San Francisco Bay Times - June 22, 2017 by San Francisco Bay Times

June 22 - July 12, 2017 | sfbaytimes.com

Pride and Resistance 2017 friend—in an era when even that simple act was a gesture of resistance. Over time, as our communities grew stronger, many complained that Pride had lost its edge. More and more Pride Sundays were all about beer, hot dogs, balloons and music. I didn’t object, because to me play and celebration were expressions of Pride, and visible affirmation of our strength.

Examined Life Tom Moon, MFT Pride? Who told you that you had anything to be proud about? You were the wretched of the earth—the despised, the misfits, the outsiders, the outcasts, the freaks, the queers, the perverts, the deviants—the ones who had no right to self-respect. You were the marginalized; the poor people of color, the drag queens, the members of a transgender community still in its infancy, the sex workers, the homeless young people who slept in Christopher Park. And it was you who, when backed up against the wall in the Stonewall Inn, found your courage, and claimed your souls and your pride. Those of us who followed you—we stand on your shoulders, we reap the rewards of your courage, we are your heirs. We must remember your stories, especially this year, because they remind us what Pride really means. Pride began in and as Resistance. I remember those early Pride marches in the ‘70’s—walking up Market Street holding hands with my boy-

Today, LGBTQ communities in this country are the most powerful and confident we have ever been. We know that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, and that we still face many threats, but we also know that our rise has been one of the most remarkable success stories in American political and cultural history. But this year we celebrate in a time when the country seems to have lost its way. The grifter who currently sits in the White House rose to power by riding the politics of rage and resentment. In his destructive and divisive “policies,” he is enabled and abetted by a party that is no longer a political party at all in any traditional sense, but a right-wing cult that stands for no discernible values beyond the enrichment of oligarchs. Many people have already been hurt, and many more will be harmed before this dark time in our history ends. How do we manifest our Pride in an era of reaction? We resist. I believe that it is our civic duty to use all effective nonviolent tools available to us to protect and defend those whom Trump targets, and to oppose, resist, and thwart this vile regime in every way we can. Pride is the most basic of all progressive values, entailing all the rest. If individually it means exercising our right to the pursuit of our own happiness, then socially it means honoring the same right in others. This, in turn, means cherishing,

protecting, and defending the wondrous diversity that characterizes our species. If pride means living in our own truth, then it also means speaking truth to power, loyalty to factual reality before ideology, science over superstition, reason over irrationality, and truth over collective delusion. In political life, it means committing ourselves to one guiding intention— to act politically to help create a world in which all may live in pride. That, in turn, means standing against racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, jingoism, and the exploitation of the weak by the strong. In this time, to live from Pride is to resist. How do we begin to tackle such a responsibility? We begin at home. The personal is the political. Decades ago the writer Paul Goodman wrote something that has stayed with me ever since. He wrote: “We create the kind of world we want to live in by doing what we want to do.” By resolutely living the one unique life that is in each of us to live, we take a fundamental stand for integrity and freedom, and against the hatred, irrationality, and authoritarianism that currently threaten us all. When we live in this place of pride, whatever specific political actions we take will necessarily manifest our unified resistance. I believe that when the history of this time is written, it will show that LGBTQ people across the country stood united in defense of life and freedom, fought to defend democracy, and worked to create a world in which no one need be afraid of love. My beautiful sisters and brothers everywhere, resist!

SF Sketch Randy Coleman

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

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of “no fems, trans, blacks, or Asians” statements. Have we truly become a fully inclusive community since 1978, or do we just tolerate our diversity?

Alex Randolph, Trustee City College of San Francisco On June 14, Americans all across the country observed our annual Flag Day, an unofficial celebration of our Stars and Stripes f lag’s adoption in 1777. Seamstress and flag-maker Betsy Ross sewed the original American Flag in Philadelphia. Flags have always played an important role in human history. They convey a lot about a country or community. Flags can symbolize our shared values, dreams, and ambitions, but they may also represent sorrow, hate, and oppression. Since 1978, the Rainbow “Pride” Flag has been a critical part of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender communities from all over the world. It was designed by the fabulously talented Gilbert Baker in San Francisco, after Harvey Milk challenged him to create a positive alternative to the pink triangle: a flag that would symbolize the pride of our community and would celebrate our diversity. Despite this pledge to celebrate diversity, queers of color like myself don’t always feel like we are fully part of the larger LGBT community, and have experienced a history of marginalization and another level of bullying in our gayborhoods. Our brothers and sisters were prevented from entering certain bars. Gay dating apps are full

I find it fitting then that this year on Flag Day, the city of Philadelphia unveiled a redesigned Pride flag that added black and A Wider Bridge Trip participants Victor Ruiz-Cornejo, Alex Randolph, brown stripes to rec- Evan Wolfson, Mike Ai, H. Alan Scott, and Cindy Brown holding an ognize LGBT people American Rainbow Flag at the 2017 Tel Aviv LGBT Film Festival. A Wider Bridge is the North American LGBTQ group building support of color. This new for Israel and it’s LGBTQ community. awiderbridge.org rainbow flag spurred negative and strong reactions imme- but is instead made up of many indidiately. What might get lost in this de- vidual groups that all deserve a safe bate is that Philadelphia is not trying place to gather and build relationto replace the main Rainbow flag, but ships with each other and amongst rather to highlight parts of the LGBT each other. community and experiences of queer people of color that are often at times San Francisco Pride always seems to be able to pick the right theme at the left out. right time. I can’t think of a better Furthermore, it is important to under- year than 2017 to have “A Celebrastand the overall context that this al- tion of Diversity.” ternative flag was designed in. CNN reported that, over the last couple of Let’s recommit. Let’s celebrate our inyears, Philadelphia’s Gayborhood has dividual uniqueness and the real conexperienced several instances of ra- tribution each one of us makes to our cial discrimination, like strict dress- larger community. Hillary Clinton code policies, additional ID checks, said it best: “We are stronger togethand racial slurs. This is something we er.” For the next four years and behave faced right here at home in our yond, we can and will build a more perfect union: The United States of own Castro neighborhood. Pride. I am excited! Happy Pride, evEarlier this month, I had the opportu- eryone! nity to visit the newly opened LGBT Center in Haifa, Israel, one of San Alex Randolph is a Trustee for City Francisco’s sister cities. The new cen- College of San Francisco. He previter prides itself on being a house for ously served in President Obama’s LGBT communities, a house for pride administration and as an LGBT and tolerance promoting LGBT Is- advisor for Mayor Newsom. He raeli Leadership and LGBTQ Arab lives in the Castro with his partner Activism. I was touched by the deep Trevor. Follow him on social mefocus on communities and the very dia: www.twitter.com/adrandolph visible acknowledgement that our & www.facebook.com/AlexDRan“community” is not a single entity, dolph

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALEX RANDOLPH

United States of Pride

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California’s Own House of Cards cross section of women to take part in the program. Over 50% of its graduates are women of color, and over 70% of the program’s graduates who run for elected office win.

Do Ask, Do Tell Zoe Dunning House of Cards Season 5 is out on Netflix. I’m only half way through the season, so no spoiler alerts, please. The primary story line so far is a contested presidential election, where there is little constitutional guidance, causing impatience and frustration from both campaigns that are eager for resolution. The result is lots of posturing and dirty tricks, with many characters pulling out all the stops in an effort to influence the final outcome. Here in California we have our own House of Cards drama taking place within the state Democratic Party: a close election followed by accusations of voter mischief, calls for an independent election audit, and a “losing” candidate refusing to concede. The two candidates to succeed legendary John Burton as Chair of the California Democratic Party are Eric Bauman and Kimberly Ellis. Eric Bauman is the current Chair of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party and served for years as the Vice Chair of the state party. He is a former nurse, a longtime state party operative, and an out gay, Jewish man. During my time serving on the executive committees of the CA Democratic Party LGBT Caucus and the Veterans Caucus, Eric was a huge advocate and supporter. I have tremendous respect for him and his accomplishments.

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Kimberly is a grassroots organizer who most recently served as the Executive Director of Emerge CA, an organization dedicated to training Democratic women to run for office. An African American woman living in Richmond, CA, Kimberly made a concerted effort to recruit a diverse

In full transparency, I was one of Kimberly’s earliest supporters when she decided to run for party Chair. No one thought she had a chance, yet a group of us gathered in an Oakland backyard two years ago and strategized how we could get her elected. Eric Bauman was the prohibitive favorite at the time. The election for statewide party offices, including the Chairmanship, takes place every four years at the annual CA Democratic Party Convention. This year it took place on May 20 in Sacramento. Those who get to vote are “delegates”—members of the Democratic State Central Committee (DSCC). There are generally three ways to become a delegate: be a member of your county central committee (as I was from 2012–2016), get elected as an Assembly Delegate (ADEM), or get an appointment from an elected official (I am currently a Leader Pelosi delegate). I’ve written about the ADEM elections before, but they are a critical element of representing the grassroots in the state party’s work. Any registered Democrat living in that Assembly district can vote, and the number of ADEMs elected depends on the party registration in that district. The elections, which take place every two years, used to be sleepy little insideronly gatherings, usually on a weekend morning in some union hall or community center. Recently, however, they have received renewed emphasis. In this past January’s ADEM elections, the Bernie Sanders progressive coalition made a concerted effort to run candidates and get out the vote. Thousands and thousands showed up, and the results across the state showed a decided shift left in the leanings of the ADEM delegates chosen. This will become meaningful when we discuss the race for party Chair. Each cand idate —K imberly and Eric—began forming their own coalitions. Eric is very strong in Southern California, strong with the LGBT community, and has reasonably progressive street cred. However, he was

successfully painted as a party “insider”—he works as a lobbyist, he solicits a lot of corporate donations for the party, and he had been in party leadership roles for years (including the leadership of the state’s largest Democratic County Central Committee, Los Angeles). Kimberly ran very strong with women, Bernie progressives, Northern California delegates, and communities of color. Both touted endorsements from respected leaders in the party and elected officials. As the state convention approached, people could smell upset in the air. The unthinkable was becoming possible, as Kimberly’s campaign picked up momentum. A huge part of that came from the progressive Bernie-affiliated ADEM delegates elected this past January. Conventional wisdom gave the nod to Eric, but it seemed Kimberly would make it a competitive race. When I arrived at the convention that Saturday, I immediately felt the energy in the air. Many people were wearing Kimberly’s bright pink t-shirt with “Unbought and Unbossed” emblazoned across it—also the title of Shirley Chisholm’s autobiography. When the voting took place, nearly 3,000 delegates cast their ballots. Late that evening, after some internet rumors that Kimberly pulled off the upset, the official results were announced. Kimberly received 1,431 votes, Eric garnered 1,493. Eric Bauman won by a mere 62 votes—closer than anyone expected, but enough to seal the victory. Or was it? The Ellis campaign immediately called for a review of the ballots and the counts because it was believed that there may have been inaccuracies, or ineligible votes taking place. Eric Bauman assumed the Chairmanship, based on the election results. This meant all of the Ellis campaign requests for reviews and opportunities to look at the paperwork and audit trail had to be submitted to Eric, her rival. Some were granted, others were not. Here we are, several weeks later, and Kimberly Ellis has not conced(continued on page 31)

Calling for Gender-Neutral Restrooms in Oakland City Buildings ed that she considered it a “moral obligation” for every school in America to protect all students from discrimination, bullying and harassment.

Out of the Closet and into City Hall Oakland Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan June Pride reminds us that it is important to advocate for policies that advance the rights of the LGBT community. It remains essential as ever to protect the progress that we as a community have made, especially in light of the regressive policies emanating from the federal government. Earlier this year, President Trump rescinded protections for transgender students that had allowed them to use bathrooms corresponding with their gender identity. Even Education Secretary Betsy DeVos initially resisted signing off on this directive, and stat-

As the rights of our transgendered community get trampled at the federal level, I am calling on the City of Oakland to ensure access to gender-neutral restrooms in City-owned buildings. Gender-specific restrooms pose serious risks to transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. In a report published by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law (https://drive.google.com/file//0B4 k7eaDkAjFzdF9fQ jE5ZUU5eG8/ view), 70% of respondents mentioned that they had been verbally harassed, denied access, or physically assaulted in public restrooms. As Oakland’s City Councilmember At Large, it is important to me that workers and visitors to City Hall have access to gender-neutral restrooms, in addition to the gender-specific restrooms on-site. That is why I am calling on the City Administration to provide gender-neutral restrooms in all City-owned buildings—such as City Hall—because everyone in our community deserves access to safe, convenient, and unrestricted restroom access, which makes it possible to safely and equally participate in our government and civic institutions.

As we continue to work to be an alternative to the hate-oriented politics at the federal level, this too can be another step. The item will be heard by the Public Works Committee on July 11, which begins at 11:30 am at Oakland City Hall, 1st Floor. In the words of Dr. Marcy Adelman, fellow San Francisco Bay Times columnist and San Francisco Pride’s 2017 Lifetime Achievement Grand Marshal: “I encourage everyone to wake up every morning committed to marching, writing/calling legislatures, signing petitions and attending town hall meetings in support of immigrants, all LGBT people, but especially LGBT elders and youth, people of color, Muslims, women and protection of the earth. Do this and we will transform ourselves and the country by a more deeply lived and held belief in multiculturalism.” Oakland City Councilmember AtLarge Rebecca Kaplan was elected in 2008 and was re-elected in 2012, and again in 2016. She is working for safe neighborhoods, for local jobs and for a fresh start for Oakland. Councilmember Kaplan graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, obtained a master’s degree from Tufts University and a Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School.

‘Flower Power’ ASSOCIATED PRESS/USED BY PERMISSION

at San Francisco Pride

Harvey Milk in Gay Freedom Day Parade 1978.

Flower Power by Bernie Boston

ith the San Francisco Asian Art Museum, the San Francisco Bay Times is proud to present “Flower Power” at the San Francisco Pride Parade on Sunday, June 25. Led by one of the world’s largest processional gongs, which is being flown in from Bali, our contingent will feature international percussionists Gamelan X, DJ Rockaway from Play on the Bay and Olivia, a tribute to our columnist and SF Pride 2017 Lifetime Achievement Grand Marshal Dr. Marcy Adelman, and stilt walker Glen, who will be towering over the entire parade route carrying the enormous “Bouquet of Peace.” There will be two large open air vehicles, our Party Mobile and, most importantly, the contingent will include San Francisco Bay Times columnists and supporters, and hopefully you! See the end of this article for details. A Timeless Photo “Flower Power” has several different meanings. On October 21, 1967, just after the Summer of Love, a Vietnam War protester placed a carnation into the barrel of a rifle held by a soldier of the 503rd Military Police Battalion. Photographer Bernie Boston was sitting on a wall at the National Mobilization Committee to End the War March at the Pentagon, and captured the moment for posterity. The image, named “Flower Power,” was nominated for the 1967 Pulitzer Prize. The photo remains a compelling reminder of the gentle force and alternative nature-centered consciousness represented by flowers. With the country divided over the war and social justice issues, tensions were extremely high during 1967 in the U.S. from coast to coast. The British Medical Journal in 2008 estimated that between the years 1955 and 2002, nearly 4 million people—soldiers, civilians and others—died as a result of the Vietnam War. The war occurred, not only

in Vietnam, but also in Laos and Cambodia. Many Americans were personally affected by the conflict, given that 2.2 million U.S. men were drafted from 1964– 1973. A raging sea of emotions that included everything from patriotism to anger and fear gripped a nation that was still in shock over President John F. Kennedy’s assassination 4 years earlier and the Watts Riots of 1965. It was in this environment that the “Flower Children” arose. Flower Children After the January 14, 1967, “Human BeIn” event at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, an estimated 100,000 young people from across the country and world flocked to San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district to be a part of the evolving counterculture movement. One of the first individuals whom new arrivals would see would be a person handing out flowers in the middle of the street. The arrivals likely already had flowers, having heard the popular song released on May 13, 1967: “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair.” Singer Scott McKenzie told listeners: If you’re going to San Francisco Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair If you’re going to San Francisco You’re gonna meet some gentle people there. Countless LGBT individuals—many not yet out of the closet—were drawn to the burgeoning counterculture scene. Harvey Milk grew his hair long and was captivated by the movement, which also drew the interest of young Cleve Jones, just to name a few. When these and other brilliant queer activists moved to San Francisco in the early 1970s, their lives were already shaped by the Summer of Love and its political aftermath.

Symbols of Peace and Love Flowers symbolized peace and love long before the Summer of Love. Flowers were often featured in early Egyptian hieroglyphics. One of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, purportedly built by Nebuchadnezzar II between 605–562 B.C. as a loving gift to his wife. Early historians spoke of flowers growing over the bodies of fallen soldiers in many battles. The Bible’s Song of Solomon 5:13 includes these passionate lines: His cheeks are like a bed of balsam Banks of sweet-scented herbs His lips are lilies Dripping with liquid myrrh. But we don’t need to be taught that flowers signify peace and love; we seem to be born with that awareness. These erotic natural forms, meant to entice pollinators, are the reproductive organs of plants. They affect us in numerous ways. Their colors, scents and seductive patterns accompany us through life’s important stages, such as flowers at high school proms, wedding bouquets and get-well arrangements. By touching nearly all of our senses, they help to shape our memories. Flowers even lead to food that nourishes us. One Earth, One Big Ecosystem There is a connection between animals and plants that we do not yet fully understand. Scientists have only recently determined that certain plants know how to count (see this story: https://www.seeker. com/some-plants-can-count-1770753456. html), communicate with each other, display forms of logic even without an animal-like brain, and possess additional abil(continued on page 26)

Mission de Flores

Flowers at SF Pride 2017 The beautiful bouquets and sunflowers in the San Francisco Bay Times/“Betty’s List” 2017 Pride Parade contingent come from Mission de Flores, whose first location at 2590 Folsom Street is the only establishment of its kind serving the Mission and surrounding areas. There, and at their second location in the Excelsior, they sell high quality flowers, create incredible bouquets and carry exotic plants, orchids, succulents and numerous plants that are perfect for Bay Area gardens. Mission de Flores was started by Steve Rubenfaer and Ezekiel “Zeke” Steffens, initially because there was no florist in the Mission, and Rubenfaer had to travel too far to buy flowers. Their vision was to be a neighborhood florist serving the Mission and beyond, with high quality stems and gorgeous arrangements. They opened in October of 2013, merging Steffens’ floral skills with Rubenfaer’s business experience. Tragically, Steffens passed away in July of 2014. Since then, Rubenfaer has run the business independently, but has kept their shared vision, with the help of Head Designer Ana Neira and operations manager, Michael Halper. Mission de Flores always uses the freshest flowers, creates flawless arrangements, and provides unparalleled customer service to offer the best experience for its clients. We are so proud to feature their flowers in our “Flower Power” contingent at the 2017 San Francisco Pride Parade. For more infor m at ion about Mission de Flores, please go to: http://www. missiondeflores.com/

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‘Flower Power’ San Francisco Pride 2017

Spirit of the Summer of Love Is in Full Bloom at the Asian Art Museum The Asian Art Museum is currently presenting the exhibit Flower Power, which showcases panAsian artworks that reveal the powerful language of flowers across times and cultures. The exhibition brings to light unexpected connections among gloriously gilded folding screens, modern-looking lacquers, rare porcelains, sumptuous textiles, and contemporary installations of live flowers and sensory-igniting multimedia. Drawn primarily from the museum’s renowned collection, dozens of masterpieces are displayed in a way that highlights their shared botanical bounty. Visitors to Flower Power will discover that, for centuries, humans have used flowers to communicate ideals from the refined to the revolutionary. “Flower Power offers a unique take on the spirit of the Summer of Love and its connections to Asian artistic practices, past and present,” says Museum Director Jay Xu. “In addition to serving as an oasis of beauty during this lively anniversary year, our exhibition shows why artists return again and again to floral imagery to express themselves during times of social uncertainty and cultural change—a message that is more relevant now than ever before.” Powerful Flowers Explore the Human Experience “The anti-materialist and pacifist spirit of the Summer of Love was really a starting point for developing the exhibition,” says Flower Power curator Dany Chan. “Ultimately, we were guided in organizing Flower Power as much by the richness of the artworks as by the philosophy behind an ancient Chinese proverb: ‘If you have two pennies, spend one on a loaf and one on a flower. The bread will give you life and the flower a reason for living.’”

Flowers of the twelve months, by Yun Bing (Chinese, 1670–1710). Ink and colors on silk. Asian Art Museum, The Avery Brundage Collection, B65D49.a. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

The exhibition uses a thematic approach that invites audiences to explore the lasting appeal and surprising stories of six flowers as distinctive as their blooms. These themes are organized into different galleries and range from the mystical, to the worldly, to the quietly activist, tracing subjects that continue to inspire us in our everyday lives: • The transcendence of the luminous, though swamp-dwelling, LOTUS. Visitors to the gallery will be greeted by a Thai painting nearly two hundred years old and over thirteen feet long that depicts the spectacle of Buddha overcoming demonic forces, transforming weapons into tranquil lotus blossoms. The image echoes legendary Beat poet Allen Ginsberg’s coining of the expression “flower power” as a call to join peaceful anti-war demonstrations in the 1960s. • The sophistication of the carefully cultivated, globe-trotting TULIP and ROSE. Gallery highlights include an intriguing Ottoman-era dish that stylizes the esteemed tulips and roses of Western Asia. Such artworks help to tell the story of cross-cultural pollination and the circulation of treasured bulbs and seeds across continents and empires—leading to moments like the fabled tulip mania bubble in 17th-century Amsterdam. • The transience of ephemeral PLUM and CHERRY BLOSSOMS. Gallery highlights include lyrical scenes of courtly cherry blossom viewing from the Tale of Genji. The essence of this Japanese classic, perhaps the world’s first romance novel, is poignantly captured on shimmering gold-leaf screens that deploy these short-lived flowers to suggest the fragility of love. • The pause for reflection demanded by the auspicious CHRYSANTHEMUM. Gallery highlights include a “hundred flowers” vase, with each blossom rendered in perfect lifelike tones. The all-over pattern on this delicate Qing-dynasty porcelain from China creates a dizzying array, reminiscent of sixties psychedelic fashions, which conveys tidings of health, longevity, and the introspection and insightfulness from which such lasting prosperity arises. Installations by contemporary artists touch on themes of social engagement, provocation, and the enduring power of flowers to express our most cherished values. Together, these artworks underscore how the community-oriented heart of the Summer of Love still beats strong in the Bay Area today. • Taiwanese American artist Lee Mingwei’s The Moving Garden invites visitors to pluck a single stem from beds of flowers placed in a channel in his sculpture—on the condition that they give the blossom to a stranger, expressing social solidarity at a moment of heightened political insecurity. Lee will speak at the museum on July 27. Japanese paper and print artist Ayomi Yoshida’s Yedoensis comprises hundreds of ephemeral hand-printed cherry blossoms that invoke the unfolding catastrophe of climate change. “As the earth’s temperature rises, the trees that used to f lower in April are now flowering in March … I once believed that the coming of spring and the cherry blossoms would always happen, but lately I am less certain. Will there come a time when the trees fail to bloom?” Yoshida will lead a participatory workshop on July 2.

A woman carrying a tray, approx. 1600–1650. Northern India or Pakistan, Mughal period, reign of Shah Jahan (1628–1658). Opaque watercolors and gold on paper. Asian Art Museum, Gift of George Hopper Fitch , B86D8. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

Birds and autumn plants, approx. 1700–1800. Japan, Edo period (1615–1868). Ink, colors, and gold foil on paper. Asian Art Museum, The Avery Brundage Collection, B60D75+ and B60D76+. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

kashi Murakami and the digital collective teamLab. Botanical Crafts, Artist Encounters, and Plenty of Family Fun On weekends and Thursday evenings, visitors to Flower Power can enjoy a range of related programs and activities: • Ikebana ( Japanese flower-arranging) lessons with a master from the Ohara school; • Bamboo artist demonstrations and workshops; • Floral tea brewing with petals and herbs foraged from residents’ own backyards; • Local contemporary artists exploring topics like mysticism and cultural identity through one-night-only presentations and performances (“Artists Drawing Club”); • Weekend family fun days with free crafts and storytelling tours;

Vase with “one hundred flowers” motif. China; Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, Qing dynasty, reign of the Qianlong emperor (1736–1795). Porcelain with overglaze enamels. Asian Art Museum, The Avery Brundage Collection, B65P13. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

• Guided Zen meditation sittings in galleries … and more!

• San Francisco–based artist Megan Wilson, a celebrated Mission district muralist best known for her colorful repurposing of pop motifs to address capitalism’s impact on civic society (with a particular focus on issues like gentrification and homelessness), creates a rainbow pathway of giant f lowers to lead audiences from her LIZ (Living Innovation Zone) mural on Fulton Street Plaza to the front entrance of the Asian Art Museum and into the exhibition.

For details, which are subject to change, including dates, times, and additional participation fees, please visit the events page on the museum’s website: www.asianart.org

Flower Power also includes recent artworks by the exuberant maestro of smiling daisies Ta-

General admission to the museum is free to all on Target First Free Sundays (the first Sunday of every month).

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About the Asian Art Museum The Asian Art Museum–Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture is one of San Francisco’s premier arts institutions and home to a world-renowned collection of more than 18,000 Asian art treasures from throughout Asia spanning 6,000 years of history. Through rich art experiences, centered on historic and contemporary artworks, the Asian Art Museum unlocks the past for visitors, bringing it to life while serving as a catalyst for new art, new creativity and new thinking.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CONSERVATORY OF FLOWERS

Conservatory of Flowers Goes Psychedelic with Nightly Free Summer Light Show Flowers power the night this summer as the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park becomes the canvas for an elegant light art installation that honors San Francisco’s citywide celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Summer of Love. Developed in partnership with San Francisco Recreation and Parks by Illuminate, the nonprofit arts group behind The Bay Lights, and Obscura Digital, a world-renowned creative studio specializing in large scale light-based art, the installation uses gobo projectors to transform the allwhite landmark with a series of exquisitely illuminated scenes inspired by the rare tropical flowers within and the legacy of San Francisco’s flower children. “The Summer of Love was always about an energy—a spark—bringing love and light at a time when the world

needed it,” says Ben Davis, Director of Illuminate. “We are bringing that light back to where it all began in Golden Gate Park fifty years later with an electrifying, contemporary tribute.” “Obscura has done projections on iconic buildings around the world, and we’re thrilled to be using Golden Gate Park’s architectural crown jewel as our latest canvas, here in our hometown,” said Chris Lejeune, CEO of Obscura Digital. The nightly spectacle of spinning flower mandalas, animated butterflies, and much more debuted on the first full night of summer, June 21, following a free concert featuring legendary 60s musicians such as the surviving members of the Grateful Dead, as well as Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger

‘Terra the Titan’ Chose the Summer of Love Anniversary to Bloom

Service and more. The free public installation is now on view nightly from sundown until midnight through October 21. “We are excited to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love with this innovative installation,” says SF Rec and Park General Manager Phil Ginsburg, “The Conservatory of Flowers is the perfect home for this celebration of flower power.” Drew Becher, CEO of the Parks Alliance, adds, “The Conservatory of Flowers is an iconic institution and we are thrilled it will join the other San Francisco landmarks that glow proudly to celebrate our city’s rich history.” More information is available at conservatoryofflowers.org

Flower Piano Brings Music Back to the San Francisco Botanical Garden

PHOTO BY JENNIFER L. VIEGAS

The Titan arum is the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world—typically 6 to 8 feet tall. An unbranched inf lorescence is a structure composed of many individual f lowers. Hundreds of small f lowers line the base of the spadix and are protected by a ruffled modified leaf called a spathe. Female Terra the Titan flowers open a day before the male flowers, which is how the plant avoids self-pollination. Scarlet fruits can develop from the pollinated female flowers. Fingers are crossed that this will happen at the conservatory, since Terra was carefully hand-pollinated. When in bloom, the plant emits a foul odor of rotting animal flesh, thus the common name of corpse flower. It does this in order to attract pollinators, such as carrion beetles and flies. As it releases the stench during the earliest bloom phase, part of the plant actually heats up, making it look as though it is blowing smoke! Members of our team could see this effect when the light conditions were right in the conservatory. The plant produces the largest leaf in the world reaching up to 20 feet high. The 10 and 15-foot leaves in the same pot as Terra have shaded a portion of the conservatory’s Potted Plants Gallery for the last year. Regarding the plant’s mix of male and female flowers, we wondered how we could best describe Terra’s sexuality. A few members of the staff pondered that for a while before confidently replying, “Gender fluid.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF CONSERVATORY OF FLOWERS

Corpse f lowers (Titan arum) usually only bloom for a few days every decade or so. “Terra the Titan” at the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers chose this Summer of Love 50th anniversary time for her dramatic and stinky unfurling. Former owner Sidney Price, who used to have Terra in the bathroom of his Mission apartment before donating her to the conservatory, is very proud of her success.

Flower Piano is back for its third year, celebrating music, nature, and creativity. In collaboration with Sunset Piano (http://sunsetpiano.com/), the San Francisco Botanical Garden will once again be filled with music, for you and by you. Flower Piano is a special 12-day long community event from July 13–24 only, where 12 pianos are placed at dramatic, picturesque locations throughout the Garden’s 55 acres for anyone to play. All 12 pianos will be available for the public to play between 9 am and 6 pm each day, except during performances. Flower Piano is free following regular admission to the Garden (free for members and San Francisco residents with proof of residency, $8 for non-resident adults). In addition, featured performances by over 50 renowned local and international musicians as well as special programming take place at select times on the weekends, and on some weekdays. See http://sunsetpiano.com/flowerpiano/ for the complete schedule. New this year will be NightGarden Piano, a special evening event on Saturday, July 22 from 7:30– 10:30pm. Beautifully lit pathways will guide visitors to pianos aglow with performances by Sunset Piano all-stars and open pianos to play. Food and drink will be available for purchase. Tickets are $40 each (http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2983976), and all proceeds will go to help fund Flower Piano. There will also be a ticketed screening of the documentary film Twelve Pianos, followed by a Q&A with Dean Mermell and Mauro ffortissimo, co-directors of Sunset Piano, on Saturday, July 15, at 7 pm, with proceeds benefiting Flower Piano as well. Tickets for that event are just $12 (http://www. brownpapertickets.com/event/2983991). S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

JUNE 22 , 2017

‘Flower Power’ San Francisco Pride 2017

Gavin Arthur and the Summer of Love

Photos courtesy of Dr. Bill Lipsky Maud’s operated at 937 Cole Street in Haight-Ashbury (1966-1989)

Faces from Our LGBT Past Dr. Bill Lipsky Whether they believed he was a creative spirit, a colorful nonconformist, or a kooky eccentric, everyone thought Chester Alan Arthur III, known to everyone as Gavin, was memorable, a true “only in San Francisco” personality. The grandson and namesake of the twenty-first president of the United States, he was well known as both a sexologist and an astrologer. Openly bisexual, he published The Circle of Sex in 1962, where he explained that sexuality was a circle with twelve orientations, each corresponding to a sign of the zodiac. Arthur was a lifelong activist, deeply involved with both the Beat Generation and the early gay rights movement. He also became an influential leader of the Haight-Ashbury counterculture, where he was part of the discussions to bring together different groups of the Bay Area’s counterculture Gavin simply to experience Arthur “ being” w it h each other. Using astrology, Arthur set the date for the first “Human BeIn” for January 14, 1967, in Golden Gate Park. Some 30,000 celebrants attended. Many identif ied as hippies. They heard A llen Ginsberg, Timothy Leary—who famously told them to “turn on, tune in, drop out”—Lenore Kandel, Gary Snyder, and others speak about some of the basic tenets of the counterculture: personal empowerment, communal living, higher consciousness (achievable with the help of psychedelic drugs), and radical political awareness. Others simply enjoyed the day’s “good vibrations” and “groovy sounds.”

Summer of Love, 1967

The event made the City’s hippie scene world famous and led first to the “Easter Vacation Onslaught” and then to the transformative “Summer of Love.” Young middle-class A mer icans from all over the country tripped to San Francisco, with or without a f lower in their hair, leaving the comfort of their parents’ homes or the conforming drabness of their dormitories for a Neverland where “there would be free love, free pot, free food and a free place to sleep.” Once in San Francisco, they traded in their button-down shirts and their sorority sweaters for tie-dyed shirts and fringed jackets. Khaki pants gave way to frayed bell bottoms, and granny dresses replaced pleated skirts. In their rebellion against conformity, everyone wore beads. At its center, Haight-Ashbury quickly became both a mecca and a tourist attraction. Among the head shops and psychedelic clothing stores of a neighborhood that embraced self-discovery, personal freedom, an “if it feels good, do it” attitude, sexual liberation, and free love, the newly arrived found an established, vibrant LGBT community. It flourished even before the “Summer of Love,” at least back into the 1950s, and had created a lively main street for itself. During the decade of the “Summer of Love,” Margaret Forster and Charlotte Coleman opened The Golden Cask at 1725 Haight in 1962, a bar and restaurant popular with both gay men and lesbians. My Place #4 opened at 1784 Haight in 1963. The next year, Rikki Streicher opened Maud’s around the corner at 937 Cole, at the former site of The Study, also a bar. Early customers included singer Janis Joplin and activists Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon.

Human Bi-In Poster, 1967

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find each other, discover community, gossip, hug. When it closed in 1989, it was the longest surviving lesbian bar in the country. 1965 was a banner year for the Haight’s expanding LGBT community. The Golden Elephant opened at 530 Haight, while The Nite Lite opened a block away at 668 Haight. Bligh’s Bounty, which became the neighborhood bar most popular with black men, opened nearby at 782 Haight. Less than a block from Maud’s, there was Bradley’s Corner at 900 Cole; popular with both men and women, it featured spaghetti dinner for 69 cents on Tuesdays. There was more to come. In 1966, The Lucky Club opened at 1801 Haight, and in 1967, the year of the “Summer of Love,” Nick O’Demus established Taste of Leather 545 Ashbury, the first gay-owned leather business in the Bay Area. Dozens of other bars, clubs, restaurants, and shops tied to the burgeoning counterculture movement went into business during the next 10 years.

1967 brought both setbacks and good news for the LGBT community. On March 7, CBS broadcast The Homosexuals. The f irst such television “documentary” seen by a national audience, it was described as “the single most destrucAt the time Maud’s tive hour of antigay propaganda in our opened, California law nation’s history.” The Episcopal Diocese of forbade women from beRikki California that year, however, urged the state ing bartenders in clubs they Streicher to abolish the laws regulating private sexudid not own, so the honal behavior. or of pouring drinks in the early years went to men from By the end of the “Summer of Love,” an estimated nearby gay establishments. Be- 100,000 people journeyed to San Francisco, hopcause many lesbians lived in the ing to join, or at least behold, the City’s counterculHaight, Maud’s became a pop- ture. On October 6, the Diggers, a neighborhood ular, then a legendary, watering group of activists and performers, held a funeral hole for a generation of women, service for “Hippie, devoted son of Mass Media,” to a place where they could meet, indicate that the tremendous cultural experiment,

which was the HaightAshbury, had ended. It had, they felt, been co-opted, sanitized and commercialized out of existence. The LGBT community, however, survived the invasion. Gavin Arthur, who died in 1972, surely would have been gladdened by how LGBT culture and community endured in the Haight for another decade and now prosper throughout today’s San Francisco. Bill Lipsky, Ph.D., author of “Gay and Lesbian San Francisco” (2006), is a member of the Rainbow Honor Walk board of directors.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE DE YOUNG AND LEGION OF HONOR

The Summer of Love Experience: Art, Fashion and Rock & Roll Through August 20, 2017, at the de Young The Summer of Love Experience: Art, Fashion, and Rock & Roll at the de Young in Golden Gate Park commemorates an “only in San Francisco” social and aesthetic movement whose influences still surround us today, from fashion to music and so much more. We first told you about the exhibit in early April, right before the opening, but we love it so much that we had to revisit it again, especially now that we are in the heart of the Summer of Love 50th Anniversary celebrations. Rock posters featured in the exhibit inspired our cover and the large image at the center of these two pages. Both offer viewers a drug-free mind trip. We invite you to look closely at the psychedelic images, which may cause optical illusion movement. Poster artists during the late 1960s utilized similar techniques when advertising some of the hottest bands of the time. In terms of fashion, distinctive styles of dress set members of the Bay Area counterculture apart from mainstream America. Local designers began to create fantastic looks using a range of techniques and materials, including leatherwork, hand-painting, knitting and crotchet, embroidery, repurposed denim, and tie-dye. These artists wove multiple cultural elements from around the globe into their wearable art. Fashion is just one highlight at the de Young exhibit. We appreciate how the rooms flow, allowing visitors to savor interactive music and light shows, a section that is plastered from top to bottom with the aforementioned rock posters, and a near-empty room with inviting fuzzy bean bag chairs that compel museum-goers to sit down, connect with friends and enjoy the most excellent music piped into the space. That’s just for a start. If you have seen the exhibit already, check out one of the many related events scheduled at the museum in the weeks to come. (https:// deyoung.famsf.org/summer-loveart-fashion-and-rock-roll) If you haven’t been yet, go! Like summer itself, exhibits such as this are fleeting pleasures. To everything there is a season, as The Byrds sang, so before you know it, the museum, city, and planet itself will have turn, turn, turned to another proverbial page in time. deyoungmuseum.org | @deyoungmuseum

Birgitta Bjerke (100% Birgitta), Wedding dress, 1972. Crocheted wool. Collection of Barbara Kayfetz. Image Courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Wes Wilson, “Grateful Dead, Junior Wells Chicago Blues Band, The Doors, January 13-15, Fillmore Auditorium,” 1967. Color offset lithograph poster. Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Museum purchase, Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts Endowment Fund, 1972.53.69. © Wes Wilson. Image Courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Bob Seidemann, “Five San Francisco poster artists” [left to right: Alton Kelley, Victor Moscoso, Rick Griffin, Wes Wilson, and Stanley Mouse], 1967. Collection of the artist. © Bob Seidemann Image Courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

JUNE 22 , 2017

‘Flower Power’ San Francisco Pride 2017

MEMORY IS A BOUQUET Begin with lily of the valley. Add lilac, peonies, pussy willow, bearded irises, marigold. Finally, roses. Not grand, formal blooms Poet in Residence Kit Kennedy Kit Kennedy is the Poet-in-Residence of the “San Francisco Bay Times” and at herchurch Ebenezer Lutheran, herchurch.org She has published 5 poetry collections, and for the past several years she has hosted the poetry series at Gallery Café. For more information, please visit her blog: http://poetrybites. blogspot.com

but petite & stubborn trellised vines of pale pink, white & red. What we called back porch roses. Names of flowers smitten. So let me create a sound bouquet— hibiscus, frangipani forsythia, protea, water lilies. And roses, oh roses. I joke with my partner when she throws out the desiccated roses I carefully cut, arranged in our favorite vase. There is power in that which doesn’t

Stacy Boorn, photographer, is the pastor, priestess of ritual and visionary leader of herchurch in San Francisco. http://www.herchurch.org/ staff/pastor-stacy-boorn/

last. Yet, quiet and still, I think of seeds with their steadfast belief in tomorrow.

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In the News Compiled by Dennis McMillan Former Cal and NFL Star Ryan O’Callaghan Comes Out as Gay Redding native Ryan O’Callaghan, former offensive tackle for the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs, came out publicly as gay this Pride month. The 6’7”, 330-pound football star told Outsports that he used football as his “beard,” and planned to commit suicide after he retired. The former Cal great, who helped his team to win the 2005 Big Game with a score of 27–3, struggled with depression for many years. “I was abusing painkillers, no question,” he told reporter Cyd Zeigler. “It helped with the pain of the injuries, and with the pain of being gay. I just didn’t worry about being gay when I took the Vicodin. I just didn’t worry.” When he came out to trusted members of the Kansas City Chiefs, they supported him, helping him to turn his life around for the better. O’Callaghan is the first male athlete in a major professional sport to come out as gay in three years. outsports.com Google Gives Grant to Preserve Oral History of Stonewall Inn The philanthropic wing of the internet search giant Google says it is donating $1 million to preserve an oral history of the 1969 NYC Stonewall riots. That historic event—when a police raid sparked resistance from patrons and led to several days of demonstrations—paved the way for annual international pride parades and celebrations. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) made the announcement that Google.org, the company’s philanthropy branch, is donating the grant to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center to start the oral history project. Schumer says the purpose of the project is to spread the word and educate future generations about the Stonewall riots. edgemedianetwork.com Obscura Digital Partners with The Pink Triangle Project to Present ‘Kisses from San Francisco’ Obscura Digital, known for high-impact projection installations around the world, has partnered with Patrick Carney, creator of the famous Pink Triangle installed on San Francisco’s Twin Peaks during Pride weekend every year since 1995, to present “Kisses from San Francisco.” Obscura Digital will project on the Triangle images of lips blowing kisses from San Francisco to the people of the world, in a grand and open-armed statement of love, positivity and human connection. The projections will take place on Friday, June 23, and Saturday, June 24, from dark until 2 am. http://www.thepinktriangle.com San Francisco Leads the Way in Integrated LGBT Senior Housing & Services With the recent opening of San Francisco’s first LGBT-welcoming affordable housing complex for seniors, the Openhouse Community at 55 Laguna Street features 40 affordable apartments developed in partnership with Mercy Housing California, with an additional building at 95 Laguna. They’re adding a further 79 homes in the fall of 2017, creating one of the largest LGBT senior communities in the country. “Last year alone, Openhouse supported over 2,500 San Francisco Bay Area LGBT seniors between our programs, services and housing, with over 93% reporting a positive impact on their health and well-being,” said Openhouse Executive Director Karyn Skultety. “But our work is far from done, with many of San Francisco’s estimated 25,000 LGBT seniors fearing discrimination and compromised care in their strug20

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gle to find quality housing and services.” Openhouse was co-founded by San Francisco Bay Times columnist Dr. Marcy Adelman, who is this year’s SF Pride Lifetime Achievement Grand Marshal. lgbtqnation.com SF Mayor Ed Lee Raises Rainbow Flag at City Hall Mayor Ed Lee joined U.S. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, SF Supervisor Jeff Sheehy, and others to raise the Rainbow Flag at City Hall. This year’s Pride Month celebrations take on a particularly special meaning, as they are the first to occur since the community lost Gilbert Baker, the creator of the iconic Rainbow Flag. When Baker stitched together a few pieces of multicolored fabric, he created a symbol of inclusiveness, tolerance and pride, offering solace and unity for a community that was experiencing prejudice. At a time when some national leaders continue to adopt discriminatory rhetoric, it is more important than ever to embrace the Rainbow Flag’s representation of acceptance and love for all. “Raising the Rainbow Flag today offers us a moment to celebrate the rich history and positive legacy of the LGBTQ community while also reflecting on the many sacrifices this group has made during its continuous journey advancing civil rights,” said Mayor Lee. “We cannot let hate win, and San Francisco will continue to lead the fight against bigotry. We are proud to stand with our LGBTQ community.” sfgov.org Tenderloin Could Become Nation’s First Transgender Cultural District The nation’s f irst transgender cultural district could be created if the Board of Supervisors passes a resolution to recognize the Tenderloin’s part in the LGBTQ rights movement. “The Board wishes to memorialize the whole history of the Tenderloin and Mid-Market area, [and] seeks to create a vibrant, safe, and supportive neighborhood for the Transgender community, particularly trans women of color,” according to the resolution to be considered. The Compton’s Transgender, Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual (TLGB) District would span six blocks of the lower Tenderloin and cross over Market to encompass two blocks of Sixth Street. The legislation introduced by District 6 Supervisor Jane Kim notes that the Tenderloin hosts a large proportion of the City’s homeless population, 29 percent of whom identify as transgender, gender-variant, intersex, lesbian, gay or bisexual, according to the 2015 San Francisco Homeless Point-In-Time Count Report and Survey. The district is named after Compton’s Cafeteria, which in August 1966 was the scene of a two-day uprising by LGBT activists resisting police harassment. hoodline.com California Legislative LGBT Caucus Honors Outstanding LGBT Individuals The California Legislative LGBT Caucus is celebrating June 2017 as Pride Month with the adoption of House Resolution 41 during Assembly Floor Session and Senate Resolution 46. As part of the ceremony, the Caucus honored: Mikayla Connell, Police Officer at the San Francisco Police Department; Robert Gleason, President and Chief Executive Officer of Evans Hotels; Roma Pauline Guy, Activist and Founder of San Francisco Women’s Building; Joel Flatow, Chief of West Coast Operations and Artist (continued on page 31)

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6/26 and Beyond Stuart Gaffney & John Lewis With this year’s theme of San Francisco Pride, “A Celebration of Diversity,” we are thrilled to celebrate a great leap forward in the worldwide marriage equality movement: last month’s legal victory in Taiwan that will make the nation the first in Asia to have marriage equality. “I’m leaping with joy like a bird,” exclaimed Taiwanese LGBTQ activist Chi Chia-wei, one of the parties to the suit, who has been fighting for the right to marry for over 30 years, according to the Agence France-Presse (AFP). His words reawaken the joy that we and millions of others experienced during Pride two years ago when marriage equality became the law of the land across America. The victory in Taiwan is particularly exciting for us as a biracial Chinese American family. We remember participating thirteen years ago in the Gay Asian Pacific Alliance’s historic marriage equality f loat in the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade, the first of its kind in any Chinese New Year parade in the world, beamed to television audiences across Asia. Our float boldly proclaimed that the Chinese symbol of marriage, double happiness, should be available to all. We are delighted to see that vision starting to become a reality in Asia itself. We and Asian LGBTQ activists hope that the victory in Taiwan will have ripple effects across the continent. “This will have a huge impact on mainland China. Next stop, Hong Kong, then mainland proper,” proclaimed a Chinese social media user, as reported by Radio Free Asia. Although Taiwan

priately-named decision that abolished laws prohibiting interracial marriage. Even after the decision was made, many states in the South continued to keep anti-interracial marriage laws on the books. It was only in 2000 that Alabama voters removed such laws from their state constitution.

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Assemblymember Phil Ting Fifty years ago this month, the United States Supreme Court overturned state laws restricting interracial marriage. This got me thinking—where will we stand when we observe the 50th Anniversary of the right for same sex couples to marry? Same-sex marriage, while being a hallmark challenge for LGBTQ rights, is not the end of the f ight against homophobia and intolerance. There is more to be achieved on the road to equality. What battles are next for the LGBTQ community? Consider the Civil Rights Movement following Loving v. Virginia, the appro-

Japanese act ivist friends also welcomed the news, not- Taiwanese gay rights activist Chi Chia-wei celebrates the ruling on May 24, 2017, by Taiwan’s Constitutional Court ing the importance in favor of same-sex marriage. of marriage equaliment based on sexual orientation, ty becoming a reality “not only in and that the marriage exclusion western countries but also in Asia.” could not withstand such scrutiny. Vuong Kha Phong, a Vietnamese By applying “heightened” scrutiny LGBTQ advocate, proclaimed the explicitly, the Taiwan court went Taiwan decision “a historic victory further than the U.S. Supreme for the LGBT groups in Asia,” and Court has, and it is past time for the looked to the decision to build “mo- American court to take this critimentum to mobilize the community cal step. to take action” as Vietnam will reconsider its marriage laws in 2020, The Taiwan Court gave the legislature and other responsible auaccording to the AFP. thorities two years to comply with The language and reasoning of the the ruling and “discretion” as to Taiwan Constitutional Court’s his- “the formality … for achieving the toric decision itself is very strong. In equal protection of the freedom of an official press release, the Court marriage” for same-sex couples. proclaimed Taiwan’s exclusion of We and Taiwanese LGBTQ acsame-sex couples from marriage tivists believe that full marriage “obviously a gross legislative flaw.” equality is the only way to achieve Husbands Stuart Gaffney and John Lewis The Court highlighted how Chi this result. If the legislature fails to at the 20th Anniversary of Marriage Equality Chia-wei had been appealing to dif- act in two years, same-sex couples USA (MEUSA) in 2016 ferent branches of the government will be able to marry under current for the right to marry for “more procedures. equality on both sides of the Pacific, than three decades.” It concluded that “after more than a decade” According to the AFP, Chi Chia- we take inspiration this Pride seaof the legislature being “unable to wei was jailed for five months after son from Chi’s optimism and percomplete its legislative process on filing his first petition for the right severance and the collective work of those bills regarding same-sex mar- to marry, back in 1986. That was countless other Taiwanese LGBTQ the same year the U.S. Supreme activists. They remind us all that riage,” the time was up. Court held that states could impris- we are “doing the right thing” and The Court found that denying on LGBTQ people for the physi- “it’s all worth it.” same-sex couples the ability to marcal expression of their love. Today, John Lewis and Stuart Gaffney, ry violated lesbian, gay, and bisexboth countries’ highest courts have together for over three decades, ual people’s fundamental constituruled in favor of marriage equality. were plaintiffs in the California tional freedom “to decide ‘whether Chi told the AFP that he has “been case for equal marriage rights deto marry’ and ‘whom to marry,’” a able to carry on for so long” because cided by the California Supreme choice “vital” to “human dignity.” he “wasn’t discouraged by the setCourt in 2008. Their leadership The Court also made an expansive backs.” He said: “My belief is that in the nationwide grassroots orruling with respect to sexual orienif you can do one right thing in this ganization Marriage Equality tation discrimination, holding that life, it’s all worth it.” USA contributed in 2015 to makthe Constitution’s equality guarantees required “heightened” ju- As our community continues to ing same-sex marriage legal nadicial scrutiny of differential treat- pursue full LGBTQ freedom and tionwide.

Marriage Rights, Four Years Later

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and China differ politically, they share deep cultural and familial roots. Ray Chan, Hong Kong’s first openly gay lawm a ker, t old A F P that he could foresee Hong Kong couples going to Taiwan to try to marry and then returning home and pressing the government for recognition of their relationships.

PHOTO BY RINK

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

ASIAMEDIA.LMU.EDU

A Great Leap Forward for Marriage Equality

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Loving v. Virginia wasn’t the ending point of the Civil Rights Movement. Racial disparities in the criminal justice system, fair housing, police brutality, and equal pay and employment endure. Fifty years later, African Americans and other communities of color are still fighting for equality. LGBTQ activists and allies must continue combatting the ignorance and bigotry of those who fear others based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. In the years since the Defense of Marriage Act and Proposition 8 were overturned, the fight for LGBTQ rights has shifted. While more states have stopped banning same-sex marriage, many states do not prohibit employment discrimination—meaning that in states like West Virginia, South Carolina, Arizona, Idaho and Wyoming, you can

get married on Saturday, only to be fired on Monday. The debate has also shifted to a space that’s a little more personal, our restrooms. In 2013, California passed legislation that allows students to have access to school restrooms and locker rooms according to their gender identity. Last year, I authored a law requiring all single-user restrooms in the state to be universally open to every person, regardless of their gender identity. This stood in sharp contrast with states like North Carolina requiring people to use restrooms consistent with their gender at birth. Texas is seeking to do the same right now. California will continue to lead the way for the LGBTQ community. This year’s state budget includes $4 million to support Office of AIDS programs, $760.8 million for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program over a two-year period, and ensures that the Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) program covers uninsured clients. Additionally, there are the following bills to help the march of equality move forward:

AB 677 by Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco) directs state agencies to collect data on sexual orientation and gender identity in education and employment in order to reduce disparities; SB 179, or the Gender Recognition Act of 2017 by Senator Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), allows people to obtain state birth certificates, driver’s licenses and ID cards with a third nonbinary gender marker; SB 239 by Senator Scott Wiener (DSan Francisco) decriminalizes HIVspecific laws that impose additional criminal sentences. California is behind the LGBTQ community, and we will continue to support legislation and actions to improve the lives of the community. While the LGBTQ Rights Movement has made many gains in the past few years, especially in states like ours, it’s important that we persist and keep the momentum moving forward. Phil Ting represents the 19th Assembly District, which includes the Westside of San Francisco along with Broadmoor, Colma, Daly City and parts of South San Francisco.

GLBT Fortnight in Review

By Ann Rostow

Pride and Prejudice The spirit of Pride is under debate. In Texas, where the legislature has passed a bill that allows adoption agencies to impose religious tests on prospective parents, the Houston organizers got some blowback after announcing that this year’s Pride theme will be “Wonderland!” Writing in the Houston Chronicle, local activist Andrew Edmonson reminded his community that Pride parades began as protest marches, noting that Texans have every reason to protest this year and that glitzy party themes clash with the current environment. (Texans will still have to beat back a bathroom bill, which is one of the items on the agenda for a special session next month. I don’t think it will pass.) In Los Angeles, organizers dropped the floats and turned the annual parade into a Resist March on June 11, a date that was observed by Pride groups in many other places around the country in a national show of GLBT anti-Trump solidarity. While no one can take the fun out of Pride after all of these years, it looks as if Pride festivities have a new edge in 2017. We may have taken our postmarriage victory laps a little too early. When you take ten steps forward, it’s disconcerting to take two steps back, and it’s appropriate for our annual demonstrations to ref lect this unfortunate reality. But there’s also another phenomenon in play. The veterans of the old Pride parades are a small and shrinking contingent. For most people, Pride weekend is synonymous with party rather than protest. For many others, it has never been dangerous or scary to attend. These annual events have increasingly become less political and more generic. In last Sunday’s New York Times, one writer bemoaned the blandness that has increasingly diluted the queer flavor of her first Pride back in 2003. “Who is Pride really for these days?” asked the author. “Queers who are proud to be queers, of course. But it’s yet another place that straight white people now feel 100 percent welcome, even though they feel perfectly at home in any public space. Having allies is wonderful, but sometimes I wish they could be allies every other day of the year, and let us have a party as gay and naked and radical and un-familyfriendly as we queers might like.” I can’t help but remember one of my first Pride Parades in the early 1980s in New York, accompanied by my straight white male best friend at a time when I still worried that my parents might see me on TV at this event. Yes, it was exciting. But there were also people screaming on the sidewalk and holding nasty signs and jeering. I appreciated Gerry’s support and I’m not sure I would have gone alone. It wasn’t a hundred percent fun. “We see you, Miller Lite, with your oddly wholesome, rainbow-spattered ads,” continued the Times essay. “Where were you before it was in your best financial interest to be accepting of queers?” Um, both Miller and Budweiser supported the GLBT community and Pride throughout the 1990s at a time when it wasn’t that cool. I know, because I remember the ad space they both bought in the San Francisco Bay Times and other gay papers, as well as the flack they took from the right wing for sponsoring our community. Was it profitable for them? Perhaps. But don’t call Miller Lite late to the party. As a matter of fact, let me raise a rainbow flag to all the Fortune 500 companies who have worked on our behalf, most recently by boycotting North Carolina, but also by lobbying state legislatures against anti-gay bills and by expanding their employment 24

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policies to protect gay and trans workers. We have a great deal of corporate support, and some of the biggest companies made the strategic decision to back our civil rights—not just out of self-interest, but based on their own institutional philosophy. I suppose my point is that things aren’t so simple. No, we’re not a despised minority anymore, but yes, we still need allies of all sorts. No, we can’t party like there’s no tomorrow, but yes, we’ve succeeded beyond our expectations. We have to keep fighting, but our battle lines are no longer on the margins of society. The glue that holds our community has always been the shared experience of discrimination. This glue dissolves the more progress we make, and there is less and less of it to connect a young gay teen in Mississippi to a middle-aged lesbian in Maine to a rich man about town in Manhattan to a queer activist in San Francisco. But for one weekend a year, we are still reminded that we’re in this together. That’s a reason to party in my book. That said, my book has a party scheduled for most days. Hey, I just realized it’s Thursday! La La La La La La La Do you know why I just spent nearly half my column meandering on about Pride? It’s because I’m in a newsavoidance mood, a period when I just want to stick my fingers in my ears and sing nonsense syllables. Headlines swirl along my peripheral vision, but I turn my head the other way. I see that Trump’s judicial nominations are the worst in years, threatening civil rights for decades. Moderate drinking leads to brain damage. (Luckily, I’m a heavy drinker.) Dozens die in fires. Sailors drown in their berths. People are shot at baseball practice. Others are killed by a crazy former colleague. The Senate’s screwing with health care. I squeeze my eyes shut. There seems to be nothing good happening out there. Usually, there’s a bit of a mix. Drinking is bad, but five cups of coffee adds ten years to your life! Trump endangers the post-war world order, but three kittens were rescued from a sewage pipe! Lately I’m not seeing that balance. Caffeine causes strokes and the kittens are dying.

Normally this isn’t a problem, but I’m supposed to immerse myself in GLBT news, and that forces me to open my eyes. And the gay news isn’t that great either. Trump’s education department has dumbed down Obama’s gay and trans friendly policies and is scaling back the case load at its Office of Civil Rights. The Commerce Department “accidentally” dropped sexual orientation and gender identity from its annual “Statement on Equal Employment Opportunity,” although it put these categories back in the language after an outcry. Six out of 21 members have resigned from the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS citing the administration’s complete indifference to their mission. Let’s just say that I’m overdue for Pride. And I’m talking about the dancing and drinking part, not the high-minded activism. Make Mine a Gin Belt, Straight Up By the way, apropos of nothing, what’s with the unshaven look that has persisted for several years now? It was kind of sexy in a rugged way for a little while, but now this manly presentation has become outdated. And since it’s no longer chic, it just looks like a mess. I’ve even seen some guys keep bristles all over the front of their necks, which is truly disgusting. Clean it up, fellas. (For the record, this tangent was provoked by a car ad starring the insufferably pompous Matthew McConaughey.) And speaking of car commercials, I’m annoyed by the Buick ad where

the husband tricks his wife into thinking the dog escaped in order to have an excuse to drive the car aimlessly around the neighborhood. Why can’t the guy just tell his wife he feels like driving the car around? He loves the car. He’s going for a drive. Period. Only a madwoman would object to this, and yet some creative director thought the husband’s gratuitous subterfuge was not just logical, but charming. Here’s a news f lash. The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Russia’s four-year-old ban on gay rights speech, aka “propaganda,” violates the guarantee of freedom of expression under the European Convention on Civil Rights, and discriminates against gays and lesbians. Although Russia is a signatory to the convention, it’s not clear that Putin will actually shell out damages of roughly $48,000 to three men who sued after they were arrested and fined during a protest. And speaking of harsh regimes that muzzle citizens and the press, a lesbian consultant has been appointed Prime Minister of Serbia by President Aleksandar Vucic, although the press reports that she might have a battle for confirmation. I’m not sure how these things work in Serbia, but I do know (vaguely) that the country has yet to meet the requirements for EU membership, in part, due to media repression. As for Serbia’s gay rights record, it’s not good. In another positive development, California and Oregon have added a third sex category for driver licenses, “non-binary” in California and “not specified” in the Beaver State. I’m all for this expansion, although I still oppose adding letters to our classic “GLBT” community abbreviation. I was just rethinking my stance on this. Perhaps we can craft an actual acronym were we to come up with a few vowels. I like GOBLET, for example. Okay, I just wasted ten minutes on mental acrobatics, so let’s return to this challenge another day. (If we added Intersex and Nonbinary, we could begin the acronym with GIN and extend it into the name of a new community cocktail.) Brown v Bored Here’s a nice one. The National Organization for Marriage held its annual rally for traditional marriage in front of the Supreme Court the other day, and managed to drum up a group of maybe 50 people, tops. This appears to mark a new low for Brian Brown’s crowd numbers, although Brown said logistical snags played a part in the sorry turnout. “We are on the side of truth,” Brown told the small assembly. “We are on the side of true human rights, we are on the side of true civil rights. And in every fight for civil rights, it took a creative minority who were willing to stand up and speak truth to power, no matter what the cost. And you know what? There may not be thousands of us here today. It doesn’t matter. There were only a few that stood with William Wilberforce when he stood up and said ‘no’ to the slave trade in England. He was mocked, he was derided, he was laughed at. We remember him as a hero now, because ultimately his life’s work was successful, but it wasn’t successful in his own lifetime.” Now that takes a little chutzpah, don’t you think? Comparing opponents of marriage equality to abolitionists? And speaking of opponents of marriage equality, it’s a little jarring to see our old foe Jay Sekulow representing President Trump in the Russiagate/obstruction inquiry. Sekulow has long been one of the top lawyers for antigay civil court actors, whether it be a fight for marriage equality or a case against a Ten Commandments plaque. It’s as if Evan Wolfson (continued on page 31)

Pride, Summer of Love and Building a New Movement

Aging in Community Dr. Marcy Adelman The 50th Anniversary of the San Francisco Summer of Love coincides with this year’s Pride. The two collective events, although separated by decades, share much in common. The Summer of Love in 1967 and the hippie counterculture movement were a celebration of life in the middle of a tumultuous, violent and transformative time that shaped a generation, my generation. It feels to me that we are in one of those moments once again, when the heart and soul of the country are at stake. The 60s have much to teach us. I wasn’t a hippie, but like them, and like so many people of my generation, I shared their core values of challenging the status quo of oppressive racist, sexist and elitist values of the 1950s. I wasn’t interested in dropping out, but was grateful for the music—Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, the Mamas and the Papas, and more—and applauded the creative and playful ways the hippie movement rejected materialism and established, however briefly, a counterculture based on personal freedom and universal love.

The San Francisco Summer of Love, with its spirit of peace and goodwill, was sandwiched in the middle of a decade marked by sit-ins, anti-war protests, civil rights marches, race riots and assassinations: the Harlem riot of 1964, the Watts riots (1965), the student riots and Free Speech Movement of 1964, the United Farm Workers protest to secure voting and political rights (1964–1965), the founding of the Students Non-Violent Coordination Committee in 1965, the creation of the Oakland Black Panther Party in 1966, and the assassinations of John F. Kennedy (1963), Martin Luther King, Jr., (1968) and Bobby Kennedy (1968). I was in high school during the non-violent sitins at lunch counters and restaurants in the South, and in 1963, when Martin Luther King wrote a letter from an Alabama jail. It reads, in part: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in the inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” This quote is etched on the north wall of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial. This quote gave me hope, and gives me hope still. No matter the injustice, the setbacks, or even the loss of those who gave us hope, hope remains. When President Kennedy was assassinated in November of 1963, it seemed as if the whole world was crying that day. My high school teachers, classmates, school bus driver, traffic police, and neighborhood families were standing out on their front lawns, or in the streets, crying and holding each other. The country grieved the loss of a young president who had held out much hope for a more inclusive country and a re-imagining of America’s significance and purpose in the world. Martin Luther King, Jr., wisely pressed President Lyndon Johnson to take that moment of loss and grief to drive home John F. Kennedy’s civil rights legislation to end segregation in education and to provide federal protection of the right to vote. The Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964, and the Voting Rights Act passed in 1965.

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The civ il rights and peace movements overlapped in the 1960s. The Vietnam War was the first war to be televised. Each night, the evening news brought the horrors of war into our everyday lives. It was impossible to turn away from, or to forget, the wounded and dying soldiers and civilians. The witnessing of this Congratulations! suffering, coupled with Grand Marshal t he a nt i-wa r move - Dr. Marcy Adelman ment’s primarily peaceful non-violent approach to protest, was instrumental in widening and growing the movement. It evolved to include students and academics, the clergy and the civil rights, women’s liberation and Chicano movements, until it reached a critical mass that would finally bring the war to an end. The Women’s March on Washington, the day after this year’s inauguration, reminded me of the lessons from the 60s. The march was peaceful and inclusive. The protesters wore playful hats. The speakers were fiery, as well as creative, with poetry, music and performance. The march and the marchers were inspirational. We never expected to be in this fight, but maybe, just maybe, a broader, more diverse and inclusive coalition than ever before will come together to fight for our progressive values and to take back the government. Maybe, just maybe, this time we in this “… inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny” will finally learn to live and thrive together. I hope so. Happy Pride. Marcy Adelman, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in private practice, is co-founder of the non-profit organization Openhouse. She is also a leading advocate and educator in LGBT affirming dementia care and a member of the Advisory Council to the Aging and Adult Services Commission.

FLOWER POWER (continued from page 11) ities. A quote from another famous 60’s song comes to mind: There’s something happening here But what it is ain’t exactly clear. We’ve taken those lines from Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth” out of context, but their sentiment could apply to the still-mysterious connections between animals and plants. They remind us how important it is to promote healthy ecosystems. We stand strongly against President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Accord on climate change and believe that in this, and so many other matters, he and his administration pose a dangerous threat to the wellbeing of not only our community, but also the entire planet. Our “Flower Power” contingent therefore serves as a reminder to enact thoughtful stewardship of the earth and its natural resources. “Flower Power” at Pride “Flower Power” also refers to the fantastic new exhibit at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum, in which you will see several artistic representations of these dreamy blossoms. The exhibit, featured in this issue of the paper, is a thoughtful addition to the city’s 50th Anniversary celebrations of the Summer of Love. Our contingent volunteers will receive a custom tie-dyed t-shirt to commemorate this special occasion, and will be carrying flowers, just as the Flower Children did all those decades ago. At a time when our country is once again divided, the timeless sentiments of peace and love signified by flowers seem just as relevant now as they did in 1967. So please join us! Be a part of our contingent during this Summer of Love Pride. For more information, please contact San Francisco Bay Times publisher Dr. Betty Sullivan at publisher@sfbaytimes.com Thank you to all who are helping with the contingent. Contributors include Olivia Travel, NAPA Cellars, Gray Line Tours, Dixie Horning, Grubstake, Premium Resources, Budget Signs, Extreme Pizza, Celebrity Cruises, San Francisco Federal Credit Union, La Mediterranee, Mission de Flores and many more. Thanks also to our team leaders and volunteers. For those and others who come to Pride and to the San Francisco Bay Times contingent, “summertime will be a love-in there.”

Remembering Carolyn Ellis Staton, with Thanks to Hillary Clinton, Too By Dr. Betty L. Sullivan (Editor’s Note: Carolyn Ellis Staton, former provost at the University of Mississippi, was married to William “Bill” Staton for 33 years. She is referred to in this story as “Miss Ellis.”) In the fall of 1967, my daughter Elizabeth’s father and I met in Miss Carolyn Ellis’ first period advanced English class. It was our class that she led one morning that semester during first period out to the lawn in front of the school for an activity she said was called a “love in.” My father and his school administrator colleagues shook their heads and could not understand what Miss Ellis thought she was doing, telling freshman kids to sit in circles, hold flowers, wear beads, read poetry and try for all the world to be like the hippies we were hearing about in a faraway place called Haight-Ashbury. My father and his colleagues were not amused. Miss Carolyn Ellis was very good at challenging us to think and to ask questions about everything we heard or were being told. Encouraging teenagers in Mississippi to question truth in the 1960s, however, took courage. Very little free thinking was going on. It makes sense, though, I can say with hindsight, that it would be Miss Ellis and ‘The Media’ telling us about free speech and how it might be a good thing to consider being different, or possibly thinking differently about whatever most people around us were saying it was or wasn’t okay to be. Five decades later, here am I, a few blocks from The Haight during an official citywide celebration of the Summer of Love Anniversary. Here, I am trying to come to grips with how to truly know and understand that Miss Ellis is gone, and equally important, to realize how dear she was and how her life’s work lives on. Tears come, but won’t stay. It is truly hard to be sad for very long when thinking about the joyous life she lived, her contagious laughter, brilliant insights, and how many lives she touched profoundly over many decades. What’s more, I’m still learning from her. What does Hillary Clinton have to do with this? There are twists and turns in the story. For one thing, Hillary graduated from Wellesley College, just as did one of my col-

Left to Right: Hillary Clinton, Bill Staton, Carolyn Ellis Staton and Rosalind Rink with LinManuel Miranda (second from right) at a 2016 performance of Hamilton at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City

York City where she would earn a graduate degree at Columbia University before going on from there to Yale University Law School.

Dr. Carolyn Ellis Staton, University of Mississippi professor and administrator 1977-2009

leagues here at the San Francisco Bay Times who has been watching this story unfold and will be the first to read this account. On Saturday, May 20, I received a note from my childhood best friend, Mary Rowland Hubbard. She was asking if I’d heard that Miss Ellis had passed away the day before. Two days later, I heard that former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was in Oxford, Mississippi. I sensed immediately she must be there for a memorial service held on the campus of the University of Mississippi in honor of the life of former provost Dr. Carolyn Ellis Staton. I read what Secretary Clinton had had to say there, and just a few days later, by coincidence, she was at Wellesley College to deliver the commencement address for the Green Class of 2017. The Back Story After teaching English at Warren Central High School in Vicksburg during the 1967–68 school year, Miss Carolyn Ellis relocated to New

I had learned in a conversation with Miss Ellis during the 1992 Presidential Election that she was a Clinton supporter and delegate to the Democratic National Convention that year. What I learned recently, however, is that Miss Ellis and Hillary Rodham Clinton were roommates at Yale and had forged a close, lifelong friendship. In news reports from several newspapers about the memorial service at Ole Miss, I learned Miss Ellis once slept in the Lincoln bedroom at The White House, and that Hillary had accompanied her just a few months ago while she was in New York for medical treatment to see a performance of Hamilton on Broadway. There are so many chapters to the story of how Miss Ellis has touched my family. Back in the 60s after graduating from Tulane University, she accepted a position as a firstyear teacher in the high school English department my mom chaired. At Miss Ellis’ request, my mom wrote a recommendation for her when she applied for admission to Columbia. And dear to me are the memories of Miss Ellis being there when, more than a decade later, I visited her in 1978 at the Ole Miss Law School. I carried a very young sleeping child in my arms that day. Fearing I might lose custody, I needed help finding the lesbian community and a good divorce lawyer. She took care of that—both of those. Some twenty years later in the 1990s, when Elizabeth was a student at Ole Miss and needed help with a problem, Miss Ellis, who was then associate provost, took care of that, too. Miss Ellis was also my role model when I decided to leave my southern home and head off to Columbia University in New York just as she had years prior. No small matter. Hillary’s Eulogy As reported by the Daily Mississippian and The Oxford Eagle, Hillary Clinton and other Yale alumni traveled to Oxford for the Memorial Service on the Ole Miss campus on Monday, May 22. A tearful Hillary Clinton said to a standing room only gathering, “It is always hard to lose a friend—someone who made you a better person. No matter what else I may have been, to Carolyn, I was always just a friend.” Clinton remembered she was “a kind of surrogate confessor and god(continued on page 30)

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Carolyn Ellis Staton was a beloved figure on campus and in the town of Oxford, Mississippi, where she lived and the university is located.

Family and friends gathering at Paris-Yates Chapel on the Ole Miss campus for the memorial on Monday, May 22, 2017

SULLIVAN (continued from page 28) mother” to other students, and recalled also that she was a leader in the Barrister’s Union, and one of the few women who could hold her own in a debate. “There was a sense of real despair about where our country was and where it was going,” Clinton said. “Carolyn was sympathetic, but she was also very clear that each of us had to prepare to play our part in whatever was coming in the future. And boy, could she make people laugh. You always wanted her to sit with you at lunch because you knew no matter how bad things were, she would get you to laugh,” Clinton said. “You always got a bit envious when she sat somewhere else and the laughter was emanating over from that table.”

Clinton invoked the lyrics of Carole King’s You’ve Got a Friend to remember Staton:

been thinking of Carolyn when she prepared her remarks.

“In winter, spring, summer or fall, all you have to do is call. That’s the kind of friend Carolyn was to everyone who knew and loved her. Her investment in all of us will live on. Thank you, Carolyn, for who you were and who you remain to all of us. Godspeed, my friend.”

In the early hours of January 25 this year, Carolyn Ellis Staton’s name popped up on a Facebook birthday alert. She had previously let it be known on her page that she was ill, so I had begun paying attention. Reading what she was sharing during the past few months has been rewarding. For her birthday, I just wanted to wish her a happy day and say, “Thank you.” Then, just a few weeks ago, on my own birthday, she wrote to me. There’s no doubt that she knew it would be the last.

Saying Goodbye A colleague here suggested that I watch Hillary’s commencement address at Wellesley, so I did. There she was, on a stage decked in academic regalia, challenging young women to make a difference in the lives of others. Hearing her words, I could not but believe she had

Miss Ellis was indeed a friend, and she was also my teacher, my mentor and my inspiration. To her memory, I will dedicate my participation in the upcoming 2017 San Francisco Pride Pa-

Celebrating the Life of Gilbert Baker

rade. Our San Francisco Bay Times contingent, with its “Flower Power” theme, will make its way on the Parade route headed up Market Street toward Civic Center, where the United Nations Charter was signed, and also at the point where a special moment happens as we will suddenly see the Pink Triangle presented on the top of Twin Peaks in the distance. Our contingent in the Pride Parade will carry along with it copies of the newspaper in which this story appears, and since we know that even now newspapers record history, Miss Ellis will continue to be with me. She will be with me always. Dr. Betty L. Sullivan is the Publisher of the “San Francisco Bay Times” and the founder of “Betty’s List.”

Photos by Paul Margolis

The Castro Theatre was alive with smiles, laughter, tears and rainbow flags on Thursday evening, June 8, at the community-wide gathering held in celebration of the life of Gilbert Baker (1951-2017), creator of the Rainbow Flag. Hosted by Tom Taylor, Dr. Jerome Goldstein and The Diversity Foundation, the event included stirring speeches, performances and stories as friends, community leaders and reprenstatives of numerous LGBT organizations came together to remember a remarkable man whose work is known globally in the ubiquitous symbol of Pride.

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DUNNING (continued from page 8) ed. A statement released by her campaign claimed that it has uncovered “alarming discrepancies and an amassing of “ineligible voters” during her campaign’s ongoing review of the ballots cast. She has called for an independent audit, which has been denied—by Eric Bauman. She has also lodged a separate formal challenge to the results. The disagreement has become very public, as both camps issue press releases lobbing accusations and personal attacks back and forth. The party’s refusal to review the process and legitimacy of every ballot has enraged many of her supporters, particularly the Bernie contingent, and caused a greater rift within the state party. This is reminiscent of the close election of Tom Perez over progressive Keith Ellison for chair of the

ROSTOW (continued from page 24) DNC at the national level, leaving frustrated progressives feeling like their seat at the table has continued to get pulled out from under them by the party establishment. Just like a good House of Cards episode, we’ll wait to see what new twists and turns the story will take. Many have called for “party unity” (mostly Eric Bauman supporters). Others wonder—why not have a full audit to give everyone confidence in the results? Many have called for Kimberly to concede, including a Sacramento Bee OpEd titled “Give it up, Kimberly Ellis. You won’t be leading California Democrats.” But as long as Kimberly and her team see evidence of uncredentialed delegates casting votes, or incomplete ballots, they will continue to

challenge the process and the results. My bet is we won’t see any resolution soon, until Kimberly has exhausted all means of protest. Will it make the state party divided and weak? Or will it bring to light gaps and deficiencies in the party’s delegate validation and voting integrity processes? The answer will become more evident in the months to come.

or Mary Bonauto joined Robert Mueller’s special counsel’s team. I enjoyed watching him bark at the various Sunday talk show hosts in such a nasty manner the other day. We’ve always known he’s an unpleasant character. Now everyone else can see it, too.

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.

“Most gay people aren’t political,” Moore told the Fox host. “Most gay people, you know, they care about pop music and going to the beach. They probably don’t know what the Second Amendment is. And so they show up to be together, to celebrate the community, to mourn together, and instead they are fed this anti-gun nonsense.”

Vamos a la Playa Finally, gay conservative Chadwick Moore told Tucker Carlson that New York gun control activists hijacked a memorial gathering at the Stonewall Inn that was meant to pay respects to the victims of the Pulse shooting one year ago in Orlando.

Subsequently, in the midst of the hoopla that greeted his generalization, Moore tweeted: “It’s a family show, so I couldn’t say ‘dick and meth.’” Hmmm. I think the aforementioned “glue” of shared discrimination that holds our community together no longer adheres to Mr. Moore. However, he can console himself with our shared community-wide appreciation for going to the beach. arostow@aol.com

NEWS (continued from page 20) & Industry Relations for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA); Daniel Jimenez, Activist and Volunteer at the San Joaquin Pride Center; Ken Jones, Activist and Member of the BART Police Department Citizen Review Board; Michaela Mendelsohn, Pollo West Corp & Mi Pollo, Inc.; Russell Roybal, Deputy Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force; Brian Reagan, Manager of Pulse Night Club and survivor of Orlando, FL shooting; Rick Zbur, Executive Director of Equality California; and Chris Verdugo and Dr. Tim Seelig on behalf of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. “The people we are honoring today have dedicated their lives to achieving equality for the LGBT community,” said Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Silicon Valley), Chair of the California Legislative LGBT Caucus. “It is an honor to recognize such a remarkable group of advocates whose hard work and determination are an inspiration to us all.” assembly.ca.gov HIV/AIDS Council Members Resign in Protest of Donald Trump Six members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) recently resigned in protest of President Trump’s apathy towards the epidemic and his attempts to take health care access away from people living with HIV/AIDS. The PACHA was created in 1995 during the Clinton Administration to provide recommendations about the government’s response to the HIV epidemic. The Bush Administration continued the council’s charter, and during the Obama Administration, the council created and monitored the National HIV/AIDS Strategy. Scott Schoettes, HIV Project Director at Lambda Legal, wrote in Newsweek about why he and f ive of his colleagues decided to leave the PACHA. “The Trump Administration has no strategy to address the ongoing HIV/AIDS epidemic, seeks zero input from experts to formulate HIV policy, and—most concerning— pushes legislation that will harm people living with HIV and halt or reverse important gains made in the fight against this disease.” lgbtqnation.com Political Concerns Lead to Increased LGBTQ Pride Participation The Community Marketing & Insights (CMI) 11th Annual LGBT Community Survey drew participation from 17,300 LGBTQ Americans across the spectrum of sexual orientations, gender identities, generations and ethnicities. It is the

largest, longest-running study of its kind; a profile of community members involved in hundreds of LGBTQ media, websites, blogs, social media, apps, organizations and events. Among the survey responses, it was found that 63% of LGBTQ Americans surveyed will (or already did) attend their hometown Pride in 2017. This is compared to 47% having attended their hometown Pride events last year, representing a 34% increase in interest and participation for 2017. Further, 84% reported that Pride events across the United States are as important as ever, and 82% indicated that they feared rollbacks of recent LGBTQ equality gains. With recent political changes and uncertainty, LGBTQ Pride events are taking on a renewed importance in 2017, and CMI anticipates record attendance this year. communitymarketinginc.com California Legislative LGBT Caucus Issues Statement on Pulse Nightclub Shooting Anniversary California Legislative LGBT Caucus Chair Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Silicon Valley) released the following statement on the one year anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub shooting. It was the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. and the deadliest attack on the LGBT community in American history. “One year ago, 49 of our brothers and sisters lost their lives. Armed with an assault rif le and hatred in his heart, the Pulse Nightclub shooter intended to sow fear among the LGBT community and silence our pride. However, in the face of such violent hatred, we have only grown stronger, louder and more persistent. The 49 individuals who lost their lives and the countless loved ones who continue to grieve will never be forgotten. The California LGBT Caucus is with you in solemn solidarity. In the face of hate, we continue to stand tall and remember to not just be out but speak out.” assembly.ca.gov National Report on Hate Violence Against LGBTQ and HIVA f fected Com mu n it ies Re leased National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) released its 20th annual report: “LGBTQ and HIVAffected Hate Violence in 2016.” For this report—the most comprehensive of its kind—NCAVP collected data on 1,036 incidents of hate violence against LGBTQ and HIV-affected people from 12 local NCAVP member organizations in 11 states. The year 2016 was the deadliest year on record for LGBTQ and HIV-affected communities, and,

once again, LGBTQ people of color and transgender and gender nonconforming people were most impacted by deadly violence. NCAVP recorded 77 total hate violence related homicides of LGBTQ and HIVaffected people in 2016. avp.org Trump Honors Pride Month by Speaking at Anti-LGBT Conference Trump headlined the “Road to Majority” conference, an evangelical extremist gathering hosted by the homophobic Faith and Freedom Coalition. This is in addition to his refusal to issue a proclamation acknowledging June as Pride month. Other speakers at the conference included Mike Pence, Ted Cruz, evangelical author James Dobson, homophobes Pat Boone and Michael Medved, and 15 others. Not a single person of color spoke at the event. Trump was scheduled to speak just three days before the LGBTQ Equality March in Washington D.C., which many are interpreting as a not-so-subtle nod toward his commitment to subverting LGBTQ rights. “President Trump’s negligence at the start of Pride month provided another example that this administration is no friend to the community,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD. “While the Trump Administration tries to systematically erase LGBTQ people and families from the fabric of this nation, LGBTQ Americans and allies must do what we know best this Pride month—stay visible and march for acceptance.” lgbtqnation.com San Francisco Pride to Feature Br ya nt/Br iggs “We Fought Back!” Contingent San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration and Parade Committee has announced that veteran organizers of the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade will be highlighted in this year’s Pride Parade and March. 1977 and 1978 were turning points in the struggle for equal rights for LGBT people, when they fought back against attacks from political forces, personified by homophobic Anita Bryant and John Briggs. Thousands of people responded to the threat of Bryant/Briggs antigay ordinances, resulting in historic demonstrations of solidarity and strength. If you were involved in either of the 1977 or 1978 Gay Freedom Day Parades, as an organizer or as a marcher, and would like to join the Bryant/Briggs “We Fought Back!” contingent, visit impactstories.org/briggs.htm sfpride.org

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JUNE 22 , 2017

From the Coming Up Events Calendar See page 51 Thursday, June 22 -“Love or Confusion: Jimi Hendrix in 1967” @ Museum of the African Diaspora, 685 Mission Street. Photographs of the artist in 1967 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love. moadsf.org

By Sister Dana Van Iquity of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

Parade Route The Parade begins at 10:30 am with the roar of the Dykes on Bikes motorcycle contingent and the slightly less roaring Mikes on Bikes bicycle contingent, starting at Beale Street and ending at 8th Street all along Market Street. Attendees must stay behind the barricades and not venture into the street. For a fun, quick history lesson, check the last two paragraphs of this article. Celebration Location & Times On June 24 and 25, the Civic Center is the location for the Celebration and all the booths and stages. On Saturday, the hours are noon to 6 pm. On Sunday, the hours are 11 am to 6 pm, when you may be asked to make a donation of $1 at the entry gates in support of more than 60 local nonprofit community partners. Be aware that coolers, glass bottles, and outside alcohol are not permitted.

PHOTO BY PAUL MARGOLIS

With over 200 exhibitors and nonprofit booths at the event, San Francisco Pride offers a wide variety of artists, local and national businesses, nonprofits, artisans, food and beverages. Look for the San Francisco Bay Times booth! SF Pride makes a special effort to make exhibitor booths affordable to local nonprofits that often use their space to educate, raise much needed funds and connect with the community. There’s something at Pride for everyone!

Stay Hydrated! Stay Standing! Stay Proud! Throughout the site, you’ll find booths selling water, soda, juice and other nonalcoholic beverages. If you choose to purchase alcohol at the event, please drink responsibly and remember to stay hydrated. Civic Center Plaza and U.N. Plaza are designated as official smoke-free spaces. Facilities & Accessibility Free child-care facilities and a range of services for people with disabilities are available. With special parade-viewing areas and sign language interpretation at all performance stages, the aim is to make the event accessible to everyone. For details about accessibility, log on to the website: sfpride.org/access Recycling and Composting In an effort to be environmentally responsible as people continue to pioneer green event practices, San Francisco Pride provides disposal areas for recycling, composting, and trash. All cups, plates, and utensils used at the event are 100% compostable and are made from natural derivatives; please toss these into the compost bins. Parade Grandstand Tickets and VIP Party There is no fee to watch the Parade (except in the case of Grandstand Seating along the Parade route). Grandstand seating is available for the Parade, and SF Pride will host its annual VIP Party at City Hall on Sunday from 2–5 pm. Tickets and info for both are available at sfpride.org Safety & Wellness The Parade’s volunteer Safety Monitors work hard to provide a safer Pride Celebration and Parade. Please make sure that your valuables and effects are secure by not leaving bags or personal items unattended. Report suspicious activity or unattended packages to the nearest member of the Safety Team or at the nearest Information Booth. “If you see something, say something.” You are also encouraged to protect yourself and your sexual partners by employing safer sex practices during the weekend and always. Together we can help stop the virus. Getting to Pride SF Pride is one of the largest outdoor events in the nation in the heart of a major metropolitan area. Please do not try to park your car anywhere near the Parade and Celebration site during Parade weekend. San Francisco has an excellent (usually) transportation system! Both the BART and Muni transit systems serve Civic Center station near both the Celebration and Parade, making access to the event easy. Bicycle parking is available. Check out the comprehensive transportation guide at sfpride.org Grand Marshals and Honorees The 2017 Grand Marshals and Honorees represent a mix of individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the

PHOTO BY PAUL MARGOLIS

Sister Dana saying a blessing prayer over the San Francisco Bay Times Pride Parade contingent in 2014

lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community. With the help of community input, Pride selects these groups and individuals in order to honor the work that they have put into furthering the causes of LGBTQ people. Community Grand Marshals are Chris Carnes, by Public Vote; Alex U. Inn, SF Pride Members’ Choice; San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, Community Grand Marshal (Organization) by Public Vote; Amy Sueyoshi, Community Grand Marshal selected by the Board of Directors; Danielle Castro, Community Grand Marshal, selected by the Board of Directors; Dr. Marcy Adelman, Lifetime Achievement Grand Marshal, selected by the Board of Directors. Commemoration Awards: Subhi Nahas, José Julio Sarria History Maker Award, selected by the SF Pride Board of Directors; Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits (BAAITS), Gilbert Baker Pride Founder’s Award selected by the SF Pride Board of Directors; Blackberri, Audrey Joseph LGBTQ Entertainment Award selected by the SF Pride Board of Directors; Maria Zamudio, Teddy Witherington Award selected by the SF Pride Board of Directors. Heritage of Pride Awards: Brett Andrews, 10 Years of Service Award selected by the SF Pride Board of Directors; El/La Para TransLatinas, Pride Freedom Award selected by the SF Pride Board of Directors; National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), Pride Community Award selected by the SF Pride Board of Directors. Celebration Before and After the Parade Before and after the parade, come down to the Civic Center and spend the afternoon at one of the largest gatherings of the LGBTQ community and allies in the nation. There’s something for everyone, including a Youth Space, 60+ Space, Family Garden, Deaf/Hard-of-hearing, accessibility services, and more. This year, the San Francisco Bay Times will be sponsoring the Soul of Pride Stage and Village! Celebration on Saturday, June 24, noon to 6 pm MCs: Sister Roma and Honey Mahogany. Speakers: Huckleberry Youth Programs • Kimberly Alvarenga • Josette Melchor • Edwin Bernbaum. Performers: Kat Robichaud’s Misfit Cabaret • Honey Soundsystem Presents DJ Holographic • The Stud • Mvmnt • Cheer San Francisco • Grasso + Rich • Micahtron

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The theme is “A Celebration of Diversity” and the message is: “Resist regression, stand up against exclusion, demand equality, celebrate diversity. March with us!” #SummerOfLove50, #SFPride, #Resist. The two-day SF PC&P is the largest free gathering of LGBTQ people and allies in the nation. A world leader in the Pride movement, SF Pride is also a grant-giving organization through its Community Partners Program. Since 1997, SF Pride has granted over $2.7 million dollars in proceeds to local nonproﬁt LGBTQIA organizations and organizations working on issues related to HIV/AIDS, cancer, homelessness, housing rights and animal welfare.

PHOTO BY PAUL MARGOLIS

Welcome to San Francisco Pride, where every identity, gender, kink and kind are celebrated! Hundreds of thousands of visitors from outside the Bay Area will attend San Francisco Pride this year. The 47th annual San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration and Parade takes place June 24 and 25.

PHOTO BY PHYLLIS COSTA

Sister Dana’s Guide to Pride

Saturday, July 1 - Linda Tillery & The Womanly Way Reunion Band – 2017 Tour @ Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse, 2020 Addison Street, Berkeley. Mary Watkins, Vicki Randle, Diane Lindsey and more. 8pm. thefreight.org

• Nikki Borodi, Acrolele • The Singing Bois • Carnie Asada’s Lips & Lashes • Wild Things Pride X Vice Tuesdays Presents: DJs Val G & Ms. Jackson • Ms. Jackson (DJ for the Day). Celebration on Sunday, June 25, 11 am to 6 pm MCs: Marga Gomez (11 am-2 pm); Jef Valentine and Nancy French (2 pm–6 pm). Blessing: Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits (BAAITS). Speakers: The Dru Project • Dani Castro • Maysam Sodagari • Jude Aaron Harmon • Supervisor Jane Kim • Neil Grungras. Performers: Betty Who • Cazwell • Ronnie Spector • Madame Gandhi • Pure Roots • Boyfriend • Cheer San Francisco • San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus • David Hernandez • Uniiqu3 • Hym • Darren Main • Amber Field • Intensive Claire • Duserock (DJ for the Day). And Now for A Little History Lesson Every year I read an editorial asking for the “freaks and drag queens” to please step aside and not ruin it for LGBTQ rights. And I need to remind those naysayers that it was drag queens and transgenders, way back at the end of June 1969 in New York City, hanging out at their local gay bar, the Stonewall Inn, who decided they would no longer put up with daily police harassment and arrests that were part of “normal” homosexual life for these people. At that time, it was illegal to be gay, so there was no openly gay pride, no openly gay politics, and most certainly no gay parade. On that particular night, the Stonewall patrons initiated local action that was to eventually lead to national gay liberation. They fought back. For several days and nights, the Stonewall Rebellion raged on, and the so-called sissies beat the men-in-blue in a rather violent uprising (and I don’t mean with purses). So, you see, it was a very abnormal group of “freaky people wearing funny clothes” back then who made it possible for us today to cocktail and cruise undisturbed in the queer bar of our choice. And walk down Market Street holding hands. And, for that matter, those “nelly fellas” paved the way for every one of our civil rights marches. So, when you see a drag queen or “freaky person,” give ‘em the thumbs-up and thank ‘em for the legacy that continues. Flame ON, freaky people!!!

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JUNE 22 , 2017

Soul of Pride Announces Lineup for the 47th Annual Pride Parade Lawrence and dance and R&B diva Ce Ce Peniston! (In the Bay Times’ offices, we are now singing:

The San Francisco Bay Times is honored to be a sponsor of the Soul of Pride Stage and Village at San Francisco Pride. The Soul of Pride events collectively have been an epic production for the last 17 years, and the energy behind it all is still going strong! This year’s offerings promise to be the biggest and best ever. The events and programs for Soul of Pride will unite and celebrate the experience of people of color in our LGBTQ community. The fun starts with the Bayard Rustin Awards on Friday, June 23, and will feature this year’s Pride Grand Marshals. The next night, Soul of Pride kicks the energy up a notch with the annual Pink Ball. The year’s ball will include a Mario B. Fashion Show, Miss

“Finally, it has happened to me right in front of my face My feelings can’t describe it Finally it has happened to me right in front of my face And I just cannot hide it!” Ken Jones (top) and Cecilia Chung will be keynote speakers at the Pride Safe Zone So good! Conference. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=xk8mm1Qmt-Y We’re big fans of Mario, Miss Lawrence and Ce Ce, and bet you are too. This Pink Ball is one not to miss.) In this volatile political climate, the Soul of Pride is also Co-Producing a Saturday conference called “Pride Safezone,” which will focus on how the new administration’s policies affect LGBTQ communities of color. The conference will highlight speakers and resources to further Transgender Rights and Black Live’s Matter goals, while also combatting the new federal immigration policies. The keynote speakers will be longtime talented and dedicated LGBTQ activists Cecilia Chung and Ken Jones, whose incredible lives were recently portrayed in the ABC miniseries When We Rise, based on Cleve Jones’ book of the same name. The super finale will be on Sunday, June 25, as the Soul of Pride float makes its way through the San Francisco Pride Parade! Afterward, the organizers will be hosting the Soul of Pride Stage and Village that always prove to be memorable celebrations for LGBTQ communities of color and their friends. Sir the Baptist will perform at the Global Village Stage

Lisa Shaw will perform at the Pink Ball and the Soul of Pride Stage

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Below is the full schedule of events. See you soon!

SOUL of PRIDE EVENTS SCHEDULE FRIDAY, JUNE 23 6 pm: Soul of Pride and Bayard Rustin Grand Marshal Reception at The Village Venue, 969 Market Street SATURDAY, JUNE 24 10 am: Safe Zone Conference at The Historic Mint, 88 Fifth Street 12 pm–6 pm: Global Village Stage at Grove and Van Ness Streets 8 pm: Pink Ball at The Village, 969 Market Street SUNDAY, JUNE 25 10:30 am: Pride Parade at Market and Spear 11 am–6 pm: Soul of Pride Stage at Grove and Van Ness Streets

Frameline41 June 15–25

Film Hits and Misses from the Final Days of Frameline41 also about how they define themselves.

Frameline’s Board of Directors welcomes attendees to the Opening Night screening of The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin

Film Gary M. Kramer

Abu: Father ( June 22, 3:30 pm, Castro) is Arshad Khan’s first-person documentary about growing up gay with a Pakistani Muslim father. As a child, Arshad was a momma’s boy, who didn’t relate to the men in his family. At age 4½, after being seen dressed in women’s clothes, he was molested. Arshad felt invisible for most of his formative teenage years, suffering emotional heartbreak with a boyfriend, and then further despair when his family moved to Canada and he was alienated in his new home. Arshad slowly learned to accept himself, after someone suggested he read Maurice. At university, he met other queer Muslims, however, as Arshad became more of a queer activist, his parents became more fundamentalist. Abu shows, through well-edited interviews, photographs, film clips, songs, animation, and home movie footage, how Arshad navigated his uneasy relationship with his parents. This heartfelt doc should speak to anyone who has struggled with their sexuality, spiritualism, and family, and finding a sense of peace. Hello Again

Hello Again ( June 22, 9:30 pm, Castro) is director Tom Gustafson’s disappointing adaptation of Michael John LaChiusa’s mediocre musical, adapted from Arthur Schnitzler’s La Ronde. A roundelay of romantic relationships, which take place during different decades of the 20th century, are told out of sequence. As such, the connections and characters feel synthetic, and the episodes rarely generate any real emotion. The performers T.R. Knight, Cheyenne Jackson, and Audra McDonald all seem miscast. The sole exception is Sam Underwood, who is quite enchanting as the gender-bending Leocadia. Of the four films available for preview in the Worldly Affairs ( June 23, 4:00 pm, Castro) program, all deal with young men coming of age. One Night Only, from Australia, has gay Tyler

PHOTO BY RINK

There are only a few days left in this year’s Frameline Film Festival, but there are still some great shorts, features, and docs to catch before the fest ends.

(Tom Mendes) and Erica (Ellen Wiltshire) glamming it up to go to a party thrown by Theo (Tim May), whom Tyler hopes to romance. When they arrive, however, their expectations may not be met. The film captures the insouciance of youth in a winning style. Likewise, the taut Norwegian short, Ocean Swells, has two male friends (David Krøyer and Olaf Fangel Jamtveit) drinking and fishing together before a stranger arrives, changing the dynamic between them. In Pria, Aris (Chicco Kurniawan) is an Indonesian boy who does not want to get married despite arrangements being made with a local girl. He finds comfort and solace in the arms of Peter ( Jacob McCarthy), his English teacher. The film provides a strong sense of place and culture, even though the story is contrived and predictable. Pedro, from Portugal, is director André Santos and Marco Leão’s terrific short about the title character (Filipe Abreu), who wants his mother (Rita Durão) to leave him alone and let him sleep. However, she insists they go to the beach, where they experience a kind of transformation. The film features a very sexy hookup between Pedro and a handsome stranger, but Pedro’s power comes from the unspoken emotions between the characters. Girl Unbound ( June 23, 7:00 pm, Landmark Piedmont) is an inspirational documentary about Maria Toorpakai, a young Pakistani girl who excels in squash (the country’s second biggest sport). Ranked as the #1 female player in a country where women are not allowed to attend school, the tomboy Maria courted danger by burning her dresses and dressing as a boy to play under the name Genghis Khan. She received her first death threat from the Taliban at age 16. Girl Unbound deftly chronicles Maria’s life on and off the squash court, from edge-of-one’s-seat competition scenes to life with her family, where there is no gender discrimination. (Maria’s family, from her political activist sister to her forward-thinking father, also provides a fascinating subplot). Sports, Maria believes, teach integrity and self-respect. She also uses the game to change minds, not only about what women can achieve, but

Frameline41 Opening Night

(left to right) Actor Jonathan Groff, author Amy Tan, filmmaker Bill Weber, Armistead Maupin, filmmaker Jennifer Kroot, and Armistead’s husband Christopher Turner 36

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A Million Happy Nows ( June 23, 9:15 pm, Roxie) is pretty much a Lifetime disease movie of the week with lesbian characters. To the film’s credit, the sexuality of the characters is never an issue; the issue is the impact of Alzheimer’s. Unfortunately, this drama is so generic and flat, it does very little to engage viewers’ emotions. Lainey Allen (Crystal Chappell) is a successful, Emmywinning soap opera actress on the fictional daytime drama, Valley Springs. She has a supportive partner in Eva ( Jessica Leccia), her publicist. When Lainey starts having memory issues, she quits her job and moves with Eva to a beach house where A Million Happy Nows they share a few days of romantic bliss. Lainey soon experiences more difficulties, though. She is unable to find things in her kitchen, and she starts feeling insecure about her relationship with Eva. There are scenes of the couple trying to get Lainey diagnosed and find care as her condition, early onset Alzheimer’s, worsens, but any soap opera treats the topic with more depth and sensitivity. Moreover, some of the drama of A Million Happy Nows pivots on if Eva should go public with her partner’s condition. While the film might be enjoyable for fans of soap opera veterans Chappell and Leccia, it fails to illuminate many of the issues it raises. Viewers may want to change the channel, er, leave the theatre. Snapshot ( June 23, 9:15 pm, Victoria), written and directed by San Francisco-based queer pornographer Shine Louise Houston, has Charlie (Beretta James), a photographer, accidentally snapping a picture of a couple making love and possibly a killer in the window. She returns the next day to investigate and meets Danny (Chocolate Chip), a hot young woman who may be girlfriend material. While the two women start dating, Charlie invites Danny to her friend Hannah’s (Lyric Seal) sex party, but also reveals she prefers to watch, and not actually have sex. Snapshot pushes the murder plot into the deep background to focus on the sex, which is explicit. The lengthy erotic encounters should satisfy viewers because the film’s narrative threads may not. Flirting with Disaster ( June 24, 11 am, Victoria) The short films in this collection deal with the trickiness of relationships, sex and romance. The Mess He Made is Matthew Puccini’s pungent drama about Jude (Max Jenkins) finding trouble as he waits for the results of his HIV test. Call Your Father, about a date between forty-something Greg (Craig Chester) and the decades-younger Josh (writer/director Jordan Firstman), is a disappointment, particularly because it wastes New Queer Cinema indie darling Chester in a thankless role. Greg puts Photos by Rink

The Castro Theatre marquee on Opening Night of Frameline41

Frameline’s Frances Wallace and Desi Buford

Frameline41 June 15–25

up with Josh’s manic antics for reasons that strain credulity, making it difficult to want to see this date through. 20 minutes never felt so long. Much better are two simple, eloquent, romantic shorts: Exchange, in where two men express their unspoken affection though the return of a jacket, and Sign, about Aaron ( John P. McGinty) a deaf man, and Ben (Preston Sadleir). But the highlight of this program (from the shorts that were available to screen) are the two web series entries, The Feels, Almost, a bi-guy’s (co-director Tim Manley) brilliant three-minute monologue, and episode 4 of The Gay Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo, about the trials and tribulations of the title character (director Brian Jordan Alvarez) and his friends. Viewers will want to binge watch both of these series online at once. Mansfield 66/67 ( June 24, 1:15 pm, Castro) is a quirky doc about the blonde bombshell Jayne Mansfield, whose short life spawned rumors and tragedy. She came to Hollywood as a camp answer to Marilyn Monroe, and perfected a squeal that matched her va-va-va-voom sex symbol body. Mansfield wisely never took herself seriously; she was all about exaggeration. These points are well made by talking heads, including San Francisco favorites John Waters, Cheryl Dunye, and Peaches Christ. While Mansfield had what one interviewee called “an addiction to attention,” she got a fair share of bad publicity with multiple marriages, and her involvement with Anton LaVey, the High Priest of the First Church of Satan, who may or may not have put a curse on her abusive then-husband, Sam Brody. Mansfield 66/67 also addresses the rumor of Mansfield being decapitated in the car accident that caused her death at age 34. The film, co-directed by P. David Ebersole and Todd Hughes, shrewdly edits film clips from The Girl Can’t Help It and Promises, Promises, as well as news footage, animation, and even interpretive dance, to provide an entertaining story of Mansfield’s glamour and tragedy. Against the Law ( June 24, 6:30 pm, Castro) is an absorbing, handsomely mounted BBC TV film about Peter Wildeblood (Daniel Mays), a journalist who was imprisoned in 1955 for “gross indecency and buggery,” among other charges. Based on a true story, the film flashes back three years earlier to depict his relationship with Eddie McNally (Richard Gadd), an RAF corporal who leads to him being arrested, tried, and imprisoned. The relationship between the two gentlemen is tender and sweet, which is partly what makes Against the Law so heartbreaking; men, like Wildeblood and Lord Edward Montague (Mark Edel-Hunt), were criminals and had their lives destroyed. Director Fergus O’Brien, working from a script by Brian Fillis, interrupts the drama from time to time to feature interviews with several elderly men who discuss their life experiences and the “tricky business” of being gay in the 1950s, when homosexuality was illegal. It was an era when a love letter could lead to one’s downfall—as it did in Wildeblood’s case. Yet, these stories, and this film, show the strength and courage men like Wildeblood and the interviewees had in the face of oppression, and for that, it is inspiring. Santa Y Andres ( June 25, 4:00 pm, Castro), is a bittersweet Cuban film set in 1983. Santa (Lola Amores) is a revolutionary who is forced by Jesus (George Abreu) to watch over Andres (Eduardo Martinez), a gay writer under house arrest. He tries to be friendly toward Santa, who resists his efforts at first. But, during a rainstorm, Santa enters Andres’s house, and he Santa Y Andres feeds her. They chat, and she learns that he wrote a book the government didn’t like. When his mute young lover (Cesar Dominquez) injures Andres, Santa cares for him in the hospital, and they become closer. Their unexpected friendship leads to their spending time together swimming, or at a bar. But just as they connect, realizing that they are both lonely outsiders, different pawns under the same repressive regime, Santa Y Andres introduces a twist in the story that creates most of this slow-burn film’s drama. The performance by Amores is especially poignant, and the film’s authenticity is as palpable as the heat. Fun in Boys Shorts ( June 25, 1:30 pm, Castro) program features two sweet films from Australia. Picking Up has a young man finding confidence when he discovers his inner drag queen. Cake is a very charming short about Adam (Shane Savage) hooking up with Guy (Pat Moonie) for a naughty little evening. When Adam’s Nanna (Kate Jason-Omodei) arrives for a barbeque, the guys’ night together turns into an extended stay. That’s almost revealFun in Boy Shorts ing too much, but Cake is highly satisfying. Heygood Eats is less a narrative short and more extended comic outtakes in the form of a fictional TV advertisement taping. Hilarity ensues as the gay male and straight female spokespeople crack wise and rude while trying to promote their catering business. Rusalka is a gorgeously made, wordless short based on Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid. But this is no Disney movie; rather it’s erotic gay re-imaging, full of full-frontal nudity from a bevy of beautiful men. Britney-holics Anonymous: A Spearitual Awakening is a cute, but inconsequential, short about a group of shameless Britney Spears fans. Rounding out the program is Curmudgeons, an amusing film in which Jackie (Danny DeVito, who also directed) visits Ralph (David Margulies) in his extended care facility. © 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 S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

JUNE 22 , 2017

Pride Set to Music list of all-time favorite gay songs. Who knew? But who really wants to read a boring list? I must say that going through the list, however, brought on huge waves of nostalgia. So, I present: My Life in Song: Pride, 2017

TLC: Tears, Laughs and Conversation Dr. Tim Seelig Have you ever played that little mental game, “If my life were made into a movie, who would play me?” If you said “no,” you obviously have a loose relationship with the truth! Have you ever listened to a song and thought, “OMG, that’s my life they’re singing about”? We’ve all done that. There are songs that accompanied our childhood, our youth, our girlfriends and boyfriends—all of the milestones. Certainly, for the gays, one of the most important days in our lives (or months, or years for some) is coming out. Do you think there any songs that fit that occasion or just being gay? Wait for it! Pretty much everything we do is based on a list of some kind these days. Lists and more lists. Top Ten of Anything and Everything. Of course, there is a

June is LGBTQA+ Pride Month. As we pause to ponder what that means to our community, we often think about our own journey. If there is anyone on the planet who does not already know the following news flash, I’m Coming Out. I know that some may think that I am gay just because it is in Vogue. Puhleese. This is not a fad, a “sexual preference” or a “lifestyle choice.” No, sir. I Was Born This Way. Even though times have sometimes been tough, my family doesn’t understand and many have disowned me, I Will Survive. All of the people in my life—on both sides and for better or worse—have shown their True Colors in expressing their opinions. But most see my life as Beautiful and love me for who I am. Ever since coming out, I have had a Constant Craving for “All things Gay!” I sometimes just call my friends up and say, “Let’s Have a Kiki.” They think that is a little strange, not knowing exactly what that is, but I just say, “Whatever, just Don’t Leave Me This Way.” That’s something I have said on many tragic nights in the Castro. This weekend, as I gather with about a million logical family members, I can truthfully say, “You Make Me Feel Mighty Real.” I know I just need to Relax and, after the parade and festi-

SFGMC’s Everything But the Kitchen Sink Concert Photos by Gareth Gooch The Summer of Love was a key theme in the program of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus concert The Gay Kitchen Sink, conducted by artistic director Dr. Tim Seelig at the Nourse Theater, Friday and Saturday, June 16 and 17. The Kinsey Sicks, the nationally-known a cappella “beauty shop” quartet founded in 1993, were the special guests for all performances.

val, meet my friends in the Castro, somewhere Over the Rainbow flag. The world can Take Me or Leave Me and I’ll Just Keep on Livin’. If I Could Turn Back Time, I’d tell all the people in my life to Raise Your Glass because, damn it, I’m finally going to chase my dream of being a Supermodel down at the YMCA. That’s what I call Freedom. I am Brave and they should show A Little Respect for my life goals! Even though I live in one of, if not the, gayest cities in the world, surrounded by fabulosity, I’m really just a Smalltown Boy. To all of you out there, I say, “Take Me I’m Yours” and I’ll Raise You Up. We may be a little Wild and sometimes people think I’m just a Rebel Girl. But, as I think back to The Origin of Love and think of All the Lovers I have had, I come to the conclusion, when all is said and done, that, simply said, We Are Family. I would love for you to Come to My Window sometime. You’ll def initely be a Firework among the People Like Us. The reality is, what you would see would be a big old Dancing Queen lip synching for his life in front of the mirror using a hair brush for a microphone—radio blaring, of course. It’s about the Same Love we all share: music. Loud music. Suddenly, the radio pauses for the weather report. It’s the same every Pride: sunny, warm, brilliant blue skies and, of course, It’s Raining Men. That is the story. Now, go back and grade yourself. How many of the 35 songs listed above did you pause to sing as you read the title? If less than 20, please turn in your Gay Card at the nearest Post Office and enroll immediately with that cute instructor who teaches Homosexualization 101. If you got all 35, your gay card is platinum, it is in no danger of being revoked, and auditions for SFGMC are in August! You may have a song or two that did not make the list. Please feel free to add it. If you’re wondering who in the world made the list, it was Billboard. Not sure how they crowd-sourced the answers, but they are pretty spot on! This story comes to us thanks to our one name goddesses: Cher, Madonna, Sylvester, Cyndi, Melissa, Katy, Queen, Diana, Judy, Christina, and Pink. There are some who need more than one name or letter: Lady Gaga, k.d., RuPaul, George Michael, Sara Bareilles. And, f inally, the shows and groups: Kinky Boots, Hedwig, Scissor Sisters, Indigo Girls, ABBA, The Weather Girls, Village People. And so many more! Enjoy Pride. Sing from start to finish, and write your own song along the way! LIVE like there is no tomorrow. SING as if no one can hear. LOVE like you have never been hurt. DANCE as if no one is watching. LAUGH like no one is listening. Dr. Tim Seelig is the Artistic Director of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus.

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Love Your Wedding! By Debbie Pfisterer People in love are important to Blue Heron Catering because they are what bring us together. Hopefully you have connected with such a special someone! If so, we love that you are in love, and we want to celebrate that with you: with your wife, your husband, your partner, your dog, your children, and all of your family and friends. Love is intimate, and we embrace the uniqueness in every couple. We want your love to be represented by what we do on your special day and to live in the hearts of all that share the day with you. We’ve done many LGBTQ weddings, even back when they were commitment ceremonies, but my very most favorite is my daughter’s wedding to our trans son-in-law in 2015 at a ranch in Bodega Bay. The collection of friends who came together—250 of them—celebrated their love in a deeply emotional and connected way. Our vendor partners and staff, being a wonderful mix of LGBTQ and straight, supported all that was important to the couple and executed the day perfectly. We work alongside some of the best wedding planners in the area, and are happy to connect you with them. We not only “do events,” but we also get involved in the micro community that is created every time a couple gets married. There is no cookie cutter wedding to us. Each one starts with the two of you committing to a lifetime together and evolves into a meaningful memory. That’s how we roll. We are inclusive, passionate, diverse and experienced, and are proud to live and work in the San Francisco Bay Area. We have been catering in this area for the last 29 years! We’ve been honored to get to know each and every one of our couples. Our passion for spreading the love includes our partnerships with local farms, including high school farms where we hire the students for interns at our café. We are committed to sustainable practices to lower our carbon footprint. We also hire and retrain local residents.

Debbie Pfisterer is the Owner and CEO of Blue Heron Catering, Inc. She has a lifetime passion for honest, soulful food, locally sourced ingredients, and unforgettable events. She graduated from Cal State East Bay (Hayward) with degrees in Business Administration and Marketing. In addition to catering all types of events, Blue Heron Catering operates the Cannery Café in Hayward.

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.

Sha’ar Zahav’s Pride Freedom Seder

Photos by Paul Margolis

PHOTO SOURCE: SHARARZAHAV.ORG

Co-sponsored by Keshet of the San Francisco Bay Area, Congregation Sha’ar Zahav’s 13th Annual Pride Seder was held on Friday, June 16. In addition to celebrating Pride, the Seder coincided with Sha’ar Zahav’s b’nei mitzvah year and the kickoff of its 40th anniversary celebration. In announcing the Pride Seder for 2017, the Congregation’s website stated, “By telling stories about one of the earliest LGBT Jewish communities in the world, in words, songs, prayers and ritual, we will honor our history, rejoice in how far we’ve come and commit to an even better future.”

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Sister Dana Sez: Words of Wisdumb from a Fun Nun

Sister Dana sez, “Well, it’s PRIDE MONTH now. Everything is about queer pride. Pride Pride Pride! Does this mean come July we have to celebrate shame?! Nope! There’ll still be a little pride left over!” We joined San Francisco’s LGBTQ community at the Castro Theatre in an extremely moving CELEBR ATION OF L IFE for GILBERT BAKER—a beloved artist, visionary, activist, and self-described “Gay Betsy Ross”—who, in 1978, hand-dyed and stitched together eight strips of vibrantly colored fabric into a rainbow f lag, instantly creating an enduring international symbol of gay pride. The event began with several SF Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence unrolling colored ribbons from the back of the auditorium, rolling them down the aisles, and gathering them into a huge bow in front of the stage. Sister Dana chose the yellow ribbon in honor of her very first duty at the 1985 Gay Pride Parade as the nun in yellow habit and veil, Sister Citroen Ma Face, as one of the six colors of Gilbert’s rainbow flag. And, also dignifying his alter ego as a nun in the 70’s, we sainted his Sister being as Saint Betsy Ross. Host Paul Gabriel welcomed everyone and introduced Jerome Goldstein, coorganizer with husband Tom Tay-

ARTSAVESLIVES Castro Gallery and Performance Space presented “JUNE PRIDE SHOW” at the studio—featuring the many Gay Pride Parade oil paintings (both protests and celebrations from 2010 forward) throughout by Alan Beckstead—as well as twent y other talented artists’ pieces now on display all June Pride Month at 518 Castro Street. Some of my favorites: portraiture of personalities larger than life (such as Peaches Christ) by Ash-

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lynn Danielsen; action figures, anti-White House people pieces, and a kaleidoscope with a nod to the SF ‘60s Summer of Love by Michael Lownie; found objects recycled into art with a robotic feeling by Gregory Conover; the amazing photography of J.B. Higgins; wire sculptures of various faces by Karl Howard; and the modern art of Jerry Frost, which has branched out lately to include figures in his pieces. Performing on the night of the reception were Magnolia Black belting out bodacious numbers; Rachael El illustrating in modern dance: “This is my body, and I will be at war with it no more”; Nick James, a contortionist/acrobat swinging from a trapeze and precariously hanging by his jaw; dancer extraordinaire Jose Cital whirling and twirling and stripping down to a glittery one-piece; and performing emcee Elemeng Ezlipsp who sang Lady GaGa’s “You and I.” As usual, guests enjoyed complimentary food and beverages served all night long. The gallery is open most days, and on Wednesdays and Thursdays, owner/curator/artist Thomasina DeMaio offers live models for figure drawing sessions. “HONOR T HE M W I T H AC TION” was a remembrance of the Orlando tragedy at Pulse nightclub a year ago, a quiet commemoration that was held at Castro and 18th Streets on Monday, June 12, 6:30– 7:30 pm. We saw members of the Castro Community on Patrol, Castro merchants, Latinx and Trans folk and clergy—as well as the general public who have not forgotten. The event was not formal and no speakers were planned, but there was a renewed commitment to take action, both individually and collectively, to help end anti-LGBTQ bias and big-

PHOTO BY PAUL MARGOLIS

By Sister Dana Van Iquity

lor (guardian of the giant rainbow flag in Harvey Milk Plaza), both very close friends of Baker, to tell tales of Gilbert. The Gay Men’s Chorus performed the Hawaiian version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “True Colors” and “Truly Brave.” We watched an impressive video, “The Birth of the Flag” and also “Life of the Rainbow Flag,” with comments between by Baker’s dear compadre, activist Cleve Jones. Donna Sachet sang the beautiful “We Can Be Kind,” followed by stirring speeches by Mark Leno (candidate for SF mayor), Supervisor Jeff Sheehy, and Senator Scott Wiener. The final rainbow banner of Baker’s recent construction was unveiled with the bold black words: “RISE AND RESIST!” inscribed. The Thrillpeddlers and Kitten on the Keys sang and danced “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” featuring Ruby Vixen, and they all sang “Reach for the Stars” from Club Inferno, featuring Peter Fogel & John Flaw. Closing out the evening perfectly was our own Judy Garland impersonator, Connie Champagne, singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Then everyone gathered upstairs in the mezzanine for drinks, finger foods and lively conversations about the late great Gilbert/Sister Chanel.

Sister Dana and Sister Kitty at the San Francisco LGBT Center for the Pride Photo Award event, an international photo awards program conducted annually. The exhibit, sponsored by the City of Amsterdam, included photos selected for their depiction of sexual diversity and gender identity. pridephotoaward.org

otry in our community, our country, and around the world. Also scheduled was a “reading of the names”—starting with the 49 victims at Pulse, but including the 12 transgender people we know who have died from violence across the U.S. in 2017, as well as the Ghost Ship Fire victims in Oakland. Sister Dana sez, “Now that TV’s Batman [Adam West] has died, WHO will keep us safe from those truly terrible terrors, the Orange Oligarch Ogre and his sick sidekick the Putinator?!” Sister Rosemary Chicken, Sister Desi Love, and Sister Dana performed a satirical skit live at Piano Fight bar and stage in the Tenderloin. It was a takeoff of the Gloria Gaynor disco hit, “I Will Survive”— rewritten as a protest song to the same tune but with new lyrics for “I Will Survive Trump.” No rotten vegetables were thrown. The SF GAY MEN’S CHORUS, of over 200 talented men under the baton of conductor and fellow San Francisco Bay Times columnist Dr. Timothy Seelig, presented “THE GAY KITCHEN SINK,” which did indeed include every kind of music

AND the kitchen sink. Their special guests at the Nourse Theatre were THE KINSEY SICKS, a dragapella beauty shop quartet giving us gorgeous harmonies with a mixture of humor and serious emotion. The ladies are Winnie, Rachel, Trixie and Tram Po Lina. The Chorus sang a variety of songs, starting out with music representing the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love. Act two included songs of many divas including Beyonce, Cyndi Lauper, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Patsy Cline, and Madonna. There were lines and lines of dancers and clever choreography and costumes galore! The Chorus announced their summer tour to the “red states” of hate in order to educate with love and song. They will perform at Grace Cathedral on September 29, and then during their holiday show at the Nourse Theatre on December 8 and 9—as a tease for the Christmas Eve concert at the Castro Theatre. SISTER DANA SEZ, “THERE ARE MORE GAMES IN TOWN T H A N JUST T HE PA R A DE , (continued on page 54)

ROUND ABOUT - Pride

San Francisco Bay Times photographer Rink has been all over town at many locations and events d Season. We’re trying to keep up with him and present here a variety of images from his travels o community. Watch for Rink on Market Street during the upcoming Pride Parade on Sunday, June

The window display at Knobs, a men’s clothing store located on Castro Street

The rainbow flag posted in the window at Nordstrom Rack’s Market Street location

Good Vibrations on Polk Street’s window poster for Pride Month

The Levi’s store on Market Street’s Pride display

A Pride display, featuring young Arno the Body store on Castro Street

A Pride window display at Swirl on Castro Street Jesus Marin, newscaster Elizabeth Cook and Michael Micael at the CBS Bay Area Pride Month Kickoff Celebration

Members Jane Warn

Emcee Donna Sachet and musician Kippy Marks at the Live in the Castro show sponsored by Castro CBD at Jane Warner Plaza

Film Web Kroo The Arm was Fes Nigh Fram Part Hilto Pen

Whole Foods’ Katie Ransom with CBS 5’s Bruno Cohen at the CBS Bay Area LGBT Pride Month Kickoff Celebration at the Channel 5 studios

Out Latino Democratic Club’s co-president Lito Sanoval (left) and friends at the CBS Bay Area Pride Month Celebration

Ed Ang, Anchi Li, Jack Henyon and Ken Hamai at the CBS Bay Area Pride Month Celebration 44

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A table of happy guests enjoying the CBS Bay Area Pride Month Kickoff Celebration

A room full of guests at the CBS Bay Area Pride Month Celebration

Activist Nicholas Renault and his dog at a Refuse Facism rally at Harvey Milk Plaza

Re Pre

Season Happenings

Photos by Rink

during the 2017 Pride out and about in our e 25.

The Pride window display at the GAP store on Market Street

old the Bodybuilder, in the window of

Twin rainbow flags draping the entrance at AT&T near the cablecar turnaround at Powell and Market Streets

The rainbow flag display at Macy’s on Union Sqare

A rainbow flag flying at the Union Square Hilton Hotel for Pride Month

of Velocity Circus performed at the Live in a Castro show sponsored by Castro CBD at ner Plaza

Staff and volunteers welcomed guests to Strut’s Atmosqueer LGBTQ Community Connection Fair sponsored by the SF AIDS Foundation

mmakers Bill ber and Jennifer ot, whose film e Untold Tales of mistead Maupin s the Frameline stival’s Opening ht feature at the meline Launch ty at the SF on City Scape nthouse

The Dreaam Project and Black Brothers Esteem volunteers at their table set up for the Atmosqueer LGBTQ Community Fair

Volunteers staffed the Latino Community Foundation table at Atmosqueer

Aguilas’ Eduardo Morales with Academy of Friends’ Beth Feingold at the AOF party Ruth Linden and Alexandra Alznauer, together for 17 years, enjoying the CBS Bay Area LGBTQ Party at the Channel 5 studios.

epresentatives of Beneficiary organizations and Academy of Friends Board members at the AOF Check esentation Party held at The Clift Hotel

Representatives from El/La Para Trans Latina received the check presented to their organization by Academy of Friends’ Gil Padia and Matthew Denckla.

AIDS Legal Research Panel’s Jim McBride and colleagues holding a check presented to ALRP at the Academy of Friends party

S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

JUNE 22 , 2017

Comfort and Confidence

Easy Fitness Cinder Ernst Adequate physical strength is the foundation to achieving your goals and dreams with comfort and confidence! To fulfill your desires with more ease, you might want to implement a simple strengthening program. For instance, if activism is important to you, you’ve probably noticed that it takes stamina to be effective. Being stronger increases stamina and energy. Having adequate physical stamina also goes a long way in preventing burnout. (Making sure you are taking good care of yourself is the first step in helping anyone else. Think of putting your oxygen mask on first.) The good news is that having dreams and desires is the perfect breeding ground for the “ juice” that can fuel your exercise/strength training practice. Here’s what I mean: If activism is important to you, why is that so? Is the juice to put more love in the world? Is it to make the world easier for future generations? Is it to honor our Earth? What is it about this desire that makes your heart sing? Keeping your attention on the “ juice” or the “why” of your dreams and desires can be a great way to smooth out the path to a regular exercise practice of strength training. Find the “why” behind your dreams, goals or desires and use that to inspire your exercise program. I know some of you already have a regular exercise practice, but you might want to sweeten it with your “why.” If you are wanting to begin an exercise practice, start with finding your “why.” My juice comes from a personal and selfish desire. I use selfish in a positive way. We are all, as humans, selfishly focused. There’s nothing wrong with that. From that place of caring about yourself and being happy (selfish), you have more ability and opportunity to uplift others. I have scheduled a vacation in September to ride the Alps on a motorcycle tour. My “ juice” is that I love feeling adventurous, well-traveled and being outdoors. I have many clients who use an upcoming trip as a way to inspire an effective strengthening program.

Take Me Home with You! Garbanzo

“Happy Pride Month! My name is Garbanzo, but you can call me Chickpea, if you’d like. I’m looking for someone special who will give me lots of snuggles and playtime! I’m hoping my new adopter will take me to the SF SPCA’s Kitten Kindergarten classes, so I can learn clicker training and play with other little kittens like me. Does that sound like fun? If so, I’d love to meet you!”

Garbanzo 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 Garbanzo.

Dr. Jennifer Scarlett and Pup 46

To meet Garbanzo and other pets seeking their forever homes, please visit: sfspca.org/adopt

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San Francisco SPCA Mission Campus 250 Florida Street San Francisco, CA 94103 415-5223500 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!

In order for me to ride my motorcycle with comfort and confidence, I have to maintain my strength, stability and flexibility. I have an exercise routine that I can do anywhere and that I do on most days. This routine takes into account my knee, hip and back arthritis. My daily routine revolves mostly around Get Ups (squats), Push Ups and some rehab and stretching. All of these exercises can be made easier or more challenging, depending on how I am feeling on any given day. These exercises keep me strong enough to do the things I want to do. I start with one set of 30 high chair Get Ups. I stand up and sit down 30 times from a height that feels safe and comfortable on my knees. I usually do this from the arm of my couch, or the edge of the bed; any surface that’s higher than a standard chair. My knees will not sit down or get up comfortably from a chair first thing in the morning. Once I do this warm up set, I can move to a regular height chair.

Next, I do one set of 15 Get Ups from a kitchen chair. Then I do one set of Push Ups from the kitchen counter, and then another set of 15 Get Ups with my arms overhead (more challenging). Then I do one set of Push Ups from the coffee table. The lower the surface is, the harder the Push Up will be. This is followed by 15 more Get ups and as many standard floor Push Ups as I can handle. While on the f loor I do bridges, clam shells, core strengthening and then leg, hip and back stretches. This simple strengthening routine keeps me moving and living my life with comfort and confidence! Why not give it a try? 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

Fitness SF Trainer Tip of the Month Khaliah Guice, Fitness SF Embarcadero

Bulgarian Split Squats: This is an exercise that I see a lot of people doing wrong in the g ym. When executing it, you’ll want to sit your hips back & down, keeping your knee from traveling past your toe to create that perfect 90-degree angle. Use your glutes to control the motion down and up with your core engaged and chest open in the bottom of your squat so you are not leaning forward over your knee.

Tore Kelly, Director of Creative & Social Media for Fitness SF, provides monthly tips that he has learned from professional trainers. For more information: fitnesssf.com

Speaking to Your Soul ARIES (March 21–April 19) Anticipating your coming-out talk or otherwise sensitive discussion with a family member? Now would be a good time to have it. The current energy supports openness of the heart and mind. TAURUS (April 20–May 20) Love thy neighbor takes on literal tones now. Exposing your heart to the people you come in contact with on a daily basis fills a need for everyone involved.

Astrology Elisa Quinzi What do we need? Love. When do we need it? Now. The planets invite each of us to put our most nurturing foot forward now and embrace the world as our child.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Be curious about the contents of your heart. Take a risk by letting yourself be vulnerable. Scary as it may be, your sense of security actually deepens as a result. CANCER ( June 21–July 22) Summer begs you to shed your old shell while also promising to warm your tender exposed heart. Get emotionally naked. Take a risk for love. You can’t lose. LEO ( July 23–August 22) Your intuitive and psychic circuits are activated. Meditation and spending time alone get you in touch with your deeper essence, which, in turn, you are ultimately here to express. VIRGO (August 23–Sept. 22) You have a unique opportunity to apply your innate mental acuity to bringing love to a group setting. Mind and heart don’t always align so easily for you, so take advantage and be the example the world needs right now.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Your natural capacity to harmonize various elements and people gets some lovely encouragement now. It’s a great time to begin a new venture that is aligned with your deeper mission in life. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Pieces of the big-picture puzzle can fall into place, revealing to you a sense of meaning and purpose. Often self-protective, you benefit more from loosening your armor so you can let the light of love in. In order to be seen you must show yourself. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) Mystically-inclined Sagittarians catch a glimpse of the other side of the veil if you are paying attention. Feelings may arise out of nowhere. Slay your personal dragons and forge ahead to greater freedom. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22–Jan.19) Your ability to override your feelings in order to get the task accomplished is one of your gifts. But right now, you must give yourself permission to honor your heart’s deeper needs. You’re called to communicate in a more vulnerable way. This includes deep, compassionate listening as well. AQUARIUS ( Jan. 20–Feb. 18) The need for self-care is emphasized. It’s a perfect time to begin a new regimen of order and routine that puts your health and personal growth at the forefront. PISCES (Feb. 19–March 20) Whether parenting, or birthing a creative endeavor, the planets prompt you to engage and express in more deeply loving and nourishing ways. Set aside judgments and criticisms for soul-feeding and unconditional acceptance.

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 . . . What are your favorite events associated with June Pride in San Francisco?

compiled by Rink

Clair Farley

Kippy Marks

Michael Micael

Alex Walker

Karen Larsen

“The Trans March”

“Dancing on the Recolog y Pride Parade Float”

“The Pride Sunday City Hall Rotunda VIP Party

“A Pink Party in Daly City with pink outfits and decorations”

“The Frameline LGBT Film Festival”

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22 : Thursday Frameline41 Film Festival @ multiple locations through June 25. The annual juried International LGBTQ Film Festival featuring a series of events, films and awards. frameline.org Celebrate Pride with Vocalist Jason Brock @ Zuckerberg San Francisco General, 1001 Potero Avenue. Enjoy live music and learn about the healing arts program created by Imprint. City and Zuckerberg SF General Hospital. 12pm. imprintcity.org Pride NightLife @ California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, 55 Music Concourse Drive. The weekly NightLife event celebrates San Francisco Pride with a line-up featuring drag performances, costume contest, Hella Gay dance party and much more. 6-10pm. calacademy.org What In Tarnation? @ Exit Theatre, 156 Eddy Street. A farce set in a Baptist church in a small town about what happens when lesbians seek marriage equality. Continues through June 24. whatintarnationplay.com Book Reading with Helen Klonaris @ Laurel Books, 1423 Broadway, Oakland. Reading from her short story collection If I Had Wings, Klonaris will be joined by poet and performer Amir Rabiyah with a book signing following the reading. 7pm. laurelbookstore.com What We Carry With Us: A Refugee Storytelling Lab @ JCC East Bay, Berkeley Branch, 1414 Walnut Street, Berkeley. A multimedia presentation featuring short film, digital images and a discussion with young adult refugees from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria and Uganda. jcceastbay.org Pride Conversation with LGBTQ Leaders of the Democratic Party @ SEIU 1021, 350 Rhode Island Street. Hosted by the San Francisco Young Democrats, the discussion features timely topics addressed by speakers Mark Leno, Scott Wiener, Andrea Shorter and Adam S. Mehis. sfyd.org Love or Confusion: Jimi Hendrix in 1967 @ Museum of the African Diaspora, 685 Mission Street. Composed of photographs of the artist in 1967, marking the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love. Wednesday-Sunday. moadsf.org

23 : Friday LGBT Pride Celebration at City Hall @ 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place. San Francisco’s County Clerk welcomes Pride with a special day of walk-in and scheduled marriage ceremony appointments including Pride-themed souvenir marriage certificates and photo booth. 9am-4:30pm. sfgov.org/countyclerk. Flower Power Exhibit Opening @ Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin Street. Continuing through October 1. With the role of flowers as a symbol of peace during the Summer of Love, the exhibit looks at flowers in Asian art

through the symbolism of the lotus, plum blossom, cherry blossom, chrysanthemum, tulip and rose. asianart.org 14th Annual San Francisco Trans March @ Dolores Park, Dolores and 19th Street. The annual event begins with a youth and elder brunch as well as a celebration with a line-up of performers followed by the march and rally at Turk and Taylor Streets and two after parties. Begins at 11am and continues throughout the day. transmarch.org Dance Fridays: Dance Lessons @ Dance Friday’s, 550 Barneveld. An evening of live salsa borinquen, SG salsa and bachata with beginner classes followed by a dance party. 7:30pm. dancefridays.com Priscilla, Queen of the Desert – The Musical @ Eureka Theatre, 215 Jackson Street at Battery. Directed by Theatre Rhino’s John Fisher, the musical performance includes trannies, drag shows and the theme focuses on Down Under and what we do for love. Continues through July 1. 8pm. therhino.org Lorna Luft @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko, 222 Mason Street. The daughter of Judy Garland celebrates Pride, reminding us of her mother’s connections to the modern gay rights movement. 8pm. feinsteinsatthenikko.com

24 : Saturday 22nd Annual Pink Triangle Installation & Ceremony @ Twin Peaks.Volunteer to help set-up between 7-10am and participate in the inspirational program at 10:30am. For information, call Patrick Carney: 415-726-4914. thepinktriangle.com 19th Annual Pride Brunch @ Hotel Whitcomb, 1231 Market Street. Gary Virginia and Donna Sachet host the annual sell-out benefit for Positive Resource Center in honor of the San Francisco Pride Grand Marshals and honorees, featuring rainbow bunting, raffle, music by the Dixieland Dykes +3, hosted bars and unlimited buffet. 11am2pm. positiveresource.org 25th Annual San Francisco Dyke March and Rally @ Dolores Park with the march stepoff at 18th and Dolores. This year’s Dyke March is a call to action toward the goal of bringing dyke communicates together in celebration of unity. 11am Rally and 5pm March. thedykemarch.org Degas, Impressionism, and the Paris Millinery Trade @ Legion of Honor, Lincoln Park, 100 34th Avenue. Featuring more than forty Impressionist paintings and pastels, including key works by Degas, as well as Renoir, Manet, Cassatt and Toulouse-Lautrec, in addition to a display of forty examples of period hats. Continues through September 24. 9:30am5:15pm. legionof honor.famsf.org 15th Annual AIDS Walk BBQ Fundraiser @ 233 Central Avenue (between Oak & Page Streets). Richie McAllister and S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

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Marie Crinnion host their annual benefit, open to the public, supporting Project Open Hand and featuring music, food and beverages, silent and live auction, raffles and more. 12:00 noon-10pm. email: events@openhand.org Jungle Pride @ The Armory, 333 14th Street. As the biggest Pride party in SF at the infamous Armory, this is a 360-degree dance party experience produced by Audrey

Joseph and Brian Kent Productions. 9pm-4am. prideatthearmory.com

25 : Sunday Alice Democratic Club Pride Breakfast @ Hyatt Embarcadero, 5 Embarcadero Center. Resist is the theme for this year at the annual benefit breakfast featuring keynote speakers, honorees, breakfast and networking. 8am. alicebtoklas.org

47th Annual San Francisco LGBT Pride Parade and March @ Market Street Parade route from Beale Street to 8th Street. More than 240 contingents and thousands of spectators participate in the Parade and Festival at Civic Center. 10:30am step-off and VIP Party at City Hall 2pm-5pm. sfpride.org 3rd Annual Dog Day Afternoon @ Cavallo Point Lodge, 601 Murray Circle, Fort Baker, Sausalito. Benefiting Marin Humane, the event includes live music, photo booth, pet boutique, food, drink, games and activities with doggie bags and gifts for pups. 12-4pm. marinhumane.org The Annual Mighty Real Pride Poolside Party @ Phoenix Hotel, 501 Eddy Street. Hosted by David Harness and 15Utah, the party brings a lineup of entertainers to the famous pool area at the historic Phoenix Hotel. www.upallnight.us/events/pride2017

26 : Monday San Francisco Giants LGBT Pride Night @ AT&T Park, 24 Willlie Mays Plaza. The annual LGBT pre-game party in Parking Lot A

with limited edition Giants scarfs, followed by the game v. Colorado Rockies. 5:00 pm. sfgiants.com/specialevents

door market in the Castro featuring fresh and organic foods from local vendors. Wednesdays through November. 4-8pm. pcfma.org

The Kinsey Sicks: Things You Shouldn’t Say! @ Oasis, 298 11th Street. A comedic, thought-provoking and inspiring show by the fourpart harmony drag quartet addressing Trumpism, racism, AIDS, extreme macramé, Bette Midler and more. 7:30pm. oasissf.com

Reception for District 8 Supervisor Jeff Sheehy @ 2080 Vallejo Street. An event hosted by Don Spradlin supporting Sheehy’s fundraising goals. deweydon@gmail.com

27 : Tuesday Raspberry Reich by Bruce Labruce @ El Rio, 3158 Mission Street. Film School Drop Outs presents their monthly event at everybody’s favorite LGBTQ dive bar. 8-11pm. elriosf.com

LDG with Cleve Jones & Race Bannon: First They Came for the Muslims and We Said Not Today @ SF LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market Street. Presented by SF Leathermen’s Discussion Group, and featuring two legendary activists. sfcenter.org

Nightly Illuminated Scenes in Golden Gate Park Inspired by Rare Tropical Flowers @ Conservatory of Flowers, 100 JF Kennedy Drive. A public display of a light art installation every night through October at approximately 9:15. conservatoryofflowers.org

Michael Tilson Thomas Conducts Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette @ Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness. The San Francisco Symphony and Chorus present a series of performances of Hector Berlioz’s musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic story of love and tragedy. July 28-July 1. sfsymphony.org

28 : Wednesday

29 : Thursday

Castro Farmers’ Market @ Noe & Market Streets. On-going out-

Cocktails & Conversation @ Chambers eat + drink, 601 Eddy Street. Hosted by HRC San Francisco, the event includes sponsored hors d’oeuvres and cocktails and provides an opportunity to find out about HRC’s field and political work at the national, state and local levels. jbalbers@gmail.com or chrislehtonen@gmail.com Varsity Gay League San Francisco (VGLSF) Thursday Open Practice @ James Rolph Jr. Playground, 1499 Hampshire Street. Kickball practices with open scrimmages, drills and afterwards at Hi Tops. 7-9pm. varsitygayleague.com

30 : Friday Older & Out @ North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Avenue, Berkeley. Group discussions on key topics such as dating, loss of friends, going back in the closet to survive, invisibility in the LGBT community, Alameda County services, dealing with exes and children, aging and loneliness. Happens on Fridays at 3:15pm. Info: anne@pacificcenter. org or 510-548-8283 ext 126. Pride Celebration at Redwood Café @ Redwood Café Coffee House, 8240 Old Redwood Highway, Cotati. A Pride celebration featuring live music, dancing and emcees from the Russian River Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. 7-11:30pm. redwoodcafe.com Queer Rebels Fest! 2017 @ Queer Cultural Center, 762 Fulton Street. A celebration of queer and trans artists of color and their stories of resistance. 7:30-10pm. queerculturalcenter.org

1 : Saturday Burger Boogaloo 2017 Music Festival @ Mosswood Recreation Center, 3612 Oakland. Hosted by John Waters with Iggy Pop and a line-up of performers, this two-day festival continues on Sunday and is emceed by Burger Records. 12pm9pm. burgerrecords.com Linda Tillery & The Womanly Way Reunion Band – 2017 Tour @ Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse, 2020 Addison Street, Berkeley. Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the release of Linda Tillery’s first album, the performance includes Mary Watkins, Vicki Randle, Diane Lindsey and more. 8pm. thefreight.org

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2 : Sunday Sunday’s A Drag @ The Starlight Room, Powell Street. Hosted by Donna Sachet, the event features a brunch and a troupe of entertainers described as “The Greatest Drag Show in San Francisco.” Two shows every Sunday at 11am and 2pm. starlightroomsf.com Stern Grove Festival @ Sigmund Stern Grove, 19th Avenue and Sloat Blvd. Nikki Bluhm and Fantastic Negrito present Roots, Rhythm & Blues. 2pm. sterngrove.org

3 : Monday Music Mondays @ Mission Pie, 2901 Mission Street at 25th. At a cozy woman-owned business featuring all sorts of pies, sweet and savory, made from scratch, and other locally sourced foods too. 6pm-8pm. missionpie.com Sing-A-Long Sound of Music @ The Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street. A sing-a-long presentation of the classic Rogers and Hammerstein musical. 7pm. castrotheatre.com

4 : Tuesday 4th of July Holiday Weekend at Jack London Square @ Oakland/Alameda estuary waterfront. An annual block party attended by more than 10,000 with live music, backyard BBQ and a beer and cider garden. 12-6pm. jacklondonsquare.com San Francisco Mime Troupe presents Walls, A New

Musical @ Dolores Park, 19th and Dolores Streets. The Tony Awardwinning troupe begins its 58th season, continuing through September 10, with a new musical addressing the question, “How can a nation of immigrants declare war on immigration?” 2pm. sfmt.org Queer As Fourth Fundraiser & Radical Resistance Queer Dance Party @ El Rio, 3158 Mission. BBQ on the patio, dancers and music by DJs including Olga T and more, this is the 4th annual event benefiting Make Your Rent Event Management, Inc. elriosf.com

5 : Wednesday Comedy Night at the Uptown @ The Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland. Live stand-up comedy showcase every Wednesday, hosted by Adam Pearlstein, Adrian McNair and Josef Anolin. 7-9pm. uptownnightclub.com Drunk Music History – Spinning Funk, Soul & Disco @ The Ivy Room, 860 San Pablo Avenue, Albany. Dave and Kendon spin funk, soul and disco tunes every first and third Wednesdays. 9pm-12am. ivyroom.com

6 : Thursday Opening Night of the Exhibit Peter Fortuna: A Tenderloin Story @ Tenderloin Museum, 398 Eddy Street. An abbreviated retrospective featuring the photography and ephemera of Peter Fortuna, including a selection of original photographs, magazine tearsheets, correspondence and digital photography.

6-8pm. Exhibit continues through July 31. tenderloinmuseum.org We Were Rebels: Jae Whitaker Remembers Janis Joplin @ GLBT History Museum, 4127 18th Street. A conversation with African American lesbian musician Jae Whitaker, who met Joplin in 1963 and the two became lovers and lived together. 7-9pm. glbthistory.org Vignettes on Love @ Potrero Stage, 1695 18th Street. The world premiere of a new multi-media comedy-drama by David Steele, Victoria Chong Der and Davern Wright examining the lives of six San Franciscans struggling with love, betrayal and self-destructive tendencies. Continues through July 30. playground-sf.org

7 : Friday Wayne & Rick’s Big Oakland Book Launch Party @ Laurel Bookstore, 1423 Broadway, Oakland. Wayne Goodman reads from his new novel Better Angels and Rick May reads from his short-story collection Inhuman Beings. 7pm. laurelbookstore.com The Art and Science of Pinball Exhibition – First Friday @ Chabot Space & Science Center, 10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland. A two-day weekend celebration of the new exhibit featuring machines to play and discussion on the 200 years of pinball evolution. 5-10pm. chabotspace.org

8 : Saturday 4th Annual Queer Comics Expo @ SOMArts Cultural Center,

934 Brannan Street. The two-day program, celebrating queer culture and providing queer representation in comics, animation and story telling, benefits the Cartoon Art Museum. 11am-5pm. cartoonart.org Paula West @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko, 222 Mason. The 2017 summer residency of popular Bay Area favorite Paula West is in July this year through July 29. feinsteinsatthtenikko.com

9 : Sunday San Francisco Symphony Concert at the Stern Grove Festival @ Stern Grove, 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard. The free concert features a program of music by Mozart, Bizet, Ravel and more. 2pm. sterngrove.org 3rd Annual Misfit Art Auction @ 1890 Bryant Street Studios, 1890 Bryant Street. An auction benefiting the UCSF Alliance Health Project. dk.haas@ucsf.edu

10 : Monday Perfectly Queer LGBTQ Book Readings @ Dog Eared Books, 489 Castro Street. Queeridentified authors are invited to read and discuss in five minute intervals on the second Monday of every month. 7pm. perfectlyqueersf@gmail.com Peninsula Women’s Caucus for Art Exhibit: Visions @ Milton Marks Conference Center Galleries, 455 Golden Gate Avenue. The exhibit includes works inspired by unseen forces of the unconscious mind, reflecting inner visions,

ephemeral feelings and fantasies. 9am-5pm. wcapeninsula.org

11 : Tuesday Poetic Tuesdays with Litquake @ Jessie Square, 736 Mission. A lunch break program featuring some of the Bay Area’s best poets and musicians sharing their work in the great outdoors. 12:301:30pm. ybfgfestival.org Velvet Rage Book Club @ Strut, 470 Castro Street. The weekly Tuesday book club of the SF AIDS Foundation’s Stonewall Project with facilitators Wade Smith and Christopher Zepeda. 4pm. strutsf.org Durst Case Scenario @ The Marsh, 1062 Valencia Street. A new solo show by Will Durst, presenting his satiric political humor exploring how America is changing in the Trump era. 8pm on Thursdays through September 19. themarsh.org

12 : Wednesday GGBA Rainbow Toastmasters @ SBA Conference Room, 455 Market Street. Practice your speaking skills and make new business contacts. 7-8:30am. ggba.com Wednesdays at Feinstein’s @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko, 222 Mason. A rotating series of events presented each month on Wednesdays, including Broadway Bingo at the Nikko with host Katya SmirnoffSkyy and musical director Joe Wicht. 7pm. feinsteinsatthenikko.com

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SISTER DANA (continued from page 42) SO CHECK OUT THESE JUNE EVENTS!” For the month of June, STRUT is having a very special art opening for an artist coming all the way from Venezuela for Pride month. Strut is exhibiting the work of visual artist, activist, writer and international gay rights advocate DANIEL ARZOLA! The Art at Strut program has been exhibiting the work of a local Gay or Queer artist once a month for over 13 years; it has always been an important part of Magnet. Arzola’s work has been reviewed by press from countries all over the world including Al Jazeera, The Huffington Post, Out Magazine, and The Advocate. Arzola participated in Madonna’s project “Art for Freedom,” and was the only artist to have five of his works selected for the project’s global release; two of those works were selected by Katy Perry. Arzola won the Human Rights award 2016 at the International Queer and Migrant Film Festival of Amsterdam for his theory of ARTIVISM and the impact of his work. strutsf.org

The girls are back in town in the uproarious drag send-up of HBO’s beloved series SEX AND THE CITY. Get your fix, with two fabulous episodes that pay loving tribute to the iconic show. Laugh and gasp out loud as these four young “women” search for the perfect relationship in between plenty of cosmopolitans. The show features four of San Francisco’s most fabulous drag stars: D’Arcy Drol l inger, Sue Casa, Lady Bear and Steven LeMay playing homage to Carrie and the gang. With special guest star, Drag King legend, Leigh Crow as Mr. Big. Darren Star (creator of the HBO show) described this version as “funnier than it was on TV,” so you know you’re in for a delightful night. Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, now through July 1 at Oasis, 298 11th Street. I’m a Samantha! sfoasis.com T H E H A RV EY M I L K PHO TOGRAPHY CENTER is offering their LGBTQ PRIDE EXHIBIT. This year’s exhibit, sponsored by the San Francisco Bay Times, is in collab-

oration with the wishes of Gilbert Baker, designer of the international symbol to the world of gay pride, the iconic RAINBOW FLAG, says Dave Christensen, Director/Curator of the Harvey Milk Photo Center. In addition to Gilbert’s choices, they have invited artists, writers, and photographers to exhibit this special show—running through July 23 at Harvey Milk Photo Center, 50 Scott Street, San Francisco. harveymilkphotocenter.org TR ANS MARCH: CELEBR ATING RESILIENCE WITH LOVE & RESISTANCE is on June 23, noon–8 pm in Dolores Park, 19th and Dolores Street. Organizers say: “Our rights and existence have been more intensely under attack since the election, so it’s even more critical that we gather this year to fight back, resist, celebrate, and create community. Let’s make this a huge showing of how powerful and incredible we are!” transmarch.org

The 25th annual SAN FRANCISCO DYKE MARCH starts off in Dolores Park on Saturday, June 24, at 5 pm for speeches, a rally, and then marching towards the Castro. Organizers say: “This year, the San Francisco Dyke March is a call to action. Do not mistake it for something else. We’re calling all. Dykes. To show up. To take up your space. To fight against our erasure by being visible in a nation that says there’s no place for us. To be visible in our community. To be visible in our love for one another. thedykemarch.org

Ballroom festooned with rainbow

Rated by many as their favorite event during SF Pride weekend, Gary Virginia & Donna Sachet’s 19TH ANNUAL PRIDE BRUNCH honors the Grand Marshals of the SF LGBT Pride Parade and af fords guests a rare opportunity to meet and hear them speak. The three-hour, spectacular benefit starts with rousing musical entertainment by the Dixieland Dykes +3, hosted bars by Barefoot Wine & Bubbly and Tito’s Handmade Vodka, and the Grand

join us during this very meaningful

bunting, balloons, and f lorals. Proceeds support SF-based POSITIVE RESOURCE CENTER. Held on Saturday, June 24, 11am–2 pm at Hotel Whitcomb, 1231 Market Street. positiveresource.org SAN FR ANCISCO BAY TIMES readers and friends are invited to join our contingent in the San Francisco Pride Parade 2017 (see this issue for more information). We hope you will year to show our Pride together. Sister Dana will again be the rainbow nun—waving and blowing kisses and giving peace signs to the crowd below! Sister Dana sez, “Just like T-rump, Attorney General Jeff “Beau No Regard for Truth” Sessions has taken no interest whatsoever in Russia hacking our democracy!”

DJ Rockaway’s Play on the Bay!

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PHOTO COURTESY OF CAROL STEINKAMP

PHOTO COURTESY OF JUAN DAVILA

On Thursday, June 15, Aguilas members and guests enjoyed an evening of “boogie woogie” and live entertainment at the Orgullo Latino - Latin Pride celebration 2017. Held at the SF LGBT Community Center, the lively party was co-hosted by Clinica de la Raza, El/La Translatina, Latino Wellness Center, SF AIDS Foundation and Sí a la Vida in conjunction with Aguilas. International dance artist J’amine Martinez-Castro provided dance lessons while DJ Alex was spinning tunes in the Rainbow Room at The Center. sfaguilas.org

A new opportunity for women who love to dance was born when DJ Rockaway launched, on two consecutive Saturdays, April 29 and May 6, the new sunset cruise for women, Play on the Bay! Embarking from the East Bay Berkeley Marina location, both outings aboard the Hornblower Pacific were sellouts. Watch for announcements of more Play on the Bay! events, and watch for DJ Rockaway appearing as the official DJ of the San Francisco Bay Times/“Betty’s List” contingent (#81 in the line-up) in the SF Pride March Sunday, June 25. djrockaway.com