September 11 2014

Bandidos issues apology

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UCSF AHP cuts 5 staffers

Vol. 44 • No. 37 • September 11-17, 2014

Judges express doubt on marriage bans

by Matthew S. Bajko

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aced with declining funding levels, the UCSF Alliance Health Project is eliminating five staff positions from its department that provides mental health and substance use services.

Courtesy UCSF AHP While its HIV test- AHP Director ing and training pro- Lori Thoemmes grams will not be affected by the changes, the agency’s ability to provide individual counseling to clients will be scaled back. Currently, those clients wishing to see a therapist on a oneon-one basis face a two-month wait list.

And people on Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program, who are not already clients are being referred to other agencies in town, AHP Director Lori Thoemmes told the Bay Area Reporter in an interview this week.

“Right now, the folks that have the least impact are uninsured HIV-positive people,” said Thoemmes, due to the agency’s funding from the federal Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Modernization Act. “The most impacted are people with Medi-Cal.” Due to the national Affordable Care Act, more individuals are now eligible to sign up for federal health insurance and are receiving mental health benefits. Unfortunately, AHP is currently “at capacity,” said Thoemmes, and is unable to meet the increased demand for services.

“The good thing is they can go to other places, but they might want to come here,” she said. “It is important folks know we are still very busy, still seeing lots of clients. It is going to depend on what is going on with the person and whether or not they are going to be eligible for services.”

Founded in 1984 as the AIDS Health Project, the agency offers a variety of mental health and substance use services to the city’s LGBT and HIV communities, in addition to HIV testing and counseling at its 1930 Market Street location in the city’s Castro district.

It changed its name a couple years ago.

A program of UCSF’s Department of Psychiatry, the agency does not receive any direct funding from the university. Instead, it seeks out government contracts, such as from the city’s Department of Public Health, and relies on donations from donors and fundraising events, such as its Art for AIDS benefit, taking place Friday, September 19.

Thoemmes told the B.A.R. that AHP has a current budget of $7.7 million, and after the staff cuts, will employ 82 people. The savings See page 9 >>

Plaintiff couples from Idaho stood outside the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals following oral arguments Monday and included, from left, Andrea Altmayer and Shelia Robertson; Sharene and Lori Watsen; Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights; Traci Ehlers and Sue Latta; and Rachel and Amber Beierle.

by Seth Hemmelgarn

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panel of federal judges in San Francisco often appeared perplexed as to why same-sex couples shouldn’t be allowed to marry as they heard oral arguments this week concerning three states’ marriage bans.

Regardless of what the three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decides in the Idaho, Nevada, and Hawaii

cases, some acknowledged that the issue of marriage equality is likely headed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Attorney Monte Neil Stewart, who defended Idaho and Nevada’s anti-gay laws in Latta v. Otter and Sevcik v. Sandoval, respectively, in court Monday, September 8, said Idaho has a “compelling” interest in banning marriage equality because same-sex marriage “undermines and weakens the social See page 10 >>

HRC apologizes to trans community, pledges push for broad LGBT bill Bill Wilson

by Chuck Colbert

He listed a number of ways HRC is working toward transgender equaln a gracious and surprising ity in the workplace and toward move, the president of the raising the visibility of transgender nation’s largest LGBT orgapersons through story telling. Grifnization offered an apology to fin asked that both he and HRC be the transgender community at held “accountable.” the same time he said the group He reaffirmed that HRC would would take a lead in advocatcontinue to press for a fully inclusive ing fully comprehensive federal Employment Non-Discrimination LGBT civil-rights legislation.

Act, which would ban workplace “I want to cut right to the bias on the basis of sexual orientachase here today,” said Human tion and gender identity.

Rights Campaign President But Griffin also pledged support Chad Griffin in Atlanta Friday, for broader protections.

September 5, addressing several In the next Congress, he said, hundred people at the annual Courtesy TLC “HRC will lead the campaign for Southern Comfort conference, a Masen Davis, executive director Jane Philomen Cleland a fully-inclusive, comprehensive, major gathering for transgender of the Transgender Law Center LGBT civil rights bill. A bill with HRC President Chad Griffin people. non-discrimination protections “There’s an elephant in this that don’t stop at employment, but times you have been underrepresented or unroom, and, well, it’s me,” he said. that finally touch every aspect of our represented by this organization. What hap“So I am here today, at Southern Comfort, lives – from housing, to public accommodapens to trans people is absolutely central to to deliver a message. ... HRC has done wrong tions, to credit, to federal funding, to the eduthe LGBT struggle. And as the nation’s largest by the transgender community in the past, and cation we all need to succeed and thrive.

LGBT civil rights organization, HRC has a reI am here to formally apologize,” said Griffin.

“And I’m going to keep being honest with sponsibility to do that struggle justice, or else As he explained, “I am sorry for the times you, this is not going to be an easy fight.” we are failing at our fundamental mission.” when we stood apart when we should have HRC posted the text of Griffin’s 2,400Griffin’s speech also decried violence against been standing together.

See page 9 >> transgender people, calling it a “national crisis.”

“Even more than that, I am sorry for the

I

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<< Community News

2 • Bay Area Reporter • September 11-17, 2014

Teen play inspires audience

by Khaled Sayed

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play with an uplifting message about LGBT youth finding personal identity received a positive reaction from the audience at its only performance last week.

Confide in Me was performed one night only, September 6, at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts. The play is about the struggles of LGBT youth and how those often get overlooked. Starring in the play were Sienna Williams, Elsie Phillips, Victoria Lavin, and Ali Brown, all emerging community actors from Nicky’s Youth Theater and LGBTQ activists.

Confide in Me was presented as a play that hoped to inspire audiences to find personal identity, trust, and sympathy with those who share an untold story.

Nichole Martinez, playwright, director and light operator, worked all summer on the project. She was very happy to see it come together on the stage, and see the audience’s reaction.

“The play shows the difficulty with family as well as the inner struggle and the violence that can occur with the general public,” Martinez, 20, said. “This show is about perseverance through those struggles, and finding inner peace and the ability to choose happiness for yourself over the comfort of the people who can not accept you.”

In the play, Mary-Anne (Williams) wants to come to terms with her gender identity, but she has a mother who will not accept her.

Meanwhile Julie (Phillips) is fighting for her identity and the acceptance of the people in her life. Julie and Mary-Anne must make a hard

Khaled Sayed

Ali Brown, left, joins Sienna Williams, Victoria Lavin, Elsie Phillips, and playwright Nichole Martinez after their September 6 performance in Confide in Me.

choice between making the town happy or becoming who they really want to be.

Martinez, who identifies as a gender-fluid lesbian, wanted to feature the transgender community because she feels that it is underrepresented.

“I included a transgender character in my play because I believe they are the least represented in our communities,” Martinez said. “They are discriminated against and I wanted to present a show that called attention to the discrimination and hardships people of the LGBTQ community have in general through my transgender character, Mary-Anne/ Martin.”

The audience’s reaction overall was very positive.

“I was really nervous that people wouldn’t understand my play or react to it the way I intended them to,” Martinez said. “But it was a great surprise to have them laugh at the

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parts I intended to be comic relief, or become uncomfortable, and even think deeply about the story I presented them. And I was really happy to find they appeared to understand, or at least respect, the story being told. And that all really reflected during the Q&A.”

Even though it is difficult to play more than one character, some of the actors took on multiple roles in the play. Phillips, 20, played both Margaret, a gossipy housewife who is out to embarrass and humiliate people in social settings, and Julie, the brave girl who came out to everyone in her community. In the play, Julie suffers the consequences of physical abuse by her friends at school, and is banned everywhere in her community just because she is a lesbian.

“I think for me it is easier to play a character that I agree with, but for Julie, her style of arguing is much different than mine,” Phillips said. “Julie likes to be more on the victim side.

She tries to point out what kinds of things other people have problems with in her. Personally, I don’t do that, so that was hard for me. I had to learn that fighting strategy.”

Phillips also said that playing Margaret was very hard for her.

“The gossiping part was fun, but the things she was gossiping about were pretty disgusting, and that made it difficult,” she said.

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Williams, 20, also played two parts, the title character Mary-Anne, who transitions to Martin, and Father Brown, the priest who runs a camp to “cure” homosexuality.

“We were definitely aware of how we didn’t want to tell a story that we didn’t identify with,” Williams said. “We want to talk about an issue that not many people are being vocal about. We also want to make sure that we are being respectful, and use this show as a way to bring out a voice about how transgenderidentifying people feel.”

Victoria Lavin, 22, who played Mary-Anne’s mother, Barbara, told the audience during the Q&A session after the play that she had a great time.

“I personally had a blast,” Lavin said. “I based my character on this terrible cartoon character, a two-dimensional person, and it is kind of Barbara’s world, which is black and white, right or wrong.”

Rounding out the cast was Ali Brown, 22, who played Julie’s mother.t

Nonprofit preserves cultural events

by Khaled Sayed

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San Francisco nonprofit is working to preserve LGBT and other cultural events and has developed a new funding stream to help it accomplish that task.

Archive Productions Inc. preserves and archives original music, dance, and theater events that otherwise would be lost forever.

The organization started about 10 years ago when film students from San Francisco City College contacted several Bay Area seniors to videotape interviews with them for a class project in film-video. Some of the seniors started going along with the students to local clubs, where they taped music. The videos were submitted to Access SF TV (channel 29) to be shown on Sundays. More and more students and seniors became involved in these projects, which led to the production of their own TV program called New Hot Bands, which aired on Sundays.

A registered nonprofit since 2009, Archive Productions videotapes interviews, events, performances, and social issues. The material isn’t kept on site by Archive Productions rather, it is handed over to whichever organization Archive filmed it for. There are some videos on the group’s website, www.archiveproductins.org.

Scott Peterson, executive director of Archive Productions, believes that the LGBT community needs to preserve its history.

“There is a vast number of original music, dance and theater which may only be performed a few times and never recorded or written down,” Peterson said. “It would be lost if not recorded and preserved.”

Peterson said the material is available to various organizations.

“We make our videos available to libraries, colleges, museums, and historical societies, according to the nature and subjects of the videos,” Peterson said, adding that for example, “LGBT issues could go to the GLBT Historical Society. Nonprofits receive copies of their events for their archives. The Internet Archive (www. archive.org) is interested in obtaining our entire archive of over 3,000 hours – although some information is not appropriate for public display.”

The organization archives a lot of drag shows, and also preserves nonLGBT events. Peterson said that he

Khaled Sayed

Archive Productions staff Vivian Imperiale, left, Bryan Heinrich, and Ehrin Davis discuss a project with Joel Evans, development director at Openhouse, and Archive Executive Director Scott Peterson.

is in the process of interviewing older adults, including Jewish seniors, for their historical perspectives.

In an effort to remain sustainable, Archive Productions now has a commercial track to serve the community in a different way. By using its low-cost services for weddings, parties, depositions, business events, and commercial testimonials, people help cover the expenses for the no-cost track. For example, weddings cost $100, Peterson said.

“You win with good service and low prices, and the community benefits by being able to access free promotional services,” said volunteer Vivian Imperiale.

Although Archive Productions doesn’t have a regular staff it does have between 50 and 100 student volunteers. Its budget was $5,000 last year, Peterson said.

“Our organization is made up entirely of volunteers and has no paid directors, executives or employees,” Peterson said. “The number of volunteers varies depending upon availability. We work with the Bay Area colleges: San Francisco State University, Academy of Art, the Art Institute, UC Berkeley, Berkeley City College, and others. Some students receive college credits for working on projects with us.”

Imperiale specializes in proofreading, writing, editing, and interviewing and has a background in psychology, with a master’s in special education. She has been working at Archive Productions for under two years.

“Archive believes in giving people a voice,” Imperiale said. “It provides

the opportunity for people to tell their stories in a format that can be shared and passed on to future generations.

The LGBT community has so many stories to tell – stories of sadness, of loss, of rejection, stories of finding camaraderie, of how they told the world who they were, of joy at being themselves, of acceptance, of celebration.”

Archive films community events like concerts and plays and fundraisers so that the culture can be shared beyond the day of the performance.

“I was surprised that Archive provides their services to nonprofits and artists at no cost. The finished product represents hours of filming and precise editing,” Imperiale said.

Ehrin Davis, a volunteer producer for Archive Productions, graduated with honors from UC Santa Barbara with a global studies degree. He works on film productions.

“I wanted to gain more experience doing video production. I heard about it through working at the film collective,” Davis said. “Archive serves to develop greater awareness for causes within the LGBT community by providing free coverage and promotion of community events.”

Davis was excited to film interviews with comedians after the Big Gay Comedy Show at the Marines’ Memorial Theater earlier this year.

“People are surprised to learn that we have filmed thousands of hours of interviews, music, theater, comedy, social gatherings, galas, and fundraisers,” he said. Davis would like to see more people volunteer and donate to support all the great resources that Archive provides.t

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Community News>>

September 11-17, 2014 • Bay Area Reporter • 3

Bandidos owner responds to ‘namegate’

by Seth Hemmelgarn

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co-owner of Bandidos, a newly opened Mexican restaurant in San Francisco’s Castro district, said this week the eatery may get a new name because some have complained the current name is offensive.

“We’re still trying to decide” what to do, Jesse Woodward, 38, said outside the business, at 2200 Market Street, Tuesday, September 9, one week after its September 2 opening.

This week the owners removed the restaurant’s sign from the front of the eatery.

Woodward said the sign, which was taken down after the complaints about the name, “was always temporary.” He said he didn’t know “whether it’s coming back or not.”

Woodward has spoken with local queer comedian Marga Gomez, who’s been among those posting to Facebook in the past several days that the name Bandidos is offensive.

“She’s asked us to consider changing the name,” Woodward, who’s gay, said. “We’re still talking about it.”

In a phone interview Tuesday,

Rick Gerharter

Owners of Bandidos, a Mexican restaurant in the Castro, had removed their sign earlier this week in response to complaints from some people that the eatery’s name is offensive.

Gomez said, “The word has been used as a slur in the past. ... Why are we reviving a slur from the past when there are so many other names you can call a restaurant?”

She said the name “translates to ‘bandits,’” and “it has a lot to do with stereotypes of Mexican peo-

ple,” such as “bushy beards, criminals,” and “untrustworthy” figures.

“That’s what the word has meant in the not-too-distant past,” Gomez said.

Woodward said, “Our inspiration was always the Mexican revolutionaries,” such as Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa. He called the men

“heroes for a lot of Mexican people.

They were looked up to.”

“Obviously,” Woodward said, if he’d understood that the name represented something “negative,” he and co-owner Dana Gleim “never would have used the name.”

In response to comments on the eatery’s Facebook page, Bandidos posted a comment last week that said, “[W]e all felt that the name evoked the spirit of an old-school place where badasses and outlaws would meet for one-too many tequilas.”

The post has been removed but the Castrobiscuit.com news site (now part of Hoodline.com) has a screen grab of the remark.

“Dana and I just have to consult some more people to get some more feedback,” Woodward told the Bay Area Reporter, before deciding whether they’ll make the change. He didn’t know with whom they would be consulting.

Asked what the new name could be, Woodward said, “Good question ... I don’t know.”

Some of the menu items, such as the cocktail “Juan in a Million,” have also drawn complaints. Woodward

said the drink is named after his boyfriend, John, who he calls Juan.

“I have no idea why it’s controversial,” he said.

Woodward said the trouble started after consulting chef Jamie Lauren told the San Francisco Chronicle’s Inside Scoop restaurant blog “I hate to call it white people Mexican food but it is. And I think the Castro needs a place like that.”

He said Lauren’s remark was “totally stupid and we regret it.” She was “trying to say it’s not authentic Mexican food,” and the quote “sounded like ‘Mexican food for white people,’” Woodward said.

In a Facebook exchange, Lauren, a lesbian who lives in Los Angeles, said the “white people Mexican food” comment “was never meant to offend or hurt anyone.”

“What I meant was the food isn’t as authentic as traditional Mexican food, that it was inspired by the Mexico I know from years of visiting,” she said. “[T]hat’s all, it was never meant as anything more than that.”

See page 10 >>

Animal rights activists complain about gay rodeo

by David-Elijah Nahmod

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ay animal rights activists are saddling up for their annual protest against the gay rodeo that takes place this weekend in the Russian River area.

The Best Buck in the Bay Rodeo and Festival, an annual event for LGBT cowboys and cowgirls organized by the Bay Area chapter of the Golden Gate Gay Rodeo Association, is again facing complaints from Andrew Zollman of LGBT Compassion, who likened the treatment of rodeo animals to the abuse and bullying often inflicted upon LGBT people.

Zollman’s group focuses on the living conditions faced by farm animals.

“We LGBTs have been fortunate enough to be able to protect ourselves from being oppressed and abused due to being different and powerless,” he said in a phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter.

“Instead of becoming oppressors and abusers of others who are also different and powerless, we should show compassion and empathy for them. The least we can do for farm animals is to not subject them to additional suffering and torment for the gratuitous purpose of our own entertainment, just to prematurely end their lives for meat once they’re no longer considered useful for rodeo.”

Best Buck in the Bay is also facing allegations of fake sponsorship

claims: Safeway and Starbucks Coffee logos initially appeared on rodeo posters and both companies were listed as official sponsors. Neither company is actually sponsoring the event, and the logos were allegedly used without permission. Both logos have since been removed from posters and from the rodeo’s website.

“I just connected with our local team in San Francisco and learned that Starbucks is not a sponsor of this upcoming event,” Alicia Damodaran, global communications director for Starbucks, said in an email to the B.A.R. “The Golden Gate Gay Rodeo Association seems to have unintentionally used our logo on their site and they have already connected with our local team to correct the issue.”

Safeway’s Brian Dowling did not respond to the B.A.R.’s request for comment.

Zollman described some of the abuses he claims are inflicted upon animals at gay rodeo events.

“Short dogging is when animals are grabbed by the horns, and the neck is twisted around,” he said.

“This is most obviously the worst thing.”

Animals are often provoked for the amusement of spectators, Zollman said.

“At bucking events, they tie rope around the animals abdomen and groin. The animal is already terrified from having a stranger on their back – you can see the person pulling the

Rick Gerharter

A cowboy tries his hand at pulling a steer during the Best Buck in the Bay gay rodeo in 2006 that was held in Woodside.

rope to tighten it,” Zollman said.

Popper DuBray of the International Gay Rodeo Association, of which GSGRA is a member, provided its official animal welfare statement from the association’s website.

“We strive to assure that our events are purposefully tailored and executed to provide animal and human participants the safest environment possible and shall act to immediately disqualify or reprimand any contestant, official, or contracted personnel found to be treating animals in an inhumane manner,”

the statement reads.

DuBray also said the rodeo group is familiar with Zollman’s group.

“We are fully aware of the LGBT Compassion position and respect that everyone must have a cause,” DuBray said in an email. “We support the passion they have for their beliefs as much as we support our passion for the traditional western lifestyle and rodeo.”

Brian Helander of IGRA said that the organization monitors the animals.

“Yes, we have an animal issues

committee, whose role it is to monitor and evaluate use of animals in gay rodeo,” Helander said in an email. “We are proud of our record of animal care and safety and the work of the committee. There are many animals in the world that need the advocacy efforts ... the animals of gay rodeo are well cared for, loved and healthy.”

The Best Buck in the Bay takes place September 12-14 at the Russian River Rodeo Grounds in Duncan Mills. For more information, visit www.bayarearodeo.org.t

<< Open Forum

4 • Bay Area Reporter • September 11-17, 2014

Volume 44, Number 37 September 11-17, 2014 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003)

Cohen for District 10 supervisor

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or San Franciscans preparing to head to the polls for the November 4 election, the Bay Area Reporter endorses the incumbents running for supervisor. All have served the city well in their first terms, authored and passed significant legislation, and aim to continue that work.

NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird

In last week’s B.A.R. we endorsed incumbent Supervisor Scott Wiener for a second term.

If you missed it, you can find the editorial here: http://ebar.com/ openforum/opforum. php?sec=editorial&id=510.

BARTAB EDITOR & EVENTS LISTINGS EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • Seth Hemmelgarn

ART DIRECTION Jay Cribas PRODUCTION/DESIGN Max Leger PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • Rick Gerharter Lydia Gonzales • Jose Guzman-Colon Rudy K. Lawidjaja • Georg Lester • Dan Lloyd Rich Stadtmiller • Steven Underhill Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge • Christine Smith ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION Colleen Small VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING Scott Wazlowski – 415.861.5019 NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

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News Editor • news@ebar.com Arts Editor • arts@ebar.com Out & About listings • jim@ebar.com Advertising • scott@ebar.com Letters • letters@ebar.com Published weekly. Bay Area Reporter reserves the right to edit or reject any advertisement which the publisher believes is in poor taste or which advertises illegal items which might result in legal action against Bay Area Reporter. Ads will not be rejected solely on the basis of politics, philosophy, religion, race, age, or sexual orientation.

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unemployment rate, at a little over 12 percent, is still much higher than the rest of the city.

She’ll also keep working to curb violence in the district, and has a good working relationship with the San Francisco Police Department.

In short, Cohen has delivered real solutions for District 10 in a number of areas, and is poised to continue that leadership. We recommend her for re-election.

Scott Wiener, District 8

ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ray Aguilera • Dan Aiello • Tavo Amador Race Bannon • Erin Blackwell Roger Brigham • Brian Bromberger Victoria A. Brownworth • Brent Calderwood Philip Campbell • Heather Cassell Chuck Colbert • Richard Dodds Michael Flanagan • David Guarino Peter Hernandez • Liz Highleyman Brandon Judell • John F. Karr • Lisa Keen Matthew Kennedy • Joshua Klipp David Lamble • Michael McDonagh David-Elijah Nahmod • Elliot Owen Paul Parish • Sean Piverger • Lois Pearlman Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota • Bob Roehr Donna Sachet • Adam Sandel Khaled Sayed • Jason Serinus • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith • Jim Stewart Sean Timberlake • Andre Torrez • Ronn Vigh Ed Walsh • Cornelius Washington Sura Wood

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Jane Kim, District 6

Malia Cohen, District 10

Supervisor Malia Cohen, who represents Bayview Hunters Point, Visitation Valley, and other neighborhoods in southeast San Francisco, is the clear choice for District 10 voters. And while she has the strongest opponent of any of her colleagues facing re-election, she has a solid record of accomplishment and has worked hard for the residents of her district, who are among some of the poorest and most vulnerable in the city.

Cohen doesn’t consider her main opponent, Tony Kelly, a serious challenge, even though he also ran four years ago and nearly won. Cohen, who when she was sworn in was the only African American member of the Board of Supervisors, won a narrow victory due to ranked choice voting.

District 10 has undergone significant changes in the last four years. It is now one-third Asian, one-third Hispanic, and one-third African American, Caucasian, and other groups. A solid working class district, it has also seen an influx of gay people, mostly because housing is relatively less expensive than in other parts of the city.

Cohen has been a strong ally of the LGBT community, and told us in a recent editorial board meeting that she coined a phrase, “beyond Castro,” to indicate that LGBTs live all over the city, including District 10, and are not confined to the gay neighborhood, which itself has had a lot of straight people move in.

“They love the neighborhood, they love the edginess, they’re not afraid,” Cohen said of the gays who call District 10 home. She added that an online community called Gayview is also active, hosting mixers and other events at small businesses.

One of the issues Cohen is involved with is healthier eating habits and she noted that parts of District 10 are considered a food desert because of the lack of a major supermarket. It gained a Grocery Outlet in Visitation Valley but lost Fresh and Easy in the Bayview. Cohen said she is working to get a farmers market in the location of the former store. One thing she has done is partnered with Southeast Food Access to get liquor stores, which are plentiful, to stock more fruits and vegetables, and foods unique to the district.

Cohen is also supportive of so-called big box retail, noting that the district doesn’t have many such businesses.

“We need to fill that gap and need something to bring foot traffic for small businesses,” she explained. “We got Lowe’s in and they’re a great partner, but it took 12 years.”

On housing, Cohen is a strong supporter of on-site affordable housing, mostly because it would be built at the same time as the development. In her district three-bedroom units are needed for families, she said, and there has been some success providing larger units in the Pier 70 development that’s also on the ballot this fall. Public housing projects in the district are also being rebuilt.

In a second term Cohen said she plans to continue focusing on housing and infrastructure, as well as jobs for residents. District 10’s

Supervisor Jane Kim has accomplished much for District 6, which like District 10 includes many poor and vulnerable residents, particularly in the Tenderloin. But District 6, which includes South of Market, also has luxury housing and many tech companies. It’s a vibrant district that has undergone tremendous change since Kim was first elected four years ago. Kim has embraced many of the changes, while remaining true to her progressive values. She also has a knack for compromise and working with community groups, which in the case of artists at 1049 Market Street and people living with HIV and seniors at the I Hotel, led to agreements to keep them in their apartments.

Kim’s priorities include equitable land uses and affordable housing, reforming the city’s broken homeless shelter system – at which LGBT residents, especially trans women, have been harassed and discriminated against – pedestrian and bicycle safety, fair access to top quality jobs, and neighborhood capacity building.

Regarding shelters, city officials were surprised last year when a point-in-time survey of homeless people revealed that 29 percent of respondents identified as LGBT. Kim said the figure “rang true” of the “anecdotal experience I had knocking in our [single-resident occupancy] hotels and spending time in our homeless shelters.” There are now plans for a queer shelter project in District 6 (not to be confused with the ongoing effort to locate a similar shelter in District 9). It’s expected to open soon at A Women’s Place with a staff dedicated to addressing the unique needs of the queer homeless population, Kim said in her questionnaire submitted to the B.A.R. On the cultural side, Kim is working to establish the city’s first LGBTQ/Leather Social Heritage District as part of the Western SOMA Community Plan. She worked with the property owner and community advocates to preserve the Eagle Tavern as a central hub of queer culture, and, as we reported this week online, developed trailing legislation so that Heklina’s Trannyshack has a permanent home on 11th Street.

We would like to see Kim advocate more forcefully for a study of infection rates for community-based groups that distribute crack pipes to drug users as a way to help prevent transmission of HIV. She did tell us that she met with safe injection site advocates her first year in office, but that there’s a constitutional barrier to publicly funding such a site. With studies in Vancouver showing such sites can reduce infections, it’s something that’s worth pursuing. The city’s HIV Prevention Planning Council has recommended such a review.

Overall, we’re impressed with Kim’s first term and recommend her to District 6 voters.

Katy Tang, District 4

Supervisor Katy Tang, who represents the Sunset district, is unopposed and we endorse her reelection. Tang was appointed in January 2013 to the seat when Mayor Ed Lee selected Carmen Chu as assessor-recorder.

Tang ran last fall to complete Chu’s term on the Board of Supervisors and is running this year for a full four-year term.

Tang is an engaged supervisor who grew up in the district. Since joining the board, Tang has spearheaded the first-ever district-wide strategic planning effort, called the Sunset District Blueprint, to identify short- and longterm initiatives to improve the neighborhood.

In her B.A.R. questionnaire, Tang said that she successfully passed legislation to provide the city with additional enforcement tools over massage establishments serving as potential fronts for human trafficking. She also serves on the San Francisco Collaborative Against Human Trafficking, where she works with city agencies and partners to end human trafficking through education, outreach, advocacy, and supporting survivors.

Tang has been an ally to the LGBT community. This year she supported backfilling the budget for HIV/AIDS services after federal funds were cut. She said that she would take future requests into consideration “along with the context of the rest of the city’s budget.”

As the city continues to experience a housing crisis, Tang is working with the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development to increase down payment loan assistance to middle and moderate-income individuals and families. She also is working with the planning department to identify opportunities to create middle-income housing in the Sunset.

Mark Farrell, District 2

We did not endorse Mark Farrell four years ago, but he has demonstrated an ability to bring together opposing views and has been a strong ally for the LGBT community. We recommend that District 2 residents vote for Farrell in the November 4 election.

Farrell is being challenged by one candidate, but is campaigning hard for his re-election.

He’s holding house parties virtually every night and is focusing on neighborhoods and families. Those issues also include the LGBT community, as it was Farrell who in early 2013 spearheaded legislation covering the tax costs LGBT city employees incurred for their samesex spouses’ or partners’ health care coverage provided by the city’s Health Service System.

At the time, only two other municipalities in the country had adopted similar policies, although it was more common in the private sector. Just a few months later, however, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act. Federal agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service, quickly brought their policies up to date, taking into account federal recognition of married same-sex couples. Farrell deserves credit for addressing the issue, which at the time was an inequity for married same-sex couples.

During an editorial board meeting, Farrell spoke quite a bit about housing; he maintains that the crisis is largely the result of underdevelopment for years and years. Like his colleague Malia Cohen, Farrell favors on-site affordable housing because “the project is going up right now” so those units would be built at the same time, meaning people could move in sooner. He also said that more density generally doesn’t bother him, but it needs to be strategic, like around transit corridors.

One example of Farrell’s ability to work with those with whom he doesn’t always agree was the recently passed Laura’s Law. In the spring Farrell announced legislation to fully implement Laura’s Law, a state law that provides for requiring severely mentally ill people to undergo treatment against their wishes. The law was passed in 2002 but allows individual counties to implement it. Farrell was able to work with Public Defender Jeff Adachi, long an opponent of the law, after Adachi softened his stance and said such forced treatment could be effective if the services are there. Farrell was able to secure board approval, rather than putting the measure on the ballot, and crafted a law that former opponents could support. (The law is named after Laura Wilcox, a mental health worker in Nevada County who was murdered by a man who had been refusing treatment and opened fire in the county’s behavioral health offices.)

A San Francisco native, Farrell is accessible and will continue to address the city’s housing affordability crisis and rising cost-of-living.t

t

Community News>>

September 11-17, 2014 • Bay Area Reporter • 5

Hall to be honored by senior group compiled by Cynthia Laird

the forum, which is described as a dialogue for community members, medical providers, and health planners. Steven Tierney, a gay man who was formerly on the San Francisco Health Commission and the former HIV prevention director of the health department, will moderate the meeting.

Scheduled presenters include Dr. Jonathan Volk from Kaiser Permanente, Dr. Ruben Gamundi from Gilead, David Evans from Project Inform, community member Vince Crisotomo, and Jae Sevilus from the UCSF Center for Excellence for Transgender Health.

H

adley Dale Hall, a longtime leader and professional in the field of elder care, will receive the Norma Satten Community Service Innovation Award from the Community Living Campaign at its benefit Thursday, September 18 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Marines’ Memorial Club, 609 Sutter Street in San Francisco.

Hall, who is gay, is the former chief executive officer of San Francisco Homemaker Services, and a key advocate in getting in-home supportive service workers their first benefits: state-funded Social Security and workers’ compensation. He continued to lead that organization as it evolved into San Francisco Home Health Services and finally San Francisco Visiting Nurses and Hospice.

After he retired, Hall continued to work with 30th Street Senior Center/On Lok. As an engaged board member, he also helped lay the groundwork for the growth of Openhouse, an LGBT senior agency, as it developed an array of services and its first housing project at 55 Laguna Street.

Hall and his longtime partner got married earlier this year.

The Community Living Campaign was founded in 2006 to develop effective ways to link formal health and social services with informal support networks to benefit the growing number of elders and persons with disabilities in San Francisco.

The evening includes a cocktail buffet, silent auction, and an appearance by Geoff “The Geezer” Hoyle, visiting artist at UCSF’s Memory and Aging Center. He’s also one of the founders and first performers in San Francisco’s internationally recognized Pickle Family Circus.

Tickets for the event start at $100 and can be purchased online at www.sfcommunityliving.org.

Pride board election Sunday

The San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee will hold its annual general meeting Sunday, September 14 and elect new board members.

The committee mailed out packets to eligible voting members in advance of Sunday’s meeting, which in addition to electing directors will also select the theme for Pride 2015.

There are eight open seats on the board. This year several incumbents are seeking re-election. They include Joey Cain, David Currie, and Gary Virginia. Several people who were appointed to the board will stand for election, including Larry Crickenberger, Michelle Meow, Chandra Xi’an Redack, and Don Wagda. The other candidates, who were nominated at meetings in July and August, are Dustin Durham, Howard Edelman, Veronika Fimbres, Shanta Franco-Clausen, Jose Guzman, and Shaun Haines.

Virginia, who along with Cain was just elected last year, told the Bay Area Reporter that one-third of the board must stand for re-election and that the directors drew straws to determine who those people would be. Currie is up again because he has served the longest.

Regarding next year’s Pride theme, people can submit suggestions through Friday, September 12.

Theme proposals should be emailed to theme@spride.org.

The annual meeting is open to the public, although only eligible members are allowed to vote. It will be held at the Women’s Building, 3548 18th Street. Check-in begins at 1 p.m. and the meeting starts at 2.

Courtesy Community Living Campaign

Hadley Dale Hall

GLAAD to honor tech titans in SF

LGBT media advocacy organization GLAAD will honor tech giants Google and YouTube at its gala Saturday, September 13 at 6 p.m. at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square, 333 O’Farrell Street.

The event, themed Game Changers, will be hosted by Orange is the New Black star Taryn Manning and will feature a performance by Glee star Alex Newell.

Google and YouTube, which is owned by the search engine, will receive the Ric Weiland Award, which honors innovators who advance LGBT equality through tech and new media. Weiland, who died in 2006, was known for his dedication to LGBT and HIV/AIDS organizations. He is survived by his partner Mike Schaefer.

Other honorees include federal Proposition 8 plaintiffs Kris Perry and Sandy Stier, who will receive the Presidential Local Hero Award.

Special guests will include YouTube blogger Tyler Oakley, Republican commentator Meghan McCain, LGBT advocate Hannah Hart, and Peter Paige from The Fosters.

Tickets for the gala start at $350 and are available online at www. glaad.org/sfgala.

Sea music festival celebrates maritime heritage

The San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park will hold an all-day festival of traditional and contemporary songs celebrating maritime culture Saturday, September 13 from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Hyde Street Pier.

Other attractions include activities for kids, costumed living history players, special shipboard demonstrations, model shipwrights, and an evening chantey sing from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Admission for the performance on the two outdoor stages is free.

There is a $5 fee for admission to the historic ships (ages 15 and under with adult supervision are free).

Tickets can be purchased the day of the festival from the Hyde Street Pier ticket booth, located halfway along the pier. Reservations are needed for the chantey sing and can be made by contacting (415) 5617171 or peter_kasin@nps.gov.

For more information, visit www. nps.gov/safr/planyourvisit/seamusicfestival2014.htm.

PrEP community forum

The San Francisco Department of Public Health and the community engagement work group of the HIV Prevention Planning Council will hold a forum on pre-exposure prophylaxis, better known as PrEP, Tuesday, September 16 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at 25 Van Ness Avenue, sixth floor.

“Are you PrEPared?” is the title of

Peninsula group seeks senior peer counselors

Peninsula Family Service is seeking volunteers as it gears up for a six-week training session for senior peer counselors, including those working with LGBT elders.

The training begins Tuesday, September 16 and continues twice weekly (three hours each) through October 22. Interested people should like working with older adults, be a good listener, be at least 55 years old, have transportation, and be able to volunteer one or more hours per week.

Training includes communication and active listening skills, basics of counseling, working with diverse cultures, understanding social isolation, working with grief and loss, and how to recognize and respond to depression and anxiety.

Services are available for seniors who speak English, Spanish, Chinese, and Tagalog, and LGBTs. To apply or for more information, contact Steven Gu, LGBT coordinator, (650) 403-4300, ext.

4383; Ofie Carpio Albrecht, Filipino coordinator, (650) 403-4300, ext. 4363; Judy Chin, Chinese coordinator, (650) 403-4300, ext. 4392; or Victoria Valencia, Spanish coordinator, (650) 403-4300, ext. 4321.

For services in English, call program manager Valerie Snook, LCSW, (650) 403-4300, ext. 4322.

Spiritual conference planned for SF

Dr. Jerry Jampolsky, one of the first doctors in San Francisco to provide emotional and physical support to AIDS patients in the 1980s, will be hosting an international conference, “Attitudinal Healing International” September 19-21 at the Golden Gate Club in the Presidio in San Francisco. Pre-conference workshops are scheduled September 16-18.

The conference includes sessions on “The Power on Lifestyle Changes and Love,” “Choosing Peace Over Conflict and Love Over Fear,” and many others.

Registration for the conference is $475; pre-conference workshops are $75 for the day or $40 for a half-day.

There is a closing dinner and concert for $225. For more information, visit www.ahinternational.org.

UCSF Memory Center hosts art project

The ReDefining Age Square Foot Project is now on display at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center and offers a unique look at how people define their age.

Artists of all skill levels were invited this year to submit a 12-inch square image that honored their personal experience and celebrates their current age. The result is more than 160 submissions (and counting) and the collective body is a panorama of 12-inch by 12-inch canvases representing a new way to understand age.

The exhibit is in display through October 8. It is free and located in Gallery 190 of the memory center, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Suite 190 in San Francisco.t

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For people with busy weekend schedules.

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100 Diamond Street @ 18th, San Francisco, CA 94114 (415) 863-6259 mhr.org

<< Politics

6 • Bay Area Reporter • September 11-17, 2014

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t D10 supervisor race rematches incumbent with challengers

8/15/14

an Francisco District 10 Supervisor Malia Cohen is once again on the campaign trail, seeking support from voters in the city’s southeastern neighborhoods fronting the bay for another four-year term at City Hall.

The race is a rematch, of sorts, from her first campaign in 2010 when former nonprofit theater executive Tony Kelly placed second behind Cohen after 20 rounds of calculations under the city’s ranked choice voting system. Although Cohen was in fourth place out of 21 candidates in the first round of voting, the then political novice emerged the winner weeks later.

After factoring in voters’ secondand third-place choices, Cohen came out on top with 52.7 percent, or 4,321 votes. Kelly emerged second with 47.3 percent or 3,879 votes. He is now trying to oust Cohen from office and has secured strong support from the city’s progressive political camp, with backing from former Mayor Art Agnos, District 11 Supervisor John Avalos, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), and District 9 Supervisor David Campos.

Cohen has lined up endorsements from an array of unions, local political clubs, and moderate Democratic politicians such as Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California) and Congresswomen Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), Jackie Speier 10:17 AM (D-San Francisco-San Mateo), and Barbara Lee (D-Oakland).

Also running a second time are Marlene Tran and Ed Donaldson. In 2010 Tran landed in third place with 3,330 votes or 30.2 percent; Donaldson, with 206 votes, was bumped out early in the IRV process. Neighborhood activist Shawn M. Richard rounds out the list of candidates.

Among this year’s supervisor races – all of the incumbents in even-numbered districts are running for re-election in November – the District 10 contest is seen as the most competitive. Yet during a recent editorial board meeting with the Bay Area Reporter, Cohen dismissed such a characterization of her re-election contest.

“It depends on how you define serious. I don’t consider it serious,” she said of her opponents’ campaigns. “The money is not there; the endorsements are not coming in.”

She described her opponents as “one trick ponies” who “know one issue and they know it well.”

Cohen, 36, one of two African Americans serving on the Board of Supervisors, claimed views of the race have impacted by “some elements of racism and sexism,” pointing out that most of her critics are white men in their 50s or older.

“There is very little room for diversity at that part of the Democratic Party,” said Cohen.

Kelly, seen as the most formidable of Cohen’s five challengers this year, told the B.AR.’s editorial board that he entered the race because the seat is not guaranteed to the incumbent.

“People should earn their second four-year term. It is why we have four-year terms,” said Kelly, 57, a longtime leader of the Potrero Boosters Neighborhood Association. He added that, “I am running for a different job than Supervisor Cohen. I think she has different concerns as a politician.”

Looking at the electoral map today, Kelly sounded confident of his chances.

Jane Philomen Cleland Courtesy Tony Kelly for Supervisor campaign

District 10 challenger Tony Kelly

“The district has changed,” he noted. “I would have won if the district was drawn as it is today in 2010.”

Due to redistricting and an influx of homeowners seeking more affordable dwellings, District 10 has seen significant changes over the last four years. It comprises Potrero Hill, Dogpatch, Bayview, Hunter’s Point, and Visitacion Valley. (The Portola neighborhood was removed from District 10 and added to District 9 when the city revised the boundaries of supervisor districts due to the 2010 census.)

Gays and lesbians priced out of the city’s gay Castro district have increasingly turned to District 10, where home prices are substantially cheaper. Cohen estimated that 12 percent of her constituents now identify as LGBT. “It is growing. It is actually really exciting,” said Cohen, a straight woman who grew up in the city and is the oldest of five girls. “I call it ‘Beyond Castro.’ There are also LGBT people living in public housing in my district who are not connecting to public services that are more Castro-focused.”

The ethnic makeup of the district is broken down roughly by thirds between blacks, Latinos, Asians, and Caucasian residents. It has the city’s highest pockets of unemployment and public safety continues to be a concern. Kelly released a five-point public safety plan for the district.

“Are we safe? We are not,” said Kelly, who is straight and a secondgeneration San Franciscan.

Increasing public safety will be one of her top priorities during a second term, said Cohen, in addition to “tackling housing affordability” and “bringing more living wage jobs to residents in District 10.”

She rejected being pigeonholed into either the progressive or moderate camps on the board.

“I will vote with moderates and progressives if it will rebuild public housing, lift up poverty, and solve the violence,” she said.

In terms of this fall’s local ballot measures, Cohen and Kelly both support raising the city’s minimum wage to $15 by 2018 and the proposed development at Pier 70. But they differ when it comes to the proposed sugary beverage tax.

Even though Kelly five years ago cut out soda from his diet, helping him to lose 55 pounds, he is not taking a stance on the soda tax measure, known as Proposition E. “I am neutral on it,” said Kelly.

“We don’t have a grocery store in District 10 but the first thing you want to talk about is taxing folks? If you want to restrict the purchase of it, admit it.”

Cohen, who is a main backer of the tax, argues it will improve her constituents’ health and combat rising rates of diabetes in both children and adults.

“I have a lot of poor, unhealthy, obese people in my district,” said

District 10 Supervisor Malia Cohen

Cohen, who described the Bayview as a “food desert” due to its lacking a major grocery store. “This is an opportunity to help save lives.”

And she was critical of Kelly’s refusal to take a position on the measure.

“It is easy to stand on the sidelines and be a hater,” she said.

Wiener may skip Chron endorsement meeting

Gay District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener, who is up for re-election this fall, may skip the San Francisco Chronicle’s endorsement meeting should one of his opponents be allowed to attend.

The city’s daily paper invited candidates in the race to meet with its editorial board September 25, including gay blogger Michael Petrelis, who is under court order to stay 150 feet away from Wiener. The restraining order is due to Petrelis photographing the supervisor in a City Hall bathroom in October 2012.

In June 2013, Petrelis pleaded no contest, which is similar to a guilty plea, to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge and agreed to abide by the stay away order. But after entering the supervisor race, he petitioned the court this summer to modify the restraining order so he could participate in candidate forums.

In August Superior Court Judge Samuel Feng said he would consider doing so on a case-by-case basis and requested Petrelis to seek a modification at least five days in advance of the events. According to a Facebook post this week, Petrelis intends to seek permission to attend the Chronicle meeting, and the paper is providing him with the details Feng has asked for in order to make his determination.

“San Francisco democracy will be tremendously enhanced with this forum and of huge value to District 8 voters,” according the post on Petrelis’s Facebook page.

“While the Chronicle’s forum is not open to the public and, as far as we know won’t be streamed on the web, it’s still the only debate any entity in this town is organizing before the election.”

Wiener has repeatedly said he will not participate in any forums that include Petrelis. But when asked this week by the B.A.R. if he would skip the Chronicle endorsement meeting should the judge allow Petrelis to attend, Wiener was noncommittal.

“It’s too soon to say,” he said.

“The Chronicle is aware of the situation.”t Web Extra: For more queer political news, be sure to check http:// www.ebar.com Monday mornings at noon for Political Notes, the notebook’s online companion.

This week’s column featured on update about a proposed drag club in SF’s SOMA district.

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

Got a tip on LGBT politics? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 8615019 or e-mail m.bajko@ebar.com.

International News>>

t Gambia passes law imposing life sentence for gays

Developmentdiaries.com

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh

by Heather Cassell

B

eing LGBT in Gambia could carry a stiff penalty now that the country’s National Assembly has passed a bill that includes a life in prison sentence.

Assembly Speaker Abdoulie Bojang confirmed the change – it had previously been a 14-year sentence – September 8.

Only two Assembly members voted against the bill.

Bojang wouldn’t provide more details about the bill, reported ABC News, but Human Rights Watch acquired a copy, reported BuzzFeed.

Gambia’s bill targets LGBTs and people living with HIV, sentencing them to life imprisonment for socalled aggravated homosexuality, if the offender – man or woman – repeatedly has same-sex relations or is living with HIV.

Women were added to the antihomosexuality section of the penal code in 2005.

In a section following the antihomosexuality revision, lawmakers outlawed any production or consumption of pornography.

The bill now awaits President Yahya Jammeh’s signature.

Earlier this year, Jammeh, who is anti-gay, compared LGBTs to mosquitoes and would be exterminated in a similar, if not more aggressive, way. In 2008, he warned they should “leave the country or risk having their heads cut off.”

Minority Leader Samba Jallow, who is a member of the National Reconciliation Party, and was one of the members who voted against the bill, doesn’t condone homosexuality, but didn’t believe it was an offense that demanded life in prison.

“In our view, (homosexuals) did not commit a crime worthy of life imprisonment or any treasonable offense,” he told the Associated Press.

Uganda’s anti-homosexuality bill resurrected

Meanwhile, Uganda’s Parliament is redrafting its anti-homosexuality bill, according to Member of Parliament David Bahati.

Bahati introduced the original so-called “Kill the Gays” bill in 2009.

That legislation, which originally included a clause calling for alleged LGBTs to be sentenced to death, was in Parliament for years before it was passed and signed by President Yoweri Museveni in February.

It was that law that was struck down by the Constitutional Court on

August 1 after the judges agreed with a group of petitioners that it was enacted without quorum in Parliament.

Media reports indicate that two members of parliament, Bahati and Benson Obua Ogwal, requested a date to be set aside to retable the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. Two members also have been granted leave from the legislature to prepare the bill for a new vote, reported the Daily Monitor.

The new bill will be stricter than the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2014 and will go through the same process, first being sent to committee after it’s introduced to Parliament.

This time, 254 out of 376 members of parliament support reintroduction of the bill. The number of members ready to vote surpasses the one-third quorum required as well as a majority vote, reported the newspaper.

Bahati and Ogwal haven’t publicly commented on the new bill.

Museveni advised MPs to tread lightly in the revival of the bill since the issue is “delicate,” reported the newspaper.

September 11-17, 2014 • Bay Area Reporter • 7

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8 • Bay Area Reporter • September 11-17, 2014

<< Business News

t

As Hip Chick Farms expands product line, company repackages

by Matthew S. Bajko

T

hanks to a $35,000 loan from Whole Foods Market and a commitment from the grocery chain for improved shelf space, the lesbianowned Hip Chick Farms brand is rolling out a redesigned and expanded product line this month.

Since its debut in stores in January 2013, the Sebastopol-based company’s frozen chicken fingers, chicken meatballs, and chicken wings have come packaged in a tub, similar to those used to sell ice cream. But their sizing and shape made it difficult for grocers to display in the same freezers with other frozen entrees, which are mainly sold in square or rectangular boxes.

For instance, at the upper Market Street Whole Foods location in San Francisco’s Castro district, the Hip Chick Farms products were often difficult to locate. In August the store had them haphazardly placed on the top shelf of a freezer with different options mixed together in the same space.

Due to their being selected in June for the Whole Foods Local Producer Loan Program, the company’s co-founders, Serafina Palandech and Jennifer Johnson, hired McDill Associates of Soquel, California to redesign its packaging. Out was the oddly shaped tub and in was the more common rectangular box.

Also nixed was the family photo of Palandech and Johnson, who married in 2009, with their now 4-year-old daughter, Ruby Rose, mainly due to privacy concerns. Given more prominence is a cartoon rendition of the family as chickens, with Johnson depicted as a rooster; Palandech, the more femme of the two, shown as a babushka-wearing chicken; and Ruby Rose seen as a chick in an eggshell held by her parents.

The avian family portrait – the parents’ red boots are modeled after those worn by Palandech – is taken from a design by a Hungarian artist who granted the couple permission to use it as part of their company logo. It also pays homage to the rooster sculpture Johnson saw that inspired the name Hip Chick Farms.

“Our new packaging makes Hip Chick Farms products easier for retailers to display, and easier for consumers to find,” said Palandech, who serves as the company’s president.

“The colorful graphics and product images let consumers know exactly what they are getting, while the conventional shape helps retailers stack and display the products more efficiently in their freezer cases.”

Whole Foods has committed to allocating two freezer shelves, displaying five different Hip Chick Farms products, in its stores throughout California and the Pacific Northwest. It is also adding the various chicken offerings to its prepared food sections.

“Hip Chick Farms makes delicious and easy meal solutions for time-crunched families – by moms for moms,” stated Erin Harper, senior program manager for Whole Foods’ Local Producer Loan Program. “They are passionate about using only the best ingredients and transparent sourcing to make convenient artisan frozen products in hip, fun packaging, [that] meet the quality standards of today’s educated and busy consumers.”

Hip Chick Farms products are available at more than 250 natural and specialty grocery stores on the West Coast. In addition to the original baked meatballs, chicken fingers, and wing and drummettes selections, there is now a gluten free version of the chicken fingers. (All priced at $7.49.)

To coincide with its new packaging roll-out, Hip Chick Farms also

introduced a new line of certified organic chicken fingers ($8.99) made from birds raised in organic fields and given organic bedding.

“Nobody is doing chicken. It is the final frontier of the natural food industry,” said Palandech.

Rooted in country life

The company’s founding is rooted in the couple’s wanting to raise their daughter in a more rural environment. They moved out of San Francisco’s Excelsior district three years ago for a house in Sebastopol in Sonoma County.

The women christened their property The Rambling Rose. It is also home to two Percheron horses, Duke and Pepper; a pair of Miniature Sicilian donkeys, Lola and Franny; several turkeys destined for this year’s Thanksgiving feast; a brood of 25 heritage breed chickens; and the family’s two dogs, Winnie and Sebastian.

“It was a real process. We are city girls who knew nothing about farming and had to learn how to raise animals and care for them,” said Palandech, 40, who in 2009 left her job as event director for MZA Events Inc. where she oversaw planning for AIDS Walk San Francisco.

Johnson, 46, commutes weekdays to the city for her job as the executive chef for Ann and Gordon Getty. In addition to cooking for the family, she oversees the food served at more than 50 events annually held at the Getty’s Pacific Heights mansion, as well as the weekday lunches for the private Montessori school operating on the property.

She joked it is “100 percent” like Downton Abbey when asked if her kitchen resembles the one depicted in the popular PBS series.

While she enjoys her current job, Johnson said, “I don’t want to work for the rest of my life,” so the couple turned their attention to starting a family business.

Combining Johnson’s culinary skills and Palandech’s marketing abilities, in 2011 they landed on creating their own line of locallysourced, sustainably-produced frozen chicken products.

“I wanted to create something really meaningful to me. Our brand and products really represent our beliefs around sustainable food systems,” explained Palandech, while seated at her dining room table wearing her signature red boots, to the Bay Area Reporter in August during her first extensive interview about the company.

After researching suppliers of humanely raised animals, the women opted to source their chicken from Mary’s Free Range Chicken from the Pitman Family Farms in the San Joaquin Valley.

“The chickens really have only one bad day,” said Palandech, who had been a vegetarian for 21 years but now eats meat. “It is a really humane way they raise and kill the chickens.”

They have a non-compete agreement with Mary’s, which is the only brand of chicken Whole Foods sells in its meat cases.

“Mary’s doesn’t have a value-added line,” said Palandech, meaning it does not make its own packaged food items.

Mary’s connection with Whole Foods helped the women pitch their frozen line to the company. On the same day both the buyers for Whole Foods’ Northern California and Southern Pacific regions approved stocking the company’s offerings.

“It took eight months to move through the approval process before we launched on shelves,” said Palandech.

They also presented at the Expo West convention in Anaheim and

lined up more small groMitchell said. “I run cery chains. the business and let the “It went like wildfire craftsmen do the work.” from there. Everybody While her sexual orientation hasn’t been an wanted it,” said Palandech, who routinely visissue, her gender has its stores to offer tastings raised eyebrows but also brought dividends. to shoppers. “I think the taste is better than any “I don’t mind it – most people get a kick out of comparable product.” the fact it is a woman,” There have been probsaid Mitchell when she lems along the way, from first meets with clients. manufacturing mix-ups “It puts a lot of the fe– a burnt batch of 2,000 males at ease, because pounds of meatballs Rick Gerharter in a lot of households it was shipped by mistake – to stamping the Serafina Palandech, left, and Jennifer Johnson, owners is the wives who are at wrong expiration date on of Hip Chick Farms, stand near their brood of Heritage home.”

To contact Handyman packages. chickens on their farm in Sebastopol.

Matters for a free estiOne natural foods dismate, visit http://www. tributor in Oregon deamounted to close to $250,000; handymanmatters.com/oakland/ clined to carry them, largely due to this year Mitchell expects to gross about-us/. their being a lesbian-owned compa$500,000. To meet the growing deny, said Palandech. But the majority mand, she would like to hire five Honor Roll of people like the company’s story. more craftsmen to bring her team This year marks the 25th anniver“Consumers and stores are cravup to 12. sary of Cruisin’ the Castro Walking a connection to the companies But finding employees with the ing Tours. Current owner Kathy they support,” she said. “Jen’s a chef right skill set has proven difficult, Amendola has led the popular hisand I am a stay-at-home mom. We she said. tory tours in the city’s gayborhood are a proud family and happy to be “If you are ready to learn, I have since 2005, when she bought the known for what we are doing.” got craftsmen who can teach,” she business from its founder, Trevor They have raised $750,000 from said. “It is more just finding someHailey, upon her retirement that investors, family, and friends for one ready to go.” year. Hailey died in 2007 at the age promotion and marketing efHandyman Matters began in the of 66. forts, borrowed $150,000 from the Denver area in 1998 and now has Over the last nine years AmenSmall Business Administration and 122 franchisees in 33 states and dola estimates she has conducted $50,000 from TMC Working Soluthree countries, according to the thousands of tours and educated tions, as well as took out a second company’s website. “tens of thousands of locals and mortgage on their house to launch The only franchisee in northern worldwide visitors.” And she has the business.

California, Mitchell’s territory is ofincorporated more recent history They plan to take the brand naficially the East Bay, largely Alameda into her talks, such as the fight over tional next year, the farthest east its County, but she also works in San California’s same-sex marriage ban products can be found now is Texas, Francisco. She launched the busiknown as Proposition 8. and are working on reaching sales ness 10 years ago with sister and Nowadays, 50 percent of her cliof $20 to $25 million over the next brother business partners Penny entele is heterosexual, said Amendecade. Eventually, they would like Clark, 57, and Gregory Clark, 56. dola, who is a lesbian. She credits to sell the company, thereby allowMitchell had first met Penny Clark, the increased interest in the city’s ing Johnson to achieve her goal of who is also an out lesbian, 30 years LGBT history to both the marriage early retirement. ago when she moved from Orange equality movement and the 2008 “Our intention is to be acquired,” County to play basketball at San Oscar-winning movie Milk about said Palandech.

Francisco State University.

San Francisco’s first out supervisor, To learn more about the compaFor 15 years Mitchell had worked Harvey Milk, which was filmed on ny, visit http://hipchickfarms.com/. for UPS managing a team of drivers, location in the Castro. but when the company went public, Lesbian nails Handyman “The most amazing thing I’ve she decided to look for a new job. franchise in Oakland noticed is that tour members (espe“I thought it was a good time to With the Bay Area’s economy imcially heterosexuals), are now opentake my skills and run a company proving, particularly the housing ly talking about it as before people and be my own boss,” she recalled. sector, Theresa Mitchell’s Handywere afraid and/or embarrassed to Since Gregory Clark had a conman Matters franchise is once do so,” said Amendola. “This alone tractor’s license, and Mitchell had again booming. Due to prices skyis very powerful as people recognize managerial experience, the trio rocketing around the region, more and seek the need for change as no opted to get into the handyman homeowners are opting to upgrade human should be ‘invisible’ and debusiness, with Penny serving as a sitheir properties rather than move to nied equal rights.” lent investor. Five years ago Gregory new digs.

In October Amendola is launchtook a job with the city of Berkeley, “When the economy went south, ing a brand new tour based on the leaving Mitchell to oversee the busithings were so tight and so difficult, newly installed Rainbow Honor ness herself with both siblings servso many of my competitors went Walk, a series of 20 plaques embeding as officers of the company. out of business,” said Mitchell, 54, ded in the Castro sidewalks that “Handyman work is considered who lives in Oakland with her wife, honor a diverse group of LGBT ina transient industry. The handymen Ginger Daughtry. “We were able to dividuals. come and they go,” said Mitchell, cut costs and work as a lean busi“This unique tour will focus solewhose seven-member crew curness. Now we are really busy.” ly on these incredible, sexually dirently is all male. “We are trying to Many people prefer to hire someverse men and women whom have maintain some stability in the marone else to do the dirty work than made a huge impact in human hisket.” take on a do-it-yourself project tory,” said Amendola, who serves on Handyman Matters touts the these days. the project’s board. fact that its craftspeople work with “They work all day and don’t have To book a tour, visit http://www. homeowners to “develop a work time, and if they do have time, this cruisinthecastro.com.t order with set hourly rates.” Rates is not what they want to do,” said range from $20 to $30 an hour deMitchell. “This is where we are a Got a tip on LGBT business pending on the job. great fit.” news? Call Matthew S. Bajko at “I estimate the cost of the proj(415) 861-5019 or e-mail m.bajko@ One of her biggest growth areas, ects and serve as project manager,” ebar.com. roughly 20 percent, in recent years has come from seniors who want Obituaries >> to age in their homes and need to make improvements to do so. The He was a charter member of the Carl Edward Heimann projects can range from replacCastro Lion’s Club, and was club April 11, 1947 – September 4, 2014 ing bathtubs with shower stalls big president in 1990, 2001, and 2002.

Carl was a life member of the Lions enough to accommodate a wheelCarl Edward in Sight, and received the Lion of the chair to modifying the toilet and Heimann, age 67, Year Award three times in his 20 years sink areas in bathrooms. died Thursday, of volunteering. He was also a mem“These are areas where when they September 4, 2014, ber of the San Francisco Democratic fall it is not good,” said Mitchell. in San Leandro.

Club.

In San Francisco, many of her Carl born in Carl loved to cook and garden and senior clients are looking for help Aviston, Illinois on was a generous man. navigating their homes.

April 11, 1947. He moved to San FranHe is preceded in death by his do“I know in San Francisco one cisco in 1971 after graduating with his mestic partner Hakan Nygren of San of the things we have done there is master’s degree in Indian studies. He Francisco. installed motorized stairs with the worked as an insurance agent for variHe is survived by his domestic partchairs inside and going up the front ous companies in the San Francisco ner Jerry Power of Richmond. steps because everything is stairs area. He lived for many years on Lily Carl, we’ll miss you, be at peace. there,” she said.

Street and was instrumental in the Lily Please submit memorials to the Castro Five years ago the franchise’s sales Street Easter Parade.

Lion’s Club in his honor.

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Community News>>

UCSF

September 11-17, 2014 • Bay Area Reporter • 9

jobs have been eliminated continue to work at the agency and will be leaving later this fall. Due to being part of the UCSF system, they are eligible to apply to transfer into other open positions at the campus.

Three are counselors and or social workers, while the other two are program coordinators who have been with the agency for more than a decade.

While none of the affected staffers contacted by the B.A.R. wanted to speak publicly about the matter, one did say they had found another job with the university.

Thoemmes acknowledged that the situation has impacted morale among the remaining employees.

“I will just say it is hard. It certainly is hard for clients and it is hard for the rest of staff. I think it is going to be a hard period,” she said. “I also feel we have really, really committed folks, including the staff who are going to have to leave. Everybody is doing an amazing job of putting the needs of the client first.”t

ing services at AHP since 2008, told the B.A.R. he learned about the staff cuts from employees at the agency.

“I was very disconcerted by the news, AHP provides such an important service to the LGBTQ community and I’m nervous about being impacted,” said Bie. “It seems as though AIDS service organizations across the board are bring impacted.

So far, I haven’t been notified that I will be impacted, knock on wood.”

Gay District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener, who has worked to secure $100,000 in the city’s general fund this fiscal year and last year that was awarded to AHP, told the B.A.R. he was unaware of the staff cuts at the agency until contacted by a reporter this week.

“I will be meeting with them soon to talk about how we can help them,” said Wiener. “This is a very important organization that provides critical services for our community going beyond HIV services,” he said. “They take a holistic approach to having a healthy community and we need to support

that. They have my support.”

from the downsizing is between $300,000 and $350,000, she said.

“We have been providing more service than we are funded for for a while. It works out just fine if you can do it,” said Thoemmes. “We are going to have to stay within our funding capabilities. We can only see clients we are funded to see.”

In a letter to the agency’s stakeholders, dated August 11, the agency pointed to a number of factors for the staffing reductions. A combination of cuts in its contracted funding, years of level funding in other contracts, and several funding streams the agency had applied for “that did not materialize,” led to the decision.

Thoemmes told the B.A.R. that the agency had hoped to qualify for a DPH contract worth $250,000 last fall to offer mental health services to severely ill lesbian and bisexual women on Medi-Cal. But the health department rescinded

the contract before it was awarded.

A separate request for proposals the agency expected the city to issue this spring did not happen. Yet AHP based its staffing levels on winning the cityfunded contracts, said Thoemmes.

“We decided to keep our staff as it was,” she said. “We decided to just keep everybody on and hope one of these funding opportunities came through.”

When neither did, the agency moved to cut its payroll.

“While these staff reductions are a huge loss to AHP and to the community, this decision was necessary to maintain our fiscal stability, now, and in the years to come,” stated the agency in its letter.

“We wanted to be able to clearly and consistently describe what is happening,” Thoemmes said when asked about the release of the letter. “If my therapist is leaving and I am an individual client, that is one person we want to help understand what is going on.”

Jesse Bie, 45, who has been access-

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charges gay men with debauchery, immorality or blasphemy when arrested.

Since the annexation of Crimea to Russia in the spring it’s reported that LGBTs have fled the region.

The Ukrainian Parliament is currently considering anti-workplace discrimination legislation as the government looks to become a part of the European Union, reported The Week.

Judge Luis Vergara Rafael Quintero of the Colombian State Council has agreed to review the law that applies to two members of the legislature who are in a romantic relationship.

The parties involved in the case are required to respond in writing and provide evidence for the allegations made in the claim, according to media reports.

Currently, under the Colombian Constitution members of Congress who are married, in a permanent union, or kinship aren’t allowed to

hold legislative seats at the same time.

Victor Velasquez, a member of Congress, filed the lawsuit seeking to remove Senator Claudia Lopez and Representative Angelica Lozano because they are in a relationship.

In the claim, Velasquez also alleges the lesbian couple knowingly continued to campaign, in spite of being in a relationship and being informed of the law.

Velasquez, who states he’s not homophobic and that the lawsuit has nothing to do with the women’s sexual orientation, claims the two women are living together.

Lopez and Lozano are a wellknown Colombian lesbian power couple who were elected March 9.

The two women, who are members of the Alianza Verde Party (translated Green Alliance), aren’t in a civil union or married, Lozano told the media. They aren’t even living together.

Lozano doesn’t believe the rule applies to them since their relationship is outside of the law’s requirements as they are “dating but not living together,” Lozano told El Heraldo.

In spite of what Velasquez said, she views the case as an attack on them and the LGBT community.

She told reporters that she’s “confident that the Council of State will refuse to hear the case,” reported La Prensasa.

The lawsuit was filed the same day that a lesbian couple who are members of President Juan Manuel Santos’s cabinet came out and Colombia’s constitutional court ruled in favor of a lesbian couple to have a second parent adoption of their child.t

who has often been critical of HRC. In email correspondence, she added, “I think the greatest sense of betrayal felt by the trans community about HRC revolves around the organization’s advocacy in the past of legislation that didn’t include gender identity and expression protections. Griffin not only pledged that the organization would only support fully-inclusive legislation, but also announced an effort to pass an omnibus bill that would include protections not only for LGBT people in employment, but also in housing, health care, credit, public accommodations, federal funding, and education. I believe that’s important, particularly because it challenges the notion that the piecemeal approach to LGBT rights we’ve seen thus far at the federal level is the only way to go.”

Transgender activist, blogger, and columnist Autumn Sandeen of San Diego also voiced praise for HRC’s bridge-building gesture.

“Chad Griffin apologizing to trans people, identifying a path to change the relationship between the HRC and trans community, and then asking to hold the HRC and him to account is important,” she said in an email. “That he made the apology where one of the HRC’s most significant breakings of faith toward trans community began as well signals a real sincerity. I’m hopeful – I’m optimistic – that Chad Griffin and the HRC will make good on this Southern Comfort conference delivered promise to trans community.”

Some local trans leaders said the apology was “overdue.”

Masen Davis, executive director of the Oakland-based Transgender Law Center, said in a phone interview that he was “very impressed

by the content and what seemed to be the spirit behind the speech at Southern Comfort,” even though “it was in many ways long overdue to approach the transgender community and apologize for what happened in 2007.”

“While that debacle did not happen on Chad’s leadership, I thought it was an important step forward to acknowledge it and pledge to work differently with the transgender community,” Davis added.

With respect to ENDA, Davis said TLC is supportive of “any effort to secure strong [employment] non-discrimination protections for LGBT people at the federal level” provided that the protections “are strong and that they stand the test of time and protect all members of our community, including those who work for religious institutions.”

He also voiced support for Griffin’s call for an omnibus, federal LGBT civil rights measure.

“I am a big believer that we have an important responsibility to ensure that our communities get the protections that they need,” Davis said. “Obviously, employment is so critical, but employment is just one of the many areas that we need to make sure our people are protected.”

Davis cited other areas, including housing discrimination, health care discrimination and discrimination in credit.

“All areas of life where LGBT people run into challenges and to the extent that the federal government has any jurisdiction,” he said.

Davis acknowledged that it will likely take time before a broader LGBT civil rights law is passed in Congress.

“It may take time for that to be crafted and get the champions we need for its passage,” Davis said.

“But it wasn’t that long ago that people were concerned that marriage would not get the support it needed, and here we are with a slew of marriage victories. I think we need to set high standards for ourselves and our community and start putting forward the kinds of legal support we need and deserve.”

Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said Griffin’s speech was “an important moment in HRC’s relationship with the transgender community.”

“It took guts for Chad to acknowledge that HRC has made some past mistakes without attempting to gloss over the pain and mistrust those mistakes have caused,” Minter said in an email. “I give him huge credit for stepping up and taking that on, even though he was not at the helm when those mistakes were made. That shows true leadership and foresight. I think his remarks were heartfelt and that he is genuinely committed to including transgender people in HRC’s work, which is essential if we are to continue to make progress.”

Looking beyond Griffin’s Southern Comfort speech, Minter said that “the biggest challenge for HRC and all of the national organizations in doing effective advocacy for transgender people is to find ways to stay in touch with what is happening on the ground and to support local transgender activism and leaders, especially transgender leaders of color who far too often are passed over when it comes to funding, visibility, and credit.”

In his remarks, Griffin mentioned the leadership of Davis and Minter, among others, as an “inspiration” to the LGBT movement and “to me personally,” he said.t

From page 1

Out in the World

From page 7

searching for two other men, reported the Euro News.

The men face charges of “inciting debauchery” and “spreading images that violate public decency,” according to the media outlet.

In addition to arrests, the prosecutor ordered the coroner to “carry out physical examinations,” reported the media outlet.

In a statement, police said the images of the two men’s wedding ceremony aboard a Nile riverboat would “anger God,” and called the celebration “a devilish shameless party.” Officials called photos of the wedding “humiliating” and “regrettable.”

The wedding reportedly took place in April, but the video of it wasn’t posted until last month and began to spread on social media.

Same-sex marriage isn’t legal in the Muslim country, which often

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HRC

From page 1

word speech on the organization’s blog (http://www.hrc.org/blog/ entry/speaking-at-southern-comfort-2014).

A healing speech

HRC has long had a fraught relationship with the transgender community. Some progress was made by former leader Elizabeth Birch, when in 2003 the organization added the “T” to its goals and ostensibly included the entire LGBT community. But HRC has regularly been criticized for not reaching out to trans groups and not having many trans people on its board. Currently HRC has at least one trans-identified board member, Meghan Stabler of Dallas.

In addressing Southern Comfort, Griffin aimed to heal the most recent rift between HRC and the transgender community, which dates back to 2007. That year Joe Solmonese, then HRC president, told Southern Comfort attendees that the organization would advocate federal employment protections, fully inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity.

But when former Representative Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts) said that ENDA with gender identity provisions would not pass in Congress, HRC followed his lead and supported a measure inclusive only of protections for sexual orientation. Many transgender people felt betrayed by HRC’s backing of Frank, and a deep, if not bitter, divide ensued.

Locally, trans leaders attended what they described as an “angry and tense” meeting in January 2008 when Solmonese came to San Francisco to meet with them in an effort to mend fences.

Crimea vows LGBT crackdown

Crimean leader Sergei Aksyonov, who took over when the eastern European nation split off of Ukraine to join Russia in March, has vowed to implement Russian anti-gay laws in Crimea.

“We don’t need such people in Crimea, and they will never hold public events,” Aksyonov said during a government meeting September 2, vowing that police and self-defense forces will quickly shut down pro-gay rallies, reported Interfax.

In April, authorities shut down a Pride event in the Crimean town of Sevastopol, reported Gay Star News.

After it won its independence in 1991, Ukraine was the first Eastern bloc nation to decriminalize homosexuality.

More recently, while ENDA passed the Senate on November 7, 2013 by a 64-32 vote, marking the first time that legislative body approved federal civil rights legislation banning anti-LGBT employment bias, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has said repeatedly that he would not bring ENDA to a vote, claiming the legislation is unnecessary and would lead to frivolous litigation.

Meanwhile, a growing number of national and statewide LGBT organizations, including the Transgender Law Center and National Center for Lesbian Rights, have come out against the proposed ENDA, saying that while it bans workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, the federal law also would allow religious organizations to discriminate against LGBTs even in non-ministerial or pastoral capacities.

Currently, 21 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have laws barring workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation, with 17 states and D.C. also barring discrimination based on gender identity.

Transgender activists, leadership pleased

Transgender activists and organizational leaders said they are heartened by Griffin and HRC’s reconciliatory outreach. Those who spoke with the Bay Area Reporter were not at the conference, but all were aware of Griffin’s remarks.

“I believe Griffin’s speech may well prove a milestone in the relationship between HRC and the trans community, if the organization follows through on its promises,” said North Brunswick, New Jersey-based Rebecca Juro, a transgender woman, freelance journalist, and radio talk show host,

Colombian council to review law

Need for mental health services

Since the closure of New Leaf: Services for Our Community in 2010, access to city-funded culturally competent mental health services for the city’s LGBT residents has been an issue. AHP and LyonMartin Health Services, which welcomed New Leaf ’s low-income clients to their agencies, have struggled over the ensuing years to properly fund their counseling programs.

“Since New Leaf has gone we haven’t had ... there are unmet needs for LGBTQ folks with mental health and substance use issues,” said Thoemmes. “I think we do a great job of that. But as a lesbian in the community, I think we would all benefit if the city had a thoughtful plan for how the kind of culturally competent services that are needed are being provided to queer folks.

That hole has never been filled.”

Most of the AHP staffers whose

Got international LGBT news tips? Call or send them to Heather Cassell at 00+1-415-2213541, Skype: heather.cassell, or oitwnews@gmail.com.

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

10 • Bay Area Reporter • September 11-17, 2014

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Marriage bans

From page 1

expectation of the child’s ‘bonding right,’” a phrase he repeated frequently. Stewart insisted children should be raised in homes with a mother and a father.

Judge Marsha Berzon told Stewart he had to “demonstrate why” same-sex relationships “interfere” with the types of unions he regards as “optimum.”

“Heterosexual men and women aren’t going to enter into same-sex marriages, so what’s the issue?” Berzon said.

Stewart said the “only way” a same-sex couple can be married “is for the state to withdraw its support” for heterosexual couples and institute what he repeatedly referred to as “genderless marriage.” But Berzon asked, “What is the actual difference?” between the two relationships.

Allowing same-sex marriages would send the message that fathers (and mothers) aren’t “valued or necessary” in all relationships, and Idaho was making the “sensible prediction” that men “will weaken in their commitment to abide by the child’s bonding norm” if the state permitted marriage equality, Stewart said. He also said there would be an increase in “fatherlessness.”

Berzon suggested Stewart’s ideas of the model family amounted to sex discrimination, which he denied. For example, she said, “You can’t not hire mothers because the mother should be home with the kids,” and she added, “prescriptive gender roles” have been “unraveling.”

She also asked whether children of same-sex couples “could be worse off ” because of their families being denied many state and federal benefits.

Judge Stephen Reinhardt also expressed strong doubts about Stewart’s arguments, asking him about prohibiting divorce, since that does “more damage to the ideal you profess.”

Stewart said, “Idaho has learned a hard lesson from” its “no-fault” divorce rules, but if marriage equality is allowed, “We think the effects will be much more severe.”

In the Nevada case Berzon told Stewart, “The whole point of your rhetoric” is that same-sex couples are “second-rate families.” Stewart disagreed, but Berzon asked whether his “entire argument” was “to send a message to people they should be in these heterosexual marriages and not otherwise?”

Stewart said that the “message” of the “stable, committed relationship known as marriage” is “not the message of genderless marriage.”

Reinhardt indicated if the concern was a lack of stability and commitment among same-sex couples, then Nevada should allow them to marry.

Judge Ronald Gould, who appeared via a video feed from Seattle, didn’t have many questions for attorneys Monday, but he was curious where Stewart had gotten his oftrepeated saying.

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Bandidos

From page 3

She added, “I had nothing to do with” the restaurant’s or cocktail names – “I was hired to design the menu and that is all.”

Lauren said she’s “no longer working at Bandidos, nor can I be found there on a regular basis.”

She said she wishes the restaurant “nothing but success in the future moving forward, and I hope that Dana and Jesse can make it through this storm unscathed.”

Woodward said, “We’ve had the name for a year,” but the first time he’d heard complaints about it was when people started discussing it recently.

Gomez thought many people were just now complaining about the name

“Where does the phrase ‘bonding right’ get its derivation?” Gould asked. “... I don’t think it’s in the Constitution’s Bill of Rights.”

Stewart said it was just “a good shorthand phrase.”

The Idaho case, Latta v. Otter, stems from a lawsuit filed in November 2013 by four same-sex couples challenging the state’s laws prohibiting same-sex marriage. In May, Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Candy W. Dale ordered the state of Idaho to allow same-sex couples to marry and to recognize the marriages of couples who married in other states.

Idaho Governor Butch Otto then appealed to the 9th Circuit. The couples are represented by attorneys Deborah Ferguson and Craig Durham and the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

Pro-LGBT attorneys critical

In court, Ferguson, who argued against Idaho’s ban, also questioned Stewart’s claims of being concerned for children. Ferguson said that there wasn’t any point in the history of the legislation banning marriage equality where the “for the children” argument had been raised, and it was a “post-hoc argument” that had been added for the litigation fight.

Stewart wasn’t able to produce any evidence to the contrary.

“Idaho has the most sweeping and draconian same-sex marriage ban in the 9th Circuit,” Ferguson said, adding the state doesn’t even allow same-sex domestic partnerships for the sole purpose of treating couples “unequally” and relegating them “to a second-class status.”

Idaho’s ban tells the children of same-sex couples their parents’ unions “aren’t worthy of respect,” she said. She also said Stewart’s “fear” that allowing same-sex marriages would “be the fall of the institution of marriage” hasn’t been the reality of the 19 states and the District of Columbia where such unions are legal.

Ferguson added there must be a “heightened level of scrutiny,” invoking the 9th Circuit’s January ruling in GlaxoSmithKline v. Abbott Laboratories. In that case, where judges ruled that LGBTs couldn’t be excluded from federal juries based solely on their orientation or gender identity, the panelists said that heightened scrutiny must be applied in such cases involving discrimination.

After the court announced that ruling earlier this year, Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto dropped her defense of the state’s marriage ban, and Governor Brian Sandoval has also abandoned it. The anti-gay group Coalition for the Protection of Marriage is intervening in support of the ban.

Tara Borelli, senior attorney for the national Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, said Nevada’s anti-gay law sends the message that families headed by same-sex couples are “inferior.”

Borelli said the “only effect” of the anti-gay law “is on same-sex couples. It has no effect on different-sex couples,” and it’s “wholly illogical to because “I don’t think a lot of people knew anything about the name of the restaurant until it opened. ... How would I know? I wouldn’t know.”

She also said a meeting was planned with Bandidos’ owners but she said another person who was planning on attending felt that “in good faith we shouldn’t really talk right now while we’re doing these negotiations.” She declined to say what it is she wants.

Despite posting several comments to Facebook about the restaurant, Gomez said, “I’m not really the right person to get this information from, so I can’t really say anything more about it until we talk to Dana and Jesse.”

It doesn’t appear the concerns from what Woodward described as “a very

believe” that gay and lesbian couples marrying would impact other couples, she said.

Supreme Court future

Whatever the 9th Circuit panel decides, the issue of marriage equality is widely expected to be taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court, perhaps as early as the next term, which starts in October. In June 2013, the court struck down a key section of the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibited federal recognition of same-sex marriage, and essentially killed California’s Proposition 8 same-sex marriage ban on a technicality. However, the court didn’t make any decision on whether same-sex couples should be allowed to marry in every state.

At one point Monday, Stewart brought up Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy’s stance in a different lawsuit. Kennedy has frequently been the court’s swing vote.

Reinhardt told him, “I think you’re going to have an opportunity to find out what Justice Kennedy really thinks,” eliciting laughter from the packed courtroom.

Stewart replied, “We all know this is going to be decided one step up.”

“And we all know by whom,” Reinhardt said.

Outside the Seventh Street courthouse, Lori and Sharene Watsen, of Boise, Idaho, were among the plaintiff couples who gathered after the hearing. The couple married in New York in 2011.

Lori Watsen, 40, said, “I think we have a very strong case.” She added, “People understand more and more that family is family and love is love,” and “I think the important thing for children is to have parents who love each other ... and who do what’s best for their child.” She and Sharene Watsen, 34, have a 15-month-old son.

Susan Latta, of Boise, who married Traci Ehlers in California in 2008, said that while listening to the arguments, “I was thinking, ‘We’re people, too. We’re people just as valid as every other couple,” and she feels “very positive” about their chances.

Hawaii case

The Hawaii case, Jackson v. Abercrombie, stems from same-sex couples suing for the right to marry.

The state has enacted a marriage equality law, and pro-LGBT attorneys are asking for the couples’ lawsuit to be dismissed. However, the anti-gay group Hawaii Family Forum is fighting the attempt.

All three judges have ruled favorably in recent 9th Circuit cases involving LGBT rights. Reinhardt wrote the majority opinion in the aforementioned SmithKline v. Abbott and was joined by Berzon.

Reinhardt also wrote the majority opinion in Hollingsworth v. Perry, ruling that California’s Proposition 8 was unconstitutional. Gould wrote the majority opinion in Witt v. Department of the Air Force, which ruled that the discharge of a lesbian from the military because of her relationship with another woman was unconstitutional.t

small group of people” have hurt sales. Business has been “great,” he said. Customers haven’t complained.

Gomez said she lives in the neighborhood and was “frustrated” because “I would have loved to try their menu.”

As for whether she’d ever said anything in her comedy act that could be construed as negative toward Latinos or others, Gomez said, “That’s a different discussion” and she and others were focused on Bandidos and other matters.

As the Bay Area Reporter wrote in a July Business Briefs column about the restaurant, Woodward and Gleim are also two of the partners behind the gay sports bar Hi Tops, across the street from Bandidos. Gleim didn’t respond to interview requests.t

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Legal Notices>> FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035917000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NEW HIVE DESIGNS, 642 WOODMONT ST, BERKELEY, CA 94708.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DANIEL PATRICK BENNETT. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/30/14.

AUG 21, 28, SEPT 04, 11, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035956800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KIKI THREADS, 1901-B 18TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed YAILIN MONTIEL. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/23/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/23/14.

AUG 21, 28, SEPT 04, 11, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036001300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TR CONCEPTS & CONSULTING, 444 WOODROW AVE, VALLEJO, CA 94591. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TRACY ROGERS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/18/14.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/18/14.

AUG 21, 28, SEPT 04, 11, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035978200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: APPLIED PERFORMANCE SOLUTIONS, INC, 1072 14TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed APPLIED PERFORMANCE SOLUTIONS, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/20/08. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/04/14.

AUG 21, 28, SEPT 04, 11, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036002000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AGESONG AT UNIVERSITY, 350 UNIVERSITY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed AGESONG GENESIS, LLC (CA).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/18/14.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/18/14.

AUG 21, 28, SEPT 04, 11, 2014 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-14550528

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-14550500

In the matter of the application of: JOHN MARK ROLDAN RODRIQUEZ, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner JOHN MARK ROLDAN RODRIQUEZ, is requesting that the name JOHN MARK ROLDAN RODRIQUEZ aka JOHN MARK RODRIQUEZ aka JOHN RODRIQUEZ aka JOHN MARK RODRIGUEZ, be changed to BEN SALVADOR TREVINO. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 514 on the 21st of October 2014 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

AUG 21, 28, SEPT 04, 11, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035973500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BEST CLEANERS, 1699 UNION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed FENG YONG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/31/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/31/14.

AUG 28, SEPT 04, 11, 18, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036015300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SHELFLIFE RECORDS, 672 TERESITA BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MATTHEW BICE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/25/14.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/25/14.

AUG 28, SEPT 04, 11, 18, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036010400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NINE57 DESIGN, 957 HAYES ST #1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117.

This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed RICHARD LOUIS FITCH & ALEXANDER BUSTOS GARCIA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/20/14.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/21/14.

AUG 28, SEPT 04, 11, 18, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035985400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: VIRTUAL WIDE VISION, 564 GROVE ST #564, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed KEVORKOV ARTEM & YEFREMOV ALEXEY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/02/14.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/08/14.

AUG 28, SEPT 04, 11, 18, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035998500

In the matter of the application of: PETER MCDONAGH, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner PETER MCDONAGH, is requesting that the name ANGELICA MARIA COCA PEREZ be changed to ANGELICA MARIA MCDONAGH. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514 on the 23rd of October 2014 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WINGSPAN INSURANCE SOLUTIONS, LLC, 111 PINE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111.

This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed WINGSPAN INSURANCE GROUP, LLC (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/03/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/14/14.

AUG 28, SEPT 04, 11, 18, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035987300

AUG 28, SEPT 04, 11, 18, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035998600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DOMINANT ATHLETIX, 2755 25TH AVE, OAKLAND, CA 94601. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CAREY RYAN ROCKLAND. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/01/14.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/08/14.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MOTIVE; MOTIVE CYCLING; MOTIVE GOODS, 522 ASHBURY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CHRISTOPHER PREST. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/14/14.

AUG 28, SEPT 04, 11, 18, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036006500

SEPT 04, 11, 18, 25, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035011800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SASHA PRESS, 105 HANCOCK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SALLY SWOPE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/19/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/19/14.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: README RESEARCH, 135 VALENCIA ST., A103, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MICHELLE LAI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/17/2014.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/22/14.

AUG 28, SEPT 04, 11, 18, 2014

SEPT 04, 11, 18, 25, 2014

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Legal Notices>> FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036020900

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035996500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FREE HEART COUNSELING, 3516 GEARY BLVD #102, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LEAH ANN COCHRANE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/13/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/13/14.

SEPT 04, 11, 18, 25, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036025400

SEPT 11, 18, 25, OCT 02, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036017700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SAN FRANCISCO BEVERAGES, 295 TERRY FRANCOIS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94158.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOHN VANLOO VALEER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/01/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/02/14.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NEXTREX, 3099 MARKET ST #4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed PHILIP DOBBS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/27/14.

SEPT 04, 11, 18, 25, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036017200

SEPT 11, 18, 25, OCT 02, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036017600

SEPT 04, 11, 18, 25, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036024400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JACKALOPE, 1042 POST ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed REAL DRINKS INC. (CA).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/02/14.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/02/14.

SEPT 04, 11, 18, 25, 2014 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-14550562 In the matter of the application of: JACOB PHILIP LAFLAMME by and through his parents Michael S. Laflamme & Constance G. Laflamme, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner JACOB PHILIP LAFLAMME by and through his parents Michael S. Laflamme & Constance G. Laflamme, is requesting that the name JACOB PHILIP LAFLAMME, be changed to JACOB MCENTEE LAFLAMME. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 514 on the 13th of November 2014 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

SEPT 11, 18, 25, OCT 02, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036025500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MELISSA YU ACUPUNCTURE AND HERBAL MEDICINE, 3400 CALIFORNIA ST #100, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MELISSA YU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/01/14.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/03/14.

SEPT 11, 18, 25, OCT 02, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036029200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MAXIMUS PRODUCTIONS, 24 BONVIEW ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MAX STEIN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/05/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/05/14.

SEPT 11, 18, 25, OCT 02, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036026400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NEW FRENCH NAILS, 425 BATTERY ST #D, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SON P. QUANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/03/14.

SEPT 11, 18, 25, OCT 02, 2014

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The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KAISHIN ED AND CULT CONSULTING, 1791 8TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MANAMI TANAKA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/07/97. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/28/14.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SCHEMATIC MEDIA, 2120 24TH ST, #5, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DOUGLAS WEIHNACHT. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/2011.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/26/14.

September 11-17, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 11

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The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NARA, 518 HAIGHT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SUNHEE NARA CORPORATION (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/27/14.

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The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/03/14.

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SEPT 11, 18, 25, OCT 02, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036026300

SEPT 11, 18, 25, OCT 02, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035997200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CAPRICORN FRAMING, 912 COLE ST #362, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a limited liability company and is signed CAPRICORN FRAMING LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/06/14.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/14/14.

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SEPT 11, 18, 25, OCT 02, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036025600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CALIFORNIA HOLISTIC HEALTH ACADEMY & CALIFORNIAN MASSAGE, 1849 UNION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed PARADISE HEALTH RESORTS INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/03/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/03/14.

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SEPT 11, 18, 25, OCT 02, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036030900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BAY EQUITY HOME LOANS THE PURCHASE LENDER GROUP, 100 CALIFORNIA ST #1100, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed BAY EQUITY LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/01/2009. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/08/14.

SEPT 11, 18, 25, OCT 02, 2014 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-033402800 The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: CAPRICORN FRAMING, 1335 DIVISADERO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business was conducted by a general partnership and signed by LLOYD D. HADDAD & WAYNE D. HAND. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/09/2011.

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Vol. 44 • No. 37 • September 11-17, 2014

www.ebar.com/arts

by Philip Campbell

T

he San Francisco Opera’s 92nd season opened last Friday in typically grand fashion with a new production of Vincenzo Bellini’s bel canto masterpiece Norma.

The striking and unfussy staging by director Kevin Newbury is handsomely designed

by David Korins, with attractive costumes by Jessica Jahn and appropriate lighting by D.M. Wood, who both make strong SFO debuts. But regardless of the impressive physical look of the opera and, on this occasion, the sheer fabulosity of the before and after parties on opening night, Bellini’s bel canto literally means “beautiful singing,” and it is ultimately up to the divas onstage to deliver the goods.

Legendary tenor Enrico Caruso is reported to have said that a successful performance of Verdi’s Il Trovatore only needs the four greatest singers in the world. One might say of Norma that a really satisfying presentation only takes three – and maybe just two, if the soprano

Sondra Radvanovsky (Norma) in San Francisco Opera’s Norma.

singing the title role and the mezzo playing her rival are strong enough to cover for a weak tenor. Expectations have run high for the appearance of Illinois soprano Sondra Radvanovsky as the tortured Druid priestess torn by forbidden love for the Roman proconsul Pollione and the two children he has sired with her; and by her blind fury with Druid novice Adalgisa, who has unwittingly stolen his love.

Sound confusing? It is actually nowhere near as messy or bizarre as Il Trovatore, and really it’s just a plain and simple excuse for long meditative arias, tricky cabalettas and duets that run the gamut of human emotions. There are also some stately choruses and remarkable stretches of fine orchestral writing in the score.

The former are sung with somber authority by Ian Robertson’s sonorous SFO choir, and the latter are elegantly if somewhat ponderously conducted by Music Director Nicola Luisotti.

So Radvanovsky has been provided good support from the very get-go, and for most of the long evening she flourished as anticiSee page 17 >>

Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera

by David Lamble

T

his week a terrific, revealing home movie, shot in one of the most pristine slices of nature, opens. Tom Dolby, scion of the fabled Dolby Sound clan, along with his college chum and co-director Tom Williams, offers a quirky family drama, Last Weekend.

Anxious matriarch Celia Green (crackling good Patricia Clarkson) has decided that it’s time to ring down the curtain on her tribe’s tradition of marking the end of summer at their sprawling Lake Tahoe estate. This weekend her adult gay son Theo (Keep the Lights On co-star Zachary Booth) has brought along his latest trick, Luke (one-time ACT student Devon Graye), and the perky one-nightstand has his own ideas about how the script will play out. This sharply observed portrait of an upper-income West Coast family is en-

livened by a resourceful ensemble, including Joseph Cross, known for his high-wire comic turn in the film version of Augusten Burroughs’ Running with Scissors.

The fun begins as Celia welcomes Theo home for the holiday. This acerbic, heavydrinking kid, just turned 30, is more like his mom than either of them is comfortable admitting. Theo is accompanied by a young man of humble origins who turns out to be a lot more formidable a bed-partner than any of his recent bar conquests.

“You have to meet Luke.”

“He’s the boyfriend?”

“No, he’s not my boyfriend!”

“Okay, just lover?”

“Hi, I’m Luke.”

“I suppose I could say I’ve heard so much about you, except I can’t, because Theo never tells his parents anything.”

“I’ve been busy!”

See page 23 >>

Directors Tom Williams and Tom Dolby behind the scenes of their film Last Weekend.

Courtesy of Susanne Filkins/Sundance Selects

{ SECOND OF THREE SECTIONS }

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<< Out There

14 • Bay Area Reporter • September 11-17, 2014

And we’re off in the new season!

by Roberto Friedman

T

he fall arts season got off to a rip-roaring start last week. The San Francisco Symphony opening-night gala last Wednesday night celebrated the 20th season of music director Michael Tilson Thomas’ tenure with the orchestra. It was a characteristically eclectic affair, with zestful energy (pianist Yuja Wang delivering Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue), envelope-pushing (singer Bonnie Raitt putting across songs from the American Songbook) and giants of the Russian classics (Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev). And it was a hell of a lot of fun, from the press reception in the Green Room to the glamorous after-party in the tent pavilion and out onto Grove Street.

Tilson Thomas and San Francisco seem such a natural fit together. Early in Out There’s career, we participated in a journalists’ round-table interview with him, and afterward, we went up to him to express our appreciation. It was not unlike the episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show in which Mary gets to meet her idol Walter Cronkite during his visit to her Minneapolis TV newsroom. She worries about what she’s going to say, she wears herself out about it, and when the moment finally arrives, she curtsies and says, “Welcome to our fair city!”

Yes, Mary blew her big moment.

So what did we finally say when we were up-close and personal with

MTT and were robustly shaking his hand? We said, “Thank you for everything you’re doing for the musical life of our city!” Immediately we felt like the biggest dunce. But MTT kept our hand clasped between his two big, soft hands, perhaps longer than a straight man would, and sweetly replied, “We’re all doing it together!”

This was so gracious and generous a response – and true, to boot – that it immediately dispelled our selfconsciousness, and we remember the moment fondly today.

We feel that he showed the sign of a true artist and a true mensch – it didn’t have to all be about him.

The SFS season opening had a lot to do with our fair city’s enchantment with the maestro and his 20 years here so far, but it also had to do with the spectacular energies of the orchestra, and of the guest stars, and finally of the audience. Outside the Symphony Hall at the afterparty, a flash mob of pretty young things who had infiltrated the affair by dressing up as waiters and busboys performed a couple of numbers in high style. It was a tribute of sorts to the beloved SF Symphony, its patrons and fans.

The SFS opener was a warm-up of sorts for the San Francisco Opera opening gala two nights later. This was more of an endurance test, as it involved pre-parties with the Bravo Club in the Opera House’s Loggia and with the San Francisco Opera Guild at City Hall, a welcoming re-

t

Riccardo Benavides on the elegance of his design, including two lions with wings guarding the grand staircase. It was both pagan and classical at the same time.

The night between the big socialite openings was a First Thursday brimming with gallery openings for the start of the season. Out of many possibilities we chose to check out the James Havard show at the new San Francisco Gallery in Jackson Square.

Gallerists Mary Mill and Verne Stanford previously showcased midcareer artists in Santa Fe, and that Southwestern aesthetic shines through in the work of abstract figurist Havard, most worth seeing.

(Through Sept. 27, 441 Jackson St.) See you around town this season!

Cockette night

Courtesy SFS

San Francisco Symphony music director Michael Tilson Thomas begins his 20th season in Davies Symphony Hall.

ception in the press room, the opera itself – Bellini’s bel canto masterwork Norma, clocking in at just under three hours – and then afterparties at Jardiniere and back at City Hall. We found ourselves mingling with the kind of society ladies in ball gowns whom author Lucinda Franks in her new memoir calls “living lollipops.”

At least this year we managed not to step on the train of opening weekend grand sponsor Diane B. Wilsey’s gown. That happened one year, but it wasn’t on purpose, we promise.

The Rotunda at City Hall had been transformed into an enchanting setting for Opera Ball 2014.

We congratulated event stylist J.

The Friday Nights at the de Young series will offer A Tribute to the Cockettes on Sept. 19, 6 p.m., at the museum, in conjunction with the current exhibit Anthony Friedkin: The Gay Essay. The connection is that Friedkin documented the theater troupe in a series of photographs on view in the exhibition.

The Cockettes documentary director David Weissman promises, “It will be fun! Along with performances by Scrumbly Koldewyn and the Thrillpeddlers doing some Cockette classics, I’ll be giving a little talk and presenting a rare big-screen presentation of the 1971 Cockette film Tricia’s Wedding.” Friday Nights at the de Young public programs are free of charge, but tickets are required to view permanent collection galleries and the special exhibitions.t

Broken hearts club

by Richard Dodds

T

hree sisters live in a hermetic world, their memories replaying a happier time in another place. But it’s not hazy recollections of Moscow, if Chekhov comes to mind, rather it’s one night at the New Electric Ballroom that has obsessed these women for decades. While in Chekhov’s Three Sisters the siblings could, if not for self-renewing inertia, make their ways back to Moscow, the women of Enda Walsh’s The New Electric Ballroom don’t dream of returning to the

eponymous location. It is that one night at the dance emporium that they have on auto-replay that controls their wearied lives more Beckett-like than Chekhovian.

Walsh is one of the newer of the acclaimed talents emerging from that wonderland of writers, Ireland, and his star took on sudden ascendency when he wrote the book for Once that won him a Tony Award and helped turn the musical into a Broadway hit. But don’t go looking for lyrical romance in The New Electric Ballroom, a jagged and often

obtuse play having its area premiere at Shotgun Players.

This is a hard play to grab hold of, at least in Barbara Damashek’s production. The veteran Bay Area performers lay on Irish accents with a thickness that doesn’t become clearer even after the usual period of acclimation. And Damashek’s staging is also distancing with its stylized and often frieze-like posturing when a more naturalistic approach could benefit Walsh’s already schematic dialogue. The distinctive mood that is achieved is, perhaps

intentionally, empathy-challenging.

The two older sisters living on an Irish island have a ritual that they enlist their young sister to help reenact. Decades ago, when they were blossoming young women, Clara and Breda headed to the New Electric Ballroom filled with the glittering promises of romance. But the evening left both women not only broken-hearted but also fundamentally broken. Their humiliation, at least in their own minds, has been amplified by scandalous gossip. They have been “branded, marked, and scarred by words,” the dominant sister Breda avers in one of the near-monologues that often supplant dialogue.

Whatever the shortcomings of the play and its production, the performers fiercely inhabit their roles.

Anne Darragh is a force to be feared as Breda, who early on bitterly declares, “The womb is a more desirable place than this created world.”

Trish Mulholland is winsomely childlike as Clara, always hoping for a cup of tea that never comes. As Ada, the youngest sister who missed

that fateful night at the Electric Ballroom, Beth Wilmurt is touchingly at sea as she enables her sisters’ need to make their painful memories somehow bearable through reenactment. Kevin Clarke is fine as a crude fishmonger who regularly bursts through the door and briefly seems to offer Ada an escape from her sisters’ prison. But, he concludes, “I’m too scared to face the world with only love as a map.”

Walsh is skilled at offering up nuggets of existential wisdom.

When these nuggets aren’t lifedisaffirming, they just forever circle back on themselves like the sisters’ lives. “By their nature people are talkers,” is a recurring mantra. “You can’t deny that. You could, but you’d be affirming what you’re trying to argue against, and what would be the point of that?” What is the point? That is the question.t The New Electric Ballroom will run through Oct. 5 at the Ashby Stage. Tickets are $20-$30. Call (510) 841-6500 or go to shotgunplayers.org.

Pak Han

Trish Mulholland and Anne Darragh play sisters trying to make a fishmonger (Kevin Clarke) more desirable in Shotgun Players’ The New Electric Ballroom.

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Theatre>>

September 11-17, 2014 • Bay Area Reporter • 15

Welcome to Seth Rudetsky’s living room

by Richard Dodds

S

eth Rudetsky is an ad for A.D.D. – not for its treatments, but for how to make showbiz lemonade from attention deficit disorder. He writes novels, he hosts a radio show, he conducts orchestras, he acts on stage, he plays piano for stars, he creates musicals, he makes copious YouTube videos, and he tours in his own nightclub act. It is that last category that is bringing Rudetsky to Feinstein’s at the Nikko on Sept. 13-14 to perform Seth’s Big Fat Broadway.

“It’s sort of like being in my living room,” Rudetsky says of the show, which in fact incubated in Rudetsky’s living room. He’d invite friends over to watch his collection of embarrassing video clips, like the Osmonds doing a medley from Fiddler on the Roof, Cher playing the entire cast of West Side Story, or Ann B. Davis’ character Alice singing “Shake Your Booty” on The Brady Bunch Variety Hour. “My friends loved it so much,” Rudetsky said, “so I started thinking I should put all that into a comedy show.”

The video clips, about 10 of them, come in the second half of the show.

The first half has 50 audio clips that can be instructional, funny, and usually both. “It’s really a lecture

show about Broadway, but it’s done as a comedy show so people don’t realize when they leave that they’ve been educated,” Rudetsky said. “You don’t need to know anything about Broadway to love it.”

Rudetsky has a large YouTube following for his “deconstructions” of Broadway performances in which he talks about, for example, how a singer might insert idiosyncrasies into her (it’s usually a her) delivery – brief moments that might bypass a casual listener, but that fascinate Rudetsky. These videos, recorded by himself in his apartment, tend to be more instructional than comic, but Rudetsky’s show-queen glee in sharing these tidbits usually makes them funny anyway.

Rudetsky is definitely a fast talker, in the literal rather than pejorative sense of the word. Perhaps it stems from his A.D.D., to which he makes frequent references. It seems he can’t wait to get to the next sentence. The condition may now work for him, which hasn’t always been the case. High school in Long Island was a nightmare for Rudetsky, even though he was always performing in something. “I was able to be in chorus and chorale and special chorus and orchestra and band as well as theater,” he said. Ironically for a the-

Broadway maven Seth Rudetsky will share comic audio and video clips as well as his storehouse of musical theater trivia in Seth’s Big Fat Broadway at Feinstein’s at the Nikko on Sept. 13-14.

ater-based entertainer, he had the hardest time in the theater program.

“I was definitely victimized in regular school, and theater and music saved me from all of that,” he said. “Because I had a lot of talent in a lot of ways, I was sort of acting out on the bullying by being very snobby. But instead of sitting down and talking to me, the theater teacher decided to punish me by not casting me in shows and failing me

at theater. He was horrible, telling me I would never make it in theater.

He was such a dick, but I did make it in theater no matter what he fucking told me.”

Early in his professional career, Rudetsky was a popular substitute in the Broadway orchestra pit when a regular pianist had to skip a performance. On some weeks he could be heard playing for five different musicals, which suited his personal-

ity just fine. He went on to become a comedy writer on Rosie O’Donnell’s talk show (“It was really difficult for me to be there eight hours a day”), and has since happily kept his hand in many showbiz pots. He also married his partner, playwright James Wesley, in 2012, and together they are rearing a teenage daughter.

Rudetsky now is focusing most of his professional concentration on getting his satirical musical Disaster! to Broadway. Based on the disaster movies of the 1970s and 80s, such movies as The Towering Inferno and The Poseidon Adventure, and using songs from that era to help tell the overblown story, the musical had a well-reviewed run last year off-Broadway.

“It will be a big deal for me because I co-wrote it, did a lot of the musical arrangements, and I’m starring in it. And it will be on Broadway, which is a dream,” Rudetsky said. “I get to do so much of what I love to do, and I get to do them all in the same place for a change.”t Seth’s Big Fat Broadway will have performances, Sept. 13-14, at Feinstein’s at the Nikko. Tickets are $35-$50, available through ticketweb.com.

Scottish pop & talking heads

by David Lamble

I

f you think about it, the thing that pops in romance cinema is not the bedtime stuff, but whether the would-be lovers have a special way of chatting each other up.

Do they expose each other’s secret places and weaknesses in ways that give us a kick and make us glad to be voyeurs? Even if their chatter doesn’t excite, it does give a clue as to how deep we’re likely to go. In God Help the Girl, Eve gets flirty with skinnyboy James, taking advantage of the chilly vibes of an underheated Victorian flat, even in the summertime.

“I’ve been out of the city for a while. Maybe you can tell me if I start acting conspicuous.”

“I like conspicuous! I’ll probably take the freakiest thing about you and blow it up. Are your hands cold?”

“No.” “I bet they are.” James leans over to touch Eve’s hand, which holds a tea cup. “Knew it. I’ve got the constitution of an abandoned rabbit.”

Technically it’s still summer, and what could be better for a Northern California night than a brightly colored bit of romantic treacle from Glasgow, Scotland? Possibly with an eye on the pending referendum on Scottish independence from Mother England, Stuart Murdoch, lead singer/songwriter of the pop band Belle & Sebastian, has spun out a candyflavored tale of romantic independence. It’s about a girl who can’t get out of her own way until she starts a band with a skinny-boy guitarist with glasses, and a feisty blonde-gal backup singer.

In the film’s “cute meet,” Eve (a peppy Emily Browning) witnesses James (Olly Alexander), lead singer in a bad rock band, get a public asskicking from his band’s skinheadthug drummer. It’s a special kind of romance where the guy gets extra points for being a wimp, but as he explains, “My guitar got the worst of it.” Alexander cobbles together a perverse badge of honor out of his horn-rim glasses, frizzy reddishbrown locks and rail-skinny frame.

But his real skillset is verbal. No American rom-coms would set up a scene whose primary purpose is to allow the hero to show off his

Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D. in Second Opinion: witness for the prosecution.

Amplify Films

From left to right: Hannah Murray as Cassie, Olly Alexander as James, and Emily Browning as Eve in Stuart Murdoch’s God Help the Girl.

wordsmanship, as opposed to his cocksmanship. James explains his theory of pop-star deities to Eve and their new friend Cassie (perky blonde Hannah Murray).

“The guy who wrote that song is a song-writing deity.”

“Did he write any tunes as good?”

“One. One and a half.”

“So how can you proclaim him a deus?”

“A man needs only write one genius song, one song that lives forever in the heart of the populace to make him forever divine.”

“That should be easy then.”

“It’s not easy. Many men and women have lived empty, wasted lives in attics trying to write classic pop songs. What they don’t realize is it’s not for them to decide. It’s God, or the god of music, or the part of God that concerns himself with music. That’s why the hit-maker must be considered partly divine, because the divine spoke through him.”

“It’s a preposterous notion,” pooh-poohs Cassie.

“But quite a good one,” asserts Eve, who anoints James with style points.

To my sensibility, nurtured in 1970s album-rock radio, Murdoch’s tunes are more than adequate to the purpose, but hardly divine. But this summer trifle actually amounts to quite a lot depending on how you keep score. And for my money, sassy-cute, smugly bright English boys always get extra points. (Opens Fri. at the Roxie Theater.)

Second Opinion I may be the only one who feels this way, but Second Opinion, director Eric Merola’s 80-minute rehashing of a Nixon-era scandal in the big-bucks cancer industry, feels like one of those oldfashioned radio talk-shows from back when they hadn’t yet invented telephone call-ins. The gist of this talking-heads-a-thon is that the cancer industry, namely the SloanKettering Cancer Center, engaged in a kind of Watergate game of lying and cover-ups to discredit and ultimately bury research that suppos-

edly proved the benefits of a longago “magic bullet” drug, Laetrile.

I won’t attempt to summarize the arguments pro and con Laetrile, but the film itself feels like the culmination of a lifelong struggle by a stilldisgruntled whistle-blower to clear his name and get the last word on a controversy in which most of the participants are dead (according to our guy, from cancer).

I’m always suspicious of singlesourced stories. In this case, Ralph W. Moss, his wife, and now-adult son are the main witnesses for the prosecution. Maybe they are speaking the truth and nothing but the truth. Certainly those of us who survived the early years of the AIDS epidemic know how rotten big medicine and big drug companies can be when they’re out to bury a possible drug treatment rather than sponsor it. This one is for those who truly want to wrestle the truth to the ground and have 80 minutes to spare that will feel like three

hours. The talking heads are interspersed with crude graphics, along with grainy video-clips from ancient Senate hearings dating back to the days when Ted Kennedy was still the liberal white knight-in-waiting.

Before the advent of the AIDS cocktail treatments, a good buddy of mine made a last-ditch attempt to extend his life with a treatment harvested from Chinese cucumbers.

There was a whole underground network of heroes providing desperate people access to drugs not approved by the FDA. Similarly, Laetrile was banned in the U.S. but available to be smuggled in from Mexico. During my screening of Second Opinion, I kept flashing back to the early-80s cancer death of actor Steve McQueen. Reportedly, one of this stylish screen hero’s last acts in life was a frantic trip across the border to obtain some kind of “miracle” cancer cure, approved only in Mexico. (Opens Fri. at the Roxie Theater.)t

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<< TV

16 • Bay Area Reporter • September 11-17, 2014

The fabulousness of Joan Rivers

by Victoria A. Brownworth

I

con. Legend. Those words get tossed around like word salad, so that when they really do apply, they seem diminished, wrung dry of all meaning. Yet what else do we call Joan Rivers but an icon and a legend, since she was a comedy genius and on TV for five decades? She was the first woman (and still the only woman, decades later) to have a network show on late night. She was the first woman comedian to perform at Carnegie Hall. She was the first and only woman to perform pregnant on The Ed Sullivan Show (although they dressed her in a flowing muumuu. and she was not allowed to say the word pregnant).

Rivers’ first TV gig was behind the scenes, writing the copy for the Italian mouse Topo Gigio on The Ed Sullivan Show. She ended up on stage by accident. Sullivan was announcing the next week’s lineup, and singer Johnny Rivers was scheduled. Sullivan mistakenly said “Joan Rivers,” and then she had to be booked. She continued to appear regularly for five more years until the show ended.

Rivers was a friend to gays before it was popular, and her signature line “Can we talk?” was absorbed into gay culture. Her early club audiences were largely gay, and she played to them as much as possible, referencing her gay friend Mr. Phyllis in her act, years before Stonewall.

In the 1980s, Rivers would be one of the first celebrities to speak out for people with AIDS, and to support efforts on their behalf. She saved lives in the years when no one would touch a PWA, let alone help them, by supporting the founding of an agency that provided meals for people with AIDS in New York City, God’s Love We Deliver. Rivers volunteered for the agency for more than 25 years, and had been on the board since 1994. She brought her grandson Cooper every Thanksgiving when he visited to work in the kitchen with her. In honor of Rivers’ passing, America’s Got Talent judge Heidi Klum donned an apron and hairnet and was working at GLWD on Sept. 5.

At 81, Rivers was still volunteering for the meal service for New York persons with AIDS. GLWD serves up 5,000 meals daily. In 2009, Rivers won NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice, where contestants play for a charity. She won more than a half-million dollars for GLWD. The group said the money would “provide over 56,000 meals and unlimited nutrition counseling” for its clients, 90% of whom live in poverty.

After her death GLWD announced it’s naming a bakery after her. “Joan brought love, compassion and humor to every delivery she made and every event she supported. Joan’s impact on God’s Love will be felt always by our clients, volunteers, staff and community. Rest in peace, Joan.

You will forever be in our hearts.”

Rivers was beloved by queens everywhere. Many of the RIP tweets came from gay and lesbian comedians, among them Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who said that he was heartbroken, and Jane Lynch, who tweeted, “Godspeed my sweet. Thanks for all the laughs. Thanks for all the love.”

There was always something LGBT in Rivers’ act, and in fact her first stint in an off-Broadway play, Driftwood in 1959, was co-starring with the as-yet unknown Barbra Streisand as lesbian lovers. Later, Rivers would joke on Bravo that “Barbra was all tongue.” For all Rivers’ knifeedged humor, the host of E!’s Fashion Police managed to balance that

Rick Gerharter

Joan Rivers performs at the 25th Anniversary Formal Gala for the Folsom Street Fair in 2008.

bite with warmth. As American Idol winner Jordin Sparks tweeted, “Oh Joan. Thank you for being so kind to me & making me laugh until tears.”

Rivers was a fixture on TV, first appearing in 1964 on The Tonight Show as a guest of then-host Jack Paar and within two years becoming “Johnny Carson’s daughter,” as she called her relationship with her mentor at NBC. There are few glass ceilings as impenetrable for women as comedy, and Rivers slammed away at it for five decades, dishing on Fashion Police, which will likely tank without her perfect balance of charming host and vicious fashion critic.

In their tribute to Rivers on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Sept. 4, Kimmel and Emmy-winning comedian Sarah Silverman, very much in the Rivers mode, traded insults. Silverman noted that she watched Fashion Police every week because “those were the most hardcore jokes on TV.” Kimmel added the fact that they were being delivered by “this little old lady just gave them more punch.”

Kimmel played a clip from a recent guesting of Rivers that was hilarious. The two were discussing Rivers’ grandson Cooper, and Rivers said he currently wanted to be a football player. She threw up her hands, and Kimmel asked what she wanted him to be when he grew up.

Without skipping a beat she said, “Gay.” He laughed and said, “Gay?” and Rivers said, “Who else would care that I knew Judy Garland?”

David Letterman also gave Rivers a send-up in his opener on Sept.

4. Chatting with bandleader Paul Schaeffer, Letterman said, “She was indefatigable. She would be on all the shows, and she would also work about 300 dates a year. That’s a lotta work, that’s a lotta travel. And here she is 81 and still doing it, and as funny today as she was when she first got into it. And talk about guts.

She would come out here and sit in this chair and say some things that were un-be-lieve-able. And she stood behind her jokes and she would say these things and never apologize. She would say, ‘Hey, I’m a comedian, these are jokes.’”

The jokes almost always began as deprecating take-downs of herself, then moved on to everyone else. Like most comedians, she left no one unscathed. She often said, “I succeeded by saying what everyone else was thinking.” Rivers talked

about female bodies and female experience at a time when neither of those things was discussed. Rivers reinvented herself more times than she had her face lifted, and as Silverman noted, she wasn’t done yet.

Silverman said with most 81-yearolds who die you say, they were 81, they had a good life. But Rivers was somehow, at 81, still at her peak, still funny as hell and breaking new ground and telling the most hardcore jokes on TV and not caring what anyone thought about it.

Rivers was a victim of her era and of the boys’ network that comedy still is, especially comedy on TV. Rivers may have changed with the times, but the times did not change with Rivers. When she was offered her own late-night show with the fledgling Fox network, she took it.

Who wouldn’t? But doing so got her blackballed by Carson, who viewed her as his perpetual protégé. He had made her his permanent guest host, which meant that when he went on vacation there was Rivers. It was a kind of indentured servitude, yet she was presented as churlish for not wanting it for life.

Carson blackballed her from the network. Jay Leno upheld that when he took over The Tonight Show, and so did Conan O’Brien when he hosted the show. It wasn’t until this year that Rivers was invited back to the network, 26 years later, by the show’s new host, Jimmy Fallon. He invited Rivers to appear on his debut show in February, then invited her back to guest in March.

Rivers remains the only woman to ever host on late night on network. (Chelsea Handler is the only woman to host at night on cable.)

NBC considered no women for its two slots, and CBS replaced Letterman and Craig Ferguson, both of whom are retiring, with other white men. No women were even considered. Yet Tina Fey was head writer at SNL for some of the show’s funniest years. Seth Meyers was head writer there as well, and now has the spot previously held by Fallon. There are many female comedians now who would be ace on late night: Fey, Aisha Tyler, Handler, Jane Lynch (who just won an Emmy) and Silverman among them. Rivers opened the door, cracked the ceiling as much as it could be cracked. She was, as Meyers said in a tweet, a force of nature. Louis CK said she was his inspiration, that he loved her and missed her already.

She’s always been there, as long as we have been watching TV. She was there during our childhood and she

was there two weeks ago. She was, as Letterman noted, indefatigable. Selling her jewelry on QVC and making that network sing. Touting her 12 hilarious New York Times best-sellers.

Overcoming her personal tragedies, like her friends lost to AIDS and her husband lost to suicide. Louis CK said, “She was real. She was kind.”

Two traits we don’t see nearly enough of. So RIP, Joan.

View askew

Among those for whom Rivers opened a door are the women of The View and The Talk, who have borrowed heavily from her humor and her confrontational style. On Sept. 4, ABC announced the two new co-hosts joining Whoopi Goldberg and Rosie O’Donnell on The View later this month. Actress Rosie Perez and political commentator Nicole Wallace will be the new cohosts when The View starts its season Sept. 15. Wallace served as communications director for George W. Bush. She will be the show’s rightleaning voice, although she is not as lunatic fringe as the previous rightwing women, Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Jenny McCarthy, were. Wallace was among the women who did a screen test for The View in August, but she got into a shouting match with both Goldberg and O’Donnell over abortion rights and surrogacy in a test show. Wallace also did three guest co-host stints earlier this year.

Perez’s name had not been mentioned at all, but she was also a previous guest co-host on the show, in February. The Oscar-nominated actress is a Latina activist, and she will be the first Latina on the show.

Wallace will be the youngest member of the group at 42. Perez is 50, O’Donnell 52, and Goldberg is now the oldest at 58. There might be a lot of fireworks at the tiny table, which will boost ratings and inject some drama into the show, which was flailing last season. We look forward to a new era without Barbara Walters to see who becomes the show’s natural leader, Goldberg or O’Donnell. Or will it be one of the new women?

Why is Joan Rivers dead and Phil Robertson still alive? That’s the kind of “we thought it, Rivers said it” that makes us wish she were around to take one of her perfect stabs at the Duck Dynasty star who refuses to slither back into the swamp from whence he came. Robertson was all over the tube last week while Rivers was on life support, talking about his various hates. We saw him pop up on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox

t

News talking about the Islamic State. If you you just went “Whut?!” you are not alone. Yes, somehow this backwoods extremist gun loon is considered by Fox News to be someone we should listen to about foreign policy. Although, to be fair, they don’t get more foreign than Robertson. He was succinct on how to deal with ISIS: “Convert em or kill em.” Which is, ironically, exactly the way ISIS feels about people like Robertson.

On Sept. 2, Robertson was at it again on ABC’s Good Morning America in an interview with Ryan Owens that was expanded upon later that night on Nightline. Robertson still believes Jesus was a homophobe (except Jesus never said anything at all about homosexuality). The A&E star was on GMA touting his new book unPHILtered: The Way I See It. According to Robertson, the Bible contains the only tangible answer to the “question” of homosexuality. His recent comments regarding gays include, “[Gays are] full of murder, envy, strife, hatred. They are insolent, arrogant, God-haters.

They are heartless, they are faithless, they are senseless, they are ruthless.”

Oh, is that all?

In the interview with Owens, Robertson asserted, “I don’t hate anybody.” As for his comparing gay sex to bestiality, Robertson claimed, “The only place that I know of that I could have gone to answer that question would be a Bible. I’m as much of a homophobe as Jesus was. People who are participating in homosexual behavior, they need to know that I love them.” Yet somehow we are not feeling the love.

Gay relationships, same-sex marriage and other social issues will be at the heart of Fox’s new show Utopia, which premieres this week as one of the most highly anticipated of the new season. The show is the American remake of the Dutch reality series from reality series mogul John de Mol (Big Brother).

Fox says of the controversial show, “Utopia follows a cast of 15 men and women who are placed in isolation and filmed 24 hours a day for one year. The cast must create their own society and figure out how to survive. The series will be shown twice a week, but there will be online streaming 24/7 with 129 hidden and unhidden [we just want to note that this isn’t a word] cameras all over the Utopia compound. The live streams will begin on Aug. 29, when the 15 pioneers will enter Utopia.

Over 5,000 people auditioned for the series [but they only picked the pretty ones]. Every month three pioneers will be nominated and could be sent back to their everyday lives.

The live streamers will decide which new pioneers get their chance to become Utopian.”

This show could be fascinating or just Big Brother writ large. Or it could be Lord of the Flies, which is kind of what we’re expecting. Go look at the cast of contestants on the show’s website so you can see what the possibilities are. And of course, who’s the hottest. The age range is relatively narrow. The youngest Utopian is Bri Nyugen, 20, a veterinary tech from Westminster, CA. The oldest is Bella Chartrand, 45, a real estate entrepreneur from Griffin, GA. In the middle are a belly dancer, a chili farmer, a pastor, a few unemployed hotties, a behavioral specialist (that will come in handy), a holistic doctor, a security programmer and an attorney (because even in Utopia, people will want to sue someone).

So for the fabulousness of Joan Rivers, The View’s new configuration, the Duck Dynasty bigots, the Utopians and so much more as the new season launches, you know what you have to do. Stay tuned.t

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Music>>

September 11-17, 2014 • Bay Area Reporter • 17

Serious music mixed with light fare

by Philip Campbell

T

he San Francisco Symphony launched the 103rd season last week with an opening-night gala that managed with characteristic ease to be both stylish and pleasantly laid-back. Everyone from performers to attendees partied with tasteful panache at the event that also celebrated the remarkable 20th anniversary of Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas. Yes, you heard right, and MTT summed it up best when he faced the audience from the podium and said with gleeful incredulity, “Oh my god, 20!”

The maestro hits another milestone in December when he turns 70, but you would never guess it from looking at him or by witnessing the awesome energy he exerts onstage. The impact MTT has made on both the SFS and the Northern California music scene during the past two decades has been cumulatively immense. It shows no signs of slowing down, and the love affair between conductor, orchestra and audience carries on with seemingly unlimited staying power.

The show on opening night – and make no mistake, it was more show

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Courtesy SF Symphony

Pianist Yuja Wang played Gershwin: perfect poise.

than concert – managed to mix just enough serious music-making with light Pops fare to please both subscribers and the one- or two-concerts-a-season party people. Many of their smart phones were still left on, but at least they seemed more focused on picture-taking than texting.

It hasn’t taken 20 years for MTT to get the formula down; he obviously got the message many seasons ago.

His instinctive showman’s grasp of how to please a crowd and manage a festive get-together was everywhere apparent throughout the breathlessly swift performance. Two Russian composers and their takes on two of Shakespeare’s famous tragic lovers weighted the program, but even given MTT’s affinity for Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev, neither presentation seemed particularly emotional.

The Romeo and Juliet FantasyOverture surged with passion and rich string tone, but there wasn’t much sense of desolation in the devastating closing pages, and Scenes from Romeo and Juliet, lifted from Prokofiev’s fabulous ballet (and recorded on a thrilling excerpts disc by MTT and the SFS), also flew by with a similar lack of gravitas.

No faulting the orchestra or MTT, really. Both pieces were also slated for regular subscription concerts during opening week, and the suave playing on opening night was sure to be intensified when the scores could be heard in a more thematically structured bill.

Another Russian started the evening with a much happier piece.

Stravinsky’s Scherzo a la russe rollicked along as a curtain-raiser for

Norma

From page 13

pated, using the distinctive depth and darkness of her voice to full effect. She triumphed by smartly relying on her subtle acting skills to make her portrayal most compelling. Sounding at times like the great Maria Callas, she possesses the same kind of tone and ability to float a haunting phrase. Unfortunately, she also shares some of La Divina’s problems with coloratura and vibrato, and more than once she sounded breathless and rough, falling faintly shy of the crowning note.

It wasn’t terribly troubling, considering Radvanovsky’s familiarity with the role, and she should grow more comfortable as the run progresses. We know the opening-night crowd uncritically and enthusiastically applauded her interpretation, and any personal disappointment stemmed mainly from reading possibly overheated rave reviews of her inaugural American performances as Norma at the Met. Second in the line-up came mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, making her SFO debut as the luckless priestess-in-waiting Adalgisa, callously seduced by her lover and unfairly condemned by his wife. Stepping in for Daveda Karanas for all scheduled performances, Barton reminded me favorably of another Golden Age singer and personal favorite, Marilyn Horne. Her acting was perhaps not as intense as Radvanovsky’s, but her vocal line is rich and free of excessive vibrato. The pure simplicity of her expression made her a lovely foil in her duets with Norma.

The Pollione (hiss, boo, Roman villain!) of tenor Marco Berti struggled through some patches

Courtesy SF Symphony

Singer Bonnie Raitt sang a brief set of American songs.

the Tchaikovsky, but it mated better with the appearance of pianist Yuja Wang playing Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. MTT opted for the Ferde Grofe orchestration for piano and jazz band, and it was an inspired way to showcase Wang’s carefully perfect poise and attention to detail with a rip-roaring, knock-yoursocks-off 1930s background. Wow, the SFS can really swing, and the lovely young Yuja Wang can sure tickle those ivories. She is a favorite with MTT and local audiences for good reason.

Another favorite of the maestro’s and a good friend offstage as well, Bonnie Raitt appeared after intermission in a brief set of American songs that rather unexpectedly charmed everyone who didn’t know how well the famous rock and blues star would fit into the program. Raitt even surprised herself. Confessing to some stage fright and shaky selfconfidence, she said she was there

for a pal, and one is never too old to stretch boundaries. She got that right, and her renditions of three old songs had us all wishing for more.

“Hey There,” made famous by her father John in the musical The Pajama Game, was book-ended by two rowdier songs from early last century. “That’s My Weakness Now” got some amusing lyric changes for the event, and the Gershwins’ “Naughty Baby” had MTT joining along as he warbled off-key through a megaphone.

It was a hoot, and Ms. Raitt can rest assured that she has a whole new career ahead of her should she choose. MTT will have to stick to his regular gig, but his wit, tenacity and awesome musicality were all on display opening night. Year 20 got started with fun, laughter and even a balloon drop. We haven’t witnessed one of those at Davies Symphony Hall in years, but this was clearly the beginning of a special season.t

7th Season Opening Concert Dawn Harms, Music Director & Conductor Tickets & Info: http://BARS-SF.ORG

September 14, 2014 4pm SF Conservatory 50 Oak Street (at Van Ness)

Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera

Marco Berti (Pollione) in San Francisco Opera’s Norma.

of uncertain pitch, but he turned out to be a more convincing actor than I remember, and his bright tone matched well with Barton in their extended duet. He will also undoubtedly grow in strength after the nerve-wracking demands of opening night. Ironically, Berti and Radvanovsky are veterans of the SFO Il Trovatore that marked Nicola Luisotti’s first assignment as SFO Music Director.

Worthy of favorable mention, bass-baritone Christian Van Horn made an impressive physical and vocal impact in the role of Chief Druid Oroveso (Norma’s father).

Tenor A.J. Gluckert (a second-year

Adler Fellow) was another bright spot as Pollione’s Roman centurion friend Flavio, and another Adler Fellow (first-year), soprano Jacqueline Piccolino, proved convincing as Norma’s confidante (and seeming nanny in this production) Clotilde.

Bellini’s gorgeous melodies (think of “Casta diva” or “Mira, o Norma,” for starters) and his superb symphonic orchestration will resound throughout the War Memorial Opera House until the end of September. Once you hear them in a good performance, they are almost impossible to forget.t

Mahler - Symphony No. 4 Christine Brandes, soprano Elinor Armer Call of the West Gabrielli Canzon Septimi Toni

The Bay Area Rainbow Symphony (BARS) is an orchestra that provides a safe and supportive environment for musicians of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions. BARS makes cultural, social, and educational contributions to the San Francisco Bay Area by performing ambitious repertoire to a high standard.

Tickets & info: sfopera.com.

Fundi’s

TROUBLE IN BLACK PARADISE: Catastrophic Legacy Worshiping the New World Politics of Saving Souls A Sizzling New Self-illustrated Novel: Standard Black Christian Anti Gay Rationale Debunked In A Daring Historical Exposé Available online: Amazon.com Books; Authorhouse.com Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera

Sondra Radvanovsky (Norma) and Jamie Barton (Adalgisa) in San Francisco Opera’s Norma.

Locally at: Books, Inc. (Upper Market St.), Crystal Way, Folio Books, Bound Together Books & The Green Arcade.

<< Books

18 • Bay Area Reporter • September 11-17, 2014

Judy in her own words

by John F. Karr

I

t was bound to happen. I can see my run as this paper’s resident Judyologist (that’s what my editor calls me) coming to an end. Not because I want it to. It’s just that after this new book, Judy Garland on Judy Garland – Interviews and Encounters (Chicago Review Press, $28.95), I can’t think of what undisclosed Judyana there might be waiting in the wings for me to write about. Will there be a chronological listing of what she had for lunch?

I’ve never been embarrassed to assert that I’m a fan of Judy, although I want it known that I was never one of those silly fan-atics who shouted out at a concert, “I love you!” It’s just that I appreciate talent, and boy, Judy had it. That’s why it rankled when some entertainment writer or other named Babs Streisand “The Century’s

Greatest Entertainer” (he presumably meant the last century) when writing about Babs’ Return to Brooklyn concert. I’m not putting down Babs’ talent, I’m a fan there, too, but tell me, could she tap dance? Could she partner Fred Astaire? Could she emerge from the hermetic bubble of neuroses that just about completely prevented her performing live, to do, as Judy did, a 19-week concert engagement at the Palace Theatre that totaled 184 consecutive performances? Nope, nope, nope, and double nope.

I know the specifics of Judy’s Palace concerts because of an interview she gave in 1952, which is included among the many edited into the new book by Randy L. Schmidt, a handsome bear-ish kind of guy who teaches music in Texas, and whose publishing cred lies largely with a biography of Karen Carpenter. I think he may be gay.

Schmidt’s book will be of greater interest to confirmed Judy-ites than initiates and the curious, who would do better with a standard biography.

The book’s strong point is that it puts Judy in the role of storyteller. She’s funny, of course, but she also gets to correct the misinformation and exaggerations of the many tabloid writers who focused on her tragedy instead of her talent. And you know, Judy didn’t think her life was tragic at all.

The book’s sections covering Judy’s youngest years and her films of the early 1940s are tediously repetitive, and heavily fictionalized if not entirely made up by the MGM publicity department. Judy’s own voice becomes clear as the years roll on, making a handful of these later interviews required reading, especially “My Story,” a long feature in which her voice is loud and clear.

A chat with Noel Coward is, as

expected, unique. And even if Judy got overexcited while gossiping with Jack Paar and Dick Cavett on national TV and considerably embellished (or made up) the facts, it’s fun to read the transcripts Schmidt

t

includes of these memorably peppy and sometimes manic appearances (but please, watch them on YouTube, because a visual sure beats a transcript).

Hindsight provides irony and fun to our reading. I was particularly charmed to come across this, from an interview she gave when she was 16: “If I ever get married, which I do not intend to do until I am 30, because when I marry, I intend to give up my career.” As we know, her first marriage came when she was 19, and was followed by marriages to a succession of men who were pointedly supposed to help, not end, her career.

As we near the book’s conclusion, it’s pleasing to read how secure and happy Judy felt in the months before death surprised her.t You can meet editor Randy Schmidt at Books, Inc. in the Castro on Thurs., Sept. 25, at 7:30 p.m.

Revolutionary Michelangelo

by Brian Bromberger Michelangelo: A Life in Six Masterpieces by Miles J. Unger; Simon & Schuster, $29.95 f you asked the average person who was the greatest artist of all time, chances are the reply would be Michelangelo Buonarroti. Michelangelo was triply a great sculptor, painter, and draftsman, a feat unlikely ever to be repeated, with his multifaceted genius recognized during his own lifetime (14751564). Miles Unger, who has written books on two figures from Michelangelo’s life, Lorenzo de Medici and Machiavelli, is an expert on this high Renaissance period, especially the papal politics, which often determined the direction of Michelangelo’s career. Innovatively, he views Michelangelo and his art paralleling events in his life through the lens of six of his masterpieces, in chronological order: the Pieta, the David statue, Creation (Sistine Chapel), Medici Tombs, Last Judgment (Sistine altar wall), and St. Peter’s Basilica. As well as detailing events of each work’s time and place, he gives us insights into Michelangelo’s creativity, as well as an artistic analysis and critical evaluation. Unger does not engage in hero worship, and is not shy about revealing Michelangelo’s personal and professional flaws.

Michelangelo was the first artist to be the subject of a cult of personality. He invented the idea that artists must express themselves in their work. He was the first truly modern artist, meaning he was not subservient to the wishes or demands of his patrons (even popes), and essentially rejected social norms. In his time, artists were denigrated as humble craftsmen who worked on commission and followed timehonored rules and conventions.

Instead, Michelangelo replaced this concept with the artist as shaman who tapped into a hidden source of spiritual power by delving beneath the surface to deliver profound truths. According to Unger, he reinvented the very notion of genius, “by which we mean greatness that flows from the peculiarities of an individual life and personality, not merely the application of great skill to a given medium.”

What a life it was. He was born in the Tuscan village of Caprese. His family, though poor, returned to their native Florence when he was a year old. He knew he wanted to be

I

an artist at a very young age, defying his parents to pursue his dream.

He was discovered by Lorenzo de Medici, the head of the ruling family of the city, who took him into his palace as an apprentice, introducing him to leading scholars, poets, and artists, and allowing him to perfect his craft and accept lucrative commissions. Battling patrons throughout his life, Michelangelo bounced back and forth between Florence and Rome.

To say Michelangelo was difficult is an understatement. Even his admirers admit he could be self-centered, arrogant, and quicktempered. A perfectionist, he was willing to sacrifice comfort and profit for the work itself, adopting an ascetic lifestyle. He expected his assistants to follow his example and treated them like galley slaves.

He could be paranoid, often accusing other artists (i.e., Raphael) of stealing his ideas. Very ambitious with a thirst for fame, faith in his own abilities encouraged him to promise more than he could deliver.

He could lose interest over a long period, threatening to quit unless everybody did as he demanded, or fleeing at the first sign of trouble.

Therefore, he left many unfinished works, some of which are still considered masterpieces.

Throughout his life, he was harassed by accusations of sexual impropriety, his proclivities being a source of gossip despite his strenuous denials. He was attracted to handsome young men. He himself was homely, his nose crooked and flattened by an assault from a fellow student. As a pious Christian, his “carnal lust was almost always accompanied by feelings of pollu-

tion and unworthiness.” Unger observes that even if the term gay had existed then, Michelangelo would never have accepted it, seeing himself as a sinner prone to impure thoughts and illicit urges, some of which he acted upon as a result of his “moral weakness.” A letter written by his friend Leonardo Sellaio in 1539, when Michelangelo was in his 50s, warns him “not to go out at night, and to abandon those habits that are harmful to both soul and body.”

Michelangelo wrote poetry where he could be intimate and confessional, revealing his deep personal male attachments. In 1532, he fell in love with a 23-year-old Roman nobleman named Tommaso de’ Cavalieri, with stunning looks, great charm, and impeccable manners. He relocated to Rome to be near him, even though Cavalieri did not respond to the artist’s erotic overtures, although he remained fond of Michelangelo and awed by his genius.

Michelangelo sent him poems and drawings. After he died, his greatnephew “corrected” many of the poems and letters, reversing the sex of the recipient to protect his reputation. Michelangelo expressed his urges more fully in his art than in his personal life. His favorite theme was the male nude in action. Having an unmatched understanding of human anatomy, his earthy nudes pulse with an inner life. Through art, Michelangelo celebrated the beauty of the human body. He saw his artistic gift as a celebration of God’s creation.

Unger brings a well-researched scope and depth of interpretation, but it would be instructive to have a gay perspective on Michelangelo.

His escape from his overbearing (later dependent) family, his desire to develop his art despite opposition, the erotic aura shimmering through all his nude male bodies, his willingness to defy convention, all are modern gay themes. For Michelangelo, the artist must emancipate himself from the tyranny of vulgar princes and the thinking of narrow-minded clerics. One can argue he accomplished this by allowing his homosexuality to inspire his greatest works, the David statue and the Sistine Chapel frescoes.

Unger makes the convincing case that Michelangelo played a crucial role in shaping our modern world in embodying his ideal that the artist is a revolutionary by remaining faithful to the originality of his inspiration.t

September 11-17, 2014 • Bay Area Reporter • 19

Fall bookshelf browsing

anthology’s editor Shane Allison, and more than a dozen other writers, Men on the Make: True Gay Sex Confessions (Cleis) compiles titillating and true hook-up tails, uh, tales.

A View from the Bottom: Asian American Masculinity and Sexual Representation (Duke) by Nguyen Tan Hoang examines “portrayals of Asian and Asian American men in Hollywood cinema, European art film, gay porn” and more.

Though written for our hetero brothers and sisters, much of the advice offered in How To Woo a Jew: The Modern Jewish Guide to Dating and Mating (Seal) by JDate columnist Tamar Caspi, with the necessary pronoun adjustments, could apply to same-sex Kosher coupling as well.

Words and pictures Thanks to talented folks such as Alison

288 Noe Street, SF (415) 431-7210 lamednoe.com

15TH ST

16TH ST CASTRO ST

ay poet Richard Blanco became a household name when he was selected as the fifth inaugural poet, reading his poem “One Today” at President Obama’s second inauguration in 2013. In his Miamiset memoir The Prince of Los Cocuyos: A Miami Childhood (Ecco), Blanco employs lyrical prose to tell his own story.

Hillary Clinton: In Her Own Words (Seal), edited by Lisa Rogak, contains more than 300 quotations from the former Secretary of State, New York Senator and First Lady, and possible 2016 Presidential candidate, on a vast array of topics, including “Gay Rights and Marriage,” “How People Perceive Her,” “America’s Role in the World,” “Her Daughter” “Gun Control,” “Women’s Rights,” “Her Personality” and “The Kind of President She’d Be.” Tom Maxwell, one of the vocalists and songwriters for popular Swing Movement revivalists Squirrel Nut Zippers, is the author of Hell: My Life in the Squirrel Nut Zippers (Oyster Point), which purports to “tell the other side of the story,” in which a fascinating cast of characters played their part in Maxwell’s musical and personal life.

The posthumously published Glow: The Autobiography of Rick James (Atria), by the late Rick James with David Ritz, hits shelves 10 years after James’ passing.

The man remembered for songs “Superfreak,” “You and I,” and “Give It to Me Baby,” and for his purported last words (“I’m Rick James, bitch”), has his say.

Poetry reading list The expanded 50th anniversary edition of Lunch Poems (City Lights) by Frank O’Hara is a glorious tribute to the book, as well as to the genius of the poet himself. Poet John Ashbery wrote the preface, and publisher/poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti writes about the anniversary edition. If you haven’t read this essential volume of poetry, including the amazing poem “Ave Maria,” you don’t know what you’re missing.

Sam Taylor, a poet known for the “ecological engagement” in his work, and for his ability to summon Whitman, O’Hara and Ginsberg, is the author of the new poetry collection Nude Descending an Empire (University of Pittsburgh Press), containing the poems “America: An Autobiography,” “Testimony” and “Walt.”

Described as “a look at the constitutional history of corporate personhood in the United States,” poet Jena Osman’s Corporate Relations (Burning Deck) combines the personal and the political.

Sexy stuff A massive tome with lined pages for readers’ notes, Male Sex Work and Society (Harrington Park Press), edited by Victor Minichiello and John Scott, features essays “Male Sex Work from Ancient Times to the Near Present,” “Representation of Male Sex Work in Film,” “Advertising Male Sexual Services” and “Clients of Male Sex Workers.”

With contributions by Jeff Mann, Rob Rosen, Simon Sheppard, the

Cafe | Restaurant | Catering

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Bechdel, Art Spiegelman and Marjan Satrapi, the graphic novel has become a staple of our literary diets. Joyce Brabner, widow of Harvey Pekar, has teamed up with illustrator Mark Zingarelli for her “gang of misfits” creation Second Avenue Caper: When Goodfellas, Divas and Dealers Plotted Against the Plague (FSG), a thoughtfully rendered tale of how “thousands of social rejects took amazing care of each other” in the early days of AIDS crisis.

Children’s books have a unique way of combining text and images to get stories and messages across to readers of all ages. Gay cabaret artist Craig Pomranz, “inspired by a true-life incident,” wrote Made by Raffi (Frances Lincoln), with illustrations by Margaret Chamberlain, to introduce us to “different” little boy Raffi, who prefers knitting to kicking a ball.

Story/Time: The Life of an Idea (Princeton University Press) by Bill T. Jones is the “printed artifact of three Toni Morrison Lectures” given by the gay choreographer at Princeton. A combination of Jones’ thoughts, quotations from others, original short stories, and 16 pages of photographs, the book provides insights into the award-winning artist’s creative process and genius.

Gay geography lessons Filmmaker, monologist, writer and pop culture icon John Waters extends his thumb and hits the road for his own personal odyssey in Carsick (FSG), in which he hitchhiked from Baltimore to San Francisco, encountering an assortment of drivers willing to stop, pick him up and get him to his next destination. Can’t wait for the movie, please let there be a movie!

Edmund White’s groundbreaking 1980 non-fiction book States of Desire, which received high praise from Christopher Isherwood, Fran Lebowitz and Andrew Holleran upon its publication, has been reissued in an expanded edition as States of Desire Revisited: Travels in Gay America (University of Wisconsin Press). It includes a new introduction by White.

Anyone who has encountered straight breeders pushing SUV strollers through Chicago’s Boystown or NYC’s Chelsea neighborhoods will find something to relate to in sociologist Amin Ghaziani’s There Goes the Gayborhood?

(Princeton).

No biz like showbiz The prolific Lisa Rogak shifts gears in Angry Optimist: The Life and Times of Jon Stewart (Thomas Dunne), her thoughtful biography of the actorcomedian-director-writer, longtime friend of the LGBT community, and Daily Show mainstay.

The Joseph Stein/ Jerry Bock/ Sheldon Harnick musical Fiddler on the Roof is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its Broadway debut.

In Tradition! The Highly Improbable, Ultimately Triumphant Broadwayto-Hollywood Story of Fiddler on the Roof, the World’s Most Beloved Musical (St. Martin’s Press), Barbara Isenberg traces the show’s evolution from concept to stage to screen and back to stage again.t

ST

by Gregg Shapiro

Serving the Castro since 1981

M AR KE T

t

Books>>

La Mediterranee Noe @LaMedNoe

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Our readers make excellent customers.

To advertise, call Scott Wazlowski, Vice President, Advertising at 415-861-5019 or email advertising@ebar.com

ebar.com CHANTICLEER AN ORCHESTRA OF VOICES PRESENTS

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Tickets available through City Box Office: 415-392-4400 or www.chanticleer.org

<< Out&About

20 • Bay Area Reporter • September 11-17, 2014

t

O&A

King Fool @ Various Locales

Out &About

Facts & figures

by Jim Provenzano

G Fri 12 An Audience With Meow Meow

Thu 11 California Independent Film Festival @ Various Theaters 17th annual festival of diverse films from around the world. Screenings at New Rheem Theatre in Moraga, The Orinda Theatre, and The Castro Theatre in San Francisco. Sept 12 screening of To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (7pm) includes a VIP reception with Newmar in attendance (9pm). Fest thru Sept.

14. 429 Castro St. www.caiff.org

Elaine Elias @ SF Jazz Center The amazing Brazilian jazz pianist and singer performs a series of different concerts in four nights, with guest tenos saxophonist Harry Allen. $25$60. Sept 11-13, 7:30pm. Sept. 14, 7pm. 201 Franklin St. (866) 920-5299. www.sfjazz.org

Electronic Music Festival @ Exploratorium, Brava Theater The 15th annual festival offers four evenings of unusual new music, performed on synths, homemade instruments, laptops and more. $10$50 (full pass). Thru Sept. 14. 9/11 at Exploratorium, Kanbar Forum, Pier 15; 12-14 at Brava, 2781 24th St. SFEMF.org

Homelands and Safe Space @ GLBT Historical Museum Nan Alamilla Boyd, Raquel Gutiérrez and Don Romesburg discuss ideas of safe spaces for LGBT people, and how they’ve been contested and policed.

7pm. 4127 18th St. 621-1107. www.glbthistory.org

Lavay Smith & her Red Hot Skillet Lickers Band @ Yoshi’s The local queen of classic jazz and blues performs with her rousing band at the nightclub/restaurant, in an open dance floor show. $24. 8pm. 1330 Fillmore St. 655-5600. yoshis.com

New & Classic Films @ Castro Theatre

Wicked @ San Jose Center for the Performing Arts

Sept. 11: The Dog (7pm) and Dog Day Afternoon (8:55). Sept 12-14: California FilmFest (see extra listing).

Sept. 14: Frozen Sing-Along (1pm) Robin Williams films The Fisher King (7pm) and Good Morning, Vietnam (4:45, 9:30). Sept. 16: Alive Inside (7pm) and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (8:30). Sept. 17: Repo Man (7:30) and The Return of the Living Dead (9:15). Sept. 18: Experiment in Terror (7pm) and Petulia (9:20). $12. 429 Castro St. 621-6120. www.castrotheatre.com

The new touring company of the mega-hit Broadway musical (music

by Stephen Schwartz, based on the Gregory Maguire novel) returns to South Bay; with Emma Hunton as Elphaba and Chandra Lee Schwartz as Glinda. $44-$168 (special $25 ticket lottery each night). Tue-Thu 7:30pm.

Fri & Sat 8pm. Also Thu 2pm, Sun 1pm & 6:30pm. Thru Sept. 14. 255 South Almaden Blvd., San Jose. (800) 9822787. www.broadwaysanjose.com

Noises Off @ Shelton Theater Michael Frayns’ hilarious theatre comedy of onstage and backstage pratfalls returns. $20-$48. Thu-Sat 8pm. Thru Oct. 25. 533 Sutter St. at Powell. (800) 838-3008. www.sheltontheater.org

Various Events @ Modern Times Bookstore Sept 11, 7pm: opening reception for Alternate Realities: Mixed Media Photography Experiments From CCSF (thru Oct. 31). Sept. 12, 7pm: Goat Family and Masters of the Obvious, a musical fundraiser. Sept. 14, 3pm: author Alice Rothchild on her West Bankthemed book On the Brink. Sept. 18, 7pm: State of the City Forum with author David Talbot (Season of the Witch). 2919 24th St. 282-9246. mtbs.com

Wait Until Dark @ Victoria Theatre Circle of Life Theatre, the new disability-inclusive theatre and cabaret company, presents a new and updated production of Frederick Knott’s taut thriller, with a blind actress playing the lead role. $20-$35.

Season tickets $60. Thu-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. Thru Sept. 21. 2961 16th St. 3924400. www.circleoflifetheatre.org

Yerba Buena Gardens Festival @ Esplanade The months-long free performance series continues, with weekend outdoor dance, music and theatre concerts, on various days and evenings. Sept. 11: The Gonifs, 12:30pm. Sept. 13: Shotgun Wedding Quintet, 1pm. Sept. 16: Poetic Tuesday, 12:30pm. Sept. 18: Sambada, 12:30pm. Shows thru Oct. 773 Mission St. at 3rd. 543-1718. ybgfestival.org

Fri 12 An Audience With Meow Meow @ Berkeley Repertory Theatre Musical comedy features songs, sequins, satire and star Meow Meow. $29-$89. Tue, Thu-Sat 8pm. Wed & Sun 7pm. Sat & Sun 2pm. Thru Oct. 19. Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison St., Berkeley.

(510) 647-2949. BerkeleyRep.org

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof @ Village Theatre, Danville Role Players Ensemble’s production of Tennessee Williams’ classic Southern family drama. $20-$28. Thu-Sat 8pm.

Sun 2pm. Thru Sept. 20. 233 Front St., Danville. (925) 314-3400. www.RolePlayersEnsemble.com

Classic Films @ BAM/PFA Screening of cinematic classics, including James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause (Sept 12, 9pm), Stanley Kubrick films thru Oct. 31), avante-garde cinema (Wed thru Oct. 29), Activate Yourself: Free Speech Movement (Tue & Thu thru Oct. 30). $7. Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive, 2575 Bancroft Way. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu

Cock @ New Conservatory Theatre Center Michael Bartlett’s highly acclaimed comedy about a gay couple, one of whom falls in love with a woman, gets a West Coast premiere (previews; opens Sept. 13). $25-$45. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. Thru Oct. 12. 25 Van Ness Ave., lower level. 861-8972. www.nctcsf.org

The powerful local company presents the world premiere of Fain’s The Imperfect is Our Paradise. $20-$40.

Thu-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. 3153 17th.

863-9834. www.lissfaindance.org www.odcdance.org

Town Hall Theatre Company’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s classic 1960s urban musical about a single man facing pressures from his married friends on the brink of his 35th birthday. $15-$29. Thu-Sat 8pm.

Sun 2pm. Thru Oct. 12. 3535 School St., Lafayette. (925) 283-1557. www.townhalltheatre.com

Cops and Robbers @ The Marsh, Berkeley Jinho “The Piper” Ferreira’s compelling multi-character solo show about his life in the worlds of hip hop (he’s toured with Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes and others) and law enforcement. $20-$100. Fri 8pm, Sat 8:30pm. Extended thru Oct. 19. 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Flower Drum Song @ Woodminster Ampitheatre, Oakland

Flyaway Productions @ UC Hastings College of Law Jo Kreiter and her dancers premiere another astonishing outdoor aerial dance, mounted on an 80-foot wall in the Tenderloin; Multiple Mary and Invisible Jane, about the lives of homeless women. Free. Fri & Sat 8pm & 9pm. Sept. 17 & 18, 12pm & 8pm.

Sept 19 & 20, 8pm & 9pm. 333 Golden Gate Ave. FlyawayProductions.com

Nava Dance Theatre @ CounterPulse The Cloud Messenger, a Bharatanatyam dance production inspired by the poem Meghadhootham by fifthcentury Indian poet Kalidasa. $20-$30.

Thu-Sat 8pm. Sun 7pm. Thru Sept. 14.

1310 Mission St. counterpulse.org

Funny Girl @ Hillbarn Theatre, Foster City

The New Electric Ballroom @ Ashby Stage, Berkeley

Sun 14 Sarah Cahill performs Patterns of Plants

Love at Home @ Exit Theater Mary Matoula Webb’s drama about two sisters; one a lesbian, the other a Mormon. Part of the SF Fringe Festival. $10-$13. Sept. 11 & 14 at 9pm. 156 Eddy St. www.LoveAtHomeThePlay.com www.sffringe.org

Motown the Musical @ Orpheum Theatre Clifton Oliver and Allison Semmes costar in the first national tour of the musical treasure about the life and career of Berry Gordy, featuring dozens of performers singing and dancing to Motown classic hits. $45-$210. Tue-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm & 7:30pm. Also Sat 2pm. Thru Sept.

28. 1192 Market St. (888) 746-1799. www.motownthemusical.com www.shnsf.com

Old Hats @ Geary Theatre American Conservatory Theatre presents Bill Irwin and David Shiner’s clownish two-man comedy, with music written and performed by Shaina Taub. Previews; opens Sept 17. $20-$120. Tue-Sat 8pm (some Tue 7pm). Sat & Sun 2pm. Sun 7pm. Thru Oct. 12. Geary Theatre, 415 Geary St. 749-2228. www.act-sf.org

Company @ Town Hall Theatre, Lafayette

Local outdoor theatre production of the 1958 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical with a new 2002 script by David Henry Hwang. $28-$59. Fri & Sat 8pm; Thu & Sun 7pm. Thru Sept 14. Joaquin Miller Park, 3300 Joaquin Miller Road, Oakland. (510) 531-9597. www.woodminster.com

Liss Fain Dance @ ODC Theater

Shotgun Players’ production of Tony Award-winning playwright Enda Walsh’s drama about the fantasy of youth between sisters determined to live in the past. $20-$30. Wed-Sat 8pm (some Wed & Thu 7pm). Sun 5pm. 1901 Ashby Ave., Berkeley. (510) 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org

oing out to see artsy stuff will change your brain. It’s a fact. Actually, it’s some listicle linkbait faux-news pop-up web page I saw somewhere. But anyway, I’m pretty sure that some study proves (my studies, for example) that going out to see art makes you a better person. And that’s a factoid.

We Players, the innovative sitespecific theatre ensemble, presents a two-actor multi-venue updated version of Shakespeare’s King Lear. $30-$50. Locations TBA. Fri-Sun. Thru Sept. 28. 547-0189. www.WePlayers.org

The Jule Styne/Bob Merrill/Isobel Lennart musical about Vaudeville legend Fanny Brice (which made Barbra Streisand famous), gets a South Bay production. $23-$42.

Thu-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. Thru Sept. 21.

1285 East Hillsdale Blvd., Foster City.

(650) 349-6411. www.hillbarntheatre.org

Wed 17 Sampson McCormick at Smack Dab

Planet Booty @ Slim’s The Oakland-based fun funk band performs at the SoMa club; Ghost & the City opens, with DJ Chris Lujan spinning pre-show R&B. $13-$37.50 (with dinner). 9pm. 333 11th St. www.planetbooty.org www.slimspresents.com

Rapture, Blister, Burn @ Aurora Theatre, Berkeley Gina Gionfriddo’s Pulitzer-finalist drama compares the lives of two women –a mother with a family, and an accomplished academic– with a comic feminist flair. $32-$60. Tue & Sun 7pm. Wed-Sat 8pm. Also Sun 2pm. Thru Sept. 24. 2081 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org

The Taming of the Shrew @ Memorial Park Ampitheater, Cupertino San Francisco Shakespeare Festival’s summer outdoor shows continue, with shows in Pleasanton, Redwood City, San Francisco and Cupertino Free.

Mostly Sat & Sun 7:30pm, Sun 2pm.

Thru Sept 21. www.sfshakes.org

Tofu Art @ Glama-Rama Salon Collage + Landscape = Collagescape, the local artist’s new exhibit of works in mixed media, collage and paintings, and a second group exhibit of mixed media work by a dozen artists from California, New Mexico, New York, Sweden, and Germany. Thru Sept. 28. tofuart.com glamarama.com

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Out&About>>

Sat 13 Beach Blanket Babylon @ Club Fugazi The musical comedy revue celebrates its 40th year with an ever-changing lineup of political and pop culture icons, all in gigantic wigs. $25-$160.

Beer/wine served; cash only; 21+, except where noted. 678 Beach Blanket Babylon Blvd (Green St.). 4214222. beachblanketbabylon.com

Chocolate Festival @ Ghirardelli Square Indulge at the 19th annual delicious two-day outdoor festival of all things chocolate, with vendors offering plenty of treats, live music, cooking demos, an ice cream sundae eating contest, and a great bayside view.

100 percent of proceeds benefit Project Open Hand. $20-$40.

12pm-5pm. Also Sept 14. 900 North Point St. www.ghirardelli.com/ chocolatefestival

Dan Hoyle @ The Marsh The award-winning solo performer premieres his new show, Each and Every Thing, a multi-character play about the search for real community in a hyper-connected world. $20-$50.

Thu & Fri 8pm, Sat 8:30pm. Extended thru Oct. 4. 1062 Valencia St. at 21st.

282-3055. www.themarsh.org

David Johnson @ Harvey Milk Photo Center Retrospective exhibit of the accomplished local photographer, who was Ansel Adams’ first African American student. Tue-Thu 4pm8pm. Sat & Sun 12pm-4:30pm.

Thru Oct. 19. 50 Scott St. www. harveymilkphotocenter.org

An Ideal Husband, Romeo and Juliet @ Forest Meadows Ampitheatre, San Rafael Marin Shakespeare Company continues its 25th anniversary summer series with William Shakespeare’s classic underage teen romantic tragedy; in repertory with Oscar Wilde’s witty comedy, An Ideal Husband. Ampitheatre open one hour prior to showtime for picnicking; Bring overwear; it gets chilly. $12$240 (season pass) and ‘pay as you like.’ Fri & Sat 8pm. Sun 4pm. Thru Sept 28. 499-4488. Forest Meadows Amphitheatre, 890 Belle Avenue, Dominican University of California, San Rafael. www.marinshakespeare.org

Mark Foehringer’s Dance Project @ Cowell Theatre Fullbright fellow and local choreographer presents his company performing Dances of the Sacred and Profane, in collaboration with media artist Camille Utterback, in the justreopened renovated theatre. $18.50$28.50. Sat & Sun 8pm, Also Sept 19 & 20, 8pm Sept 21, 6pm. Fort Mason Center, Marina Blvd. and Buchanan St. www.mfdpsf.org

A Midsummer Night’s Dream @ Bruns Ampitheatre, Orinda California Shakespeare Festival’s production of The Bard’s fairy-filled nature romantic romp. $20-$60.

Tue-Thu 7:30pm. Fri & Sat 8pm. Sun 4pm. Thru Sept 28. 100 California Shakespeare Theatre Way, Orinda.

(510) 548-9666. www.CalShakes.org

September 11-17, 2014 • Bay Area Reporter • 21

Northern California Renaissance Faire @ Casa de Fruta, Hollister The annual weekend festival of Olde English entertainments, feasts, music and other festivities returns. $25-$35.

Weekends, 10am-6pm thru Oct. 12.

10031 Pacheco Pass Hwy 152 Gate 6, Hollister. (408) 847-FAIR. www.norcalrenfaire.com

SF Hiking Club @ Limantour Beach Join GLBT hikers for a 10mile beautiful loop hike from Limantour Beach in Point Reyes. The last 1.5 miles will be on the beach along crashing waves to the starting point. Bring water, lunch, sturdy shoes, layers, hat, sunscreen. Carpool meets 9am at the Safeway sign, Market & Dolores. (510)985-0804. www.sfhiking.com

Semi-Famous @ The Marsh Don Reed’s new solo show, SemiFamous: Hollywood Hell Tales From the Middle, includes tales of panicridden auditions and almost being shot by the Secret Service. $20-$100.

Sat 8:30pm, Sun 7pm. Thru Oct. 19.

1062 Valencia St. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Seth Rudetsky @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko The comic presenter shares Seth’s Big Fat Broadway, rare and odd musical video performances (Patti Lupone, Osmonds singing Fiddler on the Roof, Cher’s West Side Story) along with pithy comments. $35-$50. 7pm.

Also Sept. 14, 7pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (866) 663-1063. www.ticketweb.com

Patterns of Plants @ Berkeley Arts Festival Acclaimed local pianist Sarah Cahill performs with minimalist composer Mamoru Fujieda in a concert and CD release party for a collection of music inspired by the electrical activity of living plants. $10-$20. 3pm. 2133 University Ave., Berkeley. www.berkeleyartsfestival.com

Whoa Nellies @ Martuni’s The folk fun retro band (Leigh Crowe, Peter Fogel and other talents) perform songs of love. 7pm. 4 Valencia St. www.whoanellies.com

Sat 13 Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival

Mon 15 10 Percent @ Comcast David Perry interviews community members of note. This week, health industry expert Janelle Lee on Obamacare, and Michael Colbruno on Berkeley’s UC Theatre. 11:30am & 10:30pm. Also Sat & Sun, 10:30pm.

Channel 104.

1964: The Year San Francisco Came Out @ GLBT History Museum New exhibit focusing on San Francisco’s emerging gay culture at the time of the pivotal LIFE magazine feature “Homosexuality in America.”

Reg. hours Mon-Sat 11am-7pm. Sun 12pm-5pm. ($5/free for members).

4127 18th St. 621-1107. www.glbthistory.org

Monsieur Chopin @ Berkeley Repertory Hershey Felder returns with one of his popular and informative pino-playing biographical solo shows, this one about Fryderky Chopin. $29-$89. Tue & Sun 7pm. Wed-Sat 8pm. Also Wed, Thu, Sat Sun 2pm. Thru Sept. 21. Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 6472949. berkeleyrep.org

A Streetcar Named Desire @ Bay Area Cinemas Screening of a broadcast of the acclaimed London production of tennessee Williams’ classic Southern drama, starring Gillian Anderson, Ben Foster and Vanessa Kirby. $12-$15.

7pm. In SF at Century 9, 835 Market St. www.fathomevents.com

Year of the Rooster @ La Val’s Subterranean, Berkeley

Enter the Mandala @ Asian Art Museum Enter the Mandala: Cosmic Centers and Mental Maps of Himalayan Buddhism (thru Oct. 26); Dual Natures in Ceramics: Eight Contemporary Artists from Korea (thru Feb 22, 2015). Other exhibits as well. $15.

Thru Sept. 14. 200 Larkin St. www.asianart.org

Comedy Returns @ El Rio Maureen Langan, Dan St Paul, Matt Gubser, Anthony Durante, and Lisa Geduldig play it for laughs and the monthly comedy night. $7-$20. 8pm.

3158 Mission St. (800) 838-3006. www.elriosf.com

Flyaway Productions

Hands Up, Don’t Shoot @ NIAD Art Center, Richmond Exhibit and online auction of works by developmentally disabled artists, inspired by the violent murder of the Ferguson, Missouri resident shot by cops. Proceeds benefit the Michael Brown Memorial Fund. Mon-Fri 10am4pm. 551 23rd St. Richmond. (510) 620-0290. www.niadart.org

Skulls @ California Academy of Sciences Exhibits and planetarium shows with various live, interactive and installed exhibits about animals, plants and the earth, including the new popular exhibit of animal and human skulls (thru Nov. 30). Special events each week, with adult nightlife parties most Thursday nights. $20-$35. MonSat 9:30am-5pm. Sun 11am-5pm. 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park. 379-8000. www.calacademy.org

Act 1, Scene 2 @ 580 Hayes

Wait Until Dark

The Late Wedding @ Thick House

Fri 12

Tue 16 Thu 11

The eclectic queer-ish open mic cohosted by Larry-bob Roberts and Dana Hopkins this month features gay storytelling comic Sampson McCormick. 7:30pm sign-up 8pm show. 4122 18th St. www.magnetsf.org

Thu 18

Bay Area Rainbow Symphony @ SF Conservatory of Music

Gene Gore’s one-woman autobiographical show about pregnancy, women’s health issues, all told from her true-life experiences. $15. Sundays, 3pm. Thru Oct. 19. 446 Valencia St. www.genegore.com

Smack Dab @ Magnet

The cabaret veteran singer-storyteller performs at the elegant nightclub. $15. 7pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (866) 663-1063. www.ticketweb.com

Sun 14

Cheesecake & Demerol @ Stage Werx Theatre

New exhibit about the popular Chinese game and Jewish culture’s affection for it. Thru Oct. 28.

Also, Designing Homes : Jews and Midcentury Modernism, an exhibit of architectural, furniture, dinnerware, photos, and interior design in postWWII. Also, Hardly Strictly Warren Hellman, thru Oct. 18. Other exhibits, lectures and gallery talks as well. Free (members)-$12. Fri-Tue 11am-5pm, Thu 11am-8pm (closed Wed). 736 Mission St. 655-7800. www.thecjm.org

Tom Reardon @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko

Impact Theatre’s West Coast premiere of Eric Dufault’s acclaimed comedy about a fighting rooster (played by Caleb Cabrera) and his troubled owner. Beer and pizza available. $10-$20. Thu-Sat 8pm. Sun 7pm. Thru Sept. 21. 1834 Euclid Ave., Berkeley.

(510) 224-5744. impacttheatre.com

Soprano Christine Brandes is a guest singer at this concert, which includes Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, local, award-winning composer Elinor Armer’s “Call of the West” and Gabrielli’s Canzon Septimi Toni No. 2. $15-$40. 4pm. 50 Oak St. bars-sf.org

Project Mah Jongg @ Contemporary Jewish Museum

Second (and last) larger group exhibit of varied-media works by local artists.

Tue-Sun 10am-6pm. Thru Sept 28. 580 Hayes St. hayesvalleyartcoalition.org

Anthony Friedkin: The Gay Essay @ de Young Museum Exhibit of photos, and an audiovisual installation, by the Los Angeles artist who focused on gay underground culture of the late 1960s and early ‘70s in SF and LA. Thru Jan. 11, 2015.

Lines on the Horizon : Native American Art from the Weisel Family Collection, thru Jan. 4, 2015. Free/$10. Tue-Sun 9:30am-5:15pm. Golden Gate Park, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive. www.deyoungmuseum.org

Wed 17 Big Joy @ BAM/PFA The acclaimed documentary about poet and gay activist James Broughton screens. $7.50. 7pm.

Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive, 2625 Durant Avenue. (510) 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu

Ian Anderson @ Fox Theater, Oakland Singer-songwriter-flautist-guitarist (formerly lead of Jethro Tull) celebrates the release of new album, Homo Erraticus, in his . $45.50$85.50. 8pm. 1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. (510) 302-2250. www.thefoxoakland.com

Crowded Fire Theater’s world premiere production of Christopher Chen’s theatrical rumination on multiple ritualistic interpretations of weddings (gay, straight, etc.) and is inspired by the writings of Italian fabulist Italo Calvino. $15-$35. WedSat 8pm. Thru Oct. 11. 1695 18th St. at Carolina. 746-9238. www.crowdedfire.org

Linda Lavin @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko The Broadway and TV actress-singer (Alice ) performs Possibilities, her show of classic musical theatre and cabaret songs, with musical director Billy Stritch. $45-$60. 8pm. Also Sept.

19. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (866) 663-1063. www.ticketweb.com

Music in Schools Today’s Celebrity Waiter Gala @ Yoshi’s Paula West, D’wayne Wiggins and host Liam Mayclem perform at the 18th annual fundraiser for the kids music cause, with local TV, politics and cultural celebrities serving dinner and drinks! $85-$170. 6:30pm. 1330 Fillmore St. 655-5600. www.yoshis.com To submit event listings, email jim@ebar.com. Deadline is each Thursday, a week before publication. For more bar and nightlife events, go to On the Tab in our BARtab section, online at www.ebar.com/bartab

<< Books

22 • Bay Area Reporter • September 11-17, 2014

Two gay spymaster authors

by Peter Garland

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any famous authors have been intelligence agents for their governments. Some have been gay. This article concentrates on two of the latter, Christopher Marlowe (1564-93) and Somerset Maugham (1874-1965).

Marlowe, the son of a shoemaker at Canterbury, was born in 1564, the same year as Shakespeare, and later created the flexible blank verse that Shakespeare used to such advantage in his 37 plays. Marlowe’s translation, while still a student at Cambridge University, of the Roman poet Ovid’s Amores is one of the most delicious, sexy and bestwritten series of poems of all time, exhilarating to read.

He lived at a time when the heat was on over the independence of England from Rome. Many English Catholic young men went to Rheims in France to be trained as Jesuit priests, then were smuggled back into England. While he was at Cambridge, Marlowe went to France on secret business, and as a result of his absence the suspicious college authorities were going to refuse him his diploma. But the English Privy Council, the highest power in the land under the Queen, advised them to give him his diploma, for he had been on service for Her Majesty, and for England.

Kit Marlowe went on to become a famous playwright in London, writing Tamburlaine, The Jew of Malta, Edward the Second (about a gay English king) and The Massacre at Paris.

Marlowe liked to hang out with both aristocrats and gangsters, and with three of the latter, all connected to the secret service, he lunched in a tavern one day in 1593. After the meal he was stabbed to death, supposedly over an argument about the bill, or “reckoning.” He was only 29 years old. Shakespeare later referred to this in his play As You Like It, as “a mighty reckoning in a little room.”

Marlowe’s earliest play, Dido, Queen of Carthage, begins with a love scene, quite homosexual, between the god Jupiter and the beautiful boy Ganymede, cupbearer to the gods. Ganymede Playwright Christopher Marlowe. is complaining about rough treatment he has received from Jupiter’s wife, Venus. Jupiter was eight, and the author kept her makes the boy many promises, and photo by his bedside for the rest of wants him to sit in his lap. his life. At 16 or 17, while attending Ganymede: “I would have a jewel the University of Heidelberg in Gerfor mine ear,/And a fine brooch to many, he had his first homosexual put in my hat,/And then I’ll hug affair, with an Englishman 10 years with you a hundred times.” his senior. Maugham trained to be Jupiter: “And shall have Ganya doctor, but his first novel proved mede, if thou wilt be my love.” so successful that he dropped mediEnter Venus. cine and became a full-time author During a witch-hunt for atheists for the next 65 years. in England, Marlowe was accused In World War I, he was one of by one witness to have said, “All they many authors who drove ambulancthat love not tobacco and boys are es for the Red Cross in Europe. His fools.” medical training came in handy on those bloody battlefields. Returning Secret affair home, he had a daughter by the wife Our second gay intelligence agent of a pharmaceutical tycoon, and author is Somerset Maugham, married the woman after a divorce. born in the British Embassy in She divorced him 11 years later. He Paris, where his father was a lawyer. was recruited into the British Secret Maugham’s mother died when he Service in 1916, and served in Swit-

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zerland and Russia until the October Revolution of 1917.

Maugham has a history in San Francisco. He stayed here in a friend’s house at 828 Francisco Street (with its huge leaded-glass window worthy of a British castle) when assigned by the British Secret Intelligence Service in 1917 to go to St. Petersburg, Russia. If he could, he was to prevent the Bolsheviks from coming into power, for the Bolsheviks would take the Russians out of the war, and the Germans could then bring more firepower against the allies. Maugham sailed from here to Vladivostok via Tokyo, then took the Trans-Siberia railroad to St. Petersburg. His cover was that he was an author going to write articles for the Daily Telegraph.

Of course, Maugham did not

keep the Bolsheviks from ousting Kerensky, but when Hitler invaded Poland and Czechoslovakia 20 years later, the United States and her European allies utilized strategic political and economic advice he had given regarding the treatment of central European countries.

From that experience he wrote short stories and a novel, Ashenden, or the British Agent, about a gentlemanly, sophisticated, aloof spy. This character is considered to have influenced Ian Fleming’s later series of James Bond novels. Alfred Hitchcock’s Secret Agent (1938), starring John Gielgud, Peter Lorre, Madeleine Cornell and Robert Young, was based on Ashenden.

Maugham’s friends say that he became progressively more gay the longer he lived. His most lasting male love was a San Franciscan named Gerald Haxton, who was also an ambulance driver in WWI. They met on a battlefield, but Haxton was later captured by the Germans and kept in a prison camp for most of the war.

Afterwards, he and Maugham were reunited and went to live in their large seaside Villa Mauresque at Cap Ferrat on the Mediterranean.

There Maugham conducted a great literary salon in the 1920s and 30s.

He and his companion had to flee German occupation during the Second World War, and Haxton died in 1944.

Maugham lived to be 85, still diving into the waters of the sea. He is considered one of the foremost novelists of the 20th century.t

quiem that has just won the Dunedin a 2014 Gramophone Award.

Butt’s detailed, loving reconstruction of the work’s first performance (or, as it turns out, performances; there are appendices) could itself be seen as a trite, narrow-gauge historical-performance enterprise, but only if you didn’t look, and listen, more closely. Basing his performance version on a scrupulous new edition of the Requiem, by David Black, that sets out to do just that, Butt has turned the Suessmayer “problem” into the occasion to explore what the piece might have sounded like to the friends and associates of Mozart – in Gramophone’s words – “[struggling] to come to terms with their loss.”

Black’s edition, and Butt’s recording of it, are our gain. As usual, only other Mozart scholars would be likely to hear, readily at least, the differences between earlier editions of the Suessmayer completion, and this new one identifies them explicitly. Yet the Dunedin’s performance sounds like no other recording of the Requiem, as anyone who’s got the work under their belt will notice from the start, and the work itself is

the major beneficiary.

The single most noticeable thing is that the four “soloists” do not work outside the 16-voice choir but are an integral part of it, only acoustically “stepping forward” for their music. This gives the entire work a different, more integral, and ultimately more intimate cast. And it strips away another layer of sonic darkness from the very advanced counterpoint in music that declares Mozart’s deep debt to, and love of, the church music of Bach and Handel. Butt’s own approach to this music by way of his more usual Bach and Handel only buttresses the construction, or reconstruction.

It’s not necessarily that the music has more impact in this form, but rather that its impact is of a different kind, no less lacking in emotion than later versions with larger forces, and arguably with greater emotional clarity and thrust. Despite an illuminating half-century with “original instruments,” it’s still possible to fear that a new-old Mozart Requiem would sound scrawnier, or scratchier. The sublimity of the sighing in the Lachrymosa says otherwise.t

Courtesy Stanford University

Novelist Somerset Maugham.

Spiritual endeavors

by Tim Pfaff

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onspirare has proved itself such a consistent and reliable – not to mention fine – chorus that it is enough to say that they have a new recording out to recommend it. Craig Hella Johnson, its openly gay music director, has molded his singers into a true ensemble with a distinctive sound and artistic profile, so now the adventure is to hear them interacting with other musicians and ensembles, as they do in their new CD, Robert Kyr: The Cloud of Unknowing and Songs of the Soul (Harmonia Mundi), with the comparably intimate Victoria Bach Festival Orchestra, a largely stringed-instrument ensemble.

But my reason for sounding off about this new release is the beauty and power of the music of Kyr, until now unknown to me. In the two recent, multi-movement works named in the disc’s title, Kyr sets texts by the

16th-century Spanish Catholic mystics, saints Theresa of Avila and John of the Cross, in Spanish, as well as Biblical texts in both English and the Latin vulgate, with the kind of attention to word-painting that elevates well-made music into moving compositions that remain with you well after the sound has decayed.

William James’ famous title The Varieties of Religious Experience comes to mind in this tirelessly varied music expressing the full range of spiritual feeling. To hear it at its most finely calibrated, look no farther than Kyr’s setting of St. John’s “On a Dark Night [of the soul],” in which the voice of soprano Esteli Gomez recedes into such a fine filament of sound that it’s not clear when it has been finally absorbed into the encompassing musical light.

Mozart didn’t finish composing his Requiem before succumbing to its subject. His student, Franz Suessmayer, completed it in what has become fuel for scholarly fires ever since. His work, inevitably less exalted than his teacher’s, goes in and out of favor, having prompted some serious musicologist and performing musicians to make their own, more “Mozartian” completions.

I’ve long since hitched my wagon to musician-scholar Robert Levin’s, and his is one of the four “realizations” on a superb new Choir of King’s College Cambridge two-CD set that nevertheless gives pride of place to Suessmayer. Its second CD is an insightful audio documentary.

Fads being what they are, scholarly or not, the Suessmayer edition has come back into vogue with a vengeance as recordings of the other completions retreat into the “historical” category. John Butt, once a music professor at UC Berkeley and now leader of the Dunedin Consort, of all the “early-music” ensembles one of the most highly esteemed for pairing scholarship with front-rank music-making, has come up with a new approach to performing the Re-

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Music>>

September 11-17, 2014 • Bay Area Reporter • 23

Regular person with a big voice

by David-Elijah Nahmod

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f all the celebrities we’ve chatted with, few have been as genuinely down-to-Earth or as friendly as Jennifer Hudson. Before our chat began, there was some trepidation on our part: we were about to be put on the phone with a world-famous, awardwinning recording artist and movie star. We were nervous. Would we stutter, starstruck kids that we are?

When we let the charming Ms. Hudson know that we were a little nervous, she let out a joyous laugh.

“And that’s OK,” she reassured us.

At the end of our talk she remarked, “Nice talking to you.” It’s rare for a diva as famous as Jennifer Hudson to be as warm and personable as she is. Her new CD JHud will be released on Sept. 23.

Award-winning vocalist Jennifer Hudson: “Still a thrill.”

David-Elijah Nahmod: How do you maintain the amazing power in your voice?

Jennifer Hudson: I wish I could tell you that I do something for it, but I really don’t have a regimen.

My voice has always been that way.

It’s a muscle. I do keep a humidifier around.

You’re only 32, yet you’ve amassed an impressive collection of 39 awards, including an Oscar [Best Supporting Actress, Dreamgirls].

How did winning an Oscar feel?

These things are still a thrill to this day. I already made it so far, I would never have thought I’d win.

It’s a lot to take in.

Can you tell us more about who Jennifer Hudson is?

People think, “She’s so serious!”

I’m not like that! I’m human first, a person. I like people to feel comfortable around me. I’m not an Oscar, I’m a person.

Can you describe what it felt like to share a stage with Patti Labelle,

whom you’ve cited as a musical influence?

I think that was at the GLAAD Awards. I will never forget it. I was presenting, she started to sing, then she gave the mike back to me. Oh God, those moments are so special.

I grew up on Patti, and on Aretha Franklin, so to be able to sing with them, wow!

It looks like you get a lot of joy out of your work.

I do! It’s such a pleasure to be able to do what I do. I love to be able to meet the people I love and to work with them. Pressure comes with it, it stresses you out. You do it because you love it.

What do you hope to convey with JHud? I wanted to express myself musically. To show my artistry, my growth.

It’s the overall experience of who I am. Come celebrate with me.t

really belongs in that house with that mother.

Joseph Cross: He’s in a really bad place when you first meet him, he’s slightly better off afterwards. He finally tells his father what happened.

Another character tells him that maybe the firing is a blessing in disguise, which it really is, but Roger’s not hearing that.

Courtesy of Ali Goldstein/Sundance Selects

Chris Mulkey (Malcolm Green) and Patricia Clarkson (Celia Green) in Tom Dolby and Tom Williams’ Last Weekend.

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Last Weekend

From page 13

“Roger and Vanessa are bringing all the food I ordered. I hope they get here soon or we might have to start eating our limbs like the Donner Party. And that enormous car!

Where did it come from? I just don’t like you driving, you’ve never been completely comfortable behind the wheel. I only want you to be safe!”

Theo and Luke enter their bedroom, where Luke grabs Theo’s arm and remarks, “I thought you said your mom was crazy.”

“Most people have trains of thought. My mom has, like, 15,000 post-it notes.”

Early this May, when Last Weekend was having its maiden hometown screening at the San Francisco International Film Festival, I enjoyed a Japantown hotel group-chat with filmmakers Dolby and Williams, along with cast members Joseph Cross and Devon Graye.

David Lamble: The wonderful Lake Tahoe house we see in the movie was a house you actually lived in.

Tom Dolby: I spent summers and some winters growing up there with my family, particularly growing into my teens.

What was it like to shoot there?

Dolby: It was challenging, yet you get such an incredible degree of realism. I remember Patty [Clarkson] telling us in the first week, “This is fantastic! You look out the windows and you see trees, you see the lake.”

If you were shooting on a stage, there’s no way you could recreate that.

Where does this story come from?

I grew up in a family where I’m the gay older brother, my younger brother is straight. It came out of

that, but then developed in its own way as a story. Celia’s not my mom.

Celia developed on the page. Then as Patty took on the character, she brought her own flavor to it.

How did the ensemble grow so large?

Dolby: It’s because we were a little naive.

Tom Williams: We did want to show that there’s nowhere you can really go. We noticed that the only place you can go to get away from everyone is the bathroom. So we have characters going into the bathroom just for a moment, but we did want it to feel claustrophobic, that every bedroom is occupied.

Which characters are best at coping in a family like this?

Williams: One of the best-adjusted is Luke, Theo’s boyfriend.

He knows himself best. A lot of the characters are in denial in certain aspects. Luke and Vanessa are probably the most self-aware.

I relished Joseph’s Roger, who conceals the fact that’s he’s been fired from a financial firm by tossing the business section of the paper, knowing that the house has no WiFi. So his deceit will likely go undetected for the weekend. Did your house not have an Internet connection?

Dolby: It does now, but until two years ago you had to do a dialup AOL, complete with those funky modem sounds.

That’s a real retreat from the world!

Dolby: Right. Cell service was really spotty.

Williams: You had to wander all the way out onto the dock.

Joseph, your character is hiding the fact that he’s been fired because of a slip-up that cost his firm $30 million. This character is so ill-at-ease, yet he

You have a impressive stunt, pulling the handyman out of the water.

Cross: I thought I was going to throw up. The water’s very cold, and I jumped in and pulled him up to the beach. It’s very high altitude, so if you do a lot of exercise it’s difficult.

Dolby: We did it once and didn’t think we could do it any better.

Williams: We were never afraid to make Roger petulant or annoying because at the end of the day, he saves two people’s lives in the movie.

You get beneath the superficial details and give us an amusing but pointed insider’s story.

Dolby: There are things about the Greens that are very different from my own family, but the heart of what I tried to convey about that kind of people is there.

Talk about Zachary Booth’s Theo.

Dolby: That character’s not particularly likeable. He’s self-centered, he drinks too much, takes pills, and he’s very critical.

He treats his boyfriend shabbily at first.

Devon Graye: The movie’s not about a gay relationship, it could as easily be a girl and a guy. I think that’s the next level of filmmaking: not highlighting the gay story, but normalizing it.

But your boyfriend is in the habit of picking up a lot of guys. You’re part of a chain of one-night-stands.

Graye: This time it’s a little different. I have to meet his family, he has to be a little more vulnerable with me.

And you have to assert your dignity, because you don’t want to be treated like a one-night-stand when you’re in that environment.

Graye: Exactly. My character is not just asserting himself with Theo, but as a person in general.

There’s that moment when Luke has an allergic reaction to salmon, and the mother doesn’t want to get out the kit that might save his life because it’s part of her “beesting kit” for a different kind of emergency.

Graye: It’s always fun to have a near-death experience at a dinner party. Luke’s excited to be there initially, but halfway through, the curtain pulls back to reveal what this would be like for him, and he says, “I don’t belong here, I don’t want to belong here!”t

Steven Underhill

PHOTOGRAPHY

415 370 7152

WEDDINGS, HEADSHOTS, PORTRAITS

stevenunderhill.com · stevenunderhillphotos@gmail.com

ebar.com

CA

CA

28

28

On the Town

Mary, Pop in!

NIGHTLIFE FOOD

SPIRITS

SEX

ROMANCE

Dog Daze

Aleks Buldocek

SOCIETY

LEATHER

PERSONALS Vol. 44 • No. 37 • September 11-17, 2014

www.ebar.com ✶ www.bartabsf.com

Pound Puppy’s Canine Capers

by Jim Provenzano / photos by FBFE

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Porn pup Adam Ramzi (left) and a masked gogo guy.

by Jim Provenzano

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32

ry to remember the kind of September with laughs and queens and bears and cocktails. Try to remember, but if you forget, we wrote all these events down for you. This week, I’ve decided to bump On the Tab up front in an expanded format, because there are just so many fun things to do this week.

It’s been several years since your humble editor began writing listings in LGBT media. I remember the days when colorful photocopied flyers were mailed to our old offices on 9th Street in SoMa. After a batch of flyers served their publicity purpose, I’d often clip a few fun images, post them on the wall, and shred a few for multi-colored confetti.

But even before that, as a young fledgling performer in New York City, I once thrilled to pick up a copy of the Village Voice and see my name in the events listing for my first show, at Franklin Furnace. Sure, the font was 8 points and only 20 words, but it meant something. And people came to my show.

So, having been on both sides of the coin (“La publicité!”), I understand when event promoters, artists and publicists ask for a listing. It helps. But more often, nightlife folks seem to think I’m psychic, so they don’t send their info, but expect me to follow their posts, tweets and un-emailed missives.

These days, the definition of mail, and even the term “wall” have been coopted by social media behemoth Facebook. Sure, I’m on there, as me, and my Bar Tab persona, to catch up on events and check addresses (because many folks forget to send that info).

If you think sending PR to your friends and followers online is enough, that’s cool. But if you want to be included in the most expansive LGBT event listings in California, in the LGBT newspaper with the largest audited, verified circulation in the entire West Coast (Yup, you read that right.), send an email.

The instructions have been published in print and online for decades, but here they are once again: “Want your nightlife event listed? Email events@ebar.com, at least two weeks before your event. Event photos welcome.”

Yup, it’s that simple. No payment (like others), no pay-to-play ads (like others).

No guarantees, but a promise that I’ll do my best to get butts in theatre seats, and patrons in the bar, club, warehouse, or wherever your event’s happening. Thanks for reading.

Listings start page 25 >>

ith a sexy combination of nightlife traditions and new innovations, the monthly event Pound Puppy at The Eagle (and a few other venues) has become one of the more popular and diverse parties, with a range of bear cubs, queens, gogo guys in dog masks, and even a barber cutting hair. Fans can get a double dose of doggy debauchery this month, when the Pound Puppy guys bring their crew to The Eagle on Saturday, September 13, and at F8 for a pre-Folsom affair on September 20.

Two of Pound Puppy’s producers, Jorge Portillo and Blake Cedric, shared why their event attracts such a diverse fun crowd.

“I think it comes from the people that we as promoters kind of gravitate towards,” said Portillo. “We all come from an eclectic group of people. We come from different communities, and we thought it would be amazing to bring them together.”

See page 26 >>

f B A T E H T eONSeptember 11–18 ★

Fri 12

Planet Booty @ Slim’s

{ THIRD OF THREE SECTIONS }

Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lgbtsf.nightlife

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

26 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 11-17, 2014

<<

FBFE

Friends at Pound Puppy.

17th annual california independent film festival the castro theater 429 castro street san francisco california FBFE

Woof! Doggie style at Pound Puppy.

Movie 6:15 $12 Lifetime Achievement Awardee

VIP PARTY with an appearance by Julie Newmar and special guests 6:30 $75 Awards hosted by Jan Wahl 8:30 Movie 9:00 $20

VIP PARTY with the cast 7:30 $25 Movie 9:00 $12

VIP PARTY with the cast 4:30 $25 Movie 6:00 $12

For tickets and full festival schedule, please visit caiff.org/events.asp

BAReporter.3.indd 1

FBFE

Canine costumed cuties at Pound Puppy.

9/8/14 9:32 PM

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Dog Daze

From page 25

Portillo, 34, is also part of the Hard French collective, which brings soul music and daytime dancing to El Rio, along with annual balls in Santa Cruz and elsewhere. Cedric, 31, has organized events in Seattle and Portland. Kevin O’Connor and Oscar Pineda are also Pound Puppy producers.

“Because of these connections,” said Portillo, “we were able to generate that kind of crowd.”

Cedric agreed, saying, “We decided to do something where we can bring people from different scenes and different walks of life together; drag queens and bears and chubby chasers, and get them all under one space. We wanted to make the Eagle a happening place again.”

Since its renovations and celebrated reopening in March 2013, The Eagle has been home to a variety of new monthly events, including Michael Brandon’s kink-themed Sadistic Saturdays, and the Los Angeles-based Boulet Brothers’ Dragula. Pound Puppy’s second Saturdays joined the line-up early this year.

“The Eagle was getting a lot of older patrons,” said Cedric. “But there wasn’t really a new scene.”

Pound Puppy’s events have been held monthly and have gained a loyal following.

Despite the recent closing of a few gay bars, do the Pound Puppy guys feel like they’re part of a small renaissance in local nightlife?

“Definitely,” said Cedric. “We want to set the tone for San Francisco and inspire others. More and more parties are popping up. We hope we’re an inspiration for people who want to do something like this.

It goes to show that it can be done, sometimes with a line around the block.”

So, what was the inspiration for the canine theme? Portillo explained.

“The puppy theme is a nuance

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Read more online at www.ebar.com

September 11-17, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 27

FBFE

Gogos and their pals having fun at a recent Pound Puppy.

of sex culture, underground leather culture, and sort of new age of sexy parties,” he said. “We sort of latched onto that idea. There’s a new way of sharing underground culture. It’s no longer just about leather, but also about new subcultures, so we took that theme. It’s really cool that’s it’s a specific fetish. But our event is more a representation of a new wave of kink.”

As part of a mostly younger community, the Pound crew exemplify a more playful and less formal take on kink.

“There is a new culture of sexpositive people,” said Portillo. “It’s no longer just about wearing gear.

And there are different ways of being in a subculture. There are no formal rules of what it means to be a part of the leather community.”

Cedric added, “We’re reclaiming it and turning it into a new generation of fetish fans.”

But the studly gogo guys who occasionally don dog masks, aren’t the only attractions. The music, a combination of deep house and electro grooves, spun by resident DJs Taco Tuesday and Chip Mint (and occasional guest DJs), maintains an energetic mood.

“We like to have guest DJs from up and down the coast to keep things

fresh,” said Portillo. “For our Folsom party, we have Men’s Room DJs Harry and Jpeg in from Chicago. They hold one of the most amazing parties in Chicago right now.” Also on the line-up are Jeffery Sfire from Detroit and Robot Hustle from the San Francisco collective Honey Soundsystem.

“We like to feature DJs from our community, and not only gay men,” said Portillo. “We’ve had women, and a DJ who is super-queer but a straight man. We like to rotate them and have a good variety.”

Cedric noted one particular difference with their canine events.

“We also don’t do any live music; no performances or drag numbers,” he said. “You control the night; it can go in whatever direction you want. A lot of times a performance brings things to a stand-still. ‘Hey it’s midnight! Stop everything and look at the show!’ We prefer to keep it more free, a bit dark and sexy.”

Not that there aren’t various unusual aspects as well, such as handsome barber Tony DiCaro clipping hair and beards (see sidebar) and the occasional demonstration with gear from event sponsor Mr. S Leather.

“My intention was to have something going on in each room,” said

FBFE

A Pound Puppy gogo guy shows off his assets on The Eagle patio.

FBFE

Bears love puppies.

FBFE

Tony DiCaro carefully cuts a patron’s hair at a recent Pound Puppy at The Eagle.

Hair Bear Tony DiCaro’s kindest cuts

by Jim Provenzano

O

n a makeshift platform atop The Eagle’s brick barbeque pit, barber Tony DiCaro carefully trims the beard of a young man at a recent Pound Puppy, the popular monthly event held (mostly) at The Eagle Tavern. Dressed only in boots, a jock strap and a black leather apron, DiCaro occasionally turns one way or another, revealing his admirable backside.

“I started cutting hair at Pound Puppy for Bear Weekend in 2013,” said DiCaro, a professional barber with more than a decade of experience. Originally from Atlanta, the 36-year-old DiCaro runs a small solo shop at 3150 18th Street.

DiCaro recalled that he’s attended nearly all the Pound Puppy events, where he said, “It’s not quite as serious” as his salon work, which includes a variety of hair care services.

And while a specialized cut can cost $45 at his salon (“A flat top or buzz cut is cheaper”), at Pound Puppy, payment is donationbased.

“What I usually do at The Eagle is a high and tight,” said DiCaro, who also trims beards.

Admiring patrons at the event occasionally interrupt their beersipping and conversations to observe the performative haircuts.

“It’s really, really sexy,” said Pound Puppy co-producer Jorge Portillo. “People love it. There’s a line of customers each time. Even one of our women friends once got a side cut.”

Asked if his delicate work is difficult in a crowded bar, DiCaro said, “I generally keep it simple there; not a lot of scissor action, but mostly clippers.”

Portillo. “You could walk around and be interactive, but you don’t have to stand there. It’s about ambiance and making people feel comfortable. You don’t have to engage in all of it. But you can feel comfortable and exited.”

Excited would be the appropriate term for the appreciation shown to Pound Puppy’s crew of dancers, not gogo boys, but men.

“We like to find all kinds of guys,” said Cedric, who hires a variety of men, including local porn performer Adam Ramzi. “It does help to get porn stars, but we do include regular guys who are also really sexy.”

And what does the team have

While he did agree that “It is a bit of a performance” at Pound Puppy, his assurance is quite apparent, even when one bar patron called out, “Nice butt!”

“I do wear pants at work, and I know it’s disappointed a few clients,” DiCaro half-joked. He’s also been the resident barber at occasional Mr S Leather shop events for more than a year.

“The Pound Puppy guys approached me for something no one’s been seeing onstage at bars,” said DiCaro. “I’m a bit different than a gogo dancer.”

While acknowledging that getting a trim from a handsome nearnaked barber can be considered a sensual experience, DiCaro keeps things professional no matter where he’s working.

“In Atlanta, I was more of a hair stylist,” he said. “Here in San Francisco, I wanted to focus on men’s grooming, or short hair grooming for any gender.”

With his own dark beard fitting in nicely with the bearish patrons at Pound Puppy, DiCaro’s a perfect fit. He even has his own hair care product, Beard Father.

“I think I’ve become a beard expert at this point,” he said. “I give cutting beards the same approach toward hair. Men need to learn how to trim, versus just cutting it down. So I offer advise on caring for a beard; using an oil, brushing your beard with the proper boar bristle brush, getting it groomed so it’s shaped correctly.”

DiCaro said that growing an attractive beard or mustache is about more than simply not shaving.

“It’s important to remember that there’s skin underneath that needs care,” he said. “There’s

planned for their pre-Folsom event at F8?

“This is our introduction to the Folsom Street Fair and that community,” said Portillo. “We’ve established ourselves over the last year within the fetish community. This is our way of literally pushing ourselves forward, saying we’re here.”

With their multi-city connections, are there any plans to take Pound Puppy on the road?

“We’ll see what happens,” said Portillo. “For now, we’re happy at home. The F8 party will include people from all over the world who are in town for Folsom. Definitely get there early.”

definitely a style to it, more than simple variations between shorter and longer beard. Facial hair is the most defining feature of a man’s face. I think that men have rediscovered their masculinity in their own facial hair and grooming process.”

With the current facial hair trend becoming even more popular, DiCaro has seen a big increase in customers.

“I work by myself and don’t do any advertising, so doing Mr S and Pound Puppy events have helped,” he said. “I’m 100 percent word of mouth and booked a month in advance.”

So, if you want a perfect preFolsom cut or trim, you better make an appointment with DiCaro soon, or get down to Pound Puppy.t www.tonydicaro.com

BARtab

Tony DiCaro trims another Pound Puppy patron.

With this year’s Magnitude taking place the same night on Treasure Island, some people may prefer a more easily accessible kinky event like Pound Puppy.

“Ours is a smaller environment that’s different than a circuit or Castro party,” said Portillo. “There’s nothing wrong with that, but we’re definitely trying to create a new vibe, a new subculture of people, and give it a voice. We’re doing our best to honor our past and make a future.”t Visit the Pound Puppy Facebook page: www.facebook.com/oscarblake.jorgekevin

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

28 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 11-17, 2014

Honors and Arias

by Donna Sachet

A

s promised, this week we bring you the 92nd Opening Night of the SF Opera, in all its magnificent fashions and glorious music.

The always elegant Richard Sablatura drove us right up to City Hall’s doorstep, thanks to our friends John Finck and Gelane Pearson, to join the pre-performance cocktail party already in progress.

Photo opportunities abounded inside as we rubbed shoulders with many of the opera’s elite attendees, including California and San Francisco Chief of Protocol Charlotte Schultz in sparkling gold, Joy Bianchi in a bold zebra-inspired Tom Ford gown, Marilyn Cabak in glorious Oscar de la Renta red, Deepa Pakianathan in rich Alexander McQueen black and bronze, and Belinda Berry in a startling Herve Leger lilac swimsuit with full-length skirt and tulle décor.

Drew Altizer

Donna Sachet with Richard Sablatura at the San Francisco opera opening night gala.

The gentlemen certainly held their own this year, most in dignified tuxedoes, some in proper white tie, and others experimenting with

variety; they included Bernard Tyson, Jim Illig, Mark Rhoades, Joel Goodrich, John Rosin, Tom Foutch & Milton Mosk, Jorge Maumer, and even our friends and neighbors Randy Laroche & David Laudon.

As attendees were summoned to be seated for dinner, we even had the rare opportunity to exchange niceties with Gordon & Ann Getty.

(Yes, them!) Back at the Opera House, we chatted in the press room with Akilah Monifa & Karen Durant, among others, before joining the Bravo! group for their pre-party on the second floor outdoor loggia, where the fashion parade continued, albeit with fewer designer labels, but more youthful spirit.

Finally, it was time for Bellini’s Norma, beautifully staged, winningly performed, and most memorably, gloriously sung by divas Sondra Radvanovsky and Jamie Barton.

At each of their appearances, the audience went wild! During the sole intermission, we popped upstairs to extend greetings to Tom Horn, Charlot Malin, Kelly Carter, Karen Caldwell, Phoebe Cowles, Genelle Relfe, and others, before returning to the tragic, but marvelous second part of the opera. As expected, the company received a well-deserved standing ovation with particular praise for the sopranos.

We then traipsed across Van Ness Avenue to return to City Hall for the post-opera party, where schmoozing, dancing, and fashion critiques continued well into the night. As anyone who knows us personally can attest, this is an evening we anxiously await and this year was no disappointment, full of incredible artistry, lush costuming, and convoluted protocol, both onstage and off.

Earlier in the week, we were happy to take part in two Castro Street events. The first was the unveiling of the Rainbow Honor Walk, a project long dreamed of by Isak Lindenauer and finally brought to fruition with the recent completion of the Castro Street improvements. David Perry orchestrated a beautiful ceremony

Officer Chris Kohrs, author Mark Abramson and Donna at the Rainbow Honor Walk unveiling.

involving rainbow flags, a group procession, and many community leaders, including Armistead Maupin & Chris Turner, Del Martin, State Senator Mark Leno, City Supervisor Scott Wiener, Bevan Dufty, Joey Cain, Terry Asten Bennett, and Daniel Bergerac. As to the controversy over a few misspelled words, we prefer to accentuate the positive and congratulate all those who worked so hard to get these memorial plaques in place in the Castro. Shame on Huffington Post and others for highlighting the errors over the outstanding work to create this first-ever sidewalk recognition of our early pioneers and heroes!

Our second event was on Thursday as Solange Marzouk Darwish met Empress Chablis’ Ice Bucket Challenge. Thanks to an internet sensation, this remarkable effort has raised over $100,000,000 in about two months for the ALS Association, fighting for an underserved population with this degenerative disease. Again, there are those critical and dismissive, but let’s do some basic research before negating all the positive effect the Ice Bucket Challenge has had.

On that afternoon, Solange stood outside the door of her Cove Café on Castro Street and submitted to two buckets of ice and cold water, deftly poured by Bay Area Reporter leather columnist Race Bannon and this columnist. What a sport! By the way, Chablis also challenged us and we bravely met her challenge,

t

On Saturday, September. 13, GLAAD introduces a new event in San Francisco only, called Game Changers, recognizing Bay Area leaders advancing LGBT equality through the media. Expect an emphasis on the growing power of social media and Silicon Valley, as you enjoy dinner, award presentations, and inspiring speeches. The event starts at 6PM at the Hilton Hotel in Union Square and is hosted by Taryn Manning of television’s Orange is the New Black. Other confirmed special guests include Hannah Hart, Meghan McCain, Alex Newell, Tyler Oakley, and Peter Paige. We are thrilled to see GLAAD continuing its presence in San Francisco with this

David Perry (with microphone) with former and current elected officials at the opening ceremonies for the Castro Rainbow Honor Walk.

as evidenced by our video available on Facebook and Youtube. Brrrr, it was cold!

Coming up tomorrow, Friday, September 12, is Macy’s Glamorama at the Golden Gate Theatre.

We haven’t been in years, but look forward to seeing how this ongoing event has evolved and continues to make millions of dollars for worthy local charitable organizations. Performers include Jason Derulo and Before You Exit, fashions include Diesel, I.N.C. Weekend by MaxMara, Hello Kitty, and Calvin Klein, and local beneficiaries include AIDS Emergency Fund, GLIDE Foundation, and Project Open Hand. Attend the fashion show or shop at Macy’s this weekend to benefit the cause. What to wear?

special event chaired by John Marez and Christopher Vasquez.

Then, next Thursday, September 18, don’t miss AIDS Emergency Fund’s Leathers & Feathers at Temple SF, 540 Howard Street. This new approach to annual galas features an eye-popping fashion show with local models of some renown. We coemcee with Sister Roma as models like Michael Brandon, Andy Cross, Demetri Moshoyannis, and Reigning Emperor J.P. Soto strut their leather and models like Tita Aida, Cockatielia, Kitty Glamour, Juanita MORE!, BeBe Sweetbriar, and mr.

Pam parade their feathers! And yes, there will be cocktails and awards as well. What a perfect prelude to Folsom Street Fair that weekend!t

Mary, Pop in! Gay-friendly straight bar to host LGBT Center fundraiser

by David-Elijah Nahmod

I

f you feel like supporting our San Francisco LGBT Community Center and all the great programs and safe spaces it offers, then come hang out in a straight bar to show the Center some love.

On Wednesday September 17, the Center’s Board of Directors will be guest bartending at Soda Popinski’s, a Nob Hill watering hole. Though a nice place to grab a drink, Soda Popinski’s isn’t known for its gay clientele.

Popinski’s Olivia Ringo describes the bar as a “melting pot.”

“We fully support all organizations, especially LGBT ones,” she said in an interview. “We want to help give back to the community any way that we can.”

Guest-bartending has become a tradition at the two-year-old Soda Popinski’s, Ringo reports. “We do guest bartending events three nights a week,” she said. “You and up to five friends or co-workers would get behind the bar in alternating shifts of two, and tend bar. During this time, all the cash and credit card tips you make will be donated to the organization you’re representing.”

LGBT Center Executive Director Rebecca Rolfe invites people to stop by, have fun, and support a good

Board members of the LGBT Center who’ll be guest-bartending at Soda Popinsky’s.

cause.

“Come out and join us at Soda Popinski’s,” she said. “Meet old and new friends and support a fabulous organization. We will be serving up cocktails and community, all to support the Center’s programs, which help people get jobs, start businesses, and to access housing and healthcare.”

“San Francisco is changing very quickly, “ said Angel VanStark, the City’s former Youth Commissioner.

“Since I arrived, the only thing that has been constant has been the City’s dedication to have as many people prosper as possible. One of the champions of that endeavor has been the LGBT Center. They do that by providing opportunities to marginalized LGBT people such as seniors in need of healthcare, unemployed trans people, and homeless youth.”

Event organizer Kathryn Snyder

VanStark can personally attest to how critical Center services can be.

Once homeless, VanStark found himself into permanent housing and employment with the Center’s help.

The night of drinks, merriment

our second guest bartending event, the first one was at Tonic and was incredibly fun. This is really a way for us to connect with members in our community while raising funds for the Center.”

Snyder offered a sampling of upcoming Center events which would greatly benefit from monies raised at the Soda Popinski’s event, such as the September 28 Center Brunch, Economic Justice Week, which commences on October 19, and and the annual BOLD Awards on November 13.

The BOLD Awards celebrate those who’ve helped to build a stronger, healthier LGBT community.

Olivia Ringo promises One of several games at Soda Popinski’s that attendees will have a blast at Soda Popinski’s.

“It’s your classic friendly and fundraising is being hosted and neighborhood bar equiped with coordinated by LGBT Center Board N64,” she said. “We also have a big member Kathryn Snyder. game wheel filled with different “I’ve been on the Board about prizes.”t three years,” Snyder said. “I’m incredibly dedicated as I believe in the Center’s mission of connecting our SF LGBT Center Guest-bartends at Soda Popinski’s, Wednesday community to people and resourcSeptember 16, 6pm-9pm. 1548 Calies, to improve and enrich their lives. fornia. 857-1548. www.sfcenter.org I’m the Board’s Social Chair. This is

t <<

On the Tab>>

On the Tab

From page 25

Fri 12

September 11-17, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 29

Magic Parlor @ Chancellor Hotel

Thump @ White Horse, Oakland

Whimsical Belle Epoque-style sketch and magic show that also includes historical San Francisco stories; hosted

by Walt Anthony; optional pre-show light dinner and desserts. $40. Thu-Sat 8pm.

433 Powell St. www.SFMagicParlor.com

Weekly electro music night with DJ Matthew Baker and guests. 9pm-2am.

6551 Telegraph Ave, (510) 652-3820. www.whitehorsebar.com

Mary Go Round @ Lookout Suppositori Spelling, Mercedez Munro and Holotta Tymes host the weekly night with DJ Philip Grasso, gogo guys, drink specials, and drag acts. 10pm-2am. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

The Monster Show @ The Edge Cookie Dough’s weekly drag show with gogo guys and hilarious fun. $5. 9pm-2am.

4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com Latin Explosion @ Club 21, Oakland

Thu 11 Beats Reality @ Trax Resident DJs Jim Hopkins and Justime welcome guest DJs and play groovy tunes. Weekly, 9pm-2am. 1437 Haight St. 864-4213.

Bulge @ Powerhouse Grace Towers hosts the weekly gogotastic night of sexy dudes shakin’ their bulges and getting wet in their undies for $100 prize (contest at midnight), and dance beats spun by DJ DAMnation. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Club Yass @ City Nights Frisco Robbie presents a new 18+ LGBT weekly night, with live sets by guest performers, DJ TwistMix, with a Latin room up front, gogo guys and gals. $10. 9:30-3am. 546-7938. www.sfclubs.com

The Crib @ 715 Dance night for the younger guys and gals. 9:30pm-2am. 715 Harrison St. www.thecribsf.com

La Femme @ Beaux Weekly ladies’ happy hour at the Castro nightclub, with drink specials, no cover, and women gogos. 4pm-9pm. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Fuego @ The Watergarden, San Jose Weekly event, with Latin music, halfoff locker fees and Latin men, at the South Bay private men’s bath house. $8-$39. Reg hours 24/7. 18+. 1010 The Alameda. (408) 275-1215. www.thewatergarden.com

My So-Called Night @ Beaux Heklina hosts a new weekly ‘90s-themed video, dancin’, drinkin’ night, with VJs Jorge Terez and Becky Knox. Get down with your funky bunch, and enjoy 90cent drinks! ‘90s-themed attire and costume contest. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Nap’s Karaoke @ Virgil’s Sea Room Sing out loud at the weekly least judgmental karaoke in town, hosted by the former owner of the bar. No cover. 9pm. 3152 Mission St. 8292233. www.virgilssf.com

Nightlife @ California Academy of Sciences Themed event nights at the fascinating nature museum, with DJed dancing, cocktails, fish, frogs, food and fun. Sept. 11: Forests, with live sets by bands Kelley Stoltz and Mystic Braves. Art displays, nature docents from the California Wolf Center, Rainforest Connection and others. $10-$12. 6pm-10pm, 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park.

379-8000. www.calacademy.org

Pan Dulce @ The Cafe Amazingly hot Papi gogo guys, cheap drinks and fun DJed dance music. Free before 10pm. $5 til 2am. 2369 Market St. www.clubpapi.com www.cafesf.com

Rock Fag @ Hole in the Wall Enjoy hard rock and punk music from DJ Don Baird at the wonderfully divey SoMa bar. 12pm-2am. 1369 Folsom St. 431-4695. www.hitws.com

Tubesteak Connection @ Aunt Charlie’s Lounge The intimate groovy retro disco night with tunes spun by DJ Bus Station John. $4. 10pm-2am. 133 Turk St. at Taylor. www.auntcharlieslounge.com

Thursday Night Live @ SF Eagle The weekly live rock shows feature local and touring bands. 9pm-ish. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

VIP @ Club 21, Oakland Hip Hop, Top 40, and sexy Latin music; gogo dancers, appetizers, and special guest DJs. No cover before 11pm and just $5 after all night.

Dancing 9pm-3am. Happy hour 4pm8:30pm 2111 Franklin St. (510) 2689425. www.club21oakland.com

Fri 12

Jason DeRulo @ Glamorama

Fri 12 Bad Girl Cocktail Hour @ The Lexington Club Every Friday night, bad girls can get $1 dollar margaritas between 9pm and 10pm. 3464 19th St. between Mission and Valencia. 863-2052. www.lexingtonclub.com

Friday Night @ de Young Museum Nightlife events at the museum take on different themes. $20-$35. 6pm8:30pm. 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive. www.deyoung.famsf.org

Glamorama @ Golden Gate Theatre, Warfield Macy’s annual gala fashion and music show, with Jason DeRulo and Before You Exit, (1 Taylor St. 8pm) with an after-party; drinks and food (982 Market St.). Proceeds benefit AIDS Emergency Fund, Project Open Hand and the GLIDE Foundation. $89$1000. (888) 746-1799. www.macys.com

See page 30 >>

Funny Fun @ Club 21, Oakland New weekly LGBT and straight comedy night hosted by Dan Mires. $10. 8pm.

2111 Franklin St. Oakland. (510) 2689425. www.club21oakland.com

Gym Class @ Hi Tops Enjoy cheap/free whiskey shots from jock-strapped hotties and sexy sports videos at the popular sports bar.

10pm-2am. 2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.com

Jukebox @ Beatbox Veteran DJ Page Hodel (The Box, Q and many other events) presents a new weekly dance event, with soul, funk, hip-hop and house mixes. $10. 21+. 9pm-2am. 314 11th St. at Folsom. www.BeatboxSF.com

Lavay Smith & her Red Hot Skillet Lickers Band @ Yoshi’s The local queen of classic jazz and blues performs with her rousing band at the nightclub/restaurant, in an open dance floor show. $24. 8pm.

1330 Fillmore St. 655-5600. www.yoshis.com

GET HIM ON THE LINE Try it for free

415-430-1127

More local numbers: 1-800-777-8000 Ahora en Español/18+ www.guyspyvoice.com

<< On the Tab

30 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 11-17, 2014

<<

On the Tab

From page 29

Happy Friday @ Midnight Sun The popular video bar ends each work week with gogo guys (starting at 9pm) and drink specials. Check out the new expanded front lounge, with a window view. 4067 18th St. 8614186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Joe Wicht @ R3, Guerneville Our pianist-host with the most songs under his repertoire performs up at the Russian River resort. 8pmclosing. Also Sept. 13. 16390 4th St., Guerneville. (707) 869-8399. www.ther3hotel.com

Latin Explosion @ Club 21, Oakland Special Mexican Independence Day party Sept 12 with Brenda Guzman performing; the Oakland nightclub continues its 22nd-year anniversary with Hip Hop, Top 40, and Latin music, gogo dancers and special guest DJs. No cover before 11pm and just $6 afterward. Dancing 9pm-3am. Happy hour 4pm-8:30pm 2111 Franklin St. (510) 268-9425. www.club21oakland.com

Manimal @ Beaux Gogo-tastic night starts off your weekend. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

La Bota Loca @ Club 21, Oakland

Sing-Along Saturdays @ Martuni’s

Guardians of Glitter @ The Café

DJed tunes, gogo hotties, drag shows, drink specials, all at Oakland’s premiere Latin nightclub and weekly cowboy night. $10-$15. Dancing 9pm-4am. 2111 Franklin St. (510) 268-9425. www.club21oakland.com

Sing along at the new weekly night of top 40 rock and pop tunes.

9pm-1am. 4 Valencia St.

Landa Lakes and Pollo Del Mar cohost a fundraiser for BAAITS and the 4th annual Two-Spirit PowWow, with drag performances, raffles.

4pm-7pm. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

Club Rimshot @ Bench and Bar, Oakland Get groovin’ at the weekly hip hop and R&B night. $8-$15. 9pm to 4am.

510 17th St. www.bench-and-bar.com

Cockblock @ Rickshaw Stop The monthly queer dance party (2nd Sat.) returns, with DJs Nuxx and Zax playing pop, dancepop, ‘90s hits, soul and more. $10. 9pm-2am. 155 Fell St. www.rickshawstop.com

Frolic @ The Stud Neonbunny Lapine DJs the furryfestive dance night, with guest DJs Computation X, Finny Shiranui and Cohn Jonner. $4-$8. 8pm-2am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

GLAAD Gala @ Hilton SF Union Square The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation’s fundraiser gala dinner, silent auction and awards presentation, with Taryn Manning ( Orange is the New Black), Hannah Hart, Meghan McCain, Alex Newell, Peter Paige and other talents. $350 and up. 6pm. 333 O’Farrell St. www.glaad.org/gala/sf

Club Gossip @ Cat Club

T. Revillle Rodriguez

It’s a New Wave vs. Disco night at the retro dance club, with tunes and videos played

by DJs Melting Girl, Daniel Skellingotn, Low Life and Shon. $5-$8. 9pm-2am. 1190 Folsom St. sfcatclub.com

Mexican Independence Day @ Midnight Sun

Sat 13 Frolic @ The Stud

Planet Booty @ Slim’s The Oakland-based fun funk band performs at the SoMa club; Ghost & the City opens, with DJ Chris Lujan spinning pre-show R&B. $13-$37.50 (with dinner). 9pm. 333 11th St. www. planetbooty.org www.slimspresents.com

Some Thing @ The Stud Mica Sigourney and pals’ weekly offbeat drag performance night. 10pm2am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Sat 13 Beach Blanket Babylon @ Club Fugazi The musical comedy revue celebrates its 40th year with an ever-changing lineup of political and pop culture icons, all in gigantic wigs. $25-$160.

678 Beach Blanket Babylon Blvd (Green St.). 421-4222. www.beachblanketbabylon.com

The annual outdoor funfest of beers, bikes and buoyant fun returns, a parade, fashion show, live music, bike, beer and food booths; sponsored by New Belgium Beers and the SF Bicycle Coalition.

Valet bike parking! 10am-5pm. Lindley Meadow. www.newbelgium.com/ events/tour-de-fat.aspx

Edan Lepucki, Robin Sloan, Lenelle Moïse, Annelyse Gelman, Cecil Castellucci and Christina Nichol read and drink onstage. 7:30pm. 3225 22nd St. 647-2888. www.makeoutroom.com

No cover, no food, just drinks (Mimosas, Bloody Marys, etc.) and music.

2pm-9pm. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Beer Bust @ Lone Star Saloon The ursine crowd converges for beer and fun. 4pm-8pm. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Beer Bust @ SF Eagle The classic leather bar’s most popular Sunday daytime event in town draws the menfolk. 3pm-6pm. Now also on Saturdays! 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com The popular Castro bar hosts its weekly softball team beer bust fundraiser. 3pm-7pm. 4086 18th St. 431-8616. www.sfmixbar.com

Big Top @ Beaux Joshua J.’s homo disco circus night returns, now weekly, with guest DJ Jodie Harsh from London, Carnie Asada performing, hotty gogo guys and drinks. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.BeauxSF.com

Resilient @ Club OMG

Weekly live music shows with various acts, along with brunch, mimosas, champagne and more, at the stylish nightclub and restaurant. 2565 Mission St. at 21st. 920-0577. www.balancoiresf.com

Seth Rudetsky @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko The comic presenter shares Seth’s Big Fat Broadway, rare and odd musical video performances (Patti Lupone, Osmonds singing Fiddler on the Roof, Cher’s West Side Story) along with pithy comments. $35-$50. 7pm.

Also Sept. 14, 7pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (866) 663-1063. www.ticketweb.com

ShangriLa @ The EndUp Back to School theme encourages schoolboy/girl wear; DJ Byron Bonsall. $20. 10pm-4am. 401 6th St. www.theendup.com

BACK TO SC WITH

Beer Bust @ SF Mix

Brunch @ Hi Tops

The monthly social DJed dance event (2nd Saturdays) by and for HIVpositive guys and allies takes on a pre-Folsom kink and fetish theme.

No cover. 5pm-9pm. 43 Sixth Street www.youareresilient.com www.clubOMGsf.com

Jody Harsh @ Big Top

The weekly jock-ular fun continues, with special sports team fundraisers.

3pm-7pm. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

Liquid Brunch @ Beaux

Sun 14

Sun 14

Jock @ The Lookout

Writers With Drinks @ Make-Out Room

Krewe de Kinque’s early celebration (it’s actually Sept. 16) with performers and drink specials. 4pm-7pm.

4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Beer Bust @ Hole in the Wall Saloon

As the summer heats up, EDGE gets hotter!

Check out all the LGBT News, Entertainment and Hot photos today!

Enjoy crunchy sandwiches and mimosas, among other menu items, at the popular sports bar. 2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.com

Brunch Sundays @ Balancoire

Cocktail Robotics @ DNA Lounge The Grand Challenge of mechanical drink-serving bots takes over the SoMa club. $10-$12. Doors 5pm (robot happy hour!), contest 9:30pm.

375n 11th St. www.dnalounge.com

Disco Daddy @ SF Eagle DJ Bus Station John’s disco-happy night and post-beer bust Tea dance gets pre-Folsomy. $5. 7pm until 2am.

398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

GlamaZone @ The Cafe Pollo del Mar’s weekly drag shows takes on different themes with a comic edge. 8:30-11:30pm. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

Salsa Sundays @ El Rio Salsa dancing for LGBT folks and friends, with live merengue and cumbia bands; tapas and donations that support local causes. 2nd & 4th Sundays. 3pm-8pm. 3158 Mission St. 282-3325. www.elriosf.com

Sundance Saloon @ Space 550

Beer only $8 until you bust. 4pm-8pm.

1369 Folsom St. 431-4695. www.hitws.com

The popular country western LGBT dance night; enjoy fun foot-stomping two-stepping and line-dancing. $5.

5pm-10:30pm with lessons from 5:30-7:15 pm. Also Thursdays. 550 Barneveld Ave., and Tuesdays at Beatbox, $6. 6:30-11pm. 314 11th St. www.sundancesaloon.org

Beer Bust @ SF Eagle The classic leather bar’s most popular Sunday daytime event now also takes place on Saturdays. 3pm-6pm. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Bootie SF @ DNA Lounge Celebrate eleven years of the weekly mash-up dance night, with resident DJs Adrian & Mysterious D. No matter the theme, a mixed fun good time’s assured. $8-$15. 9pm-3am. 21+. 375 11th St. at Harrison. www.BootieSF. com www.DNAlounge.com

Tour de Fat @ Golden Gate Park

Sat 13 Tour de Fat @ Golden Gate Park

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Sunday’s a Drag @ Starlight Room Donna Sachet hosts the weekly fabulous brunch and drag show. $45.

11am, show at noon; 1:30pm, show at 2:30pm. 450 Powell St. in Union Square. 395-8595. www.starlightroomsf.com

Whoa Nellies @ Martuni’s The folk fun retro band (Leigh Crowe, Peter Fogel and other talents) perform songs of love. 7pm. 4 Valencia St. www.whoanellies.com

Mon 15 Cock and Bull Mondays @ Hole in the Wall Saloon Specials on drinks made with Cock and Bull ginger ale (Jack and Cock, Russian Mule, and more). 8pmclosing. 1369 Folsom St. 431-4695. www.hitws.com

Drag Mondays @ The Cafe Mahlae Balenciaga and DJ Kidd Sysko’s weekly drag and dance night.

9pm-1am. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

t

On the Tab>>

Epic Karaoke @ White Horse, Oakland Mondays and Tuesdays popular weekly sing-along night. No cover. 8:30pm1am. 6551 Telegraph Ave, (510) 6523820. www.whitehorsebar.com

Irish Dance Night @ Starry Plough, Berkeley

September 11-17, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 31

Monday Musicals @ The Edge The casts of local and visiting musicals often pop in to perform at the popular Castro bar’s musical theatre night.

7pm-2am. 2 for 1 cocktail, 5pmclosing. 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Name That Beat @ Toad Hall

Weekly dance lessons and live music at the pub-restaurant, hosted by John Slaymaker. $5. 7pm. 3101 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. www.thestarryplough.com

BeBe Sweetbriar hosts a weekly musical trivia challenge and drag show. 8:30-11:30pm. 4146 18th St. at Castro. www.toadhallbar.com

Karaoke @ The Lookout

Mica Sigourney and Tom Temprano cohost the wacky weekly game night at the cool Mission bar. 8pm. 3152 Mission St. www.virgilssf.com

Paul K hosts the amateur singing night. 8pm-2am. 3600 16th St. at Market. www.lookoutsf.com

Mahogany Mondays @ Midnight Sun Honey Mahogany’s weekly drag and musical talent show starts around 10pm, 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

No No Bingo @ Virgil’s Sea Room

Piano Bar 101 @ Martuni’s Sing-along night with talented locals, and charming accompanist Joe Wicht (aka Trauma Flintstone). 9pm. 4 Valencia St. at Market. www.dragatmartunis.com

Bombshell Betty’s Burlesqueteers @ Elbo Room

Guest Bartenders @ Soda Popinski’s

The weekly burlesque show of women dancers shaking their bonbons includes live music. $10. 9pm. 647 Valencia St. 552-7788. www.elbo.com

Board members of the LGBT Center guest-bartend as a fundraiser at the fun bar. 6pm-9pm. 1548 California St. www.sfcenter.org www.sodapopinskisf.com

Circle of Life Cabaret @ Martuni’s A C.O.L.T. Following, the disability and LGBT-inclusive theatre company’s music and variety show, includes raffles and tickts to their upcoming shows. No cover. 6:30pm-8:30pm. 4 Valencia St. www.circleoflifetheatre.org

Gay Skate Night @ Church on 8 Wheels LGBT night at the former Sacred Heart Church-turned disco roller skate party space, hosted by John D. Miles, the “Godfather of Skate.”

Actually, every night is gay-friendly, including Saturday’s Black Rock night (Burning Man garb encouraged). Also Wed, Thu, 7pm-10pm. Sat afternoon sessions 1pm-2:30pm and 3pm5:30pm. $10. Kids 12 and under $5.

Skate rentals $5. 554 Fillmore St at Fell. www.churchof8wheels.com

CHOOL H

Ink & Metal @ Powerhouse Show off your tattoos and piercings at the weekly cruisy SoMa bar night.

10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Meow Mix @ The Stud The weekly themed wild variety cabaret showcases new and unusual talents; MC Ferosha Titties. $3-$7.

Show at 11pm. 9pm-2am. 399 9th St. at Harrison. www.studsf.com

Naked Night @ Nob Hill Theatre

Break away from the books & check out EDGE for the latest LGBT news, entertainment and hot photos!

Strip down at the strip joint. $20 includes refreshments. 8pm. 729 Bush St. at Powell. 397-6758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com

Switch @ Q Bar

Play the trivia game at the popular new sports bar. 9pm. 2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.com

Wed 17

Strip down to your skivvies at popular men’s night. 9pm-2am.

440 Castro St. 621-8732. www.the440.com

Tue 16 Block Party @ Midnight Sun

Thu 18 Linda Lavin @ Feinstein’s

Weekly screenings of music videos, concert footage, interviews and more, of popular pop stars. 9pm-2am. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Singer-songwriter-flautist-guitarist (former lead of Jethro Tull) celebrates the release of new album, Homo Erraticus. $45.50-$85.50. 8pm. 1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. (510) 3022250. www.thefoxoakland.com

The cabaret veteran singer-storyteller performs at the elegant nightclub. $15. 7pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (866) 663-1063. www.ticketweb.com

Mad Manhattans @ Starlight Room The new weekly event includes classic cocktails created by David Cruz, and inspired by the the show Mad Men, plus retro food classics like prawn cocktails and Oysters Rockefeller, all with a fantastic city view. 6pm-10pm.

21st, Sir Francis Drake Hotel. 450 Powell St. www.starlightroomsf.com

Miss Kitty’s Trivia Night @ Wild Side West The weekly fun night at the Bernal Heights bar includes prizes, hosted by Kitty Tapata. No cover. 7pm-10pm.

424 Cortland St. 647-3099. www.wildsidewest.com

Open Mic/Comedy @ SF Eagle Kollin Holts hosts the new weekly comedy and open mic talent night.

6pm-8pm. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

Thu 18 Dan St. Paul @ Comedy Returns

Queer Salsa @ Beatbox Weekly Latin partner dance night.

8pm-1am. 314 11th St. www.beatboxsf.com

Rainbow Skate @ Redwood Roller Rink

Play board games and win offbeat prizes at the popular sports bar. 9pm.

2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.com

Bromance @ Beaux

Red Hots Burlesque @ El Rio

DJ Kidd Sysko spins tunes for the bro-tastic midweek night, with $2 beer pitchers, beer pong, $1 shots served by undie-clad guys. It’s like a frat house without the closet cases.

8:30-10pm. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Rookies Night @ Nob Hill Theatre

Dare 2 Bare @ Club OMG New weekly underwear night includes free clothes check, no cover, and drink specials. 9pm-2am. 43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

Good Times @ Bench and Bar, Oakland Olga T and Shugga Shay’s weekly queer women and men’s R&B hip hop and soul night. No cover. 8pm-2am.

510 17th St. www.bench-and-bar.com

Trivia Night @ Harvey’s BeBe Sweetbriar hosts a weekly night of trivia quizzes and fun and prizes; no cover. 8pm-1pm. 500 Castro St. 4314278. www.harveyssf.com

Way Back @ Midnight Sun Weekly screenings of vintage music videos and retro drink prices. Check out the new expanded front window lounge. 9pm-2am. 4067 18th St. 8614186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Wooden Nickel Wednesday @ 440 Buy a drink and get a wooden nickle good for another. 12pm-2am. 440 Castro St. 621-8732. www.the440.com

Wrangler Wednesday @ Rainbow Cattle Company, Guerneville The Russian River bar’s country music night attracts cowboys and those who like to ride ‘em. 8pm-1am. 16220 Main St., Guerneville. (707) 869-0206. www.queersteer.com

Thu 18 Circle Jerk @ Nob Hill Theatre

Weekly LGBT and friends skate night, with groovy disco music and themed events. $9. 8pm-10:30pm. 1303 Main Street, Redwood City. www. rainbowskate.net www.facebook. com/rainbowskating/

Bottoms Up Bingo @ Hi Tops

Underwear Night @ 440

Tom Reardon @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko

Showdown @ Folsom Foundry

Trivia Night @ Hi Tops

The legendary leather bar gets jock-ular, with beer buckets, games (including beer pong and corn-hole!), prizes, sports on the TVs, and more fun. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Ian Anderson @ Fox Theater, Oakland

Singer extraordinaire Jason Brock hosts the weekly night, with your talented host –and even you– singing.

9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Weekly women’s night at the stylish intimate bar. 9pm-2am. 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

Sports Night @ The Eagle

Woah Nellies @ Martuni’s

Piano Bar @ Beaux

Weekly game night for board and electronic gamers at the warehouse multi-purpose nightclub. 21+. 6pm12am. 1425 Folsom St. www.showdownesports.com

The acclaimed jazz vocalist performs with guitarist Jerry Holland. Weekly 5pm-8pm. Also Thursdays & Fridays.

JW Marriott, 515 Mason St. at Post. www.sonyholland.com

Sun 14

Funny Tuesdays @ Harvey’s Ronn Vigh hosts the weekly LGBT and gay-friendly comedy night. One-drink or menu item minimum. 9pm. 500 Castro St. at 18th. 431-HARV. www.harveyssf.com

Sony Holland @ Level III

Women’s burlesque show performs each Wed & Fri. Karaoke follows. $5$10. 7pm. 3158 Mission St. 282-3325. www.elriosf.com

Watch newbies get nude, or compete yourself for a $200 prize. Audience picks the winner. $20. 9pm. 729 Bush St. at Powell. 397-6758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com

So You Think You Can Gogo? @ Toad Hall The weekly dancing competition for gogo wannabes. 9pm. cash prizes, $2 well drinks (2 for 1 happy hour til 9pm). Show at 9pm. 4146 18th St. www.toadhallbar.com

Aleks Buldocek is the latest porn stud to partake in this very interactive sexy night at the premiere male strip club’s arcade playroom (see his stage shows Sept 19 & 20). $10. 729 Bush St. at Powell. 397-6758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com

Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes @ Bimbo’s The Australian pop singer and her back-up singers perform their entertaining retro ‘60s style original songs. Slim Jenkins opens. $18-$20.

8pm. 1025 Columbus Ave. 474-0365. www.bimbos365club.com

Comedy Returns @ El Rio Maureen Langan, Dan St Paul, Matt Gubser, Anthony Durante, and Lisa Geduldig play it for laughs and the monthly comedy night. $7-$20. 8pm.

3158 Mission St. (800) 838-3006. www.elriosf.com

Linda Lavin @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko The Broadway and TV actress-singer (Alice ) performs Possibilities, her show of classic musical theatre and cabaret songs, with musical director Billy Stritch. $45-$60. 8pm. Also Sept.

19. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (866) 663-1063. www.ticketweb.com

Music in Schools Today’s Celebrity Waiter Gala @ Yoshi’s Paula West, D’wayne Wiggins and host Liam Mayclem perform at the 18th annual fundraiser for the kids music cause, with local TV, politics and cultural celebrities serving dinner and drinks! $85-$170. 6:30pm. 1330 Fillmore St. 655-5600. www.yoshis.com Want your nightlife event listed?

Email events@ebar.com, at least two weeks before your event.

Event photos welcome.

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

32 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 11-17, 2014

Czech mate Aleks Buldocek; brains, beef and beast

by Cornelius Washington

T

he Nob Hill Theater does not play around when it comes to their featured porn stars. When it comes to San Francisco’s leather fetish holidays, they hire the big guns!

Aleks Buldocek is the rare combination of brains, beef and beast. He’s an exceptional man who will take leather fetish into a modern direction that will separate the men from the boys this Folsom Festival week-

end. So, when you go to see him perform, bring your money and your manhood, because Aleks Buldocek means business.

Cornelius Washington: Is this your first time performing at the Nob Hill Theater, and what’s it like for you?

Aleks Buldocek: This will be my first performance at Nob Hill. I’m super excited, and I don’t really know what to expect. I’ll be with my

brother Nick Sterling though, so I know we’ll make it fun.

How did you create your porn name?

Aleksander is a pretty common yet strong Eastern European name.

Buldocek is the Czech word for bulldog puppy. Since I’m a pup in the leather community and mostly Czech by heritage, it worked well for me as a model name. When I started doing porn, I decided against doing a more simple last name since I had already built a following in the gay community.

What do you do onscreen that you don’t do off, and vice versa?

Onscreen I tend to be much more brutal and cold to my scene partners than in real life. I typically kiss and check in more with my partners offscreen. I know I give them a lot to handle, so I try to make sure they are taking it well.

How do you prepare yourself (mentally, physically, etc.) to perform onscreen?

I’m a top, so I don’t have to do as much to prepare for a scene. I like to meet my partner before and check out our chemistry and go through some likes and dislikes before we start rolling. I also make sure I’ve eaten and am hydrated, as porn shoots can take several hours to complete.

Is porn art?

No. It can be artfully done, but it isn’t inherently art. There’s rarely anything moving or inspiring about porn except for your boner.

What is the first porn film you ever saw?

I can’t remember the name or where I found it online, but it was with a couple of hugely muscled guys with leather jackets and cigars in a dark alley. It was before I really knew I was gay, but I knew that I wanted to be one of those huge guys and that I had to delete the browsing history after I watched the whole thing.

What turns you on when you watch porn?

I actually don’t watch much porn anymore, since I have several friends in the business, too. I often read erotic fiction with elements of dominance and submission and role play in them.

What is your favorite body part on a man?

That’s a harder one. A thick pair of legs is pretty hot to match a wellrounded ass much more so than a big chest or arms. I’m also partial to well-kept beard.

What is your favorite body part on yourself?

My favorite body part is my shoulders. I’m really into bodybuilding and working out, and they are one of my stronger groups in my physique.

What inspired you to begin working out?

I’ve been into bodybuilding since I was really young. I remember being really into Bane and the transformation sequence he has in Batman and Robin. It wasn’t until I was out of college that I could afford the time and money to start pursuing my own growth goals.

On your fitness blog, you’ve posted many images of your own physical development. What fitness mistakes did you make early on and what are the biggest mistakes you see others make in the gym?

It took me a long time to figure

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out how much to eat in order to see results, and I wasn’t always doing the exercises best for my body type. That’s something pretty typical though, in the gym, as different bodies respond to different rep ranges and motions.

In popular media, CrossFit has become a cult. What is your opinion?

CrossFit is great for overall fitness, but if you have a certain sport or goal you are training for, then you won’t get it from CrossFit. It’s also annoying when someone takes up three different machines with their CrossFit circuit during peak hours at the gym, especially when their form is all over the place and somewhat dangerous.

You photograph beautifully in clothes. Aleks Buldocek What have you not worn that you’d kill to get paid to do it. wear?

Thank you! I’m really into fitness What stereotypes do people and fashion modeling, and I was have about you, as a porn star? doing that before I got into porn Most of the assumptions about for different gay lifestyle and kink me are more around my size, my brands. I’d love to wear a full suit tattoos and the big metal collar sometime; something very clean around my neck. They all read toand tailored. It would be a very dragether as cold, hard and dominant, matic shift for my portfolio of work. which I find hot and enjoyable, but I warm up pretty well.

As a well-built man, do you have any trouble finding well-fitting What do you see as the next big fashionable clothes? What brands gay porn trend? have you seen that makes clothes Currently, it’s all about the amathat work for your body type? teur quality, low production stuff I’ve been having more and more that feels more authentic to its viewtrouble finding clothes off the rack ers. Barebacking is also really pickthat fit well. I actually don’t own ing up more steam. I’m hoping that much expensive formal wear beafter all of that rides out we see more cause it’s such a hassle to find somehighly produced, almost cinematic thing decent and then tailor it and gay porn. Actual camera-ready gay then outgrow it. I tend to stick to actors that don’t sound cheesy and street wear for now like Cellblock have hot chemistry-driven sex.

13, Adidas, and Nasty Pig. Do you have any fetishes (sex, clothing, food, etc.)?

I have a bunch of fetishes, but my main three are muscle, puppy play, and leather. It’s easy to incorporate all three into a sex scene as an aspiring bodybuilder who identifies as a pup in the leather community.

Leather gloves are also a big turn on for me.

Whom, in the adult industry, do you admire?

I admire everyone who can stay well-grounded and have fun with what they’re doing in the adult industry. There are a lot of big egos, and it just doesn’t work so well anymore. It’s also really unattractive.

If you could be any superhero, who would it be, and with what super power?

I’d have to say Colossus from the X-Men since he’s family-oriented and caring while also being super strong, and he can turn his skin into metal. I was a big comic book fan when I was younger.

What stereotypes about the industry have you found to be true and false?

A big stereotype I’ve found false is the “damaged goods” one. People in the adult industry aren’t all victims who fell haphazardly into selling sex. A lot of them have regular jobs, relationships, and hobbies outside of filming. I’m not really sure about which ones would be true. We do enjoy sex a lot, but don’t most gay men? We’re just fortunate enough to

Barebacking, pro or con?

I have a lot of close friends in the industry who do bareback porn, and that’s their choice. It’s something I won’t do because it’s too intimate and personal for worklife, and there’s no other way aside from using condoms to convey safer sex on camera. Until we can find a way to have a hot opening conversation about status and risk and treatment adherence can I support bareback porn ethically. I get that porn is supposed to convey hot fantasies, but the realities of HIV and other STIs are not sexy or fun.

In your opinion, who has the hottest celebrity body, male and female?

I’m not much for following celebs, but I guess if I had to pick two it would be Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the new Hercules movie and Scarlet Johansson as a redhead.

Who is your fantasy celebrity sex partner?

Hahaha... maybe Channing Tatum. He’d probably whine a lot, though. t Aleks Buldocek will be at the Nob Hill Theatre Thursday, Sept. 18 for the very interactive Circle Jerk in the male strip club’s arcade playroom ($10, 9pm); and with Nick Sterling in live sex shows Sept 19 & 20 ($25, 8pm & 10pm). 729 Bush St. at Powell. 397-6758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com Follow Aleks on Twitter: https:/ twitter.com/ABuldocek

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Read more online at www.ebar.com

September 11-17, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 33

Cam-biance

by John F. Karr

C

am Christou’s not been making porn long, yet has quickly filmed a number of scenes for major companies. Currently living in San Francisco, the 5’ 10” 27-year-old performer with an 8” dick claims in his escorting profile to have a very affectionate side that he loves exploring with others. I hope he gets to more fully express that in upcoming film scenes. Best of all, I think, is that he’s gay; not married with kids and Gay-4-Pay (G4P), or allegedly bi.

And although he has barebacked in a number of films as both top and bottom (although not in today’s movie), his profile says he’s “always safe.” He’s currently negative and on PrEP.

mode. And then Leo Forte shows up to shove it in orifices both hither and yon on Cam. His sex mode is rougher than Harding’s, his face ruggedly determined as he dives cock first into some deep mining, although he also flashes the cutest dimples. Cam’s face goes all blissville when his ass is filled, and I like the way his supple body hangs off of Leo’s as Harding plugs his ass. At the end, the guys take turns feeding their cum to each other in a round robin cream feast.

For my money, though, the next two scenes are the movie’s cock-busters, Cam or no Cam. Liam Harkmoore is topped by Dylan Knight–a blond and a brunet, one lithe and the other husky, with two pairs of clear blue eyes, and young all around.

Naked Sword

He’s a star! Colby Keller roughin’ up Joseph Rough in Roommate Wanted.

He’s more worldly than the stereotype of porn performers would have it, and I wonder how his welltraveled and cultured background may be manifest in his performances. Born in Greece, Cam grew up in Bosnia, left there for Germany, speaks English, German, Arabic and an unspecified “other East European language.” He spent over four years in the military, was a combat medic on the front lines in Afghanistan, and earned a Master’s degree at UCLA. I find all that intriguing (as intriguing as a comment from a guy Cam has “escorted”—”He fucks like a straight dude, if that’s what you want”). Yet before I knew all that, I just thought he was pretty winsome.

He’s personable, centered, and just seems so natural.

Cam’s the boyish bottom who gets doubly pounded by Leo Forte and Luke Harding in a new NakedSword movie, Roommate Wanted.

In each of four scenes, the guy applying for a room gets to service, and be fucked by his prospective landlord. Quite an easy, and traditional porn set up, but one that director mr. Pam fulfills better than anyone else I can remember. Her brief dialogue scenes are well written, and delivered so spontaneously by her performers.

Very young-looking Rey Luis works hard to accommodate the biggest cock goin’ around these days, that of Boomer Banks. It’s big, baby.

Big. Though the kid’s effort is great, and sometimes evinces pain, he manages it, and gets to gobble cum as his reward. Banks has such beautiful black hair that I can’t understand his deforestation haircut. Is he auditioning for a roadshow King and I, or just showing demimonde hip?

That first scene is a fine curtainraiser, efficiently polished off in 17 minutes. And then comes Cam, as the centerpiece of a fine threeway.

He begins making out with handsome Lukas Harding in a playful

Naked Sword

Young love gets plowed under by young lust—Dylan Knight and Liam Harkmoore in Roommate Wanted.

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Naked Sword

Cam Christou in Roommate Wanted; doncha just wanna tuck him in at night?

Don’t think this scene is merely cosmetic, though. They start off in the cutest, most bulging Andrew Christian underwear, and with overtones of romance move into a fab fuck with a splendidly visual and vigorous RC– oh, gosh, that blond cock flopping! Cam’s ass crack may be delicious with its dark fur (“O dark, dark, dark; They all go into the dark.”

–T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets), but Liam’s is daylight delight–smooth and pink, it seems illuminated.

Finally, stalwart Colby Keller applies all his unique qualities –wit, warmth, wonder fucking and full body beautiful– to boisterous Joseph Rough. This young man’s cherubic face and beefy body are a hit with Keller, who loves those nubby nipples, and that succulent cock.

Keller gives Rough a rapid, pistonpunching fuck, especially when Rough’s astride his thighs. And the mouthfuls of cum (yes, that’s plural) that his cock delivers at climax, well, Rough’s going to be renting a room that comes with plenty of protein on the side.

I appreciated the movie’s hi-res look and warm color. The editing doesn’t detract, and Pam’s floating camera seems less flighty than it has been. She’s gotten everything right in this one. Except that Cam Chistou’s name is misspelled in the credits.

What’s so powerful about the erotic image? Industry vet Michael Stabile discusses how porn and erotic imagery articulate identity, telling us what we want before we know it ourselves. Asian Art Museum, 7 PM, Sept. 11.t www.NakedSword.com

Naked Sword

Cam Christou railed by Leo Forte and Lukas Harding, in Roommate Wanted.

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September 11-17, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 35

PHOTOS BY STEVEN UNDERHILL BADLANDS

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