorate the local culture scene, too. The major museums have offerings galore, from SFMOMA embracing sports, to the more traditional show of American masterpieces from the Osher Collection at the de Young. The Oakland Museum of California melds popular culture and politics in the “Calli Americas” extravaganza. Alternative spaces and commercial galleries also inaugurate the fall season with new shows. Here’s a roundup of notable exhibits.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art hopes to recover pre-pandemic attendance levels with “Get in the Game: Sports, Arts, Culture,” featuring six sports-themed exhibits, and an ample catalog, from October 19, 2024 to February 18, 2025.
Celebrated sports stars like Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Colin Kaepernick, and Diane Nyad (her profile raised after Annette Benning’s movie portrayal of her) are depicted in artwork, and big-name artists like Mathew Barney and
Trends & traditions
Catherine Opie show their sports-themed work. Photographer Opie and long-distance swimmer Nyad, both lesbians, are among the dialogues featured in the catalog. Local well-known artists also are feted, including David Huffman, whose wall-sized mural mingles images of basketballs with abstraction.
“Unity Through Skateboarding” (August 17, 2024–April 27, 2025), focuses on the history of LGBTQ+, people of color, and women skateboarders, guest curated by Jeffrey Cheung and Gabriel Ramirez, artists and founders of Unity, the Oakland-based queer collective that introduces participants to skateboarding and artmaking.
SFMOMA will put out the welcome mat with Family Free Days and invitations to submit artwork and video games on the sports theme. Also not to be missed: Kara Walker’s grand sculptural installation, “Fortuna and the Immortality Garden (Machine),” whose fabrication involved the use of Artificial Intelligence. Oakland-based painter Mary Lovelace O’Neal has work on display through Oct. 20. www.sfmoma.org
Across town and light years away, there’s still time to catch time-tested masterpieces in “American Beauty: The Osher Collection of American Art” at the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park,
Smuin Contemporary Ballet In its first program under the artistic direction of Amy Seiwert, Smuin introduces the Bay Area to two internationally acclaimed choreographers. Jennifer Archibald presents the world premiere of ByCHANCE, exploring themes of fate, chance encounters, and serendipitous moments that shape our lives. Matthew Neenan, celebrated by The New York Times as “one of the most appealing and singular
through Oct. 20. The 61 pieces on view, including work by Georgia O’Keefe, Wiliiam Merritt Chase, and John Singer Sargent, are some of the collection highlights of these longtime benefactors, who’ve gifted the work to the museum. With a mix of crowd-pleasing and more erudite exhibitions, the FAMSF have successfully regained pre-pandemic attendance levels. www.deyoung.famsf.org
Across the Bay, the Oakland Museum of California offers the must-see Great Hall extravaganza, “Calli: The Art of Xicanx Peoples: an Exhibition that Navigates the Intergenerational, Feminist, and Queer Stories of Xicanx-Indigenous Communities.” (Xicanx is a gender-neutral term for people of Mexican descent, a substitute for Chicana/Chicano.)
Viewers enter the exhibit, on view until Jan. 26, 2025, through an impressive “adobe Mesoamerican stylized temple,” with mud and straw tiles, by rafa esparza. Inside, the posters, installations, paintings, sculpture, and photographs are just as compelling.
The beating heart of the show is OMCA’s recently acquired poster collection, “Calli Americas,” assembled by activist/professor Margaret Terrazas Santos, who chose the name “Calli” from the Nahuati language to refer to “home” in an expansive way. The exhibit contains artwork reflecting “queer kinship and AIDS activism,” including paintings by Joey Terrill and Manuel Paul, and photographs by the late celebrated photographer Laura Aguilar, who used her body as subject. www.museumca.org
Hank Willis Thomas’ “Guernica” in SFMOMA’s ‘Get in the Game: Sports, Arts, Culture’
Ishami Dance Company in the World Arts West Festival
Chris Hardy
Maximillian Tortoriello
D. Kelly Images Reyes Dance
Smuin Contemporary Ballet
‘American Beauty: The Osher Collection of American Art’ at the de Young Museum
Manuel Paul’s “R.I.P. – In Loving Memory” at the Oakland Museum’s ‘Calli: The Art of Xicanx Peoples’
t << Fall Arts Preview
Notes of autumn Fall Arts
by Philip Campbell
There is some urgency to attending classical music concerts this fall. Who knows what will happen after November? Many upcoming Bay Area offerings present choices that might even help maintain our sanity through a communal love of music.
San Francisco Opera SFO’s second century proceeds sensibly as General Director Matthew Shilvock’s administration has tightened the fall season to four operas. A one night only concert of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (Oct. 26), marks the work’s 200th anniversary. Music Director Eun Sun Kim conducts. The Company remains focused on quality.
September 6-27: The season opens with Verdi’s marvelously melodic “Un Ballo in Maschera.” Eun Sun Kim is keeping her yearly commitment to exploring the composer’s genius. Director Leo Muscato’s new to SFO production, pairs sexy out tenor Michael Fabiano with Lianna Haroutounian’s lustrous soprano.
September 14-October 1: The West Coast premiere of composer Poul Ruders and librettist Paul Bentley’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” based on Margaret Atwood’s chilling dystopian novel. Talk about timeliness. The opera may preach to the choir in San Francisco, but it is good to know we are not alone.
Karen Kamensek conducts the coproduction with The Royal Danish Theatre directed by John Fulljames. Sets are by Chloe Lamford, whose designs for “Innocence” last June made a powerful impact.
October 19-November 5: Rich-
ard Wagner’s towering masterpiece “Tristan und Isolde” returns to SFO after almost two decades. Gay composer Benjamin Britten wrote in 1933, it dwarfs every other creation save perhaps Beethoven’s Ninth.
The opera changed the course of Western music forever. Eun Sun Kim conducts director Paul Curran’s production from Venice’s Teatro La Fenice. Wagnerian stars Simon O’Neill and Anja Kampe sing the title roles. November 13-December 1: Director Francesca Zambello’s production of “Carmen” returns and English designer Tanya McCallin joins her in the bullring to re-stage their memorably fluid take on Bizet’s passionate classic. Mezzo-soprano Eve-Maud Hubeaux is Carmen and soprano Louise Alder is Micaëla. Tenor Jonathan Tetelman portrays scorned Don José and dashing bass-baritone Christian Van Horn is the matador Escamillo. www.sfopera.com
San Francisco Symphony
The SFS features maestro Esa-Pekka Salonen in his last year as Music Director. The Orchestra’s board seems to be throwing the baby out with the bath water in its attempt at economic belt-tightening, but the final decision is Salonen’s. Catch him while you can.
Sep 19-21: Salonen conducts Verdi’s furiously operatic “Requiem.” Bass Peixin Chen makes his SFS debut. Soprano Leah Hawkins, mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill, tenor Mario Chang, and the SFS Chorus complete the vocal ensemble.
Sep 27-28: Salonen leads the world premiere of out composer Nico Muhly’s Piano Concerto. Muhly is a collaborator with the SFS and Salonen. He has also worked with Sufjan Stevens and conducted for Philip Glass. The Piano Concerto, inspired by French Baroque composers Couperin and Rameau, is an SF Symphony commission for pianist Alexandre Tharaud.
Oct 25-26: Guest Thomas Wilkins conducts 20th-century American music in a program featuring George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” and music from “Porgy and Bess.” Leonard Bernstein’s rollicking suite from “Candide” is also on the bill.
The ‘dean of African American composers’ William Grant Still’s orchestral suite “Wood Notes,” receives its first SF Symphony performances.
Oct 5-6: Salonen conducts the Brahms Fourth and Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No.1, with violinist Sayaka Shoji
Oct 18-20: Salonen interprets Beethoven’s Sixth ‘Pastoral’ and SFS Principal Cello Rainer Eudeikis plays Esa-Pekka’s own Cello Concerto (first SFS performances).
Oct 31: A great fit for Halloween, Hitchcock’s “Psycho” screens with a live orchestra.
Nov 2: Curated by longtime collaborator Martha Rodríguez-Salazar, the annual Día de los Muertos concert continues a great SFS tradition.
Nov 15-17: Gifted pianist Hélène Grimaud joins conductor Kazuki Yamada for Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major. Soprano Liv Redpath and Baritone Michael Sumuel are soloists with the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, Jenny Wong, director in Gabriel Fauré’s exquisite Requiem.
Nov 21-23: Canadian early-music specialist Bernard Labadie leads an all-Mozart program. There is still an audience for Mozart sans light shows, isn’t there?
25 season. www.calperformances.org
New Century Chamber Orchestra
November 14-17: New Century Chamber Orchestra begins its 202425 season with Max Richter’s delightful “Vivaldi: Recomposed-The Four Seasons,” a reimagining of a timeless favorite. NCCO Artistic Director Daniel Hope recorded the piece in 2012 playing solo violin. Richter was on “a personal salvage mission,” to freshen a classic suffering from overexposure. The collaboration was a runaway hit. The program opens with another festive work, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s “Allegro Moderato from Four Novelletten for String Orchestra.”
November 14: First Congregational Church, Berkeley; November 15: Empress Theatre, Vallejo; November 16: Herbst Theatre, San Francisco; November 17: St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Belvedere/Tiburon. www.ncco.org
Opera Parallèle
Nov 8-17: Opera Parallèle just keeps getting cooler. The Company’s dedication to diversity and inclusion, not to mention recognition of LGBT artists is exemplary. Programming is eclectic, innovative and wildly entertaining. Composer Joby Talbot and librettist Gene Scheer’s “Everest: Opera in the Planetarium” is an immersive film experience; cast and conductor are not appearing live. Graphic novel imagery fuses with the power of voice to tell the true story of an ill-fated 1996 expedition to the great mountain. www.operaparallele.org t
Nov 29-30: Perhaps Mozart does need visual aid. Miloš Forman’s entertaining “Amadeus” film is screened with conductor Constantine Kitsopoulos and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and Chorus performing live. www.sfsymphony.org
Cal Performances
An American Modern Opera Company production of Olivier Messiaen’s “Harawi” is Cal Performances’ season opener. Featuring company members soprano Julia Bullock, pianist Conor Hanick, and choreographer/dancers Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber, with direction by Zack Winokur, “Harawi” is part of Cal Performances’ Illuminations: “Fractured History” programming for the 2024–
Left: ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Right: ‘Tristan und Isolde’
Michael Crosera/Teatro La Fenice
Left: San Francisco Symphony Right: ‘Amadeus’ screens with the SF Symphony
Kristen Loken
Above: NCCO Below: Hanne Engwald
Camilla Winther/Royal Danish Opera
t << Fall Arts Preview
The world’s a stage Fall
by Jim Gladstone
From this Thursday straight through to Christmas Eve, Bay Area theaters are presenting a fall season of remarkable variety. While there’s a bit less conspicuously queerthemed work being presented, there are plenty of deeply humane –and sometimes radically reframed– stories being explored stage. Here are some of the productions we’re especially looking forward to.
“Private Lives” at the Toni Rembe Theater “Fallen Angels” at Aurora Theater
This year marks the 125th anniversary of the birth of Noël Coward, one of the preeminent English-language playwrights of the 20th Century, and Bay Area audiences can celebrate at two productions of his razor-sharp, upper-crusty romantic comedies.
American Conservatory Theatre
presents the tale of a recently divorced couple who unexpectedly find themselves, and their new spouses, in adjacent rooms on their second honeymoons. A.C.T. moves the action from the south of France to Buenos Aires, firing up the quartet’s entangled tangos. Sept. 12-Oct. 6. 415 Geary St. www.act-sf.org
Aurora brings us “Fallen Angels,” the tale of two women who turn out to have had affairs with the same man prior to marrying their current husbands and who competitively contemplate picking things up with him extramaritally. Oct. 19-Nov. 17. $38$46. 2081 Addison St., Berkeley. www. auroratheatre.org
“Legally Blonde” at the Victoria Theatre Ray of Light Theatre, the Bay Area’s premiere purveyor of pop culture musicals, takes color-conscious casting to provocative heights in this staging of the Reese Witherspoon movie-
turned-musical. The show, which had its pre-Broadway tryout at the Golden Gate Theatre here in 2007, has always had a not-quite-convincing “Don’t judge a book by its cover” social message beneath its bubblegum veneer, simultaneously rebuking and reinforcing “dumb blonde” stereotypes.
For this production, lead character Elle Woods’ golden tresses are being donned by a Black actress, Majesty Scott. Will the show’s spin on superficiality become more trenchant and complex? Or will the whole confection feel even sillier than ever? Sept. 7-29. $21.99-$74.99. 2961 16th St. www.rayoflighttheatre.com
“Mexodus” at the Berkeley Rep The season’s most musically and technologically innovative production also has one of its most unexpected plot lines. Written and performed by Bryan Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson, this West Coast premiere explores a little-known route of the
Underground Railroad that brought escaped Black slaves from the American South to Mexico.
By no means a conventional book musical, its hip-hop-inflected score is performed with live-looped instrumentation that requires split-second precision. The precarity of the show’s music-making pays tribute to the fraught tightrope walk of its subjects. Sept. 13Oct. 20. $23.50-$134. 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. www.berkeleyrep.org
“Ride the Cyclone” at New Conservatory Theatre Center
A perfect show to usher in Halloween season, this eccentric genre-hopping musical developed an online cult following among teenagers during the pandemic. It’s the tale of six contemporary Canadian high schoolers – including a gay boy who fantasizes about being a French prostitute in the Roaring ’20s – who are killed in a roller coaster mishap. Beetlejuicy! $35.50$68.50. Sept. 20-Oct. 20. 25 Van Ness Ave. www.nctcsf.org
“Choir Boy” at Ashby Stage How fitting that Shotgun Players’ theater is a former church. The breakthrough work by Tarrell Alvin McCraney, who went on to win an Oscar for his “Moonlighting” screenplay, is infused with spiritual music and dance. The wrenching story of a queer boarding school student who confronts racism and homophobia with great strength of character,
“Choir Boy” was last mounted in the Bay Area in 2015 (at Marin Theater) and deserves to be welcomed back with open arms and minds. Sept. 24-Oct. 20. $8-$40. 1901 Ashby Ave. www.shotgunplayers.org
“King James” at Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts
A terrific play by any standard, Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph’s touching drama, about the friendship between two men who bond over their mutual LeBron James fandom, is an ideal work to share with your own friends who may not be regular theatergoers. Presented by TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, the dialogue in this frequently funny and always emotionally potent play is spiked with bits of basketball lingo that may bounce over the heads of aesthetes while scoring points with jocks in the audience. Oct. 9-Nov. 3. $34-$115. 500 Castro St., Mountain View. www.theatreworks.org
“Yaga” at Marin Theatre “Dragon Lady” at the Lesher Center for the Arts Powerful women cast their spells in these inventive works being presented by venerable North and East Bay companies.
In “Yaga,” playwright Kat Sandler draws on Slavic folktales of the witch, Baba Yaga, to craft a magic realist neonoir mystery in which three actors
See page 19 >>
Left: Majesty Scott in ‘Legally Blonde’ Middle: ‘Mexodus’ Right: ‘Ride the Cyclone’
<< Fall Theater Preview
From page 18
each play multiple roles and explore the societal stigmas around being single older women. Oct. 10-Nov. 3. $30-$85. 397 Miller Ave., Mill Valley. www.marintheatre.org
Having played in Marin last year, Broadway vet Sara Porkalob reprises her acclaimed autobiographical solo musical at the CenterRep. Accompanied by a live band and playing dozens of characters, she celebrates her onetime gangster Filipina grandmother’s life and legacy. Oct. 27-Nov. 24. $0$70. 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. www.centerrep.org
‘Peter Pan” at the Golden Gate Theatre
“Peter Pan: Panto in the Presidio” at the Presidio Theatre
Here in America’s pansiest city, we can never get enough of flying twinks and Tinkerbells. So, clap your hands and toss some pixie dust at these two new productions.
Broadway SF brings the national tour of the revamped classic musical to town. Beloved songs including “I Won’t Grow Up” and “Gotta Crow” remain intact, but audiences can look forward to a smartly updated book by Native American playwright Larissa Fasthorse that gives Princess Tiger Lily and her clan their due. Lost Boys who never quite cottoned to Mary Martin, Sandy Duncan or Cathy Rigby in the lead role can look forward to 17-year-old Nolan Almeida in tights and in flight. Oct. 29-Nov. 3 $36-$139. 1 Taylor St. www.broadwaysf.com
The British tradition of campy panto during holiday season has been
merrily adapted by the Presidio theater which has been presenting punfilled fractured fairy tales for children of all ages since 2021. A brand new Pan is this year’s treat, with a cast including “Beach Blanket Babylon” alums Renee Lubin and Curt Branum, and local queer superstar Rotimi Agbabiaka as Neverland’s favorite hooker. Dec. 3-29. $17-$68. 99 Moraga Ave. www.presidiotheatre.org
“Kimberly Akimbo” at the Curran Theatre
The winner of 2022 Tony Awards for “Best Musical,” “Best Score,” and “Best Book,” this quirky, inspiring gem features music by queer composer Jeanine Tesori, beloved for her “Fun Home” score. Like that show, “Kimberly Akimbo” empathetically reflects on the end of childhood innocence, in this case through a story about a girl with a medical condition that causes her to grow old with alarming rapidity. It’s Benjamin Button in reverse, if you will. But funny! With songs! Nov. 5- Dec. 1. $60-$139. 445 Geary St. www.broadwaysf.com
“Cabaret” at Theatre Rhinoceros
For the first time since moving into its intimate Castro digs, the Rhino is mounting a musical. The Kander and Ebb classic is no stranger to Bay Area stages, but the up-close environs of this particular space promise a compelling sort of claustrophobia when infused with the show’s encroaching fascism. “‘Cabaret’ speaks to our need to remain vigilant,” says director John Fisher. And it’s true, no matter who wins the election three weeks before opening night. Nov. 21-Dec. 15. $17.50-$35. 4229 18th St. www.therhino.orgt
‘Kimberly Akimbo’
Above: ‘Peter Pan’
Below: ‘Peter Pan: Panto in the Presidio’
t << Fall Arts Preview
Top of the pops Fall Arts Preview in pop,
by Michael Flanagan
San Francisco band Sly and the Family Stone memorably sang about “Hot Fun in the Summertime” in the 1960s, but those of us who have been here for a while we know that the real hot fun comes for the Bay Area in the fall, when we have left behind June gloom and the fogs of August.
This year our fall musical calendar is packed with a wide variety of styles and
venues, from wineries to churches and the historic venue of Golden Gate Park. San Francisco and its audiences are such a draw that we have an embarrassment of riches with international artists from Syria, Mexico, Japan and Niger; venues from small intimate clubs to the Chase Center and genres which go across the board from rap to dance pop to folk.
Here’s a roundup of the wide variety of artists you can see in the Bay Area this fall.
Angel Olsen Gundlach Bundschu Winery, Sonoma, Sept. 8
I first became aware of Olsen’s amazing talent as a singer-songwriter on her 2014 album “Burn Your Fire For No Witness.” Since then, she’s released four more albums, collaborated with artists like LeRoy Bach of Wilco and Cass McCombs. Her music spans genres from folk to rock and country and she’s even dabbled in synthpop. Perhaps my
favorite song by her is “Like I Used To,” a collaboration with Sharon Van Etten. That song came out in 2021, which coincidentally is the same year she came out. www.gunbun.com
Omar Souleyman, Great American Music Hall, Sept. 8
Syrian singer Souleyman sings a modernized version of dabke, music for line or circle dances popular in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Jordan. He has appeared at the Glastonbury Festival and Bonnaroo and worked with British producer Four Tet and done remixes for Bjork. www.gamh.com
William Basinski Grace Cathedral, Sept. 13
Classically-trained composer Basinski was the choice of Anohni to score the Robert Wilson opera, “The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic,” and is perhaps best known for his four-part work “Disintegration Loops,” based around tape loops which deteriorate over time with repeated play. He will be performing “Arcadia Archives” which mixes tape loops with archival piano recordings from Arcadia, his former loft in New York. www.gracecathedral.org
Bob the Drag Queen
The Warfield, Sept. 19
Drag queen, musician, comedian and activist Bob the Drag Queen is perhaps best known as the winner of the eighth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2016 or as co-host of We’re Here on HBO. He also recently toured as the MC for Madonna’s Celebration tour. On his own, he remains fabulous. www.thewarfieldtheatre.com
Childish Gambino
Chase Center, Sept. 21
Multi-talented rapper, writer, singer, comedian, actor and director Donald Glover is a multiple Grammy Award winner and his 2018 single “This Is America” debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. He brings his New World Tour, named after the July release “Bando Stone and the New World.” This is perhaps your last chance to see Glover perform as Childish Gambino, as he has announced that he will be retiring the stage name after this tour. www.chasecenter.com
The Fox Oakland, Sept. 22
Mexico City natives Rodrigo y Gabriela play acoustic guitars, but have been influence by a wide variety of musical styles including flamenco and rock (including heavy metal). One of my personal favorites by them is their cover of Pink Floyd’s “Echoes” which appeared on their 2019 album “Mettavolution”, an album which went on to win them a Grammy Award for “Best Contemporary Instrumental Album” in 2020. www.thefoxoakland.com
Indigo Girls
The Masonic, Sept. 25
Since they began recording and touring in 1985, Indigo Girls have built up a massive body of work and espoused numerous causes. A chance to see them is always a cause for celebration. Amos Lee opens for them on this tour. But you’ll have to scrounge for tickets, as the concert’s sold out. www.livenation.com
Orville Peck, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, Sept. 27
Everyone’s favorite gay country singer with the fringe on the top returns to the Bay Area for his Stampede Tour, in support of his most recent album. That album, “Stampede,” features Peck collaborating with everyone from Willie Nelson and Beck to Diplo and Kylie Minogue. It’s sure to be a fun and lively event. www.billgrahamcivic.com
Bill Charlap Trio, SF Jazz, Sept. 28 & 29
Charlap is perhaps best known as the jazz pianist on “The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern” with Tony Bennett, which won a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. In his trio, he is joined by the phenomenal Dee Dee Bridgewater (who some of us have been following since she was Glinda in “The Wiz”) and Grammy awardwinning New Orleans trumpeter and multi-instrumental Nicholas Payton. What a powerful trio. www.sfjazz.org
Pillow Queens
Rickshaw Stop, Sept. 29
Queer Irish women’s quartet Pillow Queens are touring in support
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Left: Angel Olsen Middle Left: Omar Souleyman Middle: William Basinski Middle Right: Bob the Drag Queen Right: Childish Gambino
Above: Bill Charlap Trio Below: Pillow Queens
Left: Rodrigo y Gabriela Middle: Indigo Girls Right: Orville Peck
t Fall Arts Preview >>
of their new album “Name Your Sorrow”, their third album. The indie rockers have opened for Pussy Riot, Future Islands and Idles and now it’s your chance to see them as the main event. www.rickshawstop.com
Acid Mothers Temple
Thee Stork Club, Sept. 30
I’ve seen the Japanese psychedelic rockers Acid Mothers Temple multiple times, most recently at Bottom of the Hill. They never fail to bring it, performing long sets which simultaneously stimulate and anesthetize your mind. They count krautrock as being one of their influences and collaborated with the notorious British band Gong in an ensemble they called Acid Mothers Gong. Prepare yourself for an extended aural trip. www.theestorkclub.com
Anohni and the Johnsons
The Fox Oakland, Oct. 1
This is the first time Anohni has reassembled a tour with the Johnsons in a decade. In the intervening decade she was nominated for an Academy Award for best song for the song “Manta Ray” from the film “Racing Extinction.” Her 2023 album “My Back Was a Bridge For You to Cross” was named album of the year by the New Yorker. www.thefoxoakland.com
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Golden Gate Park, Oct 4-6
The exact lineup for the days of HSB has not been announced yet, but the announced bands so far has been stellar and includes electronic Afro-funk band Ibibio Sound Machine, punk rock poet John Cooper Clarke, Cat Power sings Dylan 1966, Sleater-Kinney and Devendra Banhart. And yes, there are LGBTQ musicians, including country musicians Brandy Clark and Jobi Riccio. Check the website in mid-September for the exact lineup. www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.com
Blonde Redhead/Nation of Language, The Fox Oakland, Oct. 10
Perhaps best known for the “Rick and Morty” theme “For the Damaged Coda,” Blonde Redhead started out in the 1990s as an experimental band. Named after a song by the no wave band DNA they had songs which paid tribute to Pasolini and toured with Sonic Youth. Their sound evolved to incorporate more of a shoegaze sound in the 2000s (that’s when I started listening). They are joined on this tour by indie rock band Nation of Language, who take inspiration from bands like Kraftwerk. www.thefoxoakland.com
Charlie XCX/Troye Sivan, Chase Center, Oct. 20
Charlie XCX is having an incredible year, with her album “Brat” being such a breakout hit that it is working its way into this year’s presidential campaign. The electropop musician is joined on this tour with the popular Troye Sivan. This promises to be the fun dance concert of the year. www.chasecenter.com
Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds, Kilowatt Oct. 22, Ivy Room Oct. 24
Kid Congo is an amazing musician, having played with The Gun Club, The Cramps and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. He still maintains a busy tour schedule, playing what he humorously calls Avant-garage music. An out musician who has published his memoirs (“Some New Kind of Kick”), this should be a really lively night. www.kidcongopowers.blogspot.com
Mdou Moctar
Regency Ballroom, Oct. 25
Moctar is a Tuareg musician from Niger who plays what has come to be known as “desert blues.” He originally came to fame by having his music distributed through phone memory cards in the Sahara. He’s touring to support his recently released album “Funeral
for Justice” which in part addresses the impact of former colonial powers on the Sahel and native language loss. www.theregencyballroom.com
Frost Children
The Independent, Nov. 6 Indie pop sibling musicians Angel and Lulu Prost have been performing music since they were children playing music in church. They formed the Frost Children in
2019 and the pandemic quarantine cemented their relationship as a band. They truly mark a generational evolution on LGBTQ topics with Angel telling Nylon magazine in 2023 that the most boring thing she could be asked is what her pronouns were. They are the opening band for So Cal shoegaze musicians Julie (who are also worth seeing), so be sure to get there early. www.theindependentsf.com
Lauren Sanderson
The Rickshaw Stop, Nov. 22 Pop/rap artist Sanderson originally comes from Indiana, but now resides in L.A. She performed at LA Pride in West Hollywood in 2018. She points to Mac Miller and Tyler the Creator as influences and has worked with PnB Rock and released the single “Gay 4 Me” with Australian musician G Flip in 2022. www.rickshawstop.comt
Left: Acid Mothers Temple Middle Left: Anohni and the Johnsons Middle: Blonde Redhead Middle Right: Frost Children Right: Lauren Sanderson
Upper Left: Jobi Riccio (part of Hardly Strictly)
Upper Right: Troye Sivan
Lower Left: Kid Congo
Lower Right: Mdou Moctar
choreographic voices in ballet today,” makes his company debut with The Last Glass, a world premiere set to the music of indie-rock band Beirut. Rounding out the program is Seiwert’s “Renaissance,” returning to the Bay Area after its praised New York premiere at the Joyce Theater this summer. $25-92; September 13-October 20; Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, Lesher Center for the Arts, and the Cowell Theater. www.smuinballet.org
Sean Dorsey Dance
Sean Dorsey Dance celebrates the groundbreaking artistry of its trailblazing founder, whose work as a choreographer, dancer, writer and trans rights activist has shaped Bay Area culture for 20 years. The company will perform a trio of his works including “Lou,” based on the diaries of pioneering trans activist Lou Sullivan, as well as excerpts from “The Missing Generation” and “The Secret History of Love,” both based on oral histories Dorsey recorded with LGBTQ elders across the country. Dorsey said, “This home season is about legacy, sharing our history, uplifting stunning beauty, heartache, resilience, and
love, especially at this brutal moment in America.” September 19-21, $15-$35, Z Space, 450 Florida St. www.seandorseydance.com
Siddhi Creative
While South Indian Bharatanatyam movement serves as the primary vocabulary for Siddhi Creative, the company integrates it with contemporary dance, experimental movement, theater, literature, poetry, music, and technology. Their new program, entitled “Two Folds,” features “The Maze,” which draws inspiration from Artistic Director Surabhi Bharadwaj’s lived experiences as well as other women navi-
gating patriarchal structures. “Finding Joy” is an ensemble exploration that celebrates themes of nostalgia, love, community, and art that bring joy amid constant pressure in a competitive world. $23-47, September 20-22, ODC Theater, 3153 17th St. www.siddhicreative.org
Printz Dance Project
The Presidio Theatre and Printz Dance Project present a remounting of choreographer and director Stacey Printz’s landmark 2017 work, “GLASSlands.” The evening-length work features set design by award-wining artist Sean Riley comprising large, transparent pod-like structures, or “bubble
“Tiger in the Looking Glass,” at Wendi Norris Gallery, San Francisco, offers new paintings by Chitra Ganesh, Indian New York-based artist honored with a Guggenheim Fellowship and Joan Mitchell Foundation award. Her paintings, “rooted in literature, queer theory, and his-
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torical texts,” with shout-outs to Keith Haring and Bollywood posters, envision a “future of possibility and abundance” (Sept. 13—Oct. 26). www.gallerywendinorris.com
Prominent East Bay artist Mildred Howard, whose public sculpture has just been installed at the Ashby Bart station in Berkeley, is showing work from her “Collaboration with the Muses” series, at 500 Capp Street, in San Francisco and at other venues, including Anglim/Trimble Gallery at the Minnesota Street complex in San Francisco (Sept. 7–Oct. 26).
At Capp Street, the house museum of the late David Ireland, she will show her film “The Time and Space of Now,” and an installation (Sept.–Oct.) Also at Capp St., Annie Abagli has an installation dealing with intangibles like time and space, rooted in the domestic interiors of the Ireland house (Sept.–Nov.). Yetunde olagbaju, working as part of a collective, will reflect
upon the election and its aftermath (Nov.–Jan.). www.500CappStreet.org www.anglimtrimble.com
“Liberatory Living: Protective Interior and Radical Black Joy” at The San Francisco Museum of the African Diaspora, runs Oct. 2–March 2, 2025. MOAD is devoting all three floors of their SoMa museum to designers, artists, and furniture makers, breaking barriers between functional and decorative art, design and interiors, and “high” art, imbuing them with social and political implications. Chuma Maweni exhibits ceramic furniture, Michael Bennett (designer and former NFL football player) contributes “Pews,” constructed of leather and wood. Other participants include Sheila Bridges and Kapwani Kiwanga.www.moadsf.org
“Hallyu: The Korean Wave,” arrives in San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum Sept. 27, from London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, its first stop. The ex-
rooms” that fill and animate the performance space, creating a plastic world that dancers inhabit and explore. $39$49, September 21-22, Presidio Theatre, 99 Moraga Ave. presidiotheatre.org
Alonzo King LINES Ballet
Perhaps our city’s most prolific choreographer, Alonzo King and his iconic company partner with The John & Alice Coltrane Home and the Coltrane Family to celebrate the life and work of legendary spiritual leader and musician Alice Coltrane. As part of a nationwide celebration, “The Year of Alice,” LINES premieres a new work set to her revolutionary music. The program also features King’s recent collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony, set to Ravel’s sweeping “Ma mère l’Oye (Mother Goose).”
According to King, “I’m not trying to recreate Mother Goose fairy tales. My intention is to unearth the deeper allegorical meanings beneath the fairy tales and illustrate those with dance.”
$40–135, September 26–29, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 700 Howard St. www.linesballet.org
Chitresh Das Dance
Just off a successful multi-city tour of India, Chitresh Das Dance presents a restating of “Mantram,” a sonic and visual journey in India’s kathak dance, created by Artistic Director Charlotte
hibit, featuring contemporary South Korean art and culture, including film and fashion, will be on view through Jan. 6, 2025. The AAM has mounted important shows of neglected local, modern Asian artists like Bernice Bing and Carlos Villa. Its outstanding permanent collection, housed in the repurposed former Main Library, doesn’t get the crowds and attention it deserves. www.asianart.org
“Erotic Resistance: Performance, Art, and Activism in San Francisco Strip Clubs (1960s—1990s),” at the
Moraga. First premiered during the pandemic, “Mantram” celebrates the creative innovation and tradition of North Indian classical kathak dance and North Indian classical music. Chitresh Das Institute’s Youth Company will also perform an invocation. $29-79, September 27-29, ODC Theater, 3153 17th St. www.odc.dance/mantram
Liss Fain Dance
The always-innovative Lisa Fain Dance presents an immersive, eveninglength performance installation about transformation and choice, “Open Time.” The work is set in four different rooms, separated by passageways. The audience, moving freely around the periphery and between the rooms, experiences the work from different perspectives. $30-60, September 27 -29, Z Space, 450 Florida St. www.zspace.org
Flyaway Productions
Drawing inspiration from the covert abortion network, “Jane,” which operated before the legalization of abortion in 1973, “Ode to Jane” is a new aerial dance that examines the resistance movement following the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision. The performance unfolds on the fire escapes and walls of the historic Cadillac Hotel in the Tenderloin. Free, October 4-12, Cadillac Hotel, 398 Eddy St. www.flyawayproductions.comt
San Francisco GLBT History Museum through Nov., highlights the role San Francisco played in the “development of American adult entertainment and the contributions of queer women, trans women, and women of color…instrumental in the city’s labor history, as well as its LGBT and sex workers’ rights movements. In the 1960s, topless entertainment became legal in the city… and in the 1990s, stripper-artist-activists led the first successful class action lawsuits and efforts to unionize.” www.glbthistory.orgt
Left: Sean Dorsey Dance Middle: Siddhi Creative Right: Alonzo King LINES Ballet
Kegan Marling
Above: Mildred Howard’s ‘Film Still’ series at Anglim/Trimble Gallery
Below Left: Darcygom’s “Saekdong” in ‘Hallyu: The Korean Wave’ at the Asian Art Museum
Below Right: Isis Rodriguez’ “Zapatista Stripper” in ‘Erotic Resistance’ at the GLBT History Museum
Left: Chitresh Das Dance Middle: Liss Fain Dance Right: Flyaway Productions
Chitresh Das
Robbie Sweeny RJ Muna
Robbie Sweeny
Brechin Flournoy
‘Merchant Ivory’
by Brian Bromberger
Theirs was one of the longest partnerships in cinema history (19612007), almost defining independent filmmaking, that is now being profiled definitively in the new conventional documentary “Merchant Ivory” opening in theaters here on September 6. The film, detailing the career of producer Ismail Merchant and director James Ivory, was featured in this year’s SFFilm and Frameline film festivals.
They were a couple both privately and professionally known for their elegant, brilliantly written literary adaptations that revitalized costume dramas, especially their Oscar-winning masterpieces, including “A Room with a View,” “Maurice,” “Howard’s End,” and “Remains of the Day,” all featured separately in the documentary. The film makes clear that the partnership was actually a quartet consisting also of screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and composer Richard Robbins.
The Bay Area Reporter interviewed Ivory, who at age 96 is vigorous, ornery, and shows no sign of slowing down. He’s the sole survivor of the quartet. Two years ago, his memoir, “Solid Ivory” was published. The director of the documentary, Stephen Soucy, also weighed in at times.
Having made 43 films in his career, Ivory was asked what was the characteristics that made them unique.
“We made the films exactly the way we wanted to make them,” said Ivory. “And we were well funded for it. We were never told how to make films, even when we worked for Hollywood studios. They left us alone, not even telling us how to recut the film. ‘Remains of the Day,’ (perhaps their best realized film with everyone involved at the top of their game) didn’t have a happy ending and one of the studio executives said, ‘There goes $50 million,’ but they never forced us to change it. We just did what we wanted to do.”
What does Ivory see as his legacy to cinema 50 years from now?
“I would hope our films would hold up for 50 years,” he said. “I would feel happy people still see something alive and of interest to them. This is of course the subject of many of our films, people who lived a long time ago. I never wanted to make a period film before the age of photography. My cutoff period was the 1840s, 1850s, with ‘Jefferson in Paris,’ being the one exception. I always made something of which there was a photographic record.”
While being independent filmmakers gave them creative freedom, the limitation was small budgets. In the documentary, past actors and crew mused if they would ever get paid (they did eventually). Sometimes when Merchant didn’t have all the finances, to prevent actors from leav-
ing, he would cook legendary Indian meals, especially chicken curry, to entice them to stay.
Jhabvala was afraid Merchant might be sent to prison since the sources of his budget were dicey and not always above board.
In an interview, she said, “I never wanted him to tell me where the money came from.”
People called him a con man, but
Ivory remarks, “In order to be a successful producer, you have to be a con man.”t
Read the full interview on www.ebar.com.
“Merchant Ivory” screens at Opera Plaza Cinemas beginning Friday, September 6. www.merchantivoryfilm.com
What’s on the tube? Glad you asked. Lavender Tube columnist Victoria A. Brownworth covers upcoming returning series “Yellowstone,” “Only Murders in the Building,” (see photo) “Grey’s Anatomy” and more. Read it, and our weekly Going Out arts and nightlife listings, only on www.ebar.com.
“The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast.”
James Ivory and Ismail Merchant
Cohen Media Group
