September 20, 2018 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter by Bay Area Reporter

Milk club under fire

Star power for One Fair Wage

ARTS

Roberto Devereux

Nightlife events

The

www.ebar.com

Since 1971, the newspaper of record for the San Francisco Bay Area LGBTQ community

Vol. 47 • No. 38 • September 20-26, 2018

Public weighs in on next SF health dept. head Cynthia Laird

Mark Leno

Leno rules out 2019 mayoral run by Matthew S. Bajko

espite losing the special mayoral election in June by 1.1 percentage points to London Breed, gay former state senator Mark Leno has ruled out challenging her in 2019 when she seeks a full, four-year term. In an interview Monday with the Bay Area Reporter, Leno said that, “I have no plans to run at this time.” He noted that any serious challenger would need to soon enter the race. “It is coming up fast,” he said of next November’s election. “Whoever does run needs to start a campaign within months.” He declined to comment on how he felt his opponent in the race has been handling being mayor since her swearing-in ceremony in July. Breed sent him a See page 14 >>

San Francisco health commissioners, including Cecilia Chung, right, listen to public comment about the next health director during a meeting Tuesday.

by Alex Madison

he most common attributes people want to see in the next San Francisco health director are prioritizing collaboration, support for nonprofits, and mitigating health disparities among minority communities.

Those were the themes of a public meeting convened by the Health Commission as it seeks a new director following the abrupt departure last month of Barbara Garcia, a lesbian who had led the sprawling agency for nearly eight years. Garcia was forced to resign due to a conflictof-interest investigation into allegations that she failed to disclose her wife’s income from a

college that had received a million-dollar, solesource contract with DPH, according to the San Francisco Chronicle and other newspapers. Garcia had been with the department since 1999 and was selected as the department’s director in 2011 by then-mayor Gavin Newsom. The commission welcomed public comment See page 12 >> Jane Philomen Cleland

Nonbinary person heads youth panel by Alex Madison

T Gaku Shiroma/Gaku Shiroma Photography

Judge Jonathan Karesh

Gay judge to preside over San Mateo courts

by Matthew S. Bajko

udge Jonathan Karesh is set to become the second LGBT judge to preside over the San Mateo County Superior Court when he begins a two-year term in the leadership position in January. It is believed that, come 2019, Karesh will be the only LGBT presiding judge of a county court system in California. And he will be one of only a few nationwide; a map of LGBT judicial officials compiled by the LGBTQ Victory Fund lists only two out presiding judges at the moment. “It really is an honor to get this position and to know my colleagues have the confidence in me to do it,” Karesh, 58, told the Bay Area Reporter in See page 15 >>

he San Francisco Youth Commission swore in a new nonbinary chair and transgender vice chair last week, and almost one-third of its members identify as LGBTQ. The commission is a body of 17 youth between the ages of 12 and 23 who represent the city’s 11 supervisorial districts. It was created by voters under a 1995 amendment to the City Charter and is responsible for advising the Board of Supervisors and the mayor on policies and laws related to young people. This year the commission plans to work on issues surrounding gun violence, violence in schools, voting rights, and increasing affordable housing. Chair Bahlam Javier Vigil, 20, is genderqueer and prefers gender-neutral pronouns. Vigil was a commissioner last year, and decided to run for chair, which they won by a 12-5 vote. “My motto as a person of color is that it’s my responsibility to ensure that people with a similar skin color, and all other minority groups, get the representation they deserve and need,” Vigil told the Bay Area Reporter. Their vision for the commission includes making “drastic changes for a more accountable and productive commission.” Vigil, the District 11 representative, plans to make some logistical changes, including creating two legislative affairs officer positions on the commission. Currently it only has one. Vigil wants the commission’s three separate committees: criminal justice, civic engagement,

Rick Gerharter

Bahlam Javier Vigil is the new chair of the San Francisco Youth Commission.

and housing to work closely with the supervisors’ legislative aides. Each committee working on legislation will be required to work with at least one legislative aide to ensure there is no overlap when it comes to what aspects of legislation the Board of Supervisors is already working on. Vigil also encouraged his executive officers to build stronger relationships with individual members of the commission, something that was lacking last year, they said. “When you build personal relationships, you can support one another a lot more,” Vigil said.

{ FIRST OF THREE SECTIONS }

An example Vigil gave of this was if LGBT members have experienced something personal that they don’t want to share with the commission as a whole, they can personally reach out to an executive officer who can advocate on their behalf. Vigil will also put in place more detailed and structured job duties for each role of the commission to make meetings run more efficiently, along with requiring the three committees to submit a monthly report to the executive members of the commission detailing what they are working on. “I am trying to make as many internal changes for the commission to flourish this year,” they said. “I also want the leaders to be able to leave the commission with a political foundation and platform, resources, and a network to be able to continue their political and advocacy work.” This is an opinion shared by the new vice chair of the commission Felix Andam, 16, and another queer trans commissioner, Jo Jo Ty, who is 19. All three of the commissioners said they plan to advocate for the LGBT youth community. “There is a lack of queer and trans youth representation at the city government level. As a youth commissioner, I want to use this platform as an opportunity to raise awareness of issues LGBTQ youth face in the city because our needs are not being met under this current system,” Ty, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, told the B.A.R. “If we don’t address these issues, LGBTQ youth will remain disconnected, unheard, and invisible to their peers, community, and elected See page 15 >>

<< Community News

2 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 20-26, 2018

DeJesus unable to question Scott in Egg case by Ed Walsh

espite efforts by lesbian Police Commissioner Petra DeJesus, San Francisco Police Chief William Scott is not talking about his department’s “wellness check” policy, which has come under scrutiny in light of the San Francisco Police Department’s handling of the case of a missing gay man. Brian Egg’s headless torso is believed to have been left to decompose for more than two months in a fish tank in his South of Market home before being discovered last month. During the police commission’s regularly scheduled meeting Wednesday, September 12, DeJesus’ attempts to question Scott on police policy were met with opposition from the commission’s clerk and Commission President Thomas Mazzucco, who argued that the question needed to be put in an agenda item before it could be discussed. The commissioners put off discussing the case until the panel’s next meeting, October 3. DeJesus had argued that her line of

Rick Gerharter

San Francisco Police Commissioner Petra DeJesus

questioning was in order because it was related to Scott’s opening remarks at the meeting updating the commission on various public safety concerns. “The chief brought it up, he just made a big speech about protecting the public, being here for everyone,” DeJesus said. “That’s their job, and I’m asking in a general sense what – how that job encompasses the wellness doctrine.” Without any fellow commissioners voicing support for her questioning, DeJesus agreed to discuss the case

during next month’s meeting. Scott has not responded to the Bay Area Reporter’s requests for comment on the case. DeJesus told the B.A.R. that she has serious concerns about the police handling of the case and wanted to get all the facts before passing judgment on the department’s actions. A headless corpse was found in a large aquarium at Egg’s Clara Street house on August 14. The official identity of the remains is waiting on DNA testing, but family and friends have no doubt that it is Egg’s remains. Egg would have turned 66 last Tuesday, Sept 11. Friends, neighbors, and family gathered at Egg’s house for a vigil that evening. Neighbors have been critical of police for not taking their concerns over Egg’s disappearance seriously. Police say officers knocked on Egg’s door on three separate occasions but left without entering the home. Neighbors say that after one of the police checks on the house in July, they saw someone frantically cleaning with bleach, raising the possibility the police inaction resulted in key evidence being destroyed.

Police said officers knocked on Egg’s door a third time August 7, after his sister filed a missing persons report. That sister, Lynn Egg Jackusovas, broke ranks with neighbors at the vigil, reading from a statement that expressed support for police. “We want to express our sincere gratitude to the San Francisco Police Department along with the district attorney,” she said. “They have treated this with the highest concern since we first reported Brian as possibly missing.” Police had initially arrested and charged two men, Robert McCaffrey and Lance Silva, with the homicide, but the district attorney dropped the charges pending further investigation. McCaffrey, 52, was released, but Silva, 39, was kept on a probation hold out of Alameda County. Police say McCaffrey met a private crime scene cleanup crew at the house on August 14 and that the company was paid by Silva with Egg’s debit card. Silva also used Egg’s card to pay for a car on June 1, police said. Investigators say Egg was last seen in his neighborhood some time in

late May or early June. On August 3, neighbor Karen Macedo posted on the Nextdoor site about her frustration in getting police to take her concerns seriously. Macedo wrote: “I contacted the police yesterday and they told me they went by 3 days ago. They spoke to someone that is living there and told me they cannot release details but “Brian is fine” and hung up.” Her call apparently did not generate another police door knock. Police said they visited the home twice in July after getting calls from neighbors and once again August 7 after being contacted by Egg’s sister. Another neighbor, Shelley Costantini, told the B. A. R. that when she tried to report her suspicions to police August 13, she was given the runaround but after a couple of calls was able to leave a voicemail message. Police called her back the following day but her concerns did not result in another visit to the home. It wasn’t until that evening, when neighbors called police when they saw the crime scene cleanup crew arrive that police finally entered the home. t

Tempers flare over Milk club E. Bay endorsements by Matthew S. Bajko

y endorsing in a number of Alameda County races last week, the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club was met with condemnation from East Bay Democratic leaders. As the Bay Area Reporter’s Political Notebook reported last Thursday, the more progressive of San Francisco’s LGBT political clubs held a special meeting Tuesday, September 11, in Oakland to vote on endorsing in races throughout Alameda County. But because the county’s Democratic Party hasn’t chartered the club, some viewed Milk’s endorsements as illegitimate. At the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee’s endorsement meeting last Saturday morning, the local party chair and the leaders of two East Bay LGBT Democratic clubs denounced the Milk club and called on the candidates it endorsed to disavow the club’s support if it wanted the local party’s backing. “We think it is a very dangerous precedent,” said gay Emeryville City Councilman John Bauters, who chairs the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club’s political action committee. “It was designed to intimidate or extract concessions from LGBT officials. It is not an appropriate use of the

Courtesy Facebook

Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club Co-President Honey Mahogany

endorsement process.” Cesar Zepeda, president of the Lambda Democratic Club of Contra Costa County, added, “We are in solidarity with our sister club.” Alameda County Democratic Party Chair Robin Torello accused the Milk club of “selectively” sending out questionnaires only to certain candidates instead of everyone in the race. Her motion asking candidates to eschew Milk’s endorsement in their campaign literature and in public

We have MOVED! After 35 years renting on Potrero Hill, we finally put down permanent roots in San Francisco, and moved into our own home South of Market!

passed unanimously. “I was a little upset, as you can imagine,” said Torello, adding that the Milk club should “at least honor the process and get chartered through us at least.” She said she had spoken with her counterpart in San Francisco, gay former supervisor David Campos, who told her he would look into the issue. She added that another person close to Campos told her that he had told them he wouldn’t do anything to reprimand the Milk club and added, “Welcome to San Francisco politics.” “I am saying, well, welcome to Alameda County politics,” said Torello.“I said, ‘How would you like 22 of our Democratic clubs coming into San Francisco and making a mess of your Democratic process?’ And we could do that.” The comments at the meeting led local union leader Gabriel Haaland, a transgender man who once led the Milk club, to warn in a Facebook post that the Alameda County Democrats had “declare(d) war” on the Milk club and were “bullying queers.” “The chair of the Alameda Democratic Party is trying to decharter the club, and threatening people in the East Bay who seek our endorsement,” wrote Haaland, who lives in the East Bay. “Dechartering would end our existence as a Democratic club.”

In an interview Monday evening, Campos told the B.A.R. that Torello had called him last week and brought up dechartering the Milk club. He said he told her he would look into what happned. “She was very rude to me on the phone. She said to me if she were me, she would move to decharter the Milk club,” said Campos. “I told her, in all due respect, I would ask you to focus on doing your job of being chair of the Alameda County DCC and let me do my job as chair of the San Francisco DCCC.” Under the bylaws of the San Francisco Democratic Party, the only reason to rescind a chartership of a Democratic club would be if it endorsed a candidate in a partisan race who was not a registered Democrat or if it failed to file the required financial disclosure forms. In this case, the Milk club did neither of those things, and Campos said he has not received any formal request that the SF DCCC move to decharter the Milk club. “As a general rule, I do think clubs should focus on doing work within their jurisdictions,” he said. Campos told the B.A.R. that he has suggested that the Milk club form an East Bay chapter and seek to have it be chartered by the Alameda County

Democratic Party. “I would hope to see that happen and that they would encourage that instead of trying to alienate the Milk club,” he said of Alameda Democrats. Torello told the B.A.R. this week that she has no plans to seek dechartering of the Milk club. Asked if she would entertain a request to charter the group in her county, Torello said she would. “We are open to that. I am just curious as to why they want to form a chapter. We have Stonewall in Alameda,” said Torello, adding that, “I just want our clubs to be respected and I want the process to be upright.” Milk club Co-President Honey Mahogany defended the club’s endorsement process in the East Bay races, which the club in August voted to conduct. The reason, she explained, is many Milk members have been priced out of the city and now live in the East Bay. The club, she noted, posted about the East Bay endorsement meeting on its social media pages and included in its emails to members the link to its website where candidates could download its questionnaire. Mahogany told the B.A.R. that she had fielded complaints from several out East Bay candidates and others a See page 14 >>

OKELL’S FIREPLACE

130 Russ Street San Francisco Same great products! Same great people! Same great service! New great showroom location!

White Orange PMS 144 (For Dark Backgrounds)

415-626-1110

130 Russ Street, San Francisco

okellsfireplace.com

, ! ay In nd y rr Mo at Hu ds 4th En . 2 ! le pt pm Sa Se 9

Get it Today! No Credit Needed!

BLACK FRIDAY Y IN!

SALE ENDS24TH MON. SEPT.

HURR

in September

DUBLIN HOMESTORE - NOW OPEN

7885 Dublin Blvd., Dublin, CA 94568

35 off MONTHS 35 %

‡‡

PLUS

NO INTEREST* • NO DOWN PAYMENT NO MINIMUM PURCHASE

On purchases with your Ashley Advantage™ credit card made between 9/11/2018 to 9/24/2018. Equal monthly payments required for 35 months. Ashley HomeStore does not require a down payment, however, sales tax and delivery charges are due at time of purchase. See below for details.

NOW HIRING! Sales Associates

Get it Today! No Credit Needed!

DUBLIN

FAIRFIELD

7885 Dublin Blvd., Dublin, CA 94568 925-660-0480

Exit Green Valley 4865 Auto Plaza Ct Fairfield, CA 94534 707-864-3537

facebook.com/AshleyHSDublin

facebook.com/AshleyHSFairfield

CONCORD Exit at Concord, next to Trader Joe’s 2201 John Glenn Dr Concord, CA 94520 925-521-1977

facebook.com/AshleyHSConcord

EMERYVILLE In the East Baybridge Shopping Center 3839 Emery St., Ste. 300 Emeryville, CA 94608 510-292-4339

facebook.com/AshleyHSEmeryville

FOLSOM Located in the Broadstone Plaza 2799 E Bidwell St Folsom, CA 95630 916-986-9200

LATHROP OUTLET STORE 18290 Harlan Rd. Lathrop, CA 95330 209-707-2177 facebook.com/ AshleyHSOutletLathrop

MILPITAS In McCarthy Ranch 128 Ranch Dr Milpitas, CA 95035 408-262-6860

facebook.com/AshleyHSFolsom

facebook.com/AshleyHSMilpitas

FRESNO

MODESTO

7502 N. Blackstone Ave Fresno, CA 93720 559-283-8251

facebook.com/AshleyHSFresno

3900 Sisk Rd., Ste B Modesto, CA 95356 209-248-6152 facebook.com/AshleyHSModesto

REDDING

SACRAMENTO

VISALIA

1405 Dana Drive Redding, CA 96003 530-222-7707

Located at the Promenade in Natomas 3667 N Freeway Blvd Sacramento, CA 95834 916-419-8906

3850 S. Mooney Blvd Visalia, CA 93277 559-697-6399

facebook.com/AshleyHSRedding

ROHNERT PARK

facebook.com/AshleyHSVisalia

facebook.com/AshleyHSSacramento

Exit Rohnert Park Expwy, across from Costco 6001 Redwood Dr Rohnert Park, CA 94928 707-586-1649

707 Bayshore Blvd. San Francisco, CA 94124 415-467-4414

facebook.com/AshleyHSRohnertPark

facebook.com/AshleyHSSanFrancisco

ROSEVILLE

STOCKTON

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK: Monday - Sunday 10am - 9pm

Highland Reserve Marketplace 10349 Fairway Dr Roseville, CA 95678 916-953-5757

facebook.com/AshleyHSRoseville

SAN FRANCISCO

In the Park West Place Shopping Center 10904 Trinity Parkway, Stockton, CA 95219 209-313-2187

“Se Habla Español” www.AshleyHomeStore.com

facebook.com/AshleyHSStockton

*Offer applies only to single-receipt qualifying purchases. Ashley HomeStore does not require a down payment, however, sales tax and delivery charges are due at time of purchase if the purchase is made with your Ashley Advantage™ Credit Card. No interest will be charged on promo purchase and equal monthly payments are required equal to initial promo purchase amount divided equally by the number of months in promo period until promo is paid in full. The equal monthly payment will be rounded to the next highest whole dollar and may be higher than the minimum payment that would be required if the purchase was a non-promotional purchase. Regular account terms apply to non-promotional purchases. For new accounts: Purchase APR is 29.99%; Minimum Interest Charge is $2. Existing cardholders should see their credit card agreement for their applicable terms. Promotional purchases of merchandise will be charged to account when merchandise is delivered. Subject to credit approval. ‡Monthly payment shown is equal to the purchase price, excluding taxes and delivery, divided by the number of months in the promo period, rounded to the next highest whole dollar, and only applies to the selected financing option shown. If you make your payments by the due date each month, the monthly payment shown should allow you to pay off this purchase within the promo period if this balance is the only balance on your account during the promo period. If you have other balances on your account, this monthly payment will be added to the minimum payment applicable to those balances. ††Ashley HomeStore does not require a down payment, however, sales tax and delivery charges are due at time of purchase if the purchase is made with your Ashley Advantage™ Credit Card. Offer applies only to single-receipt qualifying purchases. No interest will be charged on the promo purchase if you pay the promo purchase amount in full within 12 Months. If you do not, interest will be charged on the promo purchase from the purchase date. Depending on purchase amount, promotion length and payment allocation, the required minimum monthly payments may or may not pay off purchase by end of promotional period. Regular account terms apply to non-promotional purchases and, after promotion ends, to promotional balance. For new accounts: Purchase APR is 29.99%; Minimum Interest Charge is $2. Existing cardholders should see their credit card agreement for their applicable terms. Promotional purchases of merchandise will be charged to account when merchandise is delivered. Subject to credit approval. ‡‡Previous purchases excluded. Cannot be combined with any other promotion or discount. Discount offers exclude Tempur-Pedic®, Stearns & Foster® and Sealy Posturepedic Hybrid™ mattress sets, floor models, clearance items, sales tax, furniture protection plans, warranty, delivery fee, Manager’s Special pricing, Advertised Special pricing, and 14 Piece Packages and cannot be combined with financing specials. Effective 1/1/2018, all mattress and box springs are subject to a $10.50 per unit CA recycling fee. SEE STORE FOR DETAILS. Stoneledge Furniture LLC. many times has multiple offers, promotions, discounts and financing specials occurring at the same time; these are allowed to only be used either/or and not both or combined with each other. Although every precaution is taken, errors in price and/ or specification may occur in print. We reserve the right to correct any such errors. Picture may not represent item exactly as shown, advertised items may not be on display at all locations. Some restrictions may apply. Available only at participating locations. ±Leather Match upholstery features top-grain leather in the seating areas and skillfully matched vinyl everywhere else. Ashley HomeStores are independently owned and operated. ©2018 Ashley HomeStores, Ltd. Promotional Start Date: September 11, 2018. Expires: September 24, 2018.

<< Open Forum

4 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 20-26, 2018

Volume 48, Number 38 September 20-26, 2018 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman BARTAB EDITOR & EVENTS LISTINGS EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • Alex Madison CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ray Aguilera • Tavo Amador • Race Bannon Erin Blackwell • Roger Brigham Brian Bromberger • Victoria A. Brownworth Brent Calderwood • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Belo Cipriani • Dan Renzi Christina DiEdoardo • Richard Dodds Michael Flanagan • Jim Gladstone David Guarino • Liz Highleyman Brandon Judell • John F. Karr • Lisa Keen Matthew Kennedy • Joshua Klipp David Lamble • Max Leger Michael McDonagh • Juanita MORE! David-Elijah Nahmod • Paul Parish Sean Piverger • Lois Pearlman Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota • Bob Roehr Adam Sandel • Jason Serinus • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith • Tony Taylor • Sari Staver Jim Stewart • Sean Timberlake • Andre Torrez Ronn Vigh • Charlie Wagner • Ed Walsh Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood ART DIRECTION Max Leger PRODUCTION/DESIGN Ernesto Sopprani

Shouting doesn’t work W

e reject the criticism leveled at the Bay Area Reporter over our decision to publish an opinion piece last week that discussed a timely, topical issue about a mistake, an apology, and anger by the transgender community. Contrary to what some commenters said online – and what the author of this week’s Guest Opinion piece writes – our pages were not “darkened” by the presence of Steve Friess’ op-ed, which discussed an incident at the closing reception of the NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists during which a gay Ohio weatherman greeted attendees with “Ladies and gentlemen, things and its.” The man who made those comments, Marshall McPeek, apologized within an hour of uttering the offending remarks – and they were offensive. Now the debate has shifted to whether others were also wrong in the debacle. We agree with Friess that McPeek’s comments were awful and that the host organization, NLGJA, missed an opportunity to more forcefully address the issue; but we don’t agree that trans people are wrong for being offended, or that we were wrong to publish last week’s op-ed. When the B.A.R. publishes a Guest Opinion column, we don’t expect everyone to agree with it. Sometimes we don’t agree with it. The point of the opinion page is to provide a public forum. Last week’s piece, “Everybody’s wrong in NLGJA fiasco,” and this week’s counterpoint, “A ‘thing’ (or an ‘it’?) called both-siderism,” clearly meet that goal. We think it would be more productive to engage in conversation rather than wallow in ad hominem screeds. The reaction thus far also shows segments of the LGBTQ community that are unforgiving and quick to condemn people.

It’s a different approach to problem solving, and we don’t see how it’s going to achieve real goals at a time when all of our community members, the Ls, the Gs, the Bs, and the Ts, are under constant threat from a federal administration that wishes none of us were here. In his opinion piece last week, Friess wrote that anyone can make a mistake by saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. We certainly have experience with that. In June the B.A.R.’s arts department gravely erred in publishing a transphobic film review. The paper took too long to correct the offending article online. In an editorial explaining the situation, we outlined the steps we took to prevent a recurrence. (The editorial is at https:// www.ebar.com/news/news/261621.) Did it satisfy everyone? Probably not, but we continue to demonstrate, week after week, our commitment to cover the entirety of the LGBTQ community. We were the first LGBT newspaper to publish a regular trans column, Transmissions, and it’s still

going strong nearly two decades later. We’ve written articles about nonbinary and trans political candidates, trans women who were murdered, and trans-focused organizations. Just last week, on the same page as Friess’ op-ed, was our editorial about a transphobic candidate who ended her campaign for a seat on the San Francisco school board. Getting an unapologetic, unreformed transphobe out of the upcoming election is a far more important priority, in our opinion, than continuing to beat up on a gay man because he said something offensively stupid and profusely apologized for it. In her opinion piece this week, Katrina Rose, Ph.D., asks readers to consider how difficult it is – still – to be an out trans person in the workplace, even after decades of queer activism that has led to real progress for many, but not all, in the LGBT community. California is lucky to have strong anti-discrimination laws. But Ohio, where McPeek is from? Not so much. So, Rose’s point questioning whether a qualified trans person applying at the station where McPeek works would get a recommendation from him is a valid one. In short, we, as a community, must figure out a way to understand each other because we do have common goals, like equality, the ability to use a restroom that matches our gender identity, and being treated with respect. We’re going to have to figure out how to work together, not alone, in order to achieve those basic human rights, especially while Donald Trump is president. So, if you disagree with what we publish, fine. Send us a letter to the editor, pitch your own op-ed, or fire away online. But please understand that our role as a queer newspaper is to foster dialogue – on all sides – and focus on our real enemies.t

PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • FBFE Rick Gerharter • Gareth Gooch Jose Guzman-Colon • Rudy K. Lawidjaja Georg Lester • Dan Lloyd • Jo-Lynn Otto Rich Stadtmiller • Kelly Sullivan • Fred Rowe Steven Underhil • Dallis Willard • Bill Wilson

A ‘thing’ (or an ‘it’?) called both-siderism

ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge • Christine Smith

ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION Colleen Small Bogitini VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING Scott Wazlowski – 415.829.8937 NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

LEGAL COUNSEL Paul H. Melbostad, Esq.

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

by Katrina C. Rose

adies… Gentlemen… Felicity…. I guess the fact that I remember Jon Stewart’s opening line at the 2006 Academy Awards ceremony makes me part of the horde of the “perpetually aggrieved,” those who “will ignite whenever they hear or see something that chafes” and who “ignore context.” Stewart’s line angered me at the time – and still does to a degree; the guy really should have known better. And yet, in light of how the movie that yielded Felicity Huffman her Oscar nomination that year – “TransAmerica” – was marketed, I feel compelled to give Stewart a pass. With posters depicting Huffman’s character – her back to the viewer – standing as a liminal demarcation between a male-designated restroom and a female-designated one, why wouldn’t even an intelligent liberal such as Stewart, one who may or may not have actually seen the movie, think that its message was that trans women are forever and involuntarily outside of the sex binary? And given the degree to which the trans community embraced the movie, why wouldn’t he at least consider the possibility that the community accepted its marketing? That’s context. That’s history. The remark Marshall McPeek, a gay meteorologist at a Sinclair-owned TV station in Ohio, made at this year’s NLGJA conference is the here and now. McPeek’s failing (or will his defenders sarcastically call it “transgression?” “crime?” “sin?”) was not some possible misinterpretation of some movie’s marketing. Nor was it uttering some bit of terminology that may have fallen out of favor while he wasn’t paying attention. You know at least some of the words. Tranny.... Transgendered.... Those will piss people off now, and I will now use neither, but it wasn’t all that long ago that I did – the latter far more than the former, and not just in my old Texas Triangle column but also in a few law review articles. However, as much as I don’t like the word “tranny” now, there are plenty of trans people out there – probably a minority, but a significant

Courtesy Katrina C. Rose

Katrina C. Rose, Ph.D.

one nevertheless – who do not have a problem with it. Ah… There’s that word. No, not “it” as in reference to “tranny.” I mean “it” as in “it.” Or, I guess I should say “its.” That, after all, is what McPeek thought it was acceptable to say to a gathering at the NLGJA conference: “Ladies and gentlemen, things and its.” I hate to be the one to break it to McPeek but the only “Thing” I know of (well, apart from disembodied hands, numbered Seussians, and shape-shifting Antarctic monsters) was portrayed in the movies by Michael Chiklis and the only “It” I know of was portrayed on TV by Felix Silla. Neither, when last I checked, is trans. And though I was not at the NLGJA conference, I’d wager a good bit of money that neither was in attendance. My good friend Monica Roberts, however, was. “Oh, no, he did not,” the proprietrix of TransGriot yelled. “There are no ‘things’ or ‘its’ here.” McPeek did apologize. Hank Plante says, “His apology is enough for those of us who know him.” So the rest of us are expected to accept it at face value and, in musical terms, let it go?

I’m guessing that, as a meteorologist, McPeek does not have the sole power to make final employment decisions at his station. But one would have to be obtuse to not presume that he has some influence with whoever makes such decisions, both in, and apart from, the station’s meteorology wing. If a fully-qualified trans person applied for a job at his station would he view such an applicant as a “thing”? Or as an “it”? This inquiring mind wants to know – and has no intention of letting this go. And if I ever had any inclination toward such an intention, the Bay Area Reporter giving space to Steve Friess to declare “everybody is wrong. Everybody. And yes, even you, pitchfork-wielding trans Twitter. That’s what makes it all so sad” extinguished it. Essentially, Friess justified “things and its” – qualitatively, if not quantitatively – as some sort of fluffy Ohio colloquialism that has no connection to trans-anything. (Perhaps, if either was up to speed on how toxic Ohio law is toward trans existence, they would not have tried to drop that turkey out of their helicopter and onto this discussion. Forty years on, turkeys still don’t fly.) Then Friess laid it on even thicker. “McPeek, now 49, was openly gay in the early 1990s as a 20-something on-air TV personality. Do you remember how rare and brave that was 25 years ago?” I wonder if Friess remembers how brave it was to be out in any profession as a trans person 25 years ago. Or even 25 days ago. Or even 25 minutes ago. I wonder if a fully-qualified trans person – one who may have worked at his station pre-transition but whose applications for jobs elsewhere might somehow result in McPeek being asked about the person – would be referred to in response to such a question with McPeek’s fluffy Ohio colloquialism. And I wonder if it may not have already happened. “And he was not in some big, progressive coastal metropolis; he was in Toledo, Ohio,” Friess wrote. “Like me, he used the NLGJA as a vehicle for a form of activism compatible with See page 14 >>

Politics>>

t Bay Area LGBT Dems aim to flip the House in November

September 20-26, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 5

by Matthew S. Bajko

avid Campos has often spoken about coming to the United States from Guatemala as an undocumented immigrant at the age of 14. He went on to become a citizen, graduate from Stanford then Harvard Law School, and serve on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. But Campos, a gay man who now chairs the San Francisco Democratic Party, rarely speaks about the first time his family tried to cross the border in 1981 when he was 11. He, along with his parents and two sisters, were detained by the border patrol in Chula Vista, near San Diego, and returned to Central America. “I was a kid in a detention center. It was a very traumatic experience,” recalled Campos. He noted it occurred during the administration of Republican President Ronald Reagan. Nonetheless, the federal officials his family encountered treated them with decency, he said. “Forty years later that is no longer the case,” said Campos. “It tells you something of where we are as a country.” He was speaking at the opening last Saturday, September 15, of a volunteer center in the heart of San Francisco’s gay Castro district where people can assist with the Democratic Party’s efforts to take back control of the Congress in the midterm elections. Officially known as the “Red 2 Blue SF” headquarters, it is located at 2390 Market Street, once a Pottery Barn store where gay former state senator Mark Leno had his mayoral campaign headquarters earlier this year. This is the first time that the local Democratic Party has opened such an office during a midterm election year. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) is helping to fund it. She was on hand for its opening and to thank the VIPs, i.e. volunteers in politics, for donating their time toward helping Democrats to flip House seats held by Republicans across the country. The volunteers will be texting and calling voters in targeted congressional districts. Pointing to the mural across the street of the late gay supervisor Harvey Milk, who represented the Castro at City Hall in 1978, Pelosi said the LGBT icon was “looking over our shoulders. He was about grassroots politics and listening to constituents.” The volunteers at the headquarters are following Milk’s example, she said, by talking directly to voters about issues of national concern. From access to affordable health care and ensuring an accurate count in the 2020 census, there are myriad issues to discuss, noted Pelosi. “We must win this election,” she said. Democrats need to pick up 23 seats to reclaim the House of Representatives and one seat to take back control of the U.S. Senate. With President Donald Trump’s approval rating at a historic low, political pundits are predicting a blue wave come the November 6 election, with Democrats likely to regain the House. “We have tremendous candidates. They know why they are running,” said Pelosi. “They know how to connect to the voters, and you are a means to that end as well.” Here in the Bay Area, Democrats are targeting two Central Valley House seats currently held by Republicans. They are aiming to elect Josh Harder to the 10th Congressional District seat held by Jeff Denham and Andrew Janz to the 22nd Congressional District seat held by Devin Nunes. Volunteers at the office in the

Barry Schneider Attorney at Law

Rick Gerharter

David Campos, chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi gave a victory cheer Saturday, as the Democratic Party opened its call center for the November midterm elections.

Castro are calling residents of both districts to encourage them to support and vote for the two Democratic challengers. Carpools are also being organized every weekend to bring volunteers out to the districts to knock on the doors of Democrats and independent voters in the Modesto and Fresno metro areas. In addition to helping out with the phone banking efforts, the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club is also asking its members to spend the weekend prior to the election in Denham’s district to assist with get out the vote efforts. “People are really excited and very optimistic,” said Gina Simi, a lesbian who co-chairs the moderate political group. “We live here in San Francisco in a safe haven but we are not taking that lightly. We want to go out to these red districts to help flip them.” Simi and Eric Lukoff, a gay man who is Alice’s other co-chair, went out to the district in July to speak with voters. For many of the people they met, it was the first time anyone with the Democratic Party had bothered to engage with them, said Lukoff. “It was really inspiring,” he said. This Saturday afternoon gay El Cerrito City Councilman Gabriel Quinto, currently serving as his city’s mayor, is co-hosting a fundraiser for Janz. Tickets start at $50 for young professionals and $175 for others. “Here’s our chance for our community to make a difference and help turn a red area blue,” Quinto told the B.A.R. “I am hoping that this house party in El Cerrito will get folks engaged and fired up to finally turn Fresno blue. We need all LGBTs to do their part on the grassroots level! This race can be won!” To RSVP online, visit https://secure. actblue.com/donate/janzelcerrito. Jason Clark, a gay man who chairs the Republican Party in San Francisco, told the Bay Area Reporter that the effort to flip the Central Valley seats would not be successful. “The Central Valley is Trump country according to the 2016 map,” he noted. “I think if they are pinning their hopes on flipping a lot of California seats, then they won’t reach their goal as many of these seats will likely remain Republican.” Kevin Bard, a gay man who is one of the organizers of the Castro office, told the B.A.R. that the margin of victory in the races could come down to several hundred votes. The call center in the Castro will be key, he said, in ensuring the final count swings Democrats’ way. “The energy is very high. People are pissed off and scared in a way I personally have not seen,” said Bard, who serves on the board of the Harvey

family law specialist*

Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club. A number of local LGBT Democrats are planning to head to other states this fall to work on congressional campaigns. Reese Aaron Isbell, a gay man who was a former Alice co-chair, will be heading back home to Independence, Missouri October 5 to help Democratic congressional candidates in his home state and next door in Kansas. He will be staying with his parents through November while he assists the campaigns for Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri and attorney Sharice Davids, running to be Kansas’ first openly gay, Native American member of the U.S. House. He left his position overseeing government affairs for the California Life Sciences Association in order to return to the Midwest. He took a similar sabbatical in 2004 to volunteer with former Senator John Kerry’s presidential campaign that year. “We have to save the country,” Isbell said when asked why he was uprooting himself from the Bay Area this fall. “As cliché as it sounds, saving the world, the reality is this is how we fight back against the fascism of the Trump era and tell Washington, D.C. we won’t put up with that.” McCaskill is one of the more endangered Democratic incumbent Senate members this year, while Davids is running in a swing district that voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 by a slight margin. “Definitely, we can pick that seat up,” said Isbell, adding, “I feel hopeful about both of those campaigns.” Brian Salkin, a gay man who worked on Clinton’s campaign and went to Las Vegas ahead of the election two years ago, is planning to assist with this year’s effort to flip the House. He is taking two days off from work the week of the election in order to focus on get out the vote efforts either in California or Nevada. “I will go where we can hopefully win,” said Salkin. The office in the Castro will be open from noon to 8 p.m. Sundays through Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays. Volunteers will work a two-hour shift and need to bring a fully charged cell phone and a laptop or tablet. To sign up, visit redtobluesf.org.t Web Extra: For more queer political news, be sure to check http:// www.ebar.com Monday mornings for Political Notes, the notebook’s online companion. This week’s column reported on the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club’s endorsements in a number of Alameda County races. 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) 829-8836 or e-mail m.bajko@ebar.com.

• Divorce w/emphasis on Real Estate & Business Divisions • Domestic Partnerships, Support & Custody • Probate and Wills www.SchneiderLawSF.com

415-781-6500 *Certified by the California State Bar 400 Montgomery Street, Ste. 505, San Francisco, CA

LGBTQ+ VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Become a Senior Peer Counselor —FREE Training— Starts Oct. 2, 2018 Call Ellyn Bloomfield at (650) 403-4300 Ext.4383 or ebloomfield@peninsulafamilyservice.org

Free Legal Help

Life Planning Are you a San Francisco resident age 60 or over, or disabled? Do you need: a simple will t t an advance health care directive t t help with Social Security or SSI benefits t t end of life planning t t

Maybe we can help. We may be able to help with other legal issues: eviction defense, debt collection, access to health care, and more. A collaboration of Legal Assistance to the Elderly (LAE) and the AIDS Legal Referral Panel (ALRP), to help senior and disabled members of the LGBTQ community.

LAE-2x5_060718.indd 1

For intake:

(415) 538-3333 5/31/18 10:19 AM

<< Community News

6 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 20-26, 2018

San Francisco Pride elects new board members

by David-Elijah Nahmod

he board that oversees San Francisco Pride will have some new members, and its longtime president will be stepping down, following the group’s annual meeting September 15 at the LGBT community center. Incumbent board members Manuel Alejandro Perez and Nguyen “Win” Pham were re-elected, along with first time candidates Bruce Beaudette, Suzanne Ford, Kerby Lynch, and Carolyn Wysinger. A seventh candidate, incumbent Anietie Ekanem, who currently serves as vice president, dropped out of the race for personal reasons. The new board members will be seated at the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee’s October 3 general meeting, at which time a new president and vice president will be chosen. The afternoon included the announcement from current board President Michelle Meow, who said that she would be stepping down next month from her position and the board. “SF Pride will always be home and family to me,” Meow told the Bay Area Reporter. “I’m not going anywhere, as I hope to continue with many projects that I have started: short documentaries featuring the grand marshals with local filmmaker Jethro Patalinghug, the parade broadcast I helped save, media campaigns, fundraising, and so on.” She said that she will continue focusing on programming she does for the Commonwealth Club of California and her local TV show that has a new home at KBCW. “I’m also excited to be a source of support for my wife as we navigate life as a new immigrant family,” Meow said. “My next volunteer project may be political and/or grassroots. Visibility is the backbone of our movement, I’m ready to harness all that I have learned at Pride and make a difference in areas of our most vulnerable.”

Drain Clean Special* Call us 24/7

415-993-9523 Main line service up to 100’, with access point. Warranty included. May not be combined with other offers. Service limited to San Francisco County resident, 8am to 7pm.

A locally owned and operated franchise. Lic# 974194

www.MrRooter-SFO.com

Saving space beautifully! Call Now to Make an Appointment with a Wallbed Expert!

2 Convenient Locations

550 15th Street Suite #2 San Francisco 415-854-7748 2515 S. El Camino Real San Mateo 650-264-9541

Accessories and More From

Wallbeds_053118.indd 1

Rick Gerharter

New members of the San Francisco Pride Board of Directors Suzanne Ford, left, Bruce Beaudette, Kerby Lynch, Carolyn Wysinger, and Manuel Alejandro Perez answered questions prior to their election during the annual general membership meeting September 15.

Candidate statements

The voting process began with a statement from each candidate, followed by a Q&A. Attendees then cast their ballots. Pham, who was out of town celebrating Houston Pride, sent a video message. “I had a really great time collaborating with colleagues and implementing stability,” Pham said. “It’s important to have stability with recordkeeping.” Lynch said, “I want to make space for young people and for the generations which came before,” they said. “I have tons of administrative and fundraising experience. I love Pride, so vote for me.” Ford, a transgender woman, followed. “The thrill of protesting and marching as a member of the Resistance Contingent the last two years has given me a unique perspective of the meaning of Pride,” she said. “The current board and staff have given us a blueprint on how to run and sustain the premiere LGBTQ statement event in the world. If elected, I will strive to maintain that blueprint while looking for ways to be more inclusive and responsive to our people. I pledge to be a supportive team member who always looks to advance SF Pride.” Beaudette recalled moving to San

Francisco in 1978 and participating in the White Night riots a year later. The riots were the community’s response to the light sentence given to former San Francisco Supervisor Dan White, who had assassinated gay supervisor Harvey Milk and mayor George Moscone at City Hall. “There’s too much of a narrative that looks like me,” Beaudette, who is white, said, as he held up magazine covers featuring gay African-Americans James Baldwin and Bayard Rustin. “I’d like to bring this to Pride,” Beaudette said. Wysinger recalled her work as an educator, an author, a black queer podcaster, and an organizer of Pride celebrations in other cities. She expressed her desire to represent black queer women and hopes to bring more black queer people to Pride. Perez spoke of his life as a firstgeneration queer Mexican from a migrant family. His goal is to support current initiatives that connect more people to Pride and explore new opportunities to unite new voices to the organization’s efforts. During questions, candidates were asked what they would do if they could wave a magic wand and change the parade moving forward. “To make sure we hear the amazing See page 14 >>

Mugging reported near Dolores Park

Newly Designed Location

Largest Selection of Murphy Wallbeds In Town!

by Alex Madison

5/30/18

hree men reportedly mugged a man near Mission Dolores Park Sunday, September 16. According to San Francisco Po10:46 AM lice Department spokesman Officer Joseph Tomlinson, the 29-year-old victim was walking near the 3900 block of 20th Street around 6:45 p.m. when three unknown black men exited a vehicle across the street and quickly surrounded him. The three suspects then punched the victim and proceeded to go through his pockets and steal his property, including a cellphone, police said. “The three males then fled the scene in a black four-door vehicle,” Tomlinson told the Bay Area Reporter. “The suspects are currently at large.” The victim suffered non lifethreatening injuries, Tomlinson said. Surveillance video shared with the B.A.R. by Mark Murphy, who currently lives in London but has a home in the Castro, is being used by police in their investigation. It shows the incident that happened across the street from Murphy’s house. The video shows the victim walking alone on the sidewalk of 20th Street when three men exit a car across the street. The suspects run across the street and approach the victim. The victim then steps out of

SFMurphyBeds.com

A screen grab from a surveillance camera shows a man walking along 20th Street Sunday evening as other men quickly approach him.

the camera’s view. The video then shows the suspects fleeing the scene, and the victim with ripped pants. “Had I still been living in San Francisco, in my home, I most likely would have seen/heard this happen! I cannot tell you how much this hurts ... watching this,” Murphy wrote to the B.A.R. in an email. Tomlinson said the area where the incident occurred is a “relatively low-crime area.” According to a recent police newsletter sent out by Mission

Station, which covers the Castro, there were 37 robbery incidents, 64 aggravated assaults, 48 burglaries, and 102 incidents of larceny/theft in the area in August. Gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman told the B.A.R. that he is working with Mission Station Captain Gaetano Caltagirone to increase Castro foot beat officers. “First and foremost, my thoughts go out to the victim – this kind of attack should never happen on our streets. My office is in contact with the SFPD, who have already opened up an investigation into this case. In this particular case, it appears that the most useful tool that the police will have in catching these perpetrators is security camera footage of the crime in progress. I strongly encourage residents to install security cameras, because the more visual evidence we have from neighbors monitoring their neighborhood, the better chance we have to get violent criminals off our streets.” Mandelman continued, “During my first several months in office I have spoken with Captain Caltagirone of Mission Station and asked him to increase foot patrols in the Castro and around Dolores Park, something that he has agreed to do and is already taking place.” Anyone with information regarding the mugging incident can contact SFPD at (415) 575-4444 or Text-a-Tip to TIP411. t

<< Community News>>

September 20-26, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 7

SF, SJ to mark Bi Visibility Day compiled by Cynthia Laird

his year marks the 20th anniversary of Bi Visibility Day, and a brunch will take place in San Francisco Sunday, September 23 to celebrate the milestone. Organizers with Bay Area Bi Network will hold a bi/trans brunch from 1 to 4 p.m. at Streamline, 3560 Taraval Street. In San Jose, gay Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager and others will hold the second annual flagraising ceremony in recognition of Bi Visibility Day. The event takes place Friday, September 21, at noon at the County of Santa Clara Government Center, Jim McEntee Plaza, 70 West Hedding Street. In his newsletter, Yeager said that bisexuality is often marginalized in both the LGBTQ and straight communities, being classified as “confusion” or “a phase.” “This lack of acceptance has a negative impact on bisexual individuals. Both national and local surveys have found that they are at a higher risk for anxiety, depression, and physical and mental abuse than their gay, lesbian, or straight peers. The risk level is particularly high for bisexual women,” Yeager stated. Jen Yockney, a British woman, has run the international listings site, www.bivisibilityday.com, for nearly two decades. “We saw events in at least 35 countries around the world in 2017,” she said in a news release. Yockney received a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire award from Queen Elizabeth in 2016. The award signifies outstanding service to the community. “I’ve been organizing events marking Bi Visibility Day since 1999, and the transformation in that time is huge,” she added. “We are more talked about and more heard as bi people than ever before; yet also the challenges and particular needs of bisexuals have been thrown into sharper relief over that time.” She also explained that research has shown bi people have greater mental and physical health challenges than gay or straight people. “Where lesbians and gay men have one closet to escape, many bi people find that leaving the one closet leads to being put in another,” Yockney added. “Greater bisexual visibility is the best solution to that problem, helping more bis find a space where they are neither in the ‘straight’ closet nor the ‘gay’ one,” she said. For more Bi Visibility Day events, visit www.bivisibilityday.com.

Courtesy Ken Yeager

Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager spoke before raising the bi flag at last year’s inaugural event in San Jose.

Game night, youth town hall at San Mateo center

The San Mateo County Pride Center will hold a Gay-mers of the Peninsula game night Tuesday, September 25, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the center, 1021 South El Camino Real in San Mateo. People can play video or board games with their friends. The event is held the fourth Tuesday of the month. For information on game/system donations contact andres.loyola@ sanmateopride.org. The center will also hold a youth town hall meeting Saturday, September 29, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the center. The town hall is being held to “express how we can improve the LGBTQ+ community,” according to the center’s newsletter. For more information, contact info@sanmateopride.org.

Dinner will benefit SF Women’s Building

Foreign Cinema is holding a benefit for the San Francisco Women’s Building Thursday, September 27, from 6 to 11 p.m. at 2534 Mission Street. Organizers said the event will be a “radiant, multi-level spectacle” and feature celebratory food and signature libations from Foreign Cinema, La Cocina, and Mission Boricua. There will be interactive entertainment and live performances featuring the Velocity Circus, the Extra Action Marching Band, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and more from the local arts community. The Women’s Building, at 3543 18th Street, was founded in 1971 and is a city landmark. It was listed for its historical significance predating the modern LGBT rights movement. In May it became the second location in the city to be deemed a national historic site due to its LGBT cultural significance. Early bird tickets are sold out but tickets are available starting at $105 and can be purchased at https:// www.eventbrite.com/e/sherwoodforeign-cinema-benefit-party-tickets-47197572209.

Queer Life Space starts fundraising drive early

Queer Life Space, which provides therapy and other services to LGBTQ+ community members from San Francisco and the region, announced that it has started its 2019 fundraising drive early because it is dealing with an overflow of clients. Executive Director Sarah Soul said in an email newsletter that the nonprofit has an extensive wait list and, due to the increased demand, funding has fallen short. “QLS is taking an active role in responding to increased threats to the mental well-being of the LGBTQ+ community, which significantly increased in the wake of the 2016 election,” Soul stated. “Our work in creating a safe space for clients to heal has become more vital than ever. So we are calling on members of our community and our allies to help us fight back against the increased hate and discrimination we have all witnessed.” QLS officials noted that a donation of as little as $20 helps pay for a single therapy session. Donations are tax-deductible and can be made at http://www. queerlifespace.org/.t

Ultimately, it’s your experience that matters. To be sure, we’re proud of our 30 years of experience in senior living. But, to us, what really matters is your experience at our communities. We do everything with that idea clearly in mind. So, go ahead, enjoy yourself with great social opportunities and amenities. Savor fine dining every day. And feel assured that assisted living services are always available if needed. We invite you to experience it for yourself at a complimentary lunch and tour. Please call your nearest SRG community to schedule. I n de p e n de n t & A s s i s t e d L i v i n g • M e mor y C a r e

Coventry Place • 1550 Sutter Street • San Francisco • 415.737.6120 Cypress at Golden Gate • 1601 19th Avenue • San Francisco • 415.741.1830 I n de p e n de n t & A s s i s t e d L i v i n g

Peninsula Del Rey • 165 Pierce Street • Daly City • 650.735.3161

SRGseniorliving.com

RCFE# 385600429 • 385600430 • 415600867

Saturday, October 6, 2018 • The Fairmont San Francisco

honoring

Gavin Grimm

Plaintiff in landmark transgender student rights case

Jewelle Gomez

Author, poet, playwright, activist, trailblazer

Join us and help support your local LGBTQ community foundation

Tickets at horizonsfoundation.org

<< Community News

8 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 20-26, 2018

TLC joins in moment of silence for 2018 trans murders by Alex Madison

he Transgender Law Center joined with other groups around the country to bring attention to the number of trans women of color murdered so far this year. The Oakland-based group held a moment of silence Friday, September 14, for the 14 black transgender women who have been killed in the United States in 2018, according to TLC. Activists, local artists, and community members gathered in downtown Oakland in front of the Peet’s Coffee near Broadway and 16th streets for the event that was organized as a national moment of silence. Posters with pictures of the faces of deceased black trans women and the hashtag #SayTheirName lined a cement bench in front of Peet’s where the small crowd stood. Isa Noyola, a trans Latina woman and deputy director of the TLC, opened the vigil. “The purpose of coming together is more than just to hold a moment of silence and to say her name,” Noyola said. “This moment goes along with a string of many moments, including the day we stood on the front steps of [San Francisco] City Hall for Taja DeJesus and Penny Proud. We made a commitment that day that every single day we will continue to fight for our community and our sisters and GNC community members who are under attack.” DeJesus was a Latina trans woman who was stabbed to death in San Francisco in 2015. Penny Proud was a black trans woman from New Orleans who died of multiple gunshot wounds that same year.

Jane Philomen Cleland

The Transgender Law Center held a moment of silence Friday, September 14, for black transgender women who have been killed this year in the U.S. Nicolas Gonzalez Medina, left, joined gallery owner Ashara Ekundayo, TLC’s Isa Noyola, and Micah Bazant, a trans artist with Forward Together in downtown Oakland.

Noyola encouraged attendees to not only reflect on the trans lives lost, but to focus, in the future, on supporting black trans women individually and in leadership roles. Helping combat the “fear” being instilled in various minority communities by President Donald Trump’s administration was also part of Noyola’s message. Before Noyola and other event organizers led the small group in chants and song, the names of the 14 deceased trans women were read aloud. After every name was called, the crowd yelled, “We Say Their Name.”

Assisted Reproduction • Surrogacy • Prenups Divorce • Custody • Parentage Disputes

www.waldlaw.net

The names included black trans women: Diamond Stephens, 39, who was shot to death June 18 in Meridian, Mississippi; Tonya Harvey, 35, who died after being shot in Buffalo, New York; Shantee Tucker, 30, who was found on a highway in Philadelphia after being shot in the back, according to local news reports; and London Moore, 20, who was reportedly murdered early last week in North Port, Florida. Moore’s death initially sparked the national moment of silence, which was also supported by GLAAD and the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. Oakland vigil participants then held the signs with the black trans victims’ faces and the moment of silence followed. Some signs also included woodblock prints from Oakland artist Ashara Ekundayo that read, “I am a black woman.” Ekundayo owns a gallery in Oakland that exclusively shows art from women of the African diaspora. Ekundayo, a queer woman, told the B.A.R. that “black women’s voices are under attack,” and that she was there to “amplify the voices of black trans women and make sure their stories are celebrated.”

Two young attendees were on their lunch break from a nearby building where they are interning at Forward Together, whose mission is to unite communities to win rights, recognition, and resources for all families. Jessica Shen-Wachter, 17, a queer woman, and Shreya Tamang, 17, a bisexual woman, were overwhelmed with sadness. “As non-black people and being cisgender, we have a tremendous duty to trans folks in general,” Shen-Wachter said. “Black trans women are killed at such disproportionate rates. It’s terrifying.” The women, who are seniors at Albany High School, said they felt a strong sense of community at the event and felt empowered to take action. “There is a lot more we need to do to try and combat and stop it,” Tamang said. “They need help from our more privileged allies.” Shen-Wachter said more effort needs to be paid to stop the anti-blackness and homophobia in today’s society, particularly by highlighting the voices of black trans women. “A lot of times in our allyship we often tend to put the spotlight on ourselves instead of the people whose issues we are speaking on.

Centering the voices of black trans people and women is so important,” she said. Elliot Fukui, 32, who identifies as transmasculine, was also at the moment of silence. Fukui, director of community engagement for TLC, called the violence against black trans women in the country an “epidemic” and said the time to act is now. “It’s time to start making demands from our communities to start actively finding solutions to the violence communities are facing,” he said. Getting to the root of why there are higher rates of unemployment, homelessness, and poverty in the trans community is among the first steps to helping solve the problem, Fukui said, along with providing resources, safe spaces, and support for black trans women. TLC currently offers a program that provides a safe space and sense of community to black trans women called “Black Trans Circles,” led by black trans activist Raquel Willis. The program launched this year in the South and Midwest United States with the purpose of building the leadership of black trans women to create community solutions for prevention, healing, and resilience in response to violence. Fukui also mentioned the Black LGBTQIA+ Migrant Project, which addresses the ways in which LGBTs are targeted by the criminal justice and immigration enforcement systems, and marginalized in the broader migrant community, and racial and economic justice movements. According to GLAAD, an LGBT media organization, 20 trans individuals of all races have been killed so far this year. For Noyola, the moment of silence was a moment for the community to find hope. “We are gathered here not as organizations, not as nonprofits. We gather as communities as we always have in the Bay Area ... every time these situations happen we gather as community because only through community do we find power, information, healing, and hope to carry on,” Noyola said. t

88 Kearny Street, Suite 1475 • SF, CA 94108 • (415) 648-3097

StevenUnderhill PHOTOGRAPHY

Van Gorder recognized HEADSHOTS STARTING AT $250

415 370 7152

StevenUnderhill.com StevenUnderhillPhotos@gmail.com

ormer Project Inform executive director Dana Van Gorder, center, was recognized for his decade of service to the HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C nonprofit at a reception at Monroe Jazz Club September 12. Van Gorder was presented with a proclamation from

Liz Highleyman

gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), left. Gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, right, also gave Van Gorder a commendation from the Board of Supervisors. Van Gorder stepped down in June.

National News >>

September 20-26, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 9

LGBT groups call for delay in Kavanaugh vote by Lisa Keen

GBT groups have been among those calling for the Senate Judiciary Committee to delay its vote on the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. They were already opposed to his nomination, but on the heels of allegations that he may have sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl while he was in high school, their clamor, and that of many others, escalated dramatically. As of Tuesday morning, the judiciary committee appeared to signal it would not hold its scheduled confirmation vote Thursday and would hear from Kavanaugh and his accuser in a public hearing Monday. The Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Equality California, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the National Center for Transgender Equality, and the LGBT Bar Association of New York joined numerous other civil rights groups in signing onto a statement crafted by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. The statement said the Senate should not move forward with Kavanaugh’s confirmation “without the results of a fair, nonpartisan, and thorough process.” Shannon Minter, NCLR legal director, issued a separate statement, adding, “The allegations of sexual assault raised against Brett Kavanaugh are detailed, credible, and corroborated by reports to third parties. No one facing such allegations should be confirmed to our nation’s highest court without a full investigation of these claims.” Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (RIowa) had not made clear how, exactly, he would handle the allegations. At first, the allegations were anonymous but timely: the accuser had contacted her member of Congress and Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California) about Kavanaugh in July, when she first heard that President Donald Trump was considering him for a Supreme Court seat. Feinstein kept the allegations secret from other senators, saying she was honoring the woman’s request for privacy. But reports leaked out and Feinstein began informing Senate colleagues privately and then shared the woman’s letter with the FBI, with regard to Kavanaugh’s confirmation. On September 14, New Yorker magazine published its story, detailing the allegation but not identifying the woman. Media attention riveted to the news and by Sunday, the accuser – Palo Alto University psychology professor Christine Blasey Ford – confirmed to the Washington Post that she was the accuser. The media floodgates opened. Sunday night, CNN reported that Senator Lisa Murkowski (RAlaska) “might have to consider” delaying Kavanaugh’s confirmation. On Monday, Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway told the media that Blasey Ford would be heard and should be heard. And before noon Monday, Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) said both Kavanaugh and his accuser should testify under oath before the judiciary committee. Even Trump on Monday said he believes the committee should “hear everybody out” even if it takes a “little delay.” Many speculated that Trump’s uncharacteristic willingness to hear from Kavanaugh’s accuser may have been driven by Collins and Murkowski’s concerns.

Rudy K. Lawidjaja

Judge Brett Kavanaugh faces questions about an alleged sexual assault when he was in high school.

Kavanaugh’s confirmation would definitely be in jeopardy if two Republican senators withhold their support. The Senate has 51 Republicans and Kavanaugh needs 51 votes for confirmation. Three Democrats have been said to be considering a vote for Kavanaugh, but after Blasey Ford put her name to the allegations, Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp (North Dakota) posted a message on Twitter saying the judiciary

committee needs to investigate the allegations thoroughly. Senator Joe Donnelly (Indiana) said the committee should “hold off ” on Thursday’s scheduled vote. And Senator Joe Manchin (West Virginia) said the committee should give both Kavanaugh and Blasey for a chance to be heard. Blasey Ford said that, when she was 15, she attended a small party at a private home. She said that, when she got up to go to

the bathroom, Kavanaugh, who would have been 17, and another boy followed her and pushed her into a bedroom and onto a bed. Kavanaugh, she said, held her down against her will, covered her mouth to keep her from screaming for help, and the other boy turned up the music and both goaded Kavanaugh on and yelled stop. Blasey Ford said Kavanaugh, who was “stumbling drunk,” fumbled to get her clothing off, ground his body into hers, and seemed to be attempting to rape her. But when Kavanaugh’s friend – who has been identified as Mark Judge – jumped on top of both of them, she was able to escape. Kavanaugh has repeatedly denied the allegations, as has Judge. Blasey Ford has retained the legal services of a Washington, D.C., civil rights employment lawyer who is well known to the LGBT community. Debra Katz filed a complaint against President George W. Bush’s Office of Special Council leader Scott Bloch. Bloch notoriously transferred LGBT people out of their jobs in his office. Alumnae of Blasey Ford’s private high school in Maryland released a draft letter Monday,

saying Blasey Ford’s experience “is all too consistent with stories we heard and lived while attending” Holton-Arms private school. The letter, however, does not specify stories or experiences with Kavanaugh. All this happens as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to open its new season on October 2. The Senate Judiciary Committee website indicated Tuesday that an additional hearing on Kavanaugh’s confirmation will be held Monday, September 24, at 10 a.m. It did not specify that Blasey Ford and Kavanaugh would appear at that hearing, and Grassley told reporters the hearing was to “give these recent allegations a full airing.” On Monday, Grassley suggested the “standard procedure” to look into the allegations is to conduct telephone calls by him and Feinstein with the “relevant parties.” But Democrats are reportedly opposed to that idea, Feinstein is being soundly criticized for having kept the woman’s allegations private until just last week, and the enormous media attention the issue has gotten makes that route seem unlikely. t

Higher Staff-To-Resident Ratio Means We Always Have Time For You. “Here, you’re like family,” is our promise you can feel the moment you walk in the door at Rhoda Goldman Plaza, the jewel of The City’s assisted living and memory caring communities. For your personal visit, connect with Candiece, 415.345.5072 or CandieceM@rgplaza.org. 2180 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94115 Founded by Jewish Family and Children’s Services and Mount Zion Health Fund RCFE# 385600125

rgplaza.org

<< National News

t Restaurant workers have allies in Fonda, Tomlin 10 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 20-26, 2018

by David-Elijah Nahmod

ollywood legends Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin visited Piccino Cafe in the Dogpatch neighborhood of San Francisco last Friday to raise awareness and funds for One Fair Wage, a movement that seeks to raise the minimum wage for tipped restaurant workers across the country. Around 50 people gathered to hear them speak and to pose for photos with the stars for a $500 donation. The event, called “Coffee and Conversation with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin,” was organized by Emmy Award-winning journalist Grace Kahng in conjunction with Horizons Foundation. “In 43 states women restaurant workers earn $2.13 an hour,” Kahng said. Kahng noted that women arrested in trafficking stings tended to be working mothers and new mothers. She noted that there was a link between these low-level workers and their ability to be exploited. Kahng introduced Piccino owners Sher Rogat and Margherita Stewart Sagan. “We’re doing this because women have been underpaid as compared to their male counterparts,” Sagan said. “This is a restaurant owned and operated by women, so we support fair wages. I didn’t know the disparity was this large; $2-3 an hour is not a living wage.” “When we started 13 years ago it was the first restaurant we ever worked in,” added Rogat. “We made a lot of mistakes. We believe in respect and inclusiveness.” Fonda and Tomlin, who came out as a lesbian in 2013, were then introduced by Pam David of Horizons Foundation. “A lot of LGBT people have worked in restaurants, so this issue is dear to our hearts,” David, a lesbian, said. Fonda and Tomlin stepped up to the microphone to applause. “We’ve

Rick Gerharter

Lily Tomlin, left, and Jane Fonda spoke in San Francisco Friday in support of the One Fair Wage campaign, which would apply the minimum wage to both tipped and non-tipped workers.

been having lunch,” said Tomlin. “It’s quite delicious.” “Because the people here are paid well,” Fonda pointed out. Tomlin then addressed the crowd as Judith Beasley, one of the characters she is known for playing. Beasley is a housewife and mother from Calumet City, Illinois. “Waiting on tables was the only skill set I had,” Beasley said. “It requires all the resources I have. I have to be ready for every situation. You’re waiting on people who can turn on you on a moment’s notice – the complaints start before the food and the complaints get worse when the food comes. If I’ve heard come on, be a good sport, I’ve heard it one thousand times, and that’s just from the boss when he was trying to get me in the back room.” Tomlin, as Beasley, also called for a livable wage and paid sick days. She referred to the National Restaurant Association as “the other NRA.” “Tips are at the discretion of the diner and, thanks to the National Restaurant Association, our wages have remained stagnant just because we get tips,” she said.

Fonda then spoke. “Lily and I have been traveling around Michigan on behalf of Restaurant Opportunities Centers United,” Fonda said. “Lily comes from Detroit – it gives me street cred to be with her as I grew up in privilege, but Lily grew up in a gritty city in a gritty family.” Tomlin then interjected, recalling her own personal hard times working in restaurants. “People want to know how come we got involved in this issue,” Fonda said. “When the election happened in 2016, I felt like I was in a nightmare. I understand why [Donald] Trump won – there’s so many people in the middle of the country that no one was talking to. I was looking for the kind of local grassroots work that was going to have an effect on the people who felt they were forgotten. I learned during the anti-war years the importance of grassroots activism and of going door-to-door.” One Fair Wage is working on a campaign in Michigan. According to its website, there was a ballot measure slated for November in the state, but lawmakers adopted it themselves,

9 NEW BMR

HOME OWNERSHIP

OPPORTUNITIES Lennar at The SF Shipyard is excited to offer new Below Market Rate homes through the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development BMR Limited Equity Program. Residences offer a contemporary design with elegant finishes including Kember ® hardwood flooring, modern cabinetry, quartz countertops and Bosch® stainless steel appliances. To qualify, applicants must be first-time homebuyers, complete a homebuyer workshop from an approved housing counseling agency, obtain a loan pre-approval from an approved BMR lender and cannot exceed the following income:

80% OF MEDIAN INCOME 1 Person 2 Persons $ $ 66,300 75,750

3 Persons 85,250

4 Persons 94,700

5 Persons 102,300

APPLICATIONS DUE BY 5PM ON NOVEMBER 1, 2018. Please contact our New Home Consultants for an application and more information at 415-975-4181 or bayareaurban@lennar.com. LANDING CONDOMINIUMS

(3) 1-bed /1-bath from $213,765 to $218,232 (4) 2-bed /2-bath from $289,103 to $295,048 (1) 3-bed /2.5-bath from $319,115

FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION

lennar.com/shipyardbmrhomes

PALISADES TOWNHOMES

(1) 3-bed /2.5-bath from $380,717

WELCOME HOME CENTER 11 Innes Ct., San Francisco, CA 94124

Homes available through the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development and are subject to monitoring and other restrictions. Visit www.sfmohcd.org for program information. While supplies last, Lennar makes no guarantee as to availability of the selected homes within the prices stated above. This offer is product and community specific and may not be combined with other offers. This offer is limited to select home sites and a particular home plan as determined by Lennar in its sole and absolute discretion. Price is subject to change without notice. Features, floor plans, elevations, square footage and designs vary per plan and community and are subject to changes or substitution without notice. Please see your actual home purchase agreement for additional information, disclosures and disclaimers related to the home and its features. Visit Lennar.com or see a Lennar New Home Consultant for further details and important legal disclaimers. This is not an offer in states where prior registration is required. Void where prohibited by law. Copyright © 2018 Lennar Corporation. All rights reserved. Lennar and the Lennar logo are U.S. registered service marks or service marks of Lennar Corporation and/ or its subsidiaries. Lennar Homes of California, Inc. License #728102. Lennar Sales Corp. DRE License #01252753. 9/18

which removed it from the ballot. One Fair Wage argues that state lawmakers will attempt to gut the minimum wage law to repeal a raise for tipped workers. “When we began this effort, a survey was done asking people if they’d vote,” she said. “Thirty percent said yes. If there was a One Fair Wage initiative on the ballot it goes up to 60 percent. This is about building a movement and getting people to the polls. You can’t live on $2.13 an hour, it all goes to taxes. You are forced to rely on tips.” Fonda pointed out that tipped workers are forced to put up with bad behavior, including sexual harassment. “The workers want to feel respected,” Fonda said. “They want to feel like professionals.” Saru Jayaraman, co-founder and president of Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, addressed the audience and noted that, in 1938, everyone got the right to earn the minimum wage except tipped workers. “Seventy percent of tipped workers in the U.S.A. are women,” she said. “Women’s work in the U.S.A. is not valued. The largest employer of women gets away with paying their workers $2 an hour. These are the workers who have the highest rates of sexual harassment – restaurant workers are encouraged to show more cleavage and dress more sexy. It sets the floor for harassment across the economy. For a lot of LGBT workers who have to leave their homes, this is how they earn a living and this is a constant source of harassment.” California, Jayaraman told the crowd, has already implemented one fair wage. “If California can do it then everyone can do it,” she said. “In California everyone has done it for decades and we have a booming restaurant industry. We lost Michigan to Trump by 11,000 votes. There are 435,000 restaurant workers in Michigan who

do not vote, we’re mobilizing those 435,000 workers to go vote. We’ve learned our lesson and we’re not going to ignore those people again. We need your help, we can win this. We will raise this wage out of slavery times and cut sexual harassment.” Kahng informed the Bay Area Reporter that in addition to the Piccino’s gathering, there were two other events in private homes. She said that over $200,000 was raised at the three events, which were coordinated by her company, Santoki Productions. “The Piccino event was a success because every single person at the event had signaled that they had been educated and activated by offering to donate during Jane’s call to action,” Kahng said. “Just the hand-raise itself raised $10,000. Jane and Lily were so incredibly moved by the outpouring of affection for the two of them. What’s lovely about San Francisco is that people appreciate Jane’s history of activism.” Kahng added that the Piccino owners had opened a new cafe called Noon All Day, where they hope to hold a future event. Jayaraman told the B.A.R. that she was quite happy with the event’s turnout. “We were more than happy with the overwhelmingly positive response to One Fair Wage at all our San Francisco events,” she said. “We raised far more than we anticipated. In the San Francisco Bay Area and everywhere, people overwhelmingly support all people, women and men, being able to earn enough to feed their families, and not having to struggle with sexual harassment to feed their families in tips.” On Thursday (September 20) at 8 p.m. Tomlin returns to the Bay Area to perform a two-hour show at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley. The show is a benefit for One Fair Wage. For more information, visit http:// www.onefairwage.com.t

Lesbian journalist named publisher of Chicago Reader by Sari Staver

Expressing her enthusiasm and optimism for ward-winning lesbian the new position, Baim journalist Tracy Baim said, “My 34 years in the has been named publisher LGBTQ news business will of the Chicago Reader, a be very valuable in helping 46-year-old weekly alterus to save the Reader. The native newspaper known entire newspaper industry for its long-form and inhas been going through vestigative journalism and a major transformation Sari Staver coverage of the arts, parand the alternative press Tracy Baim ticularly theater and film. and LGBT press have a lot Baim, 55, began writing more in common these for the gay press in 1984, just a month days. Both are struggling to reidenout of college, when she joined Gay tify and reinvent themselves for a Life. The following year, at age 22, she younger audience, as well as for the founded Windy City Times, where digital future.” she most recently was publisher and She said that she’s excited about her executive editor. new role. Beginning October 1, Baim will “I feel like I’ve been on a Triple A step away from the day-to-day refarm team, which often did not get the sponsibilities of Windy City Times, a respect it was due” by the mainstream free weekly paper, but will remain a press, she said. “My time with the major investor with the title of presiLGBT press gave me the connections dent of Windy City Media Group. and confidence to take on the huge Baim’s appointment at the Reader challenge of publishing the Reader.” follows an agreement between Most importantly, said Baim, the Chicago Sun-Times, its owner, “Windy City Times is in great hands and a private investment group that with an experienced team in place to purchased the weekly earlier this year. run the day-to-day operations.” The Reader has a print run of Publisher Terri Klinsky had been 50,000 and Windy City Times, 10,000. running the sales and business side Both have “a strong online readership for many years and executive editor and social media presence,” Baim said Andrew Davis has been running the in a telephone interview. See page 14 >>

<< Community News>>

September 20-26, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 11

Gay Latino man takes helm of SF State institute by Charlie Wagner

gay Latino man has been appointed to lead the Health Equity Institute for Research, Practice, and Policy at San Francisco State University. Jesus Ramirez-Valles, Ph.D., began his new job last month. He is recognized for his expertise on health equity and global health issues. “Nobody should be denied the chance to live a long healthy life just because of social, economic, or environmental conditions,” said Ramirez-Valles. That belief has motivated his career and is why researcher, filmmaker, author, and LGBTQ, and HIV activist was tapped to lead HEI, as it’s known. HEI was established in 2006 to reaffirm the university’s commitment to social justice and “to ensure all people have full and equal access to opportunities that enable them to lead healthy lives.” A video on the HEI website (http://www.healthequity.sfsu.edu) illustrates how social differences such as “race, class, gender, sexual orientation, or immigration status” may cause a person to be treated unfairly. While SFSU is primarily focused on education, it also has researchers whose work serves the overall campus; HEI is one example. RamirezValles will lead a multi-disciplinary team focused on original research, community practice, training, education, and communications. The goal is to improve health equity in the larger SFSU community. Ramirez-Valles is a tenured full professor and will earn $175,000 per year. Ramirez-Valles, 52, was raised by a single mother in a family with six children in Juarez, Mexico, just

Courtesy SFSU

Jesus Ramirez-Valles, Ph.D.

across the border from El Paso, Texas. “I was always a different kid,” he recalled. He knew very early that he wanted to get out of Juarez. His father was a U.S. citizen living in El Paso, so that was always an option. After high school, RamirezValles earned a B.A. in mass media communication theory at the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores in Monterrey, Mexico. Even though he was exploring his sexuality in Monterrey, he admitted, “I covered my gay identity.” He returned to Juarez to work as director of an organization called Women’s Health, funded by private foundations. On a volunteer basis, he also worked for a communitybased HIV education program. “We wanted to bring more resources to the border, but you can imagine the stigma at that time,” he said. As he worked in Juarez over the next three years, Ramirez-Valles fully embraced his gay identity. “We were in the press and I was fairly open at that time,” he said.

“My family knew of my sexuality, but did not feel comfortable discussing it.” Ramirez-Valles moved to Michigan in 1989 to pursue a master’s degree in public health at the University of Michigan. “I planned to return to Latin America after my degree but ‘life happened’ and I decided to stay in the U.S.,” he explained. “Working in HIV and health in Mexico is very difficult for a gay man.” He continued studying at Michigan and, in 1997, earned a doctorate in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, with a minor in sociology. After a short stint as a visiting professor at UCSF’s Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, RamirezValles moved to Chicago and took a position in the community prevention research division of the Department of Psychology at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Until the HEI appointment, he remained at UIC, ultimately becoming director of the Division of Community Health Sciences in its School of Public Health.

Political activism

From his first days in Chicago, Ramirez-Valles pursued political activism, joining many diverse groups: Black Lives Matter; Pride Action Tank, a project of the Chicago AIDS Foundation; the Chicago Network for Aging; and the Association of Latinos/as Motivating Action. He also met his husband, Brad Trask, in Chicago, and when the two men became partners, coadopted Trask’s 5-year-old son. Ramirez-Valles and Trask, 54, married in 2014. Their son Cameron, 18, is now starting college on the East Coast. In 2007, he was the executive

producer of a 72-minute documentary titled “Tal Como Somos/ Just as We Are.” The film examines the lives of seven Latino LGBT men and women, looking at their relationships with family and loved ones, while exploring their sexuality in the contexts of culture, religion, and work. Soundtrack and subtitles are in Spanish and English; the trailer is on YouTube. In 2011, he published his first book, “Campaneros: Latino Activists in the Face of AIDS,” based on the life history of gay male activists. The book centered on HIV and AIDS prevention and utilized research funded by the National Institutes of Health. Ramirez-Valles interviewed 80 queer men for the book, half in the Bay Area and half in Chicago. “I felt their voices needed to be heard,” he said. “Some were recent immigrants and activists in the country of their birth. “In the U.S., many men in Latino communities are living ‘in the margins’ without access to good education,” he pointed out. “Strong family values can be positive, but are not good if you don’t fit into the accepted roles.” At UIC, starting in 2012, Ramirez-Valles taught a seminar for masters and doctoral students titled “Queer Public Health.” “I wanted to bring queer perspectives into public health, and to help graduate students understand gender and health from the queer perspective,” he said. He encouraged his students to create services that did not simply “replicate hetero programs.” In 2016, Ramirez-Valles published a second book, “Queer Aging: The Gayby Boomers and the new Frontier in Gerontology.” Gay baby boomers “created much of what we think of as gay identity,”

he believes. The book focuses on gay men, comparing those who have HIV with those who do not, across different ethnic groups. “I have been following the HIV epidemic pretty much my whole life,” he said. “When HIV turned into a chronic condition about 10 to 12 years ago,” he explained, “I started investigating how gay men would age with HIV. I found out that we knew very little about older gay men and how gay baby boomers would age.” Ramirez-Valles has seen many positive changes for, and in, the LGBTQ community while he has lived in the U.S., but was very disturbed by Donald Trump’s election. “[His election] is a reminder our fight has to continue,” he said. “We cannot rest because we have gay marriage.” Ramirez-Valles also will continue to work on two research projects based in Chicago. One is on structural violence in health equity, funded by the NIH, where he is one of three principal investigators, or project leaders. The other is a research project on the mental health of bisexual men, also NIH funded. His husband, Trask, is very excited about the move and said, “San Francisco is a great place for us as a family, and for us to pursue the next chapter of our engagement with local communities.” HEI is part of SFSU’s College of Health and Social Sciences, whose dean, Alvin Alvarez, Ph.D., welcomed Ramirez-Valles aboard. “One of the things you’ll see in his scholarship is that it directly applies to marginalized communities, communities of color and the LGBTQ community,” he said. “Making that bridge from scholarship to the lives of actual people is a rare gift.” t

Cable Car Gearbox Rehabilitation

Taking care of a San Francisco Icon: Powell-Mason Line The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which operates Muni and the famous cable cars, is upgrading the gearboxes located in the Cable Car Barn. The gearboxes control the movement of cable cars. Work on the Powell-Mason line gearbox is slated to begin on Friday, Sept. 21 at 10 p.m. and will take about eight days to complete. During this period, bus shuttles will substitute for the Mason Cable Car Line along the northern route between Powell at Washington Street and Taylor at Francisco Street. All other cable car lines will operate as usual to serve customers for a delightful ride on San Francisco’s iconic cable car. Thank you while we are making San Francisco’s cable car system better, safer and more reliable.

SFMTA.com/CableCarGearbox

<< National News

t Study: Youth suicide rates highest among trans men 12 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 20-26, 2018

by Alex Madison

ransgender youth attempt suicide at much higher rates than other cisgender adolescents, suggests a new study in the September issue of Pediatrics, a journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. LGBT advocates and organizations are not surprised by the study and say it only reaffirms what, anecdotally, has been known for years. “For a long time research has shown that transgender and gender-nonconforming youth face heightened discrimination and now research is beginning to show the devastating impacts on their mental health and self worth,” said Liam Miranda, senior research manager with the Human Rights Campaign and a queer trans man, in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter. The Pediatrics study pulled data from the “Profiles of Student Life: Attitudes and Behaviors” survey, which collected information from 120,617 young people, ages 11 to 19, across three years beginning in 2012. The study found that suicide attempts were highest among transgender males, with 51 percent reporting at least one suicide attempt. The second highest attempted suicide rate was among nonbinary youth, with 42 percent, while 30 percent of transgender female individuals reported attempting suicide. Nearly 14 percent of all the participants reported a previous suicide attempt. These “alarming” attempted suicide rates are influenced by cumulative environmental factors that trans and gender-nonconforming youth face in today’s society, said Ellen Kahn, the HRC Foundation’s director of children, youth, and families program. “Anyone who reports on the topic of suicide knows, or should know,

“We need to change our conversation and make sure our youth don’t keep hearing toxic harmful messages.” _ Jane Clementi, co-founder,

Tyler Clementi Foundation

Courtesy HRC

Ellen Kahn of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation

it’s not one bad thing or one reason, it’s really cumulative,” she told the B.A.R. “For LGBT kids, and trans kids in particular, the way they are being targeted by anti-trans people is an added burden. If these kids have fractures at home or in school, or are depressed or sad and worried to live openly, it can result in a cumulative effect.” Kahn said there is a lot to do to help prevent suicide in the LGBT youth community. She mentioned professional development for teachers, school counselors, and staff surrounding gender and cultural sensitivity training and policy protections for trans youth in the health care realm and public schools. Kahn also commented on the importance of trans youth to have equal rights as children and adults, mentioning President Donald Trump’s recent attempt to implement a plan to ban transgender people from serving openly in the military. “We don’t even have federal protections around sexual orientation

VALENCIA CYCLERY

We’ve got more bikes in stock & ready to ride than any shop in SF MANY ON SALE!

and gender identity,” Kahn said. “There are also gaps in protections for accommodations for trans people. We need to close that gap. Young people need to see a future.” Research on trans youth is relatively new, Kahn said, but HRC, the country’s largest LGBT civil rights organization, plans to expand on its 2018 LGBTQ Youth Report to more deeply analyze the trans and nonbinary data. The report, released earlier this year, detailed similar experiences among queer youth as the Pediatrics study, though it did not include statistics regarding suicide attempts. It found that LGBTQ teens are not only experiencing high levels of stress, anxiety, and rejection, but also feel unsafe in their own school classrooms. Results from another national study also affirms the findings from the Pediatrics study. Conducted by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Williams Institute, an LGBT think tank at UCLA School of Law, a 2014 survey of over 6,400 trans

and gender-nonconforming youth found that 41 percent of transgender people attempt suicide at least once. The study used results from the National Transgender Discrimination Survey. One mother who lost her gay son to suicide is Jane Clementi, co-founder of the Tyler Clementi Foundation, which is dedicated to ending bullying. Tyler Clementi was 18 when he took his own life in 2010 after he became the victim of an act of cyber-harassment and humiliation. Jane Clementi agrees with Kahn that suicide attempts among children and teens are the result of cumulative factors. The conversation needs to start changing, along with the implementation of legislation that rolls out stronger protections for trans, nonbinary, and LGBT minors, Jane Clementi said. “We need to change our conversation and make sure our youth don’t keep hearing toxic harmful messages,” Jane Clementi told the B.A.R. “We need to change the dogma, and the teaching and traditions that the

Health dept. head

From page 1

at its meeting Tuesday, September 18, which will be used to help develop a job description for the new director. Greg Wagner, DPH’s chief financial officer, is currently the interim health director.

LGBT issues

Hybrid/City

Road

Kid’s Kid’

Mountain

Electric Bikes are here!

Your one-stop shop for the whole family! 1065 & 1077 Valencia (Btwn 21st & 22nd St.) SF

SALES 415-550-6600 • REPAIRS 415-550-6601 Mon-Sat 10-6, Thur 10-7, Sun 11-5

valenciacyclery.com

LGBT issues were among those discussed. Roma Guy, a lesbian and former health commissioner, attended the meeting, as did San Francisco AIDS Foundation CEO Joe Hollendoner and Lance Toma, CEO of the San Francisco Community Health Center. Guy said the next director needs to consider incarceration a public health issue, not simply a criminal justice matter. The co-founder of the Women’s Building in the city’s Mission district, talked about the importance of providing services like housing and mental health care as a way to prevent incarceration, as well as wanting the new director to understand health disparities surrounding gender, sexuality, and mental health. “One of Barbara Garcia’s major accomplishments was bringing incarceration into the public health framework,” Guy told commissioners. “The department of health needs to continue the work of this continued legacy.” When Guy, a community organizer and policy advocate for Taxpayers for Public Safety, spoke with the Bay Area Reporter, she talked specifically about protections for transgender inmates, including medical care in jail, equal access to resources, safety protections, and eliminating stigma. She feels the new director needs to have, “a deep public and social sense of what gender is in the modern environment,” and that a social determinant of health includes the “stigmatization” of LGBT individuals,

Jane Philomen Cleland

Former health commissioner Roma Guy speaks at Tuesday’s Health Commission meeting.

immigrants, low-income populations, and other minority communities. Although Hollendoner did not speak at the meeting, he told the B.A.R. that he believes the next director should address health equity, something he called “critical to success.” “The San Francisco health department is on the cutting edge of prioritizing innovative health services,” Hollendoner, a gay man, said. “We need to see a director who will continue to invest and champion progressive health programs.” Supervised injection sites were also something Hollendoner wants the new director to prioritize. Garcia was an advocate for the program. Assembly Bill 186, authored by lesbian Assemblywoman Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton) and gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), amends state controlled substances laws to allow San Francisco to implement a three-year supervised injection pilot program. The bill passed the Legislature and is awaiting action by Governor Jerry Brown.

faith communities share and teach.” This toxic messaging has gotten stronger in the last year or so, Jane Clementi said, and coincides with the rollback of LGBT rights, including the Trump administration rescinding Obama-era guidelines that protected transgender students. She also mentioned the Religious Freedom Act that has been used to justify discrimination against the LGBT community. “The inequity and inequality in legislation needs to change,” she said. “I have another gay son, and I want he and his husband to be protected in the health care industry, housing, employment, and buy an anniversary cake for themselves if they want.” Jane Clementi worked on the Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act, which was introduced in Congress and requires colleges and universities receiving federal student aid funding to enact an anti-harassment policy, including against sexual orientation or gender identity. It is currently stalled. In California, Governor Jerry Brown on Monday, September 17, signed Senate Bill 972, suicide prevention legislation authored by state Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D– La Cañada Flintridge). The bill requires public, charter, and private schools that serve pupils in grades 7-12 and higher education to print the National Suicide Prevention Hotline telephone number on student identification cards. “My hope is to foster an open dialogue about suicide and to help prevent these horrific tragedies. If one life can be saved through this bill then all of our efforts will have been worth it,” said Portantino in a news release. t

Supervised injection facilities allow people to use drugs under the watch of medical staff, reducing the risk of overdose deaths. They provide sterile needles, which prevents transmission of HIV and hepatitis B and C, and offer clients an entry point for seeking medical care and addiction treatment. Indoor sites also reduce street-based drug use and improper syringe disposal, seen as a growing problem in the city. Toma spoke at the public hearing, explaining that he and his organization, formally the Asian and Pacific Islander Wellness Center, want a director who comes from a public health background. The director should deeply understand the connection between physical and behavioral health, as well as other social determinants of health, he said. A director who is supportive of safe injection sites and has a “harm-reduction philosophy,” is critical, Toma said. Syringe exchange programs have had a tremendous impact on reducing HIV transmission, he explained. “We need our next health director to have cultural humility, community collaboration, and truly understand the value of partnering with community-based organizations to address all health disparities, substance abuse, mental health, homelessness, and HIV issues in our city,” Toma said.

Other comments

The other 20 or so public commenters echoed similar ideas. Others said they thought the position required someone to be a trained physician, which the city has had in the past. (Garcia is not a medical doctor, but under her leadership DPH had a health officer, Dr. Tomas Aragon, who remains in that position.) Others wanted someone who would focus on disease prevention and healthy living. Mitigating racial health disparities was also a common See page 15 >>

Commentary >>

September 20-26, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 13

Sun sets on ‘Early Days’ by Christina A. DiEdoardo

s the hours crept toward dawn Friday, September 14, most of San Francisco was asleep. Some of those who weren’t were making history in Civic Center next to the main branch of the San Francisco Public Library. City workers took down the controversial “Early Days” statue – which depicted an indigenous American prostrate before a Spanish settler and a Catholic missionary – to the cheers of indigenous activists, some of whom have fought for decades to remove it. Many saw the work as racist and inflammatory for a variety of reasons, ranging from its glorification of the Spanish invaders and missionaries (and the corresponding dehumanization of indigenous Americans) to the fact that the indigenous American shown doesn’t even resemble members of those bands active in the area during the period supposedly depicted by the statue. To many activists, it was San Francisco’s equivalent to the Confederate statues that have been brought down – legally or otherwise – around the country in the last few years. The issue appeared to have been resolved in March, when the San Francisco Arts Commission voted to

Christina A. DiEdoardo

After over a century, “Early Days” – a statue many considered to be racist and inflammatory – no longer stands in San Francisco.

remove the statue and put it in storage. However, thanks to a successful appeal by Petaluma attorney Frear Stephen Schmid – who was publicly reproved by the State Bar of California in 2012 after he (among other things) reportedly told a police officer at a sobriety checkpoint to “fucking shoot me” – the San Francisco Board of Appeals previously reversed the commission until reviewing the matter again at its meeting Thursday, September 13, where it voted unanimously to reverse itself and reinstate the commission’s ruling to remove the statue.

Beyond getting rid of a racist eyesore, the decision ends a dispute over the power and jurisdiction of the arts commission and eliminates what had been an embarrassing situation for then-mayor Mark Farrell and Mayor London Breed.

Power Exchange owner doxes himself

For reasons best known to him, in early September, Michael Powers – who owns the Power Exchange sex club in the Tenderloin – declared himself to be a member of the

Proud Boys and the III Militia on his Facebook feed. The Southern Poverty Law Center considers the former to be a hate group and the latter to be an antigovernment militia, and both have been linked to violent acts around the country. Given recent transphobic public posts from Powers, I sense he’s not doing his new friends with the Proud Boys any PR favors in their continuing effort to claim that, gosh darn it, they are neither white supremacists nor fascists, but simply misunderstood people who believe in the “superiority” of “Western Culture.” That said, it’s always nice when hostiles like Powers dox themselves, since it puts the community on notice of where a dollar spent at the Power Exchange is going. Fortunately, there are alternatives to patronizing it, like our friends at Mission Control in the East Bay, which is both collectively owned and fash-free.

Brown gets gun show ban bill

The countdown is on for Governor Jerry Brown to decide the fate of Senate Bill 221, a bill by gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San

Francisco), which would ban gun shows at the Cow Palace complex. After passing the Assembly and Senate, the bill reached Brown’s desk September 6. He has until September 30 either sign it or veto it (as he has a previous attempt to ban the events at Cow Palace). If he does neither, the measure will become law without his signature. If the measure becomes law, it would mark the biggest local victory for gun control forces since the spurt of organizing following February’s school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Why we need an actual revolution

At 3:30 p.m. Sunday, September 23, Revolution Books at 2444 Durant Avenue in Berkeley will host a screening of “Why we need an actual revolution and how we can really make revolution” a filmed talk by Bob Avakian, chairman of the Revolutionary Communist Party. Donations are requested on a sliding scale. t Got a tip? Email me at christina@ diedoardolaw.com.

Miami Outgames lawsuit dropped by Roger Brigham

class action lawsuit against organizers of the failed 2017 World Outgames in Miami has quietly been dropped, although the prospect for civil action down the road remains a possibility. The suit was filed by would-be Outgames tennis participant Rodney Ferrell in January after the 2017 World Outgames were abruptly canceled in May just hours before the scheduled opening ceremonies – leaving hundreds of athletes who were traveling to Miami or had already arrived stuck with hotel bills, lost registration fees, and wasted vacation time (see February 28 JockTalk, “Outgames organizers sued”). Defendants in the lawsuit were the licensing body, the Gay and Lesbian International Sports Association; the host organization, the Miami Beach LGBT Sports and Cultural League; and two individual officers of the host organization: Ivan Cano, chief executive officer, and Keith Hart, chief operating officer. Reaction in the LGBT sports community to the end of the suit has been one of disappointment, frustration, and anger – not at the plaintiff for dropping the suit, but at organizers and GLISA for callously misleading the public. “It is sad to see that the organizers and board members and scam artists of World Outgames and GLISA will not face the consequences of their actions,” swimmer David Smith of Compete magazine told the Bay Area Reporter. “These people created a lot of damage in the LGBTQ+ sports community and killed a lot of people’s

Former Miami Outgames CEO Ivan Cano

belief that they were part of something special. In the end, it appears that their scam will be brushed under the rug. But from this experience, it is clear that we need to demand accountability and transparency from all sports organizations moving forward.” Said Denny Nivens, a member of the Gay and Lesbian International Track Association from Los Angeles, “It’s obvious there was never any intent to hold a sports event. They collected hundreds of thousands of dollars but there were no sports venues booked, no preparations made whatsoever. The announcement wasn’t made until what was to be the first day of competition, but it clearly was not a last-minute decision. So, they’re getting away with

it – no surprise, I guess. But if they’re not being held accountable in court, can someone at least tell us what happened to all that money?” Where did the money go? Well, a Miami Beach financial audit indicated what funds the organizers had brought in were mismanaged, spent wastefully, and recorded inadequately (see August 20, 2017 Jock Talk, “Outgames audit released”). From the get-go, there was no certainty that the defendants had any assets that a successful lawsuit could successfully pursue. Despite having raised more than a million dollars, mostly in government grants and participant registrations, the Miami Outgames had failed to pay for several venues and permits (and lost sizable deposits on some major venues), lost money with several fundraising efforts, and had blown most of their budget on unsuccessful marketing and promotional efforts. Fellow GLITA member Russell LaMar Jacquet-Acea of Seattle, who has participated in the last eight Gay Games, said of the lawsuit, “Although we did not win, it’s good to know that some fought back, even though it was clear that they mismanaged funds. I did manage to get my registration fee back via my bank in disputing the charges with the third party payee and hopefully lots of you did at least that.” The lawsuit was also not helped by the apparent disappearance and dispersal of most of the defendants. Only Hart, who appeared to have lost a considerable amount of his personal

Obituaries >> Denis Beaulne November 3, 1952 – July 25, 2018 Denis Beaulne, aka Gi Gi Dubois, died July 25, 2018 at the Avenues, an assisted living facility in San Francisco. He was 65. Denis is survived

by his cat, Sebastian; caregiver, Stephanie; and his Canadian family, Diane, Mario Beaulne, and Nichole Gilles Chartrand. His San Francisco family includes Anil, Buck, Marty, Larkin, Kendra, Aileen, and Anita. Tim “Buck” Mullaney, who helped care for Denis, offered thanks to Lili, a physical therapist at the Avenues. Denis was also a client of Shanti and Project Open Hand. Denis was a fashion designer, dancer, and a charity champion. In notes written

before his death, Beaulne said, “The gift of life is granted to us all. Make every moment of your life count, because your love will make all the difference. I will live through you.” Donations can be made to Pets Are Wonderful Support (http://www.shanti. org/pages/paws_about_us.html.) Namaste.

funds in efforts to keep the venture afloat, responded vigorously to the suit, hiring an attorney and refuting the suit’s claims line by line. He was dropped from the case in August. Shortly after the cancelation of the Outgames, Cano moved from Florida to Hackensack, New Jersey, telling

friends on Facebook he was starting a new chapter in his life. In May, Cano submitted a one-sentence response in court saying he denied “all the statements made in relation to this case and outline in the civil action.” See page 15 >>

THIS IS THE

san francisco

Columbariu M Funeral Home and

formerly the Neptune Society

We’ve expanded our services and kept the spirit and tradition.

Call (415) 771-0717 One Loraine Court between Stanyan & Arguello

FD 1306

COA 660

<< Community News

14 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 20-26, 2018

Guest Opinion

From page 4

also being a journalist, striving to improve public understanding by ensuring we are covered accurately and fairly. He founded chapters, organized conventions, and served on the board and as an officer. As early as the late 1990s, he was among those advocating to add the word ‘transgender’ to our mission statement.” Adding “T” to the mission statement can be a step toward inclusion. It can also be a substanceless gesture concocted by those who want nothing to do with “T” but who want to bluff us into believing that we’ve been included when, in fact, we have not been. I don’t know the inner workings of NLGJA, but I do know that the

Leno

From page 1

“generous invite” to her inauguration, said Leno, who had a cordial conversation with her when he called to concede. But Leno, who spent the summer traveling to see friends and family, was out of town and unable to attend. “Our new mayor deserves time to show she can address all the issues we debated,” said Leno in his first extended media interview since conceding the race to Breed on June 13. As for his own plans, Leno said he has decided to “take some time off” before deciding what his next role, if any, will be. After four decades of running a small business and serving in elected office, Leno said he is enjoying being out of the public eye. “This is the first time in 40 years I have been able to stand still for a moment and look around,” said Leno, who will turn 67 Monday, September 24. “People have been telling me I am looking more relaxed.” After celebrating the 4th of July in Bolinas at the home of Michael Tilson Thomas, the outgoing music director of the San Francisco Symphony, and his husband, Joshua Mark Robison, Leno flew to France where his sister and her husband own a home in the Provence region. He returned stateside to see Tilson Thomas in

Pride board

From page 6

black queer voices,” said Wysinger. “Getting better at telling our stories,” said Perez. “This is a year-round process.” “When I walk around Pride I don’t see enough history,” added Beaudette. “Maybe put up a history booth.” Candidates were also asked about what they might do to make Pride more inclusive for people with

Chicago Reader

From page 10

paper for a dozen years, she said. Baim hopes to announce a new executive editor for the Reader this month and plans to add new freelance reporters to its stable of contributing writers. “The Reader is an iconic media company and is a critical voice in Chicago,” she said. “I look forward to continuing its tradition and expanding its reach.” In a statement, Michael Ziri,

Milk club

From page 2

week prior to the endorsement meeting, thus they still had time to submit the questionnaire in order to be considered. Candidates who did not do that were ineligible for Milk’s endorsement. “Clearly, the LGBT candidates did hear about it,” said Mahogany. With the club focused on the November elections, and then electing new leaders in January

Human Rights Campaign added us to its mission statement in 2001. And we all know what happened around this time in 2007 – when, even utilizing McPeek’s conceptualization of “things and its,” the only “things and its” in HRC’s headquarters were the furniture and the plants. No trans person with any sense of selfworth has any intention of letting that go. Those online who are impliedly seconding Friess’ nomination of McPeek for sainthood with such praise as “an on-air gay pioneer” (which is not incompatible with transphobia) with an “upbeat and happy demeanor” (also not incompatible with transphobia) who has been “an advocate for the LGBTQ community” (which, sadly, also is not incompatible with transphobia – particularly where no

substantive evidence is offered to back it up, doubly so with respect to the “T.”) profess to know. Perhaps McPeek could make a case for himself. And if he is even remotely close to the good guy that others are holding him out to be, we would not have been pelted with “everybody is wrong,” an assertion that the B.A.R. should not have allowed to darken its pages even under the guise of being open to opposing viewpoints. Friess defends himself (along with McPeek) by asserting “All I’m saying is that someone should also put on the record the good work and deeds of the person involved because that is a more likely indicator of whether there was malice.” No one has to possess a law degree to realize that that is a load of excrement; you don’t get to skate on

a speeding ticket by saying that every other time you’ve gotten behind the wheel you obeyed the speed limit. And no one has to possess a Ph.D. in history to see a parallel between “everybody’s wrong” and a certain White House occupant’s condemnation “in the strongest possible terms” of a certain “display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides” in a certain college town in Virginia last year. Even if McPeek is able to rehabilitate his reputation, I don’t see any justification for ever letting Friess get out from under his anencephalous apologia. McPeek may have simply screwed up and screwed up badly. (My gut feeling is that, despite the calls for his canonization, he meant exactly what he said; but, I am sincere when I acknowledge that I could be wrong.)

But Friess has decided to police the entirety of trans and nonbinary existence by telling us what aspects of our lives and histories we cannot bring to the table when we see what we see with our own eyes and when we hear what we hear with our own ears. Three sides are wrong in this fiasco: McPeek for calling us “things and its”; Friess for his policing; and the B.A.R. for giving him the space to do it. I’ve long since come to expect far, far better from the B.A.R.t

late August conduct at Tanglewood’s centennial celebration of composer Leonard Bernstein. From there he drove to Hudson, New York to spend time with his late partner’s gay identical twin Wingate “Win” Jackson, 62, and his partner; Douglas Jackson died of AIDS in 1990. Leno ended the trip East in Connecticut visiting a boyhood friend from Milwaukee, where they grew up. The time away allowed Leno to deal with losing his father in the midst of the mayoral campaign, the death of his mother a few years ago, and a diagnosis of retinal occlusion in his right eye earlier this year. “I processed these major life occurrences within the context of my responsibilities as a candidate and a public person. I had more to process,” said Leno. “That can happen differently, and perhaps more thoroughly, without that public exposure.” The day he was set to take part in a mayoral debate co-hosted by the B.A.R., Leno instead ended up at the hospital because one of the arteries in his right eye became blocked, cutting off oxygen to his retina. “It happened in a flash,” recalled Leno, whose sight in his right eye “has significantly diminished.” While his left eye is fine, and he is still able to drive a car, Leno is only able to make out colors, forms, or shapes with his right eye.

“It only makes one more appreciative of what life has to give you,” said Leno.

Vying to become the first LGBT person to lead San Francisco, Leno landed in first place the day after the June 5 mayoral election, called due to the unexpected death of mayor Ed Lee in December. As more ballots were counted, however, Leno fell down to second place and never was able to overtake Breed’s threadbare lead. The final tally came to 115,977 votes or 50.55 percent of the total for Breed and 113,431 votes or 49.45 percent for Leno. At a news conference June 13 Leno did not rule out seeking Room 200 at City Hall again next year, telling reporters it was “a decision for another day.” This week, Leno said he is not looking to run for mayor or any public office “right now,” though he added, “in politics one should never say never” when it to comes to future campaigns. Yet Leno noted that within the Democratic Party, both locally and nationally, there is a yearning to see younger candidates seek office. “There is something to be said for a generational passing of the torch,” said Leno. Having moved to San Francisco in the early 1970s, Leno started his

own sign making business. In 1998 then-mayor Willie Brown appointed him to a vacant seat on the Board of Supervisors. “I was a very reluctant appointee,” recalled Leno, concerned about keeping his business open and if he could handle the job. “Within a year or so I was a closet policy wonk.” He went on to win election citywide and then, in 2000, to the newly created District 8 seat on the board, which includes the gay Castro district and Noe Valley where Leno lives. Leno became one of the first two out gay men to win state Assembly seats in 2002 and six years later the first gay man to win a state Senate seat. He was termed out of the Legislature in 2016. He had been laying the groundwork to run for mayor in 2019, but those plans were upended by Lee’s sudden death. Looking back, Leno said he has no regrets about the mayoral campaign he ran. He referred to the Hebrew word b’sheret, which means something is meant to be, and said his becoming mayor was not b’sheret. “I am not one to rue or regret by nature or design,” he said. “I feel we ran a great campaign despite of, or because of, the challenges thrown at me.” He has not been contacted about a possible position within Breed’s administration, nor has he been approached about joining Gavin

Newsom’s cabinet should he be elected the state’s next governor come November. He said such a role is unlikely, as he does not want to live in Sacramento. The policy areas he is most concerned about, and thus would entertain opportunities to work on, are criminal justice, health care, and voting reforms. “There is a big and beautiful world out there,” noted Leno. Gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, an early backer of Leno becoming mayor, told the B.A.R. that he hopes to see him remain in the policy arena in some manner. “I was proud to support Mark and, throughout that campaign, I felt increasingly confident that he really would have been a really good mayor. But I also have complete respect for his feeling that he doesn’t want to do that again right now,” said Mandelman. “It is for him to decide. I think he is tremendously talented and has a lot to contribute, and I am sure he will find a way to do that.” One idea Leno has contemplated is becoming a foster parent. He lives alone in a two-bedroom home at the moment, though he is often on the road and unsure of what his future plans will be. “Friends have suggested I get a dog first,” he joked. t

disabilities. “To listen,” said Ford. “Finding organizations that know better than you, making sure that the disabled are part of the celebration.” After the Q&A the voting process took place. Each person could vote for as many or as few candidates as they chose. Twenty-eight ballots were cast, with each candidate needing 15 or more votes to win. Perez was the top vote getter, receiving 24 votes. Wysinger got 23, Ford got 22, Beaudette took 21, Lynch took 20, and

Pham came in with 18. All six candidates were then declared winners. Beaudette told the B.A.R. that he was delighted to have won. “I’m excited to learn more about Pride and to bring my knowledge of other communities into this organization,” he said. “I hope to share as much history as possible and to create role models for people – to define people who look like you. Harvey Milk and Harry Hay (founder of the Mattachine Society, an early gay activist group) were great, but

what about Jose Sarria and Bayard Rustin?” Pride board member Jacquelene Bishop, whose seat was not up for election this year, said that she felt great. “People who want to show up to support the agency and the cause is a good thing,” Bishop told the B.A.R. “Our power comes from the strength of our community coming together. I’m happy that people are going to do this work.” SF Pride Executive Director

George Ridgely Jr. was also pleased. “Today went extremely well,” he said. “It’s always encouraging to have individuals who want to be engaged with Pride and the governance process. We have a very diverse board and the outcome of today’s election just strengthens that.” The 2019 Pride parade and celebration will take place June 29-30. The theme will be “Generations of Resistance,” in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots.t

director of public policy for Equality Illinois, a statewide LGBT advocacy group, praised Baim becoming publisher of the Reader. “For decades, Tracy has chronicled the contributions of LGBTQ people from the helm of the Windy City Times”, Ziri stated. “Her leadership has provided invaluable coverage of and insight into our lives and experiences at a time when many mainstream media sources would not report on the LGBTQ community. We know she will be an excellent publisher of the Chicago Reader and wish

her the best in her new role.” Baim received the 2013 Chicago Headline Club Lifetime Achievement Award for her 30 years in journalism and, in 2014, was inducted into the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association Hall of Fame. In 2018, Baim was inducted into the Chicago chapter of the Association for Women Journalists Hall of Fame. She has also won numerous LGBT community and journalism honors, including the Community Media Workshop’s Studs Terkel Award in 2005.

Baim has written or edited 12 books. Her most recent book is “Barbara Gittings: Gay Pioneer.” Her other books include “Gay Press, Gay Power: The Growth of LGBT Community Newspapers in America;” “Obama and the Gays: A Political Marriage;” and “Out and Proud in Chicago.” She was executive producer of the lesbian film “Hannah Free,” starring Sharon Gless, and “Scrooge & Marley.” She directed and produced e. nina jay’s “Body of Rooms” film. She is creator of “That’s So Gay,” an LGBT trivia game.

Baim is the founder of the Pride Action Tank and the Illinois LGBT Chamber of Commerce. She was also co-vice chair of Gay Games VII in Chicago, and in 2013 was founder of the March on Springfield for Marriage Equality. She received the American Institute of Architects-Chicago Presidential Citation Award in 2016 for her work on tiny homes for the homeless. Additional awards include those from the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, the LGBT Chamber of Commerce of Illinois, and Unity Parenting. t

– while Mahogany plans to seek another term as co-president, her colleague Carolina Morales does not – it wouldn’t seek chartership in Alameda County until 2019 at the earliest, suggested Mahogany. “If anyone is criticizing a Democratic club for having opinions about Democratic candidates, even in other districts, that is questionable. Why would that be cause for a Democratic club to be dechartered?” she asked. “I hope saner

minds are prevailing and hope there is room for more Democratic clubs in the East Bay. We need all the help we can get for organizing.” Andy Kelley, a gay man who is vice chair of the Alameda central committee, told the B.A.R. this week that, “at this time,” he is not supportive of seeking to have the Milk club be de-chartered. Rather, he said he would assist Milk club members living in the East Bay who want to form a chartered organization in

Alameda County as long as they agree to work within the local Democratic Party’s guidelines. “I’ve been in contact with leaders of both clubs and am working to bring folks together in the hopes of finding a constructive pathway forward,” wrote Kelley in an emailed reply to the B.A.R. He noted that one of the greatest strengths of the LGBT community is its diversity, especially in Alameda County.

“LGBT Democrats throughout the East Bay should feel empowered to organize clubs and create spaces where they feel at home – and be welcomed by the Democratic Party when they do,” wrote Kelley. “Many years ago when I first came out, Stonewall provided that home for me and an invaluable connection to LGBT elders and a sense of community I had yet to otherwise find.” t

No regrets about mayoral campaign

Katrina C. Rose, Ph.D., is an attorney who recently completed her doctorate in history at the University of Iowa. Her dissertation is entitled “Forgotten Paths: American Transgender Legal History, 1955-2009.”

t <<

Community News >>

Jock Talk

From page 13

Neither GLISA nor the Miami Beach Outgames organization responded to the complaints. Both organizations dropped their websites and all traces of GLISA appear to have disappeared, with the brand now dead in the water. This month, Ferrell and Cano jointly filed court papers ending the lawsuit,

Youth panel

From page 1

officials. By giving queer and trans youth opportunities for leadership, San Francisco will be taking a step toward the right direction of positive social change.” When asked what they thought about the commission’s executive roles being filled by trans and nonbinary youth, Andam replied, “I think it’s amazing. Representation is so important, especially for the chair and vice chair,” he said. Vigil said they are currently working with District 9 Supervisor Hillary

San Mateo

From page 1

a phone interview this week. “We are a small court of just 27 judges, so we know each other very well.” Karesh, who has been serving since 2016 as the assistant presiding judge, ran unopposed to succeed the current presiding judge, Susan Etezadi. Succeeding Karesh will be Judge Leland Davis, who is African-American and also was unopposed for the assistant presiding judge position. It is believed that the first LGBT presiding judge in California was now retired lesbian Judge Rosemary Pfeiffer, who oversaw the San Mateo County Superior Court in 2000. She stepped down from the bench in 2012. According to the recently formed California LGBT Bench Officers Group, the only other known out presiding judge was now retired lesbian

Health dept. head

From page 12

theme among speakers. One speaker who said they were a public health professional commented, “I implore the health commission to choose a public health director who puts racial equity at the forefront of every aspect of the work they do.” Nearing the end of the meeting, the

September 20-26, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 15

saying, “Plaintiff Rodney Ferrell and Defendant Ivan Cano hereby stipulate and agree that this action should be dismissed without prejudice against all remaining defendants, Miami Beach-Miami LGBT Sports & Cultural League Inc., the Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association, and Ivan Cano.” That filing also indicates Cano is now in Morgantown, West Virginia. A criminal investigation into the World Outgames was launched last year

by the state attorney general’s office, but to date that investigation has not reported finding any actual criminal activity – just a lot of misleading marketing information released by organizers and a great enthusiasm for accepting registration fees even when it was apparent the event would not be held. I declared the 11-year-old Outgames movement dead in a column last October. I wrote at the time, “It was in that last naked moment in

Miami that frustrated athletes finally acknowledged that the GLISA Emperor may look fabulous, but he had no track cleats, wrestling singlets, or basketball shorts. The legacy of the World Outgames has been one of division, distrust, and disillusion. The Outgames, from Day 1, were never about the sports. Not a second. They were organized largely by nonathletes and catered to non-athletes. This was apparent in each iteration

with the focus of their communications and marketing efforts on parties, ceremonies, and conferences. Parties, ceremonies, and conferences. Focused on what tourists would be able to hear, drink, and see – not on what athletes of all skill levels and all backgrounds would be able to achieve. Be able to do. Be able to tackle.” Attorneys in the case could not be reached for comment. t

Ronen on conducting a joint hearing about the handling of an incident at Balboa High School in late August, when a student brought a gun to school. Reportedly, the gun accidentally went off although no students were injured by gunfire. “We want to go to the community meetings about this as commissioners and use our title to influence the issue there and bring more attention to it,” they said. As well, the lack of affordable housing is affecting the youth and families of San Francisco, Vigil said, and they would like to see more funding dedicated to the city’s Small Sites

Acquisition Fund. “I’d like to see more money funded to that budget so that San Francisco can buy property and regulate their own prices instead of developers buying it all up and not offering residency to lowincome people because of profit.” Last year, the commission advocated for more family-friendly open space in the city, including recommending that the planning department increase the number of public parks and public open spaces in the South of Market and Chinatown neighborhoods. Andam, who is an immigrant from Ghana, Africa, said he would like to

focus on the issues and challenges that undocumented youth face. “Because I am an immigrant and I live in a time in my country when there is a lot of anti-immigrant sentiment, I want to advocate in any way that I can for that,” he said. Last year, the commission recommended to the Board of Supervisors and the mayor that they continue to honor San Francisco’s sanctuary city status. As well, that San Francisco families facing deportation have access to guaranteed legal support, via the public defender’s office and community organizations. Andam, who was a commissioner

last year, worked on the recommendation that the commission put forth to the supervisors that urged the city’s Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families to allocate $60,000 toward California ID fee waivers for youth. Ty said they would like to see LGBTs receive “safer access to resources for housing, employment opportunities, and education,” and that the commission needs to deal with “homophobia, transphobia, and threats to our safety when navigating these institutions.” The youth commission had its first full meeting on Monday, September 17, and will convene again October 1. t

San Francisco Superior Court Judge Donna Hitchins. She served in the role at the start of 2002; Hitchens left the bench in 2011. “But there may have been others we just don’t know about because they were unable to be open. Judge Karesh’s visibility and leadership will help change that history,” wrote cochairs of the group Judge Joshua Wayser, who is gay, and Justice Therese Stewart, a lesbian on the state’s appellate bench, in an emailed response. “We are thrilled that Judge Karesh and our other members can continue to contribute to the richness of our diverse California bench.” Karesh is following in the footsteps of his father, Joseph Karesh, who was elected to the San Francisco Superior Court in 1960 – the year Jonathan was born – and became presiding judge of the local bench in 1973. “I grew up in his courtroom. Watching his trials are some of my

earliest memories,” recalled Karesh. “I would go with him to his courtroom on weekends when he was working. I pretended to be a judge when I was 5 years old.” The family lived in San Francisco’s Park Merced neighborhood “in the fog,” he said. His father died in 1996, while his mother died in January. Karesh’s older sister, Barbara, 60, lives in Concord with her wife, Joy Accosta. In 2008 he married the women, who have been together since 1979. Jonathan Karesh, who now lives in San Mateo, graduated from UC Berkeley with a U.S. history degree. He earned his law degree in 1995 at the UC Berkeley School of Law. He was a San Mateo county deputy district attorney for nearly 13 years. In 2000, then-governor Gray Davis appointed Karesh to the San Mateo bench. He was sworn in a year later; Karesh publicly came out of the closet in 2006.

“I was out to friends and family but not out at work,” said Karesh, who credited Pfeiffer with advising him on how to come out. “San Mateo, what I like about it is it’s a very progressive county. Since I came out I have not had a single negative comment. Everybody has been fine with it; it’s been a very positive experience.” At the moment there are three LGBT judges on the San Mateo bench; but Karesh said his colleagues are not fully out of the closet. At least one is a lesbian, according to the latest demographic data about the makeup of the state’s courts. As presiding judge, Karesh will oversee the management of a court with an annual budget of almost $50 million and a staff of nearly 300 people. He will also play a role in who is appointed to vacancies on his court’s bench, as the governor’s office confers with the presiding judge for advice on judicial appointments.

Karesh has no ambitions to be named to a state appellate court seat. He plans to remain on the San Mateo bench through at least 2025, when he will be eligible to retire. “At this point, I don’t know if I will retire or not. It would not surprise me if I stay on the bench,” said Karesh, whose current judicial term is up in 2020. Earlier this year the local LGBT bar association, known as Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom, named Karesh its mentor of the year. Next month he will be feted as the San Mateo County Trial Lawyer’s Association Judge of the Year. “It’s been a few good things happening in the last few months,” noted Karesh, who celebrated his election as presiding judge with a trip to Monterey last weekend with his boyfriend, a lawyer based in San Francisco who is not yet out. t

commissioners thanked the public for commenting and ensured them their opinions would be taken into consideration. Gay Commissioner Dan Bernal, who is HIV-positive, said the commission will continue to “aggressively” fight to end health disparities among minority communities, specifically mentioning transgender women and African-Americans. “We do need a new director who has

bold leadership, is innovative, is entrepreneurial, and sees the importance of community-based organizations and partners, which we have heard from a number of you today,” he said. Bernal added that the new director should continue to push new, bold initiatives. Commissioner Cecilia Chung, a transgender woman who is HIV-positive, said she believes there are two

sides to the position; public health and an administrative portion, and that the person filling the role should reflect both capabilities. “A balance is important,” she said. She also mentioned the importance of a director who backs initiatives. “There were a lot of great initiatives started by Barbara Garcia, and whoever takes over should continue

to improve those initiatives,” she said. The commission will vet candidates with the help of the department’s human resources section and plans to narrow it down to three candidates. The candidates will be interviewed in December in front of the commission and then be presented to Mayor London Breed, who will eventually choose the final candidate. t

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038265700

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038265100

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038260000

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038290500

Legal Notices>> FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038284500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BLUE SKIES DOG WALKS, 887 28TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LAUREN MEREDITH. 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 08/27/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RHUBARB PALACE MUSIC, 1689 FULTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed FRANK GRAU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/09/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/15/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LOMBARD UNION 76, 2498 LOMBARD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed GAWFCO ENTERPRISES, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/29/06. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/15/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TL CAFE, 517 O’FARRELL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed TRIPLE J INDUSTRIES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/31/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/13/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DFY CONSULTANTS, 747 SHRADER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DONNA YELMOKAS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/28/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/29/18.

AUG 30, SEPT 06, 13, 20, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038284700

AUG 30, SEPT 06, 13, 20, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038273500

AUG 30, SEPT 06, 13, 20, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038265300

AUG 30, SEPT 06, 13, 20, 2018 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-036645100

SEPT 06, 13, 20, 27, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038276000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ALONZO CLEANING SERVICE, 101 OCEAN AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JESSICA PINEDA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/27/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/27/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NAIBU MAINTENANCE, 830 LAGUNA ST #K, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BRUCE LEE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/21/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/21/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: POTRERO 76, 401 POTRERO AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed GAWFCO ENTERPRISES, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/23/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/15/18.

AUG 30, SEPT 06, 13, 20, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038254200

AUG 30, SEPT 06, 13, 20, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038259300

AUG 30, SEPT 06, 13, 20, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038264900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SASA EYEBROWS THREADING, 2359 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed AENIS RIJAL. 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 08/08/18.

AUG 30, SEPT 06, 13, 20, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038262700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: A. BAMBER; DESIGNS BY OKSANA, 1241 24TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ADRIANNA BAMBER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/10/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/10/18.

AUG 30, SEPT 06, 13, 20, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038273600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SAN BRUNO & SILVER SHELL, 2380 SAN BRUNO AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed PETROMART RETAIL GROUP, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/15/18.

AUG 30, SEPT 06, 13, 20, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038276300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BROWN & CO. REAL ESTATE GROUP; BROWN & COMPANY REAL ESTATE, 1624 CALIFORNIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TIMOTHY BROWN. 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 08/14/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CARRY MY CANINE, 1038 JAMESTOWN AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DANA L. CHAPMAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/20/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/21/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SF ROOTS, 2323 46TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed HELLO SAN FRANCISCO LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/22/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/22/18.

AUG 30, SEPT 06, 13, 20, 2018

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: TONIC BEVERAGE CATERING, 2209 POLK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business was conducted by a corporation and signed by DISGRUNTLED GOAT INC (CA). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/25/15.

AUG 30, SEPT 06, 13, 20, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038293000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NATALIE BLAIR SKIN STUDIO, 870 MARKET ST #761, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NATALIE BLAIR MORRIS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/29/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/30/18.

SEPT 06, 13, 20, 27, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038292200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: REALTIME TAXES, 3030 BRODERICK ST #4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CHRISTOPHER STATON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/29/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/30/18.

SEPT 06, 13, 20, 27, 2018

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TERSE SYSTEMS, 645 WEBSTER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed WILLIAM SARGENT. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/12/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/22/18.

SEPT 06, 13, 20, 27, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038254800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PICO LATIN STREET FOOD, 900 N. POINT ST #101, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed DELHI DARBAR INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/08/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/08/18.

SEPT 06, 13, 20, 27, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038275700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FAHERTY PLUMBING, 1295 41ST AVE UNIT A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed FAHERTY PLUMBING & HEATING (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/22/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/22/18.

SEPT 06, 13, 20, 27, 2018

<< Classifieds

16 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 20-26, 2018

Legal Notices>> FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038287600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GUM GUNE, 1209 STOCKTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed PETER P.P. CHAN & CHRISTINA WONG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/22/12. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/28/18.

SEPT 06, 13, 20, 27, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038288600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: VEGANN-KABOB, 1109 FILLMORE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed RAUA ENTERPRISE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 08/27/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/28/18.

SEPT 06, 13, 20, 27, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038281000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SAN FRANCISCO FARMERS MARKET, 4929 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed BUENDIA BUSINESS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/24/18.

SEPT 06, 13, 20, 27, 2018 NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF GRACE ESTHER DITO IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES-18-302135

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of GRACE ESTHER DITO. A Petition for Probate has been filed by ELIZABETH SOLOWAY in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that ELIZABETH SOLOWAY be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: Oct 09, 2018, 9:00 am, Dept. 204, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the latter of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: Ruth Koller Burke, Esq.178696, Law Offices of Ruth Koller Burke, 460 Center St #6264, Moraga, CA 94570; ruth@ruthburkelaw.com Ph. (925-788-2430)

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 04, 2018

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038300200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: EARTHSHINE GLITTER, 2747 MCALLISTER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JAMES CARR-NELSON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 08/11/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/06/18.

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 04, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038266000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: YOU CAN SPANISH, 1219 15TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GREGORY WALLER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 08/14/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/15/18.

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 04, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038303700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PRESCRIPTION RECORDS, 708 9TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RYAN WILLIAMS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 08/30/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/10/18.

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 04, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038299500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BCC CONSULTING AND EVENT PLANNING, 241 MINERVA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GEOFFREA MORRIS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 09/06/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/06/18.

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 04, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038297200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: STRICKLY THERAPEUTIC, 1475 9TH AVE SUITE 2, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ENRICO A. RUGGERI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 09/01/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/05/18.

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 04, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038298200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GREEN WORLD CLEANING SERVICES, 321 SAWYER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JHONY AGUILAR. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 09/05/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/05/18.

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 04, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038279700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CBD WELLNESS CENTER, 703 COLUMBUS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ARI DAVID KANNETT. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 08/23/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/23/18.

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 04, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038295500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SAN FRANCISCO NEON, 1935 FRANKLIN ST #401, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed RANDALL ANN HOMAN & ALLAN BARNA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 09/01/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/04/18.

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 04, 2018

Classifieds Cleaning Services>>

Movers>>

CLEANING PROFESSIONAL

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HATCHET HALL DISTILLERY; FAT LABRADOR DISTILLERS, 849 AVENUE D, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94130. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed TREEHOUSE CRAFT DISTILLERY, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/07/18.

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 04, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038302700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TROPISUENO, 75 YERBA BUENA LANE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed YBL RESTAURANT GROUP, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/22/08. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/10/18.

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 04, 2018 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-18-554226

(415) 441-1054 Large Truck

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 04, 11, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038278100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PING & YANG, 955 LARKIN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SIRINA PORNPHANNUKUN. 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 08/23/18.

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 04, 11, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038299300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MKMOSAICS, 2230 LEAVENWORTH ST #A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MICHAEL JOHN KRUZICH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/06/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/06/18.

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 04, 11, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038305400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: 415PRINTING, 63 OAKRIDGE DR., DALY CITY, CA 94014. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ELISANDRO CAMPOS. 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 09/11/18.

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 04, 11, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038310000

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 04, 11, 2018 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-18-554227

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SYTLEDASH BEAUTY LOUNGE, 2167 UNION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed MIKAGLAM INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/11/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/11/18.

In the matter of the application of: IURII NAKONECHNYI, 1068 HOWARD ST #4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner IURII NAKONECHNYI, is requesting that the name IURII NAKONECHNYI, be changed to NED NYE. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 25th of October 2018 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 04, 11, 2018

Travel>>

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 04, 11, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038304800

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 04, 11, 2018

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038304300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TRIPLE NET PROPERTIES; TRIPLE NET REAL ESTATE; ROCKWELL PROPERTIES INC; ROCKWELL PROPERTIES MANAGEMENT, 2489 MISSION ST #30, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ROCKWELL PROPERTIES, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/18/07. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/11/18.

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 04, 11, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038297000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GE VEHICLE REGISTRATION SERVICES, 5550 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed JUAN G. ESCOBAR & ROSARIO ESCOBAR. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 09/05/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/05/18.

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 04, 11, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038310700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LUCHO’S, 2675 OCEAN AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed LUCHO’S LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 09/17/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/17/18.

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 04, 11, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038304400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: YOGO, 435 23RD ST #D90, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SAMADHI TRADING COMPANY LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/20/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/11/18.

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 04, 11, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038301300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GAI, 3463 16TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed HOT GAI LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 09/07/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/07/18.

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 04, 11, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038311200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BARRY’S BOOTCAMP, 2280 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed BBC 2280 MARKET ST LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 09/01/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/17/18.

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 04, 11, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038310200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HUNTINGTON HOTEL SAN FRANCISCO; NOB HILL SPA; THE BIG 4, 1075 CALIFORNIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed WRC HUNTINGTON, LLC (DE). 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 09/14/18.

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 04, 11, 2018

San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District - Notice To Proposers General Information

The SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA RAPID TRANSIT DISTRICT, 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, California, is advertising for proposals to provide Ultrasonic Rail Flaw Detection Testing Services for the District, Request for Proposals (RFP) No. 6M3388, on or about September 12, 2018, with proposals due by 2:00 PM local time, Tuesday, October 9, 2018, to BART District Secretary, 300 Lakeside Drive, 23rd Floor, Oakland, CA 94612.

DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED

The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (hereinafter referred to as “BART” or “District”) intends to engage the services of a (“CONTRACTOR”) to Provide bi-annual (2 times per year) Ultrasonic Rail Flaw Testing Services of all BART and main line and yard, running rail track system (two hundred and seventy miles (270)), an all eBART main line and yard, running rail track system (twenty miles (20)). One (1) agreement is anticipated to be awarded.

Celebrating 33 Years of Fabulous Travel Arrangements!

Professional 30+ years exp Virus/Malware GONE! Device setup Mobile Support Network & wireless setup Discreet

 Yelp reviews

Hauling>>

In the matter of the application of: CHELSEA JANET CARRERA, 4132 26TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner CHELSEA JANET CARRERA, is requesting that the name CHELSEA JANET CARRERA, be changed to CAT LYNN WHITE. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 25th of October 2018 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: METRO SURFACE WASH, 350 BAY ST #100-341, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed EDWARD G. LAU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/14/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/14/18.

Ralph Doore 415-867-4657

PUC # 176618

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-18-554224

In the matter of the application of: DIANA SISCA IE-SIEN HARYA, 282 MONTEREY BLVD., SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner DIANA SISCA IE-SIEN HARYA, is requesting that the name DIANA SISCA IE-SIEN HARYA, be changed to SISCA HARYA HULAND. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 8th of November 2018 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

Tech Support

HAULING 24/7 –

For Gay Male. Call 415-6859201 (cell) or (415-400-5625. JohnBanks005@gmail.com

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 04, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038301400

Tech Support>>

Notices >>

LOOKING FOR LIVE-IN CAREGIVER –

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PRESCRIPTION RECORDS LLC; RX RECORDS, 708 9TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed PRESCRIPTION RECORDS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 08/30/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/31/18.

415.626.1169 www.nowvoyager.com

Housecleaning Richard 415-255-0389

Jobs Offered>>

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 04, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038294600

11am-5pm (PST) M-F, Closed on Weekends

RAMBO WITH A VACUUM

May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, gloriﬁed, loved and preserved throughout the world now and forever. Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us. St. Jude, worker of miracles, pray for us. St. Jude, helper of the hopeless, pray for us. Say prayer nine time a day. Publication must be promised. B.K.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: 3426-3428-3428A 16TH STREET HOA, 3428A 16TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an unincorporated association other than a partnership, and is signed 3426-3428-3428A 16TH STREET HOA; JOHN CORTEZ; TIMOTHY DOHERTY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/28/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/31/18.

4115 19th Street San Francisco, CA 94114

27 Years Exp. (415) 794-4411 Roger Miller

THANK YOU ST. JUDE –

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038294800

MACINTOSH HELP •Home OR OFFICE •27 YEARS EXPERIENCE

SFMACMAN.com RICK

415.821.1792

REQUIRED REGISTRATION ON BART PROCUREMENT PORTAL

In order for prospective Proposers to be eligible for award of an Agreement being solicited on the BART Procurement Portal, such Proposers are required to be currently registered to do business with BART on the BART Procurement Portal on line at https://suppliers.bart. gov and have obtained Solicitation Documents, updates, and any Addenda issued on line so as to be added to the On-Line Planholders List for this solicitation. If a prospective Proposer is a joint venture or partnership, such entity may register on the BART procurement portal with the entity’s tax identification number (TIN) and download the Solicitation Documents to be listed as an on-line planholder under the entity’s name prior to submitting its Proposal. If such entity has not registered on BART procurement portal in the name of the joint venture or partnership prior to submitting its Proposal, provided that at least one of the joint venturers or partners registered on line on the BART Procurement Portal and downloaded the Solicitation Documents so as to be added to the ON-Line Planholders List for this solicitation, such entity will be required to register with the entity’s TIN as an on-line planholder following the submittal of Proposals, in order for the entity to be eligible for award of this Agreement. PROPOSERS WHO HAVE NOT REGISTERED ON THE BART PROCUREMENT PORTAL PRIOR TO SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL, (OR FOR JOINT VENTURE OR PARTNERSHIP AS DECRIBED ABOVE PRIOR TO AWARD) AND DID NOT DOWNLOAD THE SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS FOR THIS SOLICITATION ON LINE SO AS TO BE LISTED AS AN ON-LINE PLANHOLDER FOR THIS SOLICITATION, WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR AWARD OF THIS AGREEMENT. A Pre-Proposal Meeting and Networking Session will be held on Tuesday, September 25, 2018. The meeting will convene at 10:00 AM, local time, in BART Offices located at 300 Lakeside Drive, 17th Floor, Conference Room No. 1700, Oakland, California 94612. All questions the RFP should be directed to Ms. Claudia R. Horton, Procurement Department at (510) 464-6362 or email: chorton@bart.gov. Prospective proposers are urged to make every effort to attend what will be the only scheduled Pre-Proposal Meeting and Networking Session. Proposals must be received by 2:00 PM, local time, Tuesday, October 9, 2018 at the address listed in the RFP. Submission of a proposal shall constitute a firm offer to the District for one hundred and eighty (180) calendar days from the date of proposal submission.

/S/ Oji U. Kanu Oji U. Kanu, Manager, Contract Administration Division San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District 9/20/18 CNS-3173106# BAY AREA REPORTER

Latin lovers

Rad Radner

Doll party

Ballroom boys

Vol. 48 • No. 38 • September 20-26, 2018

Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera

www.ebar.com/arts

Queen Elizabeth lights up the stage by Philip Campbell

Identity & the language of attire by Sura Wood

“Y

Efrat Assaf-Shapira, curator from the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, speaks about how a white wedding dress became the custom in Western societies during a tour of “Veiled Meanings: Fashioning Jewish Dress,” now at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco.

ou are what you wear” might be a colloquial, less scholarly way to frame the premise of “Veiled Meanings: Fashioning Jewish Dress,” a new touring show at the Contemporary Jewish Museum. Drawn from the extensive collection of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, a world-renowned repository of Jewish costumes, the exhibition consists of over 100 articles of clothing and textile designs from the 18th-20th centuries that channel the myriad aspects of Jewish culture and identity through the language of attire. The show posits that clothing is more than a practical body covering: it can be personal, ceremonial or laden with associations and memories. In North Africa, for instance, wearing black symbolized the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Until the 1950s, it was the custom in parts of Morocco for wedding couples to wear burial shrouds under their wedding finery to remind them of the impermanence of life. See page 24 >>

{ SECOND OF THREE SECTIONS }

Rick Gerharter

production new to San Francisco Opera opened last week as the second offering in the Company’s fall season. Gaetano Donizetti’s lyric drama “Roberto Devereux” lights up the War Memorial stage with a semi-historical pageant that triumphantly combines stellar musical artistry with colorful showmanship. See page 18 >>

<< Out There

18 • Bay Area Reporter • September 20-26, 2018

Turn these beats around by Roberto Friedman

ast week Out There was in the house when “On Your Feet!,” the touring Emilio & Gloria Estefan Broadway musical, opened at the newly remodeled SHN Golden Gate Theatre, which reopened its doors after 13 months of restorations. You could consider this feisty “Feet” an early kickoff to Hispanic Heritage Month, as it celebrates the rhythms and energy of the superstar Estefans and their connections to Cubano music and culture. Packed with music produced and recorded by the Estefans & Miami Sound Machine, this is a jukebox musical that never skips a beat. Christie Prades is superb as Gloria, the singing sensation who sparks the fire. Mauricio Martinez is hunky and spirited as Emilio, her manager and husband who has the vision of stardom. The supporting players, musicians and dancers help power the show through such up-tempo numbers as “Turn the Beat Around” and “Everlasting Love.” In-between we get somewhat saggy ballads and many plot complications involving record contracts and radio play. All of that is enough to bring

Matthew Murphy

Mauricio Martinez as Emilio Estefan (with Adriel Flete, background) in “On Your Feet!,” now playing the SHN Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco.

us to a tragic life event in Act II (it was new to us, so no spoilers here) and eventual resolution involving, yes, Dick Clark and the American Music Awards. If the Estefans’ music and life stories speak to you, this is a jukebox you’ll want to patronize. Through Oct. 7. www.shnsf.com.

StevenUnderhill PHOTOGRAPHY

HEADSHOTS STARTING AT $250

415 370 7152

StevenUnderhill.com StevenUnderhillPhotos@gmail.com

We’re GLAAD

Then last Saturday night found OT at the 2018 GLAAD Gala San Francisco, held at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco. We rubbed shoulders and other body parts with enlightened donors ponying up big bucks to benefit GLAAD’s work cre-

Roberto Devereux

From page 17

Director Stephen Lawless’ original Canadian Opera Company staging aims to please on multiple levels, and succeeds in providing an inventive framework for the entertaining but often inaccurate libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, which chronicles the tempestuous relationship between Queen Elizabeth I and the unruly Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex. It’s set in an impressive replica of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre designed by the late Benoit Dugardyn, with gorgeous costumes by Ingeborg Bernerth and effective lighting by Christopher Akerlind. Lawless paces the Tudor-era tragedy briskly, with intelligent mindfulness of the composer’s solid musical structure and the daunting challenges facing the singers. He supplies illuminating backstory with appearances by Elizabeth’s parents Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, and even a pop-up by the Bard of Avon himself, in a charming pantomime enacted during the Overture. It quickly brings us up to speed on the Virgin Queen’s youth and reign to date. She may have inherited her father’s iron will to survive, and imperiously rule a court fraught with intrigue, but she also suffers the tortures of the damned in her love life; at least, according to librettist Cammarano. His invented love triangle, based very loosely in historical possibility, involves Good Queen Bess with Devereux and Sara, the Duchess of Nottingham. Sara is the favorite among Elizabeth’s ladies, and wife to the conflicted Duke. His friendship with Devereux is poisoned by unfounded (as it tragically turns out) suspicions of her infidelity. After a failed command sortie in Ireland, where he signs a peace treaty with the rebels against royal orders, Devereux returns to court amidst rumors of treason. The machinations of his enemies, especially a wily Lord Cecil and stolid Sir Walter Raleigh, bring Elizabeth to a horrible impasse. When the apparent betrayal of her romantic love by Robert sets the seal on his fate, it shouldn’t be a spoiler to share that Devereux lost his head for Gloriana after all. The ingredients for a bel canto tour de force are all set for a convoluted but essentially basic tale of love and jealousy. Donizetti responded

ating acceptance for LGBTQ people. The big show was hosted by wee actor Leslie Jordan (“Will & Grace,” “The Cool Kids”) with a full roster of honorees: actor-activist Alyssa Milano, TV host Ross Mathews, and journalist-“Native Son” founder Emil Wilbekin, as well as performers Kim Petras, Mj Rodriguez (“Pose”), Michelle Visage (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”), Javier Muñoz (“Hamilton”), YouTube star Alyson Stoner, Axios journalist Ina Fried, and GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. Thanks for GLAAD for inviting us to be a part of it. Find photos of the stellar affair in this week’s “Shining Stars” column.

Reynolds wrap

Apropos of Tavo Amador’s review of Todd Fisher’s memoir this week, here’s a little more dish on his mom, the immortal Debbie Reynolds. Reynolds organized and starred in what was perhaps the first significant AIDS fundraiser in San Francisco, in 1983. Shirley

with some of his best dramatic arias and duets, including many vivid choral contributions and a thrilling conclusion to each act. A good production can set “Roberto Devereux” as the rightful jewel in the crown of the composer’s masterful trilogy on the Tudor queens. Conductor Riccardo Frizza joined director Lawless’ vibrant concept with full orchestral support and nicely judged tempos. The rich carpet of sound was subtle and propulsive. The singing by Ian Robertson’s SFO Chorus was predictably characterful and cohesive. The greatest test for the success of any bel canto opera comes with the solo vocalists, and this is where “Roberto Devereux” 2018 scores highest. Second-year Adler Fellow baritone Andrew Manea was a late replacement for an injured Artur Rucinski as the Duke of Nottingham, and he portrayed his slow boil to revenge believably. Tenor Amitai Pati (second-year Adler Fellow) and bass-baritone Christian Pursell (first-year Adler Fellow) also proved the worth of their residency with strong performances as Lord Cecil and Sir Walter Raleigh. Acclaimed mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton brought memories of a

MacLaine and others joined her in a show at Davies Symphony Hall. Dianne Feinstein, then mayor, appeared as well. Depending on how much you donated, you could go backstage afterwards to meet Reynolds, and for the maximum, have dinner at Ivy’s, where she would stop to chat with each diner. Tavo and his partner Bob gave the maximum amount, and backstage, they saw a woman approach Reynolds. She asked if Reynolds ever heard from her ex-husband, Eddie Fisher. Without missing a beat, Reynolds replied, “No, and I don’t think Elizabeth does, either. Why don’t you check with Connie Stevens?” Many years later, impresario Marc Huestis brought her to the Castro Theatre, and Amador interviewed Reynolds for us at the B.A.R. When she walked out on stage, she got a standing O from the largely gay male audience. She quipped, “I’ve never been in a theatre where so many men loved me. You may not want me, but you love me.”t

young Marilyn Horne to mind in her touchingly sympathetic role debut as Sara. Her rich tone is pure even in moments of dramatic stress, and she matches beautifully with her co-stars. Tenor Russell Thomas, also making his role debut as the title character, is a good actor with an impressively powerful voice. His important solo in his imprisonment scene was especially fine, and, like Jamie Barton, he works convincingly within the ensemble. “Reigning diva” soprano Sondra Radvanovsky couldn’t be better suited to reign as Elisabetta. Her stunning performance runs the gamut from passionate woman in love to frail and beleaguered old lady, and she dominates the marathon with a combination of strength and moments of surprising delicacy. Her towering portrayal is unforgettable. The show may be history “Masterpiece Theatre” style, but that’s no knock, because as opera it is masterpiece bel canto style.t “Roberto Devereux” continues at the War Memorial Opera House through Sept. 27. www.sfopera.com

Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera

Russell Thomas (on stairs) in the title role of Donizetti’s “Roberto Devereux.”

MY MOMENT

to hang with friends!

Discover more ways to play and enjoy new luxury accommodations, our world-class spa and salon, award-winning dining, gaming and entertainment! Experience every moment, all in one great destination.

US 101 TO EXIT 484. 288 GOLF COURSE DRIVE WEST, ROHNERT PARK, CA P 707.588.7100 PLAY WITHIN YOUR LIMITS. IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE A GAMBLING PROBLEM, CALL 1-800-GAMBLER FOR HELP. ROHNERT PARK, CA. Â© 2018 GRATON RESORT & CASINO

JOB #: GRT-154266 JOB TITLE: My Moment to Hang with Friends

<< Film

20 • Bay Area Reporter • September 20-26, 2018

Gilda Radner forever!

Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

Gilda Radner in director Lisa D’Apolito’s “Love, Gilda.”

by Sari Staver

“L

ove, Gilda,” the new documentary about Gilda Radner that opens Fri., Sept. 21 at Landmark Theatres, is a gold mine of nuggets from the all-too-short life of the great comedian. Radner, who died of cervical cancer in 1989 at 42, became a household name after she became one of the original cast members of “Saturday Night Live.” She brought her zany characters Roseanne Roseannadanna, Emily Litella and Lisa Loopner to life on the popular weekly show. She went on to meteoric fame in television, movies, and on Broadway. The film, which opened the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival in August, offers a rare glimpse of Radner’s take on her own life, thanks to recently discovered audiotapes; interviews with friends including Chevy Chase, Laraine Newman, and Martin Short; home movies; and diaries read by comedians inspired by Gilda, including Bill Hader, Amy Poehler, and Maya Rudolph. Thanks to a cooperative spirit from the Rad-

ner estate, including husband Gene Wilder and brother Michael, director Lisa D’Apolito also had access to mementos never before seen. In an interview with D’Apolito in San Francisco, where the director appeared on a SFJFF panel discussing the film, she told the B.A.R. how she became interested in the project. Growing up in Manhattan, D’Apolito said she was “of course” aware of Radner’s roles on “SNL,” “although I was not a ‘fan, fan’” until she began filming the story. “I was a late bloomer. Now I’m a huge fan of the show.” In the 1990s, D’Apolito worked at an advertising agency that was doing pro bono work for Gilda’s Club, a community organization for people living with cancer, their families, and friends, founded by Radner’s cancer psychotherapist and cofounded with Radner’s widow Gene Wilder, a cancer survivor himself. As a volunteer in the program, D’Apolito learned about Radner’s comic genius and thought the story of her life would make a fascinating documentary film. She

began reaching out to Radner’s friends and former co-workers, and “each person led to another.” Eventually, Gilda’s brother Michael and close friend Alan Zweibel, an “SNL” writer and producer, warmed to the idea and offered their full support and cooperation. “I was lucky to have them,” she said. D’Apolito said it took two years for the family to “really trust me,” but once they did it was “unconditional support.” Boxes of Gilda’s belongings turned out to contain audio and videotapes nobody knew had existed. “I knew we had a goldmine” once she listened to and watched the tapes. After listening to a few, there was no going back. “I felt the project was going to succeed.” Financing the project became a major stumbling block. D’Apolito bootstrapped the film by working in advertising for several months at a time, then taking time off to work on her film. As the project developed and she met more people who knew Radner, the financing came together, and the film began its festival tour before landing national and international distribution. The movie is expected to be shown on CNN in early 2019. Now that the film has wrapped, D’Apolito said she already misses making the film but is looking for another project with an inspiring female lead. “It’s going to be hard to find someone as amazing as Gilda,” she said. The B.A.R. also spoke with Radner’s “SNL” pal Laraine Newman, who appeared with D’Apolito at the SFJFF. Newman said Radner “took me under her wing” from her first day at rehearsal. “[‘SNL’ producer] Lorne Michaels was the only person I knew on the show. On my first day, he introduced me to Gilda,” and the two became fast friends, said Newman. “Thank God for Gilda, for so

PRESENTS

S H A N T I ’S 4 4 T H A N N I V E RSA RY GA L A

Honoring

Shanti Volunteer Jerry Francone

Performances by

Radner still maintained her sense many reasons,” she said. “She really of humor, said Newman. “She even took me under her wing and intromade fun of cancer.” duced me to a lot of people.” But Newman recalls one lunch The two “hung out” outside of the two shared where Radner shared work, going shopping and out to her hurt and disappointment over lunch on those rare occasions when an apparent rejection. Radner they weren’t rehearsing. Neither of learned that a filmmaker who had them went to the weekly post-show promised her a role in an upcoming afterparty, which involved a lot of production “had changed his mind drugs and alcohol. Radner was one of the few on the show who didn’t and had cast someone else. That was partake, said Newman. one of the most serious conversaBecause their time on the show tions we had,” said Newman. “I’d was pre-internet, neither Radner never heard her express the bitternor Newman was aware of the ness” she felt toward the filmmaker. show’s cult status and popularRadner also had a habit of dropity, said Newman. One day, walking ping out of sight “once she got a down the street together, a group of man.” Nobody slighted her for it, people “shouted out our lines” from added Newman. “We respected the the previous week’s show. “We said fact that she wanted a relationship to each other, ‘Wow, I guess this is and a life” outside of the show. catching on.’ Gilda was a “very thoughtful “It was an exciting time,” said friend” even when the two didn’t Newman. “For the first year and a spend a lot of time together, said half, we were so preoccupied with Newman. “I’d get an out-of-thethe long hours that we really were blue phone call,” and the two not aware that anyone was watchwould catch up as if they had seen ing.” each other the day before. “Gilda All of Radner’s onstage characdid a lot of thoughtful things,” said ters “had an element of herself ” in Newman, such as always rememthem, Newman said. Judy Miller, bering birthdays. “We had a great the hyperkinetic child who loved friendship. I loved her, and have to bounce on her bed, “had Gilda’s wonderful memories of our times nervous energy,” and Emily Litella, together.”t the sweet older lady, resembled Radner’s “cute” side, while the foul-mouthed Roseanne Roseannadanna “was the crude side of Gilda that we all loved so much.” Asked about a memory of their friendship, Newman recalled a time when the two were in New Orleans on a film shoot. They were told to wait in a small, windowless room with no phone or bathroom, where a driver would pick them up. Because of a mix-up, the driver was five hours late. “Gilda turned the trashcan into a puppet, and we laughed our asses off ” while they waited, said Newman. “She had that ability to make fun of any situation, while I’d be the one who was Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures panicking and freakJohn Belushi and Gilda Radner in director ing out.” After she was di- Lisa D’Apolito’s “Love, Gilda.” agnosed with cancer,

Nostalgic nods by Gregg Shapiro

Breanna Sinclairé

Supervisor Jane Kim

where when tickets

THE PALACE HOTEL THURSDAY GET TICKETS SAN FRANCISCO OCTOBER 4TH AT SHANTI.ORG

6 P.M.

TICKETS & INFORMATION AT SHANTI.ORG

“F

orever Changes” (Rhino/Elektra) by Love remains one of the most highly regarded albums of the 1960s. That says a lot considering it was released in 1967, the same year as groundbreaking albums by the Beatles, the Doors, Jefferson Airplane, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, the Velvet Underground and Nico, Leonard Cohen and many others. Newly reissued in a handsomely packaged expanded limited edition (15,000, numbered), the deluxe 50th-anniversary set is comprised of Bernie Grundman’s stereo remastered 180 gram vinyl LP and a 96/24 DVD stereo remaster of the album, along with a rare 1968 promo film. The four CDs include producer-engineer Bruce Botnick’s remaster of the original album, mono and alternate mixes, as well as singles, outtakes and rare tracks. Aside from the legend that

surrounds the album, recorded in a mere 64 hours, Love mastermind Arthur Lee was able to merge his R&B musical sensibilities with the folk and psychedelic rock sounds of that period on “Alone Again Or,” “The Daily Planet,” “You Set the Scene” and “Live and Let Live.” Talk about your summer of Love!

See page 21 >>

Theatre>>

September 20-26, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 21

A ‘House’ haunted by Henrik Ibsen by Jim Gladstone

Nora’s decade-and-a-half absence (precious few). erkeley Rep’s new seaThey’re about what’s hapson blew in on a chilly pened between the late Norwegian breeze with last 19th century and today. Thursday night’s opening of Again, one can argue “A Doll’s House, Part 2.” Acthat things have not claimed young playwright changed as much as conLucas Hnath (“Red Speedo,” temporary theater audi“The Christians”) has thrown ences might wish for. A down a gauntlet for himself woman leaving spouse and in crafting a sequel-of-sorts spawn still generates more to Henrik Ibsen’s 1879 classevere opprobrium than sic. Why exactly he did so is a man doing the same. unclear. What has surely changed, While Hnath’s clever, emthough, is the willingpathetic script is polished ness – even the ability, in to an impressive sheen by light of prevailing mores director Les Waters and a – to hash out such matters top-notch cast of four, there’s with psychological nuance a persistent air of intellectual and expression of one’s gamesmanship to the endeavfeelings. While the social or. Like much of Tom Stopstandards of Ibsen’s time pard’s strenuously academic mandated emotional reperiod work, it’s all a bit too pression over articulation, cool for this critic’s comfort. today’s bourgeoisie has In its own era, the plot of “A been quadruple-steeped Doll’s House” was a source of in Freud, Steinem, Oprah Kevin Berne/Berkeley Repertory Theatre heated controversy. The play and Zuckerberg. ends with its central charac- Mary Beth Fisher (Nora) in Berkeley Rep’s Combining modern production of “A Doll’s House, Part 2” directed by ter, upper-middle-class Nora language with historical Les Waters. Helmer, walking out on her settings can yield great banker husband Torvald and success (see: “Hamilton”). Fisher), now a successful feminist their three young children. But Hnath’s hitching of writer, banging on the very same Here was a woman opting for percontemporary conversation to andoor she disappeared through 15 sonal independence rather than her other writer’s indelible characters years prior. But the scenes that folsocially circumscribed role. makes for a strained marriage. The low aren’t really about any social Hnath picks up the Helmer famcast, kitted out in designer Annie changes that transpired during ily’s story with Nora (Mary Beth Smart’s gorgeously detailed period

costumes, speaks dialogue spiked with today’s vernacular. “I’m really pissed at you,” hisses justly resentful Anne Marie (Nancy E. Carroll), the elderly nanny who raised both Nora and the Helmer children. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” sputters a frustrated Nora – now a successful but pseudonymous feminist writer – momentarily recognizing that inflexible self-determination may be served with a side of loneliness. The visual and verbal asynchrony gets laughs, as intended. But Hnath’s overall intent is fuzzy. It’s not just the words spoken by his iteration of Ibsen’s characters that feel at odds with the 19th century, it’s their fully voiced perspectives. It’s hard to imagine Nora’s grown daughter Emmy (a beguiling Nikki Massoud) sassily remarking, in 1879, that being abandoned by her mother may have actually helped her become a stronger, more independent-minded young woman. And while a woman of Ibsen’s time might subconsciously (or at least subverbally) feel such a thing, Nora’s loud proclamation that she longs for a world without the institution of marriage seems flung in through a time warp. Though Ibsen aficionados will appreciate a few referential Easter eggs that Hnath rolls their way, “A Doll’s House, Part 2” is completely accessible for audiences unfamiliar

with its inspiration. Relevant plot points are quickly recapped in exposition, and the period’s pre-existing conditions of gender inequality and sexism are instantly cued by the costuming and Andrew Boyce’s highceilinged, pearl-gray drawing-room set, an arena for debate as much as a livable space. Some of those debates are beautifully rendered by Hnath. When Nora and Torvald (John Judd, whose facial expressions convey a complex blend of contempt, acceptance and adoration) compare notes on trysts they’ve had since separating, their talk evolves into a consideration of depth versus breadth in human relationships, the relative values of contemplation and reinvention. But this discussion, like all of the most substantive conversations in the play, is an utterly modern one. Why did Hnath, with all of his inventiveness and verbal dexterity, opt to manipulate Ibsen’s characters, rather than populating the stage with his own? Too often this production felt like “A Ventriloquist Doll’s House.” I was fascinated by much of what Hnath had to say, but had trouble connecting his voice to his puppets.t “A Doll’s House, Part 2” plays Berkeley Rep through Oct. 21. Tickets ($45-$97): www.berkeleyrep.org.

The faint voices of fairies

by Tim Pfaff

n recent years, intersectional music scholarship has produced books that invite listeners to rethink beloved cornerstones of the repertoire, thereby enlarging and deepening our understanding. Much like tenor Ian Bostridge’s masterly “Schubert’s Winter Journey,” investigating the song cycle “Winterreise” from every conceivable angle, out music scholar Paul Kildea, author of a brilliant biography of Benjamin Britten, has looked deeply into Chopin’s Op. 28 Preludes in “Chopin’s Piano: A Journey Through Romanticism” (W.W. Norton). There’s no big reveal here that Chopin was gay, because he was not. But Kildea tackles head-on the long shadow of the feminine, meant negatively, that has fallen on the physically frail, “sickly” composer of salon music. Describing Chopin’s playing, a contemporary remarked, “One cannot help but think he is hearing the faint voices of fairies sighing under silver bells, or showers of pearls falling on crystal tables.” That’s miles from the butched-up Chopin that thunders away on today’s recital platforms. Throughout, and particularly in his doting analysis of Sviatoslav Richter’s Chopin, Kildea restores some welcome balance (and aims us at the second-generation Chopin pupil Raoul Koczalski, playing Chopin on the composer’s own piano, available on YouTube).

Nostalgic nods

From page 20

Stephen Bishop’s 1976 debut album “Careless” was one of those bar-setting recordings that guaranteed the talented singer-songwriter would never achieve that kind of greatness again. In addition to big hit singles “On and On” and “Save It for a Rainy Day,” “Careless” featured fantastic guest artists, including Chaka Khan (whose duet with Bishop on “Little Italy” is a must) and Eric Clapton. Songs from the album

Like Bostridge, the author skirts the granular musicological analysis that can make music books accessible only to scholars. He writes compellingly about each of the preludes along the way, but not as a complete opus, in which form Chopin neither conceived nor performed them. “The Preludes transgressed musically farther than any other work,” Kildea writes. “Through their individuality and originality, through their extreme distillation of Romantic ideas, the Preludes first defied the artistic aesthetic of the mid-19th century, and then came to define it.” Kildea’s book starts as an adventure story about an episode of adventure travel ill-suited for the frail composer, who eventually died of TB. In the company of his paramour George Sand – a woman author and cigar-smoking legend about whom Kildea writes mostly sympathetically, who found the composer disappointing sexually and referred to him in a letter as “Little Chip-Chip” – Chopin sailed to Majorca to escape the harsh Paris winter of 1838-39. Their rental cells in an abandoned monastery in Valdemossa were little better for Chopin. Yet it is there that Chopin composed, among other pieces, the Preludes, a substantial number of them working at first only with an existing “pianino” made by Juan Bauza, a local carpenter, before his preferred piano-maker Pleyel dispatched the instrument on which Chopin completed them. Restrictive as the Bauza miniature

was, the instinctive player in the composer found its way into it. Kildea distances himself from the common view that if Chopin had had access to the wonders of the modern Steinway, he would have composed with its significantly greater range in mind. He concentrates instead on the instruments Chopin did know, and his personal playing style (which a contemporary described as if his fingers had no bones), in its own way as dazzling as his contemporary, Liszt’s, minus the thunder. A born improviser who struggled mightily to refine his scores, Chopin shunned playing in public and only once – his last-ever “recital,” then a new word for performing for a large, paying public – in a large concert hall, in London in 1848. Barely has the composer exhaled

would go on to be recorded by Barbra Streisand (“One More Night”), Phoebe Snow (“Never Letting Go”) and Art Garfunkel (“Looking for the Right One”). If the expanded CD reissue of Bish’s third album, 1980’s “Red Cab to Manhattan” (Blixa Sounds), doesn’t live up to expectations, you don’t have to feel bad for him. In-between “Careless” and “Red Cab,” he recorded songs for the movies “Animal House” and “China Syndrome,” then went on to record the Oscar-winning song “It Might Be You” from “Tootsie,” and

earn an Oscar nomination for “Separate Lives” from “White Nights.” Decent songs on “Red Cab” include “Send a Little Love My Way” and the title song. Originally released 40 years ago as a double-LP set, the remastered two-CD reissue of “Decade” (Reprise) by Neil Young collects 35 songs spanning the 10-year period from 1966-76. Drawing on Young’s sizable catalog of solo work and collaborations, “Decade” provides a vintage snapshot of the prolific artist. Included in the set are Buf-

his last, agonizing last breaths when, making a sharp turn, Kildea takes us to the composer’s compatriot Wanda Landowska, who dominates the second half of the book and the cover of the book’s American edition. Landowska is remembered for her tireless work to bring the harpsichord out of onstage obscurity. For her, “the Preludes and this [Bauza] piano were bound together,. She made a pilgrimage to Majorca to retrieve it, bringing it back to Berlin, where she was photographed with it, then to France. Landowska, whose Pleyel harpsichords had the metal-plated

soundboards first employed to bear the string tension in grand pianos, warrants the reputational upgrade she gets in this sensitive, involving semi-biography. She began writing “How Chopin Played Chopin” in Berlin in 1913, during her short, unsatisfying heterosexual marriage. Kildea writes, “Here and elsewhere she decried the muscularity of contemporary Chopin performances.” She spent the rest of her long life with Denise Restout, a 17-year-old harpsichord student who partnered her in all of her subsequent musical endeavors. “Unfashionable” as her harpsichord playing has been regarded over the years, her contributions to what is now a vital, historically informed performancepractice tradition are laid out in full here, in language that sometimes verges on the devout. The book returns to adventure travel as Kildea follows the trail of the Bouza pianino. After the Nazis looted Landowska’s French country home, it did time in an actual salt mine near Leipzig where they concealed it. Eventually the path to its whereabouts, if any, today grows cold, in contrast to the mounting heat of Kildea’s search. The book’s cumulative feeling is perhaps best expressed by Carla Shapreau, an authority on music restitution, who told the author she feared she had disappointed, “Sometimes not finding what you are looking for is not a bad way to end a story.”t

falo Springfield songs (“Broken Arrow,” “Down to the Wire,” “Mr. Soul”), Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (“Ohio,” “Helpless”) and “Long May You Run” from the sole release by the Stills-Young Band. Solo recordings are represented by “Sugar Mountain,” “Cinnamon Girl,” “Cowgirl in the Sand,” “Down by the River,” “After the Goldrush,” “Old Man,” “Heart of Gold,” “The Needle and the Damage Done,” “Like a Hurricane,” and “Love Is a Rose.” Elvis Presley died more than 40 years ago, on Aug. 16, 1977. All these

years later, there still seems to be a bottomless vault containing enough recordings to justify yet another compilation. The latest addition, “A Boy from Tupelo: The Complete 1953-55 Recordings” (Legacy/RCA) claims to be the “definitive collection of Elvis’ Sun-era recordings in one comprehensive package.” The triple-disc set is grouped by “Memphis Recording Service Acetates,” “Sun Masters,” “RCA Masters,” “Sun Studio Sessions” and “Live and Radio Performances,” for a total of 85 tracks.t

Penny Bradfield, Norton

“Chopin’s Piano: A Journey Through Romanticism” author Paul Kildea.

<< Film

22 • Bay Area Reporter • September 20-26, 2018

Gotta dance! by David-Elijah Nahmod

n “Hot To Trot,” filmmaker Gail Freedman takes viewers inside the little-known, fascinating world of same-sex competitive ballroom dance. The film opens on Sept. 22 at the Roxie Theater. It focuses on two sets of dance partners, one male and the other female. Though they’re not romantically or sexually involved, they consider themselves in relationships with each other. “It’s like a fucking marriage,” says one dancer. “But without the fucking.” There’s Ernesto, a former meth head from Costa Rica who’s unabashedly gay. He dances with Nikolai, a dazzling dancer from Russia who’s only been out for a few months. Nikolai, who yearns to find love and to win the acceptance of his family, isn’t at first comfortable with who he is. Before Nikolai, Ernesto dances with Robbie, a Hungarian who came to the U.S. to escape homophobia in his homeland. Ernesto and Robbie dance beautifully together until Robbie is sidelined by a brain tumor, so Ernesto partners up with Nikolai. The two women are Emily, a Type 1 diabetic who wears an insulin pump, and Kieren, a career-minded woman whose acceptance from her family is hard-won. “The biggest stressor for me on competition day is my blood sugar, not the actual

dancing,” Emily says as she and Kieren swirl across the dance floor. “Hot To Trot” follows the dancers over four years as they rehearse, compete, interact, forge romantic relationships with others, and deal with family. The dancing, which comprises a large part of the film, is dazzling. These dancers are athletes who glide across the floor with a mesmerizing sensuality. In one number, Ernesto and Robbie perform a hot tango as their shirts fall to the floor. “It’s Fred and Fred, and Ginger and Ginger,” says one dancer. But Freedman’s camera also follows these dancers into their personal lives. Ernesto speaks candidly about his five-year meth binge and about growing up poor in Costa Rica. Nikolai bares his soul about coming out and his desire for love. Emily talks about the challenges of maintaining her health. She shows the insulin pump that she wears even while performing. Kieren discusses her career in the tech industry, which is pulling her away from the dance world. There’s an intimacy to these interviews that’s close to personal conversations. Freedman has the ability to make the dancers feel like viewers’ friends. But “Hot To Trot” is first and foremost a dance film. There’s excitement in the air as we see the two couples at a dance competition in Oakland. There’s suspense when Ernesto and Nikolai make it all the

Curt Worden

Ernesto Palma and Nikolai Shpakov are same-sex competitive ballroom dancers in director Gail Freedman’s “Hot To Trot.”

way to Gay Games 9 in Cleveland. Will they win the championship? “Hot To Trot” is also a political film. Same-sex couples are still not welcome in mainstream competitions. These dancers are making

a statement about homophobia by competing in same-sex championships. They’re taking their power and celebrating who they are, living and performing at the intersection of art and activism.

Freedman mixes these aspects of the film expertly, creating a compelling viewing experience. The film is fast-paced, fun, thoughtprovoking, and most importantly, human.t

on the plight of a gay teen, starring Raphael Sbarge, a young actor who went on to co-star in the 1983 Tom Cruise comedy “Risky Business.” Artie’s final film, “Buddies” is a deft comedy-drama in which some may perceive traces of the filmmaking DNA of the classic Hollywood screwball comedy genius Frank Capra. It opens in a Manhattan hospital room where Robert Willow (the late Geoff Edholm) lies in a ward for terminally ill AIDS patients. Enter David (David Schachter), an earnest but scared young Jewish gay man who comes wrapped up in plastic as if he were embarking on a spacewalk. Robert speaks first: “Who the fuck are you?”

The answer to that question takes up the first hour of this 1985 drama, a film that predates by a decade the life-saving HIV drug cocktails. “Buddies” belongs to a second generation of AIDS dramas, such as the late Bill Sherwood’s brilliant “Parting Glances.” Like its creator, it’s sex positive, and includes two masturbation scenes that were controversial at the time. The term “buddy” was coined during the early years of AIDS, when the LGBT community was scrambling to devise means to aid the afflicted while fighting Reagan-era bureaucrats to get new drugs into the treatment system as fast as possible. The DVD/Blu-Ray package comes with a powerful new interview with actor David Schachter, who describes the mid-80s as a time that “was blunt and bleak and not hopeful,” plus an interview with film

historian Thomas Waugh, who provides an overview of the film world of that era. Following a lightningfast nine-day shooting schedule, “Buddies” had its world premiere at the Castro Theatre on Sept. 12, 1985. The film was part of small wave of AIDS-themed plays and films, including “As Is” and Larry Kramer’s “The Normal Heart.” Artie Bressan was a larger-thanlife artist who used to cruise for men outside the old Star Pharmacy (now Walgreens) at 18th St. and Castro. He had a zest for life that kept him constantly on the move: writing, shooting, editing films, and singing Christmas carols on mix tapes for friends. A mentor and friend who nurtured my own early film career, Artie’s death in 1987 left a huge vacuum that, like the death of Harvey Milk, has yet to be filled.t

the medieval English masterpiece “Hild.” Here her prose flows just as well, spinning a tale of a protagonist who isn’t particularly likeable, but under the circumstances, compels sympathy. Mara has lots of embit-

tered moments that make her real and relatable, but not necessarily less unpleasant. For instance, when she visits her physical therapist, she muses that he must find her a bother since “it was clear I was of no account, a cripple not a woman, someone he had to touch because it was his job, about as important to him as a chair.” Subplots churn around serial killers and hate crimes. Mara discovers that fellow MS sufferers on a mailing list are being assaulted. Could she be the next victim? Mara purchases a gun for selfprotection and confers with Miz Rip, her fierce cat. Griffith’s novel is a meditation on the nature of the disabled, the country’s treatment of them, and how chronic illness can impair a person physically, mentally, and socially. It shows her talent for crisp characterization, smooth prose, and unique circumstances that ultimately prove rewarding.t

Time capsule by David Lamble

“B

uddies” is so remarkable a gay drama that viewing it today, in a beautiful new transfer from DVD company Vinegar Syndrome, is akin to getting a queer-themed transmission from deep space. “Buddies” was the inspiration of genius gay filmmaking pioneer Arthur J. Bressan, Jr. A New York native, “Artie” to his friends was a prolific creator of gay erotic dramas, such as “Forbidden Letters” and “Passing Strangers.” Apart from his gay sex dramas, Artie was known for the political doc “Thank You, Mr. President,” a compilation of the news conferences of Pres. John F. Kennedy; “GAY USA,” a

Since 1977

doc highlighting several LGBTQ Pride parades in 1978; and in 1980, “Abuse,” a hard-hitting docudrama

The disabled list by Jim Piechota

So Lucky by Nicola Griffith; Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $15

B Serving Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner all day Open 24/7 3991-A 17thSt Market & Castro, San Francisco

415-864-9795

ritish-born, Seattle-based lesbian author Nicola Griffith is an award-winning creative talent whose career has tapped into a plethora of subject matter. Publishing books in genres like historical fiction, literary suspense, and science fiction, Griffith was also once a self-defense instructor at one time. That physical aspect of Griffith’s life ended when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1993. This harrowing event also lays the foundation for her new novel “So Lucky,” a profound work of autobiographical fiction about overcoming life’s boundaries, resisting victimization, and discovering long-dormant strengths. The novel follows Mara Tagarelli, an esteemed 30something Atlanta professional who directs the mul-

timillion-dollar Georgia AIDS Project. In Griffith’s dramatic opening pages, Mara is saying goodbye to Rose, her wife of 14 years. It’s a sad event, but her heartbreak pales in comparison to the medical diagnosis about to sabotage any remaining joy in her life. A neurologist delivers the news, multiple sclerosis, and the formerly firm edges of Mara’s world begin to fall away. Luckily there is Aiyana, Mara’s longtime friend, who offers comfort, stability, and, in what could be a huge mistake, sexual companionship in the wake of her romantic loss. Mara learns of her medical diagnosis after Aiyana has departed to New Zealand for a work assignment, and she remains alone to struggle with the side effects of prescribed drugs and the pain of an increasingly weakened spine. Griffith is a talented storyteller, as evidenced in her thrilling “Stay” and

<< Theatre

24 • Bay Area Reporter • September 20-26, 2018

Mercy killing by Jim Gladstone

felt jealous of the gentleman sitting in front of me at a performance of Theater Rhinoceros’ “Dead and Breathing” last week. For 10 of the show’s 90 minutes, he escaped, drifting off to sleep shortly after Carolyn (Shirley A. Smallwood), remarkably hale and hearty in the face of uterine cancer, learned that that her hospice care aide, Veronika (Cece Suazo), was a transgender woman. “There’s a tranny in my bedroom! There’s a tranny in my bedroom!” squealed Carolyn, Smallwood’s delivery leaving it unclear whether the old woman was appalled or tickled to have bragging rights. “What happened right after that?” my fellow theatergoer asked me following the curtain call. Nothing happened right after that. Before that, either. It was all wrong. Wackadoodle, off-the-rails wrong, recklessly careening between comedy and tragedy, heading in one direction, then switching routes altogether.

The play opens with Veronika giving Carolyn a spongebath. The ladies yak about the hunky neighborhood UPS man. Veronika scrubs what she refers to as her employer’s “happy flaps.” They discuss whether it would be humanly possible to insert a watermelon in one’s anus. The doorbell rings, and Veronika steps away. Carolyn gets out of the tub, offering the audience a significant dose of gratuitous nudity. Then she checks to see if there are enough meds on hand to kill herself. Nope. Rats! This makes her feel sooo grumpy. Hmmm. Maybe Veronika will help her commit suicide. Side note: Carolyn was once married to a guy named Leonard. And somehow she ended up with 80-odd million dollars, none of which seem to have been used to spruce up her shabby, bare-bones apartment. Not in his wildest naptime dreams could the fellow in front of me have cobbled together a series of moments as tonally zig-zagging and cause-and-effect-free as the beats of “Dead and Breathing.”

However flawed playwright Chisa Hutchinson’s plotting may be, her dialogue has a certain casual credibility. It’s possible to imagine that, after spending endless hours together, these two isolated characters’ rambling, shit-shooting, confessional conversations could evolve into a meaningful friendship. But there’s little that feels natural in the way their chatter is delivered by director AeJay Mitchell and his cast of two. When the actresses don’t seem to be stumbling over their lines (frequently), they’re overplaying them, alternately encouraging rimshots and jerking at tear ducts. At one point, Carolyn asks Veronika to press a pillow over her face to relieve her misery. Sometimes a nap in the theater can serve the same end.t “Dead and Breathing,” through Oct. 6. Theatre Rhinoceros, Gateway Theater, 215 Jackson St., SF. Tickets ($20-$40): (800) 838-3006, www.therhino.com.

Steven Ho

Shirley Smallwood as Carolyn, and Cece Suazo as Veronika in Theatre Rhinoceros’ “Dead and Breathing.”

Fisher’s life with two famous women by Tavo Amador

a gambler and womanizer, squandered his fortune and his wife’s. By the time Reynolds learned the truth, she was nearly broke. She was making fewer films, but her nightclub act was very successful. Frequent TV appearances supplemented her income. Her third husband, self-styled entrepreneur Richard Hamlett, also stole from her during their marriage (1984-96). She collected less than 10% of the millions he owed her. Reynolds made the children a key part of her busy life. She gave them unconditional love, kept her parents and brother central to their lives, and remained resilient. When they

were too young to be in school and she was shooting on location, they were there, under the care of her mother. For years, Carrie suffered from undiagnosed bi-polar disorder. She also developed addictions that contributed to her unstable behavior. Reynolds’ relationship with Carrie was often stressful, but she consistently offered support and love, which her daughter ultimately welcomed. Carrie was briefly married to Paul Simon. She and talent agent Bryan Lourd lived together and had a daughter, Billie. Carrie was devastated when they broke up after Lourd told her he was gay, but they became close friends, and he has been an excellent father. Todd wasn’t interested in performing, but was fascinated by the behind-the-camera aspects of movies, including cinematography and directing. He designed the lighting and sound systems for the Debbie Reynolds Hotel and Casino in Nevada, where she performed for SRO audiences. He became the CEO and CFO of the business, and discovered how Hamlett had fleeced his mother while cheating on her with a longterm mistress. The Reynolds family motto was “There’s no such thing as can’t,” and Todd was often reminded of it when

facing challenges both his “girls” presented. His first marriage ended in divorce. His second wife died. He has been happily married to actress Catherine Hickland since 2012. Baby boomers will enjoy reading about Reynolds’ friendship with a remorseful Taylor following the latter’s leaving Fisher for Richard Burton in 1963. To help sell Carrie’s script “These Old Broads” (2001) to TV, Taylor agreed to appear in it, despite nearly immobilizing back pain. She and Reynolds had a funny scene trashing the ex-husband they had in common. Later, both were in Manhattan following the 9/11 attacks. Taylor invited Reynolds to stay with her at the Pierre. Commercial flights were grounded. Reynolds was facing cancellation of a show in San Diego. Taylor called her ex-husband, Virginia Sen. John Warner, who arranged for a private jet to fly them to California. Reynolds arrived at the theatre half an hour before the performance. In her will, Taylor left Reynolds a sensational suite of diamond and sapphire jewelry. A recurring saga in the book is Reynolds’ unsuccessful attempts to open a museum for her magnificent collection of Hollywood costumes, including Marilyn Monroe’s dress from “The Seven Year Itch,” Judy Garland’s ruby red slippers from “The Wizard of Oz,” and Audrey

Hepburn’s Ascot Ball gown from “My Fair Lady.” That failure ultimately became a blessing. She auctioned off the collection, grossing over $20 million, finally freeing herself of debt. Carrie, unable to completely give up drugs, practiced harm reduction, using small amounts. But years of abuse resulted in her having a heart attack on a plane while flying home. She died the next day. Reynolds, who lived next door in a house Carrie bought for her, was recovering from a stroke suffered a year earlier. She clearly grasped the horror of Carrie’s death. Fisher denies that she died the next day of a broken heart. He insists she willed herself to die so that Carrie wouldn’t be alone. Fisher inherited his mother’s resiliency. His grief at the double loss of his “girls” was profound. He had so often supported them during the many difficult times they faced as a family, which is what he says they were. They were united in good and bad times. Fisher has moved on with his life. It’s clear he misses his “girls,” but he also realizes how lucky he was to have had such a mother and sister. The book includes many excellent photographs, but would have benefitted from an index. Written with Lindsay Harrison, it’s a memorable read.t

own, come from over 20 far-flung countries – Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt, Romania, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Kurdistan, Libya, India, Algeria, and Morocco – where Jewish populations had migrated and settled. Jews adapted and modified the influences of the dominant cultures that surrounded them, while holding true to their own traditions, wearing forms of dress and practicing age-old crafts in once-thriving, vanished communities that no longer exist. A Georgian man’s warrior coat trimmed with gilt ribbons and silver niello was designed to accommodate a dagger slung from a belt and a row of gunpowder cartridges across the chest in a region that, in contrast to other parts of Central Asia, allowed Jews to carry weapons. Body-concealing wraps or veils for outdoor use from Afghanistan, Iraq and Uzbekistan, were informed by local Islamic culture. The Herati chador, however, which originated in Muslim Iran and was brought to Afghanistan by Mashhadi cryptoJews fleeing Iranian persecution in

the early 19th century, differed from the burka, and was worn exclusively by Jewish women. Walking the line between modesty and audacity, and erring on the audacious side, are rigid, late-19th century, low-cut, midriff-bearing bodices (angias) in bright colors, decorated with sequins and embroidered with metallic threads. Worn by Baghdadi Jewish women in Calcutta, India, under a semi-sheer layer like a sari, they would seem to have done more to accentuate the breasts than deflect lustful male attention. A substantial amount of space is given over to bridal gowns of various kinds. A prizewinner is a creamy tulle dress with jeweled fringe and silver tinsel embroidery. It combines a chic European cut and the kicky modern style of a 1920s flapper dress with local fabrics from Alexandria, the ancient capital of Egypt, which was a fashionable international hub during the 19th and early 20th centuries. For the demure at heart, a tasteful winter-white silk satin gown with feminine silk

charmeuse bows attached to a long skirt, a classic from late-1940s New York, was inspired by Queen Victoria’s 1840 wedding dress. One of the problems affecting costume exhibitions, including this one, is that fashions on mannequins, no matter how beautiful, appear inert, even ossified without the animating qualities of a live human being wearing them. Enlivening what’s on view are several haunting, enlarged, black & white archival photographs of Jews from many nations and eras seen in garments similar to those in the exhibition. Displayed on gallery walls and running in a loop on oversized suspended monitors are images of a young married couple decked out in full regalia, their faces full of hope, after their ceremony in 1927; a trio of feisty Jewish women communing in a Tunisian courtyard circa 1895; and a 1930s bride in Fez, Morocco, who’s a ringer for a young silent film star, adorned by exquisite jewelry and a swalf, or head covering, with a band of deli-

cate beading edged in tiny pearls. An elaborate, early-20th century, plum velvet, floor-length “bindali” wedding dress, embellished neckto-toe with golden Turkish baroque embroidery, may have belonged to an aristocratic Jewish woman of the Ottoman Empire and been part of her dowry. The sumptuous creation, which likely would have been repurposed for a synagogue’s Torah ark curtains after her death, is exhibited adjacent to a large, antique photograph of a bride in a nearly identical gown; alone on an ornate love seat, she looks solemn, perhaps contemplating what her future holds. The show’s procession of individuals in their prime, now long gone, is unusually moving, an inspired touch that feeds the desire to know who these real, flesh-andblood people were, and what their lives were like. If only there had been more of them here, tugging us back into the past and reminding us of the fleeting nature of time.t

how biz memoirs by children of celebrities often fall into one of three categories: vindictive, like B.D. Hyman’s “My Mother’s Keeper,” about Bette Davis; iconoclastic and vicious, such as Christina Crawford’s largely discredited attack on Joan Crawford, “Mommie Dearest”; or whiny and entitled, like Maria Riva’s account of Marlene Dietrich. Fortunately, Todd Fisher’s fascinating “My Girls: A Lifetime with Carrie and Debbie” (William Morrow, $27.99) is none of those. “Carrie” was older sister Carrie Fisher (1956-2016), famous as Princess Leia in the “Star Wars” franchise and a successful writer. “Debbie” was his mother, classic Hollywood studio star Debbie Reynolds (1932-2016). “Father” was 1950s pop singer Eddie Fisher, who left Reynolds in 1959 to marry the recently widowed Elizabeth Taylor, one of the decade’s great scandals. Todd (b. 1958) hardly knew Fisher, but grew up feeling protective and proud of his “girls.” Reynolds’ second husband, wealthy shoe-magnate Harry Karl, was the closest to a father figure Todd had. Karl and Reynolds, wed from 1960-74, lived in a grand home that required a large staff, including a nanny for Carrie and Todd. Karl,

Veiled Meanings

From page 17

Not to be confused with the high-end “Contemporary Muslim Fashions,” a big fall costume exhibition and potential scene-stealer that opens this week at the de Young Museum, CJM’s show couldn’t be more different in thrust and content. Its focus is not the superb lines and glamour of couture. In fact, in the main with some noteworthy exceptions, the garments are often though not always shapeless, lacking in style, and, not to mince words, on the frumpy side. The departures from dowdy rest primarily in the fabric department: the capacious Bordeaux and glittery gold brocade woman’s coat with flared sleeves from Uzbekistan, for instance, or a cropped, five-alarm-fire red, silk velvet bridal jacket awash in gleaming silver/gold hand-detailing from Iran. What makes this show most interesting is its historical and global cultural perspective. The pieces, shown in ensembles or on their

Through Jan. 6. thecjm.org.

Comedy Returns www.ebar.com

Werk the World

Shining Stars Vol. 48 • No. 38 • September 20-26, 2018

Nightlife Events September 20-27

Sat 22

Steven Underhill

Flagging in the Park @ AIDS Memorial Grove

Daniel Nicoletta

Listings on page 26 >

Live from the Stud!

Etta James, Sylvester and more – when live music first ruled Folsom Street

by Michael Flanagan

W Etta James performs at The Stud in 1976.

hen we think of entertainment in our bars, the chances are that we think of drag performances or DJs more often than live music. But from the 1960s to the 1980s at The Stud (then at 1535 Folsom Street), live performances often ruled the night. See page 28 >>

{ THIRD OF THREE SECTIONS }

<< Nightlife Events

26 • Bay Area Reporter • September 20-26, 2018

For full nightlife listings, including advance notice about Folsom weekend, visit www.ebar.com/events

Sun 23 Aftermath @ SF Eagle Post-beer bust T-dance with DJ Oma Perez, Cole, Dav1A, Charlotte the Baroness. $5-$10. 7pm-12am. 398 12th St. at Harrison. sf-eagle.com

Thu 20

Al Di Meola @ UC Theatre, Berkeley

Battle of the Divas @ Great Northern SF Opera Lab Pop-Ups presents a fun vocal showdown with opera students and rising stars. $20-$25. Doors 7:30pm, show 9pm. 119 Utah St. https://sfopera.com

The jazz/world music guitar virtuoso performs with his band; Jordan Rudess opens. $35-$127. 8pm. 2036 University Ave., Berkeley. http://www.theuctheatre.org/

Drunk Drag Broadway @ Oasis

Blessed @ Port Bar, Oakland Carnie Asada’s fun drag night with Carnie’s Angels Mahlae Balenciaga and Au Jus, plus DJ Ion. 2023 Broadway. www.portbaroakland.com

Thu 20

Food & Wine Talk @ T-Mobile San Francisco Signature Store New weekly talks featuring emerging music talent and trailblazing innovators. Sept 20: SF Food & Wine panel including Rob Mondavi, Chef Tanya Holland, Diane Mina, and moderator Liam Mayclem. Free. 4:30pm. 1 StocktonSt. www.t-mobile.com/store/cell-phonesan_francisco-ca-6258.html

Liz Phair @ The Fillmore The pop-folk musician performs at the historic music hall, with Speedy Ortiz. $32.50. 8pm. 1805 Geary St. at Fillmore. http://thefillmore.com

Vivian Green @ Yoshi’s Oakland The talented singer-songwriter-actress performs with her band at the elegant nightclub-restaurant. $37-$79. 9pm. 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. www.yoshis.com

Fri 21 Botanicals and Brews @ Conservatory of Flowers Enjoy a beer-tasting evening party, with colorful projections, DJed music and nearby food trucks, too. $27-$55. 6:30pm-11:30pm. 100 JFK Drive, Golden Gate Park. www.conservatoryofflowers.org

Vivian Green @ Yoshi’s Oakland

Bruce Campbell’s Last Fan Standing @ UC Theatre, Berkeley The Evil Dead film/TV star hosts a scifi & horror trivia contest. $42-$102. 8pm. 2036 University Ave., Berkeley. http://www.theuctheatre.org/

Comedy Returns @ El Rio Laugh it up with Milt Abel, Richard Sarvate, Shea Suga, Yvette Fernandez, and MC Lisa Geduldig. $10-$20. 7pm. 3158 Mission St. www.elriosf.com

Madame @ Oasis Drag show with Lady Hyde, D’Arcy Drollinger, Piranha and other talents. $10 and up. 10pm. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Make Out Party @ SF Eagle Nark Magazine’s monthly smoochfest, DJs Adam Craft and Siobhan Aluvalot, Shot in the City’s Jell-O shot photo booth and more fun. $10. 8pm-2am. 398 12th St. at Harrison. sf-eagle.com

Prism @ Qube Bar & Grill, San Mateo New weekly LGBT night at the Peninsula restaurant and bar. 8pm11:30pm. 4000 South El Camino Real, San Mateo. https://qubelyfe.com/

StartOut Awards @ St. Regis Hotel The LGBT economic empowerment organization honors Melissa Bradley, Merritt Baer, Natalie J. Egan and Emily Miller. $275 and up. 6:30pm-11pm. 123 3rd St. www.startout.org

Wuhfff @ Powerhouse Join the Pedal Pups as they kick off the AIDS/LifeCycle 2019 season in puppy style. Wear your best gear, jockstrap or best look (clothes check available, so you can strip down). DJ Fawks spins; sexy furry gogo pups. $5. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

You Betta Work Comedy Fiesta @ Prism/Qube Bar & Grill, San Mateo Jesús U. BettaWork hosts the monthly comedy night at the San Mateo bar’s LGBT night. 8:30pm. 4000 S. El Camino Real, San Mateo. www.jesusubettawork.com

Sat 22 Bob Moses @ Fox Theatre, Oakland The Grammy-winning Canadian electro-pop duo performs live. Mansionaire opens. $35. 8pm. 1807 Telegraph ave, Oakland. http://thefoxoakland.com

Flagging in the Park @ AIDS Memorial Grove Enjoy the sun, music, flora, and friends in the beautiful National AIDS Memorial Grove. Open to all flow artists – fanning, flagging, poi, staff, hoopers and their supporters. Flags available for use or just relax, take in the fun dance music and colorful visuals. DJ Philip Grasso spins. Bring a beverage, a lunch, something to sit on. 1pm-4pm. Nancy Pelosi Dr. & Blowing Green Dr., Golden Gate Park. www.flaggercentral.com

Dirty Musical Sundays @ The Edge Sing along at the popular musical theatre night, with a bawdy edge; also Mondays and Wednesdays (but not dirty). 7pm-2am. 2 for 1 cocktail, 5pm-closing. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Juanita’s Drag Brunch @ MORE/Jones Juanita MORE’s new daytime drag show on the restaurant’s scenic courtyard terrace, with a tasty revamped menu by chef Cory Armenta and food stylist Cole Church. Entrees $14-$21. 11am-3pm. Wednesday Fried Chicken nights, too. 620 Jones St. www.juanitasmore.com

Mon 24 Karaoke Night @ SF Eagle Sing along, with host Beth Bicoastal, plus prizes, local celeb judges, and $2 draft beer. 8pm-12am. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

One Night Only @ Marines’ Memorial Theatre Cast members from the touring productions of The Phantom of the Opera and On Your Feet perform in a special ‘Broadway Backwards’ concert, with male/female roles reversed in song. Proceeds benefit local AIDS/HIV nonprofits. $35-$100* and up (*includes VIP after-party). 7:30pm. 609 Sutter St., 2nd floor. www.reaf.org

Underwear Night @ 440 Strip down to your skivvies at the popular men’s night. 9pm-2am. 440 Castro St. 621-8732. the440.com

Tue 25 High Fantasy @ Aunt Charlie’s Lounge Weekly drag and variety show, with live acts and lip-synching divas, plus DJed grooves. $5. Shows at 10:30pm & 12am. 133 Turk St. at Taylor. www. auntcharlieslounge.com

Sun 23

Mother @ Oasis Heklina’s popular drag show, with special guests and great music themes. Sept 22: Large and in Charge, with Dulce DeLeche, Shanelle Rivera, Vanilla Meringue, Vicodonia Knightingale, Hollow Eve, Qween. DJ MC2 plays grooves. $10-$15. 10pm3am (11:30pm show). 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Music Festival @ Freight & Salvage, Berkeley The popular music venue celebrates 50 years, with a day-long line-up of music acts on 3 stages, including Terry Garthwaite, Quinn DeVaeux, Amber Cross, alphabet Rockers and more. Free. 11am-6pm. 2020 Addison St. https://www.thefreight.org/

Shake It Up @ Port Bar, Oakland DJ Lady Char spins dance grooves; gogo studs, and drink specials, too. 9pm-2am. 2023 Broadway. (510) 8232099. www.portbaroakland.com

Vice Tuesdays @ Q Bar Queer femmes and friends dance party with hip hop, Top 40 and throwbacks at the stylish intimate bar, with DJs Val G and Iris Triska. 9pm2am. 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

Wed 26 Baloney @ Oasis Super Folsomy kinky fun burlesque allmale (and a drag king or two) show, with numbers choreographed by Rory Davis; Michael Phillis MCs. $ 9/26 & 27 8pm. 9/28 & 29 7pm. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Dirty Alley @ Powerhouse Mr. S Leather takes over the bar for their annual pre-Folsom event. Dark demos by the Mr. S Crew, dirty dancers and trashy bartenders. $5. 9pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.mr-s-leather.com

Folsom Forever Screening @ SF Eagle Screening of the movie that tells the history of the Folsom Street Fair and pays tribute to its late director Mike Skiff, DVD copies of Folsom Forever and other titles on sale donated by Breaking Glass Pictures. $25 each. 398 12th St., 6-8pm. www.sf-eagle.com

Superorganism @ The Independent The genre-mashing 7-member band performs music from their acclaimed debut album. $20-$25. 8pm. Also Sept. 27. 628 Divisadero. http:// www.theindependentsf.com/

Thu 27 Bull Metal Jacket @ Lone Star Saloon Pre-Folsom Fair kink-leather night with DJ Bulldog Mike spinning metal rock. $5. 8pm-2am. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Cigar Social @ SF Eagle Pre-Folsom gathering for cigar fans. 9pm-2am. 398 12th St. sf-eagle.com

Death Cab for Cutie @ Greek Theatre, Berkeley The popular pop band performs; Cold War Kids opens. $55. 7pm. 2001 Gayley Road, UC Berkeley campus. www.apeconcerts.com

Literary Speakeasy @ Martuni’s Enjoy a cocktail with literary talents Steven Gray, Ingrid Keir, Brittany Perham, Jim Provenzano, and musical guest Tyler Hall, and host James J. Siegel. 7pm. 4 Valencia St.

The The @ The Masonic The veteran English band perfroms as part of their ‘Comeback Special’ tour; Agnes Obel opens. $45-$125. 8pm. 1111 California st. www.thethe.com http://sfmasonic.com/

Juanita’s Drag Brunch @ MORE/Jones

Gooch

The show tune parody ensemble goes dizzy for “Dizney.” $20-$55. 8pm. Sept 21 & 22 7pm. Sept 23 at 5pm. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Comedy>>

September 20-26, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 27

Laugh track record Comedy Returns at El Rio Kent Taylor Photography

by David-Elijah Nahmod

aughs will no doubt abound on September 21 when comic Lisa Geduldig returns to El Rio with her monthly comedy show, which, in various incarnations, will soon celebrate its thirtieth anniversary. “I started doing stand up comedy in 1989 in this very room at El Rio,” Geduldig, an out lesbian, said in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter. “I had just given a tongue-in-cheek speech in my capacity of ‘Best Woman’ at a straight college friend’s wedding and afterwards everyone came up to me and asked, ‘Where do you perform?’” The question planted the seeds for what would become Geduldig’s second career; she’s also a publicist. “A few months later, I found myself at El Rio and saw a sign on the bulletin board for stand-up comic wannabes,” she recalls. “I went to this class for four consecutive Tuesdays at this guy’s house in Bernal Heights, and then we used the stage of El Rio on a Wednesday night before their scheduled comedy night, and we had a real audience rather than just the other students. It felt great to be onstage, and it really clicked.” Malcolm Thornley, then the owner of El Rio, invited Geduldig to perform. A few months later, she worked up the courage to call him. “And the rest is history,” she said. Now, nearly thirty years later, Geduldig performs a monthly show at El Rio at which she invites other comics to join her. The show, which used to be seen on the third Thursday of each month, currently plays on the 3rd Friday. She spoke about why she continues to do the shows. “For me it’s a social service: giving the public the joy of laughter, an escape from the stresses of life, and

Left: Lisa Geduldig, creator and host of Comedy Returns. Above: Richard Sarvate will perform at Comedy Returns on Sept. 21.

a community experience,” she said. “Often it’s just as healing for me as it is for the audience.” When booking her guest performers for the shows, Geduldig always seeks diversity. “I strive for intelligent comedy and try to book gender parity, though sometimes there are more women on a bill to make up for the thousands of comedy clubs that maybe book a token woman if that, and as diverse a mix of comics as possible: LGBTQ, straight, multicultural.” Among the comics booked on

the September 21 show is Richard Sarvate, who grew up in an Indian family in Fremont. Sarvate’s parents moved to the USA from Bombay in 1976. He says that his home life was “chaotic” due to his mother’s illness, which he says created the proper elements to breed an artist. His mother’s schizophrenia is one of the topics he talks about in his act. “It’s very odd, because I’m not sure if the audience is going to go with me or not,” he said of his decision to include the illness in his act. “It’s unclear if they will feel

sorry for me or if they will be able to see the humor in it. It’s my job to convey that I have accepted the situation and it’s okay for them to laugh.” But Sarvate’s family might not be laughing. “My family doesn’t think I should be talking about it openly and making light of it, but that’s not going to stop me,” he said. “I’ve had lots of positive feedback, and my jokes help people heal. I even did a comedy show that Glenn Close produced to raise awareness about mental health. Her sister has schizophrenia.”

His Indian heritage, he says, is a starting point for his comedy. “It’s universally relatable because everyone knows about India and has an impression of it,” he pointed out. “I can use it to build some common ground with the audience before moving into deeper topics.” Sarvate added that he has an “alternative” sense of humor. “I used to be very odd when I started comedy,” he said. “I had surreal jokes about walking into a taqueria in Chinatown that would serve fortune churros. The definition of alternative changes constantly. Because comedy keeps on evolving, being alternative just means being different than the mainstream. In the 1990s, being alternative meant that you were telling real stories about your life. In the 2000s it meant that you did abstract surreal act-outs. These days I’m actually fusing together the weird part of myself with a more mainstream version so that more people can relate to me.” He offered a sneak preview of what he’ll be discussing at El Rio. “I’ll be talking about awkward social situations I get myself into, silly things people have said to me after shows, strange things women have said to me while dumping me, and a bunch more,” he said. “I just want to relate to people. I am molding my onstage persona to be someone who is so upfront and confident about all that is wrong with him that the audience feels comfortable to be themselves.” Other performers on the bill are Milt Abel, Yvette Fernandez, Ayelet Schrek, and, of course, Lisa Geduldig.t Comedy Returns at El Rio, Friday September 21, 7pm. 3158 Mission Street, San Francisco. $10-20 (sliding scale). www.elriosf.com

Hookups =

Visit www.squirt.org to hook up today

<< BARchive

28 • Bay Area Reporter • September 20-26, 2018

Daniel Nicoletta

An enthusiastic crowd at an Etta James concert at The Stud in 1976.

Daniel Nicoletta

Pristine Condition at the Stud Bar, Valentines Day show in 1977; L to R: Billy Philadelphia, Naomi Ruth Eisenberg, Patty Rodriguez, Pristine Condition.

Live from the Stud!

From page 25

From its beginnings in 1966, the bar was thought of as the “gay hippie bar.” In a 1982 column in the Bay Area Reporter, Mr. Marcus referred to it as “the haven for Gay hippies and all the counterculture groups in town.” Tahara, one of the Cockettes, is quoted in The Fabulous Sylvester, a biography by Joshua Gamson, as saying it was a bar where “everyone far out went every night.” So it’s not surprising that it would have a thriving live music scene.

When the performances began is not easily determined. The first band listings I found were from August 17, 1974 in the Gay listings of the Bay Guardian. I asked members of the online history group San Francisco Remembered for input and a member from the neighborhood remembered live music there as far back as 1967. It’s also a bit difficult to determine the calendar of performances there, because by the ‘70s, the bar was getting a reputation as a good space for musicians to try out new material. Several spontaneous concerts were held at the bar.

Another member of San Francisco Remembered recalled a surprise Elvin Bishop performance there in 1973. Author Mark Abramson recalled that a friend was visiting San Francisco in the winter of ’74 when Etta James “just popped up out of nowhere and sang” at The Stud. Regardless of the vagaries of early performances, we know from Gamson’s book that Sylvester and many of the Cockettes were hanging out at the bar by 1970, when Sylvester moved from South Central L.A. to San Francisco. By the mid-’70s, Sylvester was in the midst of a musical change. He had been dropped from his label Blue Thumb and had stopped performing with the Hot Band (his rock band) by the end of 1975. By 1976 he began performing with Martha Wash and Izora Rhodes Armstead (a/k/a Two Tons of Fun). His first performance at The Stud with his new lineup was on August 15, 1976. They would return for performances in April and May of 1977. Granted, The Stud was not the only gay bar Sylvester was performing at in this period, but it was one of the bars that supported his career before his first album came out on Fantasy records in the summer of 1977. Sylvester was not the only exCockette to appear onstage at The Stud. Pristine Condition had been in bands since at least 1973, when he was part of the group Paula Pucker and the Pioneers, who opened for the New York Dolls at the Matrix in San Francisco. In one of his appearances at the Stud, on Valentine’s Day 1976, Pristine appeared with Billy Philadelphia (who played with Commander Cody), Naomi Ruth Eisenberg (played with Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks), Patty Rodriguez, Pearl Heart and Jo Baker from Stoneground. Though he played other times there, that concert was captured on film by photographer Daniel Nicoletta. The Stud was a vital stage for local talent. Women’s bands Sweet Chariot and Pegasus performed there, as did the gay men’s band Buena Vista, who were in the 1977 film Word Is Out. Richard Dworkin, the drummer with the band (who would go on to play with Alex Chilton, James Chance and Michael Callen), said they played there three times in ’76 and ’77 and that they “are among some of my most memorable performing experiences.” The set of performances at The Stud that achieved legendary status were the shows by Etta James. From August 16, 1976 through February 14, 1984, she appeared at the bar on a regular basis (often on Valentine’s Day and sometimes more than once a year). Often these concerts were not advertised in advance in the straight press – you had to read about it in the gay press or find out by word of mouth.

For James, the city was a special place. Her mother brought her here as a child and she became a singer here. In the mid-’70s she was in recovery from addiction and in between albums. She talks about the special place the city had for him in her autobiography Rage To Survive: The Etta James Story: “San Francisco was my only salvation. My strongest fans are there, many of them gay men and lesbians. I’m not sure how that happened. I like to think they’re responding to my honest emotions. They know what bigotry’s about. They understand hard times and heartache; they like it when someone lays it on the line.” Artist and activist Silvana Nova saw James perform in the mid-’70s and the experience has stayed with him till today: “Imagine seeing a legend (and she was, even then) in such an intimate setting!,” he wrote. “The stage was smaller than postage-stamp size…. She was having a great time and seemed to be in her element. She talked about growing up in SF, and she was obviously very comfortable with a gay audience….The voice! It was as raw and as vibrant as any of her recordings, but live it was so much more. She was for real… and she was absolutely filthy. She went down on the mic, made all kinds of lewd comments, and (my favorite thing) she would turn around, hang her very ample and callipygous derriere over the edge of the “stage” and kind of wave it in front of the audience. It was both a taunt and a come-on; the audience, of course, went wild.”

James’s fans in the community obviously took notice. Writing in the B.A.R. in 1979 in his Up, Coming & Choice column, Adam Block said of an upcoming concert, “Etta is as gutsy, raunchy and moving as any singer alive, as any who saw her monumental performances at the Stud can testify.” There was a funky element to the organization of concerts: James’ dressing room was across the street in the bathroom at Hamburger Mary’s. Regardless, the experience caught her on an upswing in her career. In 1978 she recorded with Jerry Wexler for Atlantic and opened for The Rolling Stones the same year. Her performances from this period are documented in Etta James: Live from San Francisco, recorded at the Boarding House in 1981. The creative energy still lingers on from the live musical performances at the Stud. It was the birth of the live music scene in South of Market. Whenever you see performances at clubs like Oasis and The Eagle today, you are fulfilling the promise of a club that saw Etta James and Sylvester through the hard times and gave local bands a chance. The spirit of live music at the Stud lives on in our clubs today.t The author would like to thank Richard Dworkin, Dan Nicoletta and Silvana Nova. For a detailed history of the Stud, see Mark Freeman’s wonderful online article at https://markhfreeman.wordpress. com/the-stud-decade-by-decade/

Richard Dworkin

Above: SF Sentinel ads for Sylvester and Etta James, Aug 12, 1976. Below: Ad for Buena Vista live at the Stud in January, 1977.

Arts Events>>

September 20-26, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 29

Arts Events September 20-27

Other Cinema @ ATA Gallery Weekly screenings of wacky, unusual, short, documentary and animated films; free books, vinyl, VHS and wne. $7. 8:30pm. 992 Valencia St. www.othercinema.com

Queerly Written @ PAWS/Shanti

Fri 21 Ren Lunicke’s “Ze: Queer as Fuck!” at the Fringe Festival @ Exit Theatre

For full listings, visit www.ebar.com/events

Thu 20 Classic and New Films @ Castro Theatre Sept 20: Battleship Potemkin (7pm) and The Battle of Algiers (8:35). Sept 21: The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine. Sept 22: Marcello Mastroianni homage ($12-$70), Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (10am), 81/2 (1pm), A Special Day (3:30), La Dolce Vita (6pm) Divorce Italian Style (10:30). Sept 23 & 24: Yellow Submarine sing-along (1pm, 4pm, 7pm). Sept 26: Rupert Everett in an onstage Q&A and screening of the Oscar Wilde biopic The Happy Prince (7pm). Sept 27: Tab Hunter in Damn Yankees (7pm) and Polyester (9:15). $11-$14. 429 Castro St. http://www.castrotheatre.com/

Dance Concerts @ CounterPulse Deborah Slater Dance and John Fesenko’s In Civility #2: Outrage Machine and Daevron and Raissa Simpson’s Push Dance Company’s TecTonic Shifts are performed. $20$35. Thu-Sat 8pm. Thru Sept 22. 80 Turk St. www.counterpulse.org/

Jim Provenzano @ Dog Eared Books The Lambda Literary Awardwinning local author reads from his sixth novel, Now I’m Here, with Peter Fogel (Whoa Nellies) performing songs by Queen. Free. 7pm. 489 Castro St. www.jimprovenzano.com

Kiss @ Ashby Stage, Berkeley Guillermo Calderon’s play about a group of actors who discover a script set in Damascus, begin performing what appears to be a romantic melodrama about life in Syria, but which proves to be more of a mystery. $7-$42. Thu-Sun thru Sept. 23. 1901 Ashby Ave., Berkeley. www.shotgunplayers.org

SF Arts Commission Grantees @ Herbst Theatre Free community event celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Cultural Equity Endowment Legislation, with honors for recipient Patrick Makuakane, and a performance by Ne Lei Hulu I Ka Wikiu. 5pm. 401 Van Ness Ave. sfartscommission.org

The X in Latinx @ Strut EFNIKS hosts an event discussing the expanding identities of queer folk in communities of color; with music, food. 6:30pm-8:30pm. 470 Castro St. www.strutsf.org

You Mean To Do Me Harm @ SF Playhouse Award-winning playwright Christopher Chen’s drama about two interracial couples, and an insult that starts an escalation of anger and paranoia. $35-$100. Thru Nov. 3. 420 Post St. sfplayhouse.org

Fri 21 Detroit ‘67 @ Aurora Theatre, Berkeley Dominique Morisseau’s Motowninfused drama about an African American family’s connections while enduring the historic riots of 1967. $35-$70. Thru Oct. 7. 2018 Addison St., Berkeley. auroratheatre.org

Dreamgirls @ Berkeley Playhouse Local production of the hit musical about a Motown music trio. $20$40. Thru Oct. 21. Julia Morgan Theatre, 2640 College Ave., Berkeley. berkeleyplayhouse.org

Fringe Festival @ Exit Theatre Performances of new and unusual small and solo shows, including Ren Lunicke’s “Ze”: Queer as Fuck! (Sept 21 & 22). $10-$15. 156 Eddy St. http://www.theexit.org

Latino Film Festival @ Various Cinemas Tenth annual festival of Latino films; opening night screening of Ruben Blades is Not my Name, at Alamo Drafthouse, 2550 Mission St. Thru Sept. 30. sflatinofilmfestival.org

Red Scare on Sunset @ NCTC Charles Busch’s campy parody of 1950s McCarthy-era red-baiting is performed by the acclaimed local company, with J. Conrad Frank (Katya Smirnoff-Skky), Nancy French and others. $20-$55. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 3pm. Thru Oct. 21. 25 Van Ness Ave, lower level. www.nctcsf.org

Sat 22 Caesar Maximus @ Music Concourse We Players’ performs Nick Medina and Ava Roy’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, with a circus theme, performed outdoors at the park’s museum area. $35-$65. Thu-Sun 5:30pm. Thru Sept. 30. Music Concourse Drive at Golden Gate Park. www.weplayers.org

David Shrobe @ Jenkins Johnson Gallery Opening reception for the artist’s exhibit of symbolic painting/ collage portraits. 5:30pm-7:30pm. Thru Oct. 27. 464 Sutter St. www.jenkinsjohnsongallery.com

Hedwig and the Angry Inch @ Victoria Theatre Ray of Light Theatre’s new production of the hit rock musical about a German transgender singer and alter-ego. $15-$40. Thru Oct. 6. 2961 16th St. rayoflighttheatre.com

Kumalicious @ Strut Drawing and painting event with queer bigger men of color models; snacks, art supplies and soft drinks provided. 7pm-10pm, 3rd floor. 470 Castro St. www.strutsf.org

Mixed gender Queer Elders Writing Workshop read their written work. Queerly Written: Memory, Life, and Aging is a presentation that includes stories from an aging queer perspective. Free. 1pm. Pets Are Wonderful Support/Shanti, 3170 23rd St. www.shanti.org

Readings @ Alley Cat Books Sept 22, 7pm: poets Stacy Szymaszeck, Maxe Crandall, host Kevin Killian. 9/23, 6pm: poets Giselle Buchanan and Ana Anu. 9/24, 7pm: Jacobin reading group. 3036 24th St. www.alleycatbookshop.com

Sun 23 Al Di Meola @ UC Theatre, Berkeley The jazz/world music guitar virtuoso performs with his band; Jordan Rudess opens. $35-$127. 8pm. 2036 University Ave., Berkeley. www.theuctheatre.org

Joseph Abbati @ Strut A Beautiful Indiscretion, the artist’s exhibit of photo collages. Thru Sept. 470 Castro St. www.strutsf.org

Second Look, Twice @ MOAD

The Happy Prince @ Castro Theatre

Tue 25 The Black Woman is God @ SOMArts Cultural Center Multi-genre group exhibit of art depicting African women, created by dozens of artists. Tue-Fri 12pm7pm. Sat 12pm-5pm. Thru Oct. 2. 934 Brannan St. www.somarts.org

Comeda es Medecina @ Galería de la Raza Group exhibit of works by artists focusing on the topic of food justice from Latinx, Chicanx, Central American, indigenous, and immigrant perspectives. 2857 24th St. www.galeriadelaraza.org

Peter Hujar: Speed of Life @ BAM/PFA, Berkeley Exhibit of photos by the New York 1970s-’80s art/celebrity scene gay photographer who died of AIDS in 1987; thru Nov. 18. Berkeley Art Museum, Pacific Film Archive, 2155 Center St. Berkeley. www.bampfa.org

S.M. Shifflett @ Strut Performative Identities, the artist’s exhibit of paintings depicting LGBT people in striking allegorical scenes; thru Sept. 470 Castro St. www.strutsf.org

Wed 26

Sweat @ Geary Theater ACT’s production of Lynn Nottage’s drama set in Reading PA’s dying steel industry. $15-$110. Tue-Sat 8pm. Wed, Sat & Sun 2pm. Thru Oct. 21. 415 Geary St. act-sf.org

Thu 27 Aaron Tveit @ Marines’ Memorial Theatre The Broadway & TV star performs his new cabaret show. $70-$105. 8pm. 609 Sutter St. ticketfly.com

Bravo 25 @ The Marsh Bravo 25: You’re A.I. Therapist Will See You Now, Eliza Gibson’s solo show about her work as a social worker/therapist. $20-$100. Thu 8pm, Sat 5pm, thru Oct. 27. 1062 Valencia St. themarsh.org

Fact/SF @ Counterpulse New dance work, Death, takes place throughout the venue. $25-$35. Thu-Sat 8pm. Thru Oct. 13. 80 Turk St. www.counterpulse.org

Oslo @ Marin Theatre Company

Bad Reputation @ Roxie, Landmark Cinemas One-night-only screening of the brash fun documentary about musician Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. $10-$15. Roxie, 3117 16th St. www.badreputationfilm. com/special-screening/

Exhibition of the work of 15 critically-acclaimed contemporary artists of African descent, including Glenn Ligon, Martin Puryear, and Kara Walker, who have used the medium of printmaking to create vivid and abstracted works. Thru Dec. 16. Free/$15. 685 Mission St. www.moadsf.org

Screening of the new Oscar Wilde biopic, with star Rupert Everett in a Q&A with NY Times columnist Kyle Buchanan. $15-$20 7pm. 429 Castro st. castrotheatre.com

J.T. Rogers’ Tony-winning political thriller details the story of how a Norwegian diplomat and her husband brokered top-secret negotiations between Israel and Palestine. $22-$60. Tue-Sun 7:30pm. Thru Oct. 21. 397 Miller St., Mill Valley. www.marintheatre.org

Playmates and soul mates...

Mon 24 Ben Iliili @ McClaren Lodge Exhibit of the photographer’s diverse subjects (boxers, portraits); reception Oct. 11; thru Nov 2. MonFri 9am-4:30pm. 501 Stanyan St. http://harveymilkphotocenter.org

Book Club @ Strut Patrick Nathan’s Some Hell is discussed. 7:30pm-9pm. 470 Castro St. www.strutsf.org

The Briggs Initiative: A Scary Proposition @ GLBT History Museum New exhibit about the 1978 homophobic Sen. Briggs-proposed gay schoolteacher ban, curated by Sue Englander, Paula Lichtenberg and Glenne McElhinney. $5. 4127 18th St. www.glbthistory.org

Fauxnique @ Berkeley Art Museum Monique Jenkinson performs Drag Movement Study #3 ; part of BAM/ PFA’s Full Moon performance series. Free/$13. 7pm. 2155 Center St., Berkeley. https://bampfa.org

One Night Only @ Marines’ Memorial Theatre Cast members from the touring productions of The Phantom of the Opera and On Your Feet perform in a special ‘Broadway Backwards’ concert, with male/ female roles reversed in song. Proceeds benefit local AIDS/ HIV nonprofits. $35-$100* and up (*includes VIP after-party). 7:30pm. 609 Sutter St., 2nd floor. www.reaf.org

San Francisco:

1-415-692-5774

18+ MegaMates.com

<< Drag

30 • Bay Area Reporter • September 20-26, 2018

Werkin’ for a living Drag stars on stage

Left: Eureka, part of the Werk the World cast. Right: Bob the Drag Queen performs in Werk the World.

by Jim Gladstone

“Y

ou don’t get tired if you just stay tired,” half-joked Eureka, aka David Huggard, plus-sized runner up on the most recent season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. It was late August, and the Tennessee-native was anticipating the 2018 U.S. leg of the series’ official live offshoot, the Werq the World Tour. The show, which also includes Aquaria, Asia O’Hara, Eureka, Kameron Michaels, Bob the Drag Queen, Kim Chi and Violet Chachki, sashays into the Curran Theater for a one-night stand on October 5. Eureka spoke to the Bay Area Reporter just five days before flying to New York from his new home in Los Angeles (Huggard relocated last year to capitalize on his new national profile as Eureka). There, the entire company would assemble for a frantic three days of group rehearsals before kicking off a 31-city trek at Radio City Music Hall. “This is my first tour at this scale” says Eureka of the coast-to-coast bus-and-truck journey, teetering between enthusiasm and apprehension from one second to the next. “It’s a bus trip with all your sisters. It’s going to be exhausting in a lot of ways. I mean, there’s nothing more fun than being with the rest of the girls. But let’s be real, the girls are going to fight, kind of like it happens on the show, a bunch of big-ass

loudmouths arguing with each other. We all have our lower moments, but we’re professional and it’ll all come together when we get on stage.” From Cirque to ringmaster Putting it all together is in the hands of producer Brandon Voss and creative director-choreographer Chancellor Dayne. The 29-year-old grew up dancing competitively in North Carolina until he caught the eye of a casting director from Cirque du Soleil. “I was eighteen years old,” he recalls. “I got an email asking me to send in a video, and two days later I was off to Montreal for training, then touring all over Asia.” Eventually, Dayne settled back in the U.S., working as a dance instructor, model and nightlife performer. He was recruited to work on the Drag Race road show in early 2017, when its first leg, Canada and Europe, was being set up. “I’d worked with some of these girls for years,” says the 29-yearold. “The challenge is moving from shows in a gay club to being in a humongous theater. Part of what makes drag special is that intimacy between the performers and the audience you get in a bar. So on tour, even in much larger venues, engaging with the audience is really important. “It’s not about breaking the fourth wall of the stage,” he continues. “There is no fourth wall. The audience is rowdy and roaring and

feels like part of the show.” Four back-up dancers and even some of the queens themselves make their way into the aisles throughout the evening, he explains. Dayne and producer Voss started with a world travel concept, building full-cast production numbers around a campy airline theme, then asking each queen to so a solo routine linked to a particular country. “They come to me with their ideas,” says Dayne, who meets with each performer months before a routine debuts, “and I help them flesh it out, figure out how to incorporate scenery and costumes and work in the back up dancers.” When asked about wrangling a caravan of personalities, each of whom has starred in her own

smaller-scale shows for years, Dayne sighs, “Oh, lord. I love each of them individually. Some of them are easy. Some of them are…interesting. But everyone gets to have their own special kind of fabulous,” he explains. “Whether it’s a big costume reveal, or special effects or unique lighting. I try to accentuate each girl’s positives. Kim Chi is not a professional dancer,” Dayne says of the KoreanAmerican queen who has been on every leg of the tour, “So I surround her with choreography, like a frame.” On to the next level Eureka, who represents England in the show, comes on in plump period Elizabeth I garb before her act explodes into a pyrotechnicenhanced rendition of “This Is Me”

Werq the World Tour at the Curran Theater. October 5, 9pm. Limited tickets remain, from $59. https://sfcurran.com

Personals Massage>>

SEXY ASIAN $60 Jim 415-269-5707

MEN TO MEN MASSAGE

I’m a Tall Latin Man. If you’re looking, I’m the right guy for you. My rates are $90/hr & $130/90 min. My work hours are 10 a.m. to midnite everyday. 415515-0594 Patrick call or text. See pics on ebar.com

“Storms make trees take deeper roots.” – Dolly Parton Werk the World choreographer Chancellor Dayne.

from The Greatest Showman. “It’s insane that drag has gotten to where it is,” says Eureka, musing over the scale of the Werq production. “When I first started doing it, it was about feeling pretty and getting attention. Now its at a whole different phantasmic level.” And yet, she frets, “We’ll be sleeping in little cubbyholes on those buses. When you’re a giant like me, you know I’m just too excited about that. Ideally, the next level of my career will be feature films. I’d love to work as David Huggard and be the next Chris Farley or John Candy.”t

TO PLACE YOUR PERSONALS AD, CALL 415-861-5019 FOR MORE INFO & RATES

Models>> FABULOUS F**K BOY

Model looks 6’ 150# 27yrs, 8” uncut beautiful tight yummy ass. Smoky sexuality erotic male nympho. Hndsm hedonist. Str8, gay, married men at yr apt, hotel, mansion! Greek god Nick 415-290-2639. Leather fetish fantasy roleplay kink dom sub group scenes mild to wild. Pretty boy with a dirty mind, romantic & unforgettable! $400/hr, $2000 overnight negotiable.

People>> HOT LOCAL MEN

Browse & Reply FREE! SF - 415-692-5774 1-888-MegaMates Free to Listen & Reply, 18+

Shining Stars>>

September 20-26, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 31

Shining Stars Steven Underhill Photos by

GLAAD Awards @ Hyatt Regency T

he Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation’s annual awards gala, held at the Hyatt Regency (5 Embarcadero Center) on September 15, included local and national luminaries, including Ross Mathews, Alyssa Milano, MJ Rodriguez, Michelle Visage, Javier Munoz, Kim Petras and others. The Bay Area edition of the multi-city award galas focuses on digital media representation of LGBT people. www.glaad.org See plenty more photos on BARtab’s Facebook page, facebook.com/lgbtsf.nightlife. See more of Steven Underhill’s photos at StevenUnderhill.com.

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

For headshots, portraits or to arrange your wedding photos

call (415) 370-7152 or visit www.StevenUnderhill.com or email stevenunderhillphotos@gmail.com

L I F E WELL - C EN T ER ED Solar, All-Electric Townhomes Up to 1,900 Sq. Ft. | Up to 3 Bedrooms

FROM THE MID $700,000s

StationHouseSouth.com 1818 14th St., Oakland, CA 94607 | StationHouseSouth@CityVentures.com | 510.238.1128

Model now open! Solar, All-Electric Townhomes Up to 1,693 Sq. Ft. | Up to 4 Bedrooms

FROM THE HIGH $700,000s

CityVenturesTheGrove.com 200 Santas Village Rd., Scotts Valley, CA 95066 | TheGrove@CityVentures.com | 831.854.7454 Disclaimer: All renderings, floor plans, and maps are concepts and are not intended to be an actual depiction of the buildings, fencing, walkways, driveways or landscaping. Walls, windows, porches and decks vary per elevation and lot location. In a continuing effort to meet consumer expectations, City Ventures reserves the right to modify prices, floor plans, specifications, options and amenities without notice or obligation. Square footages shown are approximate. ÂŠ2018 City Ventures. All rights reserved. BRE LIC #01979736.