World Series Champs!
Sweep!
November 1-14, 2012 | www.sfbaytimes.com
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PHOTO CREDI TS : NIC OLE AB ALDE, ESPN, GARY VIR GINI A
Now, Let’s Sweep the Election!
The Truth about “Binders Full of Women” Bay Times Endorsements
Prior to the 2002 MA gubernatorial election, women comprised approximately 30 percent of appointed senior-level positions in Massachusetts’s government. By 2004, 42 percent of the new appointments made by the Romney administration were women. Subsequently, from 2004-2006 the percentage of newly appointed women in these senior appointed positions dropped to just 25 percent.
As for the “binders,” they refer to an effort by the Massachusetts Government Appointments Project (MassGAP), which was founded to address the issue of the under-representation of women in appointed positions in MA government. The organization brought together a nonpartisan coalition of over 25 women’s groups to recruit women to apply for government positions within the administration, and recommend qualif ied women for those positions. MassGA P approached Romney and his then opponent in the race, Shannon O’Brien, and asked them to commit to: (1)”Make best efforts” to ensure that the number of women in appointed state positions is proportionate to the population of women in Massachusetts; (2) Select a transition team whose composition is proportionate to the women in the Commonwealth; and (3) Meet with MassGAP representatives regularly during the appointments process. Both campaigns made a commitment to do these things. It appears that once Romney settled into his role as governor, however, his commitment waned. The “binders” at that point must have been shelved. In other news concerning Romney’s tenure as governor, the Boston Globe recently reported that he prevented a state agency (continued on page 18)
The Bay Times asked its contributors to weigh in on key election issues and races. We have compiled the results below. As the first LGBT newspaper in the Bay Area to be published by both lesbians and gays, the Bay Times has always covered diverse interests and viewpoints. Our team includes people from the farthest left of the political spectrum to close-to-the-farright. We all respect each other’s views, however, and are dedicated to furthering the core basic rights of our community. While at least one of our contributors has voted for Romney, the majority of our team is hoping for another four years of the Obama administration- with economic recovery, marriage equality, environmental concerns and other pressing matters high on our list of political priorities.
San Francisco District 1: Eric Mar District 3: David Chiu District 5: Christina Olague (first pick), John Rizzo (second), London Breed (third) Comment from one of the many who chose Olague: “I like her, her background (community organizing/central valley) and her engagement in our community giving prominence to the B in LGBT.” District 7: Joel Engardio District 9: David Campos District 11: John Avalos (continued on page 12)
Here are the questions our contributors were asked: Who are you supporting in your home area for supervisor or city council? (While some of our contributors live outside of SF and the East Bay, we decided to focus on those regions due to the multiple responses pertaining to those areas. If a district/race isn’t listed, it’s because we received few or no responses for it.)
PH OTO SO UR C E: W H IT E H O US E
During the presidential debates, Mitt Romney sparked a social media frenzy with his “binders full of women” remark. According to the former Massachusetts governor, he looked at such binders during his search for senior-level staff. The Bay Times did some fact checking on this point, and here’s what we have learned.
I am a partner, an editor, and a runner. And I am living with HIV. TM
Oriol (left) has lived with HIV since 1992.
Get the facts. Get tested. Get involved. www.cdc.gov/ActAgainstAIDS
2 BAY   TIM ES NOVEM B E R 1 , 2 0 1 2
Celebrating Giants’ Victory — Photos by Steven Underhill
From McCovey Cove to Detriot, fans of the San Francisco Giants are celebrating! Bay Times photographer Steven Underhill was there with fans having fun during World Series games at AT&T Park and street celebrations in the Castro and Civic Center. Former Giants pitching ace Vida Blue (holding ball) and Giants Studio analyst Bip Roberts also were captured during Game 2 of the 4 Game sweep by the victorious Giants.
BAY T IM ES NOVEM BER 1, 2012 3
National News Briefs compiled by Dennis McMillan
Randallstown, MD - Maryland Pastor Says Same-Sex Marriage “Worthy of Death” - 10.24 A pastor in Baltimore County is standing by his controversial remarks about Question 6 on Maryland’s ballot – whether to legalize same-sex marriage. The Rev. Robert Anderson of Colonial Baptist Church in Randallstown, Md., made the statement at a meeting hosted by the Maryland Marriage Alliance, which opposes same-sex marriage. He quoted Romans Chapter 1 in the Bible: “‘Knowing the righteous judgment of God that those who practice such things are deserving of death.’ If we don’t vote against [same-sex marriage], then we are approving these things that are worthy of death.” He continued, “Worthy of death in that they are promoting the lifestyle and they are promoting what same-sex marriage is all about, and that is what we’re standing against.”
Boston, MA - Log Cabin Republicans Endorse Mitt Romney for President?! - 10.23 The Mitt Gets Worse campaign gave a statement on the endorsement of Romney for President by gay Log Cabin, along with a short video from Rep. Barney Frank. MGW said this endorsement shows that Log Cabin Republicans are a right-wing conservative organization that happens to have gay staff, rather than an organization dedicated to LGBTQ equality that supports conservative principles. “When one reviews the horribly anti-equality record of Gov. Romney, it pales in comparison to the record of President George W. Bush, whom the Log Cabin Republicans wisely declined to endorse for re-election,” spokespersons said. “Clearly the Log Cabin Republicans were put back in their place by the Republican establishment after that episode, or they never would have seen fit to endorse a candidate who opposes nearly every single item on the agenda for full LGBT equality over a President who is arguably the most pro-equality President in our history.” They promised Mitt Gets Worse would not hesitate to point this out over the last week of the campaign.
Marylanders for Marriage Equality, which is fighting for same-sex marriage to be approved, feels opponents have gone too far. “We really think that it was very inappropriate for the Maryland Marriage Alliance to hold a panel where they used the words ‘worthy of death’ to describe gay and lesbian couples,” said Sultan Shakir of Marylanders for Marriage Equality.
“We have never in American history had a sharper distinction between a very supportive candidate and platform, and one that is very, very opposed,” Rep. Frank emphasized. He said that Log Cabin’s excuse of Paul Ryan’s “willingness to engage” with them was inexcusable: “Frankly, that’s the kind of submissiveness that was maybe necessary 30 years ago.” He illustrated, “He’s against ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell;’ he’s against marriage rights; he voted against the hate crimes bill. On the other hand you’ve a President who has helped get rid of DADT and he’s got DOMA on the ropes.” Preach it, Brother Frank!
“I live in Maryland, and the fight here to keep a law in place that grants civil marriage equality to LGBT Marylanders is getting pretty nasty - but this was really too much,” said Heather Cronk of GetEqual. “But the worst part is that, when the pastor made these comments, the campaign manager for the anti-equality campaign, Derek McCoy, was sitting right next to him, nodding.” What the hell is going on with these alleged men of God anyway?!
Source: Meltwaterpress.com
Source: NBCWashington.com
Los Angeles, CA - US Supreme Court to Decide Fate of Prop H8 and DOMA - 10.29 The US Supreme Court has announced that it will consider whether to grant review in American Foundation for Equal Rights’ federal constitutional challenge to California’s Proposition 8. The Justices will meet to discuss AFER’s case, along with several challenges to the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), at their private conference scheduled for Tuesday, November 20. The Court is expected to either grant review of California’s Proposition 8 challenge to restore same-sex marriage, at which point AFER’s legal team, led by distinguished attorneys Ted Olson and David Boies, will submit written briefs and present oral arguments by April 2013. A final decision on Prop 8 and marriage equality is expected by June 2013. Or the Court could deny review, making permanent the landmark federal appeals court ruling that found Prop 8 unconstitutional. The Court is expected to release an Order List with its decisions on cases it has granted or denied review from its November 20 conference by Monday, November 26. Though AFER is hopeful that we will hear something from the Justices by that day, the Court does not have an obligation to set a timeline for making a decision on granting or denying review. Support for marriage equality continues to grow every day, with no less than 16 polls now confirming that a majority of Americans believe gay and lesbian couples should have the freedom to get married. Now that two federal courts have found Prop 8 unconstitutional, it is time indeed for California marriage equality! Source: AFER.com
Liverpool, PA - Rabid Rightwing Fundamentalist Blames Hurricane on Gays - 10.29
Washington, D.C. - NOM Master mind Makes Millions by Selling LGBTQ Discrimination - 10.19
A fundamentalist minister has gone on the record blaming Hurricane Sandy on President Barack Obama and the LGBTQ agenda. On his blog, Defend and Proclaim the Faith ministries founder Pastor John McTernan has described Sandy, currently bearing down on the East Coast, as “the most powerful hurricane on record.” But instead of explaining recent weather patterns, he blames Obama for being pro-gay and “100 percent behind the Muslim Brotherhood, which has vowed to destroy Israel and take Jerusalem.” He claims by promoting homosexuality, America has become like the ancient pagan Amorites and has now come under the judgment of God.
National Organization for Marriage (NOM) strategist Frank Schubert is raking in millions at the expense of LGBTQ Americans. Schubert is the man behind NOM’s misleading ads that advocate against LGBTQ equality. Public filings show that he has netted nearly $3 million this year for his work in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina and Washington State. The profits go to Schubert’s company, Mission Public Affairs.
He preaches, “America promotes homosexuality by custom with events such as Gay Pride Day, Gay Awareness Month, Gay Day at Disneyland, Gay Day at sporting events and events like Southern Decadence in New Orleans. There are gay clubs in high school and colleges. The political parties are pandering to the homosexuals for their votes. By custom, homosexuality has woven into the fabric of America…” and continues, “The Bible warns of God judging a nation that walks in these ordinances. When the corporate attitude of a nation is friendly toward homosexuality, then at this point the iniquity is full.” In a follow-up post, McTernan also attacks Mitt Romney, whom he claims is “pro-homosexual” (who knew?!) “Romney is a big time pro-homosexual supporter to the point he will keep open homosexuality in the military; he wants homosexuals in the Boy Scouts; and he wants more open homosexuals in the Republican Party.” McTernan previously blamed the queers for Hurricane Isaac, linking its arrival to the annual Southern Decadence celebration in New Orleans. So, Sandy isn’t the only blowhard! Source: Querty.com
“Frank Schubert is making millions of dollars by intentionally misleading voters about NOM’s true mission,” said Human Rights Campaign Vice President of Communications Fred Sainz. “As he gets richer, hundreds of thousands of LGBT Americans face economic hardship, enormous obstacles in starting families and an inability to marry the person they love – all because of Schubert’s lies.” Schubert’s job is primarily to water down NOM’s extremist agenda and sell it to voters. His ads are intentionally misleading, and use scare tactics to advance falsehoods about LGBTQ people. For example, Schubert’s anti-equality ads often claim that marriage equality will impact what children learn in school; that marriage equality will force religious institutions to carry out ceremonies that conflict with their teachings; or that lawmakers want to circumvent the will of the people. These are falsehoods – particularly when it comes to the impact marriage equality would have on religious institutions – that are concocted to scare voters into unknowingly supporting NOM’s aggressively anti-LGBTQ agenda. This isn’t the first time Schubert has profited by promoting discrimination; he was a key player in the campaign to pass Proposition 8 in California. How does he sleep at night?! Source: HRC.org
Local News Briefs Vandals Strike GLBT History Museum
Two Protests Held in One Day
Why must people cause destruction after a happy event such as the Giants’ triumph on Sunday? Shortly before 5am on October 29, vandals struck The GLBT History Museum, shattering two large plate glass windows. Located in the Castro District, the museum is an internationally renowned institution devoted to displaying and interpreting the history of LGBTQ people.
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence participated in two protests last Sunday. At the National “Stand Up for Religious Freedom” held in front of the Federal Building, the crowd was standing up for religious freedom - as long as it was THEIR religion, and only if it included pro-life, anti-choice for women. The scheduled homophobic Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, the godfather of anti-equality Proposition H8, did not show up; but his homohating crowd did, cheering when the speaker referred to ours as “a fruity city.” Older people who probably had preexisting health problems held signs against Obamacare with racist cartoons. Signs stated, “In God we trust,” as if anyone else did not. We queers trust God, but not one that discriminates. The Sisters walked a picket line carrying placards stating: “Cordileone is Drunk with Power!” “Arch-bigot!” and “No US Taliban!”
“We’re grateful for the outpouring of support we are already receiving from people in San Francisco and around the world,” said Paul Boneberg, executive director of the GLBT Historical Society, the organization that runs the museum. “That support speaks to the important role the museum plays in advancing understanding of GLBT history and culture.” Boneberg stressed that none of the historical objects on display at the museum were damaged and that no theft occurred. “It’s clear that this was vandalism,” he said. “We don’t know who smashed the windows or why they did it.” Boneberg stated, “When the alarm sounded at 4:50 this morning, the security firm immediately summoned the San Francisco Police Department and notified our staff, who were on the scene very quickly. In short order, the broken glass was removed and the windows were boarded over.” The GLBT History Museum was closed Monday for further clean up, but reopened Tuesday for its normal hours, 11am to 7pm. The total cost of the damage is not yet known, but will be minimally a few thousand dollars. Donations to assist with the repairs and to support the museum can be made online at glbthistory.org/donate. In addition to damage to the Museum, Magnet (across the street) had its window cracked. Story by Dennis McMillan 4 BAY TIM ES NOVEM B E R 1 , 2 0 1 2
Afterwards The Sisters joined the mass Nude-In of men and women at Jane Warner Plaza to protest Supervisor Scott Wiener’s attempt to remove the right to bare buns in the Castro. Signs stated, “No to Scott! Yes to Wiener!” Several speakers addressed the issue as the removal of fundamental civil rights. Others said there were more important issues to legislate than a few nudists in the sun. We then marched naked through the streets chanting, “Nude is not lewd!” A hearing about the proposed public nudity ban - conducted by the City Operations and Neighborhood Safety Committee comprised of SF Supervisors Carmen Chu, Sean Elsbernd and Christina Olague - will be held in San Francisco City Hall on Monday, November 5 at 10am in Room 263. Story by Sister Dana Van Iquity
Campaign Values song. But it didn’t inspire much hope about my gay future. In Allentown, I proved myself as a young reporter and the editors let me cover a local election. They assigned me to a nasty fight over a state house seat where the Republican challenger was accusing the Democratic incumbent of participating in a “militant homosexual agenda.”
The Western View Joel P. Engardio
Twenty years ago this month, I was a 20-year-old cub reporter. I left Michigan State junior year to spend fall semester on a professional journalism internship at a newspaper in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Born and raised in Michigan, my adventure to the Keystone state didn’t take me far enough to leave the rust belt or the closet. Only an internship two years later at the Boston Globe would put me in a city where I could comfortably step out. In 1992, homophobia was a convenient distraction from the economic woes of Billy Joel’s Allentown. It was a busy fall covering politics in a swing state where Bill Clinton, the young Democrat from Hope, Arkansas, was trying to unseat Republican incumbent George Bush, Sr., in the middle of a recession. 1992 was also a tough year to be gay. The GOP convention demonized me in primetime speeches. Ellen and Glee, even Will & Grace, couldn’t yet be imagined on TV. Earlier in the year, my friend Jeff jumped to his death from a six-story parking garage near campus. He lived across the hall from me at Michigan State. Like me, Jeff wrestled with being gay. We played tennis the day before he died. In 1992, Fleetwood Mac’s classic “Don’t Stop (thinking about tomorrow)” played incessantly on the radio. It was Clinton’s campaign theme
I’ll never forget the press conference where the candidate spewed all kinds of hateful things about gays and everyone in the media dutifully wrote it down without question. Reluctantly and agitated, I did, too. The headline on my story, written by the editors, declared that the incumbent’s legislation “favors homosexua ls.” The cha l leng ing candidate was tapping into people’s deep-seated prejudices to scare votes his way. We’ve seen this tactic many times, continuing today. It was just more blatant in 1992. Now, the scaretactics are wrapped in code words like “values.” Exactly 20 years after I covered that troubling election in Allentown, I am running for office – as an openly gay supervisor candidate in San Francisco. I would have never imagined it in 1992. I have come a long way. Yet, I couldn’t help but bristle when one of my opponents in 2012 attacked another candidate for not sharing District Seven’s “core values.” District Seven is in the western part of San Francisco that’s home to actual Republicans and where half the voters in some precincts supported California’s ban on gay marriage. I’m the first openly gay candidate to run for supervisor in District Seven. Tom Ammiano lost his bid to become San Francisco’s first openly gay mayor in 1999 because he couldn’t get enough votes on the city’s Westside. His policies were too progressive for Westside tastes, but homophobic attacks like the f lyers distributed at District Seven’s Catholic churches picturing Ammiano alongside drag queen nuns were added for good measure. To be clear, there is nothing homophobic about Mike Garcia’s attacks on Norman Yee in this year’s District
Professional Services Seven supervisor race. Garcia took issue with Yee’s spending history on the school board and stands on issues like legalizing prostitution (the San Francisco Chronicle would later say Garcia’s attacks “displayed a recklessness with the facts”). The only gay mention in Garcia’s attack was his diligence to cite the venue where Yee spoke – the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club candidate forum. I wonder if the venue would have been as prominently mentioned if Yee had spoken at the Golden Gate Heights Neighborhood Association. I also wonder if there is a subtle connection, a wink to a voting base, between “Harvey Milk LGBT” and the question of who represents the district’s “core values”? But I let it go, questioning whether I was just being too sensitive about it. And yet, the “values” attack nags at me. It appeared again, as a negative Yee piece mailed to thousands of homes by one of the local super PACs supporting Garcia. Throughout my campaign I met remnants of the old District Seven, people who liked my fiscal policies when I talked to them at the door but would withdraw from the conversation when they discovered I’m gay. But more often, I found longtime residents transitioning into a newfound acceptance of gays. Like the woman who told me: “You’re that gay candidate I heard about. Your people know how to decorate houses and improve property values. I’ll vote for that!” District Seven is experiencing rapid demographic shifts, with younger, more socially liberal (if still fiscally conservative) residents buying the homes of elderly widows who have passed on. That includes many gay and lesbian couples who never lived in District Seven before. One woman sent me this note: “I really appreciate you being out in San Francisco’s non-gay neighborhood – even though there’s a lot of us out here.” If I had to pick any favorites among my volunteers, they would have to be Alex and Maddie, a lesbian couple (continued on page 14)
Boys Behaving Badly and Other Updates from the Campaign Trail
A San Francisco Kind of Democrat Rafael Mandelman It has been a good few weeks for queer District 5 Supervisor Christina Olague. Not that long ago, many insiders were speculating that Olague might be the first incumbent to lose a re-election fight since district elections were restored in 2000. But her vote to retain Ross Mirkarimi as Sheriff appears to have shored up her support among some on the city’s political left. And with the nearly simultaneous surfacing of sexual harassment allegations against one of her leading opponents - Julian Davis - and the ensuing erosion of support for his campaign, Olague’s chances are looking a good bit better as of this writing. By way of disclosure, I have endorsed Olague and Board of Trustees president John Rizzo for the D5 seat.
The Mirkarimi vote – in which Supervisors Avalos, Campos, Kim and Olague deprived Mayor Lee of the supermajority he needed to sustain his removal of the sheriff – has of course been wildly controversial in the city, with different people reaching widely divergent conclusions on the merits of the case and the significance of its outcome. Where some saw a victory for representative democracy and, in the supervisors voting against removal, a brave willingness to challenge mayoral overreaching, others saw a major setback for the domestic violence community and an outrageous failure to exercise moral leadership on the part of those four supervisors. The seemingly never-ending Mirkarimi saga and now the Davis imbroglio do appear to have sparked renewed discussion, particularly among progressives, about the problem of boys (usually straight boys) behaving badly in politics. Of course not all straight male politicians are boors. Nonetheless, it seems to me there is a relatively obvious solution to the problem: we need to recruit, empower and elect more progressive women and queers. Duh, you say. Of course the biggest political news right now remains the upcoming presidential election. President Obama appears to have recovered from his
memorably poor performance in the first debate, but of course there is still much work to be done, both to reelect the president and to get him a Democratic congress. If you have any free time between now and November 6, please head down to the Democratic Party Coordinated Campaign Headquarters at 2278 Market Street. They’ll put you to work! At election time most people focus on the drama of the candidate races, but this year there are some pretty important ballot measures as well. You may have heard or read over the summer and fall about some of the troubles at City College, where a combination of devastating budget cuts from the state and bad management have left the institution at risk of de-accreditation and closure. The interim chancellor and Board of Trustees have taken some important steps to get the college back on track, but the problems there will get a lot worse if we don’t pass Proposition 30 – the Governor’s revenue measure, and Proposition A – a local $79 per parcel tax to support City College’s many excellent programs. San Franciscans love our City College; this November 6th is a chance to show our love. Rafael Mandelman, an attorney and community activist, is running for SF Community College.
Read more @ www.sfbaytimes.com BAY T IM ES NOVEM BER 1, 2012 5
Combating the Gender Bias in California Politics And here are the other women, whom you can read about at our website:
Laurie Gallian, Sonoma City Council
2261 Market Street, No. 309 San Francisco CA 94114 Phone: 415-503-1375
Jennifer Ong, State Assembly, 20th District
Sara Lamnin, Hayward School Board
525 Bellevue Avenue Oakland CA 94610 Phone: 510-846-8158 E-mail: editor@sfbaytimes.com www.sfbaytimes.com
Erin Hannigan, Supervisor First Supervisorial District, Solano County
Rachel Norton, San Francisco Board of Education
Rhodesia R. Ransom, County Supervsor 5th District, San Joaquin County
Rebecca Saltzman, District 3, BART Board
Sophie Hahn, Berkeley City Council
Beatriz Leyva-Cutler, Berkeley School Board
Kim Corsaro Publisher 1981-2011
STAFF Dr. Betty L. Sullivan Jennifer L. Viegas
Guest Editorial
Co-Publishers & Co-Editors
Ayana Baltrip Balagas
Kimberly Ellis
Design Direction & Production
Abby Zimberg Design & Production Juan Torres Advertising Executive Juan@sfbaytimes.com Robert Fuggiti Calendar Editor
Manny Apolonio Assistant to the Publishers
Barbara Brust / Lucille Design Webmaster & Technology Director
Michael Denison Business Manager
Juan Ordonez Distribution
ADVISORY BOARD Tracy Gary Nanette Lee Miller, CPA James C. Freeman Jim Rosenau Judy Young, MPH Gary Virginia Dixie Horning CONTRIBUTORS Writers
Rink, Sister Dana Van Iquity, Ann Rostow, Kirsten Kruse, Teddy Witherington, David Grabstald, Kate Kendell, Pollo del Mar, Heidi Beeler, K. Cole, Gary M. Kramer, Dennis McMillan, Tom Moon, Paul E. Pratt, Terry Baum, Gypsy Love, Joel Engardio, Rafael Mandelman, Scott Wiener, Shelley MacKay, Kit Kennedy, Leslie Katz, Karen Williams, Gary Virginia, Stu Smith, Zoe Dunning, Kathleen Archambeau
Thea Selby, District 5 Supervisor, San Francisco
They’re not in a binder – they’re on the ballot. This fall, 28 graduates of Emerge California, the premier campaign training program for Democratic women, are running for office to change the balance of power in government. From the San Joaquin Valley to Menlo Park to San Francisco and Berkeley, Emerge women are stepping up to the plate to run for office and provide the leadership that has been proven to build consensus and improve legislative outcomes. The gender bias in California politics is real. Despite trailblazers like Leader Pelosi, only 24 percent of state legislators are women, and California has never had a female governor. At the local level, gender disparities are even more extreme.
London Breed, District 5 Supervisor, San Francisco Gladys Soto, San Francisco School Board Nyeisha DeWitt, Oakland City Council Linda Seifert, District 2 Supervisor, Solano County Amy Bacharach, San Francisco Community College Board Lori Wilson, Suisun City Council
Annette Walker, Hayward School Board
Rhodesia Ransom for San Joaquin County Supervisor: Ransom would be the only woman and first person of color to serve on the Board.
Shirlee Zane, District 3 Supervisor, Sonoma
Lori Wilson for Suisun City Council: Wilson, an accounting expert and ordained minister, would be one of only two women and the first woman of color on the Suisun City Council.
Kelly Fergusson, Menlo Park City Council Cecilia Valdez, San Pablo City Council
50% of Emerge alumnae have run for office or been appointed to local boards or commissions.
Alicia Kae Herries, Petaluma City Council
Caroline Banuelos, Santa Rosa City Council
Wendy Ho, San Jose Evergreen Community College District
Each year, Emerge California trains 25 women in polling, field operations, fundraising, and the nuts and bolts of successful campaigning. Since its founding in 2002, the program has trained 229 Democratic women to run for office. To date:
Jennifer Ong for State Assembly: A successful optometrist and small business owner whose father sold hotdogs at the Oakland Coliseum, Jennifer would be a voice for women and working families in Sacramento.
Heidi Emberling, Palo Alto School Board
Gina Cuclis, Sonoma County Board of Education Monica Wilson, Antioch City Council
Amy Miller, Dublin School Board
Emerge women running include:
Desrie Campbell, Fremont School Board
Of those who have run for office, nearly 70% have won. In addition, we have a strong record of diversity: 50% of our alumnae are women of color. To learn more, please visit us online at emergeca.org. Kimberly Ellis is the executive director of Emerge California.
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Thank you to our leading advertisers. ADVERTISING Display Advertising Rate cards are available by calling 415-503-1386 #3 or e-mail ads@sfbaytimes.com. Classified Advertising: Refer to the order form in The Classifieds section, which you may mail or fax in, or e-mail us at classifieds@sfbaytimes.com. Deadline is 3 p.m. the Thursday preceding publication. For display classified information, please call Display Advertising at 415-503-1386 #3. National Advertising: Contact Bay Times / San Francisco. Also represented by Rivendell Media., Mountainside, NJ 908-232-2021. CALENDAR Calendar performers, clubs, individuals or groups who want to list events should mail, e-mail or fax notices so that they reach us by 5 p.m. the Thursday prior to publication. Please e-mail items to be considered for the Calendar to calendar@sfbaytimes.com. We cannot take listings by phone. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR If you would like to write a letter to the editor with comment on an article or suggestions for the Bay Times, email us at editor@sfbaytimes.com. © 2012 Bay Times Media Co, Inc. Co-owned by Betty L. Sullivan & Jennifer L. Viegas Reprints by permission only.
By Sister Dana Van Iquity Sister Dana sez, “This week is the last you can QUEER THE VOTE and cure Romnesia through Obamacare! Also shut the mealy mouths of Mourdock, Akins, and Sununu! And if you’re still undecided, you’re an idiot!” PROJECT INFOR M presented Evening of Hope- A Night of Lifesaving Fashion at the City View Metreon helping Project Inform continue to provide information, inspiration, and advocacy for people living with HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C. Singer/songwriter Justin Vivian Bond entertained with original compositions, and we enjoyed a fashion show of 19 glamorous pieces composed partially of condoms making over 80,000 rubbers on the runway! Executive Director Dana Van Gorder honored two men who made sure the Obama Administration reinvigorated the Office of National AIDS Policy and carried out the strategy of government, medical providers, and the HIV/AIDS community on activities to create the first AIDS-free generation. Those heroes are National AIDS Policy Director
6 BAY TIM ES NOVEM B E R 1 , 2 0 1 2
Executive Director Bill Hirsh spoke at the 29th annual “From the Heart” gala in the Green Room about AIDS LEGAL REFERRAL PANEL providing free or low cost legal services to people living with HIV/AIDS. Since its founding in 1983, ALRP has handled over 55,000 legal matters for its clients. Each year, ALRP leverages over $1.5 million in donated legal services. ALRP was pleased to honor Boone Callaway as the ALRP 2012 Clint Hockenberry Leadership Award recipient, as well as Emily A. Nugent with the Dickson Geesman LLP 2012 Attorney of the Year, and Reed Smith as Firm of the Year. City Treasurer Jose Cisneros presented the awards and Senator Mark Leno gave each awardee a Certificate of Recognition. R ICH MON D/E R M ET A I DS FOUNDATION proudly distributed checks for over $55,000 at McLoughlin Gallery to their four primary beneficiaries of “Help is on the Way XVIII” - AIDS Housing Alliance, AIDS Legal Referral Panel, Maitri, and Positive Resource Center - which was in addition to the checks sent to their six other revenue sharing partners. DJ Christopher B provided the music for the night, and Connie Champagne and Xavier Toscano sang live and lovely. REAF announced that Shanti has been selected as their primary beneficiary of “Help is on the Way for the Holidays XI” coming up on Monday, December 10th, at the Marines Memorial Theater featuring the casts of the hit Broadway shows Book of Mormon
and The Lion King plus special guest stars Tim Hockenberry, Bruce Vilanch, Connie Champagne, and Susan Anton.
recipient was Tom Floyd, who works indefatigably for HRC in the South Bay, with Silicon Valley corporations, and as an HRC governor.
POSITIVE RESOURCE CENTER at club RF80 celebrated 25 years of service helping clients who are disabled by HIV/AIDS or mental health conditions to access financial and healthcare benefits and employment so they can secure housing, nutritious food, and medical care. “Windows of Opportunity” honored two cherished PRC supporters and pillars of the community, Gary Virg in ia and Donna Sachet, whom E.D. Brett Andrews pointed out were past board members, current advisory board members, and tireless fundraisers. Senator Mark Leno lauded the pair and handed out awards. DQ Ethel Merman sang live.
I know it›s way past Halloween, but we queers celebrate that holiday every day, so I will run down the fun H’ween events that happened last week.
HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN is one of America’s largest civil rights organizations working for LGBTQ equality - at home, at work, and in our communities. With a grassroots force of more than one million members nationwide, HRC is working to “Make Equality Count,” as was the theme at the 28th annual dinner at the Fairmont. Keynote speaker was Bishop Gene Robinson of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire who has been active particularly in the area of full civil rights for LGBTQ people. The Visibility Award winner was Lana Wachowski, American film director, writer, and producer who works with her brother Andy Wachowski. Together they created V for Vendetta and their latest f ilm Cloud Atlas. The Charles M. Holmes Community Service Award
“HAUNTED BROADWAY” was the theme of the GLA AD SF 2nd annual Halloween gala where guests appeared as their favorite Broadway character - or other costume - for a haunted evening of dance, drink, and Halloween revelry to benef it GLAAD’s culture-changing work. GLAAD San Francisco Leadership Council’s Adam Sandel and John Marez were Harold Hill of The Music Man and a Spamalot knight, respectively. Patrik Gallineaux was Peter Pan. Donna Sachet was Glinda the Good Witch from Wicked, and conversely, Sister Dana was Mr. Applegate, the devil from Damn Yankees. Also in attendance were Captain Hook, Tinkerbell, Little Edie and her mother Big Edie from Grey Gardens, Spiderman, overgrown Trapp children from Sound of Music, LDS elder missionaries from Book of Mormon, flower children from HAIR, the Lion King, sailors from On the Town, Katya SmirnoffSkyy as Auntie Mame with her ward, Patrick Dennis, chorus dancers from Chorus Line, the cast of Little Shop of Horrors (including the blood sucking plant monster), and Dolly Levi of Hello Dolly. First place contest winner was Edward Scissorhands; 2nd place was Liza with a Z, and 3rd place was a bloody Sweeney Todd. (continued on page 12)
The Week in Review What’s The Matter With Gay Republicans? By Ann Rostow I’ve been through quite a few presidential elections, but I can’t recall this level of anxiety. As I write, on Wednesday, I am f looded with the good kind of anxiety, the kind that expects to win but still fears losing. That is far preferable to a couple of weeks ago when my fragile conf idence was slipping towards despair. But even so, I can’t stand much more of this. Can you? If you are a gay or lesbian voter and you plan to vote for Romney, you had better have an extraordinary reason for doing so. Many, if not most of us, don’t consider ourselves single issue voters. And frankly, even though Democrats have historically been more supportive of gay rights, there was an argument to be made in past elections that the outcome would not affect our community in fundamental ways. (Not that I would have made that argument myself.) But this election is different. If Romney wins, the Justice Department will abandon its support for gay rights and switch back to support for the Defense of Marriage Act. The Supreme Court, which is almost certain to evaluate DOMA this session, will no doubt delay its procedures to allow the new administration to redraft its briefs. That’s the short run fallout. The long term likely includes a conservative replacement for Justice Ginsburg, a generational setback for all our hopes and dreams. So, my dear Republican brothers and sisters, what exactly is so important this time around? Tax policy? The defense budget? It’s certainly not the deficit. Are you against abortion rights? Do you really think the austerity program that has brought Europe to its knees is a good idea for the United States? Or is it simply the case that you cannot separate your party affiliation from your core sense of self? Let’s not belabor the point. I still love you. — Windsor Case Breakthrough Changes High Court Calculus Before we give our insatiable appetite for election stories another snack, I am pleased to announce that we have some actual news to guide us in our idle rambles through the tangled woods of Supreme Court speculation. This week, instead of stringing together our usual succession of “what ifs,” we f ind ourselves in a lovely clearing thanks to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Oh, and we also have adorable forest animals gathered around, eyes wide and ears perked for the new developments. On October 18, the Second Circuit issued an impressive ruling in our favor, astonishing for its speed and breadth. Just a few weeks after hearing oral arguments in the case of New York widow Edith Windsor, the 2-1 appellate panel struck Section Three of the Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional. In doing so, the panel took the historic step of ruling that sexual orientation discrimination should be evaluated with heightened legal scrutiny, a standard that forces the state to show that a law is substantially related to an important public interest. Up until now, gay rights cases at the federal appellate level have always been judged under the lowest standard of legal review, a test as easy as pie that requires the plaintiff to prove that a law bears no rational relationship to any legitimate state interest. It’s the difference between getting a GED or graduating from Yale.
Can I add that I’ve never actually made a pie, which does not seem easy at all. I’ve been particularly intimidated by the idea of taking cold chunks of butter and shoving them into a mess of f lour with a wooden spoon. How do people do that? Please do not answer this question unless you have a secret, easy-as-pie, technique to share. Driven by my earlier metaphor, I must pause while the squirrels and bunnies clap their paws together and squeak with excitement. The bluebirds emit a happy caw and the fawns do a little dance. Settle down everyone, there’s more! On Friday, October 26, the Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to shelve the other DOMA appeal petitions and accept review of the Windsor case. As you may recall, the High Court is now sitting on two DOMA cases out of Massachusetts which have already traveled through the First Circuit. They have also been asked to take review of two other DOMA suits that have yet to be heard by the intermediate courts (Golinski in California and Pedersen in Connecticut). Now, Windsor has finished its lower court run and stands ready to become the main vehicle for the High Court’s def initive evaluation of the horrid anti-marriage law. Court observers think the justices will wait until their November 20 conference before deciding which DOMA case or cases to review. They may also decide whether or not to review the Prop 8 ruling at that meeting. One caveat before we move on. Although most people think the High Court will strike the Defense of Marriage Act, it’s impossible to predict how the justices will handle the question of heightened scrutiny. To us, the status of gay bias should be a no brainer. Like race and religion, sexual orientation defines a minority class with a history of persecution based on animus alone. We lack political power and while the jury may still be out on whether sexual orientation is genetic, it’s clear that one should not have to change orientation in order to avoid public discrimination. But the Court will be wary of agreeing with the Second Circuit. Why? Because if they do, they will effectively end the legal debate over gay rights in one stroke. It’s more likely that they’ll manage to avoid a yes or no answer. — State Marriage Battles Down to the Wire Now, let’s look at the four marriage ballot measures. All year long, we’ve seen strong support for equality in Washington, Maine and Maryland. Loyal readers will recall that this column has regarded the polls with a skeptic’s eye. Bruised and battered by the swing voter who comes home with a dozen roses and claims he’ll never lift a finger against us again, we will believe it when we see it. Now, with the election six days away, that voter is swinging into the house demanding dinner on the table and asking why the kids’ toys are cluttering the floor. Can we simply fix him a martini? Or are we about to get creamed? In Maryland, where our support was something like 52 to 43 just a couple of weeks ago, the most recent poll said 47 percent of voters would repeal the marriage equality law, while 46 would uphold our rights. Six percent were undecided. In Maine, polls continue to show that a majority of 52 percent to 57 percent of voters support marriage equality, but I can’t find a really recent poll to confirm the advantage.
Professional Services And over in Washington, our double digit lead has narrowed to a fourpoint edge as of a poll released October 24. Lord knows where it might be at this moment, let alone next Tuesday. Minnesota voters, by contrast, will not be voting to legalize same-sex marriage, but to outlaw it by constitutional amendment. Again, polls are just slightly in our favor, but I heard from one insider that we are likely to lose by a couple clicks. Last week, the head of HRC said that even one win in these four contests would be considered a “narrative changing” event, which is true but implies a certain pessimism from our top lobbyists. But look, I’m still hoping for the best. As a self-described “reporter,” it’s my job to avoid hopping on the cheerleading bandwagon when polls are in our favor months out from the election. But now that we may indeed see defeat snatched from the jaws of victory, I can afford to indulge my inner activist. We will win Maine. We will win Washington. We have a good shot to win Minnesota, when you consider that blank ballots count in our favor. And as for Maryland, who knows? We have the ardent support of the state’s Democratic governor, Martin O’Malley, and we have the energy of a Democratic state. I’m not writing off the Soft Shell Crab State just yet. I’m getting out the Hendrick’s. —. Bad Boy I just don’t have the heart for antigay violence this week. Sometimes it’s just too much. I will, however, mention that a gay Republican, who claimed he was beaten up by Democratic campaign supporters, has been charged with filing a false police report and obstructing police. Kyle Wood was a volunteer for GOP Cong ressiona l cand idate, Chad Lee of Wisconsin. Last week, Wood claimed that he was attacked at a rally for Lee’s opponent, Madison state rep. Mark Pocan, who is gay himself. Wood ran around telling every media outlet who would listen that he was assaulted around the head and neck for being a gay Republican, and that Pocan’s husband sent him threatening texts. Now, Madison Police Captain Joe Balles tells the press that the accusations were unfounded and that Wood will be facing criminal charges. The Lee campaign, which originally supported Wood, has now fired him, and local media have removed earlier coverage of the story from their websites. Wood reportedly also has a record for trying to attack his former boyfriend with a butcher’s knife in 2008. Far be it for me to suggest the man was struggling with the existential tension of being a gay Republican. It’s more likely that he was simply unbalanced. For whatever reason. Nothing to do with politics. — Mob Justice? Hey. I just saw on the news crawl that someone found a human skeleton inside a tree that was downed by Hurricane Sandy. Paging Dr. Temperance Brennan! I’m going to look it up. Never mind. It was just some 19 th centur y gravesite. Meanwhile, I should tell you that the marriage equality law in France is still on track, but seems to be delayed until November. Oh, and a gay man was elected governor of Sicily. I kind of love that image, don’t you? (continued on page 18)
Read more @www.sfbaytimes.com and check us out on Twitter and Facebook. BAY T IM ES NOVEM BER 1, 2012 7
Round About in Photos — Photos by Rink
Rev. Gene Robinson at the Human Rights Campaign Dinner at the Fairmont Hotel. HRC President Chad Griffin with honoree Lana Wachowski at the HRC Dinner
Jill Frederico and Linda Scaparotti with honoree Tom Floyd at the HRC VIP Party
Honoree Boone Callaway at the podium at the AIDS Legal Referral Panel Reception at the Green Room
GLBT Historical Society’s Paul Boneberg, Emperor Joshua Norton I and Countess Lola Montez at the Unmasked Party
AIDS Legal Referral Panel’s Bill Hirsh with honorees Boone Callaway, Jim Wood representing the Reed Smith law firm and Emily Nugent with event emcee Jose Cisneros, SF City Treasurer
Women filmmakers Alice Woo, Cheryl Dunye, Pam Walton and Glenne McElhinney at the GLBT Historical Society’s UnMasked Party
Project Inform’s Evening of Hope featured a fashion model in a condom-decorated dress Senator Mark Leno and Positive Resource Center’s Brett Andrews with honorees Donna Sachet and Gary Virginia at PRC’s 25th Anniversary Party
Advertize in the Bay Times! 8 BAY TIM ES NOVEM B E R 1 , 2 0 1 2
REAF’s devilishly dressed Joe Seiler surrounded by Mormon missionaries at the GLAAD Pre-Halloween Party
Project Open Hand’s Hannah Schmunk and Maria Stokes create a display at the Castro Walgreens Honoree Jeff Crowley speaking at announcing the upcoming POH Luncheon happening on December 13. Project Inform’s Evening of Hope
Use the News Education Program
LGBT Cartoons and Comedy A laugh and a smile can work wonders in healing our spirits, particularly during election time. Cartoons and comedy do even more, since they often deal with controversial issues, but in an entertaining, thought-provoking way. Clever artists can sway our opinions by helping us to see the irony or ridiculousness of certain situations. For example, thankf u l ly most A mer ica ns were able to laugh of f t he insanit y of certain relig ious leaders claiming that the “homosexual agenda” was responsible for Hurricane Sandy.
Here in the Bay Area we have many treasures that celebrate t he a r t a nd power f u l h istor y of L GBT cartoons and comedy. In this issue we highlight the must-visit Cartoon Art Museum, cartoonist/author/ teacher extraordinaire Justin Hall, talented standup comedian Ronn Vigh, and our San Francisco entertainment gem, Beach Blanket Babylon. We hope that our of ferings here are just a teaser, enticing you to further explore the talented individuals on these pages in the weeks and months to come.
No Straight Lines Cartoon Art Museum’s Ongoing Commitment to LGBT Artists and Comics By Justin Hall
By Andrew Farago San Francisco’s Cartoon Art Museum was founded in 1984 by a group of comic art collectors and enthusiasts who wanted to share t hei r pa ssion for ca r toons w it h t he rest of t he Bay A rea. From t he beg i n n i ng, LGBT cartoonists and comics, including lumin a r ie s s uc h a s How a r d C r u s e ( Wendel, St uck Rubber Baby) and Trina Robbi n s ( W i m men’s C om i x), h ave been featured in exhibitions, presentations, and the museum’s permanent collection as an integral part of cartoon—and San Francisco—culture. In 2006, we were honored to host the f irst comprehensive museum ex h ibit ion of queer car toon ist s, “No Straight L ines,” curated by Justin Hall w ith assistance from
me. This ex hibit ion brought to get her generat ions of ar t ists from pioneers, includ ing t he a forement ioned Howa rd Cr use, to newer ar t ists such as Tim Fish (Cava lcade of Boys), A r iel Sch rag ( Potent ia l) a nd Jen n i fer Camper (Rude Girls and Dangerous Women), and talents such as A lison Bechdel, whose acclaimed g raph ic novel F un Home fur t her e s t a b l i s he d L GB T c r e a t or s a s a n i mpor t a nt component of t he mainstream literary scene. The Car toon A r t Museum’s ongoing commitment to LGBT creator s a nd com ics is due i n pa r t to its location in the heart of San Fr a n c i s c o’s Ye r b a B ue n a A r t s Dist r ict, but it a lso ref lect s t he growing role of LGBT creators in the comics industr y. Earlier this year, Justin Hall and his students f rom t he E ng a ge: Q ueer C omics P roject class at t he Ca l i fornia College of the Arts assembled a spot l ight ex h ibit ion spa n n i ng four decades of queer comics cre-
ators from the San Francisco Bay A rea. The Museum is cur rent ly host i ng a 30 -yea r ret rospect ive of t he g roundbrea k ing ind ie comic Love and Rockets, a series praised by GL A A D for the diversity of its cast and its handling of gay and lesbian issues. The Cartoon Art Museum’s programming schedule includes frequent LGBT-t hemed events, includ i ng Just i n Ha l l’s recent No Straight Lines launch party, our L ove a nd Ro c ket s a n n iver s a r y party, an upcoming book signing from Ellen Forney, and a variety of yet- t o - b e - a n nou nc e d e vent s t hroughout 2013. You ca n keep tabs on CA M’s programming and event s t hrough it s website, ca rtoonart.org, as well as its Twitter account (@cartoonart) and Faceb o o k ( h t t p s : //w w w. f a c e b o o k . com/cartoonartmuseum). Andrew Farago is the curator of the Cartoon Art Museum.
Eve of the Election Comedy By Ronn Vigh Ever yone dea ls d i f ferent ly w it h tragedy. I’ve always been one to employ my sense of humor during tough times-- often to be met with ha r sh cr it icism. I ca n’t tel l you how many boyfriends and bosses have angrily con fronted me w ith, “Is ever yt h i ng just a big joke to you?” Su rely, it’s not , though being able to joke around in any g iven situat ion is a g reat s k i l l t o h a v e w h e n y o u ’r e a stand-up comed ian l i ke me. Now, I would never consider mysel f a pol it ica l comed ia n. Most pol it ics bore me. However, t he a b s u r d it ie s of ou r s o c iet y a nd some of our “leaders,” well, they fascinate me. With the 2012 president ial elect io n j u s t d ay s aw ay, O b a m a’s
f ut u re a s a t wo -ter m pres ident is uncer t a in. Not so for t he ab surd it ies pour i ng for t h from b ot h f r om a l l ov er t he p ol it i c a l a rena: Todd A k i n’s “ leg it imate rape” com ment s, Tr ump’s he c k l i n g O b a m a for h i s b i r t h c er t i f ic at e, a nt i - g ay f a st fo o d , Romney’s “Binders Full of Women...” It’s enough to make Sarah Pa l in look l i ke t he Toot h Fa ir y. A s we inch closer to vot ing day, we c a n choose to eit her s lu mp into a deep depression, lose our minds and begin making arrangements to move to Canada, or, we can call upon good old humor to help get us through it all. Let’s do exactly that. F i r st up: M it t R o m ne y. M it t has come out charging, claiming t h at u nemploy ment h a s f lou r ished u nder P resident Oba ma’s le a der s h ip a nd he s ay s he h a s a p l a n (a s y et u n s p e c i f ie d ) t o g et e ver y A mer ic a n work i n g- a nd i f t h at do e s n’t work , he’ l l br i n g you on a s a s i s t e r -w i fe.
L oc a l comed i a n Dh ay a L a k shm i na raya na n says M it t t r u ly i nspi res her: “ He t r u ly is a job c r e at or- - for c ome d i a n s! ” s ay s Dhaya. “I don’t want some ugly old Republican lawmaker deciding what to do w ith my body. If anyone tells me what to do, I want it to be Channing Tatum.” Others are scared that Romney is truly out of touch with work ingclass Americans. With Hurricane Sandy recently barreling through t he East Coast, comed ian M i ke D r uc ker s ay s he w a s su r pr i sed that Romney didn’t hold a press con ference to adv ise “aver age” A mer ic a n s , “A nyone l i v i n g i n the path of the hurricane- should ju s t g o t o t he i r ot he r hou s e.” A u n d r e t he Wo n d e r w o m a n , a longtime staple of the San Francisco comedy scene, hasn’t been shy about pok ing fun at George W. Bush and Republicans of the past. She shared her thoughts on (continued on page 11)
Editor’s Note: The excerpt below from t he book No S t ra i ght L in es: Four Decades of Queer Comics ( Fantagraphics, 2012) was republished with the author’s permission. Hall ed ited t h i s i ncred ible 328 -page tome. It showcases major names such as A l ison Bechdel (see Bay T imes page 12), Howard Cr use, Ralf Koenig, legendar y N YC artist David Wo j n a r o w i c z , med ia darl ing Dan Savage a n d nu m e r o u s others. Consider adding the book to your holiday shopping list for yourself or for a loved one. C o m i cs a n d gays . T h e y go t oge t h e r well ; af t e r all , th e y h a ve on e m ajor thing in common: both tend not to get any respect. Jerry Mills, 1986 A you ng ma n is g iven a lect ure about loneliness by his penis after a tryst in the backroom of a bar; a trans woman’s cartoon alter-ego tries to hire nurses from Hooters for her sex-reassignment surger y; ref usi ng to h ide her “ d isf ig ureme nt ,” a le s b i a n g et s a t at t o o across her mastectomy scar after a battle with breast cancer; a bisexua l woman expla ins just how to negotiate a mixed three-way; a 370 -foot-tall g iant smashes a cathedral in rage as he is dy ing of A IDS. T he s e a r e s n aps hot s f r om fou r decades of LGBTQ comic books and strips, and represent the wide r a n g e of s ubje c t s , t heme s , a nd st yles in this unique and v ibrant artistic underground. L GB T Q c om ic s h av e fou g ht a long, uphill battle for recognition. W h i le com ics have t rad it iona l ly b e en d i s m i s s e d a s puer i le a nd simpl ist ic, queer car tooning has been even f ur t her ma rg i na l i zed w it h i n t he com ics world, ra rely g a r ner i ng s hel f s pa ce i n com ic book stores or recognition in conventions and awards ceremonies. T he y h av e e x i s t e d i n a p a r a l lel universe alongside the rest of comics, appear ing a lmost exclusively in gay newspapers and gay bookstores, and published by gay publ i s her s . Q ueer c om ic s h ave
been largely insular creations designed for their own communities, and they have been neither interested in nor able to gain a wider market. T he insu lar nat ure of t he world of queer cartooning, however, has created a truly fascinating artistic scene. LGBTQ comics have been an uncensored, inter na l conversation within queer communities, and thus provide a unique window into the hopes, fears, and fantasies of queer people for t he la st four decades. T hey have forged their aesthetics from underground comix, gay erotic art, punk zines, traditional illustration, camp humor, and the biting commentaries of bull dykes, nerdy fags, gender radicals, and other marg inalized queers. They have analyzed their ow n com mun it ies, a nd t heir relationship with the broader society in smart, funny, and profound ways. W hatever new venues open up, L GBTQ com ics w i l l sur v ive, a s they have for four decades, despite t he o dd s . A s Jen n i fer C a mp er, veteran dyke cartoonist and editor of the Juicy Mother antholog y, says, “There have always been a number of us mak ing stuf f [and] we a l l had our ow n ways of do ing it. We’ve a lways created our own templates.” It is precisely this scrappy att itude that g uided the early lesbian comic books, the gay strips, and the queer zine antholog ies. It w i l l g u ide t he L GBTQ graphic novels, comic books, and webcomics of the future. With so l it t le rea l money i n t he com ic s medium, ever y creation is a persona l labor of love, w it h a l l t he splend id, messy d iversit y of ar tistry and business plans that that implies.
Q ueer com ics w i l l su r v ive, a nd they will prosper. They will cont inue to document t he chang ing rea l it ies of t he L GBTQ ex per ience; t hey w i l l com ment on ever ything from our bad hairstyles to our choices in one-night stands, from ou r cou rage faci ng i l l ness to our need for community, from our attempts to achieve marriage rights to our dubious taste in music, from revolut ion to t he freedom to live a mundane life. Queer creators will continue to hold up a fract ured, f un house m ir ror i n (continued on page 11)
BAY T IM ES NOVEM BER 1, 2012 9
Election
2012
Beach Blanket Babylon Political Stars Steve Silver’s Beach Blanket Babylon is the world’s longest running musical revue. The show began its run in 1974 at Club Savoy Tivoli a nd h a s s i nc e moved to t he larger Club Fug a z i i n Nor t h Beach. The show is such a liv ing legend that Green Street bet ween C o lu m bu s Av e nu e a n d Po w e l l Street was renamed “Beach Blanket Babylon Boulevard.” Si lver (19 4 4 -19 95) c r eated t he show, which continues under the direction of his wife, Jo Schuman Silver. Jo recent ly took time out of her busy schedule to speak to the Bay Times. She shared that the show and its songs are frequently
changed to ref lect the latest political news and other happenings. She also shared some of the latest lyrics, which include the following:
(Obama enters)
(sung by BBB’s Barack Obama)
F i v e , s i x , s e v e n o’c lo c k , e i g ht o’clock, Barack.
Unemployment’s f inally dropping that is news I want to share. Donald Trump says I’m not born here. I say neither was his hair. (to the tune of “Rock Around the Clock”) Let’s rock. We’re gonna give it everything we got. If you want a man who’s hot then g ive it up for t he President. His name is Barack.
10 BAY TIM ES NOVEMB E R 1 , 2 0 1 2
O n e , t w o , t h r e e o’c l o c k , fou r o’clock, Barack.
Nine, ten, eleven o’clock, twelve o’clock, rock. It’s Barack around the clock tonight! (Obama) Hey America, no need to fret. We don’t use horses and bayonets. ( Michelle) The country’s still divided. You know what I mean.
A nd we haven’t seen t he last of this Tea Party queen. (BBB’s Michelle Bachmann enters to tune of “Can’t Take My Eyes Of f of You”) I’m just too good to be true. Can’t take my eyes of f of you. God says I’m heaven to touch. The rest of you, not so much. For I can show you the way. I ’l l ma ke you st r a ight i f you’re gay. To all the Muslims and Jews I got my eyes all on you. Packed w it h such spoofs of po l it ica l characters as wel l as pop
cu lt u re, t he show w i l l welcome the holiday season beginning November 14. It will feature a chorus line of tap dancing Christmas trees, special parodies of Christmas carols and a g igant ic Yuletide hat. With the election results u n k now n a s of t h is w r it i ng, we may a l l need such a ref resh i ng breather. Tickets are available by phoning 415 - 421- 4222, on l i ne at beachbl a n ket baby lon .c om , or at t he Beach Blanket Babylon Box Off ice: 678 Green Street. Arrangement s for g roups of 30 or more and private performances may be made by contacting group sales at 415-421-6788.
(JUSTIN HALL continued from page 9) wh ich we L GBTQ people can view ourselves and allow others to see us as well. This is the role of the artist a nd stor y tel ler, t he t r ut h tel ler a nd s pi n ner of t a l l ta les.The future is br ight, queer, and full of comics. J u st i n Hall i s a ca r t oo n i st , writer and teacher. He curated the world’s f irst museum show devoted to LGBTQ cartooning. (RONN VIGH continued from page 9) Romney: “I persona l ly do his birth certif icate, has me not t h in k M itt Romney is waiting for his next target. qualif ied to be president,” Perhaps at the next Trump s ay s M s . Wonder wom a n . press con ference he’l l de“Well, he is white, so there’s mand that Latifah tell the that, but beyond that…” American people of exactly which country she’s Queen. W h i le we’ve m a de g r e at strides in the Equality For And of course, in San FranA ll movement, we’ve got a cisco, there’s plenty of absurlong way to go. I can’t help dit y in our own backyard. but t hink about how M itt District 8 Supervisor Scott c ou l d b e ou r P r e s i d e nt , Wiener successfully got lowhere we would respect his cal nudists to agree to place r e l i g iou s b e l ie f s - - wh ic h towels beneath them when seem ver y strange to most sitting down. However, conA mer ic a n s - - but he s e e s t rover s y over t he nud i st s no reason to respect ot h- in the Castro remains. I’ve ers’ r ights as humans. To thought about turning this me, Mitt basically says, “I into a business opportunity, strongly believe in the right myself-- perhaps I can give to marry. In fact, I believe in them all nipple piercings, so it so much, why stop at one? they have somewhere to hold It’s f ine-- oh, unless you’re their keys. gay! Then never mind!” Many city voters are turnI f t h e r e i s a n u p s i d e t o i n g t o l o c a l g o v e r n me nt Rom ney becom i ng P res i - of f icials to work on f ix ing dent, maybe it’s that Don- MUNI- perhaps the biggest a l d Tr u m p m i ght a c t u - absu rd it y of a l l. W it hout a l ly keep his trap shut for quest ion, somet h i ng must fou r ye a r s . H i s c on s t a nt be done about ou r publ ic pestering of the President, t ra nspor t at ion. You k now e s p e c i a l l y h i s end le s s t i - there’s a problem when the rades urg i ng h i m to show p l a t f o r m a n n o u n c e m e n t
says, “Two-car, L L ... in 3 hours and forty-eight minutes. Fol lowed by... Two car, K K... Friday.” Before h it t i ng t he ba llot box next Tuesday, join Au nd re t he Wonder woman, Dhaya La kshminaraya na n, P ippi L ovestock i ng and myself to make light of all the potential doom and gloom i n ou r “Eve of t he E lect ion” comedy s pec ia l on Monday, November 5th, a t H a r v e y ’s (5 0 0 C a s t r o St.), in the heart of the Castro. A nd, if you don’t l ike to laugh, Har vey’s has big glass w indows, so you can still play a rousing game of “Spot the Nudist!” P roduce r and st and- up comic R o n n V i gh i s n o st ra n ge r t o t e l e v i s i o n , ra d i o , B ro a d w a y and comedy clubs, having created and performed in numerous shows over the years. He, however, says his “big gest accomplishment to date: working as a f light attendant and never smother ing any of his passengers with a pillow.”
BAY T IM ES NOVEM BER 1, 2012 11
Use the News Education Program
(SISTER DANA continued from page 6) Introduced by Good Vibes media rep Camilla Lombard in drag king costume, the 7th annual Good Vibrations’ “QUICK IES” Erotic Short Film Festival was at the Castro Theatre, with saucy, spooky hosts Peaches Christ and Dr. Carol Queen, featuring commentary by Lady Bear and Hugz Bunny regarding 12 submissions of 7-minute sexy flicks. The pre-party in the mezzanine featured the Can-Cannibals dance troupe doing burlesque and The Cryptic Quartet playing music, along with a spinning wheel to win sexy GV prizes. I wore my CumUnion shirt picturing a guy getting bukake treatment, accessorized with a pearl necklace (get it?!). The audience voted on their favorite - with human, feathered «Love Birds» by Brian Lye of Vancouver receiving the $1,500 prize. GLBT HISTORICAL SOCIETY threw a marvelous masquerade party in the Green Room, honoring Bay Area Queer Filmmakers Cheryl Dunye (The Watermelon Woman), Marc Huestis (Sex Is), Stu Maddux (Gen Silent), Travis Mathews (I Want Your Love), Glenne McElhinney (On These Shoulders We Stand), Pam Wal-
ton (Out in Suburbia), David Weissman (We Were Here), and Alice Wu (Saving Face). Entertainment was by baritone soloist Zachary Gordin, Cello Street Quartet, Hard French DJs, and Glamamore. DEATH BECOMES HER was the hilarious horror movie starring Goldie Hawn and Meryl Streep, but better than that was the incredible pre-show at the Castro starring Peaches Christ as Madeleine Ashton & Heklina as Helen Sharp, as well as Lady Bear as Big Helen, D’arcy Drollinger as Lisle Von Rhuman, L Ron Hubby as Ernest Menville, Sandra O No-Shi Di’int, Cousin Wonderlette, Dulce De Leche, Ginorma Desmond, Roxy Cotton Candy, Sister Pat N Leather, Qween, Estee Longah, Marijoy Tabatsoy, Elijah Minnelli, Nikki Sixx Mile, Christopher Holleran, Arty Mirzatuny, and many more making the movie come to life on stage - complete with clever choreography of “Songbird.” What price for eternal youth?! WHAT›S COMING UP? THE SAN FRANCISCO TRANSG E N DE R F I L M F E ST I VA L
(ENDORSEMENTS continued from page 1) Rafael Mandelman for SF Commu- est violent crime rate in CA and the nity College Board 3rd highest crime rate in the U.S. We voted in taxes for 830 police and we Oakland only have 600.”
12 BAY TIM ES NOVEMB E R 1 , 2 0 1 2
Ignacio De La Fuente
Noel Gallo
Comment: “He supports curfews, gang injunctions and more feet (police) on the street which I agree with in Oakland. Our city has the high-
Rebecca Kaplan Comment from one of our male contributors: “I’m supporting every out
announces its spectacular 2012 Festival – a stellar collection of transgender short films with enticing tales of defiance, bullying, relationships, sex, humor, romance, and ZOMBIES! November 8-11, CounterPulse, 1310 Mission at 9th Street, SFTFF. org. SAN FRANCISCO SEX INFORMATION celebrates its 40th anniversary dishing out accurate, nonjudgmental information about human sexuality. Storytelling queen Dixie De La Tour emcees a lineup of special stories from the last forty years of sex in San Francisco. Full bar with signature Sex Ed cocktails. November 3rd, 7pm - 2am, CellSpace, 2050 Bryant Street. sfsi.org/party. K REW E de K INQUE hosts the nex t Fu l l Moon Pa r t y, where some lucky a-hole can win a prize for best butt at The Edge, ever y f irst Wednesday, 9-midnight. Entertainment, Jell-o shots, fun, November 7th. Please let Obama win, or Sister Dana is liable to become suicidal - or worse yet, homicidal! lesbian running for office because I think, for the most part, women are better leaders than men.” Barbara Parker for City Attorney San Francisco Ballot Measures Yes on A, B, C, D, E and G (continued on page 14)
Arts&Entertainment A Holiday Favorite: Smuin’s “The Christmas Ballet” Dance
Darren Anderson On November 23, Smuin Ballet begins performances of “The Christmas Ballet,” which makes its annual return with a perfect gift for audience members of all ages. The two distinct acts, Classical Christmas and Cool Christmas, are filled to the brim with an eye-catch-
ing array of ballet, tap, and swing, celebrating holiday traditions from around the world. The 2012 Edition includes new choreography from acclaimed Choreographer in Residence Amy Seiwert and Smuin artists Jane Rehm and myself to accompany time-honored favorites. “The Christmas Ballet” will tour the Bay Area, beginning with shows in Livermore, followed by Mountain View, Carmel, and its annual holiday run at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Single tickets ($25-$65*) are available by calling the individual venues or visiting www.smuinballet. org * San Francisco venues only, other venues $49-$65 An ever-changing carousel of mischief and elegance, “The Christmas Ballet” has a diverse set of seasonal offerings that satisfies all tastes. “The Christmas Ballet, 2012 Edition” will unwrap three world premieres, including one from Smuin artist Jane Rehm for Classical Christmas, set
to the Canadian Brass version of “Here We Come A-Wassailing.” Cool Christmas will feature world premieres from me, set to “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” and Amy Seiwert, set to “No Christmas for Me” by Zee Avi. A former dancer with Smuin Ballet, Seiwert has been choreographing since 1999 and has won numerous awards and critical accolades. Now an internationallyacclaimed choreographer, her works are in the repertory of Smuin Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, American Repertory Ballet, and Carolina Ballet,
as well as Ballet Nouveau Colorado, Colorado Ballet, Robert Moses KIN, and Ballet Austin. Rehm is a current dancer with Smuin Ballet, and I was a Smuin Ballet Company member for four years until my retirement from dancing last spring. While continuing to choreograph for the Company, I have also taken a position as Smuin Ballet’s Community Relations Manager. The Classical f irst half of “The Christmas Ballet” heralds the return of several favorites, including two pieces from Artistic and Executive Director Celia Fushille set to “Lo How a Rose E’er Blooming” and “Resonet in Laudibus,” and an Amy Seiwert original set to “Sleigh Ride.” It also includes a piece by the late Michael Smuin, staged to a majestic classical recording of “Ave Maria,” that has never been performed for the holiday program. Cool Christmas promises a serenade from the King of Rock’n’Roll; a f lirty “Santa Baby;” a trip to “Christmas Island” with some gyrating hula girls and surfer
dudes; and a “Jingle Bells Mambo” from San Francisco choreographer Val Caniparoli. Debuting in San Francisco in 1994, Smuin Ballet immediately established itself as one of the Bay Area’s most eagerly watched performing arts companies, as “one of this country’s most entertaining, original ballet troupes” (Dance Magazine), and as a dance company of international acclaim, performing to sold-out houses on European tours. Michael Smuin’s singular philosophy to create pieces that merge the diverse vocabularies of classical ballet and contemporary dance has served as the company’s touchstone since its beginning. Now at the helm of Smuin Ballet is Artistic and Executive Director Celia
Fushille, whose vision includes maintaining and increasing the company’s reputation for presenting accessible and innovative repertoire, attracting new audiences of all ages to the medium. The company has continued to highlight works created by Smuin, both for his own and for other ballet companies, but Fushille also enriches its impressive repertoire with newer choreographic voices, bringing the Bay Area its first look at works by exciting choreographers from around the world, as well as developing world premieres by company members. During its recent New York City debut, Smuin Ballet was praised by critics as “irresistible, bright, and breezy” by the New York Times, which also noted, “Smuin dancers are at their finest.”
Music Opened the Door step into San Francisco’s gay community in a way that was positive and life-affirming. As I got ready to come out to my parents, I thought, ‘They are going to see me onstage in white tie and tails, singing with 200 other gay men, and they damned well better be proud of me.’ Fortunately, they were. They’ve been great.”
Music Shelley MacKay Paul James Frantz chose music as the perfect way to come out. He said, “I joined SFGMC because I wanted to
I met Paul in my singing class at The Shari Carlson Studio in 2008. I was immediately struck by his songwriting’s off-beat sense of humor during my first class when I heard him sing Make Like A Prince, where he referred to boyfriend troubles with lines like “drop your joystick; play with me.” Little did I know that this song would be the title track of his debut album, which was released later that year.
Upon Paul’s CD release, he attended several songwriting conventions to get a feel for the industry. At these conventions, he found that he was receiving similar feedback. “People would say we like the songs but we don’t know what to do with them because they sound like musical theater,” says Paul. While musical theater was a direction he might take with his music, he awaited the right opportunity. In 2011 Paul was nominated for an Out Music Award for his song If People Like Me Marry, which is a satirical piece about same-sex marriage and its opponents. He was inspired to write the song when he saw TV ads in favor of Prop 8. Paul says, “I tried to capture and illuminate the absurdity of the arguments that they were us-
ing. What the song is really about is how our lives are the same as everyone else’s.” Paul has a unique gift for writing humorous lyrics that point out the irony and ridiculousness of a serious topic without being snarky. This is one of the many reasons his music is so relatable. Furthermore, with Paul’s strong support of marriage equality and the success of If People Like Me Marry, he decided to commission Dr. Kathleen McGuire to make a choral arrangement of the song. It premiered at The Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses (GALA) this past July in Denver, performed by the small ensemble On Q , a part of the Oakland East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus (OEBGMC). The next month it was performed by the
entire ensemble of OEBGMC at their summer concert. Recently, Paul found a point of entry into the world of musical theater composing when he discovered Not Quite Opera (NQO). This month, several of Paul’s songs will be featured in “The Round One Cabaret” being produced by NQO alongside the works of other local composers. The show will take place at The Alcove Theatre November 9th, 10th, 16th and 17th. Paul is also now in talks to collaborate with NQO on a new musical with his ultimate goal in mind “to hear my music performed in great arrangements by outstanding musicians. I don’t really care what the environment is as long as they make my music sound as good as it can possibly sound.”
BAY T IM ES NOVEM BER 1, 2012 13
Learn to live again
Overcoming the Fear of Failure
Examined Life
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Tom Moon, MFT We’ve all exper ienced dread at the thought of failing, but for some people this fear is so paralyzing that it’s a complete obstacle to personal success. Motivational speakers and coaches try to get people to overcome their terror of risking failure with anecdotes designed to demonstrate that a successful life inevitably involves failure. They remind people, for instance, that Babe Ruth, who for many years held the homerun record, also held the record for the most strikeouts; or that Thomas Edison’s attempts to make a light bulb failed hundreds of times before he finally succeeded.
All of this suggests that an important key to overcoming this fear is to learn to think of failure as a kind of experience, not a kind of person. As self discipline teacher Theodore Bryant puts it (in Self Discipline in 10 Days), “…there is no such animal as a failure; no zoo in the world has a caged specimen. Sure, a person can fail at a particular
task or project. But a person cannot be a failure. Moreover, a person can fail at the same task numerous times yet not be a failure as a person. The fictitious horrors of failure that are etched into our brains subvert our ability to exercise self-discipline in many of life’s arenas.” Many readers will be skeptical of this idea, because it’s not an idea that many of us are accustomed to thinking. If the fear of failure is caused by our ideas about what it means, not by failure itself, then the tools of cognitive therapy should be of great help in overcoming it. The motto of cognitive therapy is: “Don’t believe everything you think.” Fortunately, the cognitive therapy techniques for changing thinking patterns are so simple that some people can learn them from selfhelp manuals. One way to explore this option is to pick up a copy of David Burns’ book Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy and do the written exercises for changing cognitive distortions. As far as I know, this is the only self-help manual whose effectiveness has been scientifically demonstrated in five separate studies. Tom Moon, MFT, is a psychotherapist in San Francisco. His website is tommoon.net. You can e-mail him at examlife@aol.com.
Stairway to the Stars
Don't Call It Frisco Stu Smith Memories can be strange and humorous, and sometimes horrifying too. Over my sordid and people-filled existence I’ve met, or maybe encountered, many infamous and famous folks. I thought I’d relate a few incidents I remember vividly and with a tinge of guilt. Once upon a time in San Francisco, there was a nightclub named “The Hungry i” that launched many careers that many will remember for a long time. One evening I was at this great club for the opening of a young, brash gal from New York who was still an unknown. I got a front row seat, drank too much, and she came on stage late wearing an empire gown, sat on a stool, and I whispered drunkenly to my buddy something like this… “Jeez, she’s late and she’s pregnant and she isn’t married” and she heard me and announced righteously that she wasn’t pregnant and that she was Mrs. Elliott Gould. Of course she was Barbra Streisand, and went on to become a huge mega
star. The Hungry i was the starting point for plenty of stars to be, like Bill Cosby, Woody Allen, Lenny Bruce, Jonathan Winters and many more.
after the show ended and staggered to their rooms, pounding on the door until Dick Smothers opened the door and told me to get lost.
Years later, my brothers (who drank the same way I did) and I were up at Lake Tahoe staying at Harrah’s, which had all the major stars play in their showroom. This trip, the headliner was Liberace. After a long night carousing and drinking heavily, I called Liberace’s room and invited him to our suite and he showed up with a small entourage, wearing a full length mink coat. He proceeded straight to the sofa my youngest brother had passed out on in his tidy white’s. My sister-in-law Jane laid down the law as Liberace attempted to caress my brother. After that awkward moment, we all partied hearty all night long. Whenever ‘Lee’ played Northern California after that, he always invited us and even sent his own limousine. One time his chauffer picked me up early and drove me to his hotel where the great entertainer crossed another line, this time with me. We remained pals until he died.
An earlier invite by Tom and Dick was at Harrah’s Tahoe. They were there for opening night, which was also closing night for the outgoing stars. Tony Orlando and Dawn were done with their gig and Tom and Dick were opening. We were all in a luxury dressing room for the stars drinking fine booze and munching on beautiful appetizers. This time I went up to Tony Orlando and for no reason I asked him what it felt like to have a brain the size of a pea. The only person who laughed was Joan Rivers, who had been on the bill with Tony.
Then there was a night when the amazing Eartha Kitt was playing at The Macambo in town and I was comped to her show. As usual, I arrived very drunk and had a few more with her after the show until she finally asked me to “pack up and go home.” There were so many times I violated the generous entertainment opportunities most people might dream of. I was invited to see the Smothers Brothers at The Venetian Room of The Fairmont Hotel. I arrived long
I could drag this sad tale of an alcoholic wannabe out forever because it went on and on until I finally had a moment of clarity and started to become human once again. Several years ago, I was invited to City Hall to attend a function where Jonathan Winters was to accept an award for doing good things. He and I went over to the plaza and talked for hours about the great nightclubs and jazz joints that San Francisco was peppered with. We laughed about the night he got a little drunk and went down to Aquatic Park and climbed the mast of the long moored Balclutha and was then hauled off to the loony bin for evaluation before they let him return to his engagement at The Hungry i. Alcoholism can be funny, but also deadly and UGLY!
(CAMPAIGN continued from page 5)
(ENDORSEMENTS continued from page 12)
that studies at San Francisco State, works at Macy’s and lives together in Parkmerced. They’re just 20, the same age I was in 1992, when being gay meant losing my friend, Jeff, and surviving intolerance from the closet. What a different world Alex and Maddie enjoy. They are the new face of District Seven. How proud I’ll be to serve as their supervisor.
No on F
Engardio is the only candidate for District Seven Supervisor endorsed by the San Francisco Chronicle. The election is November 6. His website is www.engardio.com 14 BAY TIM ES NOVEMB E R 1 , 2 0 1 2
In Edison’s case, he succeeded because he saw his failures as providing valuable information, not as commentaries on his personal worth. But some people are more accustomed to thinking, “I failed at this task, therefore I am a failure.” This kind of thinking makes it more likely for some to continue compulsive patterns of smoking, drinking, or eating; avoid people they’re attracted to or romantically interested in; or avoid pursuing jobs they’d love to have -rather than face the presumed shame that they believe will follow any unsuccessful attempt to make their lives better. When we conflate experiences of failure with our sense of our worth and dignity as human beings, than failure inevitably becomes an experience of humiliation, and humiliation is so painful that many of us will avoid it at any cost. That’s one of the reasons we become “risk averse,” and that leads to feeling stuck, bored, and unfulfilled in our lives.
State Ballot Measures Yes on Propositions 30, 34, 36, 37 and 40 Regarding 37, one respondent wrote: “I want to know if my food is genetically modified. If it’s safe to eat, then it’s the responsibility of companies like Monsanto, Dupont, DOW, BASF, and Bayer to convince me that it is. As it is, they have given more than 17 million dollars to fight this proposi-
tion. What are they trying to hide? If this food is really safe, then it wouldn’t hurt their profits if it were labeled.” No on Propositions 31, 32, 33, 35, 38 and 39 We also asked Bay Times contributors to list candidates in national or local races who will best represent LGBTQ issues. The majority named: Tammy Baldwin (Wisconsin Senate race) (continued on page 18)
Take a Walk on the Wild Side ARIES (March 21 – April 19) Dreamy illusions could obstruct your vision now, requiring you to dig deeper below the surface. Opt for thoughtful contemplation over impulsive action. Lead with your instincts, Aries...and tread carefully. better. TAURUS (April 20 – May 20) You’re swimming in a sea of uncertainty, and the waves are at high tide. Keep the faith, Taurus. Drift away from stifling habits, and connect closer to your ideal self.
Astrology Gypsy Love Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are is a celebrated literary classic about a disorderly little boy who’s punished and sent to his room, whereupon his vibrant imagination liberates him into a land of frenzied fantasy. Critics praise Sendak’s work for creatively chronicling how humans channel their emotions. Cosmically, we’re poised to explore adventurous intuitions now. Go straight to your room, and take a walk on the wild side.
www.AstrologyByGypsyLove.com
GEMINI (May 21 – June 20) While there’s comfort in sailing along the status quo, external forces are compelling you to grow. Refine your niche now, Gemini. Listen to trusted partners and reach outside the box. CANCER (June 21 – July 22) Take your playtime more seriously, Cancer. Your creative talents are blossoming. Formulate more meaningful ways to entertain yourself, and pay attention to what inspires you. Focus on the fun factor.
LEO (July 23 – August 22) Your heart and mind crave adventure now, Leo. Consider experimenting with new approaches to higher learning. Restore the excitement in your personal philosophy by expanding your perspective.
VIRGO (August 23 – September 22) Be cautious with your spending, Virgo. Shared investments may prove unstable now. It’s best to optimize existing resources by re-stimulating valuable treasures within. Get out there and shake your assets.
LIBRA (September 23 – October 22) Speaking your mind can be easier said than done – especially for the zodiac’s most lovable mediator. Quit concealing what you’re feeling, Libra. The truth shall set you free.
SCORPIO (October 23 – November 21) Get naked, Scorpio. Surrender all those useless superficialities and strip down to your core. Scrap silly insecurities and uncover fruitful opportunities by celebrating your uniqueness.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 – December 21) Ditch your dependence on outdated attachments, Sagittarius. Sweep away emotional debris and assert yourself more progressively. Mindfully mend your spirit by making peace and moving on.
CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 19) Sporadic upheavals at home and work are helping you reclaim your personal power. Hang in there, Capricorn. Rocky roads are life’s way of forcing you to create benevolent detours. AQUARIUS (January 20 – February 18) Enlightening insights are pouring in from every direction now, Aquarius. Carve out some precious moments of solitude so you can process the details, weigh your options, and decide for yourself. PISCES (February 19 – March 20) Bewildering changes in your finances and career goals are intended to sharpen your senses now. Adapting to mutability is one of your greatest strengths, Pisces. Use it to your advantage.
Gypsy Love’s astrology readings have helped 1000’s of people attract what they authentically desire.
As Heard on the Street . . .
compiled by Rink
AL L PHOTOS BY RIN K
What will happen if Romney wins?
Daniel Stanley Opdahl “It would create problems for me and the people I love.”
Glenne McIlhinney
Maria Cora
Juanita More
Karla Rosales
“We will be marginalized as a community.”
“I would despair and it would be terrible .”
“It would be very bad and create crises for the charities and causes that I support.”
“I would be depressed.”
BAY T IM ES NOVEM BER 1, 2012 15
compiled by Robert Fuggiti
See many more Calendar items @ www.sfbaytimes.com
Balancing on the Mechitza – JCC East Bay. $7. 7:30 pm to 9 pm. (5811 Racine St., Oakland) www. lehruas.org. An anthology by scholars, activists, theologians and others, who share their interpretation of classical Jewish text regarding transgendered individuals. Gay & Lesbian Travel Expo –Parc 55 Hotel. $5. 4 pm to 6:30 pm. (55 Cyril Magning St.) www. communitymarketinginc.com. Enjoy fabulous travel exhibits, cocktails, and discount specials. Ladies Night – Café Flore. Free. 5 pm. (2298 Market St.) www.cafeflore.com. Enjoy drink specials and lively company. Dr. Frankie, singer Dina Rao and DJ Flirty G. Two-forone glasses of Castle Rock pinot noir along with other drink specials. Hosted by “Betty’s List.”
Wig Out – Parc 55 Hotel. $30. 7 pm to 10 pm. (55 Cyril Magnin St.) www.parc55hotel.com. A post Halloween wig party with proceeds benefiting various cancer research charities. Marga Gomez’s “Day of the Dead Republican” – La Peña Cultural Center. $20 advance/$24 door. 8 pm. (3105 Shattuck Ave.) www.brownpapertickets.com/ Event/282368. Marga Gomez returns for an hilarious night of stand up comedy. Herconference – Center for Sacared Feminine. $195. 4 pm to 9 pm. (1069 E. Meadow Circle, Palo Alto) www.herchurch.org. Attend the 6th annual feminist gathering, “Herconference.” Registration price includes keynote presentations, two workshops, musical, two lunches, two breakfasts, Saturday
SOMArts Cultural Center celebrates the Day of the Dead with a special exhibit on display November 1-10. (Photo: SOMArts Cultural Center) dinner, coffee hours and receptions, materials and conference activities. Also November 3 and 4.
Dia de Los Muertos Community Concert – Davies Symphony Hall. $15-$63. 2 pm. Bring the entire family as the San Francisco Symphony celebrates the
Day of the Dead. Hayes Valley Follies – Marlena’s. Free. 10 pm. (488 Hayes St.) www.marlenasbarsf.com. New weekly show featuring some of the brightest talent the Bay Area has to offer. 20th Anniversary of Ensambles Ballet – Herbst Theater. $25-$35. 7:30 pm. (401 Van Ness Ave.) www.cityboxoffice.com. Celebrate twenty years of dance and traditions with two special performances.
Mowgli and I – Southside Theater at Fort Mason Center. $15-$25. 6 pm. (Fort Mason Center, Bldg. D) www.naatak.com. “The Jungle Book” gets a makeover in this stage adaptation by Harish Sunderam. Thru November 9.
proposed nudity ban in San Francisco. David Perry Episode # 163 – Comcast “On Demand.” Free. 10:30 pm. (Comcast Cable Network) www.comcasthometown.com. David Perry interviews Randy Alfred, editor of the book Mad Science. Perry also speaks with poet Arisa White about her new collection “A Penny Saved.”
November Election Night Make Contact – Under One Roof. Free for Members. 6 pm to 8
Calling on the Spirits to Face the Future – SOMArts Culture Center. $10. 6 pm to 9 pm. (934 Brannan St.) www.somarts.org. Enjoy the unveiling of intricate, traditional altars and complex art installations created by more than 80 Bay Area artists as part of SOMArts Cultural Center’s 13th annual Day of the Dead exhibition. Through November 10.
Free Quit Smoking Class for LGBT – SF LGBT Community Center. Free. 7 pm to 9 pm. (1800 Market St.) www.lastdrag.org. A seven session class to quit smoking. Happening every Wednesday through December 12. Meet Celebrity Alaska Expert Brent Nixon – Sparky’s Hot Rod Garage. Free. 11:45 am to 1:30 pm. (975 Industrial Rd. Suite A, San Carlos) www.sparkyshotrodgarage.com. Meet Brent Nixon, who offers 25 years of experience exploring Alaska’s wild resources. Also happening at Delancy Street Screen Room from 6 pm to 8 pm.
Bears in the Pub – 440 Castro. Free. 3 pm to 7 pm. (440 Castro St.) www.the440.com. Bears and drink specials all afternoon.
Drag Race All-Stars Party – Midnight Sun. Free. 9 pm. (4067 18th St.) www.midnightsunsf.com. Cookie Dough hosts a weekly viewing party for “RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars.”
16 BAY TIM ES NOVEMB E R 1 , 2 0 1 2
Easy – The Edge SF. Free. 7 pm to 2 am. (4149 18th St.) www.edgesf. com. Enjoy $1 well drink specials and a fun-loving crowd.
Jean-Yves Thibaudet – Herbst Theatre. $39-$75. 7 pm. $39-$75. (401 Van Ness Ave.) www. sfperformances.og. Pianist JeanYves Thribaudet offers a rare, solo performance for one night only.
San Francisco Public Hearing on Proposed Nudity Ban – City Hall. Free. 10 am. (268 Bush St.) www.sfgsa.org. Attend the public hearing on the
pm. (518 Castro St.) www.ggba.com. A monthly networking event for the LGBT and allied community’s professionals.
Smart Women – The Bellevue Club. Free members/$15 nonmembers. 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. (535 Bellevue Ave., Oakland) www.bettyslist.com. A women’s networking event with optional dinner reception afterwards. Dina and Dr Frankie will be appearing at Ladies Night November 1.
www.sfbaytimes.com
Some Enchanted Evening: The Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein – Fox Theatre. $30-$50. 8 pm. (2215 Broadway St., Redwood City) www.broadwaybythebay.org. Enjoy an evening of music and experience the brilliance of Rodgers and Hammerstein. Nonprofit Dreams and Disasters – La Peña Cultural Center. $10 donation. 7:30 pm. (3105 Shattuck Ave.) www.lapena. org. A queer and trans people of color cabaret. Go Deep – El Rio. Free. 8 pm to 2 am. (3158 Mission St.) www.elriosf. com. Cruisy guys, drag queens and man-on-man lube wrestling make this a night to remember. Happening second Thursdays.
Cabaret Night Benefit – The University Club. $75. 7:30 pm. (800 Powell St.) www.univclub.com. Donna Sachet hosts a cabaret show to benefit Grace Cathedral’s Choir of Men and Boys. Versa Fuax Sure – Versa Lounge. $7. 9:30 pm to 2 am. (1251 Arroyo Way, Walnut Creek) www. versaentertainment.com. A showcase of performances by Bebe Sweetbriar, Kenneth Rex, Mahlae Balenciaga and more. Cubcake – Lonestar. Free. 9 pm. (1354 Harrison St.) www.lonestarsf.com. A monthly bear dance party happening second Fridays.
Spectrum’s 30th Anniversary Gala – Mill Valley Community Center. $150. 6 pm to 11 pm. (180 Camino Alto, Mill Valley) www.spectrumlgbtcenter. org. Celebrate Spectrum’s 30 year anniversary with dinner and dance after party. Community Women’s Orchestra – Lake Merritt United Methodist Church. $15-$25. 4:30
LGBT Retirement Boot Camp – Presidio Golf Club. Free. 8:30 am to 2:30 pm. Attend a complimentary financial “boot camp” hosted by Jordan, Miller & Associates.
Taps, Tunes and Tall Tales – Venetian Room of the Fairmount. $47. 5 pm. (950 Mason St.) www. bayareacabaret.org. Bay Area Cabaret continues its current season with Broadway legend Tommy Tune’s new solo show. Pan Dulce– The Café. $5. 9 pm to 2 am. (2369 Market St.) www. cafesf.com. Enjoy drink specials before 10:30 pm and special drag performances at midnight. Salsa Sundays – El Rio. $10. 3 pm to 8 pm. (3158 Mission St.) www.elriosf.com. Enjoy live music and dancing every second and fourth Sunday.
Design Like You Give a Damn: Live – Autodesk Gallery. $90. 5 pm to 8 pm. (1 Market St. Suite 200) www.architectureforhumanity.org. Architecture for Humanity’s annual fall design conference with workshops and panel discussions. Also November 13. Harvest of Empire: The Untold Story of Latinos in America – Grand Lake Theater. $10. 9:30 pm. (3200 Grand Ave., Oakland) www.renaissancerialto. com. A feature-length documentary concerning the recent book by Juan Gonzalez. The Lion King – Orpheum Theatre. $70-$420. 2 pm. (1192 Market St.) www.shnsf.com. Experience Disney’s “The Lion King” brought to life in an elaborate production directed by awarding-winning director Julie Taymor.
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The Lion King will be at the Orpheum Theatre on November 12 - January 13. (Photo: Joan Marcus)
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Easy – The Edge SF. Free. 7 pm to 2 am. (4149 18th St.) www.edgesf. com. Enjoy $1 well drink specials and a fun-loving crowd. The William S. Paley Collection – De Young Museum. $11. 9:30 am to 5 pm. (50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr.) www.edyoung. famsf.org. See highlights of French modernism in this exhibition of more than 60 paintings, drawings, and sculptures donated by Paley to The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Thru December 30. Same Sex Series Dance Class – Boogie Woogie Ballroom. $15. 8 pm. (551 Foster City Blvd., Foster City) www.boogiewoogieballroom.com. Citabria Phillips teaches a group series dance class. This session will be “Night Club Two Step.”
OutLoud Radio: Ten Years of Making Waves – Brava Theater. $25+. 7 pm. (2781 24th St.) www.brava.org. An event celebrating ten years of empowering creative and talented LGBTQ and allied youth. Martuni’s Presents: Critical Bliss, Cocktails and Comedy – Martuni’s. Free. 6 pm to 8 pm. (4 Valencia) www.martunis.ypguides. net. Queer rock band Critical Bliss performs live.
You want children, so do I. Let’s talk. For more information about me, visit http:// sites.google.com/site/mike949h/ Gay Man Looking to be a Known Donor for a Lesbian/Couple. 5’10’’, excellent health, HIV neg., with high fertility numbers, educated (Masters), athletic, attractive, and descend from two loving and long-lived Spanish families. www.gayfamilyoptions.com/item/221
Pets
SURF DOG large dog boarding at Ocean Beach. Queer Owned. sfsurfdogs.com. (415) 637-7717 DOG TRAINING in Your Home Cindy Gehring, Dog Trainer 408-238-1540, DogHelpNow@gmail.com, www.cindygehring.com
Self Defense
Soko Joshi Judo & Self Defense Club for Women. 415-821-0303 phdshelley@sbcglobal.net
Tax Preparation The Lesbian Tax Mom 510-653-4323 taxmomsusan@yahoo.com
Therapy
Experienced Psychologist - LGBTQ Issues - Castro - Sliding Scale - Diana Gray, PhD (PSY10607) 415-309-4729
B. Scott Levine 510-763-2300 bscottlevine@gmail.com
Barbara A. Adler, LMFT. PsychotherapyConsultation- Education- Training. barbaraadlerLMFT.com, 415-990-9137.
Massage
Gay-Latino Fiction
El Cerrito Swedish by Rick www.rickoz2.com 510-932-5478 11-11 Daily
More listings @
CORNERSTONE CELLARS
Business Opportunities Parenting Graphic & Web Designer www.imagineit-design.com lori.au3@gmail.com
Candlelight Flow Community Yoga – LGBT Center. Free. 7 pm to 8 pm. (1800 Market St.) www.sfcenter.org. Replenish your energy level with this weekly “Candlelight Flow” class.
pm. www.communitywomensorchestra.org. Enjoy music from “The Pirates of the Caribbean” movie. Conducted by Kathleen McGuire.
www.BellicoseBoys.com features two Mexican-Americans: An academic Harvard and an athlete Matt-the-jock.
BAY T IM ES NOVEM BER 1, 2012 17
(BINDERS continued from page 1) from creating new birth certificate forms that allowed same-sex couples to be listed as the parents of their children. He even testified before the State Judiciary Committee about the subject of same sex marriage, saying the following: “The children of America have the right to a mother and a father. Of course today, circumstances can take a parent from the home. But the child still has a mother and a father…Are we ready to usher in a society indifferent about having mothers and fathers? Will our children be indifferent about having a mother and a father?” In May of this year, he further addressed the issue, telling Fox News, “my preference is we encourage the marriage of a man and a woman and we continue to define marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman.” If Romney’s treatment of women and the entire LGBTQ community are
strikes, than the third and final blow could concern his wavering views on climate change. The consensus of the scientific community is that climate change is happening and people are responsible. To ignore such pressing environmental issues could hurt all of us, with consequences that may be irreversible. Romney’s Harvard Business School Classmate, small business owner, and military veteran Roger Shamel remarked to the MA-based Better Future Project: “Harvard Business School prides itself in educating leaders who will change the world. As an alum, and someone with close ties to the school, I can assure you that HBS also tries to teach its future leaders, be they executives, administrators or politicians, to pay attention to facts and moral issues when making decisions. In my opinion, knowing what I know, and what I believe Mitt Romney to know, he is doing neither. In this sense, he is bringing disgrace to Harvard.”
(ENDORSEMENTS continued from page 14) to understand what it’s like to have Mark Leno (CA Senate) to pay back student loans. I also supTom Ammiano (CA State Assembly) port him because of his position on Kyrsten Sinema (Arizona Congress women’s issues, like the right to make decisions about our own bodies. I race) support him because of the Lily LedFinally, since the majority of our better Fair Pay Act. Personally I think team is pro-Obama, we asked why— there should be a law that states that outside of LGBTQ issues—he should equal pay for equal work is required remain in office. A response came in regardless of sex or gender, but it’s a as follows: step in the right direction.” “I support his re-election because he is a real life, middle class person who rose up by studying, being intelligent and believing in helping others. He is not ridiculously rich like his opponent, who is way too out-of-touch
fruits m o r F “ s” to nut
Round About - Halloween 2012
Teletubbies in Harvey Milk Plaza (Photo by Steven Underhill)
By K. Cole
MIKA “The Origins of Love” Although all the press about this album, Mika’s third, touts how different and unique this one is compared to his other releases, we only noted that it was a bit fresher, lighter and listenable. But otherwise, you know, it’s Mika. So the 2-pages I received with this CD extolling the deep sensitivity and survivorthrough-hardship and I’m-so-outsidethe box zeitgeist of someone insulated beyond belief, I still can say okay, this is good pop. Best Cut: “Love You When I’m Drunk” Location: Back of a semi in the Pride Parade
Mormon nudists in the Castro (Photo by Steven Underhill) TONY BENNETT “Viva Duets” The first duets album was such a smash, well heck, why not do it again? It’s always a pleasure to hear new artists stack up against the master of smooth. This collection features the Latin side of the standards, including classics like “Return to Me” with Vicente Fernandez and “For Once in My Life” with Marc Antony. This is a must have for that dinner by candlelight, again. Best Cut: “Steppin’ Out With My Baby” (w/Christina Aguilera) Location: Dinner for Two
So there you have it. Whatever your political views are, be sure to express them at the polls on November 6, Election Day, if you have not already voted absentee.
CASTRO
FFARMERS’ MARKET FA
WEDNESDAYS
4PM - 8PM Nov. 14: Enter to win a Holiday Pie from Arata Farms. Indulge in a sweet treat, you deserve it!
Nov. 21: Food drive. Help your neighbors by donating canned food and non-perishables. Donations made at the information booth.
NOE ST. BETWEEN
MARKET ST. & BEAVER ST.
The Richard Simmons brigade? (Photo by Steven Underhill) (ROSTOW continued from page 7) Here’s the scene I imagine in Baltimore’s Little Italy. Four men, sitting in the corner alcove at Luigi’s Pizzaria. “Sammy. I gotta message from the home office.” “What gives?” “We want this Question 6 business taken care of. Know what I mean?” “Yeah boss, but I dunno. We can’t whack every no voter in the state.” “Just do what you have to do. Make it happen.” Well, a girl can dream, right? Oh, of course I’m not advocating mob hits on antigay voters in Maryland! Maybe a few tire irons to the kneecaps, that’s all. Alternatively, we can win on the merits. —
1.800.949.FARM • pcfma.com/castro
Close Calls I just wrote a final paragraph about the election, hit one button on this unfamiliar Windows version of my word processing program, and deleted the entire column down to a single letter, “b” if you care.
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I quickly saved that file under another name and reverted to this one, but still! How could that happen? On my Mac, I just have to delete the previous accident and all is restored. That solu-
tion may also exist on this computer, but it’s not obvious. Yes, I’m happy that I saved the vast bulk of this fascinating diatribe (quick wittedly I might add). But I remain too traumatized by the experience to reconstruct my final rant against Mitt Romney. Trust me, it was eloquent indeed. One button! That’s all it took. I didn’t select the text. I just hit something. I’m not sure where the “b” came from, but basically I experienced total reversal of circumstances, without warning, in an instant. I can’t help but take a life lesson from the moment. Yes, it will be a stunning setback for this country if Romney is elected. But you know what? It won’t delete our entire national script. We will survive, Democrats and Republicans alike. I may have told you about the desperate search for alcohol that followed the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980, a search that culminated in the consumption of the Crème de Menthe that had lurked under my sink for several years. Next week, should the unthinkable transpire, Mel and I may finally drink the banana bread beer that my stepson and his wife bought for the household in the summer of 2011. I can only pray that fate will spare us. — arostow@aol.com
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Read more @www.sfbaytimes.com ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
LOVE DARLING “The Occupant Theory” Nominated for this year’s OutMusic Award for best alternative song, this band has really captured the perfect combination of duet vocal, Pixie’s sonics and creative muse any Top 40 pop band getting major airplay enjoys. If you really long for a gay pop band we all can be proud of, i.e. they’re not doing the “we’re gay and we’re cute” routine, get this release and blast it out. Best Cut: “Naked” Location: Dinah, by the poolside
B SLADE “Deep Purple” Really nice to hear something this sexy, this well-produced and this, well, “Souliscious.” B Slade hits the mark on the inside of R&B and you know, we all really need to have some deep tracks when the mood strikes us. Every cut is marked as “explicit,” but instead of that meaning crude, rude and unplayable, this time it means over-the-top-sexy and we oh, so got to have it like that, don’t we? Best Cut: “Vibrations” Location: Hot tubs everywhere – K Cole has been reviewing music for major publications since it came via snail mail on cassettes. Submissions to Pop Rox by local LGBT artists encouraged. Join on Facebook.com/PopRox-Bay-Times-San Francisco or send it in to: K Cole, Katharinecole@yahoo.com.
Round About - Halloween 2012
Giants Fan at Halloween 2012 (Photo Source: totallycoolpix.com)
A forest nymph in the Castro on Pre-Halloween Saturday (Photo by Rink)
An avatar at the Red Devil Lounge on Polk Street (Photo by Rink)
Drag queens on Castro Street celebrating Pre-Halloween Saturday (Photo by Rink)
Advertise with the Bay Times. Wanton nurses with SFPD officer in the Castro on Pre-Halloween Saturday (Photo by Rink) BAY   T IM ES NOVEM BER 1, 2012 19
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