San Francisco Bay Times - July 27, 2017

Veterans Speak Out Against Transgender Military Ban PAGE 5

July 27 - August 9, 2017 | sfbaytimes.com

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Veterans Speak Out Against Transgender Military Ban On July 26, President Trump—communicating via his personal twitter account and not the official President Trump @POTUS account—wrote in a series of tweets: “After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you” It remains to be seen what actually comes of Trump’s threat, especially since it was made via his own twitter account. This divisive president has an established pattern of using social media to go on the apparent offensive, leading to reactionary changes in media coverage. These media shifts, in turn, help to def lect attention from the numerous matters—reports of collusion with Russia for just a start—that would put his administration on the defensive.

Transgender Law Center Executive Direct Kris Hayashi addressed such issues in a response: “President Trump today tweeted highly inaccurate and offensive statements about transgender people, citing the ‘disruption’ our existence creates to try to set military policy. Sadly, this is just one in a series of his attacks on our community—one of the most dangerous this week being his continued push to rob millions of people of health care, which would be a death sentence for many transgender people who rely on the Affordable Care Act for basic preventative care and lifesaving treatment.”

“While it’s far from clear that Trump can even set policy by tweet,” Hayashi added, “we know that he uses his tweets to distract from very real, disastrous policy moving forward in

Congress, like the attack on our health care. Combined with his assaults on immigrants, people of color, Muslims, and so many other members of the transgender community, Trump’s actions today are just one more sign that he will do everything in his power to harm us. Transgender Law Center will not waver in our continued organizing and legal resistance to his agenda.”

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter also issued a statement: “Quality people in uniform are what make our military the finest fighting force the world has ever seen. I continue to maintain that what matters in choosing those who serve is that they are best qualified. To choose service members on other grounds than military qualifications is social policy and has no place in our military. There are already transgender individuals who are serving capably and honorably. This action would also send the wrong signal to a younger generation thinking about military service.”

According to the data-gathering organization RAND, there are 2,500– 7,000 transgender service members in active military duty. Another 1,500– 4,000 are in the reserves. The estimate spans are so wide likely due, in part, to fear of coming out. It is unclear what could happen to these service members should trans individuals be banned from joining the military.

Many other organizations and politicians, ranging from the National Center for Transgender Equality to California State Senator Scott Wiener, quickly issued statements denouncing Trump’s threats. Importantly, the (continued on page 30)

In the News Compiled by Dennis McMillan Ringold Alley Honors San Francisco’s Leather Community On July 25, a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Grand Reveal of Ringold Alley took place at the alley, which is behind the L Seven Apartments at 1222 Harrison Street. Mark Leno and other officials were present at the event that celebrated San Francisco’s leather community. The street was important to this culture for many years before the HIV/AIDS crisis.

There, gay men would often gather after visiting bars and clubs along the “Miracle Mile” (Folsom Street).

The alley now has a “Leather Memoir” of monuments, such as a black granite marker stone with information about the location’s history, other stones with engravings honoring certain LGBT businesses and organizations, and boot prints with the names of select community leaders.

The project, called the San Francisco South of Market Leather History Alley, was largely envisioned by the late Jim Meko, who before his death in 2015 got the effort underway. For more information, including a full list of the people honored with boot prints, please go to: http://www.artandarchitecture-sf. com/ringold-alleys-leather-memoir. html ICE Chief Calls San Francisco ‘Un-American’ San Francisco was among the four cities ICE acting director Thomas D. Homan labeled as being among the most dangerous in the nation due to alleged harboring of criminal illegal immigrants, according to a Washington Examiner report. Chicago, New

York City and Philadelphia were the other three named cities. “Sanctuary cities, in my opinion, are un-American,” he told journalist Paul Bedard.

“These jurisdictions, these cities, are choosing to shield people who violated the laws of this country and that committed a crime against this country; they’re going to shield them. So, what’s next? Sanctuary cities for people who don’t want to pay their taxes?” Officials from several Bay Area cities counter such views expressed by not only Homan, but also the Trump administration and others within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In April, for example, San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera said in a statement that the president and attorney general “either don’t understand the Constitution or choose to ignore it.” Oakland has even further strengthened its status as a sanctuary city. See Oakland Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan’s column on page 8 for more information about an important new measure. washingtonexaminer.com Oral History Project to Chronicle, Preserve History of AIDS Direct-Action Groups The GLBT Historical Society has launched a wide-scale oral history project to chronicle, preserve and share the history of ACT UP/San Francisco and other AIDS directaction groups in the city. ACT UP/ San Francisco was a highly visible and inf luential group of militant (continued on page 30) S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

JULY 27, 2017

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Uniting to Protect the Right to Vote

Cross Currents Andrea Shorter (Editor’s Note: We have long admired Andrea Shorter, who is President of the Commission on the Status of Women. She was appointed to this important commission by no less than three mayors: former mayor Willie Brown (2001), former mayor Gavin Newsom (2005) and Mayor Ed Lee (2012).

Shorter is an accomplished public official, cutting edge public policy leader, political strategist, and civil and human rights advocate who often works toward advancing social justice goals. She has made strides in criminal and juvenile justice systems reform, HIV/AIDS education and outreach, marriage equality, gender equity, ending domestic and family violence, and LGBT workplace inclusion. Earlier this year, she was named a “Mother of the Movement” by the Domestic Violence Consortium for her efforts to create a national model to combat domestic and family violence.

We have covered Shorter’s work from time to time over the years, but this issue marks her debut as a regular contributor. We are tremendously honored to feature her new column, “Cross Currents,” in the San Francisco Bay Times. Look for it in each issue!)

With this inaugural entry as a columnist, I am delighted and honored to have been invited by the Bay Times to come aboard the team as a regular contributor. I welcome this opportunity to highlight the connections between the LGBTQ liberation movement and other key issues that create opportunities to further advance equality, civil and human rights for all. I look forward to sharing my observations, insights, and musings on matters of interest that will hopefully inspire, cajole, occasionally irritate, and serve as a catalyst for engagement in what I can best describe as the ‘cross currents’ of movement, critical resistance, and just plain good old fashioned coalition building that can serve to elevate us all to higher ground.

On that note, let’s get to it with something that’s been on my mind for the past several days: voter registration and suppression.

Recently, two friends were summoned for jury duty selection at 850 Bryant Street. After a long, early morning, both later shared with me their respective observations that out of the nearly 90 citizens summoned that morning, there were only two identifiable African Americans in the potential jury pool. Neither friends are African American, and instead are representative of San Francisco’s larger populaces of Caucasian and Asian folks.

Their own alarmed observations of who was and wasn’t in the jury pool room, of course, led to remarks about the socioeconomic, political, affordable housing, and other causes that have either directly or indirectly resulted in a declining population of African Americans in the City over the past decade or so. We commiserated over those issues and efforts respondent to the alarming fact that African Americans now make up less than 5% 6

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Andrea Shorter at the podium of the San Francisco LGBT Community Center during a Victory Party following a favorable Prop 8-related decision.

of our much trumpeted, exceptionally diverse City— where the African American population has notably diminished from a reported 13% when I arrived in 1991.

While we will not, at this particular wr iting, delve into the complexities of the alarming decline of the African American population in San Francisco, it was the visible absence of African Americans in that potential jury pool that extended discussion about the ill effects of intentional voter suppression tactics across the nation. The clearly racially targeted voter suppression measures that we witness in other locales—particularly among Southern states—may not take such specific effect in liberal, bluer than blue San Francisco.

Still, it remains that by disenfranchising potential or registered voters who are people of color, elderly, disabled, and persons formerly under criminal justice system jurisdiction, it quite effectively erodes the probability of those most marginalized registered voters to serve as jurors. Concerning African Americans, this is especially pertinent given that African Americans remain disproportionately subject to disparate rates as defendants against criminal charges, and are thus more likely to appear before a court and what should be a reasonable expectation: before a jury of one’s peers.

To be clear, no one is suggesting that a jury including African Americans will more likely excuse or exonerate other Black folks simply because a defendant is Black. It does call to question the full intent of an essentially sham federal commission on elections that is masquerading to resolve “rampant voter fraud.” Working to further disenfranchise targeted populations from voting as a majority not only upsets desired interests in maintaining traditional, majority voter power.

It also seeks to suppress participation of what should be qualified registered voters from full enfranchisement of democratic society, including serving as jurors in courts of law.

Similar implications regarding voter registration and participation exist for transgender persons in states well beyond the sanctity of our California borders. Just as the suffragettes and civil rights champions fought for enfranchisement in the democratic process, we should be as vigilant in the fight to protect the voter rights of transgender persons at risk of being further marginalized and denied

their basic rights and entitlements as voters in states slow or resistant to issuing drivers licenses, state identification cards, etc. with photo identification presenting their correct gender identity in order to comply with voter ID laws that might applied at polling stations.

While absentee voting is an option, as advised by the National Center for Transgender Equality, “it should not be necessary.” A state’s refusal to correct gender markers on government issued identification subjects transgender persons to discrimination, harassment, and potentially from being turned away from polling stations.

This is not acceptable.

These forms of disenfranchisement also extend to the matter of less representation of the full LGBT spectrum in those juror boxes, especially in cases involving criminal offenses against or concerning transgender persons. Just as we support the work of the ACLU, NAACP, La Raza, the Asian Law Caucus, League of Women Voters, and other champions to protect and safeguard voter rights, we should encourage opportunities for ‘cross current’ coalition to protect the rights of transgender voters by supporting the work of organizations such as the Transgender Law Center and the National Center for Transgender Rights.

In this era of ‘Trumped’ up charges of voter fraud, united resistance against voter suppression and disenfranchisement is absolutely necessary.

Andrea Shorter is President of the historic San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women. She is a longtime advocate for criminal and juvenile justice reform, voter rights, and marriage equality. A co-founder of the Bayard Rustin LGBT Coalition, she was a 2009 David Bohnett LGBT Leadership Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

A Standard to Disclose Body Camera Footage

Cutting Ties with ICE court who was there to testify against the man who had raped her.

Instead, law enforcement agencies have inconsistent footage disclosure polices, which leads to the assumption that the agency has something to hide. This stalemate only serves to further injure community relations, especially in instances where we see citizens capturing, taping and releasing their own footage of incidents while the official record is kept secret. I’ve introduced legislation to change that.

Assemblymember Phil Ting Law enforcement is a tough, but necessary, job. Instances of misconduct, alleged or substantiated, receive more controversy because technology allows bystanders to record these incidents on their phones.

In this context, local law enforcement agencies began equipping off icers with body cameras. By 2015, a fifth of all California police departments used them. Today, some of the Bay Area’s largest police departments use them, including Oakland, San Jose, and San Francisco.

While the technology carries the promise of accountability, an enduring challenge remains. There is no statewide standard for the release of body camera footage to the public.

And, there is no way to compel a law enforcement agency to disclose this information.

Supported by the American Civil Liberties Union and the California News Publishers Association, my Assembly Bill (AB) 748 would make law enforcement body camera recordings subject to public disclosure through the Public Records Act. The Act governs the disclosure of information collected and maintained by all public agencies. Generally, it provides record access to ensure the public has a chance to monitor their government and hold it accountable.

AB 748 would only allow law enforcement agencies to withhold a video or audio recording if the public’s interest in nondisclosure outweighs public concern for 120 days, allowing for sufficient time for an agency to complete an investigation.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth millions. It’s time we let the footage speak for itself. Right or wrong, withholding body camera footage fuels a toxic brew of mistrust, especially when there are incidents of alleged officer-involved uses of force. The logic is simple and persuasive. If there is no wrongdoing, then there is nothing to fear in the release of body camera footage.

The strong objections from some members of law enforcement to my bill are disappointing. The public’s right to know is not a trivial concept to be brushed aside. It’s enshrined in our State Constitution.

Furthermore, at its core, law enforcement is public service and an extremely necessary one at that. The credibility of its officers rests on the notion that they apply the law equally to everyone, and that they do not impede public oversight into their work.

California has a chance to chart a new course where law abiding community members and officers can get the respect they deserve.

That is why we need AB 748.

Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) represents the 19th Assembly District, which includes the Westside of San Francisco along with the communities of Broadmoor, Colma, Daly City, and parts of South San Francisco.

Assemblymember Ting and his team have put together an informative Earthquake Preparedness Guide for Californians: https://a19.asmdc.org/sites/a19.asmdc.org/files/pdf/Ting-Earthquake%20Prep_revised.pdf

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Even John Sandweg, former ICE acting director, has expressed concern that by targeting non-criminals, ICE “is siphoning away resources that should go to the public safety threats.”

Out of the Closet and into City Hall Oakland City Councilmember At-Large, Rebecca Kaplan As Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) aggressively targets all undocumented immigrants, regardless of their criminal histories, I am happy to announce that Oakland City Council recently passed my Resolution terminating an agreement with ICE that allowed Oakland police officers to take part in task forces headed by ICE. Cutting ties with ICE is especially important under the Trump administration, considering that in recent months, on average, ICE arrested 108 undocumented immigrants a day with no criminal record, an 150% increase from the previous year. ICE has arrested people without criminal records while they are dropping their kids off at school, coming out of church and on their way to senior prom, ICE even arrested a woman in

The presence of ICE in Oakland was causing trauma in the community, and had a chilling effect on the reporting of crime.

By terminating the Oakland Police Department’s agreement with ICE, I hope to encourage community trust and cooperation with local law enforcement.

Last year, my colleagues and I reaffirmed the City of Oakland as a City of Refuge for immigrants, and stated our “desire to ensure that … immigrant residents participate in civic life and daily activities without fear of being arrested or reported to the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.” And this year, again, by passing my Resolution to cut ties with ICE, City Council affirmed the City of Oakland’s strong tradition of respecting the civil and human rights of all residents, regardless of their immigration status.

Councilmember At-L arge Rebecca Kaplan wa s elected in 2008 to serve as Oakland’s citywide Councilmember; she was re-elected in 2016.

She also serves on the Board of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), and as the Chair of the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC).

Link to full Resolution: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4k7eaDkAjFzZVc2bE9TVnU2OWs/view

Celebrating 6/26 Now and in the Future

6/26 and Beyond Stuart Gaffney & John Lewis We title our column “6/26 and Beyond” because, for the last fourteen years, June 26 has been the day the U.S. Supreme Court issued its key pro-LGBT equality decisions. 2017 was no exception. On June 26, 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Pavan vs. Smith made even more explicit what it had already made clear before: When it comes to marriage, government must treat samesex couples the same as differentsex couples.

In some ways akin to a number of states’ resistance to integrating public schools in the wake of Brown v.

Board of Education, a handful of states have tried to evade the clear dictates of the U.S. Supreme Court’s two landmark marriage equality decisions—Obergefell, recognizing the freedom to marry nationwide, and Windsor, striking down federal government discrimination against married same-sex couples.

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In the opening line of the opinion, the Supreme Court repeated loud

Sadly, newly appointed Justice Neil Gorsuch, joined by Justices Thomas and Alito, filed a groundless and unprincipled dissenting opinion. In a 2016 speech turned law review article submitted to the Senate for his confirmation hearings, Gorsuch addressed the importance of precedent in the American legal system. He said: “[E]ven when a hard case does arise, once it’s decided it takes on the force of precedent, becomes an easy case in the future, and contributes further to the determinacy of our law. Truly the system is a wonder and it is little wonder so many throughout the world seek to emulate it.”

What truly is a wonder is how Gorsuch could not see that Obergefell is undeniably precedent and Pavan was an easy case. Significantly, Chief Justice Roberts, who strongly dissented in the Obergefell decision, did not join Gorsuch’s dissent.

Per curiam decisions have no named author, and individual justices are not required to indicate their votes on such decisions. Roberts’ decision not to dissent by name, however, may mean he respects Obergefell as precedent, even though he disagrees with it.

Pavan should send an unmistakable message to other states and lower courts who might attempt to sidestep the clear constitutional protections of liberty and equality that Obergefell and Windsor afford LGBT

John and Stuart at SF Pride 2017

couples. Just four days after Pavan was decided, however, the Texas Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision, allowing a lawsuit to proceed that challenges whether local governments must provide health insurance and other spousal benefits to married same-sex couples when it does so to different-sex couples. And even after Pavan, Indiana continues to defend in court its differential treatment of same-sex couples with respect to birth certificates.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s enforcement of the Constitution’s guarantees of liberty and equality for LGBT people remains critical to our lives. The composition of the Supreme Court is vital to future success. We still need more 6/26 victories in the future. With rumors abounding as to whether Justice Kennedy, the author of all of the Court’s landmark gay rights decisions, may retire as early as next year, many who support LGBT equality, women’s rights, and myriad other concerns are anxious.

Doing everything we can to flip the U.S. Senate in 2018 to a chamber that will only confirm a Justice who respects the constitutional and other legal rights of LGBT people is a strategic priority. Everything we as LGBT people have done for decades to win the hearts and minds of millions of Americans helps us inside the courtroom. Now, more than ever, is the time to engage.

John Lewis and Stuart Gaffney, together for over three decades, were plaintiffs in the California case for equal marriage rights decided by the California Supreme Court in 2008. Their leadership in the nationwide grassroots organization Marriage Equality USA contributed in 2015 to making same-sex marriage legal nationwide.

19th Pride Brunch Generates $55,000, Plans Underway for 20th Anniversary The Pride Brunch hosted by Gary Virginia and Donna Sachet is always one of the best events of June. Held at San Francisco’s historic Hotel Whitcomb, the elegant setting has guests surrounded by Tiffany stained glass, beautiful marble and crystal chandeliers in the spacious Whitcomb Ballroom. The program includes a delicious gourmet brunch, a chance to meet the San Francisco Pride grand marshals and other honorees, entertainment, a silent auction and the always great rapport established by the popular community leader hosts. The San Francisco Bay Times is proud to have once again served as the event’s media sponsor.

Gary and Donna recently shared: “We’re thrilled to report that the 19th Annual Pride Brunch on June 24 generated $55,000 in revenue with proceeds supporting Positive Resource Center!”

Positive Resource Center remains the only place in San Francisco for people living with or at risk for HIV/AIDS to get comprehensive benefits counseling and employment services. Born out of AIDS Benefits Counselors in 1987—during the heart of the HIV/

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One such state is Arkansas, where the state Department of Health in 2015 refused to put both same-sex spouses’ names on birth certificates for children conceived through artificial insemination as the department does for different-sex couples.

Last year, a divided Arkansas Supreme Court upheld this discrimination. Last month, however, the U.S. Supreme Court said “no way”—in Pavan, a per curiam decision, issued without even the need for full briefing or oral argument.

Per curiam decisions are “reserved for cases where ‘the law is settled and stable, the facts are not in dispute, and the decision below is clearly in error,’” and the Court found that Pavan was one of those cases.

The Court further stated: “Obergefell proscribes such disparate treatment.

As we explained there, a State may not ‘exclude same-sex couples from civil marriage on the same terms and conditions as opposite-sex couples.’” And the Court pointed out that birth certificates were one of the specific examples the Obergefell court gave of “the ‘rights, benefits, and responsibilities to which samesex couples, no less than oppositesex couples, must have access.”

OFFICIAL PRIDE PHOTO BY BILL WILSON

and clear its holding in Obergefell: “the Constitution entitles same-sex couples to civil marriage ‘on the same terms and conditions as opposite-sex couples.’” The Court went on to explain that Arkansas’ “differential treatment [of same-sex couples] infringes Obergefell’s commitment to provide same-sex couples ‘the constellation of benefits that the States have linked to marriage.’”

Co-hosts Gary Virginia and Donna Sachet presiding at the Pride Brunch 2017 at Hotel Whitcomb

AIDS crisis—the organization has experienced extraordinary growth over the years and is going strong.

Gary and Donna report that, at this year’s Pride Brunch, “More than 300 guests enjoyed the hosted bars

by Barefoot Wine & Bubbly and Tito’s Handmade Vodka, the lively music by the Dixieland Dykes +3 band, decor by Tom Taylor and Sparky’s Fun & Joy, f lorals by CoCo Butter and Deana Dawn, and centerpiece

by IXIA. We’d also like to thank our presenting sponsor Wells Fargo, other sponsors and hosts, Meng Zhang and her amazing staff at the Hotel Whitcomb, PRC staff, media sponsor San Francisco Bay Times, graphics by Karin Jaffie, sound by Ingu Yun and Randy Pocius, our many dedicated vol-

unteers, and donors to the raffle and auction.”

“Of course,” they added, “the highlight of this annual benefit is meeting and hearing personal remarks from the grand marshals and honorees. We were honored to salute and hear from Dr. Marcy Adelman, Brett Andrews, Bay Area American Two-Spirits, Blackberri, Chris Carnes, Cassandra Cass, El/La Para TransLatina, Alex U. Inn, National Center for Lesbian Rights, San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus and Amy Sueyoshi.”

This year’s benef it ref lected SF Pride’s 2017 theme, “A Celebration of Diversity,” as well as the Summer of Love 50th Anniversary. Speaking of anniversaries, look for the 20th Anniversary of the Pride Brunch next year.

Summer of Love, Winter of Despair them, arguing they were illegal to send through the mail. The Post Office even cancelled stamps with a slogan urging people, “Report Obscene Mail to Your Postmaster.”

Faces from Our LGBT Past Dr. Bill Lipsky Frolicking in the park. Protesting in the street. Dying in a distant land. The “Summer of Love” came during a year filled with sorrow, neglect, and discord. For many, it was the “Long Hot Summer of 1967,” the worst year of civil unrest in United States since 1931.

For others, it was a time of protest against both the war in Vietnam— which in f ive years saw American troop levels rise from 11,300 to 485,600— and the Selective Service System that gathered the men to fight it.

On April 15, 1967, more than 60,000 people gathered in San Francisco to protest America’s involvement in Vietnam, then the largest anti-war demonstration ever held on the West Coast. Six months later, on October 16, some 500 advocates for peace gathered in front of the Selective Service Off ice in Civic Center to oppose not only the war in Vietnam, but also the draft itself.

Many were arrested.

Gay men who did not want to be drafted into the Army—women were exempt— seemed to have an easy way out. All they needed to do, apparently, was answer “yes” to the question on the “Armed Forces Qualification Test,” which was part of the induction process, that asked, “Are you a homosexual?” Classified as “a sociopathic personality disturbance” in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, homosexuality automatically disqualified them from military service.

In reality, it was not that simple. The men had to prove they were “sexual Hal Call deviants.” Arrest records could work, especially if they had been jailed for “lewd conduct” and not merely “vagrancy” or “disorderly conduct.” Letters from a psychiatrist or psychologist might be accepted, unless he or she had a reputation for writing “testimonials for draft dodgers.” Otherwise, they needed to exhibit an intimate, believable knowledge of gay life where they lived: bars, clubs, bathhouses, popular meeting places.

There were consequences to doing this, especially in the workplace. In 1967, employers could legally ask applicants about why they were deferred or disqualified from military service. It was lawful in all fifty states not to employ— and to f ire—anyone simply because he or she was homosexual, so the reason might end a promising job opportunity or career. Gays and lesbians were banned from all jobs in the federal civil service until 1975.

There was some good news in 1967, however, when gays received the right to look at pictures of their choice. Five years earlier, the United States Supreme Court ruled that photographs of nude men were not obscene, but many jurisdictions still prosecuted those who sold 12

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Photos courtesy of Bill Lipsky

The risks did not stop Lloyd Spinar and Conrad Germain. In 1963 they founded Directory Services, Inc. (DSI), to publish material of interest to gay men. Their first magazine was Butch, which debuted in 1965. Within a year, it was selling an astounding 50,000 copies per issue. By 1967, DSI, with 14 full-time employees, was the largest gay-owned, gay-oriented business in the world.

Then the government stepped in. It charged Spinar and Germain with 29 counts of producing, promoting, and mailing obscene material. Anything, it argued, designed to appeal to homosexuals was obscene because “the average person does not tolerate homosexuality and considers homosexual behavior morbid and shameful.”

Peace Rally at Fulton and Steiner Streets, April, 1967

The Court disagreed. After a 13-day trial, it ruled that while homosexuality may be a perversion, “the materials have no appeal to the prurient interests of the intended recipient deviant group; do not exceed the limits of candor tolerated by the contemporary national community; and Sirlebrity are not utterly without reCapades, deeming social value.”

1967 DSI’s victory was front page news in the September, 1967, issue of The Los Angeles Advocate, the publication’s first.

Gene Boche

Germain and Spinar gave a large portion of the credit for their court victory to Hal Call. Long-time president of the San Francisco Mattachine Society, the organization itself had been in a slow decline, but Call stayed involved with homophile issues. In 1967, he founded the Adonis Bookstore, probably the nation’s first gay bookshop. That year, reported The New York Times, the Society for Individual Rights (S.I.R.), then three years old, was the largest homophile organization in the country, with almost 600 members.

More than anything else, S.I.R. wanted to build “a well-def ined awareness and cohesiveness among San Francisco’s homosexual community.”

It published a monthly magazine; opened the nation’s first gay community center; worked with the Public Health Department to educate gay men about venereal disease; co-sponsored “candidate nights” with the Daughters of Bilitis; and organized parties, dances, bowling leagues, bridge clubs, meditation groups, art classes, and theatrical productions.

One of S.I.R.’s most popular shows was Sirlebrity Capades. The 1967 edition—the third—was produced by Gene Boche, the “Hummingbird of Castro Street,” who from November 2, 1966, to October 28, 1967, was Absolute Empress Bella II of San Francisco. No one in that year’s audience could have believed how much their community would accomplish in the next ten years toward achieving the “Summer of Love’s” vision of personal choice, humanity, social activism, and a world of love.

Bill Lipsky, Ph.D., author of “Gay and Lesbian San Francisco” (2006), is a member of the Rainbow Honor Walk board of directors.

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Butch Magazine

Let’s Be Counted! #LGBTdata

Alex Randolph, Trustee City College of San Francisco Every ten years, people all over the country receive long surveys in the mail or greet friendly door knockers. It must be Census time! Although many of us participate in this civic exercise, most might not fully understand the tremendous importance the Census plays in our American democracy—especially now more than ever.

As enshrined in our Constitution, every decade since 1790 (!) the Federal Government has collected data about our country’s economy and residents. The data received from the various surveys plays a critical role in how over $400 billion in federal funds gets allocated every year, and it helps states and communities make better local policy decisions.

At City College, for example, the information helps us to better understand the students we are serving in our community, and what specific future educational needs they might have. Likewise, every ten years the states reapportion their congressional, state, and local districts based on the Census. This has a profound and long lasting impact on the political make-up of not only Congress, but also the various state legislatures across the country.

The 2016 election was another watershed moment as the Democratic Party was not only defeated in the presidential race, but also got wrecked on the state level. Currently, Republicans control both legislative chambers in 32 states and the single chamber in Nebraska. State legislatures usually determine future boundaries of congressional districts, and consequently, who controls the House of Representatives.

Ever heard of gerrymandering? While everyone was focused on the f iring of former FBI Director James Comey, most overlooked that the head of the Census Bureau stepped down that same week. On the eve of the 2020 survey, this leaves the Bureau in a leadership vacuum, while fighting for a budget and pushing back against political pressures.

More importantly for our community, shortly after Trump’s inauguration, the Bureau announced that it saw no federal data need to include questions about sexual identity and gender identity in the 2020 survey. This was despite four federal agencies under the Obama administration requesting them to be added in the first place. Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services eliminated us from two surveys: the National Survey of Older Americans Act Participants and the Centers for Independent Living Annual Program Performance Report.

So why does it matter that LGBTs will not be counted? Many in our community still face significant isolation and economic disparities. LGBT seniors have specif ic needs that make them unique from the general population.

Since Harvey Milk’s charge to come out wherever we are, we have been fighting for greater visibility and support. It is easier to claim that we don’t exist or require government resources if there is no data about us for cities, states, and non-profits to use for critical needs assessments and funding decisions. It is also harder to push for employment non-discrimination laws if right-wing leaders can claim there are no LGBTs in their community.

Thankfully, on July 18, ninety-eight members of Congress introduced The LGBT Data Inclusion Act (#LGBTdata), sponsored by our own community’s lesbian Senator Tammy Baldwin and Arizona Congressman Raúl Grijalva. The Act requires federal surveys to include questions about sexual orientation and gender identity. This data will provide agencies with critical data to support programs that serve our community and allocate resources to meet specific needs, something that is already done in Canada and other countries.

I know there is a lot to fight back against already, and it can get so overwhelming. But let’s make sure our LGBT community is not made invisible again. All of us came out for a reason. Let’s keep it that way!

For more information about the Act and to support it, visit: http://tiny.cc/ LGBTdata Alex Randolph is a Trustee for City College of San Francisco. He previously served in President Obama’s administration and as an LGBT advisor for Mayor Newsom. He lives in the Castro with his partner Trevor.

Follow him on social media: www. twitter.com/adrandolph & www.facebook.com/AlexDRandolph

National Day of Protest San Francisco Civic Center

Photos by Rink

In New York City, the site was Trump Tower on Saturday, July 15, while in San Francisco, protesters gathered in Civic Center. They brought signs, wore costumes and spoke with microphones proclaiming a National Day of Protest with the theme “Rise Strong” and the goals of impeaching Donald J. Trump and refusing Fascism. In cities nationwide, the marches, rallies and actions will continue, and can be tracked online: theweekintrump.blog resistandprotest.com risestronger.org

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

JULY 27, 2017

13

Fusers and Isolators into a panic. He interpreted Eddie’s reaction as a threat to end the relationship, and responded by becoming clingy, manipulative, and demanding. Instead of trying to negotiate a more mutually satisfactory way to spend the weekend together, he became entrenched in his own position, and told Eddie: “If you really loved me, you’d be happy when I make plans for us.” That statement so infuriated Eddie that he left the house and stayed with a friend overnight.

Roland Schembari and Bill Hartman, Co-Founders Randy Alfred, Founding News Editor 1978 Kim Corsaro Publisher 1981-2011

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Tom Moon, MFT Andy and Eddie have been together for eight years and have a deep love for each other. They rarely fight, and when they do, it’s usually over minor issues. But they both acknowledge that when they do argue, their lives are disrupted for days and they almost never come to any resolution of the issues. Their most recent conflict began when Andy scheduled them for some weekend events with friends without talking to Eddie first. Eddie reacted with intense anger.

Inwardly, he felt controlled, manipulated, owned, and suffocated. He responded to those feelings by announcing that he was going away to be alone for the weekend and that Andy could do whatever he wanted by himself. His response threw Andy

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Fusers typically grew up with an intense need for attachment because their early family relationships were characterized by instability and abandonment. As a result, they obtain their primary sense of safety and security in the world by maintaining close emotional contact with others.

Anything that separates or threatens to create separation, even brief or minor events such as an argument, can trigger their terror of abandonment, which is equivalent to death for them.

Because they’re terrified of abandonment, fusers are willing to forego expressing their own needs in deference to the other. They are often conflictavoidant “people pleasers” in their

Isolators, on the other hand, typically grew up with at least one intrusive parent who controlled their every move and had no respect for their need for independence or boundaries. Adult isolators can be threatened by commitment, because it mobilizes their fear of engulfment and smothering. When conf lict arises, isolators need space and separation in order to relieve their anxiety. At their worst, they can experience the legitimate needs of partners for contact and communication as outrageous demands.

Both Andy and Eddie are trying to get their legitimate needs met in the only way they know how, by using the coping patterns they developed when they were young. Unfortunately, these are immature and rigid responses that are inadequate ways of dealing with the complexities of adult relationships. Their reactions re-open old wounds in each other, and they each respond to their increasing anxiety by becoming more entrenched in their familiar positions. Their current struggle isn’t just about communication or how to spend a weekend.

It has morphed into a desperate fight

for love on Andy’s part, and for Eddie, an equally desperate fight to preserve his autonomy.

The only way out of a deadlock like this is through insight and conscious awareness. When Andy and Eddie take their respective “stands,” they’re both in a kind of trance. They react automatically from past conditioning, with intense emotion and with little ref lection. In the heat of the argument, each sees the other as the bad guy. In a sense, each man’s wounds are interacting with the other man’s wounds. But the real “enemy” isn’t the other guy; it’s the Fuser/Isolator pattern that keeps them mutually deadlocked.

Conscious reflection and discussion can create the opportunity to go beyond repeating old traumas by enlisting their adult minds in the project of finding more mutually satisfying responses to them. Their shared task is to come to a deeper understanding of their respective childhood experiences and to a fuller understanding of the different meanings that each of them is projecting onto the situations they are fighting over. The development of insight is their road to mutual forgiveness and deeper intimacy.

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

LGBT Older Adults and In-Home Non-Medical Care Services

Distribution

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

What’s really going on here? I believe that both of these guys are caught in a common relationship deadlock known as the Fuser/Isolator pattern.

In this relationship, Andy is the “fuser” and Eddie is the “isolator.”

relationships. When problems arise, they try to move as quickly as possible to closure in order to relieve their anxiety. If that fails, they sometimes resort to guilt-tripping and other manipulations to get their partners to meet their needs.

adults and elders concerning the use of in-home non-medical care, and how well are they being served?

Aging in Community Dr. Marcy Adelman I don’t recall anyone telling me that one of the best experiences they had taking care of their self/parent/spouse/friend was what it took to find, manage, or coordinating inhome non-medical care. Most people I know wait until there is a health crisis before they explore in-home services for themselves or a loved one, and then they scramble to put something together. After the scramble usually comes the roller coaster ride of finding the agency and aids that are the right fit for you or your loved one. This scenario is probably true for both LGBT and non-LGBT older adults. What, if any, are the unique concerns and issues of LGBT older

In-home non-medical care is an emotionally complex and intimate experience that unfolds in the most private place in your life, your home. An LGBT older adult may hire in-home non-medical care to assist them in performing activities of daily life— such as bathing, dressing and toileting—and/or less intimate activities, such as housekeeping and food shopping. It is understandable that LGBT older adults and elders would want to be confident that the in-home care worker they invite into their home will treat them with the dignity and respect they deserve.

If you live long enough, there will most likely come a time when you will need in-home assistance to help you recover from a serious illness or injury, or to support your ongoing independence when challenged by a chronic illness or disability. According to California’s Legislative Analyst’s Office, seniors turning 65 between 2015 and 2019 are projected to live for 23.6 years after age 65 and to spend 4.5 of these years with a disability that limits their ability to independently perform routine activities of daily life. If you have a partner/

spouse or other family member (such as a child or sibling) to assist you when needed, you can delay, reduce or eliminate the need for hiring inhome non-medical assistance.

Nationally, LGBT older adults and elders are less likely to have support networks that include spouses and adult children. LGBT elders are twice as likely as heterosexual elders to live alone. They are additionally half as likely to have a spouse or partner, four times more likely to have no children, and fifty percent more likely to have no close relatives to call for help when needed, according to SAGE, Advocacy and Services for LGBT Elders (http://www.sageusa.org/issues/general.cfm ).

LGBT older adults and elders look to their close friends or families of choice to provide support and care.

But members of families of choice are usually similar in age and may have moved away, or are challenged with their own health issues and could then be less available to provide care support and assistance.

The alternative to in-home care is placement in an assisted living facility or nursing home. But senior institutional care facilities are known to be unwelcoming to LGBT elders (see a related report at http://www.lgbtag-

Commission on the Status of Women 2017

ingcenter.org/resources/resource. cfm?r=54). Advocates have made some progress in this area by passing local anti-discrimination legislation (related story at http://sf baytimes. com/lgbt-senior-care-facilities-billof-rights-unanimously-approved/) but there is still much work to be done on the state and national levels to protect vulnerable LGBT elders in longterm care facilities.

It is not surprising that, despite frail or frayed informal support systems, LGBT older adults and seniors prefer the stability and independence provided by recovering and/or remaining in the comfort of their homes.

In 2016, Openhouse conducted ten interviews with middle plus income LGBT older adults and elders to explore their needs and concerns about in-home non-medical care. The participants were five gay men, four lesbians and one trans woman ranging in age from 57 to 81 years of age. Half of the participants lived with their spouses. Only one interviewee had no experience with in-home care.

The key theme that emerged most often across the interviews was trust.

Interviewees felt it was important to (continued on page 30)

Photo by Yumi Nguyen

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

L to R: Commission Secretary Herschell Larrick, Commissioner Julie D. Soo, Commissioner Breanna Zwart, Honoree Joanie Juster, Honoree Jennifer Viegas, President Andrea Shorter, Honoree Dr. Betty Sullivan, Commissioner Marjan Philhour, Commissioner Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, Commissioner Olga Ryerson, Commissioner Debbie Mesloh, director Emily Murase. San Francisco Bay Times co-publishers Betty Sullivan and Jennifer Viegas, along with activist Joanie Juster, were honored by the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women at the Commission’s July meeting held at San Francisco City Hall.

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GLBT Fortnight in Review

By Ann Rostow Bad Decision With all the insanely bad legal news of late, I neglected to rant about the High Court’s ruling in the Missouri church and state case a few weeks back. I’m sure I mentioned it at some point. This was the church that wanted to access a state program providing rubberized materials for playgrounds.

The church had a playground and needed the materials, but Missouri law does not allow churches to participate in state giveaways of this sort— quite rightly so.

Some might say that denying the church its playground upgrade was pushing the separation of church and state too far. But the church applied for $20,000 in taxpayer funds under the program. That’s serious cash, dear friends! And, assuming the church would have continued with its $35K playground renovation regardless, when all is said and done, the money would have wound up in the church’s bank account to be used for any purpose. That’s just wrong.

Disturbingly, the Court ruled 7–2 in favor of the church, insisting oddly that the case ref lected religious discrimination. Justices Sotomayor and Ginsburg dissented. If the separation of church and state means anything, wrote Sotomayor: “… it means that the government cannot, or at the very least need not, tax its citizens and turn that money over to houses of worship. The Court today blinds itself to the outcome this history requires and leads us instead to a place where separation of church and state is a constitutional slogan, not a constitutional commitment.”

We’ve always known that Neil Gorsuch has an over-the-top legal bias in favor of religious actors, but we’ve recently discovered that he has an antigay streak a mile wide as well, not a great combination in a man who will likely sit on the High Court for the next three decades.

Given the disturbing deference for the Missouri church, it was some comfort the other day to see the full Fourth Circuit rule 10–5 against a cabal of North Carolina county fathers who insisted they had the right to pray before council meetings. We know that prayers are allowed in such contexts as long as they don’t push a particular faith down everyone’s throat. But the Rowan County Board of Commissioners took things to the extreme, leading the prayers themselves, relentlessly going on about Christ and encouraging the audience to participate. Since all of the commissioners were conservative Christians, and since they were the only ones allowed to lead prayers, the board meetings turned into evangelical camp meetings, or so it sounds. At any rate, they were sued and they lost, and now they’ve lost again. I wonder if this will wind up on the High Court’s petition list.

Cake Wars Speaking of religion, I just suffered through the comment thread that followed an article about Masterpiece Cakeshop. You recall that the Supreme Court ended their last session by accepting review of the case that pits a Denver baker, Jack Phillips, against the state of Colorado’s ban on sexual orientation discrimination in the public square. The arguments will no doubt be set for sometime this fall, and I live in dread of the day, maybe early next year, when the Court announces its decision.

Already, the headlines are calling for “compromise” and are asking why we can’t all get along. Who would want a cake from a baker who opposes equality, many ask inanely? Let’s just live

and let live! Get the cake from somewhere else. Would a Jewish baker be obliged to make a swastika cake?

I want to scream at the top of my lungs at these people—the comment board people, the article writers, the op-ed-sters, the “I’m not lawyer, but it seems to me …” people. I simply want to ask them this: If religion can trump a state civil rights statute, what happens to the gay rights laws in the other 21 states around the country? Are they now invalid? Effectively, the answer is yes.

This isn’t about a cake. This is about a state law that forbids GLBT discrimination in public accommodations.

This is the type of state law we have spent years and years fighting to enact. Now, a guy who doesn’t like gays is asking the Supreme Court if he can just ignore the statute because it does not suit his personal religious views.

The answer simply cannot be, “Yes, sure go ahead.” The answer can’t be, “Yes, in some cases.” The answer must be a flat out, “No way.”

We know that at least three justices will say “yes,” and we suspect John Roberts will join them (although he can be unpredictable). It’s up to Kennedy to put aside his tendency to compromise and take a stand on our behalf, because anything short of a clear statement in support of state gay rights laws will destroy them.

For that matter, if a baker can refuse service to a gay couple, why can’t he say no to the interracial pair as well? Why should he serve a Muslim? There is no good answer to this question. The state of Colorado has a compelling interest in protecting its citizens against public bias, and Colorado has expressly included GLBT citizens in its protection. No one asked Jack Phillips for a dick-shaped cake that, like the swastika, he can refuse to make. No one can force a business to produce a customized product, and it’s not discrimination to say “no” to someone’s special order. What a business can’t do is say “no” to the customer himself based on prejudice.

Oh, and why not go to another baker? They, of course, went to another baker! You don’t hire an antigay photographer or a disapproving f lorist for your wedding. You’re not going to hire the Christian Catering service or the God Rocks! boys band.

That doesn’t mean that uncooperative businesses can’t be sued for violating the law.

Jack Phillips also claims his artistic vision is being coerced, yet the man refused to provide even a generic wedding cake for a same-sex wedding, so that aspect of his case is encouragingly weak. May the rest of it implode as well.

It’s Getting Hot in Here Oh, what else is new? It’s almost August, so do we really care? It’s the heart of the summer, the doldrums, the heat, the soporific heavy afternoons, dare we say it? The Cannicula! Can we really be expected to track legal and political news developments under these trying circumstances? We can, of course.

Actually, there was a sur prising House vote the other day, a 214–209 vote that killed an amendment to a defense authorization bill that would have stripped transition-related medical coverage for transgender service members and/or service members’ transgender family. I wasn’t even aware that such an amendment was up for a vote; it seemed to be tossed in under the radar, and it seems we can thank a few decent Republican house members for ending the threat. (continued on page 31) S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

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Summer

Sports

Staycation

Photos courtesy of John Chen

It’s Summer, Get Outdoors!

Sports John Chen Summer has finally arrived after a much needed, but tremendously wet, winter and spring. For the LGBT community, summer holds great significance because, across the country, we celebrate our gender identification and sexuality, strengthen our unity, fight for equality, and entrench ourselves in the uphill battle against stigmatism, marginalization and heteronormativity. Summer also happens to be the perfect time of the year to be outdoors, enjoy the warmth, frolic, show some skin and get healthy! So I say to you, show your pride and play!

For the last year and a half, I have written about many LGBT sports and organizations, all the while encouraging and imploring you to give them a try, even if you’ve never played sports before. Sports, in my humble opinion, provide a great way to get healthy, level the playing field, build self-esteem, and meet people—friends, tricks and maybe that special someone.

Now that summer is here, go out and play social doubles with the Gay and Lesbian Tennis Federation (gltf.org); sign up for Friday Night Lights with the San Francisco Gay Flag Football League (sfgffl.org); kick the ball around with Spikes Soccer Club (sfspikes.com); bump, set and spike on luscious green lawns with Oakland LGBTQA Volleyball (Meet Up); or hit, throw and catch large balls with Silicon Valley Gay Softball Summer League (svsl.org).

What? You say you aren’t athletic?

Well, I’ve got the perfect sporting activity for you: hiking. It’s the ultimate outdoor activity where boundless nature, wonder and beauty are literally at your feet. My good friend Nino (last name withheld) currently helps lead the 3rd Saturday Hiking Group, where they select moderate scenic hikes to wondrous local destinations—such as Alamere Falls and Big Basin—on every 3rd Saturday of each month (surprise!).

Nino tells me that although the group consists of mostly hirsute men, more commonly known as bears, they welcome everyone regardless of animal species, gender and gender identification. In fact, Nino says they often encounter hikers who ask the name of this attractive bearded men group. Answers range from a social group to tryouts for Naked and Afraid, since many clothes have come off on hot days.

Nino also enthusiastically conveyed that their hikes can be very educational. For example, some members

Big Turnout for This Year’s AIDS Walk

East Bay LGBTQA Vollyball

San Francisco Gay Flag Football League

Hiking at Alamere Falls

are geology, local history and flora and fauna experts who are more than happy to educate your eager and willing mind. The 3rd Saturday Hiking Group (same name on Facebook) can be a great workout for both the body and the intellect! Oh, and they even go drinking after the hikes! What more can you ask for?

sure to fit into your busy social calendar. On Meet Up, yo find the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Chapter of the rans, Lesbian Friendly Hikers Over 50, East Bay Gay M Hiking Group, and Bay Area Out and Outdoors. Got any excuses?

You say you can’t make 3rd Saturdays of every month? There is no need to twist your underwear into a frenzy, because there are plenty of other LGBT outdoor and hiking groups that are

Now that summer is in full swing and Pride festivals acro U.S. are underway, we have much to be proud of, but t something that’s still very telling regarding our overall pro

Golf Fore Good Tournament Has Raised Ov $100,000 for Horizons

Positive Resource Center/AIDS Emergency Fund Team, 2017

On Sunday, July 16, thousands of people filled Golden Gate Park’s Sharon Meadow for AIDS Walk San Francisco. They came to support those living with HIV/AIDS, to rally against the Senate’s healthcare repeal bill, and to enjoy this always enjoyable and meaningful event. The organizers were grateful for the turnout, which was significantly larger than last year’s event.

The efforts raised $2 million for Positive Resource Center, Project Open Hand, Ward 86 at UCSF, and many other Bay Area AIDS service organizations. Fundraising walkers gained access to AIDS Walk San Francisco’s brand new and fabulously fierce PostWalk Show, which was hosted by Carson Kressley. It featured performances by stars from RuPaul’s Drag Race, as well as Estelle and Frenchie Davis.

It’s not too late for participants to add to their counts and to earn the organization’s coveted fundraising awards. The funds must come in

by August 11, however. For more information or to make a donation (which you can do year-round), please visit: sf.aidswalk.net In other fundraiser outdoor adventure news, Miles for Melanoma will take place at Golden Gate Park on July 29. Hosted by the Melanoma Research Foundation and nationally presented by BristolMyers Squibb, the event helps to spread awareness and to fuel sup(continued on page 31)

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PHOTO BY PAUL MARGOLIS

directly benefit from Horizons-supported LGBTQ community programs and services.

The KiAi Way Jamie Leno Zimron Another truly great time was had by all of the women who came to play in the Horizons 8th Annual Golf Fore Good charity fundraiser on Friday, June 16, at Chardonnay Golf Club. I mean, what�s not to love about cruising down vineyard-lined fairways on a bright sunny day in Napa, playing and partying with over 150 sister-golfers—all for the good cause of Horizons’ stellar work and financial support of LGBT organizations across the Bay Area?!

Hats and visors off to Deb Stallings and our Tournament Committee, who in a few short years have grown Golf Fore Good into a sellout girls golfing gala! Many thanks to all of the individuals and businesses who contribute as sponsors to make the event such a success. The tournament has already raised over $100,000 dollars that make a big difference in the lives of so many brothers and sisters who

As the resident gay golf pro, I get to bop around hitting shots and making pars and birdies with all of the wonderful women who have a ball dressing up, decorating their golf carts, and swinging away. The festive dinner banquet highlights the important work of Horizons through inspiring speakers and videos, and awards trophies and prizes to all the day’s winners. And then it’s like being at The Dinah in Palm Springs, with DJ dancing and reveling into the night.

I always get a lot of high fives and questions out there about my look-alike brother, Mark Leno, wondering whether he plays golf. As kids, we spent our Midwest summers on the golf course, and we both raised quite a few trophies. He’s applied his remarkable talents elsewhere as an adult, though loves following the game, and especially Jordan Spieth’s phenomenal young career.

Mark and I both always have a special place in our hearts for Horizons as his beloved partner, Douglas Jackson, was an early donor and Board Member. Before he passed away in 1990, from AIDS, Douglas was instrumental in the development and re-branding process that fully established the Horizons Foundation and its work in our community.

He left an endowment, and would be so happy to see the broad, diverse reach of LGBTQ programs and organizations that the Foundation has helped to fund (in public health services, youth outreach, the arts, elder care, transgender people of color, and so much more).

Let’s keep it all going—and get ready to come on out for the 9th Annual next June!

Jamie Leno Zimron is an LPGA Pro, Aikido 5th Degree Black Belt, and Corporat out her website: http://www.thekiaiway.com

Gay and Lesbian Tennis Federation’s Friday Night Social Doubles at SF Tennis Club

Division D Champs - Hammertime

Tsunami Water Polo benefit, “Splish” San Francisco Gay Flag Football League

has made, we are still not comfortable with how some people may perceive us, and the potential dangers of marginalization, discrimination, backlash, and even violence.

ou can e SierMen’s y more

as a community. Talking with numerous LGBT athletes and even dedicated leaders, many do not feel comfortable with their names mentioned or photos taken specifically associating them with an LGBT moniker. For most, they fear both direct and indirect discrimination, mainly at their workplace.

One day, all of us shall take great pride in being positively identified as LGBT without stigmatization and the act of discrimination.

To get there, we must all get out to celebrate who we are and show that we can play on the field, in the workplace, anytime, any task, anywhere. The sun just came out—you know what to do!

oss the there’s ogress

It is now summer of 2017, and yet there is still enough fear of workplaces and communities harboring homophobia predicated on social and religious stigma. Despite all the progress Pride

John Chen, a UCLA alumnus and an avid sports fan, has competed as well as coached tennis, volleyball, softball and football teams.

ver

te Speaker-Trainer. Please check

Division C Champs - Unathletics

Blue Water Ventures & “Betty’s List”

Tom Daley Wins Gold Medal at World Diving Championship

Guide Kim Powell, founder of Blue Water Ventures, partners with “Betty’s List” to produce kayaking, hiking, tidepooling, whale watching and other outdoor adventures for women. Favorites include the annual hike at Año Nuevo State Park, kayaking at Elkhorn Slough and whale watching in Monterey Bay. A new outing fpr the Fall of 2017 will be announced soon. Watch for announcements on “Betty’s List” and the “Trips for Women” section on the website bluewaterventures.org

PHOTO BY TRISH TUNNEY FOR HORIZONS FOUNDATION

FACEBOOK.COM/TOMDALEYOFFICIAL

PHOTO COURTESY OF JAMIE LENO ZIMRON

Photos courtesy of Kim Powell

On July 22, British diver Tom Daley won the gold medal in the 10m platform event at the FINA World Championships, held this year in Budapest. The 23-year-old was ahead of the pack with a score of 590.95, a “personal best,” according to Daley. He shared photos via social media before and after the event. With gold medal proudly in hand, he posted at Instagram that he now can enjoy a “long overdue” honeymoon with his husband, renowned LGBT filmmaker Dustin Lance Black. Black won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the film Milk in 2008, among other honors that he has received over the years. There is definitely plenty of well-earned bling in the household of these two golden guys, with Daley’s medal now front and center.

Guide Kim Powell at Loon Lake on the western edge of Desolation Wilderness near Lake Tahoe

White water rafting on the American River with guide Nikki Doyle

“Cityslicker” on the rocks near Sausalito

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JULY 27, 2017

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Summer

Sports

Staycation

16th AIDS/LifeCycle Rolls in More Than $15.1 Million in the Fight Against HIV Mighty cyclists numbering 2,226 at this year’s AIDS/LifeCycle, the world’s largest single-event fundraiser related to HIV/AIDS, raised more than $15.1 million dollars. Helped by 683 volunteer “roadies,” the cyclists over the 7-day, 545-mile journey pedaled in money that supports the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the HIV/AIDS-related services of the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

“The commitment that AIDS/LifeCycle participants demonstrate to raising awareness and funds for HIV-related services is awe-inspiring,” said San Francisco AIDS Foundation CEO Joe Hollendoner. “Without their drive, compassion and determination, our goals of reducing new HIV transmissions and increasing the health and lifespan of those living with HIV would be out of

reach. I am proud to ride along these heroes as I participate as a cyclist in my first AIDS/LifeCycle.”

Photos courtesy of Peter Zimmerman

Yet another participant was our friend Peter Zimmerman, who is the Associate Director of Marketing for the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. He provided the photos on this page, and aced the ride.

It is sobering to think that, during the seven days it took Zimmerman and the other riders to reach Los Angeles from San Francisco, more than 500 people in the United States became infected with HIV. One out of every eight people living with HIV nationwide is not aware of their status. Since 2002, when AIDS/LifeCycle first began, participants have raised more than $236 million and completed more than 58,000 bike journeys.

San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus’ Peter Zimmerman and his BFF Joan Bowlen pause for a photo-op on the route to L.A.

“We’re living in unsettling times when the health care of many Americans, including those living with HIV/ AIDS, is at stake,” said Lorri L. Jean, CEO of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. “That’s why we’re more grateful than ever for the heroes—and sheroes—of AIDS/LifeCycle … They’re supporting the Center’s many HIV/ AIDS-related services, including the free or low-cost health services of our Jeffrey Goodman Special Care Clinic and our vanguard work to protect people from infection.”

Despite remarkable progress that has been made since the disease was first discovered in 1981, the HIV/AIDS epidemic is far from over. Currently there are 1.2 million people living with HIV/AIDS nationwide and an estimated 39,000 will become infected this year. AIDS/LifeCycle (http://www.aidslifecycle.org/) therefore remains as vital as ever. The 2018 ride will take place June 3–9, so if you’re a bit rusty on your bike, now is the time to start working up to the rewarding challenge.

Peter Zimmerman at AIDS/LifeCycle 2017

PHOTO COURTESY OF JUAN DAVILA

Men of AGUILAS Go Out & About

Members and friends of AGUILAS, the organization providing support and services for bisexual and gay men of Latino heritage and their friends, frequently enjoy outdoor activities, including hikes at popular Bay Area locations. sfaguilas.org

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Blues Is a Woman Hits All the Right Notes in Compelling Theatrical Concert Herstory M

a Rainey (1882 or 1886– 1939), considered by many to be the “Mother of the Blues,” once advised Bessie Smith: “Let your soul do the singin.’” She also famously said, “You don’t sing to feel better. You sing cause that’s a way of understanding life.” It is little wonder then that audiences have connected so deeply to their and other blues singers’ performances, leaving them hungry for more. We felt that way after recently seeing A Night with Janis Joplin, which ended its long American Conservatory Theater run earlier this Summer of Love month. Joplin was a blues fanatic, and the show was filled with music made famous by Rainey, Smith, Odetta and others.

Blues Is a Woman was skillfully written by San Francisco musician Pamela Rose, with creative direction

by Jayne Wenger. This co-production with Custom Made Theatre is the official theatrical debut of Rose’s compelling new piece, a hybrid of theater and concert.

With a powerful ensemble of musician/actors (Pamela Rose, Tammy Hall, Ruth Davies, Shaunna Hall, Daria Johnson and Kristen Strom), the crackerjack all-woman band performs musical treasures punctuated by storytelling and rare historical film. The work shines a light on the lesbian and Black experience, and how it informed American music. It does so while following the fierce, passionate women who popularized the blues. You will find yourself transported back to the early roots of America’s most enduring art form, traveling through the decades in a vibrant explosion of concert and history.

The performers have legendary careers already in their own right.

Hall, for example, was the founding guitarist and songwriter of the hit group 4 Non Blondes. She was the first female guitarist for George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, with whom she spent 10 years touring the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, Japan, Fiji, Russia, Singapore, Malaysia, Africa, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Japan and Indonesia. To say

BLUES IS A WOMAN Coming in August to the Custom Made Theatre Co. 533 Sutter Street (Union Square), San Francisco Telephone: 415-798-2682 Thursday through Sundays, Aug 3–27 Tickets: $38 – $50 https://www.custommade.org/blues-is-a-woman Website: https://bluesisawoman.com Didn’t It Rain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60PnFOS9yMw Ball and Chain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZYF-SOz7lI

that these women are worldly wise and talented is an understatement!

Blues Is a Woman creator, writer and producer Rose is yet another globe trotter who has performed at clubs, jazz and blues festivals in multiple countries. NPR has featured her collection “You Could Have It All,” with its Hammond b3 organ-driven grooves.

Rose recently remarked that the new show has “storytelling and singing shared by all the amazing women on stage … it is much more a theatrical piece, and a very moving and timely work about that specific fierce, independent voice of women in the blues, from the beginning to now. As you can imagine, that voice, which reemerged in the 60’s through artists such as Nina Simone, has particular weight as these songs of resistance and power resonate today more than ever.”

Shaunna Hall

PHOTO BY R.R. JONES

Daria Johnson

PHOTO BY JANE HIGGINS

The show will run from Thursdays through Sundays throughout the month of August beginning August 3 and finishing on August 27.

(left-right) Tammy Hall, Pamela Rose, Ruth Davis, Pat Wilder, Kristen Strom and Daria Johnson

PHOTO COURTESY OF SHAUNNA HALL

Other signif icant women musicians who forged their place in blues history are featured in Blues Is a Woman. They include the late great Memphis Minnie, a remarkable blues guitarist, vocalist and songwriter who recorded around 200 songs over the course of her impressive career. Also featured is one of our all-time faves, Peggy Lee (check out her thought-provoking song, “Is That All There Is?” https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=LCRZZC-DH7M) and multimillion-selling single hits blues phenom Bonnie Raitt.

PHOTO BY SANDY MORRIS

We were therefore thrilled to learn about a new show, Blues Is a Woman, which celebrates what its creators call the “herstory of women in the blues” from Ma Rainey to Bonnie Raitt and beyond. The show is a memorable raw and real experience, full of woman power and soul that cover the largely unwritten role of women’s huge influence on blues music over the decades.

Many lesbian women were pivotal in the genre, including notable lesbian blues musicians such as Rainey and Smith (who sold over 20 million records in the 1920s), and also Sophie Tucker, Big Mama Thornton and Alberta Hunter, who was beautifully portrayed in Bay Area lesbian playwright Jewelle Gomez’s Leaving the Blues earlier this year.

Pamela Rose

Blues Is a Woman is a powerful musical theater piece with an incredible number of songs—25!—performed during the course of the show. All of the show’s previews in Northern California (Kuumbwa Jazz Center, SF JAZZ, Freight & Salvage, Cinnabar Theater) sold out and had audience members leaping to their feet mid-show with standing ovations.

The ebullient, charismatic performers sharing the Blues Is a Woman stage are fired up and excited to share the powerful themes of the show: the power of feminist women in the past and present, the dynamism of their talent and the power of music to heal during these dark political times.

Blues Is a Woman is a dynamic, engaging showpiece that is sure to enrich and delight the heart, soul and mind.

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1980s Romantic Gay Drama Maurice Undergoes Restoration Ahead of 30th Anniversary Re-release Gary M. Kramer: James, Maurice was one of the first overtly queer films you and Ismail Merchant made. What took you so long to make a gay film, and why was this one so important to do?

Film Gary M. Kramer James Ivory and Ismail Merchant’s elegant gay romantic drama Maurice is receiving a 4K restoration re-release in honor of its 30th anniversary. A classic film in the queer cinema cannon, this heartfelt adaptation of gay writer E. M. Forster’s posthumously published novel is set in the Edwardian era. Maurice depicts issues of sexuality and class as the title character ( James Wilby) falls in love.

He is first besotted by Clive Durham (Hugh Grant) at Cambridge, and later, attracted to Alec Scudder (Rupert Graves), the irresistible gamekeeper at Clive’s estate.

The film—which came out the same year that Britain introduced Clause 28 that restricted “the promotion of homosexuality”—remains as vivid and stirring today as it was on initial release.

For the San Francisco Bay Times, I recently spoke with James Ivory and Wilby during separate interviews about making Maurice.

James Ivory: Well, there are queer films, and then there are films with queers in them. Our films have had a lot of queer characters. Sometimes they were a little part, and sometimes, like in The Bostonians, a large part.

The real reason I did Maurice was, after making A Room with a View, I decided to re-read all of Forster’s books.

I read Maurice when it was published in the early 1970s. I liked it, but after Room, I thought it was the same story—about muddled young people who are forced by the society they are in to live a lie. I thought Maurice was the other side of the coin from Room.

It sprang to life in my mind. Room was an enormous success, so we could do anything we wanted. I thought: let’s do this. Nobody said we shouldn’t do it, or we should think twice about the subject matter.

was a greatest experience. I got to be part of the Merchant-Ivory team. It was an amazing thing to have happened: a great role. He happens to be gay, but who gives a s--t? I’ve gone on and played other gay roles.

Gary M. Kramer: The film is considered a classic of queer cinema. Did it seem so at the time?

James Ivory: Oh, many people have come up to me and said how important Maurice was for them, how it changed their lives. I’m glad it had that positive effect. It might have had the other effect. It came out at the height of the AIDS crisis.

Gary M. Kramer: The film came out the same year Clause 28 was enacted. Were there concerns?

Gary M. Kramer: James, what can you say about taking a role like Maurice? Did you have concerns back in the day about playing gay at a time when actors largely resisted playing queer roles?

James Wilby: It didn’t worry me at all. It was only a moderate success here, in the U.K., where, dare I say it, the gay press was sort of mealy-mouthed about it. James Ivory couldn’t understand it. They couldn’t embrace it because of the political climate at time. It was very successful in New York and San Francisco and in France and Italy. We did a publicity tour of 6–7 cities in the U.S. I went up to say something after a screening in San Francisco, and when I said I had a wife, the whole audience booed.

James Wilby: Not for a minute. As an actor, you take on the role and you don’t worry about political contents.

I played the role. At the time, I was a nobody. It put me on the map and

Gary M. Kramer: The film’s sex scene is considerably romantic and erotic. Did you feel the film was too bold at the time, or did you use restraint?

James Ivory: There was more nudity, but those scenes weren’t strong enough, so we dropped them. The sex was depicted as much as we could go.

We didn’t want to make an X-rated movie. I would be a little hesitant to ask the actors to really perform, and I don’t think they would have; all three of the guys were straight. I did what I could, and hoped that was enough. I was so lucky those guys were willing to go along to the point they did.

James Wilby: We don’t see Maurice and Scudder bugger each other, but it’s implied. You do see them naked. I think Ivory got it right. If it had been overt, it would have done more damage than good at the time. Forster doesn’t dwell on the sex act in his book, so that’s accurate. I find it more erotic when you don’t see a sex scene.

Jewish Film Festival 37 - July 20-August 6

Gary M. Kramer: What are your thoughts about the film 30 years later?

James Ivory: I’ve seen it several times over the years and it’s always held up. It seems truthful and real.

And it is romantic, of course, which is why women like it. It has so many female fans—especially women who were young girls the first time It came out. It’s not just a film that was attractive to gay men. When it came out in Japan, it was a craze for young women. © 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

Photos by Andrea Salles and RINK

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PHOTO BY ANDREA SALLES

PHOTO BY ANDREA SALLES

PHOTO BY ANDREA SALLES

PHOTO BY RINK PHOTO BY ANDREA SALLES

PHOTO BY RINK PHOTO BY RINK

PHOTO BY RINK

PHOTO BY RINK

PHOTO BY ANDREA SALLES

Opening Night of the Festival was celebrated on Thursday, October 20, at the Castro Theatre with a screening of director Rachel Israel’s film Keep the Change.

Festival executives Lexi Leban and Jay Rosenblatt welcomed Israel along with featured actors, including Samantha Elisofon, Brandon Polansky, and Luke Rosen.

The festival programming continues through Thursday, August 6.

Round About - All Over Town

Photos by RINK

We continue to be amazed at the schedule of events, parties, benefits and more followed by legendary San Francisco Bay Times photographer Rink who is, as they say, all over town. Watch for him when you’re out and about in San Francisco.

Sunny & The Black Pack performed under their canopy set up on Noe Street during the Castro Farmers Market where they entertained customers making their way among vendors for fresh produce, pastries, speciality items and more.

Entertainer Bebe Sweetbriar (center) with friends at the Broadway Cares Stop AIDS benefit for REAF (Richmond Ermet Aid Foundation) at the DNA Lounge on June 18.

During the Rainbow Honor Walk’s ceremony held at the HRC Store in the Castro on June 20, emcee Donna Sachet introduced the Imperial Court’s Empress Mercedez Munro and Emperor Nicholas Hunter who lowered the rainbow flag to unveil the design of the plaque honoring José Sarria.

The French flag was flying high while a guy, placing his order, and his dog, relaxing nearby, paused to celebrate Bastille Day on July 15 at Scopo DiVino restaurant in Pacific Heights.

At the GLBT History Museum, Jeremy Price visits with Anne-Christine D’Adesky who served as moderator for a discussion at the Celebration of the 90s Lesbian Activism exhibit honoring the Lesbian Avengers and other lesbian activist groups.

At the GLBT History Museum on 18th Street, lesbian activist and artist Lenore Chinn was all smiles as she stood in front of the retrospective of her portraits compiled during her 35-year career.

Jed and Merle posed with their special cake as Rink recorded the occasion with his handy camera.

The entire Cove Cafe staff joined with Jed Davies and Merle Adams (second and third from left at the table) and their friends for the celebration of Jed and Merle’s 60th Anniversary. They met in 1957 and have been together ever since. They are active in the community, supporting non-profit groups.

Cove Cafe owner Solange Darwish presented a cake from Schubert’s Bakery for the celebration of Jed and Merle’s 60th anniversary at the cafe on July 2.

The front window invitation announcing the Dog Eared Books Castro location One-Year Anniversary.

Carly Nairn, Marcus Ewert, bookstore owner Kate Rosenberger, and Smak Dab host Dana Hopkins enjoyed the One-Year Anniversary of Dog Eared Books opening its Castro location.

Faluda Islam (far right), who served as emcee for the Dog Eared Books Castro One-Year Anniversary, joined with friends as they enjoyed refreshments and mingling.

Academy of Friends leader Matthew Denckla and SF AIDS Foundation’s Vince Crisostomo shared a hug during the Opening Reception for the Pride Photography Exhibit that was on display at the Harvey Milk Photo Center during the Pride season.

Photographer Vicky Sinh stands by her photo entitled “Skater Girls” during the Shutterspeed exhibit reception at the Harvey Milk Photo Center.

Raffle seller Robert Makowka with host Deana Dawn offering raffle tickets at the benefit for Hepcarestream, an organization addressing Hepatitis C, held at the Edge Bar on July 15 and sponsored by Krewe De Kinque.

Marcy Playground greeted guests arriving at the Edge bar on July 15 for the Hepcarestream benefit produced by Krewe De Kinque.

Actor Alan Cumming was on stage at the Castro Theatre during the Frameline Festival where he received an award.

The film After Louise, in which Cumming stars, was screened.

Comic Jesus U. Bettawork with thoughtprovoking political storyteller, podcaster and transgender activist Roman Rimer who spoke as the featured performer at the Smack Dab open mic held at Dog Eared Books Castro on July 19.

The famed San Francisco Mime Troupe performed their new show entitled Walls before a large crowd gathering in Dolores Park on July 4.

The crowd gathered at Dolores Park on July 4 for the SF Mime Troupe’s performance of their new show Walls about a lesbian relationship between an immigrant who has no legal papers and her lover who is an ICE agent.

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE DE YOUNG AND LEGION OF HONOR

Singing Beach Manchester, Massachusetts, 1863 In the Permanent Collection of the de Young Museum, Gallery 26

Martin Johnson Heade, “Singing Beach, Manchester,” 1863. Oil on canvas, 20 x 36 in. (50.8 x 91.4 cm). Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd, 1993.35.12

The breadth and volume of work produced by Martin Johnson Heade (1819–1904) is perhaps unrivaled by any artist of nineteenth-century America. Although his earliest paintings are primarily portraits, along with a few genre and allegorical works, the versatile and prolific artist shifted his attention later in his career to the subjects for which he is known today—still lifes and landscapes.

scapes of Heade’s survive, and they are among the most dramatic of American paintings.

He is often best remembered for his elegant paintings of the New England and mid-Atlantic coast and his exploration of light and atmosphere. Only about thirty sea-

For more information: https://art.famsf.org/martinjohnson-heade/singing-beach-manchester-massachusetts-19933512

Among the many seascapes he painted in 1863, his most productive year, Singing Beach, Manchester, focuses clearly on a single wave, which breaks up from the calm water. A cool, rosy horizon separates the gray sky from the gray sea at this popular and picturesque seaside resort just north of Boston.

Members of our team here at the San Francisco Bay Times have been going to the Laurel Book Store for years— first when it was in the Laurel District near Mills College, and then now at its current downtown Oakland location. It is more than just a place to buy books and gift items. We have enjoyed long conversations there with likeminded, welcoming community members. We have stopped by for a moment of peaceful relaxation in the middle of a hectic workday. We’ve attended book readings, family events and much more at this store, which has been a long-time East Bay distribution spot for our always free paper.

Over the years, we have also run into Laurel Book Store owner Luan Stauss at LGBT and other business networking events. She always takes time for a friendly chat, consistent with the genuine care that she demonstrates both with her store and customers. We were therefore saddened to read of her recent struggles with the business.

This is not just a problem related solely to bookstores and technology overtaking “dead trees.” (We love trees, are printed on all recycled paper, and humans didn’t evolve to interact with buzzing computer lights and electricity all day, but that’s a story for another time!) Over recent months we have seen the closure of nearby Picán restaurant, which just last year was named one of the top five Black-owned restaurants in Oakland

by BBnomics Crowdfunding. Owner Michael LeBlanc, the first African American corporate officer in the history of Polaroid, is a great talent. We miss our time with him and his staff at Picán, and hope he starts a new business in the Bay Area soon. Still other downtown Oakland business are struggling for a variety of reasons that Luan touches on in a letter recently sent to us and to her other customers.

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Please take time to read it and, ideally, to pay a visit to the Laurel Book Store Luan Stauss at Laurel Book Store and/or its website local art on the walls each month, the (http://www.laurelbookstore.com/). ability to do more school outreach They have tons of LGBT offerings, with more staff, and the potential insigned books and much more. Buying herent in being where more than 100k through them is a win-win because people are every single day. Plus, how you get great items while also helping cool is downtown Oakland? to ensure the success of a local small business that serves as a community When I worked out the financial expectations for the new space, I based hub destination. my projections on a lot of research Dear Reader, into industry standards, along with a bit of faith that Oakland was and Laurel Book Store is at a crossroad. is on the rise, getting a lot of attenAs my loyal and beloved customers tion for all the interesting and unique and friends of the store, I want to businesses that seemed to open every share with you what brought us here, week. National media! Downturn in and the part you can play in detercrime! More housing being created! mining the direction I take next.

All of that is still true today. What’s In October of last year I began lookalso true is that there are still chaling for a business partner. I spoke lenges in the downtown area, and we with several wonderful people, some haven’t had the number of customserious, some not quite so sure. As of ers that I’d hoped and planned for. today, the right fit hasn’t come along.

The trajectory has moved consistentI’m now at the end of the initial lease ly in the right direction—we have had period on this space—good grief 3 quarter over quarter increases nearly years has flown!—and I need to make all the time we’ve been here. But it’s some difficult decisions. still not enough to cover all of our opAll the reasons that I moved the store erating costs each month. from the Laurel neighborhood to this Recently, I’ve joined with other big, beautiful space are still true. We downtown retailers, many of whom got expanded book and gift selections, are also struggling, to see what we can the convenience of being right on the do to create more effective marketBART line and at a transit hub, the ing plans. The book store needs to be opportunity to hold more and bigger author events, the chance to showcase (continued on page 31)

PHOTO COURTESY OF LAUREL BOOKSTORE

You Can Help Save LGBT-Owned Laurel Book Store in Oakland!

How to Choose Your Wedding Officiant You have decided to get married! This can be such an exciting time, but it can also be very stressful. Where will you get married? Who will you invite? What will you and your partner wear? Who will marry you?

The most important part of your wedding day is the ceremony.

It should be heartfelt and fun, while highlighting the meaningful promises you make to each other. Your wedding officiant has a key role in your ceremony. You should look for someone who feels it is an honor and a privilege to share this special moment.

These are your memories, make them count.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF TERRI WENIGJEN

By Terri Wengjen

Tips for choosing your officiant (or any other wedding vendor): Decide what type of ceremony the two of you want.

Do you want a religious or non-religious service? Do you want a simple ceremony, or would you like a customized service that reflects your love story? Do you want ceremony rituals to symbolize your union, such as a unity candle or sand ceremony?

Search for officiants online using wedding websites such as Wedding Wire, GayWeddings.com, and LGBTWeddings.com Read the reviews! This is the best gauge of how other couples felt about the officiant. Just remember, some people do not like to write and may leave a one line review even if they thought the officiant was fantastic. Search for reviews that show the officiant’s personality and depth of caring, not just that he/she showed up on time.

Once you have your list of possibilities, visit the officiants’ websites.

Is the website welcoming to all couples, or does it repeatedly refer to the bride and groom? Look at the pictures and the affiliations. Does the officiant support marriage equality, or just indicate he/she does gay weddings?

When you have narrowed it down to two or three officiants, contact them.

An email request is OK to see if your date is available, but I like when the couples call me. I can put them at ease and immediately answer any questions they have. Make certain to be honest right away. Some couples tell me up front that this is a gay or lesbian wedding. Most let me know subtly by mentioning their partner’s name or referring to his or her gender.

By now, you should have a good feel for which officiant you want to work with. Officiants typically have a network of wedding professionals they can refer you to. Don’t be afraid to ask if the other vendors support marriage equality. I have met with each vendor that I refer and had a discussion about marriage equality. This should not be a point of stress for you.

Choosing an officiant for your wedding is a big decision. You will remember this day for the rest of your lives. A caring, experienced, and professional officiant is worth his/her price.

Terri Wengjen is the licensed Wedding Officiant and Wedding Planner at Ceremony of Dreams, which is based in Las Vegas.

She believes each couple is unique and she specializes in custom ceremonies. Wengjen has taken the time to educate herself by completing the Gay Wedding Institute’s certification program. She is a proud member of the local LAMDA chapter and is on the Board of Directors for the Las Vegas Wedding Chamber of Commerce. She can be reached at Terri@CeremonyofDreams.com or 702-445-3913, or visit her website at www.CeremonyofDreams.com

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JULY 27, 2017

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Sister Dana Sez: Words of Wisdumb from a Fun Nun

By Sister Dana Van Iquity Sister Dana sez, “I’m excited that soon it will be Leather Weather—meaning the coming of Up Your Alley leather fair (July 30), Leather Walk (September 17), and big daddy of all: Folsom Street Fair (September 24)! So get out your leather and feather and fetish gear to prepare!

We got in the groove for the GALA SUMMER OF LOVE LAUNCH PARTY for HORIZONS FOUNDATION at Dolby Laboratories.

Our friends at Dolby, who really know how to throw a party, had a special night in store for us with fun retro games (Foosball, 4-in One, Jenga blocks, and more), a far-out drag performance, plus delicious drinks and delectable bites—all to promote the 2017 ANNUAL GALA on Saturday, October 7, at the Fairmont San Francisco. Sister Dana donned his flowery shirt and many peace sign pendants for the occasion. As I walked through the doors, three lovely drag queens in ‹60s dresses snagged me for a photo op, and everyone who attended got four pretty poses as a souvenir. The soundtrack was appropriately all the golden oldies of the Summer of Love.

Anthony Morin, Horizons Corporate Relations and Events Manager, wearing a ‘60s fringed leather jacket and colorful headband, introduced the drag trio who performed the Mamas & Papas’ “Dream a Little Dream” and “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” from Hair. Board member Richard Davis-Lowell, Senior Director, BNY Mellon Wealth Management with Horizons, spoke of the upcoming gala and introduced Deb Stallings, Vice President of Development, who was appropriately outfitted in white patent leather go-go boots. She pointed out that at the October 7 gala, Cleve Jones would be honored for over 40 years of activism in the LGBTQ community. Stallings then introduced Executive Director Roger Doughty, who she noted was thrilled to have just gotten his marriage license. He spoke of Horizons’ history and mission. Horizons Foundation’s roots—as with so many Bay Area LGBTQ community organizations—lie deep in the phenomenal growth and development that marked the 1970s and early 1980s. It was a time when tens of thousands of LGBTQ people found their way to San Francisco and, as the population multiplied, activists began to establish organizations to help, support, and advocate for us. The idea behind Horizons was completely new: a community-based foundation to support the whole spectrum of LGBTQ organizations—a foundation that was of, by, and for LGBTQ people. Initially founded as the philanthropic arm of the Golden Gate Business Association, Horizons became independent in 1988. Since those earliest years, Horizons has grown from making two grants of $500 each in 1980 to a total of more than $30 million since that time. horizonsfoundation.org Some of the SISTERS OF PERPETUAL INDULGENCE got together across the pond (in the Oakland home of Sister Jendra Uforia and Sister Arianna Badtripp) for a funtastic SUNDAY SISTER SOCIAL. It was a wonderful day, if not a bit on the warm side. We did not wear makeup or drag. It was not a 24

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KREWE DE KINQUE, the SF Mardi Gras-themed fundraising club, held a “LOVE YOUR SELFIE” party at the Edge, hosted by Queen II Deana Dawn & King II Mark Paladini and raised $1,132 for HepCarestream, a project for Hepatitis C testing and treatment. RN Jennifer Eve Slepin of HepCarestream spoke proudly of the project. All of the fabulous volunteers and performers gave their time and talents: DJ Jack Rojo, Gary Virginia, Patrick Noonan, Tom Basch, Robert Makowka, yours truly Sister Dana Van Iquity, Don Ho, Cody Elkin, Miss Chief (Mahto Marcus), Kelly Rose, Lexi Shimmers, Kevin Lisle & Queen XIV Lady Cuki Couture (Rafael Canadas). Watch for upcoming Krewe de Kinque’s every-third-Saturday beer bust fundraising fun-raisers at The Edge in the Castro.

ARTSAVESLIVES CASTRO ART STUDIO shares the Castro space with AIDS HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION, so it was only natural that curator of the studio Thomasina De Maio presented “DOLLS OF HOPE,” a project of AHF. Dr. Cynthia Davis joined AHF’s board of directors in 1988, served as an advocate for the development of the first women’s HIV treatment clinic in South Los Angeles, and helped develop and operate Agape House, a residential care facility for HIV positive women and their children. She also initiated the nationally recognized “Dolls of Hope” project, which makes and distributes handmade cloth dolls for AIDS orphans. She is passionate about her work and has been tireless in her efforts to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS on a local, national, and international level. De Maio said they had a great turnout with everyone busily making dolls for AIDS orphans and flood victims. Recently they held a small reception at ArtSavesLives studio to celebrate and admire their work.

SISTER DANA SEZ, “DON’T MISS THESE UPCOMING EVENTS!” UP YOUR ALLEY is FOLSOM STREET FAIR’s nasty younger brother. It used to be called Dore Alley Fair, because it was the cruising street of choice in the South of Market. Today it›s a street fair that is an unrivalled, one-of-a-kind event that takes place ONLY in San Francisco. Only for real players—and not for the faint of heart. You should be comfortable surrounded by leather, feather, fetish, and BDSM—especially if you dress for the occasion. Don’t be a looky-loo; participate! It’s more fun that way. This year, Up Your Alley is on Sunday, July 30, 11 am–6 pm. To make that happen, they’ve got volunteer shifts starting as early as 4:30 am and ending as late as 10:30 pm. As always, the fair is held on Dore Alley between Howard and Folsom, continuing on Folsom from 9th to Juniper and the adjoining block of 10th Street. See ya there at the fair! folsomstreetevents.org THE SISTERS OF PERPETUAL INDULGENCE are presenting “HOW TO IMPACT GLOBAL LGBT ISSUES AS A LOCAL ACTIVIST & GROUP”—a forum for activists, because for grassroots organizers and activists, our work is often directed at the most immediate problems in our community. However, there are opportunities to leverage our visibility as queer activists,

organizers, and performers to raise awareness, fundraise, and advocate for change in international contexts in conjunction with local ones. With a political environment that demonizes refugees and immigrants, and a diplomatic corps that has been told to cast a blind eye to private and public abuses, we often ask ourselves, “How can we impact the lives of those not in our immediate community?” This hour-long workshop on August 1 from 7 pm to 8 pm at the Chinatown Branch of the SF Public Library, 1135 Powell Street, is intended for anyone who wants to learn more about how their work can and does actually create positive change for LGBT groups around the world.

They will focus on digital channels, crafting messages, researching international events, and how to be empathetic toward unique local contexts of activism & sexuality. They will focus on how LGBT human rights crises often have their origin in the United States—be it through our religious groups and leaders, business groups, and foreign policy—and that by concentrating on changing that origin, we can make lives better for our LGBT community around the world. If you are interested in speaking on these issues, please contact coorganizers Novice Sister Normalee Chaste at normalee@thesisters.org or Sister Desi at desi@thesisters.org Event on Facebook: facebook.com/ events/892093294263061 You can still check out the excellent art exhibition at Strut, “YUH LOOKIN GOOD: Portraits from the Other Rainbow Nation” by Ajuan Mance, a professor of African American literature at Mills College. There has only been one other woman artist showing at Strut.

The show features eight drawings and paintings of queer and trans men of African descent, selected from a handful of recent projects, along with some new pieces created especially for display at Strut. My fave is “Darnell Helps Marquis with His Finishing Touches” digital collage with a special intimate feel. My second pick is “Teddybears Are All the Rage.” sfaf.org The GLBT HISTORICAL SOCIETY has launched a new oral history project under the guidance of historian Joey Plaster to chronicle, preserve, and share the history of ACT UP/SAN FRANCISCO and other AIDS direct-action groups in the City from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. See more about the effort at “In the News” in this issue of the San Francisco Bay Times and at glbthistory.org EUREKA VALLEY NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION is a great place to get plugged in for good, if you live in the gayborhood! Find out more at the OPEN HOUSE on Wednesday, August 9, 7 to 8:30 pm at Eureka Valley Rec Center, Upstairs Meeting Room, 100 Collingwood Street.

Sister Dana sez, “I still think the best healthcare bill of all would be to Repeal and Replace Trump. I know I would be a lot less sick not having to see that evil orange ogre oligarch anymore!”

PHOTO COURTESY OF DENNIS MCMILLAN

fundraiser nor a protest. It was just plain fun—drinkin’ in the sun— and a time to recharge for upcoming events, such as our annual PROJECT NUNWAY designer and model exhibition/ fundraiser on Saturday, August 19, 7 pm at SOMArts Cultural Center. Sister Dana is again being outfitted by Trash Mash-Up designers. thesisters.org

Enjoying the warm summer days, Dennis McMillan (aka Sister Dana) was caught in this photo out on the deck behind his Castro home busy at the grill cooking burgers.

The #1 Best Ab Exercise

Take Me Home with You!

The #1 best ab exercise is the pelvic tilt, because it’s very low risk and full of benefits. This simple exercise is the basis for all other abdominal exercises. The pelvic tilt keeps your abs strong so your lower back stays in the most advantageous position for less pain and greater ease of movement.

I will give you detailed instructions below.

Sir William

Pelvic Tilt Benefits

Easy Fitness Cinder Ernst This is the second article on core strengthening. Your core is made up of muscles that support your mid-section. These muscles must be strong and flexible to give you pain-free mobility so you can have more fun. The abdominal muscles are the primary muscle group that supports your midsection; we call them “abs.”

Your lower spine, and the muscles that surround it, are affected by your ab strength because abs and the lower back work together as opposing muscle groups. (Keep in mind that your stomach is an organ that digests food and is not something you want to get rid of or reduce. Your belly is the fat on top of your abs and is not affected by core strengthening because you can’t spot reduce.)

Visualizing your ab muscles will help as we talk about core strengthening.

Imagine your ab muscles going from the bottom of your rib cage to the top of your hip bones. This is not exact anatomy, but it will help to illustrate the motion. The muscle striations go vertically (again not exact, but useful for now). Imagine that these muscles are the front of your spine. Now think of the arch in your lower back.

Imagine that as the front ab muscles contract (get shorter) the back muscles must lengthen in response. That’s what I mean by opposing muscles.

The pelvic tilt increases ab strength, increases lower back function, lessens lower back pain right away and makes lower body stretching safer and more effective. It can be done lying, sitting or standing, so it’s versatile and can be used almost anywhere to relieve lower back pain. It does not aggravate neck pain and it does not aggravate shoulder or upper back pain. For advanced exercisers, learning to incorporate the pelvic tilt into any ab exercise will increase the benefit and decrease the risk.

If you can’t try it right now, get a picture of it in your mind as you read.

But be sure to try the exercise later.

Just bring these instructions with you.

Pelvic Tilt How-To To begin, lie on your back with arms at your sides, knees bent and feet on the floor. In a relaxed or neutral position, most people will have a space between the floor and their lower backs (the lower back arch).

Push your back flat onto the surface you are lying on. If you are on a bed, then the surface will move as you push. If you are on a hard surface, when you push your back onto the surface you will have a clear sensation of doing so. Your ab muscles shorten or contract when you do this. When you push your back down (pelvic tilt), your abs shorten and your lower back muscles lengthen. This makes your abs stronger and your back muscles will loosen up a bit. Motion is lotion, so the rocking motion of a pelvic tilt

GGBA Make Contact - July

can bring relief to a stiff back. Put a picture of this in your head as you do the movement. Sometimes it helps to squeeze your butt when you push your back down.

You have just done the #1 best ab exercise, the pelvic tilt! If it feels OK, you can do 10 of them right now.

Breathe steadily.

If you feel a pelvic tilt in your lower back in a big way, stop and do the lower back stretch (knee hug). If you still feel it in your lower back in a big way, stop tilting and stretch your lower back for today. Because these are opposing muscle groups, you may always feel a little bit of stretch in your lower back when you do abs, but it should not be very much.

Do not proceed with ab training if the predominant sensation is pain in your lower back. Pay attention and proceed with care.

Next time, we will make a case for not crunching and what to do instead.

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

Photos by Rink

Golden Gate Business Association (GGBA) president Dawn Ackerman and other members of the organization’s Board of Directors welcomed members and friends to AMSI Real Estate Service’s office for the monthly networking event held this time on Tuesday, July 11. The event was hosted by former GGBA president Robb Fleischer and his colleagues at AMSI. GGBA’s next Make Contact event will be held on Tuesday, August 8, 6-8pm, at Perform for Life on Market Street near Octavia (across from the LGBT Community Center).

“Hello there! My name is Sir William. I enjoy the finer things in life, like long sunset strolls and good kibble. My ideal home would be quiet and peaceful; somewhere I can relax without a care. I was recently found wandering the streets, all alone, and I’m ready to put that behind me. Let’s enjoy the good life together!”

Sir William 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 Sir William.

To see Sir William and other pets seeking their forever homes, please visit: San Francisco SPCA Mission Campus 250 Florida Street San Francisco 94103 415-522-3500 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!

For more information: sfspca.org/adopt

Dr. Jennifer Scarlett and Pup

Fitness SF Trainer Tip of the Month Jon Holsbach,

Fitness SF SOMA Reverse-Grip Tricep Push-Downs “This is a unique way to work your triceps. Using a cable pull-down machine, attach a medium size bar and place your hands in the supinated position (palms towards you). Start with the bar at shoulder height, then slowly pull the bar down to hip level.”

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

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

© Randy Coleman, 2017

As Heard on the Street . . . What is your favorite summer vacation destination? compiled by Rink

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Jason Brock

Alex U. Inn

Jaclyn Williamson

David York

Veronika Fimbres

“Tokyo, because it is clean, there is little crime, and I enjoy Japanese culture.”

“San Miguel de Allende, where I join my mother at her school, teaching art and music to young women.”

“San Francisco, where I am having a good time selling avocados from my aunt’s Shoup Farm in Temecula”

“Guerneville, where my lover and I have welcoming friends”

“San Diego, where I am from, and I like to re-visit to see the changes and check out Transfriendly clubs.”

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Professional Services

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

PHOTO BY SANDY MORRIS

NewPer specti ves Center for Counseling

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Calendar of Upcoming Events sfbaytimes.com Compiled by Blake Dillon

27 : Thursday Summer Equity Summit: Resolution, Revolution and R-E-S-P-E-C-T @ San Francisco State University Annex.

San Francisco Human Rights Commissioni and San Franicsco State University present a day of workshops, performances and more with lunch provided plus a networking reception. 8:30am and continues on 7/28. bit.ly/2tmcokw NightLife LIVE: July @ California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, 55 Music Concourse Drive. The weekly NightLife event presents its 4th annual BigPicture evening featuring a chance to view the new wildlife photography exhibit before it opens to the public. 6-10pm. calacademy.org HRC San Franicsco’s Rise!

Gala Kickoff @ Jake Atelier, 619 Sansome Street. Tour the location and enjoy tasty bites, festive drinks, music by DJ Carol C and a preview of gala styles with 25% off plus updates by Gala co-chairs Christine Lehtonen and Jim Murphy. 6-8pm. sfhrcgala.org Dance Summer Sampler @ ODC Theater, 3153 17th Street.

Premiers by KT Nelson and Kimi Okads plus Format II by Brenda

Way and a new work by ODC’s Kimi Okada. 8pm. Also on 7/28 & 29. odcdance.org Jewish Film Festival @ Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street. The complete schedule of films through August 6 provides a full overview.

Use code BAYTIMES2017 at checkout. sfjff.org Summer of Love Exhibit @ ArtHaus, 411 Brannan Street. A 50th Anniversary celebration exhibit of multiple media works curated by James Bacchi and Annette Schutz featuring gallery artists. TuesdaysSaurdays thru September 30. arthaus-sf.com Midsummer of Love @ Strawberry Hill, Golden Gate Park and Kennedy Grove, El Sobrante. An erotic comedy of consent, cruelty and control, the play is based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Nights Dream adapted and directed by Ava Roy and presented by We Players.

Also on July 28-30. weplayers.org Todd Gray: My Life in the Bush with MJ & Iggy @ Museum of the African Diaspora, 685 Mission Street. Michael Jackson’s personal photographer presents archival images from the 1980s. WednesdaySunday through August 27. moadsf.org

28 : Friday Songwriters In The Round @ The Little Store Restaurant, 3340 Woodside Road, Woodside. Karen Soo Hoo, Steve Weigant & Karen Mullally present an evening of music with special guest Carl Grantham.

6-8:30pm. soohoo94401@yahoo.com Lucy Jane Bledsoe Book Talk @ Laurel Bookstore, 1423 Broadway @ 14th Street, Oakland.

Presented by Bay Area Lesbian Archives. The author will discuss her latest novel, A Thin Bright Line. 7pm. laurelbookstore.com Leather: Where We Came From, Where We’re Going @ GLBT History Museum, 4127 18th Street. Greg Pennington, curator of the new South of Market: San Francisco’s Leather Scene display, will facilitate a discussion by prominent leather community members, authors and scholars, including Race Bannon, Rajat Dutta, Jordy TackittJones and Gayle Rubin. 7-9pm discussion; social hour at 9pm. glbthitory.org MacBitch World Premiere @ Exit Theatre, 156 Eddy Street. An all female cast is featured in the new play constructed of original work and classical text from Shakespeare and other canonical verse. 8pm.

Through August 19. breadboxtheatre.org Jefferson Starship @ Cornerstone, 2367 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley. Live rock music featuring the current iteration of the iconic 60s band Jefferson Airplane. 8:30pm. cornerstoneberkeley.com

29 : Saturday GAPA Rising @ TOTO Concept, 190 King Street. Gay Asian Pacific Alliance presents a free community event with food, drinks, entertainment and the chance to get reacquainted with GAPA alumni and friends. RSVP requested. 3-6pm. concept190.totousa.com Berkeley Kite Festival @ Cesar Chavez Park, Berkeley Marina.

Competitions, demonstrations and family-friendly activities. 10am-6pm.

Also on 7/30. berkeleykitefestival.com Barbary Coast Trail Walk – North Beach, Washington Square and Telegraph Hill @ Meeting place TBA. Join SF Museum & Historical Society tour guides for a walk through history from the birthplace of the Gold Rush and the village of Yerba Buena, along Commercial Street to the original shoreline and on. 10am-12pm. sfhistory.org Family Dog Rescue – Castro @ 18th and Castro. Weekly mobile 28

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adoption event on Saturdays. wearefamilydog.com

30: Sunday Up Your Alley Street Fair @ Dore Alley between Howard and Folsom and more. Known as the Folsom Street Fair’s “Dirty Little Brother,” the event is a serious leather scene attended by 15,000+ and features spanking, punching, whips and floggers, bondage, domination and submission. 11am-6pm. folsomstreetevents.org San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band Yerba Buena Gardens Festival @ Yerba Buena Gardens, 760 Howard Street.

A free outdoor concert featuring music spanning decades of American popular music from jazz and swing to modern musicals and pop music.

1-2:30pm. ybgfestival.org Jason Brock Live in the Castro! @ Jane Warner Plaza, 17th and Castro. Live music by awardwinning performer, hosted by Castro Community Business District. 1-2pm. castrocbd.org Ivy and Friends 2017 Sonoma Wine Country Pool Party @ a private home in Sonoma, CA. Presented by CUGLA and Princeton BTGALA, the event is the 5th annual party in the heart of Sonoma Wine Country featuring lunch, snacks, in-pool volleyball, hot tub and more. byronhancock@gmail.com

31: Monday Faces of the Past: Queer Lives in Northern California Before 1930 @ GLBT History Museum, 4127 18th Street. In conjunction with a display of documents, photos and artifacts presented as part of the Queer Past Becomes Present exhibit, the event includes a panel featuring curators Paula Lichtenberg and San Francisco Bay Times columnist Bill Lipsky and also features an exhibit of portraits by artist/photographer Lenore Chinn. 11am-6pm Monday-Saturday; 12noon-6pm Sunday. glbthistory.org Flower Power Exhibit @ Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin Street.

Continuing through October 1.

With the role of flowers, 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

1 : Tuesday 29th Annual Lavender Law Conference & Career Fair @ Hyatt Regency San Francisco, 5 Embarcadero. A three-day program of activities August 1-3, including

workshops, general sessions and specialty sessions on family law, transgender advocacy, corporate counsel and careers with an LGBTQ Law Day on August 2 at UC Hastings School of Law and much more. lgbtbar.org National Night Out @ Upper Lawn of Duboce Park and Exhibition Room at Harvey Milk Photo Center. Hosted by the Park Station Community Police Advisory Board and Park Station, the event includes arts and crafts, hula hoop dance performances and lessons, basketball, raffles and more on the day of the annual national event encouraging neighborhood involvement to stem crime and create safer neighborhoods. 5-7:30pm. markc1945@comcast.net Wayne & Rick’s Big Castro Publication Party @ Dog Eared Books Castro, 489 Castro Street.

Authors Wayne Goodman and Rick May along with friends Lori Ostlund and Anne Raeff will read from and discuss their new works and share champagne, chocolates, party favors and door prizes. 7pm. dogearedbooks.com Grab ‘em by the Songs First Tuesday @ The Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland. The monthly evening of music featuring Bay Area women songwriters welcomes Emily Zisman, Eki Abrams and special guest Liz Pisco. 7:30-10pm. uptownnightclub.com 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 9:15pm. conservatoryofflowers.or La Cage Aux Folles @ SF Playhouse, 450 Post Street. A musical revival by Harvey Fierstein and Jerry Herman of the Tony Awardwinning musical celebrating love, romance and being true to who you really are. Tuesdays-Sundays through September 16. sfplayhouse.org

2 : Wednesday Castro Farmers Market @ Noe & Market Streets. Ongoing outdoor market in the Castro featuring fresh and organic foods from local vendors. 4pm-8pm, every Wednesday through Nov. 4-8pm. pcfma.org Love or Confusion: Jimi Hendrix in 1967 @ Museum of the African Diaspora, 685 Mission Street. Composed of photographs of the artist in 1967 celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love. Wednesday-Sunday through August 27. moadsf.org

San Francisco Mime Troupe’s Walls @ Edoff Memorial Band Stand, Lakeside Park, Lake Merritt, Oakland.

The acclaimed troupe presents their new show, addressing the question “How can a nation of immigrants declare war on immigration?” On various dates throughout the Bay Area through September 10. 7pm. sfmt.org Rikki Streicher and Mary Sager Photograph Albums @ Hormel LGBTQIA Center, San Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin Street, 3rd Floor. A highlight of the multifaceted collection celebrating 20 years as the Queerest Library Ever. sfpl.org The Art and Science of Pinball Exhibition – Chabot Space & Science Center, 10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland. A unique exhibit featuring 35, interactive elements and programs celebrating the 200 years of pinball evolution. 10am5pm. Wednesday – Sunday. chabotspace.org

3: Thursday Ira Watkins: From Waco to San Francisco @ Tenderloin Museum, 398 Eddy Street. Opening Reception featuring a collection of paintings by a celebrated self-taught artist and San Francisco resident whose 30-year career depicts the communities he has been a part of from Waco, TX, to San Francisco representing the people, places and events that shaped Black America. 6-9pm. tenderloinmuseum.org Leanne Borghesi in What Is This Swing Called L-O-V-E? @ Feinstein’s At The Nikko, 222 Mason Street. Chanteuse Borghesi returns from her latest run in New York City to present a rollicking musical evening of sexy snazzy & jazz. 8pm. feinsteinsatthenikko.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

in Japan and around the world to float lanterns in remembrance of the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

6:30-9pm. peacelanterns.org 8th Annual GLIDE Legacy Gala @ San Francisco Design Center, 101 Henry Adams Street.

An evening of musical performance by the GLIDE Emsemble and The Change Band honoring social impact luminaries. Check out the online auction (ending on August 5) at: ebay.com/glideesf). 8pm-12am. glidesf.org

6: Sunday Linda Tillery & the Cultural Heritage Choir at 2nd Annual Meadows Livingstone Scholarship Fund Benefit Concert @ Freight & Salvage, 2020 Addison, Berkeley. The event features additional artists in a benefit to support San Francisco’s only Afrocentric elementary school. thefreight.org Diva Dance Party: Divas of Disco @ SoMa StrEat Food Park, 428 11th Street. The monthly event, featuring a line-up of food trucks, will crown the queen of disco with a dance party and tunes from Donna Summer, Diana Ross, Cher and more. 11am-5pm. somastreatfoodpark.com

7: Monday Bright Heroines in Dark Times @ Dog Eared Books Castro, 489 Castro Street. Readings and discussion with authors Michelle Cox, Joanne Doucette, Jennifer Dwight, Judith Newton, J.J. Doucette and Kate Rafael. dogearedbooks.com Stilettos for Shanghai for Chechnya @ The Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street. A U.S. Film premier and fundraiser, hosted by Sister

Roma, for ORAM (Organization for Refuge, Asylum & Migration) and Rainbow Railroad with entertainment, activism and guest pseakers.

7pm. ticketfly.com

8: Tuesday 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, explores the complexity of gay identify and culture, HIV, substance use, healing relationship and more. 4-5:30pm. strutsf.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 Loulouse-Lautrec, in addition to a display of forty examples of period hats. Continues through September 24. 9:30am5:15pm. legionof honor.famsf.org

9 : Wednesday The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper is 50 @ San Francisco Public Library Merced Branch, 155 Winston Drive.

Musician Dulais Rhys discusses the background, creation and songs of The Beatles revolutionary 1967 album and the history of its iconic cover. 7-8:30pm. sfpl.org Book Talk with Laurie Penny @ Green Apple Books, 506 Clement Street. The author presents her new collection of essays, Bitch Doctrine Essays for Dissenting Adults, presenting her views on gender, feminism and power with her critique of the alt-right, U.S. presidential election, women’s roles and more. 7:30pm. greenapplebooks.com

4: Friday When We Become Ravens Exhibit Opening @ Strut, 470 Castro Street. The opening event for an exhibit of work by Jordan Joel Pennock, Strut’s featured artist for August. 8-10pm. strutsf.org

5 : Saturday Marilyn Forever @ SF Library Presidio Branch, Presidio Meeting Room, 3150 Sacramento Street.

Author Boze Hadleigh will discuss his new book Marilyn Forever: Musing on an American Icon by Stars of Yesterday and Today. 2-3pm. sfpl.org El Rio’s Annual Dolly Day! @ El Rio, 3158 Mission Street. Host Manuel Caneri and guests celebrate the woman, the myth, the legend through live music, drag, burlesque, dress-up contests and trivia. 3pm. elriosf.com Empresses Night Out @ Midnight Sun, 4067 18th Street. The Imperial Council of San Francisco’s Empress Mercedez Munro and the Sisterhood of Absolute Empresses present a special edition of Patty McGroin’s Dollhouse show followed by a tour of the Castro with stops at the Mix, The Edge, Twin Peaks Tavern, Beaux and LookOut, benefitting the Empresses of San Francisco Fund. imperialcouncilsf.org 2017 Bay Area Peace Lantern Ceremony @ North End of Aquatic Park, Opposite Bolivar Drive at Addison Street, Berkeley. On the 72nd anniversary of the world’s first atomic bombings, people will gather S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

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NEWS (continued from page 5) A IDS activists associated with a national network of independent organizations that shared the name AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power.

In addition to creating historical documentation, the project aims to foster dialogue between ACT UP veterans and younger organizers act ive in the current upwel ling of social justice organizing. The initiative will train people ages 18– 29 to conduct oral histories and to actively shape project outcomes.

Through round-table conversations, listening parties and other public events, the project will draw on the history of AIDS direct action in San Francisco to inform contemporary resistance. If you wish to share your own story or to volunteer for the new project, contact Joey Plaster ( joey@ glbthistory.org). An active Facebook group for the project has also been created: https://www.facebook.com/ groups/479251959073784/ glbthistory.org Entertainment Commission Approves Permit for Castro ‘Hamburger Mary’s’ The Entertainment Commission has voted unanimously to approve a permit that clears the way for Hamburger Mary’s to open at 531 Castro Street, a venue that has been shuttered for more than 15 years. According to representatives of building owner Les Natali, neighbors can expect the business to open sometime after Labor Day. The Planning Commission met in 2014 to discuss Natali’s request for a conditional use permit (CU) to comply with City laws that require businesses with 11 or more locations to obtain special approval. The request for a CU was granted then, but the commission required Natali to obtain a Place of Entertainment permit that would allow the restaurant to operate with live music, drag performances, and VJ and DJ performances. hoodline.com

Landmark Apartment Complex Opens for Senior Residents in the Western Addition Mayor Ed Lee, Board of Supervisors President London Breed and local community members recently celebrated the opening of the Willie B. Kennedy Apartments, a 98-unit development for senior residents in the Western Addition. The apartment complex is the first development in San Francisco to utilize the City’s Anti-Displacement Housing Preference, which creates housing preferences for local residents who live in neighborhoods undergoing extreme displacement pressure. As a result of the preference, 40 percent of the units—a total of 39—were prioritized for residents who have been identified as having the greatest risk of economic displacement. sfgov.org To Test New LRVs, Muni Metro to Suspend Evening, Weekend Service To test Muni’s new light-rail vehicles (LRVs), subway service between Montgomery and West Portal stations will close at 9:30 pm on weekdays and will remain closed completely on weekends for a month. The test phase began on Saturday, July 22, and will last through Sunday, August 20. Riders should keep in mind that even if stations close at 9:30 pm, the last trains may depart up to half an hour before that. Bus shuttles will substitute for underground train service between Embarcadero Station and St. Francis Circle. They will stop at all Muni Shuttle Flag stops, which are marked with yellow half-moon flags. hoodline.com U.S. House of Representatives Votes Down Transphobic Amendment OutServe-SLDN and the American Military Partner Association are praising a vote by the U.S. House of

VETERANS SPEAK OUT (continued from page 5) largest progressive group of veterans in America, VoteVets, also took a public stance against the threatened ban.

Their response was one of the first after the shock of Trump’s Wednesday tweet barrage.

Iraq War veteran Will Fischer, who is the Director of Government Outreach for VoteVets, released the following on behalf of the influential organization: “Achieving military goals relies on the U.S. military having the very best Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, and Guard that we can have. To tell some of those best that they’re no longer allowed to serve hurts our ability to win. Further, it insults our professional military, implying they simply cannot handle diversity in the force.”

“There was a great president who understood that—Harry Truman, who today ( July 26), in 1948, desegregated our military. It is insulting that Trump is using this day, during ‘American Heroes Week’ at the White House, to ban thousands of heroes from service.

Maybe Donald Trump’s time at a fake military school has skewed his view of the military. But for those of us who have served, transgender service is not a problem. In fact, when it allows the best into our military, it is an asset.”

“Donald Trump, today, tweeted about needing decisive action to protect America. Oddly, when it comes to an actual attack on our very democracy, from Russia, Donald Trump has been nothing but limp. He is the last person who should be talking about decisiveness to protect America.”

Representatives to reject an amendment that would have ripped away health care for transgender service members and military dependents.

Proposed by Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), the amendment would have barred access to transition-related health care—including hormone therapy—for service members and military family members. The amendment was defeated by a vote of 214 to 209. outserve.org ​​Man Sues Congress Members Over Pride Flags, Claims Being Gay Is a Religion A man who has tried to take down same-sex marriage by repeatedly trying to marry his laptop is suing four Democrats in the House for displaying rainbow pride flags in support of the LGBTQ community in front of their offices. Chris Sevier, an attorney, filed the lawsuit against Reps.

Susan Davis of San Diego, A lan Lowenthal of Long Beach, Don Beyer of Virginia and Earl Blumenauer of Oregon. Sevier is asking the federal District Court in the District of Columbia to determine that “‘homosexuality’ and other forms of self-asserted sex-based identity narratives are a ‘religion,’” and that the pride flags constitute a religious symbol for the “homosexual denomination.” He is asking for $1 in damages, and that the flags be removed from the hallways. He also wants the politicians removed from office, claiming they are “representing an internalized danger to National Security interests.” ​lgbtqnation.com Trump’s Attacks on LGBTQ People Continue Since Inauguration Day, GLAAD’s Trump Accountability Project has worked tirelessly to track the many ways the Trump Administration has attacked and attempted to erase LGBTQ people. They recently released

a list of 25 ways President Trump has harmed the LGBTQ community.

Among the findings: With the help of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, President Trump rescinded Title IX protections for transgender students in our nation’s schools; President Trump appointed anti-LGBTQ activist and former Heritage Foundation employee Roger Severino to lead the Health and Human Services Civil Rights Office, putting the LGBTQ community at risk of losing access to critical and affordable health care; and the Trump administration revealed their budget that includes proposed slashes to programs and departments critical to the LGBTQ community, including Medicaid, Planned Parenthood, and the Center for Disease Control’s HIV and AIDS programs. Those are sadly just a few of the many named actions. glaad.org Statewide Legislation to Address City’s Housing, Homelessness In an open house at his office with local media, Assemblymember David Chiu said he’s starting to see support for his measures aimed at addressing San Francisco’s shortage of affordable housing. The state stopped investing in housing after the 2009 recession, as redevelopment agencies were defunded and bond money dried up, Chiu said. When he was elected in 2014, he began f loating housing measures to address the housing crisis. This year, more than 130 housing bills have been introduced because a crisis is perceived statewide. In San Francisco, the City is gradually taking steps to address the housing crisis.

The Board of Supervisors, for example, is again considering changes to the City’s affordable and inclusionary housing requirements. hoodline.com Conservative Pro-Trump Broadcast Group to Reach 70% of American Households

The pro-Trump propagandist Sinclair Broadcast Group has bought Tribune Media for $3.9 billion—a move that would give the company ownership of enough local television stations to reach 70% of American households.

Sinclair’s acquisition raised concerns among some media watchdogs and left-leaning commentators not just because of worries over concentrated ownership—most other TV-station groups reach less than 20% of American households—but also because of who the owner is. David Smith, the group’s executive chairman, is a conservative ally of Trump who, critics say, puts his stations in the service of Republican causes. economist.com Anthony Scaramucci Hasn’t Deleted Support for Same-Sex Marriage Some of Anthony Scaramucci’s views have “evolved,” but so far, the new White House communications director hasn’t deleted tweets about his support for marriage equality. Scaramucci, who recently took over communications for the Trump team, deleted a large batch of tweets because his “past views evolved.” Since his supportive tweets are still posted, presumably marriage equality isn’t on the list of changing views. It would be hard for Scaramucci to backtrack on LGBT rights, which catalogued his long record of supporting marriage equality, including donations by his company to the Human Rights Campaign. Scaramucci’s support dates back to at least 2012, when he cited being “for Gay Marriage” as evidence he isn’t partisan. In January of that year, Scaramucci was clear: “Republicans should support gay marriage.” He even cheered when he said his mom told him she supports samesex marriage. advocate.com

MARCY (continued from page 14) establish the agency’s trustworthiness early on.

Factors that created trust were: responsiveness to client’s issues, prioritizing client’s needs, sensitivity to LGBT issues, culturally competent services, sensitivity to unique trans needs, sensitivity to individual care and personal nuance, and shared interests between caregiver and client that help to establish good relationships.

Trust is also an essential component of the Alzheimer’s Association of Northern California and Nevada’s (AANCNA) Live Alone Project in San Francisco. This pilot project provides case management and care circle development to people living alone with dementia. Trusted community non-prof its Little Brother Friends of the Elderly, San Francisco Village and Openhouse refer clients to the Live Alone Project to receive case management and care circle development.

The AANCNA social workers are mindful about maintaining that trust by putting the client at the center of their care and care decisions, and when working with LGBT clients by being sensitive to LGBT issues. Social workers proactively connect with friends and neighbors who are providing assistance to acknowledge and encourage their continued caregiving assistance. The social worker also creates a plan with the client to share information and provide education and care planning with a support system.

In 2013, the LGBT Aging Policy Task Force commissioned a study,

“Addressing the Needs of LGBT Older Adults in San Francisco” (http:// age-pride.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/SF-LGBTOlderAdultsFINAL7-10-13.pdf ), which reported: • 60% of participants live alone • 2/3 of participants are single • 85% do not have children • 40% have one or more physical disability • Most participants have moderate levels of support • 1/3 of participants did not utilize in-home care because they found it to be too expensive.

The study made the following recommendations: Expand caregiving support programs for LGBT older adults.

Participants had a high need for caregiving support, combined with low rates of caregiving arrangements plans. Most live alone and do not have children to help them.

Provide training and services to help LGBT older adults as well as providers anticipate future aging and health planning needs.

Services to help create wills, testaments and powers of attorney for health care and f inance would be especially helpful for LGBT older adults who are not married or partnered.

The City and the Department of Aging and Adult Services have responded to some of these recommendations. We need to determine how effective the new programs are, and where the gaps are in services.

The LGBT community needs inhome services that are affordable, accessible, culturally sensitive and sensitive to the unique needs of LGBT elders of color, Trans and Bisexual elders and both low income and middle-income LGBT elders as well.

Address the distinct needs of LGBT older adults as separate subgroups.

We need to have a culturally competent workforce, better integration of services among community non-profits, and innovative solutions to ensure that every LGBT elder receives the in-home care services they need to continue to live, thrive and contribute to the community.

Trans and Bisexual participants reported elevated needs for most services. Racial and ethnic minorities reported higher rates of service needs, such as mental health services for Hispanics and African Americans, and housing assistance and day programs for Hispanics and Asian Americans.

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.

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ROSTOW (continued from page 15) Meanwhile, another anti-trans bill is f loating around the lower chamber. This one would dictate that the terms “gender” or “sex” in federal law cannot be construed to include transgender people or gender identity. I’m not sure that such a law would be enforceable, given that the High Court has long since ruled that enforcing gender stereotypes in the workplace is a form of sex discrimination.

As you may have heard, Lambda Legal has asked the High Court to hear a case next term that involves the definition of “sex discrimination” in federal law, this time on behalf of a lesbian hospital employee from Georgia. But the principle is the same. Could Congress, reacting to this legal issue, simply dictate that sex discrimination cannot include gay bias?

The answer is probably no, but it’s still disconcerting to see these types of proposals tossed into the arena. In its last legislative session, the state of Tennessee passed some ridiculous “law” that said all statutory terms must be interpreted according to their natural meaning—or something like that, I’m not checking it. Words like “husband,” “wife,” “mother,” and “father” would thus serve as a barrier to recognizing gay couples, or so the lawmakers seemed to think. Such gimmicks, however, cannot undercut the reality of court precedent and constitutional guarantees. Obviously, gay couples continue to be married and recognized as such throughout Tennessee.

It’s just a slap in the face, but it seems as if lately we’re getting slapped around a little harder than usual and a little longer than usual.

ACLU on Alert for Anti-GLBT “Guidance” The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a complaint in federal court in New York, charging four Trump

AIDS WALK (continued from page 16) administration cabinet departments of ignoring requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act. Back in March, the ACLU reportedly asked for a range of documents from Health and Human Services, Justice, Labor and Treasury in order to keep tabs on rumored new antigay policies. None of the departments responded.

We all heard disturbing reports last spring that the Trump administration, perhaps egged on by Pence or Sessions, would be issuing executive orders allowing numerous government officials in many areas to discriminate against the GLBT community based on personal religious faith. But although Trump has rolled back some of the Obama administration’s gay friendly policies, he has not gone into full reverse by drafting antigay policies in their place.

Nor has Trump issued any so-called religious freedom executive orders … yet.

But apparently, Sessions is now gearing up to release religious liberty “guidance” at Trump’s request.

I gather the ACLU is trying to get its hands on early drafts or other materials that could shed light on the administration’s machinations.

Sessions reminds me of an evil little dwarf in a fairy tale, scuttling around with a wink and a twinkle as he plots against the good citizens of the kingdom. What with the trollish Russians and the slicked back knaves we see in Don Jr., Eric, Jared and the new one, “Mooch,” we have quite the cast of characters.

Tarheels and Texans Speaking of the ACLU, our allies teamed up with Lambda Legal to challenge the latest version of North Carolina’s bathroom bill. The transtrashing fiasco of 2016 was theoretically “repealed” by newly elected Democratic governor Roy Cooper once he took office earlier this year.

But after deleting the flat anti-trans language in the original, the new bill then forbids local towns and counties from enacting GLBT rights laws until 2020, and also banned public organizations from issuing protections for transgender bathroom users.

Frankly, I never understood the “repeal,” even though it was enough to satisfy the NCAA, which pledged to restore North Carolina’s status as potential hosts for future basketball tournaments. I think some other boycotters relented as well.

Meanwhile, Texas is still fooling around with a bathroom bill to ensure the safety of mothers and daughters, who could otherwise be at risk for assault by transgendered women in the ladies’ room. There are other items on the agenda of the special legislative session now underway, but this one takes up all of the oxygen. All hope lies in the wily House Speaker, a moderate Republican who killed the bill in the regular session, along with a number of other insane proposals.

I am leaving for Scotland in a few hours as I’m in Texas now where it is over a hundred degrees in the shade, and I just killed a sturdy rosemary plant by forgetting to water it for two days. It was fine! Two days later it’s a dry, gray shadow of its former self.

When I turn on the hose, the water is so hot that I can’t touch it until it cools off. I have to reach into the car and start the ignition and stand outside for a few minutes until I can get in. Don’t ask why Scotland. It’s a long story, but you can look for us at the women’s British Open in early August. You can recognize me by adding ten years to the photo that accompanies this column online. arostow@aol.com

port for the fight against what is known as the deadliest and fastest growing form of skin cancer.

Participants will meet at the Music Concourse/Bandshell to participate in a 5K run/walk geared towards raising funds to research, education and advocacy. Check-in and registration will start at 7:45 am with the run/walk kicking off at 9 am. Non-Competitive (Untimed) Runners and Walkers can participate for free, while Competitive (Timed) Runners pay an entrance fee of $30. For additional details, go to: http://join.melanoma.org/site/TR?fr_ id=1400&pg=entry LAUREL BOOK STORE (continued from page 22) serving an average of 75 or more customers a day to meet expenses and get ahead, and the number now is well below that. Imagine if even five per cent of the 100,000 workers in downtown offices walked into the store and bought a book, or placed an order online, each month! We’d be bursting at the seams with new releases, staff, programs, and workshops. Instead, each month I have to make tough decisions about what expenses I can cover and how to juggle the rest. And each month I consider what the tipping point will be, and whether to call it a day, or to try harder still.

I believe in what I’m doing. I believe in Laurel Book Store, and I believe in the Oakland community. I want to stay here in this beautiful space in this exciting location, and continue serving your book needs and more.

At the same time, I cannot keep the store open without the community’s participation.

I am continuing to look for a business partner who can bring energy, resources, and the potential for growth.

In the meantime, I need to negotiate a new (one-year) lease, keep the doors open, and continue working to build our customer base.

I hear you asking, How can I help?

The bottom line is that we need to raise $30,000 right now if we are to catch up and move forward with a new lease. We would meet this goal if 750 people spend $100 each in the next two weeks. There are three times that number of people on our email

list, and so many more who are not, but who might want to support this independent book store, and I have faith that it can happen. Here’s how you can help: Come in to the store and spend $100 or more (or whatever you can), or buy books on our website for shipping, pickup, or delivery to Café 3016 or downtown. What have you wanted to read? What gift giving opportunities are coming up?

Alert your networks, and ask everyone you know to support the store too.

Post, tweet, Instagram—whatever floats your social media boat. There’s some suggested language below for a post, or you can link to this letter on our website.

If we can’t sell enough books to meet this goal, the likelihood is that the store will close at this location. If we can mobilize an army of folks who love books and value independent local merchants, Laurel Book Store can continue to be at the heart of this vibrant downtown Oakland community. Please help spread the word.

We treasure our customers, and we thank you for everything you do.

As usual, I have a few books to tell you about this week too.

Take care of each other and happy reading, Luan

Queeriosity Poets Perform @ Youth Speaks 20th Anniversary Festival Photos courtesy of Youth Speaks On Thursday, July 20, Youth Speaks presented the 20th annual Queeriosity event, a part of the Youth Speaks’ Brave New Voices Festival. A packed San Francisco War Memorial Opera House was the setting for an evening full of tears, laughter and healing. Queeriosity is a safe space for queer youth who are reshaping the contours of our conversations about sexuality, identity, and community. Members, who hail from the Bay Area and beyond, include Danez Smith, Vernon Keeve III, Kirya Traber, Yosimar Reyes, Hieu Minh Nguyen, G Yamazawa and Jojo Abot. youthspeaks.org

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