San Francisco Bay Times - March 19, 2015

March 19-April 1, 2015 | www.sfbaytimes.com /SF Bay Times

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Olivia Travel at 25 See Special Section, Pages 2–5

PHOTO OF JUDY DLUGACZ BY IRENE YOUNG

Judy Dlugacz, President and Founder of Olivia Travel

Olivia Travel at 25

Special section photos by Irene Young, Joan Byron, Jill Cruse, Tina Solano and Olivia Photographers

Olivia: So Much More than a Travel Company Twenty-five years ago, Olivia Travel offered its first all-women cruise. To say that the venture was a success would be an understatement. The multi-million dollar company, founded by recently named 2015 San Francisco Pride Community Grand Marshal Judy Dlugacz, has held true to its vision and remains the largest travel business in the world to offer cruises catering specifically to lesbians.

The story, however, goes far beyond travel and a quarter century ago. As

you’ll see over the next several pages, Olivia is music, community and culture, in addition to being a provider of extraordinary, memorable vacations.

Its success is measured, not in dollar signs, but in lives frequently changed for the better. As singer-songwriter Cris Williamson, who is also featured in this paper (page 20), wrote, “When you open up your life to the living, all things come spilling in on you, and you’re flowing like a river, the Changer and the Changed.”

Olivia Timeline: From Grassroots to World’s Largest Lesbian Travel Company 1973: Singer songwriter Meg Christian discovers fellow musician Cris Williamson’s record in Washington, D.C. Deeply moved, she rallies 400 fans to attend a Williamson concert. Christian starts singing from the audience when Williamson forgets the words. The two became lifelong friends and recording partners. In a subsequent radio interview, after Christian discusses challenges with her record label, Williamson asks, “Well, why don’t you just start a women’s record company?” A group, which becomes the Olivia collective, meets two days later and decides to start a women’s record company.

Judy Dlugacz and nine other women borrow $4,000 and form Olivia Records, a grassroots independent label featuring female musicians and employing female engineers and producers.

The Olivia Travel banner is unveiled aboard ship on Olivia’s first cruise in 1990

We have met so many wonderful women and developed lifelong friends from around the country, all because of Olivia. We are truly fortunate to have been to the places we’ve been, seen the amazing things we’ve seen, enjoyed the cultures and people all over the world, and in an environment that lets us be ourselves; so refreshing. We look forward to taking many more Olivia vacations because we know it is a great way to travel.

–Michele O’Connor and Karen Isleib

1975: Meg Christian records the first album under the Olivia label, Meg Christian: I Know You Know. That same year, Cris Williamson’s recording The Changer and the Changed launches her to prominence as a female recording artist. The album is among the best-selling independent albums of all time.

Olivia is a life changer…I never have felt so safe, so good and so free in my whole life!

1977: Olivia produces a groundbreaking album called Lesbian Concentrate in response to Anita Bryant’s anti-homosexual campaign in Florida. It is the first anthology of music by lesbian recording artists.

–Christine Mulse & Melissa Lush

1982: For Olivia’s 10th anniversary, Williamson and Christian perform two sold-out shows for 5,600 women at Carnegie Hall. At the time, the concert is the largest single-grossing event since the hall’s creation in 1891.

1983: Successful Olivia recording artist Meg Christian retires from women’s music. She does not play another public concert until August 2002, aboard an Olivia cruise.

1983: Judy Dlugacz evolves as the sole remaining partner of Olivia as she celebrates her 30th birthday.

1990: With the dream of producing concerts on the water, Judy Dlugacz puts down a $50,000 deposit to charter a cruise ship. She writes to Olivia fans announcing the trip, and more than 600 women sign up. Because the cruise sold out in just a few weeks, organizers added a second sailing to meet demand. Olivia Cruises & Resorts is born.

Judy Dlugacz at the Olivia Records office

Olivia Records founding collective

2000: Olivia Cruises & Resorts celebrates its 10-year anniversary with more trips and entertainers than ever, and adds Australia as a destination.

2000: All four major newspapers in Istanbul celebrate the arrival of the women of Olivia with front-page articles. The newspapers report that lesbians on an Olivia Cruise rescued the lagging Turkish economy by spending more than half a million dollars in three ports of call in just three days.

2000: Olivia President Judy Dlugacz calls for the government of the Bahamas to make official statements condemning a group of anti-gay protesters who meet an Olivia Cruise in Nassau. The next day, the government holds a press conference asking Olivia and other gay and lesbian travelers to return to the island nation. The Bahamas’ Minister of Tourism comes aboard the ship to offer an official apology for the protesters’ actions.

2001: Olivia receives a groundswell of support following the events of September 11. Olivia’s 30th anniversary cruise sells out within two months, and the company announces a second 1,250-person cruise to celebrate Olivia’s anniversary in January 2003. Anniversary trips are also scheduled for Scandinavia and Cancun.

Lesbian Concentrate album released by Olivia in response to Anita Bryant’s campaign in Florida (1977).

Olivia celebrates its 10th anniversary in 1982 at Carnegie Hall with concerts featuring Meg Christian and Cris Williamson.

2002: For the first time since the Carnegie Hall concert, Meg Christian and Cris Williamson reunite on Olivia’s Scandinavia Cruise (August 14–22, 2002). More than 800 travelers are aboard to share in the magic.

2003: A group of 1,250 lesbians help Olivia celebrate three decades of providing the best in women’s travel, entertainment and music with a 30th Anniversary Cancun Resort Celebration and a 30th Anniversary Eastern Caribbean Cruise Celebration.

2003: Olivia announces a kids and family trip at Floridian Club Med Resort, becoming the industry’s first to offer a family vacation for lesbian and gay families.

2004: Olivia’s new logo, brand identity and website are unveiled.

Turkish newspapers welcome Olivia travelers (2000) 2

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Olivia Records artists and producers (1970s)

Olivia Travel at 25 2004: Olivia partners with Showtime to feature a special pre-premiere screening of the new series The L-Word. The show’s creator and members of the cast join Olivia guests aboard a Mexican Riviera cruise.

2012: Olivia announces a 2013 Southern Caribbean cruise to celebrate the company’s 40th anniversary. The trip, which is Olivia’s largest to date at 2,100 passengers, sells out quickly and a second celebratory cruise is added. The company also announces two Punta Cana resort trips in honor of the 40th anniversary, each accommodating 1,100 and representing Olivia’s biggest Music & Comedy Festivals to date.

2004: Olivia hosts a landmark wedding and honeymoon cruise with optional legal wedding ceremony in Boston. k.d. lang performs two special concerts.

2005: Olivia brands its newest offering of niche upscale, off-the-beaten-path trips catering to smallerscale guest capacities (47 to 600 guests) as Olivia’s Ultimate Escapes. Olivia now offers three diverse types of trips: cruises, resort vacations and ultimate escapes. Ultimate Escapes are 5–7 star cruises, land and adventure vacations to once-in-a-lifetime destinations like Africa, the Galapagos, Scandinavia & Russia and Tahiti.

2005: Two-time Grammy winner Melissa Etheridge performs onboard Olivia’s Eastern Caribbean Cruise. Five-time Grammy winner Mary Chapin Carpenter performs onboard Olivia’s Alaska Discovery Cruise.

2012: Judy Dlugacz receives the prestigious Mautner Project Chair’s Award in acknowledgement of her contributions to lesbian and bisexual women’s health.

2012: Olivia sponsors 63-year-old distance swimmer Diana Nyad’s impressive attempted swim from Cuba to Florida.

2012: Judy Dlugacz is appointed to President Obama’s LGBT Leadership Council for his re-election campaign.

Olivia Travel founders Rachel Wahba and Judy Dlugacz on the first Olivia cruise in 1990 aboard the SS Dolphin IV

2006: The 1,800 passengers on Olivia’s Grand Caribbean Cruise enjoy onboard entertainment by Whoopi Goldberg and tennis instruction from athletic great Martina Navratilova.

2013: Guests enjoy a discussion from best-selling author and talk show host, Suze Orman, on the Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro Cruise.

2006: Olivia announces record annual revenues of $20 million and debuts an Olivia Visa rewards credit card. Founder Judy Dlugacz receives the 2006 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.

2013: Olivia continues its 40th anniversary celebration with back-to-back music and comedy festivals at Club Med’s Punta Cana Resort. Guests enjoy performances

by Wanda Sykes, Suzanne Westenhoefer, Vicci Martinez, and Toshi Reagon.

2007: The LGBT television network Logo films and airs Cruising the Caribbean with Olivia, a one-hour variety special.

2013: Olivia closes 2013 with a special 40th anniversary Virgin Isles New Year’s Eve Cruise, celebrating five “sheroes” of our lifetime—Billie Jean King, Edie Windsor, Col. Grethe Cammermeyer, Cris Williamson, and Tammy Smith.

2007: Renowned celebrity chefs Elizabeth Falkner, Josie Smith-Malave and Tiffani Faison join Olivia’s Greek Isles Culinary Cruise in May. 2008: Olivia’s 35th anniversary year kicks off with two Caribbean cruises, a Russian riverboat adventure and resort vacations in Cancun, Hawaii, the Mexican Riviera and Australia.

Olivia Records founding collective members enjoy a reunion on a 2002 cruise.

2008: An onboard auction of items donated by celebrities, including Melissa Etheridge, Wynonna Judd, Indigo Girls, Billie Jean King and k.d. lang, raises funds for breast cancer, women’s health and research funding.

2014: Olivia partners with the Nepal Youth Foundation (NYF), and raises over $150,000 to help save young Nepalese girls from the practice of Kamlari, the enslaving of young girls. An ongoing partnership is established.

2010: Guests on the 2010 Caribbean Sun and Mexican Riviera cruises enjoy private performances by newly out singer-songwriter Chely Wright and popular comedian Wanda Sykes, respectively.

2011: Olivia’s 2011 Mexican Riviera cruise celebrates the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell by bestowing the Olivia Ovation Award (lifetime achievement) on Colonel Grethe Cammermeyer.

2011: Judy Dlugacz is featured in Curve Magazine’s October “Powerful Women” issue.

“An Olivia cruise is a cultural experience, it’s a political action, an educational seminar, a comic stand-up and music festival, it’s a dating site and a dance party, an ocean voyage and a land-based adventure. Bottom line, it’s a portal to another world.”

–Shewired

To all of my lesbian friends who have never traveled with Olivia Travel: there is no better way to vacation. Yes, Olivia is more expensive— but SO well worth it. They charter the entire ship or resort so you can be free to be your true self for your whole stay. You’ll never want to travel any other way again.

–Laura Bollinger Doray

2014: Olivia holds its first-ever Women’s Leadership Summit on board the Caribbean Equality & Leadership Cruise. Special guests include Edie Windsor, Col. Grethe Cammermeyer, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Meredith Baxter, Kate Kendell, Elizabeth Birch, Kris Perry & Sandy Stier, Karen Williams, and C.C. Carter. Guests enjoy a special performance from Indigo Girls.

2014: Maya Angelou is the keynote speaker at the Women’s Leadership Summit, just four months before her death.

2009: Olivia announces that recording artist Meg Christian and L-Word actor Leisha Hailey will help celebrate the 20-year anniversary of Olivia Travel by making guest appearances aboard the 2010 Western Caribbean cruise.

2010: Olivia partners with gay travel companies Atlantis Events and RSVP Cruises to form the American Red Cross LGBT Haiti Relief Fund. The LGBT community donates more than $250,000 through the fund to aid the earthquake-stricken Haitians.

2013: Olivia celebrates its 40th anniversary with backto-back cruises, featuring a reunion concert from Meg Christian and Cris Williamson, sports icon Billie Jean King, and performances from over 20 lesbian musicians and comediennes.

1991 OLIVIA ENTERTAINMENT Olivia Travel has featured top entertainment industry artists, such as musicians Melissa Etheridge and Indigo Girls; comediennes Wanda Sykes, Lily Tomlin and Whoopi Goldberg; worldclass athletes Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova and Diana Nyad; influential voices such as Dr. Maya Angelou and Edie Windsor, and even financial expert Suze Orman.

A select group of artists have earned a special place in the hearts of San Francisco Bay Times team members and friends for their decades of dedicated service as Olivia entertainers. Among these are our own Bay Times contributors Kate Clinton and Karen Williams and favorites Vicki Shaw, Roxanna Ward and Suede. A second and even third generation of Olivia artists are developing, and you can expect to see them on stage for cruises and resort vacations alike.

2014: Guests enjoy a special in-port performance from Bonnie Raitt on the Thanksgiving Caribbean Cruise.

2015: Olivia celebrates its 25th anniversary as a travel company with 1,900 lesbians on its first-ever 12 day/11-night cruise to Australia and New Zealand.

Olivia Newton-John kicks off the cruise with an in-port concert, and guests enjoy entertainment from Australian country music singer, Beccy Cole; New Zealand national treasures, The Topp Twins; and DJ Ruby Rose.

2015: Judy Dlugacz is awarded the Hanns Ebensten Hall of Fame Award from the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA).

2015: Judy Dlugacz wins the popular vote for 2015 San Francisco Pride Grand Marshal.

I thought vacations were about rest and relaxation before I went to my first Olivia Resort trip.

Now I realize that you can rest when you’re home and 4 hours is enough sleep! Olivia vacations make you want to wake up at 7am and go to sleep at 3am. You really don’t want to miss a thing!

–Sal Ramsey

Olivia’s staff ALWAYS delivers. They really go the extra mile and that’s why we keep coming back. Thank you for yet another amazing week!

–Ruth Rene Richards BAY T IM ES M ARC H 19, 2015

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Olivia Travel at 25 Still Serving After All These Years to travel the world. Back then, being out for every second of every day for a whole week was a new thought for many lesbians, and I was grateful to work with co-founder Rachel Wahba to provide a space where we could all be free to be ourselves.

By Judy Dlugacz It sure has been an amazing ride, hasn’t it? When I think about what Olivia means to me, I find myself thinking about the ways Olivia has grown and changed over the past 42 years.

I also think about my own growth within that time, as it has mirrored Olivia’s. When we first started back in 1973, we wanted to create community for lesbians through music. It’s something these women—that we—were yearning for, something that would remind us that we were not alone in this, that we were all in it together.

In my 20s and 30s, we watched the movement grow with each record we produced; we saw thousands of women find the community they’d been searching for through word of mouth, through organizing, through willpower. It was incredible to be a part of something so moving and watch it turn into something so much bigger than ourselves.

The young Judy steering a sailing vessel

Grown up, Judy at the helm

With each passing decade, both Olivia and I grew. Although I loved producing records and putting on large concerts, I was intrigued when

someone suggested that we consider a concert on the water. In 1990, Olivia Travel was born and a wonderful community of lesbians came together

Olivia has always been about giving back to the communities we serve, and throughout the years we’ve supported both the local communities we visit on our travels and the communities of which we are a part.

We’ve supported national LGBT organizations such as the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), t he Hu ma n R ight s Ca mpa ig n (HRC) and so many others. In recent years, we’ve taken our efforts internationally, helping found the American Red Cross LGBT Haiti Relief Fund and teaming up with the Nepal Youth Foundation to help end the practice of Kamlari, the enslaving of young girls. I am also on

the Democratic LGBT Leadership Council and co-hosted six lesbian Roundtable discussions with First Lady Michelle Obama.

Though Olivia has evolved since its grassroots days, one thing remains constant—we have never stopped ser v ing the LGBT communit y.

Whether you are traveling the world in the company of women, or listening to music made by women, for women, the feeling of being free to be yourself has informed all that Olivia has done. It is why we do what we do.

It remains a great privilege to be part of Olivia, working along with our amazing staff, to conjure up ways to serve you for decades to come!

Judy Dlugacz is the President and Founder of Olivia.

We have enjoyed so much by traveling with Olivia. Whether it was the excitement of booking a trip, or looking forward to where we were going or who we would meet, everything about it has been fantastic and healing. Over the years, the healing effects of these trips have been unbelievable. Our Olivia vacations are full of so much more than money can buy. This is not just a cliché; it is so true: The people we have met— the dignitaries, entertainers, celebrities, sportswomen, and the lifelong friends we gather—are irreplaceable.

–Kathy & Kitch

25 Years with Olivia

Right Where I’m Supposed to Be

By Jill Cruse

By Tisha Floratos

Making $700 a summer at Girl Scout Camp in 1978, I remember sitting at the Camp Staff house, loving my job and listening to Cris Williamson’s “Waterfall” in the background.

I wrote in my journal, “I want to work somewhere that serves women, travel the world and experience different cultures, improve my photography and just do what I love.” BAM! I had a spiritual experience I will never forget.

I’m a strong believer that everything happens for a reason. I believe that we are all led on a path to discover later that we are right where we’re supposed to be.

At that very moment it was as if I could see every atom and molecule swirling around, and in, me. I could not discern my arms with the tree branches, my fingers with the leaves or my breath with the wind. It was that feeling of complete “oneness” people talk about. It lasted maybe two minutes, but it was a moment in time I will never forget. My life has never been the same since.

I fell in love with a woman in 1979 and struggled with my own sexuality. Things didn’t work out, and I was devastated. I listened over and over to Cris Williamson’s The Changer and the Changed, trying to mend my heart and figure out who I was.

My dream was to become an anchorwoman.

As a young girl, I would sit in front of the mirror and recite the nightly news. My parents watched the Today Show religiously, and I had a dream that someday it would be me inside Studio 1A at Rockefeller Center. I studied journalism. I held Editor-in-Chief positions. I even created a news show called TV 1A. My passion was writing features—sharing stories about people’s struggles, triumphs, and celebrations.

With so much trouble in the world, I felt it was my job to share positive, uplifting, inspiring stories. So I did!

Olivia’s vice presidents Tisha Floratos and Jill Cruse

My first concert was Meg Christian and Holly Near in 1980. It was my first time being in a room with over 200 other lesbians. I felt like I had come home. The music and feeling of community was amazing, and I decided at that moment I was a lesbian, and it was OK. I worked as a P.E. teacher, coach, professional Girl Scout and city recreation supervisor for nine years, but I was no longer passionate about my work. In 1989, I quit my job, took out all of my savings and went back to school to learn computer graphics. Six-months later I was freelancing with my friend Jill Davey at JPD, and Judy Dlugacz hired me at Olivia to design the first Cruise Program schedule in November of 1989.

At first it was only 10–20 hours a week, then Judy started having me do other projects like warehouse shipping, along with other odd jobs. It quickly turned into a full-time position by April of 1990. I answered the phones, took reservations for the trips, processed all the monthly billing, hired the staff and artists, wrote up job descriptions, planned the daily cruise program and more. Soon, Judy offered me the cruise director position. All my Girl Scout, P.E. and coaching experiences came out to play, and I felt like this job was made for me.

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Jill Cruse with Diana Nyad

I spoke to Meg Christian several years ago about this Olivia Angel that always appears to help avert or solve potential problems. Meg said she was present during the collective days too. And to this day, that Olivia Angel is still watching over us all.

I am still amazed at how my 1978 journal entry came true and how important service to others, doing what you love, intention and gratitude is in our lives. I still feel like the luckiest woman in the world, and I thank Judy and our Olivia Angel every day. To know I have been able to combine my love to serve the women of this community, my passion for photography and my spiritual journey all into my job and life is incredible. Judy started a company with the right intentions—to serve and make a difference for the lesbian community. I am, and will be, forever grateful.

Looking forward to the next 25 years!

Jill Cruse is Vice President of Guest Experience at Olivia.

Throughout my college years, I had a full-time school schedule and simultaneously worked full-time as an Executive Assistant for CEOs, all the while working my way into the world of broadcast television. After spending almost a decade as a print journalist, I shifted gears and took an internship at the TV show EXTRA, and was soon offered a full-time position. I was now working side by side with people who had been in the business for years. I was a sponge, eager to learn and work my way to the Big Apple.

After a few years at the studio, a friend invited me to move to San Francisco. Young, spontaneous and ready for a change, I moved to the Bay Area, all the while thinking, would this help me get closer to my dreams of New York?

Tisha on the go touring with Olivia travelers

Olivia cruise in 2003; it was the 30th anniversary celebration. I will never forget the feeling I experienced the minute I stepped onto the ship. Women were smiling and holding hands.

There was so much love. So many friendships.

A sense of feeling free. A feeling of belonging.

That first cruise changed my life forever. A year later, Judy promoted me to lead the Travel Team, and seven years ago, I was appointed Vice President of Travel and Business Operations. I’ve seen us grow from doing four trips a year to doing as many as 15 trips a year. I’ve witnessed love found and friendships formed. I’ve met inspiring women. I’ve seen the highs and lows and it’s wonderful to see Olivia soaring! And what an incredible team we are in the office.

Two years later, my dream of being a news anchor in the far distance, I became Judy Dlugacz’s Executive Assistant. I vividly remember sitting in Judy’s office in Oakland, enthralled by the radical, lesbian, feminist, grassroots story of Olivia.

The stories moved me, empowered me. I wanted to be part of this world.

Thirteen years and 70+ trips later, I have the same feeling I did when I stepped foot on my first Olivia cruise. How grateful I am to be part of a company and a community that celebrates women, diversity, love, friendship and so much more. And how grateful I am to have found my forever love through Olivia. I may not have lived my dream to be an anchorwoman. What I do know, though, is that I’m right where I’m supposed to be!

Judy and I connected the minute we met. I was hired. I was fortunate to go on my first

Tisha Floratos is the Vice President of Travel and Business Operations at Olivia.

Olivia Travel at 25 Changing the World One Smile at a Time

By Rachel Wahba It’s been a long time and we travelled many seas, and survived many storms.

It has not been easy being a lesbian company, but the rewards continue to outweigh the challenges. I remember those first years, sitting in a smoke-filled room with Greek captains (our first ships were small, Greek-owned vessels), making sure their crew did not come on to the women, as we negotiated the contracts on a ship in some Greek port.

Our first captain reassured us with one question: “Who was the f irst lesbian?” he quizzed us.

“Sappho?”

“Yes, and she was from Lesvos, where I was born. There will be no problem!”

Ok, then…we were off and sailing.

The rewards and adventures are too many to express here—but there is one thing that, for me, as a psychotherapist by trade, I see over time: a sense of validation, mirroring, which is essential to one’s sense of well-being and self-esteem. It happens organically on every Olivia trip. We are seen, we are safe, and we are validated by the inner culture surrounding us. The feeling is contagious; it fills the ships and the resorts, and the smiles are endemic from guests to staff and all around.

When I travel on my own to the resorts, emptied of Olivia travelers,

Olivia Travel founding partner Rachel Wahba

and wear my Olivia t-shirt, resort staff come up to me and ask when Olivia is coming back because they love Olivia. I love that mutual respect heals wounds that run deep.

Smiles on the High Seas On our first sail on the beloved Greek Dolphin Cruise Line, I came home feeling more empowered than ever before. I was out in San Francisco as a radical lesbian feminist in the 1970s, but I never expected a cruise with lesbians to be so much more than a fun vacation (and, of course, with all the worries of a co-owner). I came home changed. More empowered and bolder, and that surprised me.

Recently, my ver y close friend Carmen, who is 80, went with her 50-year-old daughter on our Australia & New Zealand cruise and not only did they have the expected great time, but also Carmen was struck by how “seen” she was. What a difference from match.com! She

Rachel Wahba (center) with young women of Nepal and representatives of the Nepal Youth Foundation

felt seen and appreciated, and came home glowing.

Sharing Smiles with NYF As Director of Special Projects for Olivia, I found Olga Murray’s organization, the Nepal Youth Foundation ( N Y F ), and we recently partnered with this exceptional NGO. We have made Olga’s Promise “Olivia’s Promise” by taking on the freed Kamlari girls who have been saved from slavery in Nepal.

My granddaughter Becca and I visited Olga in Kathmandu and went to West Nepal to see first-hand how these women and girls—who, not so long ago, cowered in fear and shame—become strong women and

activists for equal rights. They are fighting for their rights, both out in the streets and in the courts, all the while building co-ops and providing peer counseling in PTSD clinics. They are feminists building a future for themselves and further generations of girls and women. To see this was a gift and to be able to help, a blessing.

To date, we have ra ised over $150,000 to make sure the Kamlari practice in West Nepal will never be revived. At the moment, there are 13,000 freed Kamlari (indentured daughters/slaves). Olga recently came with us on a cruise and fell in love with the women of Olivia; she felt appreciated, seen and had a

degree of fun she didn’t quite anticipate. She is coming on board again, as she celebrates her 90th birthday on our Greece & Turkey cruise. And Becca will also be on board to celebrate her 17th birthday! Yes, I am excited.

These are the unexpected benefits of what initially seems like “ just” a vacation. We change internally and we change the world, one smile at a time.

Rachel Wahba is the Co-founder of Olivia Travel and is the company’s Director of Special Projects. She is also a writer and psychotherapist in private practice in San Francisco and Marin.

Olivia Trip Calendar

Olivia’s Alaska Inside Passage & Glaciers Cruise, May 13-20, 2015

Check out www.olivia.com to learn more about these upcoming Olivia trips:

Aboard the Holland America’s ms Volendam

Switzerland to Amsterdam Riverboat April 12–19, 2015 Amsterdam to Switzerland Riverboat April 19–26, 2015

Amazing Galapagos Adventure November 7–16, 2015 Mexican Riviera Cruise November 12–19, 2015 Caribbean Escape Cruise January 30–February 6, 2016

Punta Cana Paradise Resort May 2–9, 2015

Discover China & The Yangtze River Riverboat March 16–28, 2016

Amazing Peruvian Amazon Adventure May 9–18, 2015

Belgium to the Netherlands Riverboat April 12–19, 2016

Alaska Inside Passage & Glaciers Cruise May 13–20, 2015

Tulips in Amsterdam Riverboat April 19–26, 2016

Prague to Budapest Riverboat June 16–26, 2015

Cancun, Mexico Resort May 7–14, 2016

Greek Isles & Turkish Delights Cruise August 16–23, 2015

Lisbon to Dublin Cruise June 26–July 4, 2016

Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta October 10–17, 2015 Polar Bear Adventure October 17–23, 2015

Headlining the entertainment, Cris Williamson, one of the most beloved of the original Olivia recording artists, will perform her 40th Anniversary The Changer and the Changed Concert program. Also on stage throughout the week will be Suzanne Westenhoefer, Barbara Higbie, Ruthie Foster, Gina Breedlove and a host of other entertainers including longtime Bay Area favorites Julie Wolf and Page Hodel.

The itinerary includes Vancouver, The Inside Passage, Tracy Arm/Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay and Ketchikan plus a plethora of shore excursions to enhance every stop along the way.

To find out more, visit olivia.com/Travel/Trips_AlaskaInsidePassage_GlaciersCruise

Paris to Normandy Riverboat July 26–August 2, 2016 Pacific Coastal Cruise September 25–October 2, 2016

Olivia’s cruises are a bit more expensive than the ordinary! But anyone who’s been on one will tell you they are ANYTHING but ordinary! Each cruise we take, we’ve made friends that we keep in contact with. In fact, I’d say, each cruise we take, we leave richer than when we embarked!

–MJ Seide BAY T IM ES M ARC H 19, 2015

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In the News

By Dennis McMillan Navigation Center for the Homeless to Open Soon The San Francisco Bay Times recently toured the new Navigation Center, 1950 Mission and 16th Streets, which Bevan Dufty’s H.O.P.E. office is setting up as a one-stop-shop for homeless people. The outreach team will pick people up off the streets—along with their bags to be put in storage lockers provided with 24-hour access and their own keys. The huge facility offers beds, showers, laundry, lounging areas, dog exercise yard and dog sitting, cafeteria including two hot meals and 24-hour available cold food, medical services, legal services, detox, DMV ID’s issued, transportation to appointments in San Francisco, MUNI tokens, and no police on the premises. People can stay up to 10 days or longer if needed, with the ultimate goal of permanent housing in hotel rooms paid for by the City of San Francisco. Homeless advocates are ecstatic.

LGBT Senior Long-Term Care Facility Bill of Rights Introduced LGBT seniors are a particularly vulnerable population due to lifelong experiences of marginalization that place them at greater risk of isolation, homelessness, poverty, and premature institutionalization. LGBT seniors face particular challenges in some longterm-care facilities, with horror stories about seniors having to go back in the closet, being separated from a partner, and so forth. To address this challenge, Supervisor Scott Wiener introduced legislation that will make it illegal to discriminate against patients in longterm care facilities based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or HIV status. The legislation, which is a recommendation of the LGBT Aging Task Force, defines specific actions as discrimination. The legislation is to be addressed by the Government Audit and Oversight Committee today.

Castro Cares Outreach and Enforcement Program Rolls Out Castro Cares, the pilot program aimed at addressing neighborhood quality-oflife issues and homeless outreach, is up and running after several months of preparation. A collaboration involving the Castro/ Upper Market Community Benefit District and the City of San Francisco, SF Police Department, Patrol Special Police and the Department of Public Health, the program includes increased police presence and on-thestreet engagement with the local homeless population. Some local activists have accused the program of being hostile to the homeless. Castro Cares, however, has four hours a week of homeless outreach workers dedicated to the Castro/Upper Market, and in three weeks it will have 20 hours a week of homeless outreach services.

Castro Cares will be paying for an additional 15 hours of Patrol Special officers, which would increase to 30 hours a week in May.

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SFPD Investigates Officers Over Racist, Homophobic Texts Four members of the San Francisco Police Department are under investigation for allegedly sending racist and homophobic text messages, and all of them have been on the force for more than a decade. The racially charged and homophobic texts came to light in a filing in federal court by prosecutors seeking to keep one of the officers in custody as he appeals his conviction and 40-month sentence on federal corruption charges. San Francisco police Chief Greg Suhr said that he could not confirm the officers’ identities under state law, but will seek to fire those responsible for the mes-

sages. Mayor Edwin M. Lee issued an additional statement calling for immediate disciplinary action, “nothing less than termination,” for the four San Francisco police officers under investigation.

GLBT History Museum to Remain in Castro at Least Through 2020 The GLBT History Museum, often referred to as San Francisco’s “queer Smithsonian,” will remain in its prime Castro neighborhood location through 2020, thanks to the renewal of its fiveyear lease by Walgreens under generous terms. The museum’s parent organization, the GLBT Historical Society, will continue to pay a deeply discounted rent for the 1,600-square-foot space the museum occupies at 4127 18th Street. Walgreens holds a long-term lease for that space and for the adjacent space, which is occupied by a Walgreens specialty pharmacy. The GLBT History Museum, the first fullscale, stand-alone museum of its kind in the United States, offers dynamic exhibitions and programming that explore the rich history of San Francisco’s LGBT people and their allies. Since opening in its current location in January 2011, the museum has served tens of thousands of visitors from around the world, including many students. Founded in 1985, the GLBT Historical Society celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.

Kaiser Reverses HIV Drug Cost Hike Recently, Kaiser Permanente instituted a policy change to reclassify numerous HIV medications as “specialty drugs,” which dramatically increased the cost to patients and would undermine the strategy to reduce HIV infections. The HIV advocacy community—including Supervisor Scott Wiener, Project Inform and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation— articulated strong concerns. Kaiser quickly reversed the change and returned to its original, affordable co-pay system. The issue, however, is not resolved, since other health plans continue to hike the cost of “specialty drugs” for patients, and the matter is not limited to HIV drugs.

The advocacy community will be exploring this issue at a hearing and will be working with advocates and state officials to resolve the issue .

Update on Pink Saturday in the Castro Now that the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Inc., have informed the City that they will not be managing this year’s Pink Saturday, conversation with the Mayor’s Office, the Police Department, MTA, and others is focused on the next steps. They very much want Pink Saturday to continue, likely as an event that begins and ends earlier than before. They believe an earlier start and end time will address a number of the problems the event has experienced in recent years, particularly in light of a possible pro-marriage Supreme Court ruling in late June. Over the next few weeks, they will be working with the Mayor’s Office and other city departments, in consultation with the Sisters, to determine how Pink Saturday will be managed and by whom. They remain optimistic to have a path forward. Stay tuned.

Bill Requires Equal Medical Coverage for Transgender Employees of State Contractors A new bill introduced by Senator Mark Leno would prohibit state agencies from doing business with companies that fail to offer transgender employees

the same health care coverage and benefits they provide all other workers.

Senate Bill 703 builds on existing California law that requires gender nondiscrimination in employee benefits. Specifically, it prohibits a state agency from entering into a contract in the amount of $100,000 or more with any company that does not offer equal benefits based on an employee’s gender identity. California law already stipulates that employers cannot deny transgender people health care and other benefits, but a loophole in state law allows companies that contract with the state to refuse equal health coverage. This bill closes that loophole.

Only One Year of Water Left for Drought-Stricken California As California experiences the fourth year of one of the most severe droughts in its history, a senior NASA scientist has warned that the state has about one year of water left. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory senior water cycle scientist Jay Famiglietti called for a more “forward-looking process” to deal with the state’s dwindling water supply.

Famiglietti, who is also a professor at UC Irvine, said the state had about one year of water in reservoir storage and the backup supply, groundwater, was low. NASA data shows that water storage has been in steady decline in California since at least 2002, before the drought began. A field poll released in February showed that 34% of California voters supported a mandatory rationing policy, though 94% agreed that the drought is “serious.”

The majority of respondents, 61%, favored the voluntary reductions the state currently encourages.

Bad News for San Francisco Renters A rather depressing report from the SF Housing Coalition was released this month, showing that San Francisco is the worst city for renters. San Francisco beat not just its own record, but also the nation’s record. The end result is that San Francisco remains the priciest city for renters, beating New York City. And in case renters were thinking now might be a good time to leave San Francisco for cheaper housing in Oakland, they might want to reconsider that. Oakland was named the fifth most expensive city to rent a one-bedroom apartment with a median price of $1,980 as of February.

In fact, the report noted that, over in the East Bay, rents are increasing at an alarmingly fast pace, thanks to the mass exodus of San Franciscans attempting to avoid overpriced Bay Area rent by moving to Oakland.

SF LGBT Pride Parade Registration Now Online Exhibitor and Parade Contingent Registration is available at registersfpride.org Pride 2015 is Saturday, June 27, and Sunday, June 28, with the theme “Equality without Exception.”

Exhibitor and Parade fees for the San Francisco LGBT Pride Parade & Celebration are based on a number of criteria: type of business/organization; location; and any add-ons (tents; tables and chairs, etc.) requested by the exhibitor or parade contingent.

Lyon-Martin Merges with HealthRIGHT 360 Family of Programs Lyon-Martin Heath Services has a long, healthy and vibrant future now that their strategic merger with HealthRIGHT 360 has officially been signed off by all of the appropriate parties and approved by the State of California. Since announcing their plans to merge with HealthRIGHT 360 last year in May, the Lyon-Martin board has continued to meet each month to oversee clinic business while board members from HealthRIGHT joined their board, and three LyonMartin board members joined HealthRIGHT’s board—ensuring a smooth, thoughtful transition. LyonMartin patients experienced no changes or gaps in services. The merger is a promise of open doors and continued excellent service for their patients.

San Francisco Goes Boom rush, but it should be quite obvious that our response to the housing crisis so far has been utterly inadequate. The Anti-Eviction Mapping Project has found numbers to support that point: 4,978 units affordable to low income households have been produced in San Francisco since 2007 (well short of the City’s goal of 12,124 such units).

In the same period, however, 3,278 affordable rental units were lost through eviction and conversion to TICs or condos. Not only are we failing to produce enough new affordable units to meet the growing need, but we are also barely producing enough to make up for the housing we have lost.

Sign of the times: The front page of a recent issue of the Chronicle had a story about a luxury residential project slated to break ground at 3rd and Mission in July.

It is anticipated to “shatter records for San Francisco’s most expensive units ever.”

With the tech boom showing no signs of slowing, neighborhoods across the City are under intense deA San Francisco velopment pressures, and Kind of Democrat many are pushing back.

I was delighted to see SuRafael Mandelman pervisor Scott Wiener introduce and pass legislation to help the Corona Heights neighbors slow the proliferation of monster Reading the attacks on Campos reminded me of homes in their neighborhood. Wiener’s tenure on a Heather Knight column in the December 28, the Board has been frustrating for those of us who 2014, Chron. It focused on the all-too-familiar litany do not share the “build baby build” agenda of of bad consequences of the boom: rapidly rising his friends at the Chamber of Commerce, SPUR rents, increased evictions and the fastest growing and the Building Trades. I do not imagine that income gap in the nation. What struck me at the the monster home legislation signals any great time about Knight’s column (so much so that I change of the Supervisor’s heart or mind on the clipped it out and have been carrying it around larger development questions, but it does demon- with me ever since) was a comment by SPUR exstrate, as he often does, his responsiveness to con- ecutive director Gabriel Metcalf, whom Knight stituent needs and his willingness to adapt and quoted as saying, in reference to the challenges respond to new information. And those qualities posed by the tech boom, “I run a public policy shop and sometimes it’s humbling to realize just how are worth a lot in an elected official. limited the role of public policy is.”

Supervisor David Campos, of course, remains the Board’s leading champion of economic fairness. In To be sure, the role of public policy is quite limited February, his dogged pursuit of Airbnb resulted if, from the outset, you are unwilling to even conin the company’s payment to the City of millions template changing the rules in ways that would of dollars in back taxes. As Willie Brown noted in slow the accumulation of wealth by those profiting his February 27 Chron column, “Campos will be from the boom. I for one am awfully glad that not forever known as the guy who got Airbnb to pay up. everyone in local government accepts Metcalf’s grim claims of public impotence. Thank you, DaNot a bad thing to have on your resume.” vid Campos.

Campos’ recent announcement that he is considering proposing controls on market-rate development in And speaking of politicians who aren’t afraid to the Mission, possibly including a temporary morato- shake down the wealthy and powerful, it’s looking rium, has sparked an irate response from pro-devel- increasingly likely that former District 3 Superviopment types and other believers in the magic of the sor Aaron Peskin will, in fact, challenge mayoral invisible hand. Critics have been quick to condemn appointee Julie Christensen this November. I am (continued on page 26) Campos for daring to threaten the real estate gold

Finding and Forging Lesbian Community I love lesbians. I love community.

So one of my favorite topics is lesbian community.

Georgia Mountains. This was the Ritz Carlton of women’s music festivals—cabins if you wanted them, hot showers, and a fully equipped kitchen facility. Let me be clear: this was not a spa vacation.

I participate in numerous LGBT events and organizations and the experience is often a room full of men and a smattering of women. For one thing, there simply are more gay men than queer women, but also more and more women have children or are unable to afford to pay $250 for a seat at a fundraising dinner. There are a few wonderful exceptions to see us together and feel a sense of lesbian community.

Upon arrival I had to sign up for a volunteer work shift.

Since all the security details were taken (go figure!) I decided to sign up for breakfast Do Ask, Do Tell duty. I showed up at the kitchZoe Dunning en the first day and proudly announced “I’m a Food Service Officer on an aircraft carrier, and I supervise the preparation of meals for 1,500 sailors around the clock. Perhaps you can The annual Dyke March in San Francisco is cer- use my experience to help manage and oversee tainly one of them. Women from all over the Bay the kitchen?” The woman stared at me, handed Area assemble in Dolores Park and then wind their me an apron and a plastic pitcher and told me to way through the Castro, led off by Dykes on Bikes. report to the egg station. For the next two hours I In some ways it has become a victim of its success. scooped raw eggs out of a large garbage can lined It is so large now you are lucky if you run into any- with a plastic trash bag, and poured them onto a one you know or get to really meet anyone new in griddle while a shirtless woman (save for an apron) a meaningful way. The march ends on Market St. scrambled the eggs as they cooked. It took me five where Pink Saturday takes over and the women years before I could eat an egg again. disappear into the greater crowd.

Despite that experience, it was really quite a Another way is to go to lesbian bars. When I was a magical weekend. I met such a wide variety of baby dyke I was closeted in the military and tried women. I listened to some great music and atto go to bars, but it was not safe to be out in Pen- tended insightful workshops (including one on sacola, FL, or Athens, GA, back then. You could the experience of being gay in the military—one go to gay bars, but the most popular gay bar was of the early seeds of my activism). There was a across the street from the most popular Navy pilot feeling of freedom and community and belonging bar. There were often Bible school students on the that I will never forget. street corners shouting and shaming passers by.

The annual NCLR gala dinner and party is anWe get a sense of community from music. In the other fun and cool way to find yourself in a large 80s I was indebted to Olivia Records, which put and festive room full of women. If you haven’t out lesbian-identified artists like Cris Williamson, been I highly recommend it. The event takes Tret Fure, and Meg Christian. I didn’t get the op- place Saturday May 2. portunity to see many lesbians, but I could at least Thinking of Olivia again…over that past two delisten to women sing about loving women, and it cades, Olivia transitioned from a record label to made me feel less alone. a travel company for women, primarily cruises. I To find some community, I went to my first festival, the Southern Women’s Music Festival in the

thought a vacation with other lesbians was a cool (continued on page 26)

Know Your Rights/California: Social Security and the LGBT Community

Need more money for rent, food or healthcare?

DON’T LEAVE MONEY ON THE TABLE BY MISSING THESE TOWN HALLS! Learn how you may be eligible for additional monthly benefits resulting from the 2013 Supreme Court Windsor decision, which opened up hundreds of federal benefits previously denied to same-sex couples.

Oakland Town Hall (in partnership with Oakland Pride and East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club) When: Tuesday, April 7th at 6:00PM Panel Discussion Moderated by Peggy Moore San Jose Town Hall (in partnership with the Billy DeFrank LGBT Center) Wednesday, April 8th at 6:30PM Panel Discussion Moderated by Wiggsy Sivertsen Sacramento Town Hall (in partnership with Sacramento LGBT Community Center) Thursday, April 9th at 6:30PM Panel Discussion Moderated by Rob Stewart Light refreshments served.

For more information on these Town Halls, visit: http://www.ncpssmfoundation.org/Portals/0/know-your-rights-initiative-california.pdf To RSVP, please email knowyourrightsca@gmail.com.

National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare Foundation 10 G Street NE, Suite 600 • Washington, DC 20002 202.216.8444 • www.ncpssmfoundation.org

Know Your Rights/California has been generously funded by The California Wellness Foundation

BAY T IM ES M ARC H 19, 2015

7

Money and Finance

Seven Essential Things You Need to Know About Social Security and 1954). It increases by two months per year for those born between 1955 and 1959. For those born in 1960 or later, full retirement age is currently defined as 67.

Money Matters Brandon Miller, CFP As more baby boomers reach retirement age, they’re realizing the valuable role Social Security will play as a source of lifetime income.

Claiming Social Security benefits can be far more complex than you may realize. Here are seven essential things about Social Security to understand as you determine how Social Security will fit into your overall retirement income strategy:

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Thursday, March 26, 6 -7:30 p.m.

Hospice by the Bay 180 Redwood St., Suite 350 • San Francisco Who decides what happens to your assets after your death and how does it work? Learn about choosing successor trustees and fiduciaries to implement your estate plan, and how to make choices to prepare for a smooth transfer of assets – large and small – to intended beneficiaries, limiting administrative hurdles, cost and heartache.

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1. You can start claiming benefits anytime between ages 62 and 70.

When you’re working and paying Social Security taxes (via your paycheck), you earn credit toward your Social Security retirement benefits. To qualify for these benefits, you need to contribute at least 40 credits to the system, which is typically 10 working years (although it does vary). Alternatively, if you have never worked and you’re married to someone who qualifies, you may earn a spousal benefit.

When claiming your own benefit, you can begin receiving Social Security at age 62, or delay receiving Social Security up to your 70th birthday.

2. Full retirement age is changing.

The age to qualify for a “full” retirement benefit from Social Security used to be 65. Now it is up to 66 (for those born between 1943

Photos by RINK

BAY TIMES MARCH 1 9 , 2 0 1 5

5. There may be a long-term advantage if a higher-earning spouse delays Social Security.

If the higher earning spouse is older (or has more health concerns that could affect longevity), it may make sense to delay taking Social Security as long as possible up to age 70.

When the spouse with the higher benefit dies, the surviving spouse will collect the higher benefit that was

7. Benefits you earn may be subject to tax.

According to the Social Security Administration, about one-third of people who receive Social Security have to pay income tax on their benefits. You may want to consult a tax professional to determine what impacts this will have on your overall benefits.

These essential points are just a beginning. There’s much more to consider. Consult with your financial advisor, tax professional, your local Social Security office and/or Social Security’s website (www.ssa.gov) to find out more before you make your final decisions about when to first claim Social Security benefits.

Brandon Miller, CFP, is a financial consultant at Brio Financial Group, A Private Wealth Advisory Practice of Ameriprise Financial Inc. in San Francisco, specializing in helping LGBT individuals and families plan and achieve their financial goals.

Celebrating 35 years since its founding in 1980, Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom (BALIF) held its annual gala event on Friday, March 13, at Terra Gallery.

This year’s format featured a cocktail party with food stations and an awards program.

Event co-chairs Nick Clements and Mario Choi joined BALIF board co-chairs Jamie Dupree and John Robert Unruh in welcoming guests and VIP attendees. Senator Mark Leno and Assemblyman David Chiu presented proclamations, and awards were presented to the honorees, former Assemblyman Tom Ammiano and the GLBT Historical Society representing board member David Reichard.

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4. Spousal benefits give married couples extra flexibility.

If both spouses worked, they each can receive benefits based on their own earnings history. However, a lower earning spouse can choose to base a benefit on the higher earning spouse’s income. A spousal benefit equals 50% of the other spouse’s benefit. Note that if you claim a spousal benefit before full retirement age, it will be reduced. The maximum spousal benefit you can collect is by taking the benefit at your full retirement age (based on the benefit your spouse would earn at his or her full retirement age). You also can choose to collect a spousal benefit initially and delay taking your own benefit, allowing your benefit amount to increase. Then you can claim your benefit when you turn 70.

6. Claiming benefits early while still working can reduce your benefit.

If you begin claiming Social Security before your full retirement age but continue to earn income, your Social Security benefit could be reduced. If your earnings are above a certain level ($15,720 in 2015), your Social Security checks will be reduced by $1 for every $2 you earned in income above that threshold. In the year you reach full retirement age, that threshold amount changes. $1 is deducted for every $3 earned above $41,880 up to the month you reach full retirement age. Once you reach full retirement age, you can earn as much income as you want with no reduction in your Social Security benefits.

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3. The longer you wait, the larger your benefit will be.

The amount of your benefit depends on the age you choose to begin receiving Social Security. For example, if you collect beginning at 62 and your full retirement age is 66, your benefit will be about 25 percent lower. On the flip side, your benefit will increase by about 8 percent each year you delay taking Social Security after your full retirement age up to your 70th birthday.

earned by the deceased spouse. The higher the deceased spouse’s benefit, the larger the monthly check for the surviving spouse.

Sister Dana Sez: Words of Wisdumb from a Fun Nun

By Sister Dana Van Iquity Sister Dana sez, “March Madness has begun. Ask me if I care at all about basketball. I care less. But all you b-ball fans, go mad! Dribble Dribble...”

Sister Dana sez, “Also, March Mustache Madness has begun. A madness I CAN get behind. It’s the celebration of the mustache held every March.”

In the continuing saga of FACEBOOK TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS, not only are well known drag names verboten with CEO Herr Zuckerberg, but now F-book is attacking our veteran queer humorist/ activist since being published in the ‘70s almost weekly in the SF Chronicle’s Herb Caen column and elsewhere on planet earth: my good friend, STRANGE DE JIM! Even though he can prove he is who he claims he is, F-book is censoring him. Keep in mind, his official Facebook card has his SdJ proudly embossed; Senator Mark Leno officially proclaimed SdJ Day in SF, and all Strange’s credit cards use that name. Why do we allow this stoooopid social networking device to tell us WHO and WHO WE ARE NOT?! By the way, Eff book is also attacking Native American names.

Reeeeeeally??!

THE 2015 NITEY AWARDS, presented by SITE AND SOUND, a

California 501c3 nonprofit that advocates for music and art and the creation of its content, celebrated excellence in creative content and patron experience in the nightlife industry. The ceremony was held in the Regency Center Grand Ballroom with lots of pre-show entertainment by Veronica Klaus, Gypsy Love, Caroline Lund, Kippy Marks, and Ms. Leah Jackson, as well as a sideshow of circus folk, freaks, and insane asylum drag nurses. What stood out most was one of the presenters for Best Gay Bar, Barbara LiuMcCowell, as “Fifty Shades of Gay” (a takeoff of the “Grey” movie), wearing 50 different colors of cruising code hankies as a bustle, rainbow handcuffs, a riding crop, a big rainbow tie, and rainbow mask. Clever! The event was beautifully emceed by Renee Richardson & Liam Mayclem.

There were too many categories to list, so I am narrowing down to those of queer (i.e. Sister Dana’s) interest. Best Sports Bar = HiTops; Most Notable Drag Queen = Arturo Galster aka Patsy Cline (in memoriam); Best Gay Bar = Lookout; Best Gay Dance Club = Beaux; Best New Venue = Masonic Auditorium; Best Small Dance Club = Cat Club; Best Large Dance Club = DNA; and Best Large Live Music Venue = Fillmore. The late, great Cookie Dough aka Eddie Bell received well deserved special recognition, slides, and remembrance in memoriam.

BALIF GAL A: CELEBR ATING 35 YEARS! was the Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom (BALIF)’s 35th Annual Gala at Terra Gallery.

The event helped fund law student scholarships, mentor programs, CLE, Amicus briefs on LGBTQ issues, LGBTQ recruiting, social events to LGBTQ lawyers, community outreach,

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and much more. BALIF, the oldest and largest LGBT Bar Association in the country, also started the organization that grew to become the now-independent AIDS Legal Referral Panel, which has provided free and low-cost legal assistance to over 50,000 people since it was founded in 1983. BALIF Co-Chairs Jamie Dupree & John Robert Unruh welcomed everyone.

Senator Mark Leno and Assemblyman David Chiu each presented Certificates of Recognition to BALIF. The GLBT Historical Society received the Community Service Award. Former Assemblyman Tom Ammiano received the Legal Service Award. Ammiano commented, “The courts are so much more aligned [with LGBT rights] than they ever have been before.”

We at KREWE DE KINQUE held a fabulous Mardi Gras masked ball, FULL MOON OVER SHANG HAI, at Balancoire; more about that in the next edition of Bay Times, so stay tuned...

CUMMING UP! SE X AND THE CITY LIVE is now playing two of your favorite Sex and the City TV episodes live on stage with four talented drag queen actors through March 28th! The crazy, witty show revolves around the lives of four young professional women in search of the perfect relationship ... and orgasm! Carrie Bradshaw (played by Sue Casa) writes a column about sex and relationships in New York City- with three of her closest friends: Samantha Jones (D’Arcy Drollinger), who owns her own PR firm and is more interested in exciting “one-nighters” than long-term relationships; Miranda Hobbes (Lady Bear), a cynical lawyer who prioritizes her career over her er-

ratic love life, and Charlotte York (Steven LeMay), an art gallery curator who is a bit prudish when it comes to sex, but hasn’t yet lost her faith in finding true love. Yes, I miss Heklina in the Carrie role, but Sue Casa does a sensational job.

In Episode One, Carrie is turning 35, single, and resorting to online dating to find her soul mate. Samantha has fantasies of sex with a monk (but her loss was my gain, as the monk ( Jordan Wheeler) gave me a wicked lap dance). Miranda needs to stop faking orgasms. Charlotte has her troubles as well. In Episode Two, Carrie finds her lover has way too much “stuff” when he moves in, and has the audacity to ask her to clean out her closet of clothes and shoes. The girls discuss their SSB (secret single behavior) when alone.

Samantha is sleeping with her wellendowed boss and trying NOT to have a relationship with him. Miranda is a horny pregnant woman now. Charlotte is a childless wife of a husband who has given up on trying for a baby.

The show is brilliantly directed by D’Arcy Drollinger with kooky sound effects and many quick scenery changes.

Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, 7pm at Oasis Nightclub & Cabaret, 298 11th Street, boxoffice@sfoasis.com (415) 795-3180. 21 and over only (there is some cheeky bare butt exposure).

PEACHES CHRIST PRODUCTIONS proudly presents the World Premiere Pre-Show Parody Spectacular, THE WITCHES OF EAST BAY and the classic film, The Witches Of Eastwick starring Cher, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Jack Nicholson. Miss Coco Peru, Chad Michaels, Peaches Christ & Thomas Dekker are three sea-

soned queens and one horny devil, live at the Castro Theatre, March 21st , 3pm & 8pm. Prepare to get witchslapped! peacheschrist.com THE SA N FR A NCISCO LES BIAN GAY BISEXUAL TRANSGENDER ( LGBT) COM M UNITY CENTER is proud to host SOIREE 2015: LIMITLESS, a festive event that helps to fund programs and initiatives that address the most challenging issues facing the community today – ones that stem from statistics including a 70% unemployment rate among transgender individuals, 40% of homeless youth identifying as LGBT, housing and job search challenges, and a recent report showing elevated violence in the community. Funds raised are wholly devoted to addressing these problems. Soiree 2015 will take place on Saturday, March 28th, 6pm to midnight at the City View at Metreon with hosted bar and food, and a futuristic atmosphere sure to dazzle. Individual tickets are $125 each and VIP tickets at $225 each. Tix and info at soiree2015. eventbrite.com PASSION is more than a concert by SF GAY MEN’S CHORUS; it’s a celebration of life! Crossing three different centuries with truly stunning music, “Passion” includes the San Francisco premiere of Jake Heggie’s “For a Look or a Touch,” and the fabulous world premieres of Steve Huffines’ “My Friend, My Lover: Five Walt Whitman Songs” and “#twitterlieder: 15 Tweets in 3 Acts,” by composer James Eakin III and librettist Charles Anthony Silvestri. April 1st and 2nd, 8pm, Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness. sfgmc.org (continued on page 26)

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Reimagining Life many wonderful people to help others to survive. Life has taught me that aging does not mean getting old and feeling depressed. Aging means using all of your insightful experience that has been acquired along the way and transforming your life into a magical experience to reach new goals or to expand your life. Reimagining life is making what could be into what is.

Aging in Community Mikael Wagner As a young man full of life and energy in 1982, I was forced to give up my dreams and ambitions because of a new disease that swept the country.

At the time, physicians told me that as a gay man my chances of surviving were slim to none, and to start making plans and peace with family members.

As I looked around, not wanting the fun and parties that had drawn me to San Francisco to end, I feared that the rumors were true. One by one, two by two, and then 20 by 20, I started to lose my best friends, colleagues, lovers and those whom we called “Gay Moms.”

Being young and rather naïve, I was at a loss and turned to my mother. Normally, she was the last person in the world whom I would turn to for help, but she actually surprised me. She explained to me that we now had a lot in common with each other. Then, the light bulb started to glow brighter with her next words. In the sweetest voice she said, “All of your friends are dying and so are mine. So, let’s figure out this together and how we will survive.” At that time, my mom was the age I am today, and full of life and encouragement for me.

Thirty years later, I am still here using the skills that I learned from so

The most challenging part of aging for me is living in the present and embracing the moment. It’s not easy. I often drift off and think about all the stuff I should have done yesterday, or how am I going to take care of something that seems urgent tomorrow, instead of listening and enjoying what is happening today. There are still days when I feel sad and miss my friends who have moved or transitioned so many years ago. I try to place myself into the old man box, but my happy spirit just will not allow me to do it. With the inclusion of younger friends and colleagues in my life, the one thing they have taught me to do is to be present, not in the past and not in the future. Believe me, it works.

Now when I pass a mirror and look at the person looking back at me, I am flattered instead of thinking, ugh, who is that old man trying to flirt with me. Today, I look into the mirror and smile, thinking about all of the good times that old man has had and all of the adventures that lie ahead for him.

Remember the movie Catch Me If You Can? That is how I feel today.

As a boomer, I am working as hard as I ever did 30 years ago, but the difference is what I share with others. One of my gifts to those who are 50+ or actually any age is helping them to reimagine life and ways to get unstuck and remember to have fun while creating a new life. It’s enjoyable to accept people where they are in life and assist

them in pushing past the boundaries to revisit their dreams. Dreams can include a great vacation, starting a dream business, getting healthy and being physically fit, dating again, taking a class or just doing something that you have always wanted to do but for which you were always told that you were not good enough.

I never thought I would say it, but getting older has helped me to spread my wings, expand my mind, and push beyond the barriers that I created to protect or imprison myself. I am wise enough to know that all sorts of negativity exists in society against those in the LGBT community, against communities of color and against older people in the workforce, but I refuse to be put down because of any of those negative thoughts. The best part about being present and in the moment is to never stop pushing until your goal has been reached.

After living through some amazing times, isn’t it time to expand our horizon and celebrate life with vigor and pride? To quote the late Maya Angelou, my goal is “to be the rainbow in someone else’s cloud.”

Mikael Wagner, a strategic communications practitioner, is principal and managing director of Promotions West, a public relations and health promotions firm based in San Francisco. He is also a California Volunteer Leader with AARP. Dr. Marcy Adelman oversees the Aging in Community column. For her summary of current LGBT senior challenges and opportunities, please go to: sf baytimes.com/ challenges-and-opportunties

Are You More City or Suburban?

Mazda5 vs. the Nissan Murano parking on the street and hoping that passersby will leave your car alone.

Auto Philip Ruth We Bay Area LGBTs are lucky in that we have the choice of different lifestyles—city, suburban or country.

The two vehicles this week reflect the values of the first two, and both seem tailor-made for their likely environments. The Mazda5 (small van) shines in the city, while the new-for-2015 Nissan Murano (car-based crossover) is a fashionable suburban hauler.

Interestingly, they get the same 24mpg EPA mileage rating, even though the Mazda has a 157-horsepower four-cylinder and the Murano has a 260-horsepower V6. Needless to say, the Murano shuts down the Mazda5 in acceleration and passing. But the four-cylinder is typical Mazda in being perky and willing.

Styling is also a Murano win: its flowing lines turned heads everywhere in SF, and the test car’s Pacific Sunset orange paint shone beautifully in the California sun. The Mazda5 is the opposite; it seemed to do its best to fade into the background, which can be a real boon in the city when you’re 10

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The Murano’s interior is colorful and rich. There are three basic themes to choose from, with darker shades of graphite and mocha as alternatives to the test car’s light “cashMazda5 mere” shade. Instead of wood trim, the cashmere Murano has mother-ofpearl patterned trim that impressed all who saw it. At the Murano’s L.A. Auto Show debut, a Nissan rep said it tested very well with women. From what I’ve seen, that goes for gay men, too—it’s a Nissan Murano cool original touch.

Conversely, the Mazda5 checks in with nearly all-black shiny materials.

It functions well and feels tightly assembled, but the Mazda5’s insides can feel pretty dark when the fog rolls in.

Both are roomy, with the Murano having a couple more inches of hip room up front for a broader feel. The Mazda5 switches that in back with its thin sliding doors providing more interior width. Those sliding doors are a real boon when running errands, with no swinging door for which to find clearance in a tight spot. The Mazda5’s third row has decent headroom, but, predictably, legroom is kiddie-grade.

The most telling of the Murano’s suburban aspects is its compromised visibility. The tipped-up dramatic swoop that defines the hood’s base severely restricts the view when you’re climbing

a steep hill; you typically have no idea what’s ahead until you roll into the crosswalk and level out. Again the opposite, the Mazda5 has a low hood and big windows all around, so you can easily see what’s coming and going.

The Murano is popular while the Mazda5 sells in relatively tiny numbers. It’s partly because city-focused cars appeal to a smaller buyer base, but judging from the number of Mazda5s I’ve seen running around SF and Oakland, it’s a small van that has been embraced here. The Murano and Mazda5 are both excellent choices in their respective spaces, and each would be a nice complement to the lifestyles into which they’d fit.

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

BAY T IM ES M ARC H 19, 2015

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A Troublesome Turn-on Roland Schembari and Bill Hartman Co-Founders in 1978 Kim Corsaro Publisher 1981-2011

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Examined Life Tom Moon, MFT Q: Dear Tom: I’ve been with my partner for two years and I love him deeply. He wants to get married, but for me the problem is that we have a good sex life, but not a great one. It’s nice, but there isn’t a lot of passion in it. With my last boyfriend, the sex was off-the-scale hot, but I finally broke up with him because he could never make up his mind that he wanted to stay with me. He was always taking “time outs” and saying, “I’m not sure,” and no matter how much I jumped through the hoops, I couldn’t get him past being forever on the fence. I know that this is a pattern that goes back to my father. My dad

left the family when I was very young, and he went through the motions of having to continue a relationship with me, but his heart wasn’t in it.

Whenever he visited me, he just seemed to be in a hurry to leave, no matter what I did to get his attention.

Chasing guys who aren’t emotionally available has been my pattern my whole life. Now, when I finally do have a guy who totally wants me, there isn’t a lot of passion. Am I settling if I stay with him? – Robert A: Robert: I think that some of the insights of sexologist Jack Morin may help to explain your predicament.

According to Morin, what turns us on is governed by our “core erotic theme,” a template or scenario that is usually learned in response to the emotional climate of our formative years. In your case, your core erotic theme appears to be about pursuit.

You may have eroticized the struggles and challenges of trying to win over people who are indifferent or only mildly interested.

This kind of core erotic theme is what Morin called a “troublesome turn-on” because what causes intense sexual excitement makes it hard to meet

other important needs. Some people, for instance, long intensely to be in a relationship, but are only attracted to others who are already committed.

Others are only turned on in situations in which they’re in potential physical danger. It seems that you acquired your core erotic theme in your struggle to get your father to pay attention to you, and now you are used to chasing guys who aren’t interested. When you’re in a relationship where there aren’t obstacles and struggle, you just don’t get as excited.

One interesting thing about troublesome turn-ons is that, even when the childhood situations that created them are long in the past, the turn-on can remain as strong as ever.

It seems that once sexual arousal has been paired repeatedly with a particular theme, the momentum of the conditioning makes the core erotic theme highly resistant to change. In your case, it sounds as if you’ve stopped chasing emotionally unavailable guys and have let yourself love someone who loves you back.

That’s a huge gain in self-esteem that finally means you can find happiness in your relationships. The trouble is, you’re just not as turned on in

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St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2015 Photos by Steven Underhill stevenunderhill.com

Posters declaring “Irish & Gay,” an SF Pride Committee banner carried by members of Cheer SF, Senator Mark Leno, Supervisor Scott Wiener. All were evidence that the LGBT community was present and accounted for in the 2015 San Francisco St. Patrick’s Day Pride Parade. Held Saturday, March 14, the Parade included spectators and marchers alike proclaiming along the Market Street route: “Erin go Bragh!”

situations where you don’t have to fight for love and attention.

So what do you do? You could dump your current boyfriend and find another guy who will frustrate you emotionally, so that you can have hot sex again, but I’m assuming you agree with me that this would be selfdestructive. Here’s another option: stop thinking of the “hot sex” you had with former boyfriends as the gold standard against which all other sexual experience must be measured, and start to pay more attention to nurturing the “warm sex” you have with your current partner.

Relax into what it feels like to be held by a man who already holds you in his heart, without your having to do anything to earn it. Let yourself take in the sensual subtleties and the deep safety of caressing and holding someone who wants to be right where he is. My hunch is you’ll find that, while warm sex is a different “flavor” of sex than you may be used to, it has a depth and a joy all its own.

Tom Moon is a psychotherapist in San Francisco. For more information, please check out his website: tommoon.net

GLBT Fortnight in Review

By Ann Rostow And the Land We Belong to is Grand!

One of the many antigay proposals now f loating through the Republican majorities in many of America’s state legislatures has been a so-called Religious Freedom initiative out of Oklahoma, which purported to allow businesses to discriminate against gay clientele based on the business owner’s faith. That measure, like several others of its ilk, seems to have failed for the time being. But part of its downfall may be due to a brilliant amendment attached by Democratic state representative Emily Virgin.

Virgin, apparently no innocent when it comes to clever parliamentary machinations, suggested language that would require a business to post a notice, both in the store and online, if said business decides not to allow gay or lesbian customers. Hey, if it’s really based on a deep religious conviction, then of course you’ll have no problem making your antigay policy explicit through a public announcement, right?

Can you imagine? Unfortunately, I’m guessing the same people who would try to force bills like this one down our throats would just as easily kill a “public notice” amendment. But listen.

This is the kind of maneuver that can change the tenor of the debate.

Most Americans (unfortunately) will tell you that a Christian baker shouldn’t have to sell a wedding cake to two men if doing so would offend his or her faith.

But most of these compatriots, in turn, would probably agree that there’s nothing wrong with making the baker put up a sign to indicate that gays aren’t welcome. After all, the baker doesn’t want to serve gays anyway, and it allows the gay people to look for another baker. And yes, we all know what would happen to a small business that displayed this kind of notification (cue: giant “FAIL” sign in block letters).

As a rule, we all hope that these Religious Freedom bills will fail without recourse to poison pills, but if not, this is a sweet one.

Alabama-rama So, as the last issue went to press, I just missed telling you about the whole hoopla out of Alabama, where the state supreme court jumped into action and squashed marriage equality for the next month or so in the Yellowhammer State. Say what, you ask? Didn’t a federal court just legalize marriage in Alabama the week before? And didn’t the High Court itself refuse to put a hold on same-sex marriages while the litigation continues? Um. Yes! Do you even care what happens in Alabama? If not, skip to next section.

Hello thoughtful readers, and welcome to our bonus coverage of marriage in Alabama. I know you’re wondering how a state court, even the state’s highest court, can intervene in a federal case. Aren’t those two different court systems? And doesn’t federal law trump state law anyway? The answer is yes, and yes. But unfortunately, we have something of an anomaly here in Dixieland.

Basically, the marriage equality ruling delivered by the lower federal court a month or so ago should dictate the state’s marriage law. That said, this ruling would normally be reviewed by the relevant federal appellate court, and if necessary, the U.S. Supreme Court.

Instead, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit put a hold on its review pending the High Court’s consideration of four other marriage equality cases later this year.

That left our vulnerable little lower court ruling sitting out there all alone and undefended. When a probate judge in Mobile (basically a county

clerk) refused to abide by its order, a gay couple sued and the court issued a specific injunction, forcing the probate judge to generate a marriage license.

When other probate judges asked if the injunction applied to them, the court noted that, although they weren’t singled out like the guy in Mobile, they could keep enforcing an unconstitutional law at their peril.

At this vaguely confused point, along came some antigay groups with no stake in the federal case whatsoever, asking the state supreme court to order the rest of the Alabama probate judges to refuse to issue same-sex marriage licenses. Just because. Because this is Alabama, the justices complied, and there’s really nothing to be done about it except to…wait for it…file more lawsuits! Which, since we’re no slouches in this department, we have done. Just the other day, as a matter of fact, the original judge refused to let that aforementioned Mobile probate judge off the hook, and reiterated that her previous injunction against the antigay marriage law remained in force regardless of the antics of the state supreme court (which she agreed were “dizzying”).

Meanwhile, the National Center for Lesbian Rights is pursuing a class action suit on behalf of all same-sex couples in the state.

It’s a Date Hey, I’m with you, slacker readers!

Who cares about Alabama? I didn’t even write the rest of that last section myself, but I let my new app do it for me. You just plug in the subject and the word count, enter your account number and presto! It’s done. It’s pretty good, but you have to admit, it lacks a certain je ne sais quoi.

Now, I’d be remiss not to mention that the U.S. Supreme Court has picked Tuesday, April 28, as the date for arguments on marriage equality. In a break from tradition, the justices will release oral transcripts to the public starting at 2pm, just four hours after the 10am start. I am not sure exactly who will be arguing on our behalf, or for how long. But I’m hoping that we don’t send four separate lawyers down to argue the four separate cases under review.

Actually, there may be four cases before the justices, but there are only two questions for the Court to consider.

First, must a state contract same-sex marriages? Second, must a state recognize a marriage contracted outside its borders? If memory serves, the main question of marriage equality will be debated for 90 minutes, while the secondary question of marriage recognition will get an hour.

I hear you out there in Reader-land. “If memory serves? Ann, how hard would it be to check on the Supreme Court’s time allotments? Are you really that lazy? Do we mean so little to you?”

But friends, I write to you from the front seat of a car, hurtling north on IH 35 on my way from Austin to Topeka.

There’s no checking anything until our next rest stop, maybe two hours from now after we cross the Red River.

(Confirming that memory served me right! Oh, and they have pretty decent margaritas at the Applebee’s in Ardmore, Oklahoma.)

tury. Where did it even come from to begin with? Cannibals? Lobsters? I will look it up after the Red River. It’s called the Red River, by the way, due to the orange-colored clay characteristic of southern Oklahoma.

At any rate, the Michigan pastor was musing about homosexuality to his parishioners, and attempting to argue that once you think you might be gay, the best thing to do is simply not to act on the offensive discovery. Much as if you suddenly come to see yourself as an ax murderer, you would presumably want to squelch the instinct. If you’ll allow me to play devil’s advocate for a moment, I think there’s a distinction between making this (assuredly unpalatable) point using the analogy of an ax murderer and “comparing” gay and transgender people to ax murderers in the sense of saying: “gay people are almost as bad as ax murderers!” Not much of a distinction, but a small one.

As for the use of “hot water,” it’s the sort of thing you say about a husband who forgets his wife’s anniversary, or a high school kid on prom night who comes home at three in the morning.

It’s a little jarring used here, don’t you think? It’s like: “Frat boys in the doghouse with school authorities for racist chant.”

It just occurred to me that in a few hours I will be driving past the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman, scene of the frat boy chant. Shortly thereafter, I’ll be in close proximity to the state legislature in Oklahoma City, perhaps spittin’ distance from Emily Virgin and her colleagues. It’s as if I’m driving through my column! At present, for the record, I am passing the exit into downtown Ft. Worth. Cowtown.

Mooo.

www.marcumllp.com Nanette Lee Miller 415.432.6200 I nanettelee.miller@marcumllp.com International Member of Leading Edge Alliance

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ADVISORY

Marching Madness What else is new? Well, much was made of the fact that we finally got a gay section into the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Boston. This whole thing reminds me of the Boy Scout issue. For one thing, we took both conflicts to the Supreme Court back in the day and lost. For another, by the time the institutions caved, nobody cared. Strike that. I personally didn’t care. Maybe lots of other people did.

Here’s the thing. Back in the fin de siecle, we GLBTs were surrounded by hatred and exclusion. Yet things had been getting a little better, making continued prejudice less tolerable. Those smarmy nasty parade people were infuriating.

The pompous scouts with their holierthan-thou all American pretensions made you want to slap them. With more people coming out, we were able to corral scores of openly gay Irish and dozens of current and former gay Eagle Scouts and off to court we went.

“A Michigan pastor is in hot water after comparing gay and transgender people to ax murderers in a sermon.”

I was struck by the use of the expression “hot water,” a term that already sounds like something my grandchildren will think of as dating from the 19th Cen-

Ironically, both the Boston parade and the scouts have had to tread water in the public disgust that rose up and (continued on page 26)

Happily, I have taken some notes, so I am not without fodder for our journey through recent GLBT news. Take, for example, the link line of an article on the New York Daily News website that reads as follows:

We are proud to be nationally recognized by our peers and the media as the first national firm to launch a LGBT practice ‒ we make it our business to understand our clients’ unique needs.

(Postscript: an expression involving “hot water” was first documented in the 1500s, but it referred to “costing” hot water. In our case for example: “Bad analogy could cost a Michigan pastor hot water.” That’s all I got.)

We may have been too hasty in the case of the Parade. In its ruling, the High Court said parade organizers control the speech of the formal participants, a decision that makes sense for us as well.

Individual gay marchers have always been allowed in any parade. It was only an official gay float that was banned in Boston. Yet, would we ourselves want to be forced to welcome a Westboro Baptist Church float into a pride parade? Of course not. Well, whatever.

The Boy Scouts ruling, in turn, was a travesty, a tightrope walk over freedom of expressive association that saw gay bias as a virtually harmless coincidence of laudable scouting fellowship.

Just Say No to Ax Murder

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13

Making the Case for Equality at the Supreme Court

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Over the last few weeks, our community and allies have made an irrefutable case to the United States Supreme Court for the freedom to marry nationwide and full equality under the Constitution for LGBT people. In addition to the powerful briefs the plaintiff couples filed in the cases, the Court received over 70 amicus (or friend of the court) briefs supporting equality. Marriage Equality USA filed one of those amicus briefs. We encourage readers to look at all the briefs; below are some highlights of the brief MEUSA filed with the Court.

Empowering LGBTQ people to tell their own stories and to advocate in their own voices has always been a central mission of MEUSA. In our brief, LGBT couples across the country, from Florida to Iowa to Oregon, reveal how discrimination has harmed them and how equality has brought them personal dignity and legal protections that they had never had before.

Voices include an LGBT couple in their 90s, who for 70 years told no one of their relationship until they decided to marry; a young LGBT couple, raising four children, who had been unable to live together as a family because of their home state’s law that excludes same-sex couples from marrying—marriage equality coming to their state meant that they could finally live together as a family; an LGBT couple who married in California where they made their home for years, but when the Great Recession hit needed to move to live with family in a state without equality. In the process, that former California couple lost not just their jobs and their home, but they also lost full recognition and respect from others for their marriage.

A central theme of our brief is that Americans’ right to marry and to have their government accord them the highest respect and recognition for their relationship should derive inherently from their humanity and not the particularities of their gender, gender identity or sexual orientation.

The brief also stresses the importance of the freedom to marry and LGBT equality being federal constitutional rights, enforceable in all 50 states and all U.S. territories. When we do not have equal rights wherever we go in the country, we are deprived of part of our identity as members of the national community to which we are entitled as Americans.

The voices in the brief also describe how the dignity that the freedom to marry instills in LGBT Americans is not just the pride of getting married,

but the dignity that our government is finally treating us as equal human beings as LGBT people, something many of us had never experienced before. In the brief, Leigh Hessel recounts her wedding in California to her longtime partner Candace Krueger and describes: “As we took our marriage vows and exchanged our rings, we realized that we had never thought these words would ever apply to us as lesbians. Finally, they did…We and our community had finally arrived. ” That dignity is incomplete unless LGBT people receive the same measure of respect in every way in which they interact with the government.

Being able to marry does little for an LGBT state employee if their state can turn around and fire them as soon as they say, “I do.” It does little for a family, headed by LGBT parents, if their home state that grants them a marriage license can deny them joint adoption of their child.

This year’s landmark cases present the Supreme Court with the opportunity to say once and for all that the liberty and equality guarantees of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution extend fully to LGBT Americans. In its decision holding that so-called “sodomy” laws were unconstitutional, the Supreme Court described how those who drafted the Fourteenth Amendment knew that “time can blind us to certain truths, and later generations can see that laws once thought necessary and proper, in fact, serve only to oppress.

As the Constitution endures, persons in every generation can invoke (continued on page 26)

The Sky, the Tides and the Winds of the Heavens but in allowing life to flow, and living wholly with one another in each new moment as it comes.

3. Your love is strengthened by each of you being able to follow your own star and to be your own person, and acknowledging that in the other.

From Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke:

Weddings Reverend Elizabeth River From our greatest poets and writers comes some of the most profound wisdom about marriage and lasting love. Howard Steiermann’s article in the last issue of the San Francisco Bay Times reminded me of this, as he quoted song lyrics from The Sound of Music and a wonderful poem by James Kavanaugh.

Have you noticed how much great poetry, in describing the ineffable or indefinable (things like God, love, and eternity), uses images from nature? Here are quotations I like from three wonderful writers, illustrating some important truths about love and permanency in marriage. (And do note all of the nature imagery!)

The pieces bring forth at least three truths.

1. In the closest of loves, you must accept one another’s uniqueness and uphold and support each other in your separateness.

2. Security in marriage does not come from holding on to what was, 18

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The point of marriage is not to create a quick commonality by tearing down all boundaries; on the contrary, a good marriage is one in which each partner appoints the other to be the guardian of his solitude, and thus they show each other the greatest possible trust…once the realization is accepted that even between the closest people infinite distances exist, a marvelous living side-by-side can grow up for them, if they succeed in loving the expanse between them, which gives them the possibility of always seeing each other as a whole and before an immense sky.

From A Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh: When you love someone, you don’t love them all the time in exactly the same way, from moment to moment.

It is impossible; it is even a lie to pretend to. And yet this is exactly what most of us demand. We have so little faith in the ebb and f low of life, of love, of relationships. We leap at the flow of the tide and resist in terror at its ebb. We are afraid it will never return. We insist on permanency, or duration, on continuity; when the only continuity possible in life as in love, is in growth, in fluidity, in freedom.

Security in a relationship lies neither in looking back to what it was with nostalgia, nor forward to what it might be in dread or anticipation, but living in the present relationship and accepting it as it is now. For relationships must be like islands; one must accept them for what they are here and now, within their limits: islands, surrounded and interrupted by the sea, and continually visited and abandoned by the tides. One must accept the ebb and flow of intermittency.

Excerpts from “On Marriage” in The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran: You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.

You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.

But let there be spaces in your togetherness, And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

Love one another, but make not a bond of love.

Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

And stand together, yet not too near together.

For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.

Reverend Elizabeth River is an ordained Interfaith Minister based in the North Bay. For more information, please visit marincoastweddings.com

Vision Is the Art of Seeing Things Invisible ARIES (March 21–April 19) Take action, Aries. “Wishy-washy” is a woeful color on you. Pull the trigger on plans that propel your passions, and lay unnecessary burdens to rest.

Astrology Gypsy Love When Jim Carrey was young, his father became unemployed and the family moved into a van on their relative’s lawn. Everyday after school, Carrey worked an eight-hour shift to help ends meet. One day, the struggling comic drove his jalopy to Hollywood. Dreaming of his future, he wrote himself a $10 million check, post-dated it 10 years “for acting services rendered,” and kept it in his wallet. Before ten years had passed, Carey was averaging $20 million per film. The stars suggest a similar phenomenon for us all. Get gutsy with your goals now. After all, “Vision is the art of seeing things invisible.” ( Jonathan Swift)

you to channel creative talents more productively.

sion now. Don’t dis your instincts. When in doubt, love loudly.

VIRGO (August 23–September 22) Hands up, Virgo! Surrender the need to control your surroundings. You’re balancing on the brink of some incredible developments. Reap better rewards by releasing your attachment to the outcome.

CAPRICORN (December 22–January 19) Cut the cord, Capricorn. These pesky growing pains are deeply rooted in your past. Take appropriate steps to free yourself from outdated childhood conditioning. Call your own shots.

LIBRA (September 23–October 22) Look back, Libra. Projects and procedures that commenced long ago are overdue for review. Scrap systems that no longer serve. It’s time to “shape up or ship out.”

AQUARIUS ( January 20–February 18) Live and learn, Aquarius. Celestial signals urge you to reexamine your social circle. Some people activate your inner light, while others suck you dry. Be sure to recognize the difference.

CANCER ( June 21–July 22) Dream big, Cancer! Long-term goals get a bountiful boost now. Reorganize your daily routine so you reserve time to refine your craft. Don’t gloss over the details.

SCORPIO (October 23–November 21) The material plane may mislead you, Scorpio. Redefine your core values now. Amidst all of this financial tension, you could be taking priceless gifts for granted.

PISCES (February 19–March 20) Consider your professional purpose, Pisces.

Does this current situation connect the dots between your heart and your head? If not, now’s an auspicious time to synchronize the two.

LEO ( July 23–August 22) Live the life you love, Leo. Seek guidance from experienced gurus in your ideal field now. The planets are paving a pathway for

SAGITTARIUS (November 22–December 21) Show us what you’ve got, Sagittarius! Astrologically, you’re stimulated to sample new modes of self-expres-

TAURUS (April 20–May 20) Settle your debts, Taurus. The planets are lovingly aligned to liberate you from fiscal fixations. Make an effort to restore balance now. The solution is surprisingly simple.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Face facts, Gemini. You’re ready to restructure a cumbersome commitment. Is this arrangement feeding your soul or fueling your frustration? Assert your boundaries.

Gypsy Love Productions is dedicated to inspiring love and unity with music, dance, and astrology. www.GypsyLoveProductions.com

As Heard on the Street . . .

What is your favorite LGBT travel destination? compiled by Rink

Doug McAllister

Dipti Ghosh

David Bergerac

Donna Sachet

Meggy Gotuaco

“Bora Bora.”

“Vietnam and Cambodia.”

“Palm Springs.”

“Puerto Vallarta.”

“Paris.”

Steven Underhill

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Cris Williamson - 40th Anniversary of ‘The Changer and the Changed’ Photos by Jane Higgins

Standing room only, sold out audiences filled Berkeley’s famous Freight & Salvage performance venue for a January weekend of back to back concerts celebrating 40 years of music and community since the release of Cris Williamson’s landmark album The Changer and The Changed. Olivia Records released the album in 1975 and it quickly became one of the most successful recordings of the time, sparking the genre that would become known as Women’s Music.

Introduced on stage at The Freight by Judy Dlugacz of Olivia, Cris performed both solo and accompanied sets, including every song from the The Changer album. Her “Changer Band” consisted of stars in their own right: Vicki Randle, Barbara Higbie, Julie

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Wolf, Woody Simmons, Shelley Doty and Gina Breedlove.

Appearing as surprise guest artists were Linda Tillery, Melanie DeMore and the Sarah Bush Dance Project. Also featured was the premiere of a photography exhibit by renowned photographer Irene Young (SF Bay Times, January 8, 2015) that included historic images of Women’s Music artists (ireneyoung foto.com).

Upcoming Events: Cris Williamson performs The Changer Concert aboard Olivia Travel’s Alaska Inside Passage & Glaciers Cruise, May 13-20, 2015 (oliviatravel.com). Sarah Bush Dance Project presents Rocked by Women 2015, May 9-10, Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, Oakland (sarahbushdance.com).

#KateClinton2015 Happy 40th Anniversary to the Changer, Cris Williamson, from one of the gratefully Changed.

Arts & Entertainment

Cris Williamson’s Transformative Power Endures

For fans, we are preaching to the chorus. For the rest of you, do yourself a huge favor by purchasing that remarkable aforementioned album and the 25 or so other extraordinary albums that she has recorded over the years, including her latest, Pray Tell. You’ll soon discover why her music is sung around campfires and in places of worship, why her albums are part of the curriculum for women’s studies courses, why she is sampled by hip hop artists, and why midwives play her songs as they welcome new lives into the world. Yes, she is that good!

In the meantime, we hope that you enjoy the below interview that Williamson graciously granted for us ahead of performances in Massachusetts, Maine and New York. She’ll be returning to California in June for the Kate Wolf Music Festival in Laytonville and a series of songwriting workshops at Big Sur, and she’s also performing on an Olivia cruise to Alaska this May. Note that Olivia Records was Williamson’s brainchild, so we couldn’t do this special Olivia issue without including her.

San Francisco Bay Times: Your music connects so deeply with so many.

“Hand on You” from your latest compilation, for example, exhibits such a keen understanding of what it’s like for children to grow up never knowing hands of kindness and love. Is empathy itself a part of your spiritual practice?

Cris Williamson: First of all, thank you so much for noticing that particular song and its particular message. I wanted to take that hands-on practice in families and reconfigure it in the kindest, most loving of ways. I honestly believe that loving hands can teach all living creatures how to accept and learn about kindness, and drive violence further from those lives.

Loving-kindness, Compassion, Equanimity and Joy—the four unlimited qualities are part of my daily practice. Practice never makes perfect. Rather, it leads endlessly, one moment after another, to the next part of the practice, the next obstacle, the next teacher, the next wisdom. These qualities have a Forever quality about them, never conquered, always rising in one way or another to teach and challenge us.

So...yes, empathy is so important to me. I despair sometimes when I am near a lack of it, but then, something will appear and revive it in my soul. I think—and it’s just thinking on my part—that I am empathetic by nature. I hope so.

San Francisco Bay Times: Thinking again of connection, we are struck by how—even with tremendous success and a very large following—you have never lost touch with your audiences.

There is no music industry exec(s), high tech set design, or other major barrier standing between you and your listeners. From the purchasing of your music, to people singing along at shows,

it’s a very personal experience. Have you worked to maintain that, or is the more direct approach something that just evolved? In any case, it speaks to your fearlessness (due to inherent vulnerability), honesty and integrity as an artist.

Cris Williamson: As you say, Connection and the realization that all things are interconnected is my world. It’s that belief that keeps me honest in my intention, that keeps me Present, which reminds me that whoever comes gets the Show. It is tempting to measure oneself by the numbers: how many people come, how many CDs you sell, how popular you are, etc. These things are transient, and not part of what endures.

I am after that, that which endures, and in the long run, I am the only one who knows what is open and what is closed in the room of my life.

I work on disarming myself and opening fearful, closed places...therefore, remaining visible and vulnerable. It’s risky to be sure, but so alive!

I am practicing listening to the stories of people who love my music, who come up to me and have something to impart, something that turned and changed in them when they heard my music. Because that is a miraculous thing to me, this changing power, I stay still, I listen, and I am able to receive the gifts people are there to give me...some sort of echolocation of my being here. Music is personal, and must remain so. I think, as you suggest, it is something that has evolved as I’ve grown into my Self, and shed fears along the way. I have no skill for anything except being myself, singing myself, giving myself. It all leads to believability, a kind of opening of the skin, a becoming porous, audience and performer alike. That leads to Equanimity.

San Francisco Bay Times: We love this from you, about songwriting: “I always carry a small book and pen in case something should strike my fancy. The trick is to capture the fancy-striker, to catch it in order to release it eventually into the world...as a song. I am a scribe, a hunter- gatherer, a fisher person, a dog on the hunt. Once I am on the track of something, the feeling of excitement grows and grows.”

Please share a bit more about that feeling of excitement, and what it’s like for you to develop a song and then send it out into the world. Are you working on material now that is giving you this sensation?

Cris Williamson: This feeling of excitement is just the coolest thing! I’ve trained myself to be a catcher, to always be looking and listening for the next lyrical idea. I work from words to music almost exclusively. (I can work the other way, but this way is my favorite). Conversations I overhear can lead to an idea. Titles, and headlines, and a radio story can lead to a song.

And now when I write the words, I hear the music and feel the rhythm. I write down the idea, a sketch of sorts. Later, I go to my books and glean my fields. I gather here and there and put the ideas I’ve collected in one place— often on my computer. The words have a kind of solidity on the computer page for some reason, and I can often see patterns emerging.

That’s what songs are anyway...patterns. I pay attention to the niggling feeling that says, “This is not quite right.” And I tinker with that spot, that part of the pattern that does not hold the water the way I want and need it to. Songs are

PHOTO BY IRENE YOUNG

Like a great prophet, perhaps Cris Williamson’s coming was foretold. Not in the Biblical sense, but by the Greek poet Sappho, or the lesbians featured in Renaissance engravings, or within the passionate writings of Saint Hildegard von Bingen, or in the hearts of any lesbian anywhere who longed for someone who could express their deepest truths and, in doing so, might liberate their very souls. That’s clearly a tall order, but Williamson delivered, and continues to do so 40 years after her landmark album The Changer and the Changed became one of the best-selling independent releases of all time.

made things, but still, and yet, there is Mystery to it. I am so thankful for the Mystery and do not wish to disturb it or crack the Code.

San Francisco Bay Times: “Sanctuary,” the first track of your latest release, is such a beautiful song and concept. Do you find sanctuary in the music of others? Who are some of the artists, and what are some of the songs that have comforted you and given you hope?

Cris Williamson: Oh, where to begin...where to end. Almost all music inspires me, all kinds of patterns and styles. Sometimes I think I love folk music the best; sometimes I think I love classical music the best; sometimes I think rock & roll is the key to the world; sometimes, it’s bird songs that fill my heart with Joy. Bach, and Beethoven, Chopin, Judy Collins and Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Etta James, Getz/Gilberto, Brubeck Gillian Welch, Laura Nyro,

Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra, all my pals in the women’s music movement, everything I listened to growing up, everything I hear now. I know I’ve not named everyone and I can’t possibly list them all! Hope and comfort and total joy have been found for me in the song of the Western Meadowlark. It’s the bird of my childhood and brings with it always the best feelings in the world...and Sanctuary.

San Francisco Bay Times: You’ve probably answered this a million times, but we couldn’t find the information, so here goes: When did you first begin to play music and did a friend or family member encourage/ inspire this early interest? Please also share a bit about how life in Colorado and Wyoming (continued on page 27) BAY T IM ES M ARC H 19, 2015

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Inspired by Cris Williamson, Singer/Songwriter Rachel Garlin Crafts Her Own Unique Sound

It is hard not to be charmed by Rachel Garlin’s lyrical ease.

Influenced by Cris Williamson, Garlin reminds us that great storytelling still exists in today’s music.

The mental images that she weaves, from a lonely dog (“Five Minutes”) to airport drama (“Airplane Love Letter”), both connect with listeners and pique curiosity. This is music to cozy up to, when you can quiet your mind and escape into the songs.

We are lucky that Garlin lives right here in San Francisco with her wife

and two young boys. She grew up in Berkeley, but later moved to New York and traveled extensively. Her forthcoming release, Wink at July, takes us to varied settings: the isles of Scotland, the subways of New York and the hills of the Bay Area.

The album, which comes out next month, also hosts a cast of characters with whom we can relate to in unexpected ways. Some of them are undoubtedly Garlin herself, but others are drawn from stories she has absorbed during her work as an educator and artist.

Thank You, Cris Williamson It was 11:30pm and I was sitting in the parking lot of the last-call post office at the San Francisco Airport, trying to get a batch of my new CDs into the mail before midnight. The car radio was tuned to KPFA and, lucky for me, Cris Williamson happened to be on the air. The mother of the women’s music movement, and the singer-songwriter whose shoulders so many of us are standing on, was talking to the interviewer, Derk Richardson, about her experience starting out in the 1970s, forging a new path for women.

As for her live performances, they bring together a natural stage presence and the same folk, rock, roots and bluegrass sensibilities that can be heard on her recordings. Maybe you’ll hear a touch of Cris Williamson in there too? We were delighted when Garlin agreed to share her thoughts about Williamson, so please read on!

Cris Williamson performs at the 40th Anniversary The Changer and the Changed concert at Freight & Salvage in Berkeley.

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PHOTO BY JANE HIGGINS

As I watched planes land and circle around to their gates, Derk played a track from Cris’s landmark album, The Changer and the Changed. I put my own CDs aside and sat back to listen.

To say that Cris delivers the truth is a bit of an understatement, but the words she spoke on the radio that night rang particularly true for me.

She said that women following the indie singer-songwriter path today don’t fully understand how much of the map had to be drawn from scratch, way back when, in order for

By Rachel Garlin

women’s voices to get out there. She spoke warmly about her contemporaries from the early years at Olivia Records, and described how they locked the door of the studio while they learned the trades of recording, mixing and producing. It sounded powerful and exciting to me, but I also felt their struggle. There were real roadblocks and exclusions, ones that younger generations can only vaguely imagine.

the same concepts of mutual support and teamwork that were essential ingredients for the very survival for women musicians in the beginning.

So, as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Changer and the Changed, let me add my voice to the ones saying: Thank you. To Cris and all of the people who helped carve out a space for women in the world of music.

As a singer-songwriter today, I’m struck by the many ways in which my contemporaries and I benefit from the very community that Cris helped to create. There are also direct ways in which we emulate and reproduce the circles of the past.

The San Francisco Airport post office is a lonely place at midnight.

But even as the parking lot emptied, the planes continued to land, take off, and circle around with powerful engines and visible jet-streams in the cold night air. I walked my batch of CDs into the lobby and watched as the mail clerk applied the date stamp to each addressed envelope. Bye-bye CDs…I hope you know where you’re going and that you remember where you came from, too.

Recently, a friend of mine and I started a weekly women’s song circle.

It almost seemed like a novel idea in today’s context, but, of course, it’s not, and perhaps at a deeper level we wanted to stay connected to what our foremothers so intentionally began: a cultural space where there is power in women’s words and voices. In our song circle, we build on

Visit Rachel Garlin’s website to learn more about her and her music: rachelgarlin.com

An Honest Liar Entertainingly Debunks Conmen As It Reveals Its Own Surprises psychics don’t say, “I’m going to fool you.” They say, “I’m in touch with Jesus, the spirits, and can see the future and the past.” They take money under false pretenses, and cripple people by causing them mental anguish and deceiving them without care if they harm them. Tell them to throw away their medicine as Popoff did.

Film Gary M. Kramer There’s a sucker born every minute, perhaps, but there are all too few people who try to expose the swindlers, charlatans, and con men who deceive them. A magician, like James “The Amazing” Randi—the subject of the fantastic documentary, An Honest Liar, which opens March 20—is one such debunker. Directors Tyler Measom and Justin Weinstein show how Randi relentlessly challenged the fake psychic and paranormal claims of folks including mentalist Uri Geller and faith healer Peter Popoff, who use trickery to con people.

I recently spoke via Skype with Randi and his partner, artist Jose Alvarez.

Gary M. Kramer: What can you say about being a “skeptical magician”?

James “The Amazing” Randi: Magicians are honest folks: they deceive you the same way an actor fools you. I am an actor as a magician.

I play the part of a magician. If you see Hamlet and at the end of the play the actor said, “I really am a Prince of Denmark,” you would be insulted.

But there are folks who say they can look at the stars and tell you the name of your firstborn. Why do people believe one thing and not the other? The

Jose Alvarez: People turn to folks like Popoff because they are desperate and think they have no choice. They will try anything, and that’s when these evil people come and take advantage of it. It’s not a lack of intelligence of the “victims”; they are at a moment in their lives when they want to have their spirits uplifted. They need to believe.

Gary M. K ramer: Jose, as t he f il m shows, you worked with Randi by pretending to be a channeler na med Carlos. W hat can you say about your experiences with his “hoax,” which was perpetrated in Australia?

Jose Alvarez: It was done as a vehicle not for duping people, but for the purpose of empowering or informing them about a charismatic figure and how you need to challenge people’s claims— how easy it could be done. It took on a life of its own. It was a hyper-reality.

For me, that was what was so revealing—the power of the medium. These folks never heard of Carlos outside of [Australian] TV, but seeing their faces and how they were not questioning me was shocking. They were enthralled in their own narratives of wanting to believe whomever is on stage.

Mixing Metals

Style Courtney Lake Forget that old design rule that states you need to stick with one metallic finish when furnishing a room. Find out the secrets to mixing metals with abandon to create a layered and luxe space.

Last year I went to the home of a potential client for a consult. During our discussion, it struck me that everything in the apartment matched— every metal element in the house was the exact same polished chrome. Being the inquisitive designer that I am, I found out that he matched everything to the existing chrome kitchen and bathroom faucets! While an extreme example, it raises the question: How do you mix metallics with each other?

Fortunately, fellow designer and business consultant Krista Coupar of Coupar Consulting found the perfect recipe for serving mixed metals in her stylish San Francisco dining room. As a mother of six children, you would think Coupar would shy away from a space full of surfaces most would consider prone to showing f ingerprints, and not necessarily friendly to roughhousing. However, her dining room routinely serves up week-

Gary M. Kramer: Randi, you indicate in the film that people do not want straightforward facts, but would rather have romance and lies. Do you, even with your skepticism, ever find yourself swept up wanting to believe something, or taking something on faith?

day breakfasts, math f lashcard drills and the occasional birthday party. The secret to the room’s success is Coupar’s flawless mixing of different metals, from brass to chrome.

This free-spirited approa ch to m i x i ng metallics elevates the room’s sophistication, but also reinforces the space’s carefree persona, making it equally comfortable playing host to 10-year-olds and 30-year-olds.

To create a similar effect in a room, follow these four tips to effortlessly mix metallics: Designate an anchor piece.

If metallic is going to be a central theme in your room’s design, call it out by designating a metallic piece to anchor the space. In this case, Coupar used her sideboards as anchor pieces from which the remainder of the room flows. The soft sheen of the furniture pieces complements the other decorative elements in the room.

Add metallics in layers.

Did you notice the champagne sheen in the f loral wallpaper? The brass frame of the wall mirror? The silver rim of the plates on the table? Look again—they all are there, but are not screaming for your attention. The repetition of the metallic elements reinforces the design direction of the room but is not overt. Subtlety is key when mixing metallics.

James “The Amazing” Randi: I’m willing to take things as they come.

I’m not afraid of the truth as reality. I don’t have wishful thinking. I’m pretty free of that. Look me in the eye and tell me.

I’m a professional magician and have been for all of my life. I know how things are done. The signs are right there. I’ve never had a problem solving how they do their psychic tricks.

Jose Alvarez: There’s a lack of understanding, of critical thinking about how things should work. (continued on page 26)

Keep it in the same finish.

C ou p a r c ho s e t o keep all the metallic elements a brushed f inished. In doing so, no one metal element pulls the eye and breaks the harmonious palette. From her chandelier to the sconces to the sheen of the wallpaper, the brushed f inish is a linking element.

Mix in textures of the same metal.

If mixing metals still frightens you, then PHOTO BY ADZA stick with the same metal. Try experimenting with it in various textures, like hammered, etched or burnished. It will still bring visual interest to the space, but is easier to implement.

So why match when you can mix with abandon? Follow the above rules and you will be mixing and matching metallics in your home like a professional designer.

Courtney Lake is the interior designer and lifestyle expert behind Monogram Décor (www.monogramdecor.com) and its celebrated blog, “Courtney Out Loud.” His work and writings have appeared on television and in writing including “The Wall Street Journal,” “The Nate Berkus Show,” the “San Francisco Chronicle,” “Life & Style Magazine,” “RUE Magazine,” “Real Simple,” “This Old House” and “7x7 Magazine.”

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compiled by Robert Fuggiti Columbus Ave.) Reading from his new novel The Lost Child. www.citylights.com Why Butch Still Matters – Nourse Theatre. $27-$75. 7 pm.

(275 Hayes St.) Lea DeLaria, actress, comedienne, jazz musician, and recurring character on Orange is the New Black, gives a lecture on identity, gender and the media. www.cityarts.net Burlesque Night – Oasis. $10. 8 pm. (298 11th St.) A one-night only body paint burlesque show that you won’t want to miss. www.redhotsburlesque.com

• 26 : T HURSDAY

Lesbian Speed Dating & Speed Friending – Rainbow Community Center. Free. 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. (2118 Willow Pass Rd., Concord) Come and have a good time at this social event for lesbian women 40+. www.rainbowcc.org Momentum – Hotel Nikko. $175+. 4:30 pm. (222 Mason St.) Join Out & Equal for their annual leadership celebration and VIP after party. www.outandequal.org

“Breaking the Code” at Theatre Rhino

• 19 : T HURSDAY

DK Hass and Trish Tunney – Dolores Park Café. Free. 6 pm. to 9 pm. (501 Dolores St.) Dolores Park Café is excited to announce their newest artist series with longtime friends DK Haas and Trish Tunney. www.doloresparkcafe.com Comedy Returns to El Rio – El Rio. 8 pm. (3158 Mission St.) Now in its 6th year, this monthly (every 3rd Thursday) comedy show

features a mix of comedians. www.elriosf.com

• 20 : F RIDAY

Breaking the Code – Eureka Theatre. $10. 8 pm. (215 Jackson St.) Breaking the Code by Hugh Whitemore is a gripping biographical drama about homosexual scientist Alan Turing. www.therhino.org Emerging Choreographers – Grace Cathedral. Free. 7:30 pm.

(1100 California St.) Experience the work of emerging choreographers within the magnificence of Grace Cathedral. www.bayareadancewatch.blogspot. com Uhaul SF – Beatbox. $10. 9 pm.

(314 11th St.) A lesbian dance party playing top 40s, hip-hop and your favorite mashups. www.uhaulsf.com

• 21 : S ATURDAY

Dinner and Women’s Music – Take 5 Café. $15-$25. 7 pm. (3130 Sacramento St., Berkeley) Enjoy live music by B.C. Cliver, Margaret Cliver, Rashida Ojii and many more. www.take5cafe.net Hills to Hollers Show – Freight and Salvage. $24. 8 pm.

(2020 Addison St., Berkeley) Three masterful musicians, each a Bay Area treasure, combine their remarkable talents. www.freightandsalvage.org Anything Goes Chorus – First Congregational Church. $20. 7 pm.

(2501 Harrison St., 27 St.) Bring your friends & family and get ready for a wonderful evening of singing!

Directed by Ellen Robinson. www.ellenrobinson.com

• 22 : S UNDAY

Beer Bust Benefit – SF Eagle. $12. 1 pm. (398 12th St.) A beer bust benefit with raffle and auction benefitting the Tenderloin Tessie projects. www.tenderlointessie.com ALC Toga Event – The Cinch.

Donation based. 3 pm. (1723 Polk St.) Enjoy drink specials and raffle prizes at this fund raising party for Aids Life Cycle cyclists. www.aidslifecycle.org The Oakland Running Festival – Downtown Oakland. $15-$275. Enjoy the annual race 24

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through Oakland. www.oaklandmarathon.org

• 23 : M ONDAY

Andrea Gibson – Great American Music Hall. $19-$21. 8 pm. (859 O’Farrell St.) Enjoy a powerful performance by spoken word artist Andrea Gibson. www.slimspresents.com Big O – Yoshi’s Oakland. $15. 8 pm.

(510 Embarcadero West, Oakland) Big O is the Big Band of Oakland Unified School District music teachers who come together in this ensemble to practice what they preach. www.yoshis.com Dance Anywhere and Everywhere – ODC Theater. Free.

5:30 pm. (3153 17th St.) An exhibition showcasing selections from the many photographs from the first 10 years of Dance Anywhere.

Through March 29. www.odcdance.org

• 24 : T UESDAY

John Bucchino – Kassman’s Fine Pianos. Reservation required. 7:30 pm. (843 Gilman St., Berkeley) Barbara Higbie presents talented pianist John Bucchino.

For a Look or a Touch – Grace Cathedral. Free. 7:30 pm. (1100 California St.) The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus present an outreach performance of their own For Look or a Touch. www.gracecathedral.org BeatBox Country – BeatBox. $6. 6:30 pm. (314 11th St.) A special LGBT country western themed dance night. www.beatboxsf.com

• 25 : W EDNESDAY Caryl Phillips – City Lights Bookstore. Free. 7 pm. (261

Years & Years – Rickshaw Stop. $20. 9 pm. (155 Fell St.) The UK based pop-electro trio comes to the Bay! www.rickshawstop.com

• 27 : F RIDAY

Present Tense – The Costume Shop at ACT. $18. 8 pm. (1117 Market St.) A dramatic and theatrical poem about our unwillingness to live in the present. March 26 through April 4. www.act-sf.org Letters to Afar – The Contemporary Jewish Museum. $12. 11 am. (736 Mission St.) A rare glimpse of history that re-contextualizes the experiences of Jewish immigrants from the U.S. who visited their hometowns in Poland during the 1920–30s. Through May 24. www.thecjm.org Ballet Folklorico Raices de Mexico – Zohar Dance Studio. $200. 6:30 pm. (4000 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto) A dance class promoting cultural awareness through music, movement and performance art. www.zohardancecompany.org

• 28 : S ATURDAY

2015 Annual Soiree – City View at Metreon. $125+. 6 pm.

(135 4th St.) Celebrate our community’s future at the 2015 soiree benefitting the SF LGBT Center. www.sfcenter.org Leave it to Diva Band – Roosters Roadhouse. Free. 8 pm.

(1700 Clement Ave.) Enjoy live music by Leave It to Diva Band and a full bar, separate eating and visiting area, and a welcoming dance floor. www.leaveittodivaband.com Club 1994 – Rickshaw Stop. $10.

10 pm. (15 Fell St.) Dance like its 1994 at this 90’s themed party. www.club1994.com

• 1 : W EDNESDAY

Spoken word artist Andrea Gibson will be at the Great American Music Hall March 23.

Musical trio Laurie Lewis, Linda Tillery and Barbara Higbie will perform “Hills to Hollers” at Freight & Salvage in Berkeley on March 21..

• 29 : S UNDAY

At the Hop – Midnight Sun. Free.

8 pm. (4067 18th St.) A sock hop themed dance party. www.midnightsf.com

Sweet Inspiration to visit and view the amazing images by San Francisco Bay Times photographers from the 2014 Pride Parade. www.sfbaytimes.com

Transgender Day of Visibility 2015 – SF LGBT Center. Free. (1800 Market St.) an annual Bay Area event for Trans, GNC, and allied communities to celebrate our accomplishments, community, and inspire future change. www.sfcenter.org

Castro Farmers’ Market – Noe St. at Market. Free. 4 pm to 8 pm. (Noe St. at Market) Enjoy fresh produce and local made foods and delicacies. www.pcfma.com.

hot guys, strong drinks and fun dance mash ups. www.qbarsf.com LGBTQ Jam – Stage Werx Theatre. Free. 7 pm. (446 Valencia St.) Enjoy an improv comedy night with LGBTQ performances. www.stagewerx.com

Booty Call - Q Bar. $4. 10 pm to 2 am. (456 Castro St.) Juanita More! hosts this weekly party with

Visit us at: sfbaytimes.com

Meow Mix – The Stud. Free. 9 pm. (399 9th St.) A cabaret variety show with entertaining and creative performances. www.studsf.com

Sunday’s a Drag Brunch – The Starlight Room. $60. 12 pm to 2:30 pm. (450 Powell St.) Donna Sachet hosts an elegant brunch with modern dance numbers, classic singing, and hilarious comedy. www.starlightroomsf.com

• 30 : M ONDAY

Wanted – Q Bar. Free. 10 pm to 2 am. (456 Castro St.) Enjoy a night of dance and electronic music along with $2 drink specials. www.sfwanted.com

pcfma.com/castro

1.800.949.FARM

fb.com/castrofarmersmarket

DESIGN : LOGOMAN : logomantotherescue.com

Treasure Island Flea – Treasure Island. $3. 10 am to 4 pm.

(Treasure Island) Shop art, antiques, clothes, furniture and more at this popular monthly flea market. www.treasureislandflea.com

Piano Bar 101 – Martuni’s. Free.

9 pm. (4 Valencia St.) Sing along to your favorite songs with friends and patrons. www.dragatmartunis.com Motown Monday – Madrone Art Bar. Free. 6 pm. (500 Divisadero St.) Dance the night away to favorite Motown songs and remixes. www.madroneartbar.com

• 31 : T UESDAY

Kiss for the Bay Times – Sweet Inspiration. Free. Last chance at

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SF CIVIC CENTER BAY T IM ES M ARC H 19, 2015

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MANDELMAN (continued from page 7) a big fan of Aaron’s and look forward to having him back on the Board. He’s whip smart and a great ally in a political knife-fight. Most importantly, at a time when private development interests are so dominant at City Hall, we need people on the Board who believe in using the powers of their office to bring DUNNING (continued from page 7) idea, but the allure of sailing the seas had worn off a bit after years in the Navy. I didn’t think I would ever take a pleasure cruise, but then I got an offer from Olivia to come speak on their women-only Western Caribbean cruise.

That was an offer I couldn’t refuse.

After living in the Bay Area, we can become immune and a bit numb to the experience of much of the rest of the country, and take for granted our relative freedom and acceptance. What I found on this Olivia cruise was a community of women who look forward to this trip all year. There were women from the Midwest for whom this cruise is their only opportunity to be themselves.

Women who had met on earlier cruises get together for reunions every year on a new cruise—some women had been on

those interests to heel. The race will be a tough one—it’s incredibly difficult to unseat an incumbent, even an appointed one—but it would be a great thing for Aaron to win this, for District 3, for the City and for reform politics.

Finally, a last pitch for you to get your tickets for San Francisco’s Big Queer

over a dozen Olivia cruises! For them, this was not only a vacation but also a life-affirming experience.

Finally, I recently attended the Lesbians Who Tech Summit in San Francisco at the Castro Theater. Over 1200 lesbian, bisexual and transgender women and their allies came to San Francisco from all over the world. It was powerful to walk around the Castro and see the majority of folks on the sidewalks were queer women, dressed in everything from t-shirts shirts and jeans to dresses and stilettos. It was one of the best personal and professional networking events I have attended. You don’t have to be a coder to participate. It included all kinds of professions from high tech software engineers to creative types to consultants like myself that provide services

SISTER DANA (continued from page 9) Sweetiedarlings, the live-stage version power archetype - an embodiment of of the hit British sitcom, ABSOLUTE- strength and infallibility - often conLY FABULOUS: Season Two, is ceals a reality of fragility, isolation, and playing at The Exit Theatre, April sensitivity. Being a lumberman in the through June. Yes, Edina and Patsy are past, Furry excels in wood carving, back in town after a smash-hit run of which explains his many ornate woodSeason One at Stagewerx last fall. SF’s en sculptures as altars to his made-up newest theater, Royal British Com- archaic St. Jacques (presumably of the edy Theatre, is producing the show Holy Jock Strap, in that Furry always starring an ensemble of local comic encompasses an athletic supporter in actors. Directed by Christian Hep- each piece). In addition, his massive pinstall. Fridays and Saturdays, 156 (48” x 48”) oils on birch panels describe Eddy Street. “Hospital” and “Death” actual mythological heroes modernare the first two offered on April 3rd & ized. For instance, “The Tears of Aphrodite, Adonis” utilizes a nude model 4th, 10th &11th. 415-378-1246 with rose tattoos all over his body to TERRY FURRY, the artist now ex- depict the legend of Aphrodite weephibiting his MARTYRS & MYTH all ing tears over the death of Adonis - her March at Magnet, the gay/bi health tears turning to red roses. Another and wellness hub in the Castro, gave example is “Achilles,” where the legme an interview about his magnificent end speaks of this god’s defect, Achilles art. His series reflects upon a combina- heel, depicted by a model on crutches. tion of Western mythology and Chris- The oils are painstakingly created ustian iconography to explore how the ing myriads of long, thin, straight white

Party of the Year, the SFLGBT Community Center Soiree Saturday on March 28 at City View at the Metreon.

I’ll be there, and so should you. Get your tickets at www.sfcenter.org Rafael Mandelman is an attorney for the City of Oakland. He is also President of the City College of San Francisco Board of Trustees.

to the high tech industry. If you missed the Summit, the group holds monthly happy hours and I highly recommend them. Bring your business card!

What are you doing to create and find lesbian community? I hope you find ways to connect and feel a part of it.

There are many opportunities available, and if none of them interest you, I encourage you to create your own. See you out there!

Zoe Dunning is a retired Navy Commander and was a lead activist in the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. She currently serves as the 1st Vice Chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party, as a San Francisco Library Commissioner, and as Co-Chair of the Board of Directors for the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club. lines as background, which Furry jokes are his “cocaine period.” magnetsf.org, terryfurry.com Pornucopia: This week›s flick pick is Double Kross from falconstudios.com Sister Dana sez, “In a ceremony celebrating the 50-year anniversary of the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, (called Bloody Sunday), President Obama gave a shout-out to gay rights, saying, ‘Ask your gay friend if it’s easier to be out and proud in America now - than it was thirty years ago.

To deny this progress, this hard-won progress - our progress - would be to rob us of our own agency, our own capacity, our responsibility to do what we can to make America better.’ There was also an indirect reference to the Stonewall Riots, making the event no different from the Selma march: ‘We’re the gay Americans whose blood ran in the streets of San Francisco and New York, just as blood ran down this bridge,’ Obama opined. Kudos, Prez O!

ROSTOW (continued from page 13) to claw their way back to dry land. Too bad, suckahs.

Family Values, Sicilian Style Finally, am I the only one who’s unfamiliar with Gabbana and Dolce? Oh! Hey. We just crossed the Red River and have 126 miles to Oklahoma City.

Frame 123

*

*

Dolce and Gabbana, the famous designers whom you’ve surely heard about, are gay men who recently complained about IVF and surrogacy, insisting that real families contain a mother, a father and their traditionally conceived progeny. “I am not con-

vinced,” said Domenico Dolce, “by those I call children of chemicals, synthetic children, rented uterus, semen chosen from a catalogue.”

Whoa, Nelly! Domenico! Why all the hating?

“The family is not a fad,” added Stefano Gabbana. “In it, there is a supernatural sense of belonging.”

Who said the family was a fad? Does the child born of IVF not feel like he or she belongs? Where is this crazy talk coming from?

After a huge backlash, led by Elton John, among other people, the men tried to walk back their unkind observations. “It was never our intention to judge other people’s choices,” said Gabbana, blithely ignoring the fact that, um, they were intentionally judging other people choices. Dolce, in turn, explained that he is Sicilian and grew up in a traditional family.

Okay then! arostow@aol.com

MARRIAGE EQUALITY (continued from page 18) its principles in their own search for greater freedom.”

equality not only for this generation, but also for generations to come.

All of the briefs are available here: http://tinyurl.com/oxpzlzc

With the briefs filed before the Supreme Court, our community and allies raise our voices collectively to invoke the principles of the Constitution in this generation. Together, we look to the Supreme Court to fulfill the Fourteenth Amendment’s promise of liberty and

The Supreme Court will hold oral arguments in the marriage equality cases on April 28, with a decision expected by the end of June.

Stuart Gaffney and John Lewis, together for three decades, were plaintiffs in the California case for equal marriage rights decided by the California Supreme Court in 2008. They are leaders in the nationwide grassroots organization Marriage Equality USA.

You can read MEUSA’s brief here: http://tinyurl.com/nno5o2h

KRAMER (continued from page 23) James “The Amazing” Randi: I am an atheist because I kept asking for proof. The Bible wasn’t enough proof for me. They didn’t have the answers that satisfy me, and I didn’t find any evidence that a 2,000-yearold story was true. I have belief in the basic goodness of our species. There are some evil folks, though; look at the news. But you have to have bravery and courage to face the world as it is.

You’ve got to have G-U-T-S. 26

BAY TIMES M ARC H 1 9 , 2 0 1 5

Gary M. Kramer: Speaking of courage, you came out at age 81.

What prompted that?

James “The Amazing” Randi: I was fortunate to see Milk. That film affected me a great deal. I didn’t find any real necessity before then. When I was a teen, if you came out, you’d be ostracized. You didn’t think about it.

Things changed. I’m fully grown up now. The film inspired me.

Jose Alvarez: We were watching Milk, and it was a powerful film. I remember that Randi was very pensive.

The following day, he handed me a piece of paper and said, “Read this.”

It was his coming out letter. It shocked me. I said, “Are you sure you want to do this?” He said, “Yes, I am.” I also believe that he was thinking his whole life was about truth telling. © 2015 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

Round About - All Over Town

Photos by RINK

Theatre Rhino director John Fisher (center) was joined by the cast and crew on March 7, opening night of Breaking the Code - The Alan Turing Story, at the Eureka Theatre. Left to right: scenic and lighting designer Jon Wai-keung Lowe and performers Helen Patel, Patrick Ross, Kirsten Peacock, Justin Lucas, Celia Maurice, Val Hendrickson and Michael DeMartini.

Castro Merchants Association’s president Daniel Bergerac and administrator Richard Magary joined Donna Sachet on Wednesday, March 11, in a display of gift baskets at the grand re-opening of the Castro Farmers Market on Noe Street next to Cafe Flore.

Mama Mia d’Bruzzi and the Spicey Meatballs performed at the grand re-opening of the Castro Farmers Market on Wednesday, March 11.

Vendor Jorge Vega with his organic strawberries was surrounded by Pacific Coast Farmers Market Association’s Shawn Lipotzky, Mario Hernandez and Alyssia Plata at the grand reopening of the Castro Farmers Market.

Artist Terry Furry was celebrated by a large crowd on Friday, March 6, at Magnet during the opening of his art show featuring his collection of portraits and collages.

CRIS WILLIAMSON (continued from page 21) teacher my senior year in college, influenced your music.

Cris Williamson: My family sang, teaching 3 classes of English at Lincoln my mom and dad, brother and sister all HS in Denver. Although just a student teacher, I had full contact with the sang. We sang in church, on car trips, classes all quarter, full teaching of the on horseback, everywhere and all the kids, making my way toward the goal of time. I started taking piano lessons at 6 teaching secondary ed, English being and continued that until 7th grade my major. It showed me how much when I began to take voice lessons. My teachers have to do, how much care vibrato showed up in 7th grade and all they have to generate every day they go through high school, I sang in musicals to work because those lives can change and choir and ensembles throughout in one fell swoop, those kids could the 4 years...weddings and funerals dream big or small, could learn to write were my specialty, and a tough sing. and express themselves, or just get by My friend Bill Emery took an interest in and cruise through life. I meant to go me and recorded three albums with me on teaching, but I got turned down for at the local radio station. He thought I the first job for which I interviewed, had “it” and wanted the world to hear and made a turn for California at that my voice. My friend Susan, for whom I juncture. I’ve not regretted it. And now, worked the summer of my 16th year, I teach Songwriting to people who loved my singing and made sure I heard come of their own volition. lots of Ella and Frank, Miriam Makeba San Francisco Bay Times: At the SF and Nina Simone—all of whom influ- Bay Times, we’re all big fans of enced my vocalise. My best friend, your music. Indulging curiosity Bobbie, was the first person my age about a few particular favorites: whose jaw dropped when I sang. That What inspired you to record “Bring was so great! Life in Wyoming was the the Torch, Jeannette Isabella?” closest to Paradise I ever need to be, And we’d like to know a bit more and continues to be the place that about the songs “Number One” moves me the most. Colorado— (your vocals on that are extraordiDenver, in particular—was where I nary; sexy!) and the beyond beautiwent to college, joined a rock & roll ful “Soaring.” band, political awareness and music Cris Williamson: “Soaring” and joined hands, and was the stepping “Number One” are straight-out love stone on my way to California. songs, full of that longing and yearning San Francisco Bay Times: How and sensuality. And I recorded long did you work as a school- “Jeanette, Isabella” simply because I teacher, and what did you teach? love its traditional beauty and its French Did this work have any influence telling of the birth of that Baby accomon your music? panied by milkmaids!

Cris Williamson: I was a student

San Francisco Bay Times: We

On Thursday, March 12, Solange Darwish, beloved owner of Cove on Castro, was surrounded at her birthday celebration held at the popular restaurant by longtime customers, current and former employees and her husband (wearing the striped shirt).

Race Brannon and Magnet board member Terry Furry shared a hug at Magnet during the opening reception of Terry Furry’s art show.

loved your recent 40th Anniversary shows for The Changer & The Changed. What was it like to revisit that material, and has the meaning of it evolved and changed for you over the years? How so?

Cris Williamson: It was like going into my closet and pulling out garments from the 70s that miraculously still fit!

These pieces hold up so well, and I am honestly amazed at their longevity, and at the way people love, love, love them!

Even though I’ve written hundreds of songs by now, it’s those songs that mean the most to many, many people. It used to bug me, because I loved them all and wanted equal treatment for the other tunes. But now, I just acknowledge and accept that deep love for The Changer, and try to perform one or two of the songs every show. The meaning, therefore, has increased because these songs last and last. Their patterns are solid and hold all the emotional water I wish to pour into them. Pretty amazing, I have to say. Those songs were pretty much all I had then, and look how they’ve served the people, especially our Sisters.

San Francisco Bay Times: Please share how the concept for “Olivia” emerged, and the critical role you played, and continue to play. We’ve always wondered about that fateful early time, and what the collaborative atmosphere must have been like. The photos back then of you and other greats suggest that the energy must have been electric, with great ideas really flowing!

The outdoor table at Oz Pizza on Castro was the setting for a group pizza party on the warm evening of March 6.

Chickpea, Yoko O Yes, Richard Shadoian, Bruce Beaudette and Jonathan Louve at Magnet for the opening reception of Terry Furry’s art show

Cris Williamson: During a roundtable discussion on the first women’s radio show, I suggested to a group of radical Lesbians that maybe they should start a women’s recording company. They did, I left town, and later came to record a 45 to raise money for this new thing we’d all invented, then helped produce Meg Christian’s album, then I thought I’d like to record an album myself as I was no longer a part of Ampex, the major label I’d had for a minute. I’d gotten my feet wet and Olivia became my family, my record company, our dream. It was a collective, and all strong women who tried so valiantly to equalize the work and share knowledge in order to do this thing that had not ever been done before—not in this way, at any rate.

San Francisco Bay Times: It’s widely recognized—and we agree—that your personal strength and music helped to galvanize the women’s rights movement from the 70’s onward. We have looked to you and to your music for wisdom and guidance.

For many women and many lesbians, we feel that these are particularly challenging times, and challenging in ways that are unprecedented—impacting how we work and affecting the very core identity of womanhood. How do you see this present landscape evolving, and what advice do you have for lesbians who are struggling with challenges now and are seeking support and (to go back to your very good word) sanctuary?

Cris Williamson: Even though the word “Lesbian” is bandied about and visible in books and movies and television and music, still we have to fight for abortion rights for women, for equal pay and equal respect in the work place, for dignity throughout the world. Some things have truly changed, but some things are still a struggle, aren’t they?

One of the worst things is when a woman rises to power, and then turns out to be not a feminist at all, but someone who seems to make us the enemy.

It’s disheartening when we’ve worked so hard for the words “women” and “power” to align. There will always be challenges. Lesbians must be strong within themselves, remember that love is the reason we humans are here, and that they are part of the solution, not the problem.

San Francisco Bay Times: “HopeFeathered” is a lovely song on your latest release. You’ve said that these words from Emily Dickinson became your mantra: “Hope is the thing with feathers.”

Please share a bit more about what those words mean to you, and especially at this time.

Cris Williamson: I still believe in Hope, and Emily’s image of that “thing with feathers” is so perfect, so small and unobtrusive, challenging no one...it just perches there, singing the tune whether or not it has the words, and most importantly, it never stops at all. We stop, but it does not.

For more information about Cris Williamson, please visit www.criswilliamson.com BAY T IM ES M ARC H 19, 2015

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