San Francisco Bay Times - March 9, 2017

March 9 - March 22, 2017 | sfbaytimes.com

Gilbert Baker Creates New Rainbow Flag for 2017 ENDURING LGBTQ SYMBOLS SEE PAGES 13–15

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In the News Compiled by Dennis McMillan Supreme Court Won’t Hear Major Case on Transgender Rights The Supreme Court vacated an appeals court decision in favor of a transgender boy, Gavin Grimm, and sent the case back for further consideration in light of new guidance from the Trump administration. Prompted by the latter’s reversal of the federal government position on transgender rights, the Supreme Court announced that it would not decide whether Grimm could use the boys’ bathroom at his high school. The decision not to take his case, which came as the court is awaiting a ninth member, means there will be no ruling this term on the highly-charged issue of the rights of transgender people. The issue will almost certainly return to the Supreme Court, probably in a year or two. For now, lawsuits in the lower courts will proceed, the political climate and public opinion may shift, and the court’s composition will almost certainly change. In all, the development was a setback for proponents of transgender rights, who had hoped the Supreme Court, which established a constitutional right to same-sex marriage two years ago, would aid their cause. nytimes.com Women in More Than 50 Countries Participate in International Women’s Strike The organizers behind The Women’s March on Washington galvanized women and allies on March 8 to participate in “A Day Without a Woman,” thereby drawing attention to issues such as reproductive freedom, labor rights and gender violence. The organizers also called for recognition of challenges faced by trans and gender non-conforming individuals.

Walkouts, rallies and marches were held locally, nationally and internationally. The events coincided with International Women’s Day, which occurs annually. The organizers behind International Women’s Day had previously asked participants via social media to #BeBoldForChange “to help forge a better working world— a more inclusive, gender equal world.” internationalwomensday.com Senator Wiener, Supervisor Sheehy Attend Press Conference to Announce New Services to LGBT Seniors, Adults with Disabilities Senator Scott Wiener and Supervisor Jeff Sheehy attended a meeting with The San Francisco Department of Aging and Adult Services to launch the implementation of two important recommendations from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Aging Policy Task Force. New community services will be announced to enhance the lives of LGBT seniors and adults with disabilities through a peer support network to reduce social isolation, and a targeted Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care education campaign designed to overcome the unique barriers aging LGBT individuals have to access services. The San Francisco LGBT Aging Policy Task Force was convened in 2012 by the Board of Supervisors to evaluate the needs of LGBT seniors, to assess the capacity of the current support system to meet those needs, and to make recommendations to address any unmet needs. sen.ca.gov Merced LGBT Community Center Closes Gay Central Valley recently announced the closure of the Merced LGBT Community Center, operated by the Merced LGBTQ Alliance.

Spokespersons explain that operating a full-time community center is an expensive and staff intensive venture.

Everyone that works for the Merced LGBTQ Alliance, as well as Gay Central Valley, are volunteers, and maintaining that base of operations over time is difficult. The cost of run-

ning an LGBT Center in Merced averages about $1,200 per month, just to keep the doors open and the lights on. That does not include the price of events, infrastructure, etc. They say at this time, they have come to the conclusion that finances for Merced would be better spent by closing the physical space and reformulating efforts in a different direction. Despite the closure of the LGBT Center, Gay Central Valley and the Merced LGBTQ Alliance will continue their work in Merced, with a new perspective and new goals. gaycentralvalleyblog.com Sisters Accepting Grant Applications Until March 15 The San Francisco Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Inc., are accepting grant proposals from nonprofits until March 15. Grants are typically $250 to $1,000. The Sisters tend to give grants to under-funded, small organizations and projects providing direct services to under-served communities.

The majority of these organizations and projects receive little, if any, government or mainstream funding, and may be in the early stages of development. They are especially attracted to progressive grassroots projects that promote wellness, joy, tolerance and diversity within our communities.

They have a vision that encompasses diverse communities and groups that have a common interest in human rights, people of every gender, gender identity, race, class, age and sexual orientation. They favor projects that serve the Bay Area or particularly embattled communities in other locales around the country and the world. thesisters.org Hamilton Brings Social Justice Messages to San Francisco The blockbuster Broadway musical Hamilton comes to SHN Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco on March 10 for an extended run ending on August 5. Beyond entertainment, the show has become a cultural phenomenon that has added to the national discussion concerning racial justice, immigration rights and other pressing issues. Key figures of American history are portrayed by people of color, and the show’s pro-immigration themes are clear. As is stated in the first act: “Immigrants/We get the job done.” The production’s urgency to force change mirrors much of the political unrest of the present and recent years while also harkening back to struggles faced by the founding fathers. the-toast.net, shnsf.com GOP’s Plan to Defund Planned Parenthood Will Hit Transgender Community Hard As Congress appears to be inching closer to repealing the Affordable Care Act, a leaked draft of proposed legislation shows Republicans also aim to defund the nation’s number one provider of health care to women, including abortions: Planned Parenthood. But what is largely unknown about the organization is that it also is the biggest provider of healthcare services to another marginalized group: transgender Americans. Fear pervades the transgender community, which has just begun to see the benefit of Obamacare fear across the nation, and would be hit hard by the defunding proposed by the GOP. lgbtqnation.com GMHC Responds to President Trump’s Address to Congress Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) reacted to President Trump’s 2017 Congressional Address, in which he pledged to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, increase defense and security spending by $54 billion and cut the (continued on page 26) S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES M ARC H 9, 2017

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LGBT Center Soirée, City College News, Inclusionary Wars February column, I wrote about the end of the College’s long-running accreditation crisis. Before that column had even gone to print, we learned that Mayor Ed Lee and Supervisor Jane Kim had reached a deal to make City College free for all San Francisco residents starting in the fall of 2017.

A San Francisco Kind of Democrat Rafael Mandelman LGBT Center Soirée 2017!

It is hard to believe it has been fifteen years since the LGBT Center opened its doors. And what years—by turns, challenging, tumultuous and exhilarating— they have been for our community and our Center! On the evening of April 8, the Center will be celebrating its fifteenth birthday at our annual Soirée. We will be returning to Terra Gallery at 511 Harrison once again, and the incomparable Juanita MORE! will be reprising her role as our Entertainment Director for the night. The next day, April 9 at 1 pm, the community is invited to join us for a ribbon-cutting celebration and open house to celebrate the re-opening of our re-modeled and much improved building at 1800 Market Street. More information about both events can be found on the Center’s website at http://www.sfcenter. org/events/15th-anniv-soiree City College Open, Accredited and FREE! After so many years of bad and worse news, City College has been more than making up for it so far this spring. In my

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Supervisor Kim did not get everything she or the other Free City College champions had been hoping for out of the negotiation: the additional stipends for students already on financial aid but struggling with the costs of books and other costs are a pittance, and the uncertainties around federal immigration policy raise stillunanswered questions about whether and how some undocumented students will be able to use the program. Nonetheless, the program still represents a major commitment by the City and County of San Francisco to expanding access to City College and puts San Francisco at the forefront of the national movement to make higher education affordable to all. Abundant kudos and many thanks to Kim, who worked relentlessly along with organized labor and folks at the College, to pass Proposition W in November and then to ensure that City Hall followed through on its commitment to the program.

Inclusionary Wars A recent Chamber of Commerce poll confirms something we probably already knew: San Franciscans are increasingly concerned about the high cost of housing.

More than half of us identify housing unaffordability as a major issue, up from 43% just two years ago. That the high cost of housing is a serious problem, we agree.

The difficulty arises when we start talking about how to solve the problem.

One of the proven strategies for creating more affordable housing is to require market rate developers to include a certain percentage of below-market housing in their developments. But going back to 2002, when then-Supervisor Mark Leno authored the City’s first inclusionary housing legislation, San Francisco developers have argued that inclusionary housing obligations kill projects, leaving policy makers struggling with the question of how much inclusionary housing is too much. (continued on page 27)

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The Promise and Pitfalls of Social Media in Today’s Political Climate

litical perspectives. For better or worse, I find myself now up to 3,500 Facebook friends, and probably know less than half personally.

Do Ask, Do Tell Zoe Dunning Six years ago, my friend Gary Gartner tried to persuade me to join Facebook.

I had steadfastly resisted the temptation, because I was incredibly busy at the time and considered it to be a huge potential time sink. As I became more involved politically in San Francisco, I soon recognized it could be a great tool to connect with other like-minded political junkies—to discuss breaking news, find out about events, and publicize topics that are important to me.

So, I joined, and have since become an active user of the platform. I use Twitter as well, but less frequently.

An unexpected benefit has been reconnecting with folks I had lost touch with years ago. Former co-workers and classmates from graduate school, college and even high school were “suggested” to me or reached out to me directly. Some people I remembered, others I had never met, but we had friends in common on Facebook, so I accepted. “Why not?” I thought to myself. I expanded my Facebook circle of “friends” to include folks from all over the country—and world—and from many different life trajectories and po-

With that has come some tension and debate. My feed is a mix of personal reflections, funny happenings and a lot of political commentary. As I step back a bit from local politics, I am still very engaged in what was going on in the 2016 Presidential election and what has been happening in the first 100 days of the Trump administration. I share news articles or videos and add commentary, or ask others for their reactions. During the Presidential primaries, there were many heated Hillary vs. Bernie vs. (fill in the blank) exchanges. My general rule is to let the comments dialogue happen naturally, but intervene if it gets too personal or mean. If there were folks who were so adamant that their view was right and everyone else was an idiot, I sometimes unfriended them. This included both Bernie and Hillary supporters, mostly folks I don’t know personally.

In general, though, I have tried to foster a healthy dialogue that contains differing views.

Now with Donald Trump, our Cheeto-in-Chief, as President, the stakes seem to have been raised. Many of my more liberal friends have used support for Trump as a litmus test and unfriended anyone who voted for him or defends him. I have no judgement; people can use their social media however they like. I myself have been tempted to block or unfriend folks, as I wonder how I can productively interact with someone who seemingly has such different values. I don’t want to live in an echo chamber, but I also know that it is crazy-making to read some of the comments I see supporting Trump, or calling CNN #fakenews, or promoting the confirmed false statements coming out of Washington, D.C., these days (the Obama wiretapping of Trump Tower being only the most recent and egregious).

Several of my Annapolis classmates and former shipmates lean much more conservative than me, and they test me the most. Some I’ve had to unfriend, or block, or hide their posts from my feed for my own sanity. I try, though, to use it as an opportunity to understand why and how folks voted for Trump (or didn’t vote, or voted 3rd party because they hate Hillary with a pas(continued on page 27)

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Gay Win-Win: Marriage Equality Saving Lives

6/26 and Beyond John Lewis & Stuart Gaffney

ed equality saw no change during the same time period. When the researchers added up all the numbers, they found that over 134,000 fewer adolescents per year attempted suicide in states that adopted marriage equality with no reductions in states that maintained discriminatory laws. In equality states, adolescent suicide rates dropped 7 percent, with a 14 percent drop for lesbian, gay, and bisexual students.

And the study found that reductions in suicide attempts were sustained over time, with lower rates remaining two years after legalization.

For years, we and many others in the marriage equality movement have hoped that our efforts would not only help secure equal marriage rights for LGBTQ couples, but also that our work would help our community achieve equality and dignity in all aspects of our lives. We intended for marriage equality to contribute to decades-long efforts to give LGBTQ youth hope to be able envision their lives in any way they chose and to experience happiness rather than shame in being LGBTQ. But the degree to which all the public education, the legal victories, the sights of LGBTQ people getting married coast to coast, and the bold headlines proclaiming, “U.S. GAY,” were resonating with young people was difficult to assess or quantify—until very recently.

On February 20, 2017, researchers from the Johns Hopkins and Harvard schools of public health announced stunning new f indings: the number of adolescent suicide attempts in states that achieved marriage equality from 2004 to the beginning of 2015 dropped dramatically, while states that reject-

PHOOTS BY JOHN LEWIS

The U.S. Supreme Court’s two landmark marriage equality decisions contain powerfully eloquent declarations of the dignity and humanity of LGBTQ people. When the decisions were announced, the nation’s newspapers translated the “take home” message of the legal holdings in more down to earth ways. The New York Daily News front page headline screamed, “U.S. GAY! ‘Equal dignity in the eyes of the law.’” The Montgomery, Alabama, Advertiser proclaimed, “LOVE WINS.” The Lafeyette, Indiana, Journal & Courier declared, “GAY WIN-WIN,” and USA Today’s front page announced, “Rainbow Rulings,” with a huge close-up photograph of a happy gay couple kissing on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Images (above and bottom left) from the rally in support of transgender youth held at San Francisco City Hall, Thursday, February 23

The study’s lead author, Julia Raifman, observed, “These are high school students so they aren’t getting married any time soon, for the most part”; however, “[t]here may be something about having equal rights—even if they have no immediate plans to take advantage of them—that makes students feel less stigmatized and more hopeful for the future.” Of course, many other concomitant efforts, such as anti-bullying measures and increasing numbers of LGBTQ people coming out in states that adopted marriage equality, could contribute to the improvements, and the study recognized that it could not identify the mechanism by which marriage equality lowered adolescent suicide rates. But interestingly, the study found that the reduction in suicide attempts did not occur until after marriage equality actually passed, and did not take place in the years leading up to the legal victory.

Despite this progress, teen suicide attempts, especially among LGBTQ youth, remain a huge problem. The study reported that in 2015, over 29 percent of LGBQ high school students reported having attempted suicide in the past year, compared to 6 percent of their heterosexual counterparts. In 2015, 34 percent of high school students who reported attempting suicide were LGBQ. Other data suggests that approximately 40 percent of transgender Americans have attempted suicide at some point in their lives. It appears that the researchers had access only to data that tracked sexual orientation, and consequently were unable to provide information about transgender adolescents.

The “Healthy People 2020” program administered by the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seeks to reduce adolescent suicide rates by ten percent by 2020. The study’s authors note that their “research suggests that the legalization of same-sex marriage has been very effective in making progress toward that goal.”

We hope that the new HHS Secretary Tom Price, who has been a staunch opponent of marriage equality, and others in the new administration take note. As Raifman observed, “We can all agree that reducing adolescent suicide attempts is a good thing, regardless of our political views.”

The study provides compelling evidence that legal and public policy pertaining to LGBTQ rights can have profound effects on the mental health and well-being of LGBTQ youth. We look to the U.S. Supreme Court to recognize this fact when they consider the extent to which federal law protects transgender youth later this month.

The Supreme Court in its nationwide marriage equality decision stated: “Marriage responds to the universal fear that a lonely person might call out only to find no one there. It offers the hope of companionship and understanding and assurance that while both still live there will be someone to care for the other.”

Our hope is that the achievement of nationwide marriage equality results in reductions in adolescent suicide attempts nationwide and that fewer LGBTQ youth find themselves calling out in loneliness.

We look to the Court, other judges, and lawmakers to recognize the far-reaching impacts of legal protections for LGBTQ people. And when LGBTQ youth call out in loneliness, it’s the responsibility of friends, family, teachers, counselors, and the larger community to be there to provide care and understanding. We must make real the proclamations of the newspaper headlines that “Love Wins” and legal equality is a “Gay Win-Win. The complete study, “Differencein-Differences Analysis of the Association Between State Same-Sex Marriage Policies and Adolescent Suicide Attempts,” can be found at http://jamanetwork.com/journals/ jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2604258 John Lewis and Stuart Gaffney, together for over three decades, were plaintiffs in the California case for equal marriage rights decided by the California Supreme Court in 2008. Their leadership in the nationwide grassroots organization Marriage Equality USA contributed in 2015 to making same-sex marriage legal nationwide

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Leadership, Courage and Money Concerns about the Supreme Court continue to grow as well.

Leadership, Courage and Money

Aging in Community Roger Doughty There’s no escaping the alarming events and sometimes stupefying pronouncements tumbling from the nation’s capital. Even if we turned off every device, ignored every newspaper, and closed our eyes and ears, it’d be almost impossible not to feel the onslaught.

At this point, few in our community likely harbor hope that this administration’s knives won’t come out for LGBTQ people—especially after the recent announcement about withdrawing protection from transgender students.

There is plenty to worry about: whether bedrock programs like Medicare and Social Security will be gravely weakened; how LGBTQ immigrants, refugees, and asylees will survive (too often literally the case); how trans and queer youth will cope with more hostile atmospheres; and whether our basic equality will be circumscribed in dozens of states.

There’s a lot more to do than just worry. The big question on nearly everyone’s mind, of course, is what do we do? Raising our voices, marching, and volunteering are all critical. Thousands of us have been—and are— doing just those things. And many, many more protests and resistance of all kinds lie ahead.

We’re also going to need something else. It’s not sexy, but it’s indispensable: money. Lots of money. And that need will grow only more acute when they start slashing away at the social safety nets that even now barely keep many among us alive and safe.

Thank goodness we’ve seen an outpouring of gifts to vitally important national front-line organizations like the ACLU and Planned Parenthood.

This has been wonderfully heartening—they’re going to need every last penny. Yet what we’re facing goes far beyond marquee organizations and the headline national issues of civil liberties and basic rights.

Almost every part of our community is vulnerable: elders, youth, immigrants, people with HIV, women, transgender people, as well as nearly every person who relies on health and social services of any kind. Where do they turn for support and healthcare and advocacy?

They’ll go to our nonprofit organizations. But few of our organizations have the capacity to meet the surge in demand that’s overwhelmingly likely—and for immigrants, transgender

people, and others, the surge has already started, ferociously. And that’s where the money part comes in.

Helping Nonprofits As the LGBTQ community’s foundation, Horizons Foundation has worked to grow the financial resources available to LGBTQ nonprofit groups for 37 years. That part of our mission is, I believe, more important than ever, simply because absent more resources, our community will not—it cannot—meet the needs for advocacy and services.

The fact is, most LGBTQ nonprofits can’t afford to invest in their fundraising operations, especially when demand goes up, as all nonprofits want to use every dime to meet people’s needs. But the problem comes when all too often those organizations get caught in what’s been called “the nonprofit starvation cycle”: they can’t invest in their fundraising operations, which weakens their fundraising and ultimately leaves them with fewer resources and reduced impact.

One way to help nonprofits is to offer them a platform for cost-free fundraising. This year, Horizons will once again be home to Give OUT Day, set for April 20, 2017. The once-a-year event gives LGBTQ organizations a readymade electronic platform for raising funds for their work—nearly $600,000 in 2016 alone. Our goal this year: $1 million raised, and most by smaller and mid-sized nonprofits.

(You can learn more at www.giveoutday.org) Another way to get more resources to organizations is to help them

sharpen their fundraising messages in this unprecedented time. How can they reach the most prospective donors and inspire them to give? To help nonprofits of all sizes do this effectively and efficiently, Horizons is supporting cutting-edge research into what’s most likely to motivate people to give—especially in these suddenly and drastically altered circumstances. The findings will be shared throughout Bay Area organizations and across the country.

Getting Our Community’s Dollars Where They’re Needed Most Times like these also mean that it’ll be especially important to ensure that foundations and donors alike know where their dollars can meet the greatest needs. There’ll never be enough, so where can funds make the most difference?

that’s certainly Horizons’ goal—but the only real answers lie with LGBTQ people ourselves. Organizations are crucial. Campaigns and rallies and marches are crucial. But the core of resistance to a hostile administration and all the unlovely forces behind it lies, as it always does, with individuals taking their own stands, singly and together.

There’s no question—none whatever—that we have the capability to do so. We’ve done it so many times before. We’ve done it in the face of discrimination, of naked bigotry, of disease, and of violence. Allies that stand by our sides will be welcome. But in the end it will be, as it always is, up to us.

You can find out more about Horizons Foundation and our programs at www.horizonsfoundation.org

To help answer this critical question, Horizons is carrying out the most comprehensive assessment of the Bay Area LGBTQ community’s needs in more than 20 years. When results are released next summer, the insights will help not just the foundation, but also community nonprofits and donors alike to judge where to put their support.

If you’d like information about increasing the impact of your own giving, please contact our Vice President of Development, Deb Stallings, at dstallings@horizonsfoundation.org

Horizons also works directly with hundreds of individual donors every year to help them identify where their giving can have the most impact— and further donors’ own deepest commitments.

Dr. Marcy Adelman oversees the Aging in Community column. For her summary of current LGBT senior challenges and opportunities, please go to: sf baytimes.com/ challenges-and-opportunties

None of these things, of course, is in itself adequate to the challenge staring at all of us. They will help—and

Roger Doughty is president of Horizons Foundation, the Bay Area’s LGBTQ community foundation.

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Vertrumpt!

Examined Life Tom Moon, MFT Because this is a mental health column, I usually avoid political commentary, and I’ll try not to do too much now. But this week the subject is how we’re responding psychologically to Donald Trump, and how politics and mental health overlap.

My personal view of Trump’s character was best summed-up by the incomparable Charles Blow, who recently wrote in the New York Times, “Donald Trump is a vulgar, uninformed, anti-intellectual, extremely unpopular grifter helming a family of grifters who apparently intend to milk their moment on the mount for every red cent.” I also share Carl Bernstein’s view of Trump as “authoritarian” with a “pathological disdain for the truth.” I believe that he suffers from a severe character disorder (Narcissistic Personality Disorder), that he is dangerously unstable, and

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that he represents a clear and present danger to the country and to the world. I believe that it is the duty of every citizen who sees what is happening to use all legal and nonviolent tools available to us to protect and defend those he targets, and to oppose, resist, and thwart this regime.

The reason that politics and mental health overlap where Trump is concerned is that this administration is profoundly stressful to almost anyone who isn’t delusional and is paying attention (and that includes many of his supporters), and we’re going to have to manage this stress for however long this dark time in American history lasts. I have pitifully few suggestions for how to do this, because I’m still trying to find my own way, but here are a few ideas: First, if you’re fearful, angr y or stressed, understand that your reactions are normal. More than half of Americans (57 percent) say the current political climate is a very or somewhat significant source of stress, and nearly half (49 percent) say the same about the outcome of the election, according to an American Psychological Association poll conducted in January.

Katherine Nordal, PhD, APA’s executive director for professional practice, commented, “The stress we’re seeing around political issues is deeply concerning, because it’s hard for Americans to get away from it. We’re surrounded by conversations, news and social media that constantly remind

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us of the issues that are stressing us the most.” Between August 2016 and January 2017, the overall average reported stress level of Americans rose from 4.8 to 5.1, on a scale where 1 means little or no stress and 10 means a great deal of stress, according to the APA survey. This represents the first significant increase in the 10 years since the Stress in America survey began. At the same time, more Americans said that they experienced physical and emotional symptoms of stress in the prior month, health symptoms that the APA warns could have longterm consequences.

So how do we respond to this stress? I think that the most important thing, above everything else, is to listen to your feelings and to treat them with respect. You’re not “overreacting,” you aren’t a “snowf lake,” you don’t need to “suck it up,” and your feelings aren’t misleading you. It really is as bad as it seems. If you believe, as I do, that this presidency is a serious threat, then you must also believe that you have a moral obligation not to compromise with it, and not to buy into the tendency of too many to normalize this abnormal situation. Listen to what your heart tells you, and stand in defense of the truth as you understand it. This is what it means to behave normally in an abnormal situation.

That said, the very gravity of the moment may be a good reason to limit exposure to the media. We do have to be informed in order to resist effectively, but the obligation to know

what is happening doesn’t mean that we have to stay plugged in 24/7. For many of us, following all the minutiae of this train wreck is almost an addiction. It’s as if our internal emergency buttons have gotten stuck in the “on” position, and we spend hours every day keeping ourselves in states of agitation, fear, and anger—maybe because it feels too dangerous to look away.

want to move away from, but remember what we want our destination to be. In saying no to hate and intolerance, we must also say yes to compassion and kindness, and demonstrate our commitment to these values not only by the way we speak, but also by the way we live.

Debating the issues is important, but we should all refuse to participate in any discussions of the “libtard/repug” variety. American political debates on social media in the past decade seem to have degenerated into juvenile rants and name-calling. Such exchanges are demeaning to all who participate in them. They trivialize the important issues being discussed.

They don’t advance causes or change minds, and they are enormously stressful.

Finally, it’s important in times like this to resist cynicism and nihilism.

One of my personal heroes, Howard Zinn, author of the monumental People’s History of the United States, reminds us of how important it is to preserve hope and optimism: “To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future.

The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.”

While we should avoid all forms of hate-speech, it is vitally important that we speak from the best in ourselves. Let’s not just focus on what we

Tom Moon is a psychotherapist in San Francisco. For more information, please visit his website http:// tommoon.net/

It is as if the country and Trump are in a toxic relationship. He’s the abusive partner who sucks all of the air out of the room, and it’s a victory to be able to refocus our attention on our own well-being for even a moment.

Set your intention to do something every day to relax and self-soothe—exercise, spend time outdoors, meditate, walk, or just be quiet. This is an especially important time to take good care of ourselves.

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S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES M ARC H 9, 2017

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The Write Calligrapher for You

By Sally Laporta Do you want to make a far better first impression with your wedding than your friends have done?

The outer envelope of your invitations may be handwritten by anyone, or computer generated, or you can dazzle your guests with hand-crafted calligraphy. Monks of Age Calligraphy has been serving brides and grooms since 1980, and hand-scribes calligraphy from traditional to funky and contemporary script. We will match your pre-printed invitation script, and will email a sample to you upon request.

To go above and beyond simply dazzling your guests with your invitation envelopes addressed in calligraphy, why not really awe them with calligraphy throughout your entire invitation package? You can have your whole invitation in script or a combination of hand-crafted calligraphy, and hard-edged type. Yet a step beyond that is to have your names die-cut in calligraphy! If you can dream it, Monks of Age can create it, or work with your vision on an invitation design.

Place cards, menus, programs and signage are available in calligraphy from Monks of Age Calligraphy. Place cards are usually designed around the theme of your wedding. From simple place cards with your guest names in black nuptial script, to guest names scribed on mini-chalkboards, Monks of Age Calligraphy can help enhance the appearance of your reception tables.

Consider incorporating a custom graphic depicting your wedding or reception site for your invitation or program. Monks of Age Calligraphy can prepare an original graphic that will be a lovely addition to your stationery. You may want a nosegay of flowers, or a grapevine drawn for a garden wedding or a wedding at a winery. Previous graphic samples are available upon request.

Signage can run from table names to chalkboard menus to “Just Married” signs. Monks of Age Calligraphy can do script on wood, crockery, or other surfaces to be incorporated into your wedding stationery décor.

A wood panel, sanded down and scribed with your names, can double as a guest book for your guests to sign, and be hung on your wall after your wedding.

So you see, you can have the same-ol’ sameol’ wedding stationery or décor, or you can stand out from the rest by having Monks of Age Calligraphy hand-scribe any or all of your wedding stationery or wedding décor.

See samples at http://www.monksofage. com Sally Laporta has been creating handcrafted custom calligraphy for the public since 1980. With a degree in fine arts, Sally has been fortunate to pursue a career in crafting unique artwork for weddings and special events. Her passions are hiking, Nordic skiing, and just being outdoors in nature. You may contact her at sally@ monksofage.com

Frederick Sullivan and Jaime Botello, who oversee the Weddings & Occasions page for the “San Francisco Bay Times,” are the talented wizards behind Sullivan-Botello Events (http://sullivanbotelloevents. com) and SnB Party Rentals (650-877-0840, www.snbpartyrentals.com). Both are Certified Wedding Planners with extensive experience in creating memorable, personalized events for special occasions. Their rental service is incredible, offering everything from beautiful gold Chiavari chairs to LED dance floors, and all at competitive prices. They are the creators of the Gay Vanity Wedding Show and are longstanding members of the Golden Gate Business Association, which is the nation’s first LGBT Chamber of Commerce.

Two Luxurious Ways to Treat Yourself If You’re Seeking New Wheels height of the crossover Jaguar, or the sleek lines of the sedan Volvo?

Auto Philip Ruth

Mention Jaguar, and beautifullystyled sedans come to mind, while Volvo reminds one of safety-first wagons and crossovers. But their dresses have been swapped, and so the Jaguar F-Pace and Volvo S90 present their takes on roles that seem at first unfamiliar.

T he F-Pace is Jaguar’s first crossover. It’s based on a modular car platform, and the FPace is a far cry from the low-cut Jags of years past. Its wide open and finely-tined grille got an outsized amount of attention, and you could see the gears turning onlookers’ heads to reconcile this Jag’s unexpected shape.

Be forewarned that the F-Pace also picked up focused gazes from within just about every SFPD and CHP cruiser it passed; the F-Pace’s styling is striking enough that you’d be advised to mind your Ps and Qs after you fire it up.

Both the Jaguar F-Pace and Volvo S90 start at just a bit less than $52,000, so they present two distinct ways to scratch your upscale itch.

Do you want the roominess and ride

That’s not as easy as it sounds, as the F-Pace has plenty of that good ol’ Jaguar silkiness. The F-Pace’s 3.0-liter V6 ribbons out 340 supercharged horses through an eager automatic

“You’re born naked, and the rest is drag,” according to mega-diva RuPaul, whose timeless quote rings with absolute truth. It applies to this month’s two luxury vehicles, because fans of these brands wouldn’t necessarily associate the names with what they’re stuck to.

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Would you even want a Jaguar with a truck’s propor t ions? A nd wou ld you by pass BMW, Audi, MercedesBenz, Lexus and Cadillac to buy an executive car with a Volvo logo on its snout? After spending a week with both, I can report that there are compelling reasons to give both of these contenders a good look.

Jaguar F-Pace

Volvo S90

transmission with eight speeds and paddle shifters. Steering response is creamy yet direct, and the suspension admirably steadied the tested F-Pace as I threaded its two tons through traffic.

By comparison, the Volvo S90 has its own set of virtues, but first among them is not performance. Volvo made a bold move to equip its premium sedan with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine instead of a torquey V6. The Volvo’s four is both supercharged and turbocharged, and its 316-horsepower rating isn’t far from the Jag’s, but it lends the S90 a small engine feel.

That’s appropriate for a compact se(continued on page 26)

S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY   T IM ES M ARC H 9, 2017

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE DE YOUNG AND LEGION OF HONOR

Bouquets to Art 2017 At the de Young, March 14–19 Spring officially begins on March 20, but you’ll find the spirit and intoxicating floral scents of this hopeful season at Bouquets to Art 2017, an ephemeral display of flower and other plant arrangements created by more than 120 of the Bay Area’s most innovative and sought-after f loral designers. Now in its 33rd year, this highly anticipated event features a dazzling display of such arrangements inspired by the de Young’s diverse collection of paintings, objects, and sculptures, as well as the architecture of the building.

The exhibition and fundraiser lasts just a week, so be sure not to miss it. All proceeds from Bouquets to Art 2017 will benefit the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

During the exhibition, the galleries will be adorned with elegant and elaborate arrangements, including a large-scale focal piece installed in Wilsey Court, the heart of the de Young museum. Throughout the week, stylish luncheons and pop-up discussions by internationally renowned guest speakers will complement the Bouquets to Art 2017 experience. This year’s guest speakers include Françoise Weeks of European Floral Design; Elizabeth Murray, author of Monet’s Passion; Stephen Wicks and Mark Welford of Bloomsbury Flowers; Ariella Chezar of Ariella Flowers; and Riccardo Benavides, founder of Ideas Event Styling.

Floral display by Isabella Boyer Sikaffy of Burlingame. Artwork: Margaret Glapp, ‘No. 4,’ 1926. Photograph by Drew Altizer.

All images courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

2016 Floral display by Twigs and Stems. Artwork: Nicolas Africano, ‘Untitled,’ 2006. Photograph by Drew Altizer.

Floral display by Plumweed Floral and Event Design.

Artwork: Robert Henri, ‘Lady in Black with Spanish Scarf,’ 1910.

Photograph by Greg A. Lato

Visitors also can join an on-site raffle of luxury goods and services, and purchase bouquets from a Parisianstyle flower cart sponsored by Stargazer Barn. Members-only viewing hours will be available Wednesday and Thursday nights from 6 to 8 p.m., and photography-free hours will take place Wednesday through Friday mornings from 9:30 a.m. to noon. (Unless you want to snap away, we recommend going at those photo-free times, since this popular event is often packed with photographers who like to linger in front of the displays.)

The weeklong exhibition launches on Monday, March 14, with Le Beau Jardin—an opening gala inspired by French culture, where guests will enjoy the first viewing of the exhibition. Les Copains D’Abord will provide the evening’s entertainment. Throughout the evening, models will stroll through the reception museum 2016 Floral display by J. Miller Flowers & Gifts.

Artwork: Richard Mayhew, ‘Rhapsody,’ 2002. Courtesy: ACA Galleries, New York.

Photograph by Douglas Sandberg

wearing ensembles created entirely from fresh flowers, designed by students from City College of San Francisco.

For more information on the gala, and programs, please visit https://deyoung.famsf.org/bouquets-art2017?utm_source=Fine+Arts+Museums+of+San+F rancisco+Email+List&utm_campaign=7932a11939general_03-02-17&utm_medium=email&utm_

Trans Activist Rexy Amaral Returns to Her Alma Mater, Mission High, to Educate and Help Students

By Jenn Bowman (Editor’s Note: Teacher Jenn Bowman of San Francisco’s Mission High School is teaching LGBTQ Studies.

In this column, Bowman’s students share their thoughts about LGBTQrelated matters, including their concerns, what they have learned in class and more. The following piece was written by Blanca, who is in the 10th Grade.)

Last week, Rexy Amaral, an LGBTQ+ activist and former Mission student, came to talk with us about the work she has been doing with Somos Familia and the GSA Network.

She also described what it was like to be a trans student at Mission.

It was really interesting to hear about Somos Familia. I could really relate to why the work that they are doing is so important to the Latino community. Somos Familia offers education and support for LGBTQ+ families in both English and Spanish. It is for those with loved ones who are coming 12

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“You were born a guy so you should stay a guy.” This reminds me of the things I have been taught in my own family. My family is from Mexico, and they are very religious. When I was young, I liked to dress in baggy

Student Voices out or transitioning. Rexy told us that the machismo attitude that is a part of the Latino community makes it especially difficult for some Latino people who don’t fit the old-fashioned binary role of boy or girl.

Rexy described a time when her own mom had gone to a workshop presented by Somos Familia. Her mom came home and told Rexy, “I learned so much and I know that a person’s gender is different than their sexuality.”

Rexy laughed about this, and told us that she was surprised her mother had learned so much.

Not all of Rexy’s family is so accepting. Some family members tell her,

(continued on page 26) Jenn Bowman, a history teacher at Mission High School, is a queer woman, activist, scholar, and queercore lover. With a small group of teachers, she took part in the initial LGBTQ Studies pilot class from 2010-11 in collaboration with the SF LGBTQ Center. This pilot, which offered a class for students on Saturdays at the Center, led to a 2010 school board resolution that promoted the expansion of LGBTQ Studies across high schools.

GILBERT BAKER, Rainbow Flag Creator, Profiled by Pink Triangle Project Founder Patrick Carney

Our Enduring LGBTQ Symbols

A half-year later, Gilbert began sewing an additional color onto his original 8-color design, thereby creating a 9-color version of his famous f lag, illustrating we are now f irmly in resistmode to Trump. He remarked, “Trump takes us back 300 years.” Gilbert has wanted to add lavender for “diversity” to the f lag for quite some time, and the new president’s ascension (via the antiquated Electoral College) made for perfect timing.

Shortly after the Rainbow Flag was introduced commercially, my graphic-designer boyfriend had a rainbow flag hanging off his front porch. I asked if he made it and what it meant. He was surprised I didn’t know the story behind the “gay flag” or “freedom flag,” as he called it. Gilbert Baker, the self-described Betsy Ross of the gay movement, created the Rainbow Flag in 1978. Harvey Milk approached Gilbert to create something that would symbolize the community to fulfill Milk’s message of “hope.” Gilbert knew it had to be a flag since “flags have power, flags say something.” Gilbert reflects, “I love to sew. My craft is my activism. I had no money. I wanted to dress like the rock stars in the 70s, so I had to learn to sew to be able to express myself.”

Years later I feel fortunate to count Gilbert Baker as not only a friend, but also a loyal supporter of the Pink Triangle project, which I have presented and organized

“The Rainbow Flag functions as a symbol because it’s beautiful, it comes from nature, it expresses our love; it expresses something really positive.” -Gilbert Baker on Twin Peaks as a visible, yet mute, reminder of man’s inhumanity toward man. This Holocaust symbol of hatred represented our community for so long, until Gilbert Baker created a new, uplifting symbol of hope.

PHOTO BY RINK

“We need another color to represent diversity in the age of Trump.” So began Gilbert Baker in a recent conversation. What a difference a few months make.

In June, President Obama met with Gilbert in the Blue Room of the White House, where Gilbert presented Obama with a framed Rainbow Flag. It was followed by a ceremony in the ornate East Room to celebrate Pride Month. Gilbert was one of the few offered a private meeting with the president. It was a scene illustrative of how far the LGBTQ community has come over the decades.

When the Pink Triangle began, it soon became clear that many didn’t know its tragic origin, therefore I founded the accompanying annual Commemoration Ceremony that follows each installation. Those ceremonies still go on to this day, and I am honored to say Gilbert Baker has been present for many of them. For over two decades, the gigantic Pink Triangle has hovered

“This is not fashion. It’s a warning,” Gilbert Baker said about his installation, Untitled Samples 2017, exhibited recently at the AIDS Health Foundation-Castro.

The original rainbow flag in 1978 at United Nations Plaza in San Francisco’s Civic Center

How does Gilbert see the connection between the Rainbow Flag and the Pink Triangle? He recently told the New York Times: “The Rainbow Flag functions as a symbol because it’s Patrick Carney and Gilbert Baker at the Pink Triangle installation site on beautiful, it comes from Twin Peaks in 2003 nature, it expresses our love; it expresses something really positive. Up until the Rainbow Flag, the Pink Triangle was used to identify gay people, but it comes from Hitler! It comes from a really negative place. We need to remember that. It’s happening again! The Rainbow Flag is the answer to that.”

Gilbert’s recent Holocaust themed “Untitled Series” exhibit, which included several concentration-camplike uniforms with large pink triangles affixed, was quite controversial. As a result, he received a lot of feedback, including numerous negative comments. He spent a great deal of time on his “Untitled Series.” He says the uniforms are well made and well researched, and he was meticulous with the details. He calls it some of his finest sewing ever, and compares the quality of the craftsmanship to haute couture.

He wanted to scare people viewing the exhibit, so using a high level of accuracy was imperative. Some people

PHOTO BY RINK

The Rainbow Flag and the Pink Triangle go handin-hand as iconic symbols of the LGBTQ movement.

The Pink Triangle is a remnant from one of the darkest chapters in human history, while the Rainbow Flag is, in contrast, positive and relatively new, having been born out of hope and optimism. The former is commemorative and the latter aspirational. They are the yin-yang of the LGBTQ community, at opposite ends of the positive-negative spectrum. Yes, the Pink Triangle has been usurped by the gay community as a symbol of defiance, courage, strength and pride, but its tragic history will always define how it is remembered.

The Rainbow flag, however, will be forever known as a positive symbol without associations of past tragedy and hatred. It is a ubiquitous and hopeful emblem known around the world for gay liberation.

each year for 22 years on top of Twin Peaks. Gilbert has attended four of the Pink Triangle ceremonies.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PATRICK CARNEY

By Patrick Carney

(continued on page 14)

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence at the 1982 Cable Car Awards with Gilbert Baker in the foreground.

S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES M ARC H 9, 2017

PHOTO BY RINK

Gilbert Baker in drag as “Busty Ross”

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Gilbert Baker (third from left) celebrating New Year’s Eve 1985 on Castro Street with friends

Pride Marshals Olga Talamante, Sister Roma, Gilbert Baker and Dot Jones at the annual SF Pride Brunch on Pink Saturday 2012

looked at it and immediately rejected it, saying things along the lines of “The Shoah was so terrible, you just don’t go there. It cannot be used for entertainment or fashion.” Gilbert insists it isn’t fashion, but is art and is a warning. One woman even demanded he remove the display: “Oh please, take that down. Some things you simply do not touch. It’s a belittlement of history.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF GILBERT BAKER

PHOTO BY RINK

PHOTO COURTESY OF GILBERT BAKER

GILBERT BAKER, Rainbow Flag Creator, Profiled by Pink Triangle Project Founder Patrick Carney

The Rainbow Flag is presented on 5th Avenue in the NYC Pride Parade celebrating Stonewall 25

He says art sometimes has to be controversial in order to have an effect. “Art is politics,” he explains. Receiving a negative reaction sometimes brings in more people to look at a work. A negative reaction can get people to think of the horror that occurred. It isn’t the art that is bad. It is the fact that the original act was allowed to occur in the first place. As with the gigantic Pink Triangle display on Twin Peaks, an ‘in your face’ tactic is sometimes needed in order to get people’s attention long enough for them to become curious and to be open to learning about unpleasant chapters in human history. The fact that gays were part of the Holocaust and were included on the long list of “undesirables” targeted for extermination isn’t known by much of the population, and is why the huge Twin Peaks display has continued so long.

San Francisco Pride Parade 2015

PHOTO COURTESY OF GILBERT BAKER

“We have put our whole lives into changing society, but we are just starting.” -Gilbert Baker

Another recent project of Gilbert’s was sewing the “Equality Across America” banner used in the National Equality March. He also personally hand-dyed each colored stripe and sewed them together to make the flag used in the recent ABC miniseries When We Rise. He said that his favorite line in the miniseries is “when the actor playing my character says, ‘What’s wrong with the Pink Triangle? Hitler!’”

Only 80 years ago, the “Degenerate Art Exhibition” opened in Germany. Hitler called out the ‘chatterboxes, dilettantes and art swindlers’ and called the art ‘cultural disintegration.’ Much of the art was gathered up and burned two years later. Gilbert says, “For Hitler, it was simple.

He only had to go after the papers and radio, and could then get away with what he desired.

Trump has to face a much more expanded media, but, on his side, he has Fox News, Twitter followers, Facebook trolls and an army of fake news assistants. His chief strategist made a career of attacking others.”

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PHOTO COURTESY OF GILBERT BAKER

He is horrified by some of the things he has seen.

He says, “Walking down Castro Street, I can’t pay my rent, but I see rainbow dildos in the shop windows and rainbow keychains, rainbow rings, rainbow candles and so on.” He said it is similar to when the best music ends up as elevator music. He is gratified that the power of the rainbow caught on as rings, but that power can be diluted by over-commercialization.

Gilbert Baker enjoying the SF Pride Media Party in 2015

Gilbert also has no love for former President Clinton, whom he says “threw us under the bus.” He also doesn’t think Feinstein has been on the frontlines either. However, he says, “Thank you Joe Biden!” The former vice president called for marriage equality before most, and helped Obama to evolve on the issue. He has praise for Nancy Pelosi as well, whom he says is always with us and helped him by hiring him to make flags for the 1984 Democratic National Convention when it was held in San Francisco.

What else does Gilbert’s think about the current situation in this nation? “America loves bullies and America loves violence,” he says.

“Pick up the newspapers and nearly every week it seems there is another transgender murder.

Never ending hate. That is our challenge; that is what we are fighting. War on the media, war on the justice system and the ‘so-called’ judges.

For the first time in my life, I am serious about a ‘plan B’. I don’t want to live in fear.”

If there is a chance of war, he doesn’t want to be living in New York City, as he is sure it will be a target again. He says, “San Francisco still has civility, but New York is nuts.” He lived in San Francisco for 23 years; as of this year it has also been 23 years he has lived in New York City.

He shared that he ideally wants to live in the country with a boyfriend. When asked where that countryside might be, he said, “Fire Island or Malibu.”

PHOTO BY JOHN CALDERA

The process of creating the “Untitled Series” Holocaust uniforms was cathartic for Gilbert.

“As I was sewing, it was very Zen. I was thinking about the gays in the concentration camps who were forced to sew uniforms for other prisoners,” he says. Gilbert channeled all of that energy and put in the extra effort to make the uniforms as accurate and well-made as he could. He adds, “Parallel that to today. China produces more rainbow flags than anyone. My nightmare is there is a factory with nearly slave labor, forced to live within the factory complex and get up every morning and have to churn out more and more rainbow tchotchkes.” He says he didn’t create the rainbow flag in order for others to profit off of “rainbow junk.”

PHOTO BY RINK

Not one to back down, Gilbert wrote back: “No. I will not; its art and it’s a warning. It could happen again, starting with just your kind of art censorship. Open your mind to what’s happening now.”

When Gilbert first came west, he lived in Occidental near Bodega Bay in a house with many others. It had no electricity and he would read by kerosene lamps. Now, however, he likes soft pillows and soft smooth sheets–no more roughing it. He said he has traveled enough to see the world, and knows how rich he is for having done that. He remarked he is lucky he is white, male and American, because that makes it eas-

Gilbert Baker’s sewing machine used to create the original Rainbow Flag in 1978

ier to travel wherever he wants to without being questioned. He says, “That is the sad state of things and it isn’t right, but it is a fact.” He now lives in Harlem, and feels very fortunate to be a part of the community he has joined.

He spoke of the struggle after Stonewall and the decades since, and mentioned one area in which we never seem to succeed. “We have to confront Christian right-wing hate. Every time we try, we never get them. People in power with high positions and powerful voices won’t challenge the hate. Follow the money. The Battleground is evangelical religions. Trump will do certain things only because he owes the evangelicals. So much for ‘States Rights’; they do what suits their agenda. It really is a ‘Brave New World’ and we have to be smart, we can’t let our attention down.”

People resisted in stronger ways in the 1960s, he says. People will physically have to challenge the government. “We have to take a strong, aggressive, powerful stance to protect our bodies.” He then quoted Madonna: “Better to live one year as a tiger than a hundred as sheep.”

Her take on the ancient Tibetan maxim is the only quote Gilbert insisted be in this article.

I hear people talk about the “death of outrage,” so I asked Gilbert what he thought of that concept. “Large sections of the population don’t care about discrimination or even outside interference into our election,” he replied. Gilbert stated incredulously his shock when learning an estimated 20–24 percent of gays voted for Trump. “There is a lot to do this coming year to talk about diversity. Sharing our struggle with others’ struggles. Women are not valued and Blacks are not welcome. We have to get over that; that is what we have to work on. There is a lot of sexism and racism in the community.

We certainly needed women when AIDS came

Gilbert Baker (right) with Sisters in 1981 at the Lesbian/Gay Parade Committee Immigration Protest on Golden Gate Bridge

PHOTO BY RINK

Gilbert Baker (center) and Sisters Sadie and Salvation Army at a Lesbian/Gay Parade Committee disco party in 1982

PHOTO BY RINK

PHOTO COURTESY OF PATRICK CARNEY

Presenting the Gilbert Baker Pride Founder’s Award to Patrick Carney and The Pink Triangle Project in 2015

Gilbert Baker’s new 2017 version of the Rainbow Flag

along. Where would we have been without them? Where would we be now?

We are one community!”

PHOTO COURTESY OF GILBERT BAKER

Gilbert says he can sleep well at night because he knows he has done all he can do and continues to do so. In 2011, he suffered a stroke. He has difficulty walking and says he can barely sew, though he puts in the extra effort to be sure it is done right. The stroke certainly hasn’t dimmed his inner fire.

“We have put our whole lives into changing society, but we are just starting,” he says. “This is an inter-generational process.”

Next year is the 40th anniversary of the Rainbow Flag. He is planning an exhibition at San Francisco International Airport. We discussed possibly working together on an exhibition titled “Enduring and Iconic Symbols of the LGBTQ Community: The Rainbow Flag and the Pink Triangle.” He suggested we start planning in April. The two symbols will be juxtaposed and intertwined as they represent the full range of the LGBTQ experience, from hatred, persecution and death, to all the beauty, love, hope and magic of nature and rainbows.

Gilbert hopes to be able to be on hand to attend and speak at the 22nd Pink Triangle on Twin Peaks the weekend of June 24–25. He suspects this will be a big year, as there is much to talk about during the ceremony, with resistance escalating in this age of Trump. I suspect many in the community share his urgency.

Cleve Jones and Gilbert Baker on February 20 at the Castro Theatre screening of When We Rise

PHOTO BY RINK

Patrick Carney is a Co-Founder of The Friends of the Pink Triangle. The group, with the help of many dedicated volunteers, constructs a gigantic pink triangle on Twin Peaks each year during the last weekend in June.

Carney, who worked on the restoration of San Francisco City Hall, was appointed to the City Hall Preservation Advisory Commission in 2013.

PHOTO BY RINK

Internet: gilbertbaker.com and thepinktriangle.com

Gilbert Baker congratulates Hydie Downer who was married to her wife just moments before on the Main Stage at SF Pride on June 28, 2015.

S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES M ARC H 9, 2017

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The Healing Power of Friendship ering helped us to deepen our bonds of friendship while providing muchneeded comradery and stress relief.

Roland Schembari and Bill Hartman, Co-Founders Randy Alfred, Founding News Editor 1978

2261 Market Street, No. 309 San Francisco CA 94114 Phone: 415-601-2113 525 Bellevue Avenue Oakland CA 94610 E-mail: editor@sfbaytimes.com www.sfbaytimes.com

The Bay Times was the first newspaper in California, and among the first in the world, to be jointly and equally produced by lesbians and gay men.

We honor our history and the paper’s ability to build and strengthen unity in our community.

The Bay Times is proud to be the only 100% LGBT funded and owned newspaper for the LGBT community in San Francisco.

Dr. Betty L. Sullivan Jennifer L. Viegas Co-Publishers & Co-Editors

Abby Zimberg Beth Greene

Design & Production

Kate Laws

Business Manager

Blake Dillon Calendar Editor

Kit Kennedy Poet-In-Residence J.H. Herren Technology Director Carla Ramos Web Coordinator Mario Ordonez Juan Ordonez Distribution

CONTRIBUTORS Writers Rink, Sister Dana Van Iquity, Ann Rostow, Kirsten Kruse, Kate Kendell, Alex Randolph, Heidi Beeler, Gary M. Kramer, Dennis McMillan, Tom Moon, Tim Seelig, Cinder Ernst, John Chen Rafael Mandelman, Kit Kennedy, Phil Ting, Rebecca Kaplan, Leslie Katz, Philip Ruth, Bill Lipsky, Karen Williams, Donna Sachet, Gary Virginia, Zoe Dunning, Marcy Adelman, Stuart Gaffney & John Lewis Brandon Miller, Jamie Leno Zimron Thom Watson, Michele Karlsberg Lyndsey Schlax, Elisa Quinzi, Elizabeth River, Debra Walker, Wendy Ross, Howard Steiermann

Living the Laughter Lifestyle Karen Williams, M.Ed. When I was a child playing outdoors in The Bronx, we used to sing rhymes. One of my favorite went like this: “Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver and the other is gold!”

I am a big believer in the healing power of friendship. I love meeting new pals and I keep my old friends close.

Recently I hosted a Ladies Luncheon, which I created as a way to get some of my friends together. I know a lot of people from various parts of my life, and it was delightful for me to have a dozen of them in the same room … laughing, talking, eating, and laughing some more.

I have to admit that I’d never experienced a couple of my close pals the way I did at that luncheon. They were loud, free-spirited and mischievous, and almost turned my well-intentioned gathering into a roast of me. Yet the joy was unmistakable, even as we ribbed and teased one another. I felt totally fulfilled, confident in my belief that such a gath-

Photographers Rink, Phyllis Costa, Jane Higgins Paul Margolis, Chloe Jackman, Bill Wilson, Jo-Lynn Otto, Sandy Morris, Abby Zimberg

ADVERTISING Display Advertising Standard Rate Cards are available online at sfbaytimes.com or calling: 415-503-1375 Custom ad sizes are available. Please inquire! The Bay Times reserves the right to reject any advertising at the discretion of the publishers.

National Advertising: Contact Bay Times / San Francisco.

Represented by Rivendell Media: 908-232-2021 Circulation is verified by an independent agency Reprints by permission only.

CALENDAR Event listings for consideration to be included in the Bay Times online or print Calendar section should be sent by e-mail to: calendar@sfbaytimes.com. © 2017 Bay Times Media Company Co-owned by Betty L. Sullivan & Jennifer L. Viegas

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“Friendship is the most beautiful, most powerful, and most valuable treasure in life. It is your true wealth.

No matter how much status a person may gain or how rich one may become, a life without friends is indeed sad and lonely; it also leads to an unbalanced, self-centered existence.”

Part of my journey is to move beyond a “self-centered existence” and to create a centered self, where I am able to give full expression to all parts of me while fully honoring who you are. Nurturing my friendships gives me ample opportunities to see myself in others, to emulate behaviors that I find admirable, and to be a good friend to another. Honesty, openmindedness, willingness, trust, and respect are attributes that I value in myself and in my close friends. Daisaku Ikeda continues: “It’s important to understand that friendship depends on you, not on the other person. It all comes down to your own attitude and contribution.

I hope you will not be a fair-weather friend, only helping others when circumstances are good and leaving them high and dry when some problem occurs; instead, please become the kind of person who sticks by their friends with unchanging loyalty through thick and thin.”

Such guidance resonates deeply within my own life, because I strive

Karen with Alyson Palmer of the music group BETTY

to live a contributive existence. My true friends serve as guides along my journey of discovery, as I challenge myself to find the best way to live my own glorious life.

I also pride myself on being a loyal, steadfast and reliable friend. I love that I can be counted on to be there in the tough times as well as the good ones. And no one ap- Karen (front center) with performers and producers at the Provincetown Women’s Weekend preciates a great big laugh more than I do! To belly number of people, and that I am aclaugh out loud with good friends is tively engaged in a dynamic and harheaven on earth! monious community of good friends.

“If you always remain sincere in your We have each other’s back. And interactions with others, you will one frankly, what can be more healing day naturally come to find yourself and loving than that? surrounded by good friends,” Ikeda Namaste! writes. “And from among those people, you’ll forge lifelong friendships © 2017 Karen Williams that are as strong and unshakable as Karen Williams is a really good a towering tree.” friend. She’d love to hear your I live the most fortunate life in that I thoughts about friendship. Conget to experience many, many won- tact her at karenwilliamscomic@ derful encounters with an infinite gmail.com

PHOTOS COURTESY OF KAREN WILLIAMS

Of course, in that highly organized style that I have, I not only distributed a well-designed menu of Ladies Luncheon choices, but also shared the following “Thoughts on Friendship” by my mentor, Daisaku Ikeda (from his book Discussions on Youth), on a separate handout:

Kim Corsaro Publisher 1981-2011

GLBT Fortnight in Review

By Ann Rostow

Turning in the Widening Gyre Friends, I have no idea where to start this column (and as a result, I am well behind on my deadline—shhh, don’t tell my editor). My thoughts turn again to Yeats’ iconic ode: “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold … the best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.”

I guess what strikes me most as the President slouches towards the first tee in Palm Beach is the backdrop of North Korea aiming four ballistic missiles at our military bases in Japan while our country turns its attention to gutting health care, attacking Muslims, dropping regulations on clean water, providing access to guns by people with mental illness, planning a redundant border wall, undermining sensible trade agreements, slashing discretionary spending, and populating high positions of government with inexperienced ideologues.

All of this is under the direction of a barely literate child, a tiny taloned falcon who no longer hears the falconer.

Okay, I think the poetic references have run their course. And by now, you all know that we have a major development on our books this week, to wit the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to vacate our transgender rights victory and send the case of Gavin Grimm back to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Grimm, a Virginia high school student, won the right to use the boy’s facilities a year ago in a case that had been picked for review by the High Court and scheduled for arguments on March 28. Not only has the Court dumped the case, but it has also nullified Grimm’s appellate court win and told the Fourth Circuit to start over.

We can’t really blame the justices.

One of their main questions was whether or not the Fourth Circuit panel was obligated to follow the Obama administration’s interpretation of sex discrimination under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Title IX bans sex bias in public schools and colleges, and Obama’s team determined that this ban encompassed transgender bias as well.

Now, Trump’s people have revoked that view, and announced that the scope of Title IX will be subject to further consideration. That decision eviscerates the Fourth Circuit opinion, which said that since the courts were duty bound to follow government guidance when a law is ambiguous, Obama’s analysis dictated their conclusion.

Leaving aside this technical matter of deference, it’s true that federal laws banning discrimination “because of sex” are ambiguous where transgender rights are concerned. Hey, I don’t think they’re ambiguous and neither do our GLBT lawyers, but we still have to make that case before the federal appellate bench and the High Court. We were well on our way before we landed on the black square that sent us back ten moves.

But, we’re still on our way. Now we will be asking the Fourth Circuit to decide for itself whether transgender Americans are protected. The panel can no longer lean on someone else for their assessment, and indeed, the Trump Education Department has offered no formal guidance one way or another; they’ve just retracted Obama’s trans-friendly position. The silver lining is that if the Fourth Circuit rules for us again, they will do so with a much stronger precedent. The cloud is that this process will take a

long time (and, of course, we could lose if we get a conservative panel).

Scrutinize This The Grimm case leads the news, but it’s not the only transgender rights lawsuit that has been lost or hobbled by the Trump administration. In a nutshell, every suit involving the U.S. government is effectively off the table. That includes the two multi-state challenges to the aforementioned Obama Title IX policy, which are now moot, as well as the Obama Justice Department’s suit against North Carolina’s bathroom bill.

We are left, however, w it h t he ACLU/Lambda suit against North Carolina’s anti-trans law, HB2. An injunction in that suit, which goes far beyond Title IX, is tentatively scheduled for review by our buddies in the Fourth Circuit this May. Meanwhile, a federal court in Pennsylvania recently ruled that transgender students who had long been using the high school bathrooms of their choice could not be summarily banned from those facilities. This ruling was based, not on Title IX, but on the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution, in part because the school district could not legally explain away the motive for its sudden change in policy. (Hint: outraged parents coming forward, just as they did in the Grimm case, do not a legitimate public interest make.)

The February 27 ruling is the latest of several federal court transgender victories based both on Title IX and on Equal Protection, and provides hope that our new headwinds will not necessarily forestall our progress.

Keep in mind that sex discrimination cases are evaluated with heightened scrutiny under the Equal Pro-

tection Clause, a level of review that is difficult for our foes to surmount.

Of course, a conservative court can always dismiss the very premise that trans cases amount to sex discrimination, much the way one infamous court ruled back in the day that transgender workers were not harmed because of their “sex,” but because of their “change of sex.”

And lest we assume that the T has crowded the GLB completely out of the judicial venue, the Texas Supreme Court heard arguments March 1 on a krazy kase that I have been loath to cover due to its sheer lunacy. Unfortunately, I have no choice because the case is here, it’s been argued, and it will be decided in June. I am speaking, as you may recall, about the Texas government’s insistence that just because same-sex couples can marry, that doesn’t mean that these couples must be granted the benefits of marriage. My state’s elected leaders argue that the city of Houston has the right to dole out insurance coverage to straight married couples but not gay ones, because the Supreme Court ruled on marriage, but not marriage rights.

Conventional wisdom says the effort is a scheme to get marriage rights back before the Supreme Court, and give the justices a chance to revise or somehow undermine their June, 2015, marriage equality decision. Even with Gorsuch on board, the plan is hopeless. But add another Trump justice and it becomes terrifying.

Pando! Stop Barking!

W hy c a n’t W i k i L e a k s r e le a s e Trump’s taxes or the transcript of some nefarious dialogue from the vast rightwing conspirators? I’m tired of CIA and national security leaks and

John Podesta’s emails. By the way, did anyone notice that we all perused tens of thousands of emails from Clinton, the DNC and Podesta, without finding one scandal? The worst things we discovered were a few snarky remarks about Bernie Sanders and the news that Donna Brazile told the Clinton camp that someone in a town hall debate was going to ask her about the death penalty.

Do you think that an email dump from Trump, the RNC and Paul Manafort would survive months of evaluation by the American media and come out clean in the end?

Wouldn’t you love to put that question to the test?

Every few lines I want to stop what I’m writing and type out a primal scream in all bold caps. Naturally I continue to resist this unprofessional impulse, but I just wanted to make all of you aware of my internal struggle.

Where were we? Gay law, perhaps?

You should know that the High Court once again postponed consideration of the antigay bakery case I’ve been mentioning. The Court is deciding whether or not to put this Colorado-based lawsuit on its docket, so we are watching with interest. And mark your calendar for Some Time in April, when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit will hear arguments in the case against Mississippi’s so-called religious freedom law. That statute has been blocked by a lower court, and that decision, in turn, will be heard by a three-judge panel.

For the record, my elderly pug has decided to spend the morning yapping at me incessantly. She is deaf, so can’t hear me yelling at her to stop. (continued on page 26)

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Sister Dana Sez: Words of Wisdumb from a Fun Nun

Sister Dana sez, “I hope after drinking copious amounts of green beer on St. Patrick’s Day, they don’t find me in an Irish blackout chasing after an imaginary leprechaun for his pot of gold! Faith and begorrah!”

Transgender and gender non-conforming (GNC) youth joined together with community organizations and allies from across the Bay Area to rally in front of San Francisco City Hall on February 23. The purpose of “SHOW UP 4 TRANS YOUTH” was ​​to protest the Trump Administration’s announcement that the United States Department of Justice and Department of Education would no longer enforce Title IX to ensure that transgender and GNC students are treated equally when accessing gendered facilities in schools.

Trans students and representatives from Bay Area organizations assembled there included GSA Network; LYRIC; San Francisco Unified School District; and Youth Program at the SF LGBT Center. Co-sponsors were AFT Local 2121: City College of San Francisco Faculty Union; Center of Excellence for Transgender Health, UCSF; Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club; National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR; TAJA’s Coalition; TGI Justice; Transgender Law Center, and United Educators of San Francisco.

Two of the stand-out placards read: “Transgender rights are human rights!” and a large transgender pride flag (two light blue stripes, two pink, and one white in the center) with “RESIST!” inscribed over it.

Incidentally, City Hall was lit up in the trans flag colors that weekend to support trans/gnc youth. One of the rallying cries took the old ACT UP chant with a trans slant: “Transgender rights, under attack, what do we do? Act up! Fight back!”

“While this action is done, the work’s not over,” said rally organizer Gwen Park. “We still have lots to do around trans youth and the many other intersecting issues they and we face. Trump & Co. are attacking all the time, and we need to keep fighting!”

Sister Dana sez, “I think it’s appropriate to quote what Prez T-rump tweeted on June 14, 2016: ‘Thank you to the LGBT Community! I will fight for you while Hillary brings in more people that will threaten your freedoms and beliefs.’ He must have somehow made a typo, because he is actually fighting us, not fighting for us.”

Hi, simply hi! It’s your intrepid reportress, Sister Dana from Tinseltown North—nowhere near the red carpet. What was I wearing?

Clothes. I’m happy to report that ACADEMY OF FRIENDS presented their always flawless “37TH ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS NIGHT GALA” at The Midway SF on Oscars night—with 100 percent of ticket sales benefitting HIV/ AIDS services in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In typical Academy of Friends’ fashion, we enjoyed delicious food provided by the Bay Area’s finest restaurants and caterers, wine and champagne by amazing vintners along with a fun way to watch the 18

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I joined Sister Roma and another nun (Sister Rosemary Chicken), drags, devils, and angels at the OASIS for a Falcon video shoot! It was open bar. They were staging a fierce nightclub scene from HELL—a trip to the underground where evil and sex reign. All directed by the fabulous Chi Chi LaRue! Such fun!

KREWE DE KINQUE, San Francisco’s queer Mardi Gras social club and fundraising society, held our annual FAT TUESDAY BUS/BAR CRAWL on actual Mardi Gras (February 28) with our annual party aboard the KdK Party Bus. It was a night to remember with elaborate costumes and masks, hurricane cocktails on the bus, yummy snacks and N’Orleans cuisine, authentic music, and fun bar stops with photo taking and other shenanigans. We gathered at Lookout bar to party a bit and then board the bus. We made bar stops at Trax, Gangway, and SF Eagle—ending our journey at the bar of our origin, The Edge in the Castro, to party on until 2 am. Now that Mardi Gras is over, tradition tells us that Ash Wednesday (day after Fat Tuesday) says we should sacrifice and give up the sins of the flesh for 40 days of Lent. But Krewe de Kinque Queen VII Sister Dana sez, “Mardi Gras is EVERY DAY, and the only sin I will be giving up is guilt!”

BALIF (Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom) held its 37th Annual Gala: “WE WILL RISE!” at Bently Reserve. The fundraiser— co-chaired by Sarah Nicole Davis & John Robert Unruh—helped with law student scholarships, mentor programs, CLE, Amicus briefs on LGBT issues, LGBT recruiting, social events to LGBT lawyers, and community outreach. BALIF presented the Legal Service Award to the CENTER FOR IMMIGRATION PROTECTION. Sister Dana sez, “Congratulations to Her Most Imperial Majesty, Both Merciful and Stern, The Virgin Empress of San Francisco, The Reigning Empress Mercedez Munro and to His Most Imperial Majesty, The Hunter Green Bootylicious Flaming Giraffe Emperor of San Francisco, The Reigning Emperor Nic Hunter! Long live the Emperor and Empress! We are your loyal subjects!”

SISTER DANA SEZ, “EVEN THOUGH OUR COUNTRY’S GOING TO HELL, YOU CAN STILL ENJOY THESE GREAT (continued on page 26)

Sister Dana (right) celebrating with Cleve Jones and Gilbert Baker.

PHOTO BY RINK

By Sister Dana Van Iquity

2017 Oscars. A very special round of applause and hurrahs goes to the fab five who made this all possible: Gil Padia, Board Chair; Matthew Denckla, Vice Chair; Todd Creel, Secretary; Amanda Watson, Gala Chair; and Beth Feingold, Beneficiary Chair; and all the other many, many dedicated volunteers who gave of their time and energy to make this the Best Oscar Night Evah! And may I just say how thrilled I am that Best Picture went to the very first ever LGBTQ Oscar-first (eleven years after the Brokeback Mountain brush-off ) with a powerful affirmation for gay black men in MOONLIGHT. Sister Dana is “over the moon” about that!

Rising LGBT Political Luminary Brian Sims Shares Thoughts Ahead of ‘Wine Train Pride Ride’ Appearance

Cheryl Stotler: Who were some of your early mentors and role models?

Brian Sims: I was lucky enough to grow up in a household where a lot of my role models were real people that I really was able to associate with.

My mom and dad are both retired lieutenant colonels in the Army, and from a very early age it was clear to me that public service was a part of our family’s take on American values.

I was also a big Ben Franklin fan, and grew up with an idealized version of Ben Franklin as maybe being America’s most pivotal founding father. When I moved to Philadelphia, I did get to exercise all of my Ben Franklin nerdiness because this is certainly his city. I now represent Ben Franklin’s f irst district in the Pennsylvania State House.

Cheryl Stotler: Equality in sports seems to be moving at a slower pace than in other fields. What do you think has to happen before we start to see more openly gay individuals in professional sports?

Brian Sims: I think, f irst and foremost, what needs to happen is that we see more openly gay and LGBTQ individuals in college sports, and we’re just beginning to do so. Just in the last few weeks we’ve heard stories of three out college football players.

We’ve heard stories of the most important LGBT football player in the U.S., who is a seventeen-year-old who is about to play football on a full scholarship. We had a trans man win, unfortunately a women’s wrestling tournament, because they wouldn’t let him wrestle biological men. But I think that we have seen from athletes and, to some extent, from coaches and owners the idea that LGBT people and athletes can be embraced, yet it’s still something we’re having a hard time seeing from fans. Presumably every athlete in the U.S. by this point has played on a team with an out person, but fans somehow still have this oddly heterosexualized vision of

Cheryl Stotler: Please compare and contrast the LGBT communities and related political environment in cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with that of the gay communities here in San Francisco and Northern California. How are they the same, and what are some key differences? How might we best learn from each other?

Br ia n Si ms: T h is is a rea l ly interesting question because I have traveled the country, my parents being in the military. I have lived all over the U.S.: from Philadelphia, of course, to Monterey, California, to Eagle River, Alaska. One of the things I am proud to know is how similar people are all across the country. We may call soda and coke and pop and cola something different, but the truth is, I think that most Americans, regardless of where you find yourself in the country, have a lot in common. I see that particularly in the LGBT communities that I visit.

One of the things that I think Philadelphia and San Francisco have in common is a commitment to diversity, but a commitment that isn’t always readily apparent. San Francisco is a city that, like Philadelphia, helped lead the movement for LGBT equality. Philadelphia is a city that I think tries desperately to stay on the forefront of the conversations about racial and ethnic justice in the same way that liberal San Francisco does. Do we always get it right? No, but one of the advantages we have as cities that have seen progressive movements thrive is we can have tough conversations.

What do we have to learn from each other? I hope that San Francisco and (the rest of California) are paying attention to what Philadelphia, what Pittsburg, and what Pennsylvania are doing right now in response to President Trump, in response to a failing federal government. We are rising up. We are rallying. We are marching. We are raging, if you will, against

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WINE TRAIN

Cheryl Stotler: What direction do you hope the LGBT movement takes in this new era under the Trump administration?

Brian Sims: I think this is simple. I think that in response to the Trump era, in response to attacks on all people, not just LGBTQ people, what we are going to see for the very first time is all of this talk of intersectionality becoming action. Intersectional action. The Left often gets accused of having too big of a tent, so big that it sometimes falls over. I think right now our big tent is one of our biggest strengths. The LGBTQ movement has, for years, really battled issues of racial and ethnic diversity, gender equity and immigration. Civil rights are part of these larger equality conversations. I see in LGBT communities all across the country the best-equipped people to rise up in response to the Trump era. We’re going to win because of it.

Cheryl Stotler: We are looking forward to getting to know you more at the upcoming Wine Train Pride Ride. What drew you to this event?

Brian Sims: I have family in and around the Napa Valley area. It’s where my mother comes from, and I have been coming to a little town called Los Gatos, California, pretty much every summer since I was seventeen or eighteen years old. Through college, through law school and as a working adult, I’ve returned especially every March. That was, in part, how I knew California, but it also meant that I knew to come when I ran for Congress and originally when I ran for the State House; I turned to Californians for support. And I think what happened specifically with the Wine Train Pride Ride is that the organizers were looking for somebody who was both (connected) to California but who also could speak to the ideological draw, the ideological background of the Wine Train Pride Ride and I believe that’s why they reached out.

Cheryl Stotler

PHOTO BY SKYE PATTERSON

In a recent interview with me for the San Francisco Bay Times, the Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (D-182) shared his uniquely informed perspective on nationwide social justice issues and how the LGBT community here in Northern California compares to such communities within his present home state.

Br i a n S i m s: It ’s a complicated question, Pride Ride because the over-arching 2016 pressing issue is what’s happening at the federal level. In Pennsylvania, there are not any statewide LGBT civil rights other than marriage, which we got through the courts. The bulk of civil rights that LGBT people enjoy, if they are not lucky enough to live in a city that has municipal LGBT protections, they enjoy because of the federal government, and those are now beginning to crumble. And so I think for all Pennsylvanians, ensuring that there is statewide L GBT non- d i scr i m i n at ion , ensuring that there is a ban on reparative therapy, ensuring that there is anti-bullying legislation is PA State in place are all important. These Representative are all, however, predicated on Brian Sims a strong federal (supportive) the Trump agenda, and hope that is presence in the equality movement something that other states, cities and that we might not now see. municipalities can learn from.

Donna Sachet and Patrik Gallineaux at Pride Ride 2016

Cheryl Stotler: What are some of your favorite places to visit when you are here in Northern California? Please share any memories that you might have of your times here.

Brian Sims: St. Patrick’s Day at C.B. Hannegan’s restaurant in Los Gatos is my happiest place. There are no memories that I have that are better than my years spent working there and celebrating there. It’s even frankly my dog’s namesake! So for me to come back and see family and friends is an amazing part of my California experience.

Cheryl Stotler: What personal and professional goals do you hope to achieve in future?

Brian Sims: That’s a complicated question. I think right now I am, like everybody else, evaluating what my future holds in an era where our country could elect somebody like Donald Trump. My work, and the work of so many of my friends and family for the last ten to fifteen years, has been so geared toward expanding progressive values and ideology. That’s not going to change, but it does look very different than what I expected it would look like at this time. What people can expect to see from me is a redoubling of my commitment to equality across the board, and making sure that, by the time I’m done here, I’m not living in a state that doesn’t want to or isn’t able to protect me, my friends, my family, my neighborhood.

I would like to add that we are in a time when many are looking around and wondering what can we do to help perpetuate change, how can we be agents of change, and how can we help to make a difference in our towns and communities. One of the things

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WINE TRAIN

My colleagues and I were therefore thrilled when Sims agreed to take time out of his busy schedule to be a special guest at the upcoming Wine Train Pride Ride that happens on March 18.

I hope that you will consider attending the memorable event, too. This annual extravaganza, which transports guests through the Napa Valley via a scenic train ride while gourmet food and fine wines are served, supports Bay Area LGBT communities and benefits the Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation. The foundation works to raise funds for HIV/AIDS, hunger and youth services.

Cheryl Stotler: In your opinion, what are the most pressing issues facing the LGBT communities in Pennsylvania now?

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WINE TRAIN

Although he is still under 40, LGBT activist, politician and lawyer Brian Sims has already accomplished so much in his 38 years. For a start, he was the first out LGBT college football captain in NCAA history and the first openly gay elected state legislator in Pennsylvania history.

professional athletics that I think is beginning to fall away pretty quickly.

PHOTO BY SKYE PATTERSON

By Cheryl Stotler

we can all remember is that letting your dollars follow your values is a really important thing. People that support the Wine Train Pride Ride are doing so because they know that this larger message of equality, this larger message of equal rights, this larger message of unanimity in the community is an important one to spread right now. I am extra thankful to the Wine Train and the Pride Ride organizers for recognizing that right now what we can do best is what we have done best in the past, and that’s to come together and loudly proclaim in one voice—or in many voices—that we will not be ignored, that our rights will not be sidestepped, that we are here, and that we are taking our seat at the table.

For tickets and more information about the Wine Train Pride Ride, please visit: http://winetrain.com/package/gaypride/ To learn more about Representative Brian Sims, go to: http://www.pahouse.com/Sims/ Cheryl Stotler is the Wine Director and Retail Buyer for the Napa Valley Wine Train.

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Forceful and Moving New Documentary Chronicles Fight for Marriage Equality maker recalled. “He gave me permission to do what I wanted.”

Film Gary M. Kramer The fight for gay marriage was a long and hard won battle. While the outcome is common knowledge, how marriage equality happened stepby-step is less well known. Filmmaker and queer ally Eddie Rosenstein has brought the 30–40-year ground game to the screen in his forceful and moving new documentary, The Freedom to Marry. The film is playing one night only—March 21—at the Alamo Drafthouse in San Francisco and at the New Parkway Theater in Oakland.

In the film, Rosenstein profiles Evan Wolfson, founder and president of the advocacy group Freedom to Marry, as well as his colleague Marc Solomon, and Mary Bonauto, the lawyer who argued the case in front of the Supreme Court.

Rosenstein informed me in a phone interview for the San Francisco Bay Times that he contacted Wolfson about making the documentary when the Supreme Court said they would take the marriage equality case.

Rosenstein and Wolfson’s families were close friends, so he had access to the subject as well as his trust. “We never signed an agreement,” the film-

Rosenstein indicated he wanted to tell the story of a man who changed the world: “It takes a lot of effort and perseverance, but regular people make great changes. Evan knew in law school this case could be won in court. That seems doable, but how do you get the court to take the case and prove that people are equal?”

The Freedom to Marry is an entertaining mix of anecdotes and interviews with the subjects, along with fly on the wall meetings at Wolfson’s offices. Some of the most interesting scenes feature advocates talking about the issue of marriage equality with friends in an effort to help sway public opinion, an important component of the campaign. The film covers 40 years of history in 90 minutes, but what makes it resonate are the personal and emotional stories Rosenstein tells.

Two of the most interesting subjects in the f ilm are April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse, a Michigan couple who brought one of the four cases argued in front of the Supreme Court, DeBoer v. Snyder. The plaintiffs were seeking marriage equality to protect their adopted children.

“They had a particularly beautiful story with very clear stakes,” Rosenstein said, explaining why he chose them as subjects. “Their children’s emotional and physical safety was at stake. April and Jayne needed to protect their kids. The crux of the opposition’s argument was that same-sex parents are not good for kids. April and Jayne were taking in foster children left in the hospital to die by opposite-sex parents. To say they are less worthy is such a difficult pill to swallow.”

Evan Wolfson

The Freedom to Marry also gives screen time to Brian Brown of the National Organization for Marriage, an antigay group. Rosenstein justified that it was useful to include the “other side of the story” in a film that presented the case for marriage equality.

“It wasn’t hard to get him to talk,” the director said. “I wasn’t conning him.

As a documentary filmmaker, if you can listen and understand where they are coming from, you can show their journey with a clear heart. I wasn’t looking at right or wrong, but letting him express what he wanted to express and let the audience hear it and let them decide.”

Viewers w ill be emboldened by Rosenstein’s f ilm, which provokes many emotions as the case and the campaign unfold. The Freedom to Marry is actually quite suspenseful right up to the final moments when the landmark ruling is made. Rosenstein believed in the power of the story as he made the film, citing that factors like (continued on page 26)

Breaking Down the Silos in Women’s Literature Commence eye roll. Really? My b.s. meter jumps into the red zone.

Words Michele Karlsberg For this issue of the San Francisco Bay Times, I asked novelist and screenwriter Lucy J. Madison to guest write a piece on women’s literature for Women’s History Month.

Lucy J. Madison: Picture this: You’re a fly on the wall at a very posh mixed (gay/straight) cocktail party.

You watch as a woman introduces herself to me and asks what I do for a living.

“I’m a writer,” I respond.

“How interesting! W hat do you write?”

“Romance novels, poetry, and screenplays,” I casually answer.

“Who doesn’t love a good, steamy romance, right?” She laughs conspiratorially.

“Right. My first two books, Personal Foul and In the Direction of the Sun, are contemporary lesbian romance novels,” I explain.

“Oh, you write lesbian books?” She whispers the word “lesbian” like one whispers “cancer” or like a white person whispers “black.”

20

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Does a rule exist in the hetero playbook that states only lesbians read lesbian novels? Or only straight people read straight novels? Because if so, I must’ve missed it. As a young lesbian, I grew up reading straight literature and crushing hard on incredible female characters like Brett Ashley in The Sun Also Rises and Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. I had a few wild daydreams over ravishing and charming Anna Karenina and felt butterflies over Éowyn in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

It wasn’t until my twenties that I began actively reading lesbian pulp fiction and lesbian authors like Rita Mae Brown, Lee Lynch, Jewelle Gomez, Radclyffe Hall, and now a whole host of indie LGBTQ+ authors writing kick-ass unapologetic lesbian characters and stories in multiple genres that inspire me every day.

This is the part that drives me nuts.

As a lesbian, I’m perfectly capable of reading a novel with straight characters doing straight people things without stuffing them onto the dreaded sub-genre bookshelf. Is that not a possibility for a straight person? According to this warped logic, heteros cannot read Patricia Highsmith’s The Price of Salt or complain about Jenny from The L Word like the rest of us?

Hogwash.

As a lesbian writer who writes lesbian stories and poetry, I constantly push the boundaries of literature just by being who I am and writing what I want. The strong lesbian characters I created in Personal Foul or In the Direction of the Sun find their happily-ever-

Lucy J. Madison

afters without sexuality being the story’s central drama.

During Women’s Herstory Month, we exalt all female-written LGBTQ+ literature and accomplishments. If you’re straight, why not make a concerted effort to read a LGBTQ+ story? Why not go a step further and recommend one of those exceptional books to a straight friend? For all you LGBTQ+ folks, I encourage you to investigate stories within our own community, like Being Emily by Rachel Gold or Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg, to help break down the silos within literature that simply should not exist.

Literature is literature. Good stories bring us together and help us realize our commonalities. And in this era of political dysfunction and increasing homophobia, we need that now more than ever before.

Lucy J. Madison is a novelist, poet, and screenwriter. She is the author of two contemporary lesbian romance novels, “In the Direction of the Sun” and “Personal Foul,” as well as a collection of poetry entitled “I.V. Poems” (Sapphire Books). www.lucyjmadison.com Michele Karlsberg Marketing and Management specializes in publicity for the LGBT community. This year, Karlsberg celebrates twentyeight years of successful book campaigns.

Ease for Your Knees do that something, I suggest you acknowledge with kindness that you heard the signal. I have tricky knees, and when I’m out and about, and my knee “talks” to me, I say to myself, “I hear you, knee.”

Then I try an Easy Fitness pain interrupt. My favorite is described at the end of this piece.

Easy Fitness Cinder Ernst This is the forth article in the “Walking Is Wonderful” series. We began by helping to get you started. Then we addressed foot pain and how to choose good walking shoes. In the last issue, we talked about hip and back pain, and what to do so you can walk further with greater ease. Today, we’ll address knee pain when you walk.

In all of the articles, I’ve given you Easy Fitness suggestions for how to prevent and/or interrupt pain that can show up when you are walking.

The most important point when using the Easy Fitness pain interrupts is to use them early, at the first hint of pain. Maybe you know what I mean.

When you are walking and something hurts, you might try to ignore it. When you ignore or push through the pain, it usually gets worse. Ignoring your body’s signals and needs is a habit. Instead, with just a bit of focus, you can partner with your body.

A good partnership with your body helps to smooth your path, literally and figuratively.

Pain or discomfort is always a signal to do something. Before you actually

SF Sketch Randy Coleman

Sometimes the pain interrupt works right away; sometimes I have to try another. I always feel good about listening to my body. This helps me to feel better in that moment. Often just that pause is enough, but here are some additional options for when you feel pain: rest, Easy Fitness, ice, medication, stretch, motion is lotion movement (more about that below) and drinking water, to name a few. Check back in the archives for foot, hip and back Easy Fitness pain interrupts.

Ease for your knees in a walking moment might come from a motion is lotion technique. Your knee joint is a hinge that bends and straightens your leg. When you move this joint gently, without any weight on it, sometimes you will cause the joint to lubricate itself. That’s where we get the phrase motion is lotion. Doctors often recommend a stationary bike to help move the knee joint without having to stand on it.

If you’re walking and your knee starts to hurt, I recommend an Easy Fitness fix called “Not Quite Kick Your Butt.” We call them NQs for short.

I suggest you try this at home first.

Here’s how to do it: Stand up and hold onto the back of your chair or countertop for balance.

Fitness SF Trainer Tip of the Month Kevin Chungchootairong Fitness SF Fillmore

The Single Leg Squat is a great Stabilization and Strength Exercise, especially when performing the move on a Bosu Ball. Start with one foot stationary and hold the other foot in the air, then squat down while keeping your balance.

Shift your weight to your left leg, and bend your right knee as if you were aiming your right heel toward your butt. Your foot kind of arcs toward your rear end. We call this “Not Quite Kick Your Butt” because you are not expected to actually do it, just aim for it! That simple motion moves your knee joint without weight bearing, and can sometimes really feel good. Next, shift to the other side and move the left leg. Do that a few times and see how it feels. NQs are good to do before you start walking, too.

NQs are easy to do anywhere and sometimes they really help to soothe the knee joint. Nothing works for all bodies, but it’s worth a try. You can find a video tutorial of this on YouTube; just search for Cinder Ernst.

Your knees are affected by what’s below (calves and feet) and above (thighs, hips, pelvis and back), so be sure to look at the archived articles to get the complete picture for your Walking Is Wonderful experience.

Cinder Ernst, Medical Exercise Specialist and Life Coach Extraordinaire, helps reluctant exercisers get moving with safe, effective and fun programs. Find out more at http:// cinderernst.com

Troy Macfarland of Fitness SF provides monthly tips he’s learned from his colleagues who are professional trainers at local gyms.

He can be reached at tmacfarland@fitnesssf.com

Take Me Home with You!

Randy Coleman hails from New York, but has lived in San Francisco since 1975. Coleman shares that before moving to the Bay Area, he studied Art History and Architecture at Boston University while working as a resident artist for architectural rendering at a Massachusetts historical society. “All of my life I’ve been an artist,” Coleman says. “To know me is to know that I have a passion for art and architecture. I love this project for the San Francisco Bay Times, and hope that you enjoy my sketches.”

Gus

“Who would have guessed, of all dogs I would win the award for best snuggler!

This is no Oscars mix up … dreams do come true! I know I can be a bit difficult, so I want to thank my fans for all their love and support. I couldn’t have achieved this without you!”—Gus Gus is presented to San Francisco Bay Times readers by Dr. Jennifer Scarlett, the SF SPCA’s Co-President.

Our thanks also go to Krista Maloney for helping to get the word out about lovable pets like Gus. To meet Gus and other pets seeking their forever homes, please visit: San Francisco SPCA Mission Campus 250 Florida Street San Francisco 94103 415-522-3500

Dr. Jennifer Scarlett and Pup

Aside from major holidays, the adoption center is open Mon–Fri: 1–6 pm and Sat–Sun: 10 am–5 pm. Free parking is available for those wishing to adopt!

© Randy Coleman, 2017

For more information: https://www.sfspca.org/adoptions/pet-details/34065612 and sfspca.org/adopt S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES M ARC H 9, 2017

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Speaking to Your Soul

Astrology Elisa Quinzi The current planetary forces invite us to focus on working on the details of our lives in order to manifest the bigger picture.

By serving what’s in front of us we serve our personal dream, and the dream of the collective as well.

ARIES (March 21–April 19) You are being prompted to focus on streamlining your daily routine. Emphasis is on disciplined self-care practices such as meditation, healthy eating, and exercise, so that your body temple can better channel spiritual electricity.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Begin or enhance your daily spiritual practice. It matters not what type of spirituality you align with, but the point is to practically apply yourself to ways of connecting with the collective consciousness.

TAURUS (April 20–May 20) Whatever your preferred mode of creative expression is, be sure you are putting in the work necessary to improve your technique. Don’t wait for inspiration. Rather, show up to do the work and inspiration will strike eventually like grace, unexpected.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Your soul is both called and needed to be of service to social justice now. Get involved in your community to contribute your part to the revolution. This form of loving your fellows will help you experience greater self-love as well.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) As you offer yourself in service to your closest loved ones and family members, you gain both the compassion and the support you need to better serve your mission in the world.

CANCER ( June 21–July 22) Heed your curiosity. It might be time to upgrade your body of knowledge by learning a new language, taking a writing class, or just engaging in philosophical discussion with a stranger at a coffee shop. Your mind is hungry for refreshment.

LEO ( July 23–August 22) Shine the spotlight on proper evaluation of your assets and talents. They want attention. Make fuller use of your gifts to increase your finances and your sense of self-worth.

VIRGO (August 23–Sept. 22) You are learning the art of self-improvement without selfjudgment. Stress not about the future, but take one action at a time toward your dream of self-actualization.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) Humbly assess how you can better serve your role in the community. Whatever position of power you hold, always remember that you serve the people. The people do not serve you.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22–Jan.19) Be willing to look honestly at your current beliefs. Rid yourself of self-righteousness and rigidity, and allow your perspective to expand. A continual renewing of the mind renews your life force.

AQUARIUS ( Jan. 20–Feb. 18) The aperture widens so that you can see deeper into your inner world. Take an inventory of your fears and share them with an intimate ally. Offer your vulnerability in the spirit of service.

PISCES (Feb. 19–March 20) If you want to receive love, make a disciplined practice of giving love. By being of service to love itself, you fill your own need and experience the deep fulfillment you’ve longed for.

Elisa has been enjoying the art of astrological counseling since earning professional certification many years ago. In addition to astrological knowledge, she brings a high degree of conscious presence to her work, and creates a safe, comfortable atmosphere for sessions to unfold organically. Contact her at futureselfnow@gmail.com or 818-530-3366 or visit www.ElisaQuinzi.com

As Heard on the Street . . . Describe your dream job.

22

compiled by Rink

David Holt

Latonya Lawson

Eduardo Morales

Brett Andrews

Bonny B.

“This job as a golden living art model at the Academy of Friends Gala”

“News Anchor”

“The jobs I enjoy now: Aguilas Executive Director and Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the California School of Professional Psychology.”

“The job I have now: Positive Resource Center Executive Director”

“Stylist”

SA N FRANCISCO BAY T I ME S MA RC H 9 , 2 0 1 7

Professional Services

LAW OFFICES OF MILES & TORRES Estate Planning 1393 Noe Street, San Francisco, CA 94131 (415) 308-2307 www.milestorreslaw.com

PHOTO BY SANDY MORRIS

NewPer specti ves Center for Counseling

S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY   T IM ES M ARC H 9, 2017

23

Compiled by Blake Dillon

9 : Thursday Night at the Jewseum: Sparkle! – 6:30 pm @ Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission Street. An evening of camp, queerness, comedy and contemporary spin on the Purim Spiel and the exhibition “Cary Leibowitz: Museum Show.” thecjm.org Leaving the Blues – Continues through April 2 @ New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness Avenue. A new musical play by Bay Area writer Jewelle Gomez about the life of legendary blues artist Alberta Hunter. nctcsf.org Film Screening of Gay San Francisco and Meat Rack – 6:45 pm @ Roxie Theater, 3117 16th Street. The Tenderloin Museum hosts a double feature of a previously lost documentary and an underground film with a modern art house cult following. tenderloinmuseum.org Skip the Needle Afrofunk Experience – 7:30 PM @ Ashkenaz, 1317 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley. A night of “Black Women Who Rock” featuring Anita Lofton, Shelley Doty and Sandy House. ashkenaz.com

10 : Friday Be Bold for Change SF International Women’s Day Celebration – 6 pm @ YWCA, 940 Powell Street. Presented by the Friends of the Commission on the Status of Women, the event includes reception, speakers, live music, raffle and an arts and craft exhibit. Info: 415-779-6636 or friendscosw.org Book Talk with Author Barbara Schoichet – 7 pm @ Laurel Book Store, 1423 Broadway. Luan Stauss welcomes the author to discuss Don’t Think Twice. laurelbookstore.com Revolution– 9 pm @ The Warfield, 982 Market Street. Pussy Riot Theater presents the world premiere of a new music-theater project based on the book by Maria Alokhina. thewarfieldtheatre.com

11 : Saturday San Leandro Seniors Pot Luck – 12:00 Noon @ All Saints Episcopal Chruch, 911 Dowling, San Leandro. Susan Criswell of the San Leandro Senior Community Center will discuss programs and services for seniors.

Info: 510-577-3462.

Mother: Bowie Tribute, with Squrrl! – 10 pm @ Oasis, 298 11th Street. Mother hosts a tribute to the late great David Bowie. sfoasis.com

12 : Sunday SF Gay Softball League Opening Day Jock Fundraiser – 4 pm @ Lookout Bar, 3600 16th Street. All teams and their supporters are encouraged to attend and wear team jerseys. lookoutsf.com San Franicsco Gay Men’s Chorus 11th Annual Crescendo Gala – 5 pm @ 24

SA N FRANCISCO BAY T I ME S MA RC H 9 , 2 0 1 7

The Ritz-Carlton San Francisco, 600 Stockton Street. At this gala evening, benefitting the Chorus’ upcoming Lavender Pen Tour, the event honorees include Kathy Griffin, The Hrostowski/Garner Family, and Lexus. Almost sold out. sfgmc.org Broadway Baby – 7 pm @ Martuni’s, 4 Valencia Street.

DiVanessa and pianist James Campbell present an epic walk down the Great White Way through favorite tunes. martunis.ypguides.net/

13 : Monday Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club Monthly Meeting – 6:30 pm @ Eric Quezada Center for Culture and Politics, 518 Valencia Street. “How We Fight Trump” will be the theme of a discussion featuring Honorable Dennis Herrera and representatives of ACLU and Planned Parenthood. alicebtoklas.org Perfectly Queer: “Queer Speculative Fiction” – 7 pm @ Dog Eared Books Castro, 489 Castro Street. Monthly LGBTQ book reading series hosted by Wayne Goodman and Rick May, with March featured authors Ellen Klages, M. Christian and Vylar Kaftan. dogearedbooks.com

14 : Tuesday GGBA March Make Contact – 6 pm @ WeWork Mid-Market, 995 Market Street. A popular monthly business networking event for members and friends. ggba.org Emma’s Revolution CD Release Party – 8 pm @ Freight & Salvage, 2020 Addison Street, Berkeley. The award-winning guitar and activist lesbian power duo Pat Humphries and Sandy O present music from their new CD. emmasrevolution.com

15 : Wednesday Senior Citizens Basic Computer Courses – 3 pm @ 39159 Paseo Padre #105, Fremont. Basic computer training free to senior citizens 65+ hosted

by Global Women Power every Wednesday. Info: 844-779-6636. globalwomenpower.com Castro Farmers Market Season Opening – 4 pm @ Noe Street @ 16th and Beaver Streets. A ribbon-cutting ceremony launches the weekly market held every Wednesday through November 22. pcfma.org Imperial Council Golden Gate Gayme Night – 7 pm @ Lookout, 3600 16th Street.

Monthly gaymes night hosted by the reigning Mr. and Miss Golden Gate benefitting the Monarchs Charity Fund. imperialcouncilsf.org

16 : Thursday Comedy Returns to El Rio – 8 pm @ El Rio, 3158 Mission.

Produced by Kung Pao Kosher Comedy and featuring Mark Pitta, Bob McIntyre, Irene Tu, David Roth and Lisa Geduldig. elriosf.com

2018 Bare Chest Calendar Prelim #6 – 8 pm @ Powerhouse, 1347 Folsom Street. Finalists for the 34th edtion of the Bare Chest Calendar compete in support of AIDS Emergency Fund and Positive Resource Center. powerhousebar.com

22 : Wednesday

17 : Friday

The Indigo Girls – 8 pm @ Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse,

GGBA Rainbow Toastmasters – 7 am @ Small Business Association Conference Room, 455 Market Street.

On-going program for building business skills. ggba.com

202 Addison Street, Berkeley. Also featuring Lucy Wainwright Roche. freightandsalvage.org

Read more online at sfbaytimes and “like” us on Facebook too!

Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice – Repeats through April 2 @ Theater of Others, Kelly Cullen Community Auditorium, 220 Golden Gate Avenue. The classic play bring anti-Semitism from the Elizabethan age forward to the present. to-sf.org Anniversary Party: Turning 32, Turning Six, Turning up the Music – 7 pm @ GLBT Historical Society, 4127 18th Street.

Celebrating landmark dates in the preservation of queer history. glbthistory.org

18 : Saturday Wine Train Pride Ride – 6 pm departure following reception @ Wine Train Station, 1275 McKinstry Street, Napa. Gourmet meal, wine tasting, entertainment, after party and more benefiting Richmond/ Ermet Aid Foundation. winetrain.com Anything Goes Chorus – 7:30 pm @ First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th Street, Oakland.

Celebrating thirty-six years of music, the choir presents jazz, Broadway, pop and a cappella tunes. ellenrobinson.com

19 : Sunday Off Broadway West Theatre Company’s Without Mercy – Repeats through March 25 @ The Phoenix Theatre, 414 Mason Street.

The world premiere of Patricia Milton’s play about the controversial and sensitive issue of the death penalty. offboradwaywest.org Big Top Sunday – 8 pm @ Beaux Bar and Dance Club, 2344 Market Street. Cap off the weekend in the Castro with Kim Chi, Big Top Sundays, Au Jus, Wanda Screw, Big GoGo Tops. beausxf.com

20 : Monday Intermediate Yoga – 7 pm @ Flesh & Spirit Community, 924 Presidio Avenue. fleshandspirit.org The Indigo Girls – 8 pm @ Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse, 202 Addison Street, Berkeley. Also featuring Lucy Wainwright Roche. freightandsalvage.org 2017 Women’s Jazz & Blues Camp – 9:30 AM @ The JazzSchool, 2087 Addison Street, Berkeley. Jean Fineberg and Ellen Seeling lead the 6th annual offering of the legendary jazz and blues camp for musicians of all ability levels. cjc.edu/womenscamp

21 : Tuesday Cleve Jones in Conversation with Wayne Goodman – 7 pm @ Folio Books, 3957 24th Street.

Activist Cleve Jones will discuss his memoir When We Rise and his life in “the movement.” foliosf.com Castro Community on Patrol Basic Training – 7 pm @ Castro Neighborhood Location. Registration is required to attend the training where volunteers teach new volunteers to assist with the on-going community safety effort. castropatrol.org S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES M ARC H 9, 2017

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NEWS (continued from page 3)

BOWMAN (continued from page 12)

same from domestic programs. GMHC says the Congressional Address, pledging to cut domestic program budgets across the board to support his unneeded increases to the Defense Budget, would gut vital federal programs that help house and treat those living with HIV/AIDS and that prevent thousands of new infections every year. They emphasize that these irresponsible cuts would come just as we are finally poised to make real progress in containing the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The President’s promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act would endanger the lifesaving services provided to clients, GMHC holds.

“Let us not mince words,” says GMHC CEO Kelsey Louie. “The Trump Administration’s proposals would lead to the completely preventable deaths of thousands of Americans at risk for HIV/AIDS and other diseases. They must be stopped.” gmhc.org

The Texas Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a case that conservatives hope will provide an opening to challenge the landmark 2015 ruling legalizing gay marriage nationwide. The all-Republican court initially refused to hear the lawsuit, which challenged Houston’s decision to offer same-sex spousal benefits to municipal employees. The court deferred to the U.S. Supreme Court declaring gay marriage constitutional. But the court reversed itself last month amid pressure from Texas’ governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and leading religious and conservative activists. They argue that the case may help Texas limit the scope of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling, especially in how it is applied at the state level. Houston officials argue the case is a matter of settled law that has nothing to do with advancing social conservative causes. edgemedianetwork.com Yelp to Help Customers Find Gender-Neutral Bathrooms Yelp, the crowd-sourced company specializing in online reviews, is wading

Threat to Federal Same-Sex Marriage as Texas Court Hears Case to Limit Gay Marriage

into the national debate over transgender people’s bathroom access with a new feature that will enable consumers to search for businesses offering genderneutral restrooms. Yelp said it would collect information from both customers and business owners in order to add a “Gender Neutral Restrooms” category to its listings. Yelp defines such restrooms as locking, single-stall toilet facilities accessible to people of any gender.

“At Yelp we thrive on inclusion and acceptance,” the blog post said. Rachel Williams, Yelp’s head of diversity since November 2014, said the initiative, to be phased in over several weeks, marked the first time during her tenure that the company had sought to integrate a social issue into its website and app. She said the idea for the new feature came from employees in Yelp’s products section who were “incensed” by efforts in some parts of the U.S. to curtail transgender people’s civil rights. Yelp was among 53 U.S. companies filing a friend-of-the-court brief with the U.S. Supreme Court supporting transgender teen Gavin Grimm. edgemedianetwork.com

jeans and sweatshirts. They always made me wear skirts. My dad would always tell my brother to “be a man.” I don’t think they would be accepting of me or my brother if we were LGBTQ. Rexy didn’t have a great experience at Mission. She graduated in 2015, and when she was here, there wasn’t a transgender bathroom. She was told to use the staff bathroom because some girls were complaining about feeling unsafe when she used the ‘girls’ bathroom. Rexy said that having access to only a staff bathroom was difficult for her because she would have to chase down a security guard to have them open a bathroom.

While she was at Mission, Rexy also felt like she was responsible for educating the staff and students at Mission about issues that LGBTQ+ students face. She talked about how ‘burned out’ she was about educating Mission High School administration and teachers about LGBTQ+ issues, and how little support she received. After taking a break from work as a full-time activist and student, she worked at a catering company. Now, she is devoting her energy to Somos Familia and the GSA Network.

I want to thank Rexy for coming to Mission and for all the work she is doing for the LGBTQ+ community.

Mission High School: https://mhs-sfusd-ca.schoolloop.com/ LGBTQ Scholarship Opportunities: https://static1.squarespace.com/ static/52c7dc91e4b0c06fbd156f6b/t/53b63fb8e4b079c1947dbd fa/1404452792563/LGBTQ.pdf

ROSTOW (continued from page 17)

RUTH (continued from page 10) dan, but it’s unwelcome in a luxury car.

let-like screen got lots of oohs and aahs.

If that doesn’t bother you, then the S90’s distinctly Scandinavian styling may captivate. Several passersby feasted their eyes on the exterior’s visual surface tension, and inside, the S90’s planks of wood and leather trim were broadly elegant. The infotainment interface clearly needs more than a week of use to feel less prickly, but the tab-

So with this Jaguar and Volvo, we find that RuPaul is right—swapping the usual drag can turn up some unexpectedly satisfying experiences.

Philip Ruth is a Castro-based automotive photojournalist and consultant at www.gaycarguy. com. Check out his automotive staging service at www. carstaging.com

KRAMER (continued from page 20) character development and the obstacles faced by the team would engage viewers.

He described his approach thusly: “Films should inspire and enlighten and triumph even if they are documentaries. I wanted to tell the historical story. The trick was providing a road map that felt fresh, yet concise. We don’t have the Massachusetts battle, or Prop 8, or Edie Windsor, or Vermont. Every one of those things is its own film. This is the story of a movement, and it’s heartbreaking to leave those elements on the floor; there are so many wonderful stories. But it’s the essence of the fight that’s important, and that was the journey.”

In taking that journey, Rosenstein has succeeded admirably. The Freedom to Marry shows how these courageous men and women shaped and changed public opinion on why same-sex marriage matters.

The filmmaker concluded, “This story is not over. I don’t want this to be taken for granted. I want folks to know where this change came from. I hope my film starts or continues conversations in an honest way, not just about gay marriage, but about changing the world. Social change, and what it takes, is making things very personal. People need to express themselves. It was a messaging campaign, not a legal issue.” © 2017 Gary M. Kramer Gary M. Kramer is the author of “Independent Queer Cinema: Reviews and Interviews,” and the co-editor of “Directory of World Cinema: Argentina.” Follow him on Twitter @garymkramer

She thinks she has not been fed, but she has. I love her, but she’s driving me nuts. Ergo, the title of this section.

Ma ke GL BT Prog ra m m ing Great Again I confess I have taped all four episodes of When We Rise, but I have yet to watch the gay rights docudrama, in part due to some of its terrible reviews.

I’m sorry, but the time has gone when our community devotedly tuned in or bought tickets to anything and everything that made even a passing reference to gayness. Back in the day, we even watched a movie like The Boys in the Band, the depressing 1970 sad gay ensemble production—because it had gay people in it!

I think it was the late nineties when the Bay Times was cajoled into sponsoring a showing of Claire of the Moon, a lesbian f lick that won (and still holds) my personal “worst movie ever” award. A group of us from the paper sat in the back row with our heads in our hands, groaning, until we realized that the filmmakers were standing right behind us. Ooops. No, they were not amused.

But I couldn’t have cared less. There’s no excuse for mediocrity or worse, particularly when it poses as community activism or tries to guilt trip lesbian sisters into undeserved appreciation.

I’m sure I’ll check out When We Rise eventually, but if it’s a rainbow-colored tribute to how wonderful we are and how hard we’ve worked, I’m not going past episode one. I have time to watch excellent shows and entertaining shows, hopefully both at the same

time. But I don’t have time for self-congratulatory pats on the back.

I saw one article that used the show’s ratings to bemoan a decline in queer programming. But that’s nonsense.

Our programing is subjected to the same commercial standards as any other show, and the problem may be that people in power (whoever they may be) manage to get dull shows on the air while ignoring good ones. And by the way, Doubt was cancelled not because of the sensational transgender actress Laverne Cox, but because Katherine Heigl is unwatchable. She plays the same obnoxious character regardless of the actual role she’s assigned.

A few months ago, I saw the amazing documentary Political Animals, which described the early efforts of the first four lesbians in the California assembly. Does that sound like fun? It doesn’t sound that way, but, in fact, it was riveting and brought tears to my eyes.

Great GLBT shows are out there. We just have to watch them when we find them and ignore the rest.

When We Wake While avoiding When We Rise, I did manage to catch a rerun of the twopart mirror universe episode of Star Trek Enterprise. All of the characters in the mirror universe are evil twins of their regular counterparts, and history has been running amok on account of these bad hombres. Instead of warmly greeting the Vulcans when they first arrived on Earth, the people in the mirror universe killed them

all and used their technology to take over the galactic quadrant. Instead of the vibrant and colorful Federation of Planets, they created the violent Terran Empire. All non-humans are subjected to their will, banished, or executed.

Because you can’t trust the non-humans!

And yes, watching Trump install the latest version of the Muslim ban while accusing President Obama of deploying government eavesdroppers to spy on Trump Tower during the campaign made me wonder whether this White House has actually emerged from the mirror universe.

Perhaps we can aim a tetryon beam at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and return them all to our reality. President Trump will quickly revoke the Muslim ban and tell Congress to start working on a comprehensive immigration plan. His cabinet members will restore the formal interpretations of Title IX and Title VII, and reiterate the view that sexual orientation bias should be subject to heightened scrutiny by the courts. Or maybe they’ll all go back into the woodwork and it will turn out that, in our reality, Hillary Clinton is President of the United States and the world is once again safe for Democracy.

Lieutenant! Reinitialize the def lector dish. Now! arostow@aol.com

SISTER DANA (continued from page 18) UPCOMING EVENTS IN GOOD OL’ PROGRESSIVE ESS EFF!” The West Coast’s largest Irish event celebrating Irish history and culture, 166TH SAN FRANCISCO ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE & FESTIVAL is Saturday, March 11. Parade starts at 11:30 am; Festival: 10 am to 5 pm, Civic Center Plaza. FREE. The SAN FRANCISCO LESBIAN/GAY FREEDOM BAND will gaily participate. The Festival will take place before, during, and after the Parade on Saturday. The Parade begins at the corner of Second and Market, where more than 5,000 participants from all over the states will reel about with laughter and revelry all the way to City Hall. The Festival at City Hall provides a great opportunity for attendees to learn more about Irish history and culture while having fun at the event. Just don’t step on a lucky fourleaf clover!

Celebrate Spring and Persian New Year at the new San Francisco Mis26

sion Bay location of BACK TO THE PICTURE GALLERY with Opening Reception Saturday, March 11, 7–10 pm, featuring the art of: Amir Rahimi, Farbod Mojallal Mehr, Sara Pisheh, Haleh Douraghy, Shiva Pakdel , Fateme Rezeefar, and Keyvan Fehri, with live Persian Flamenco Jazz by Farzad Arjmand. Exhibition will be on view March 11–April 30, daily from 11 am– 6:30 pm. Entrance is complimentary. backtothepicture.com “A TRIBUTE TO SAN FRANCISCO DRAG QUEENS” is a series of gorgeous, larger than life tapestries from photographs and video

by JOSEPH ABBATI—featuring DQs Sister Roma, Peaches Christ, Heklina, Grace Towers, Juicy Liu, Juanita More, Honey Mahogony, Creme Fatale, and more DQs now on display at STRUT, 470 Castro Street— #DragIsResistance. These will be up all through the month of March.

SA N FRANCISCO BAY T I ME S MA RC H 9 , 2 0 1 7

Thirty-two years ago, a band of queer history enthusiasts created the GLBT HISTORICAL SOCIETY in San Francisco to uncover and preserve stories of the LGBTQ past.

Six years ago, the society opened the doors of the GLBT HISTORY MUSEUM IN THE CASTRO, the first stand-alone museum of its kind in the United States. To celebrate these milestones and to raise funds for a planned museum makeover, the society is holding a double-anniversary bash in the galleries after the museum closes on the evening of Friday, March 17: “TURNING 32, TURNING SIX, TURNING UP THE MUSIC” is set for 7–9 pm at the GLBT History Museum at 4127 18th Street in the Castro. glbthistory.org THE NAPA VALLEY WINE TRAIN PRIDE RIDE is March 18!

If you haven’t experienced the Napa Valley Wine Train, you don’t know what you’re missing! It all starts with the sound of corks popping—a delightful tasting of JCB’s outstand-

ing No. 69 Cremant de Bourgogne and as you sip the pink bubbles, you can mingle with prominent Napa Valley LGBT winemakers and wine professionals as well as other beautiful LGBTQ people and their allies as well as fun loving foodies during the pre-wine train ride welcome reception at the wine depot. Luxury bus transportation from San Francisco is available for $50 for those who don’t want to drink and drive, and there’s a list of conveniently located preferred hotels near the Wine Train Depot. The bus transportation must be booked by phone: 800-4274124. reservations.winetrain.com/details/91988 Three desperate actors take to the road in search of roles. Along the way they encounter highway hooligans, porno shoots, offended politically-correct youths, and “all the crazies” of America. Daniel Chung as Endin, John Fisher as Aaron, and Donald Currie as Dobbins Del Rey star in “FLIM-FLAM” by John Fisher, a Theatre Rhinoceros Pro-

duction at the Eureka Theatre, 215 Jackson Street, now through March 18, 8 pm. therhino.org Renowned artist BRIAN SINGER is installing his mural, “HOME STREET HOME,” a thought-provoking art installation on the fence at 1990 Folsom Street in the Mission District. The property, owned by the Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) and Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC), is slated for development of more than 140 units of affordable housing. Singer’s artwork is intended to call attention to the issue of homelessness in the neighborhood, showcasing the need for affordable-housing solutions across San Francisco.

Sister Dana sez, “When T-rump heard scientists had discovered seven new planets, he immediately made plans to build walls around all of them to keep the aliens out of the U.S.!”

Imperial Council Coronation 2017

Photos by Rink

Elected on Saturday, February 25, to reign the royal monarchs at Coronation 53, the Court of Inclusion, Community and Hope, were Reigning Empress Mercedez Munro and Reign Emperor Nic Hunter. The Imperial Beaux Arts Coronation Ball: A Regal Black and White Costumed Affair was held at the San Francisco Design Center with royals attending from throughout the U.S. Nicole the Great of San Diego, Queen Mother of the Americas, represented the International Court System. Absolute Empress XXX Donna Sachet presented the new Rainbow Honor Walk plaque honoring José Julio Sarria, Absolute Empress I, The Widow Norton.

MANDELMAN (continued from page 4) San Francisco is not the only city struggling with this question. One issue is access to information: development is complicated, and public officials often have to rely on the development community for information about the economics of development. But, of course, developers are not impartial here; it’s in their interest to minimize publiclyimposed costs, and they cannot and should not be relied on for an unbiased information or analysis of the issue. Another reason the question of how much inclusionary is too much is that the answer changes over time. In good times, when capital is easily available, development economics may allow projects to go forward that have a relatively high inclusionary requirement. In tougher economic times, developers’ pro formas simply may not be able to absorb the additional costs. In a downturn, those projects may stall out for other reasons.

At any rate, San Francisco has been tinkering with its inclusionary requirements almost since they were first adopted. Leno’s 2002 legislation required that, for developments with more than 10 units, 12% of those units would be affordable to low income households.

DUNNING (continued from page 4) sion). What is their view of America?

Why specifically isn’t it “great” now?

What do they believe is the role of the government? Why do they have such disdain for Democrats? It’s hard, as there are a lot of ad hominem attacks, or accusations of hypocrisy, or red herrings, or assertions that others who disagree are just not educated enough to understand they are right. I know Facebook comment feeds can be weird shark-infested waters, but I also have had some great exchanges with folks I don’t agree with, when we have respectfully defended our positions.

My point is that my jury is still out on Facebook. It has brought good and bad. I will likely cull down my friends list and remove random folks I’ve nev-

In 2007, that requirement was raised to 15%. In 2012, as part of a grand bargain to pass a real estate transfer tax to fund more affordable housing production nonprofit developers, the inclusionary requirement for market rate developers was lowered back to 12% by a voter-approved charter amendment, meaning that any future changes would have to go to the ballot. But then just last June, Proposition C raised the inclusionary requirement for low income housing back up to 15% and for the first time added a moderate/middle income requirement, raising the overall below market requirement up to 25%, although the measure further provided that future changes to the law could once again be made at City Hall, rather than having to go back to the voters.

On February 28, London Breed and Asha Safai fired the next salvo in the ongoing inclusionary wars, introducing a proposal to reduce the overall inclusionary requirement back down to 18% for rentals and 20% for condominiums. But in a double-gift to the development community, Breed and Safai are proposing to further reduce the cost of that requirement to develer met or interacted with online. But every day I struggle with how I balance protecting my “space” and sanity (by unfriending/blocking people) with trying to keep an open mind and promote differing perspectives. Lately, one strategy for me has been to include posts with questions or comments that can highlight things we all have in common, rather than divisive political commentary.

In the end, I think most of us do share common values of equity, opportunity, justice, family, and patriotism. We simply disagree on how best to achieve that, and for whom and what the role of the government is in achieving it.

If we all retreat to our Facebook feeds full of like-minded souls, I worry the

opers by allocating more of those units to middle income earners, who can pay higher rents and sale prices, even if they cannot afford the market cost.

In some ways, this measure seems to echo the realtors’ ill-fated Proposition U on the November 2016 ballot, which similarly sought to re-allocate developers’ inclusionary requirement to require more middle-income housing at the expense of costlier-to-produce lower income housing. That measure lost overwhelmingly, and it strikes me as peculiar that Supervisors Breed and Safai think it is worth giving it another go at City Hall. Happily, Supervisors Jane Kim and Aaron Peskin have an alternative, a little closer to the Proposition C formula. For us political junkies, it will be fascinating to see how this round of the inclusionary wars plays out, but it will be the low and middle income families desperate to find an affordable home in our City who have to live with the outcome.

AOF Academy Awards Night Gala 2017 Photos by Rink The 37th Annual Academy Awards Night Gala, “Shanghai Nights,” produced by Academy of Friends, was held on Sunday, February 26, at The Midway. AOF board member Amanda Watson Tonkin welcomed guests, along with board chair Gil Padia and vice chair Matthew Denckla.

As in previous years, the event raised thousands of dollars that will benefit a diverse set of HIV/AIDS organizations.

Rafael Mandelman is an attorney for the City of Oakland. He is also President of the City College of San Francisco Board of Trustees. increasing divide in this country will never be repaired. So, think twice before you block/unfriend/hide. Do what you need to do to stay healthy and motivated, but beware of the risks of packaging ourselves in our own bubble wrap.

Zoe Dunning is a retired Navy Commander and was a lead activist in the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

She served as Co-Chair of the Board of Directors for the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club and as an elected Delegate for the Democratic National Convention. She is a San Francisco Library Commissioner and is the former First Vice Chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party.

S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES M ARC H 9, 2017

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