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PHOTO BY VICTOR GRIGAS
OUT 4 IM M IGRATION
PHOTO BY KJETIL REE
Anticipation
Cases concerning a challenge to the Defense of Gay-inclusive immigration reform is down now, Marriage Act (DOMA) and the constitutionality but not out. The fight continues for rights for biof Prop 8 will both be decided by the Supreme national LGBT couples. Court by the end of June.
This year marks the 43rd anniversary of the SF Pride Celebration and Parade.
The Boy Scouts ended their ban on gay scouts, but the ban on gay adult leaders remains. LGBT organizations and many scout leaders continue to press for an end to that exclusion.
Pfc. Bradley Manning’s court martial is scheduled to begin on June 3.
P H OTO S O U R C E : SAV EBR A DLEY
P HOTO S OURCE: BOYSCOUTTRAIL .COM
Anticipating Change
Anticipation can seem synonymous with anxiety. However, anxiety has its root in fear. We can choose to be hopeful in the dawning of victories yet to come despite our fear responses. Anticipation is an emotion that involves Karen Williams, M.Ed pleasure and excitement in consideration of an expected or longed-for good event. This definition certainly applies to the feelings that are evoked as we await the outcomes of many important decisions that affect LGBTI individuals and our families. Healthy anticipation allows us to prepare for and deal with the projected outcome. We can live up to the Buddhist maxim to “suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy,” while remaining speculative and excited about the changes to come. (continued on page 15)
Speak Up! Speak Out! Laugh Often!
SF Pride Official Releases PHOTO SOUR CE: DI AN EJA MESHOM E.COM
We live in an age where social change is happening daily. Who would have thought that the Boy Scouts would reverse its stand and welcome gay boys to join its ranks, or that the Peace Corps would begin recruiting same sex couple volunteers for its assignments abroad? Yet, in spite of the rapid fire changes that are taking place, we as individuals and within our communities experience chronic bouts of anticipation as we challenge ourselves to remain hope-filled in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
SF Pride 2013 Grand Marshal Lineup In preparation for the San Francisco Pride Celebration and Parade on June 29-30, 2013, the San Francisco Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Pride Celebration Committee and its Board of Directors recently announced the results of the 2013 public vote. The San Francisco Pride Committee conducted public polling during the month of April, which allowed the community to vote for their choice of nominees in three (3) categories: Individual Community Grand Marshal, Organizational Community Grand Marshal and the Pink Brick, which is a symbolic award given to a detractor of the LGBT community. The Pride Committee selected a diverse range of winners this year to serve as its official Grand Marshals and the Lifetime Grand Marshal will go to Al Baum. This year the Board of Directors created the José Julio Sarria History Maker Award to recognize Jay & Bryan Leffew & Family. In Sarria’s honor, the Leffews depict everyday Bay Area people who make extraordinary changes in the way society views the LGBT community. The Pride Committee announced that this year’s vote count set a record for public participation with 3,827 votes from community members, which (continued on page 10)
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National News Briefs compiled by Dennis McMillan
Albuquerque, NM - Graduation Gown a Problem for Transgender Student - 5.20 A Saint Pius senior was born a girl, but refuses to graduate in a girl’s gown. The Catholic school says too bad. At the Saint Pius High School graduation ceremony, the girls wear white gowns and the boys wear black. It is school policy and Saint Pius insists Damian is a girl. “I just want to walk in my black robe, nice and proud and have that memory to look back on with my family and friends,” said Damian Garcia. “I would rather not walk than to embarrass myself by wearing a female robe.” Damian Garcia was born Brandi Garcia, but identifies as a male, even having a legal name-change last year. Fellow students, teachers and faculty call Garcia “Damian,” and so does Damian’s family. “I look at him and I call him my son. That’s how he wishes to be acknowledged is as a male,” said father Luis Garcia. The Saint Pius superintendent says Saint Pius goes by what the student’s birth certificate says if there’s any question on what gender-color they wear at graduation. Despite the name change, Damian’s birth certificate says “female.” Damian’s father calls the school’s decision heartbreaking. “All you want in life is to see your kids happy and healthy. You never want to see them suffer or being ridiculed or be made fun of,” Luis said. The Garcias say they’re not expecting the school to change policy by graduation in a week, but hope the school would consider eventually having all students wear the same colored gowns to avoid the situation all together. But over 23,000 people nationwide have signed the MoveOn.org petition to Principal Barbara Rothweiler, requesting the school administration allow Damian to walk in a boy’s black cap and gown.
New York, NY - Scouts Fail to Embrace Full Equality - 5.28 The Boy Scouts of America have voted to allow openly gay youth to remain Boy Scouts, while continuing to exclude LGBTQ people from leadership. This means Scouts who have dedicated years to their troops will still be kicked out when they turn 18. The Boy Scouts of America remains the largest youth group to discriminate against LGBTQ people. “While they took an important first step today, the failure of the Boy Scouts of America to move fully into the 21st Century proves the necessity of the Youth Equality Act, showing organizations like the BSA that any form of discrimination has a real cost,” said John O’Connor, Equality California executive director. Written by Sen. Ricardo Lara, the Youth Equality Act (SB 323) illuminates the exclusionary policies that youth face from organizations in California. The Youth Equality Act would bring the state sales tax exemption that the Boy Scouts and others receive into line with the rest of California’s anti-discrimination policies by eliminating the exemption for any youth group that discriminates against LGBTQ people. “The BSA had an opportunity for bravery and failed; the people of California have an opportunity for bravery with the Youth Equality Act, and we can succeed,” said O’Connor. “The Boy Scouts of America still supports an untenable, unreasonable and unnecessary discriminatory policy by excluding gay leaders and staff members,” said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association. “If the Boy Scouts are truly a values-based organization, bigotry can’t be part of the program.” Hey, BSA, don’t half-ass this! You took the first step; why not take another all the way onto the right side of history? Source: eqca.com and meltwaterpress.com
Source: krqe.com
Las Vegas, NV - Nevada Assembly Backs Resolution to End Ban on Same-Sex Marriage - 5.28
Richmond, VA - Another Setback for Cuccinelli’s Culture War Against Sodomy - 5.11
The Nevada Assembly voted 24-17 to move one step closer to removing a ban on same-sex marriage from the state constitution. Senate Joint Resolution 13 has already passed the Senate, meaning it needs approval of the 2015 Legislature and the voters of Nevada in the 2016 election to take effect. The resolution would also create an affirmative right to marriage, regardless of gender. The resolution states that “all legally valid marriages shall be treated equally under the law.”
It’s old news, but it is worth looking back and re-examining Republican gubernatorial hopeful, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (“The Cooch” as some dub him), who continues to fight on behalf of Virginia’s anti-sodomy law. Just to close the circle, it should be noted that his efforts have failed miserably. Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli was denied his request for a rehearing of a decision to overturn the state’s ban on sodomy, in what was- in effect- a unanimous decision. Cuccinelli had asked for the full 15-judge 4th Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider a decision by a three-judge panel of the court. But none of the judges favored rehearing the case.
“We have been denied our civil rights and equality under the law,” said Assemblyman Andrew Martin, D-Las Vegas, whose partner of 27 years was sitting in the audience as he delivered an emotional speech. Assemblyman Elliot Anderson, D-Las Vegas, addressed opponents who say the Legislature should not enshrine same-sex marriage in the constitution or reverse the will of the voters in 2000 and 2002, when Nevadans decided to ban same-sex marriages via a constitutional amendment. “Public opinion is evolving rapidly on this issue,” Anderson said. “The will of the voters is changing.” Opponents to the proposal argued that the matter should be more about removing marriage from the constitution rather than adding a new definition. Others expressed definitive opposition to the measure. “God has commanded that sacred powers of procreation are only to be employed between a man and a woman lawfully wedded as man and wife,” said Assemblyman Cresent Hardy, R-Mesquite. So who commanded non-sacred, non-procreation to childless couples? The Assembly floor debates and vote followed a dramatic, emotional, late-night Senate floor session last month in which the Senate voted 12-9 to approve the measure. It was during that debate that Sen. Kelvin Atkinson, D-North Las Vegas, revealed for the first time that he is gay, a remark that garnered the senator national attention. Source: lasvegassun.com
The ban in question, which criminalizes sodomy between either gay or straight consenting adults, is part of Virginia’s “Crimes Against Nature” statute, and was found unconstitutional by the panel. Cuccinelli had already lost at the 4th Circuit, but he sought what’s called an en banc ruling, asking the entire appellate bench to consider the case. The court that week told Cuccinelli just to go away. The wannabe-governor has been keenly interested in Virginia’s sodomy statute for many years. In a December 2009 speech, Cuccinelli said, “Homosexual acts are wrong and should not be accommodated in government policy.” He could conceivably appeal the case to the US Supreme Court, though there’s really no point, as the high court majority has already ruled that anti-sodomy laws are unconstitutional.
Washington D.C - LGBTQ Job Discrimination Bill Won’t See Action Until July - 5.23 LGBTQ equality advocates - who faced a setback recently when the Senate kept protections for same-sex couples out of immigration reform - will have to wait until after the Fourth of July holiday to see any action on another top priority: a bill to ban workplace discrimination against LGBTQ people. “I’ve got a couple, three things on my agenda right now. I think we’re going to do ENDA probably after the Fourth of July break,” said Sen. Tom Harkin, the chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee that is considering ENDA. At ENDA’s introduction, the bill’s lead sponsor, Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, had said he’d hoped to have the bill marked up in May or June. “It’s not ideal,” said Freedom to Work Executive Director Tico Almeida, who called the delay “disappointing.” “It would have been the preference of many LGBT advocates to hold the markup in May or June, but the committee has a very busy schedule, and I do think that some policy makers in Washington, D.C., have a philosophy that nothing should be done on any gay rights issue until after the Supreme Court rules in the marriage equality cases,” he said. Almeida said he disagrees with that philosophy, but, “[M]any people in this town have decided to put all LGBT issues on hold until the Supreme Court rules.”
In related news, Montana’s Republican-run state legislature has repealed its sodomy statute. It was largely symbolic - these state measures are already unconstitutional, so their presence on the books is practically irrelevant but the votes in both Montana chambers were nevertheless encouraging given the GOP majority in each.
Two Republicans, Sens. Susan Collins and Mark Kirk, are co-sponsors of the bill. Eight Democrats — Sens. Maria Cantwell, Tom Carper, Heidi Heitkamp, Tim Johnson, Joe Manchin, Bill Nelson, Mark Pryor, and John Rockefeller — and Independent Sen. Angus King, who caucuses with the Democrats, are not co-sponsors. Just what we need: Democrats in Republicans’ clothing!
Source: maddowblog.msnbc.com
Source: buzzfeed.com
Local News Briefs Under One Roof Returns to Castro in Time for Pride
Castro Community Benefit District Holds Open House to Reveal Plans
Under One Roof, the nonprofit organization that gives 100% of profits from social enterprise initiatives to AIDS/HIV causes for more than 20 years, has announced a pop-up location in the heart of the Castro opening June 7. Tony Hart, UOR’s board chairman, had explored opportunities for open spaces in the Castro for a short term pop-up, and Les Natali and the Patio Cafe answered by generously donating the space next to the soon-to-reopen Patio Cafe. The pop-up, which new UOR Board Member Allen Horner has dubbed UOR’s “Summer Bizarre Bazaar,” will operate from June Pride Month through Labor Day in a space directly across from its old store.
Castro Street between Market and 19th Streets is one of the most well-known neighborhood commercial districts in San Francisco. In addition to serving the needs of local residents, the two-block stretch of Castro Street is an historic center of the LBGTQ community and a destination for visitors from around the world. This stretch of Castro Street also serves an important transit-function in the City: the Castro Muni Metro subway station, F-Line historic streetcar turnaround, and several Muni bus lines all directly serve this area.
“This pop-up store will be a refreshing summer addition to the Castro, with an impressive array of high-quality home decor, tableware, and linens,” said Horner. The Summer Bizarre Bazaar will feature mostly donated goods to ensure optimal proceeds to help its HIV/AIDS agency partners, along with loyal consignment partners such as SF Mercantile, and select local artists like Katie Gilmartin. UOR will reserve every Monday through the end of July to accept good quality and good condition items from members of the community for resale. The Awareness Series in partnership with AHF Pharmacy will still be available at AHF’s 18th and Castro location, said UOR spokesman Michael Selvidge. “UOR has applied for a grant to support additional education and awareness initiatives, including a soon to be announced Bay Area Student Education and Awareness competition to help keep the focus about issues related to HIV/AIDS top of mind on local college and university campuses.” “This should be lots of fun, and it will really get people involved in helping UOR raise money,” concluded Hart. “It’s great to be back home.” Story by Dennis McMillan 4
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Castro Street’s existing design does not adequately accommodate the needs of the thousands of residents and visitors who use the street every day. Pedestrian safety and comfort are of special concern given the high volume of pedestrians combined with narrow sidewalks and busy street intersections. The Castro/Upper Market community has actively pursued opportunities to improve Castro Street, including recent planning efforts such as the Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District’s (CCBD) Neighborhood Beautification and Safety Plan and the San Francisco Planning Department’s Upper Market Community Plan. CCBD held an open house to reveal the plans and present the Community Partner Award to Castro Community on Patrol. The Castro Street Design Plan will build off these previous efforts and develop a conceptual design that balances the needs of its users and enhances the street as one of San Francisco’s premier destinations for locals and visitors alike. The conceptual design will be used to define a first phase set of improvements to be built with funding coming primarily from the Road Repaving and Streets Safety Bond, passed by San Francisco voters in November 2011. Possibly included will be mica sparkles on sidewalks, rainbow striped crosswalks, shifting color LED washed lighting, King Palms, and a rainbow honor walk of past queer heroes. Story by Dennis McMillan
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On The Path to Marriage Equality
The Importance of the Supreme Court Cases in Unexpected Places It was perhaps one of the last things we thought we’d hear in a gay bar in the heart of the Castro. But at a recent Friday evening happy hour at Hi Tops, we saw two attractive young men eagerly approaching each other, and when we overheard their greeting to each other it went something like this: “Did you get your biography in yet? Yes, we just did it today! That’s great – so did we! We’re so excited! Which adoption agency are you using…?” Definitely a sign of the times -- on a Friday night in a gay bar in the Castro, among other things, gay couples were discussing their hopes and dreams for having kids and raising families. And we were even more surprised when we heard the two men remark that gay male couples tend to receive babies through adoption more quickly than straight couples. We started thinking about the Proposition 8 case before the U.S. Supreme Court. If it’s true that many birth mothers who put their kids up for adoption actually prefer gay men to raise their children, that would cut an even wider hole through the Prop. 8 proponents’ already f limsy argument to the Court that only straight people should be able to marry because they need an incentive to marry if a woman becomes “accidentally” pregnant. If anything, the opposite would hold true: Surely gay couples should be able to marry if single pregnant women are choosing them to adopt their children. It reminded us of a moment a few years ago in one of the marriage equality court hearings when a judge pointed out that social science research suggested that lesbian couples make the best parents. San Francisco Chief
Deputy City Attorney Terry Stewart had to explain to the court that our argument was not that lesbian couples were better parents than straight couples, but that no person should face discrimination based on sexual orientation in marriage or child rearing.
P H OTO C O URT E SY J O H N LE W I S & ST UART G AF F N E Y
By John Lewis and Stuart Gaffney, Marriage Equality USA
Indeed, our core argument in the Prop. 8 case is that all Americans, regardless of sexual orientation or any other external factor, should have the freedom to marry the person they love. The conversation we unexpectedly overheard at Hi Tops is further testament to the fact that same-sex couples are raising children and should have the opportunity for the same recognition and protection for their families that everyone else has. During an oral argument in the Prop. 8 case, Justice Anthony Kennedy put it this way: “[t]here are some 40,000 children in California … that live with same-sex parents, and … want their parents to have full recognition and full status.” He went on to speak about the “immediate injury” these children face when their parents are denied the freedom to marry and the importance of these children’s “voice” to the case. We hope this reasoning prevails at the Supreme Court and that couples at Hi Tops and all across California and the nation soon have the freedom to marry.
In the face of relentless Republican opposition, California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, a sponsor of the legislation to overturn DOMA, “implored” her colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee not to support the amendment that protected bi-national same-sex couples. New York Senator Charles Schumer, another marriage equality supporter, stated that lesbian and gay bi-national couples face “rank discrimination,” but in the end voted to exclude them from the bill in the name of compromise. The issue of whether the federal courts should apply “heightened scrutiny” to laws that disadvantage lesbian and gay people is one of the key issues before the Supreme Court in the DOMA case, and the question of whether lesbian and gay people have suff icient political power to protect themselves in the legislative arena without the aid of the courts is one of the questions the Court is considering in making that determination. At the Supreme Court oral argument in the DOMA case, Chief Justice Roberts chided our side, suggesting that the Court need not consider sexual orientation a protected class under the Constitution, because “as far as I can tell, political figures are falling over themselves to endorse” marriage equality. To the contrary last week, United States (continued on page 22)
The critical importance of the Supreme Court case challenging the misnamed “Defense of Marriage Act” (DOMA) was also very much on our minds last week. We watched as Democratic Senate Judiciar y Committee members, who have expressed their support for marriage equality, gave in to Republican Senators who oppose equality and cut same-sex bi-national couples out of immigration reform legislation.
The Lavender Scare “I worked for Mike Wallace and those old guys came from rough and tumble newsrooms,” Howard says. “The word ‘faggot’ got thrown around.”
government astronomer. Thousands of gay and lesbian civil servants quietly accepted the shame of losing their career. Some chose suicide. But Kameny was the first to fight back. When the courts wouldn’t take his case, he picketed in front of the White House with a sign that demanded “First Class Citizenship for Homosexuals.”
That would never happen at CBS today, Howard says, which explains why he had a hard time convincing funders of his film’s relevance.
PHOTO S OURCE: ETS Y.COM
The Western View Joel P. Engardio The students at San Francisco’s Lowell High School weren’t entirely bored with my guest lecture on the history of media and political campaigns. They laughed at the vintage TV ads, especially the “I Like Ike” cartoon from 1952. But they had no idea who President Dwight Eisenhower was. Hormones and a warm, spring day can explain the lack of interest in dead presidents. Two boys in the front row held hands the entire time I spoke. I wanted to stop the lecture and tell the affectionate boys they should thank Eisenhower if they’re going to the prom together. The Glee-era high school experience they enjoy today is connected to Eisenhower’s purge of gay people from the U.S. government 60 years ago. It was May 27, 1953, when Executive Order 10450 went into effect, banning anyone engaged in “sexual perversion” from federal employment. Frank Kameny was fired from his job as a 6
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Handholding boys might hear about 1970’s gay pioneer Harvey Milk if they stream the Oscar-winning movie that recreates his political rise and assassination. A progressive textbook might mention the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City as the beginning of the modern LGBT rights movement. But Frank Kameny came earlier. President Eisenhower’s war on gays sparked the outrage and courage needed to begin the long march to equality many young people now take for granted. The story of the government’s mass firing of gay workers is told in the new documentary “The Lavender Scare” by former CBS News 60 Minutes producer Josh Howard. Howard, 58, is a gay man of his generation. He remained closeted to many co-workers throughout his career.
“Hollywood is making movies about Lincoln and Jackie Robinson, so it’s frustrating when people don’t value gay history,” Howard says. “This film matters because it honors the people who sacrif iced ever ything to get where we are now. And it reminds us that we’re not done. You can still get fired in 29 states just for being gay.” While Congress is again considering the Employment Non-Discrimination Act to protect LGBT workers, the legislation has a long history of failure and continued hurdles. Life in a San Francisco high school might look good for two boys holding hands. But it can get them fired in a state like Texas, Georgia or Florida. And there are still 38 states that won’t marry them. Next month’s Supreme Court rulings on same-sex marriage are unlikely to grant any sweeping national rights. That’s why all LGBT youth should care about what Eisenhower did to gay people and the way Frank Kameny reacted. It will give them an idea of how to carry on the fight and finish the work. Joel Engardio serves on the board of directors of the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club and Plan C, a San Francisco organization that advocates for moderate solutions and legislation. This essay also appeared in USA Today. Follow his blog at www. engardio.com.
Real Estate and Design
Project Remodel Jim Tibbs
Gerald Murphy and his elegant wife Sara were at the very center of the literary and artistic scene in France between World War I and the Great Depression. Although highly talented in their own right, the Murphys are now best known for the astounding array of artists and writers whom they befriended and entertained at Villa America, their French Riviera home. The list of notable visitors includes Cole Porter, Dorothy Parker, Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau, Henri Matisse and John Dos Passos. The Murphys and their life at Villa America inspired the novel Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald, another close friend and frequent visitor to their home. The Murphys were decades ahead of their time in the way they designed and executed the renovations at Villa America. They created an open floor plan by removing walls and installing large windows and French doors to connect the exterior and interior living spaces. The villa opened onto a black and white tiled terrace where the Murphys and their guests enjoyed alfresco meals. Le Corbusier,
P HOTO SOURC E: ARTTATT L E R. C O M
Where People Have Once Been Gay
the famous modernist architect, designer and artist, was inspired by the Murphys’ imaginative renovation of Villa America. He praised its simple geometric shapes and new f lat roof, which allowed a sun deck to be built on top. The interior décor combined modern furnishings with a museum-quality art collection. The floors were black throughout and were accented with zebra rugs. The walls were painted in neutral shades to show off the contemporary paintings, including works created by Gerald and others that they amassed while living in France. In many ways, the home that the Murphys created in 1925 would still be considered modern and very relevant today, 88 years later. The 1929 stock market crash and the onslaught of family illness brought an abrupt end to the idyllic existence of the Murphys at Villa America. More recently, the publishing of Gerald Murphy’s private letters and diaries in 1991 revealed the sad truth behind the myth of the couple’s life together. Gerald Murphy was torn between his love and devotion for Sara and
his life-long attraction to men, a trait that he referred to as his “defect.” His conservative Catholic upbringing would not allow him to explore, much less enjoy, a physical relationship with another man even though some of his closest friends were openly gay. Late in his life, Gerald admitted that he had “never had a real and honest relationship,” a sad and tragic revelation by a man who seemed to have everything except the one thing that he really wanted. Gerald Murphy’s shame and self-loathing is what the celebration of Gay Pride strives to make a thing of the past. Dorothy Parker wrote a rather fitting, and yet ironic, epitaph for Villa America and Gerald Murphy in a letter shortly after the house was closed in 1929: “I will draw that veil over the last days of shutting up the place in Antibes. Because what is more horrible than dismantling a house where people have once been gay.” Jim Tibbs is the creative director of HDR Remodeling. If you would like to learn more, please read his blog at http://hdrremodeling.wordpress.com or follow him on Twitter @HDRremodeling1.
The Perfect Match tify positively. It might imply someone who got a great deal for their client but, most importantly, it means someone who has worked effectively through a transaction from start to finish and who has selflessly represented his/her clients’ best interests.
Real Estate Mark Penn OK, it’s time. You’ve decided to get serious about buying or selling a home. You’ve seen the ads, you’ve gotten the postcards, your mother-in-law has given you all the advice you can stand. So – WHO will be your real estate agent? This shouldn’t be the most difficult question to answer, but it’s a tremendously important one. Whether you are buying or selling, this adventure is a huge investment in money, time, and your future. It’s critical that you have the best match possible in the person who will represent you through this, and I’m sorry to say, that person is probably not your cousin’s girlfriend who just got her real estate license. Where to start, then? One of the best tools in finding the right agent has always been and continues to be the “personal referral”… the agent whom those in your own network have actually worked with as clients, and for whom your friends and family can tes-
It’s also very important to examine the person’s qualifications. In these days of data availability, it’s quick and easy to check the license status of an agent. Obviously, your agent should be currently licensed in the state where you are buying or selling. And preferably this person has not had any disciplinary action against him or her – certainly not recently. This license status
data is all public information and is not hard to garner. But that’s only half of the story. There are roughly 420,000 people licensed to practice real estate in California (which, by the way, is down around 25% from the high in 2007). It’s clear that we licensees are about a dime a dozen. There is one thing, however, that sets a large group of these licensees apart, and that is whether they are a member of the professional organization of real estate agents, or REALTORS® as we are commonly known. This organization works at three levels—national, state, and local—and anyone who is a REALTOR has signed on to provide
a professional experience to his or her clients, as well as adhering to a strict ethical code (with severe repercussions in the case of violations). REALTORS have a wide availability of tools and information that create an effective agent. The California Association of REALTORS (CAR) reports membership of approximately 156,000 as of late 2012, so you can see the ratio is around 4 professionals to every 10 licensees. This may sound like a commercial, but it’s a fact: Real estate agents who are REALTORS are much more likely to give you the best experience possible and provide you with the most honest and straightforward representation. Those agents who are not REAL TORS work at a serious handicap and pass that handicap on to their clients. I would therefore make that question one of the first I would ask of your potential agent: “Are you a member of the local REALTOR organization?” Next month: “The Perfect Match, part 2: What to look for in your REALTOR.” A Bay Area native, Mark Penn has been a REALTOR® with Coldwell Banker since 2004. He is also active in animal welfare, and is a former educator, facilitator, and air traffic controller. Mark can be reached at mark@MyHomeInSonoma.com.
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Undocumented in America at work, school, and even in the “safety” of homes. For me, the time period between 5 and 6 a.m.— when immigration raids are usually conducted in homes—would be filled with much panic and anguish as I lay awake in my bed—afraid that either I or my parents would be next.
Kim Corsaro Publisher 1981-2011
2261 Market Street, No. 309 San Francisco CA 94114 Phone: 415-503-1375 525 Bellevue Avenue Oakland CA 94610 Phone: 510-846-8158 E-mail: editor@sfbaytimes.com www.sfbaytimes.com STAFF Dr. Betty L. Sullivan Jennifer L. Viegas
Guest Editorial
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Calendar Editor
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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, 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, Jim Tibbs, Mark Penn, Marcy Adelman, Stuart Gaffney & John Lewis Brandon Miller & Joanne Jordan Photographers/ Illustrators Rink, Dennis McMillan, Steven Underhill, Phyllis Costa, Cathy Blackstone, Robert Fuggiti BACK PAGE CLUB Catch Restaurant Fountaingrove Lodge Jordan, Miller & Associates Pelican Art Gallery NAPA Cellars Wines Olivia Travel 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.
I was 2 years old when my parents, wanting nothing more than to improve their lives, and mine, brought me to America from Mexico. We soon headed to the San Francisco Bay Area, where my parents held a number of jobs—construction, janitorial, washing dishes in restaurants—saving enough money to move away from the couch we shared in a friend’s home into our own one-bedroom apartment. School became a priority, with me working hard not only to earn high grades, but also to eventually make it into the University of California, Davis with money that my parents had saved for my education. But I constantly walked around in fear, wondering whether the immigration stances of my teachers and peers would affect their view of me. Adding to this confusion were the stories being told by my peers and the media. I grew up in a world where immigration raids were taking place
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
© 2013 Bay Times Media Co, Inc. Co-owned by Betty L. Sullivan & Jennifer L. Viegas Reprints by permission only.
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Carla Lopez is a DREAMer, whose application for the DACA program was recently granted. She now works at the National Center for Lesbian Rights as a program assistant, and hopes to become a mental health social worker. She resides in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Profiles of Passion and Courage: Ken Henderson experienced bullying and struggled to fit in. After high school he worked as a shoe salesman and a smelter in a copper mine, eventually marrying a woman. They divorced, but remain close friends to this day.
CALENDAR
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With my work permit in hand, I recently started working at the National Center for Lesbian Rights as a projects assistant, where I’m specifically helping other LGBT immigrants and asylum seekers. I never thought I would see the day. So, who am I now? I guess I will just have to sit back and let those answers come to me as I navigate my way through a whole new world.
The Huffington Post reports that America’s oldest gay bar is Oakland’s White Horse Inn, which opened in 1933. The New Orleans bar Lafitte also opened in 1933, but it has moved at least once, while the White Horse has not. Both opened as gay-leaning speakeasies during Prohibition.
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I checked my DACA approval status again and again. With shaky hands, I grabbed my phone to call my parents. Their reactions were just as I had expected. While my father congratulated me and sighed in relief, my mother started to cry. She told me that my news was the best Christmas and birthday present she had ever received.
For the longest time, I have known myself to be a woman of color, slowly unveiling my undocumented and queer identities. I have grown accustomed to how my identities function and intersect on a daily basis. But now I have been informed that I am an undocumented queer woman of color WITH a work permit. Seriously? Undocumented AND with a permit?
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Robert Fuggiti
Since I was told at the age of 16 that I was an undocumented immigrant, an alarming, constant fear has lived deep inside of me. However, on December 15, 2012, everything I had felt, everything I had known was turned upside down. My life had changed. Late that afternoon, I received a text message from U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) that would, for the first time in years, have me feeling at ease. As soon as I realized the extent of what the text message meant, I immediately rushed to my computer to check my case status. As soon as I saw the word “approved,” I handed the computer over to my partner, who immediately had tears of joy in her eyes. It was the response to my application for President Obama’s new Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which allows young people who were brought to the country as children to apply for relief from deportation and for two-year renewable work permits.
Don't Call It Frisco Stu Smith Ken Henderson and his long-time partner Joe Seiler have brought life to The Richmond Ermet AIDS Foundation, which for 19 years has raised funds and awareness for San Francisco Bay Area AIDS service organizations like Shanti Project, the Positive Resource Center, Maitri and Project Open Hand- just to name a few. Ken’s drive to help others began in Globe, Arizona, where he grew up. With few role models for gay youth, he
Freeing himself from self-loathing and fear, Ken came out and in 1982 met Joe. They’ve been together ever since. At the same time, AIDS was taking hold of the community, devastating an entire generation of bright young gay men. After most of their close circle of friends succumbed to the disease, Ken and Joe sat in bed one night talking about what they could do in response. Friend Doug Ermet’s death had particularly affected them, since Doug’s mom Peggy was like a second mother to them. Peggy’s life-long friend and housemate, Barbara Richmond, who had lost her only son to AIDS, decided to put on a benefit to help raise funds for the agency that had helped both mothers care for their dying sons: Visiting Nurses and Hospice. Novices, but not for long, they pulled together their unique talents. Joe had been a
singer and helped produce a fundraiser for muscular dystrophy. Ken was a graphic designer who had worked with several AIDS agencies. Pooling that impressive, yet limited, experience, they gathered a group of friends and acquaintances together, asked for their help and produced their first “Help is on the Way: San Francisco Cares” event in 1995. They raised almost $60,000 for Visiting Nurses, Hospice of San Francisco and Coming Home Hospice. That success begot The Richmond Ermet Aids Foundation, which produces the original “Help is on the Way” show every autumn. It also produces “Help is on the Way for the Holidays,” and at least two or three “One Night Only” shows each year— all of which have resulted in millions of dollars for AIDS service organizations. Ken and Joe over the years have met and mingled with many legends of stage, movies, and television, but the heart and soul of the organization remains its commitment to raising money to fight AIDS. Every show produced by The Richmond Ermet
Ken Henderson
PHOTO BY BIL LY WI NTE RS
Juan Torres Advertising Executive Juan@sfbaytimes.com
By the time all of my peers were enrolling in driver education classes and mastering the rules of the road, I had already mastered the rules of how to go unnoticed. No jaywalking. No riding my bicycle without a helmet. And absolutely no mentioning my status as an undocumented immigrant to anyone. I was to do nothing that would set me apart from the rest.
While I am now embarking on a new chapter in my life, I am keenly aware of the many others who still live in constant uncertainty and fear because of our broken immigration policy. Right now, Congress is deep in the process of negotiating reforming the nation’s broken immigration system. The proposals being considered would create pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, including DREAMers, and will include many crucial provisions for LGBT immigrants. As I continue to patiently—and sometimes not so patiently—wait for these things to occur, I am now navigating the process of figuring out who I am—again.
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Abby Zimberg Design & Production
I saw discriminatory laws, such as California’s Proposition 187, Arizona’s Senate Bill 1070, Alabama’s House Bill 56 and Secure Communities, go into effect, instilling anxiety in all immigrants, whether documented or not. I also saw legalized attacks on the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community in the form of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). And while I acknowledge that our communities have had their share of triumphs, the blows have made growing up in this world as an undocumented queer woman of color a constant struggle.
Throughout the rest of that day, I had a series of random thoughts pop into my head. What are the hours for the local Social Security Office? Should I have my bangs to the side for my driver’s license photo? Will leasing an apartment become an easier process? Will I still feel slightly nervous anytime I see a police officer? And although I have known all along that this is all temporary, that night I went to sleep calmly knowing that a new life awaited me.
Aids Foundation moves us forward toward the goal of eradicating the disease. Ken Henderson and Joe are consistently there, leading the way. Learn more about their work at www. helpisontheway.org. Stu Smith is board chair emeritus of Shanti Project, board chair of The Paratransit Coordinating Council, a member of the Castro Country Club Advisory Board and the LGBT Senior Task Force, and producer and host of the public access TV program “The Drag Show.” KQED has named Stu as being a 2013 LGBT Hero.
The Week in Review By Ann Rostow Pride! Again! I write to you on the eve of Pride Month, capital P and capital M, our annual celebration of the Stonewall riots that started the modern gay rights movement back on June 28, 1969. Here in Texas, our celebration was so hot and so miserable for so many years that at some point we decided it was unsustainable. We now have our Pride event in September or October, on a date so random that I can’t even tell you which month it’s in. Even in the early fall, the days are still so hot that we have our parade at night. And the whole event kind of pops up unexpectedly. Some friend will call and ask whether we want to meet for cocktails and watch the festivities from the roof of some 6th Street bar. Oh! Is tonight Pride, we ask? When does it start? Last year, we arrived at 5. Everyone had a different opinion on when the parade began. After three hours of drinking above the empty streets, we finally gave up and had a civilized dinner at an expensive downtown restaurant. (After all, it was Pride night!) This is all to say that I have lost my connection to Pride. The real Pride, that is. The Pride that arrived on one special Sunday at the end of June when we all came together, young and old, male and female, rich and poor, black, white and brown, and took over the town. Manhattan in the late 1970s and early 1980s, San Francisco in the 1990s. It was tacky, exuberant, exhilarating. It had a rhythm, building throughout the afternoon towards a wild night of carousing. We bought junk, consumed mystery drinks, wore rainbow hats, stood up through the moon roof and ripped our shirts off, staggered down Seventh Avenue south, skinny dipped on Ocean Beach. We listened to speeches and cheered. We danced all day and all night. And now? Now it’s a couple of gin and tonics and we’re off to Trulucks for a dozen oysters and a bottle of white Cote de Rhone. What happened? Stranger still, I don’t even miss the original version of Pride. I really love oysters, air conditioning and a dark booth in an old restaurant. Plus, back in the day I couldn’t afford oysters. One time in New York, the only money we had was a healthy collection of nickels, dimes and quarters. We each took charge of one denomination, so every commercial transaction required a group effort of pulling out coins. Somehow, this stash sustained us through most of the day. So, as I sit by the sidelines slurping Blue Points, I trust that all of you will do justice to Pride Month and Pride Day in the City by the Bay. I assume that President Obama will issue his usual Pride Proclamation, singing our communal praises and sounding a clarion call for justice. And of course, this year, we may actually have something real to cheer for: a High Court ruling or two that could compound the significance of late June for future historians of the LGBT movement. Hell, I might have to dig out my rainbow beads, put on one of my March on Washington T-shirts, fill up my giant plastic party drink tube with some imaginative concoction, grab my newly recognized spouse and parade down the streets of Austin alone in the 105 degree heat to mark the occasion. Why Do We Even Have to Cover This? One of the big stories this week is the damned Boy Scout vote. The story is irritating on several counts. First,
I don’t know about you, but as far as I’m concerned, the Boy Scouts are very 20th Century. They were behind the times when they fought us in the Supreme Court and “won” the right to discriminate as a private organization. Since that 2000 ruling, they have been disgraced. They have lost half their members. And they’ve lost countless partnerships with thoughtful municipalities and civic organizations. Now, years later, they deign to admit gay scouts and they expect us to give them a round of applause? I don’t think so. Second, as you may know, these bozos decided to maintain their ban on gay scout leaders. Why? There can only be one rationale, and that would be the notion that gay scout leaders are there to prey on little boys. So I repeat. They want a round of applause for admitting the gay scouts while they persist in a policy based on the most pernicious stereotypes we face as a community? Again, I don’t think so! And f inally, when will the mainstream media start covering the gay rights movement with even a modicum of nuance? The Boy Scout story deserved coverage, simply based on the organization’s long history of intolerance. That said, this was not a big story. It’s not just me. Our community may find the Boy Scouts annoying, but we really don’t take them that seriously. It’s not that our community was pressuring the Scouts. The world itself was passing them by and they were finally obliged to catch up just a little. Yet from the coverage, you would have thought our movement had made a major breakthrough of some sort. Um, no. Sleepless in Springfield So, as I write, the Illinois House of Representatives has three more days to call a vote on the marriage equality bill that passed the state senate in February. The long delay ref lected the fact that we lacked the votes to pass marriage in the house, but lately we’ve been hearing reports to the contrary. Do we have the votes or not? Will the measure be called to the floor, or not? Will Illinois become the 13th state to step into the bright light of equality, or not? Hell if I know, but I mention this because I don’t want Illinois to pass marriage equality tomorrow and have all you readers think I was living in a cave. Meanwhile, the Nevada legislature passed a bill to put a marriage referendum on the ballot that could overturn the antigay language now soiling the Blackjack State’s constitution. Under state law, the measure must be passed by a successive legislature and subsequently put to a public vote. So although the news is nice, it’s not imminent. Plus, don’t forget there’s a federal marriage lawsuit now pending in the Ninth Circuit against both Hawaii and Nevada. It could be that the appellate courts will weigh in before the public has its say, although the ultimate question of marriage rights under federal law will await a Supreme Court decision. This combined Hawaii/Nevada lawsuit may wind up before the justices, assuming they push the meat of the Prop 8 case to the side of their plates as expected. And what other marriage news is ripe for the picking this week? Well, some group is bent out of shape by that progay marriage ruling in Brazil that I mentioned last time. As I said before, I don’t really understand the Brazilian court system and don’t feel like looking it up. Since that attitude has not evolved since my last column, I have no further comment on the situation other than to inform you that something positive happened in Bra-
Professional Services zil, and now apparently it’s pissed off a bunch of people. There’s also a provocative article in The Atlantic (and does The Atlantic publish any other kind?) that suggests gay couples have a thing or two to teach straight couples about marriage, only because we must rise above gender roles in our domestic lives. I found it fairly interesting and fairly obvious, but like most articles of this ilk it was salted with real life examples of Bill and Bob, Tammy and Jeff, Betty and Jane. The problem with specific examples is that no couple is fully representative of their demographic. They’re just selected to fit the journalist’s scenario. Betty and Jane might transcend gender roles, but they also might simply be devoted to each other, the one factor that makes all the difference to couples of all orientations. There’s nothing provocative about that thesis, however. Kiss Me Kate Former Bay Times publisher Kim Corsaro has written an article in The Advocate about the 18-year-old Florida senior, Kaitlyn Hunt, who was charged last February with “lewd and lascivious battery on a child 1216 years old” due to her relationship with her freshman high school girlfriend. According to Kate’s lawyer, the relationship began in November; Kate turned 18 in August. According to other news sources, the girl ran away to live with Kate in January, at which point the girl’s parents blew the whistle and called in the cops. The charge is a felony that carries jail time as well as the status of sex offender, which of course could pretty much ruin Kate’s life. Under Florida’s Romeo and Juliet law (which also covers same-sex romances) Kate could be charged with a lesser crime and avoid the sex offender label, but one legal analysis I read suggested that other states might not recognize the distinction and would treat her as an offender under their own state law. In mid-May, the state offered to drop the charge to some lesser type of battery, which would allow Kate to avoid prison time and (in theory) stay clear of sex offender status. However, Kate and her parents rejected that offer, arguing that even the lower charge could severely damage Kate’s future. As we go to print, it’s not clear whether Kate will decide to fight the charges or whether the state will come through with a more acceptable plea deal. What is clear, however, is that teen relationships within a five-year age range should not be subjected to criminal penalties of any sort. In some ways, this is not a case of discrimination only because boys and girls get nailed for these faux statutory rape type charges as well. Yet we have seen harsh attacks on youthful gay romances in the past, and for a long time most of the Romeo and Juliet statutes that protect young lovers did not apply to same-sex couples. So when gay teens fall under the criminal spotlight for what appears to be an innocent romance, alarm bells ring. Plus, although they claim to be free of bias, you can’t help but wonder if the parents of the younger girl would have taken a kinder view of a boyfriend. And maybe the state would have given Romeo a break as well. The case will play out in the days to come, and will likely be settled before Kate’s June trial date. Meanwhile, the social media attention has been massive, with Free Kate pages and petitions going viral around the globe. (continued on page 22)
Read more @www.sfbaytimes.com and check us out on Twitter and Facebook. BAY T IM ES M AY 30, 2013
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Professional Services
Self-Care Isn’t Selfish
Examined Life Tom Moon, MFT Do you think of yourself as a selfish person? Over the years, I have been surprised to learn how many people harbor the same “secret” about themselves -- “If people knew what I’m actually like inside, they’d be surprised to find out how selfish I really am.” An age-old tactic of exploiters and oppressors plays on this vulnerability. If you shame people into believing that pursuing their own interests is immoral, then it’s easy to divert them into serving yours instead. People who grew up in so-called “dysfunctional” families are often
convinced that they’re too selfish, because dysfunctional families are by definition systems in which members are taught to sacrif ice their legitimate needs and developmental goals for the “good” of others. Recently I talked with a young man I’ll call John who got a scholarship to a university on the other side of the country. He was also accepted at a local college. He wanted to go to the university, but his father told him, “If you leave it’ll just kill your mother.” After much agonizing, he went to the university, but when he returned to visit for Christmas, his mother had gone into a deep depression. He felt remorse and guilt and considered dropping out. Hadn’t he harmed his mother? My answer was, “No, what’s causing your mother’s suffering is her own immaturity and her need to cling inappropriately to her son when it’s time for you to get on with your own life. That’s her problem, not yours. It speaks well of you that you feel compassion for her suffering and for her difficulty in letting go, but you owe it to yourself to resist her passiveaggressive attempts to hold you back. You won’t help her or yourself by relinquishing your own dreams in order to comply with her unreasonable demands.”
John’s struggle wasn’t with selfishness; it was with feeling unrealistically responsible for his mother’s well being to his own detriment. Like John, many of us learned in our families that growing up and becoming independent is an act of betrayal; that separating means abandoning; that taking care of ourselves means neglecting others; that paying attention to our own feelings equals indifference to the feelings of others, and that pursuing personal goals means hurting others. You don’t have to read any boring Ayn Rand novels to understand that there’s a legitimate domain of “selfcare” distinct from “self ishness.” Broadly speaking, it’s selfish to exploit, use, and manipulate others for your own ends, but pursuing your own happiness while respecting the rights and needs of others falls into the domain of legitimate self-care. It’s a simple idea, and to some people it may seem obvious, but if you’ve been raised to believe that your life isn’t your own there is no more effective way to inoculate yourself against vulnerability to being exploited than to grasp this basic distinction. Tom Moon is a psychotherapist in San Francisco. His website is tommoon.net.
(SF PRIDE continued from page 1) exceeds last year’s record by 76 votes. This record-breaking result was achieved through the Board’s initiatives in reaching out to the local community by establishing voting stations in both San Francisco and the East Bay. Voting stations were located at local clubs, community centers and in the heart of the Castro. Having secured the highest number of votes in their category, the 2013 winners are Marlena of Marlena’s Bar in the Individual Community Grand Marshal; Bay Area Youth Summit as the Organizational Community Grand Marshal; and The Boy Scouts of America in the Pink Brick category. “It is such a great privilege and honor to salute the official 2013 community marshals as they particularly ref lect this year’s distinctive theme of ‘Embrace, Encourage and Empower.’ The Board of Directors and I look forward to joining them on June 29-30 and invite the entire community to join in this celebration!” San Francisco Pride CEO Earl Plante shares. 2013 Public Vote Winners: Marlena of Marlena’s Bar: Gary McClain, affectionately known as Marlena, is a genuine philanthropist who has touched hundreds of thousands of people through her life. For more than 22 years, McClain has provided countless opportunities to San Franciscobased nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations to freely host their fundraising affair at Marlena’s Bar. Bay Area Youth Summit: BAYS is an organization that seeks to empower LGBT and allied youth to decide to make the difference in their communities by taking a leading role in the fight against bullying. BAYS is the only completely youth-led LGBT organization in the world. The Boy Scouts of America - BSA: On January 28, the century old American institution announced it would consider whether or not to remove its ban on gay leaders and members. At the National Annual Meeting this month, the ban was finally lifted on gay youth scouts, but the ban on gay adult leaders remains.
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2013 San Francisco Pride Grand Marshals: Lifetime Achievement Al Baum A longtime civil rights leader, philanthropist and HIV/AIDS activist,
Baum exhibits tireless dedication to the LGBT community. Psychotherapist, Harvard trained lawyer, retired city planner and board leader on a myriad of community organizations, Baum has been an LGBT champion locally and nationally for many years. Senator Mark Leno also praised Baum as being a 21st Century renaissance man who loves San Francisco. José Julio Sarria History Maker: The Leffew Family The Leffew Family started chronicling their family’s lives after the controversial Prop 8 was passed in California. In their own words they describe their work for Equality: “We made the decision to show the lives of an average gay married couple and our two children, Daniel and Selena. We wanted to fight back against the discrimination and ignorance that was being leveled at our family through the ballot box by using our home videos to give an alternative view to the arguments and images being used against same sex families.” Elected by the SF Pride General Membership: Crystal Jang Crystal Jang, a self-described ChineseAmerican activist, began organizing as a lesbian feminist, and then later advocated for greater visibility in response to witnessing racism in the LGBT community. The first “out” API teacher in San Francisco, Crystal was appointed as the SFUSD’s first Middle School Coordinator for LGBTQ Youth and Families. She has also participated in state and national efforts to address bullying and name-calling in the education environment. Crystal cofounded OASIS (Older Asian Sisters in Solidarity), the first support group for older API Queer Women. She also co-founded APIQWTC for the Asian Pacif ic Islander Queer Women and Transgender Community. Elected by the Electoral College of past Community Grand Marshals (since 1999): Bebe Sweetbriar Bebe has dedicated her talents to raising funds for local LGBT communitybased organizations. She has worked tirelessly as a fundraiser for the AIDS Housing Alliance, Under One Roof, Larkin Street Youth, Lyric, GLAAD, Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation and others.
Grand Marshals Selected by the SF Pride Board of Directors: Dr. Betty Sullivan Sullivan has been part of the fabric of San Francisco’s queer community since 1995. She is best known locally for her small business based in the Castro, Sullivan Communications Inc., from which she founded Betty’s List. Currently, Sullivan and her partner Jennifer L. Viegas serve as co-publishers/ editors of the Bay Times. Nationally and internationally, Sullivan is a renowned educator, communicator and all-round media guru. She also has a long history with PFLAG, having served on its national Board of Directors in Washington, D.C., for six years. Mario Benton East Bay community activist, fashion show producer, runway icon and stylist, Mario Benton created Mario B. Productions as a youth development model to help transform young lives. Over the years, Benton has brought young aspiring models together with the world of stylists, photographers, professional models and designers to produce highend fashion shows throughout the Bay Area for Macy’s, Bill Blass NY Fall Collection and Fashion on the Square, as well as his own 2010 Chic Fashion Week. Veronika Fimbres An award-winning activist recognized for her many firsts, Fimbres came to San Francisco in 1996 and became the first transgender officer in the history of the city and county of San Francisco a year later. She has served as Commissioner of Veteran’s Affairs for 14 years and was the first and only transgender woman to work at San Quentin Prison as a “safety nurse.” Serving on the Ryan White Care Council, the 26-year HIV/AIDS survivor had $80,000 allocated for the first educational symposium to train providers to work with trans patients. Chili D Chili D, whose real name is Diane Felix, is a well-known DJ in the Latin community who works as a health educator promoting HIV and AIDS education and prevention. Chili D has charted an extensive historical trajectory in cultural and political activism. For more than 4 decades, she has been an historical lesbian anchor, linking several generations of queer Latina and Latino organizing and cultural efforts in the San Francisco Bay Area. To this (continued on page 22)
Looking Back, Moving Forward By Kate Kendell, Esq. It’s only been a few days since NCL R’s 36th A nniversar y Celebration. And I assume even the hardest partier has fully recovered. It was a great night. What made it great had little to do with me. What made it great had ever ything to do with our clients, our collaborations, and our board, staff, and supporters. We honored four LGBT DREAMer s . You n g p e o ple w ho w er e brought to this country as small ch i ld ren by t heir pa rent s who sought a better life for them. For these now 20-somethings, America is the only home they have ever known. They are American. They are home. But because their parents are undocumented they too are undocumented, which means they have not been able to legally work or fulfill their dreams of giving back to this nation they love. Thanks to the Obama Administ rat ion, t hese DR E A Mers a nd thousands of others were able to apply for the new Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals ( DACA) program, which allows DREAMers to apply for relief from deportation and for two-year renewable work permits. Last year, NCLR helped launch t he L GB T DR E A Mer s Fu nd , raising nearly $100,000 to help DREA Mers pay for their DACA application fees. DREAMers Carla Lopez, Jose Mendoza, Luis Liang and Alejandra Estrada each received help from the fund, using it to apply for DACA relief and achieve their dreams. Carla hopes to be a mental health social worker to help children and families. Jose wants to become a nurse, just like the ones who helped his mother as she battled breast cancer. Luis wants to lead a nonprofit that helps other young people like him go to college. And Alejandra wants to go to back to school to become a teacher in her community.
a $250K life insurance benefit by Ellyn ... a place in hell for sure. We are helping Jennifer fight back along w ith our co-counsel Dan Ebner and Ray Prather, of Prather Ebner LLP, and Elizabeth Deeley, Sarah Piepmeier, and Dmitriy Tishyevich, of K irlkand & Ellis LLP. A moving moment in the evening came when our former client Sharon Smith presented Jennifer with our Justice Award. As Sharon said that evening, she knows all too well what Jennifer is going through and wishes she didn’t.
NCLR’s Kate Kendell at the podium
We also honored out client Jennifer Tobits with the NCLR Justice Award. As is too often the case with those we hear from, Jennifer contacted us in the midst of pure hell and tragedy. After the cancerrelated death of her wife Ellyn,
rather than being free to grieve, Jennifer was forced to fight an effort by Ellyn’s parents to swoop in and take the modest assets Ellyn had left for her. Ellyn’s parents took this action despite being left
We concluded our awards with a special recognition for our longt i me L eg a l D i rector Sha n non Minter. Shannon has been with NCL R for 20 years and in that time he has done as much to advance the equality and justice for LGBT people as anyone in the nation. We surprised Shannon—and the crowd—by having our former
Mayor and current Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom make a surprise appearance to present Shannon with his award. There was a common thread to the night. We are all linked, our stor ies a re a l l con nected, a nd we only advance our f ight when we remember who we are as an LGBT community. We have benef ited enormously from the support of many allies willing to take big risks to support us and demonstrate they are part of our effort and share our vision: Gavin Newsom, President Obama, Ted Olson and many, many others. As we embark on the concluding chapters in the story of our f ight to win formal legal equality and seek justice for all LGBT people, our moral charge is to be there for all those who do not have a voice or for whom these big gains feel removed or d ist a nt. For ma ny LGBT people who live in deeply red states, who are poor, who live in rural areas, who are of color, who are immigrants, the victories we have won and see coming do not feel real to them. Our commitment as a movement and as a community must be to the most dispossessed, the most vulnerable, the most disenfranchised. We had many heroes speak up and step out for us to get us to this moment. So let’s make sure that, as we are on the verge of winning our liberation struggle, we do not leave anyone behind.
Carla Lopez, Luis Liang, award presenter Olga Talamante, Alejandra Estrada, and Jose Mendoza at the podium
Kate Kendell, Esq., is the Executive D irector of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.
Shannon Price Mintner, Esq, NCLR Founder’s Award Recipient (NCLR Official Release, Excerpt) The Founder’s Award acknowledges a person whose life embodies NCLR’s vision and values of equality and justice and who has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to activism on behalf of our communities. Because this year, Shannon has worked for NCL R—and ser ved t he ent ire LGBT communit y— for 20 years. Because he is one of our movement’s most dedicated advocates, and we are all indebted to him for the changes to the L GBT leg a l la nd scape t hat he has helped to br ing about. Because he is humble beyond measure and deserves a round of applause by everyone he has served for so long. Because he tr uly is the embod iment of NCL R’s v ision and values of equalit y and just ice for a l l— and if 20 years isn’t a l i felong com m it ment to act iv ism on behalf of our communities, we don’t know what is. B ec au se when he t r a n s it ioned from female to male on the job in 1996, that simple act brought NCL R fa r t her on t r a nsgender issues than any amount of education or knowledge could have.
Because he started out as NCLR’s Youth Project Director and from the moment he began, was relentless in advocating for those rendered most invisible and voiceless in our communities.
Saturday, May 18th
Because, 20 years later, he still pulls all-nighters for work more often than he would like to adm it. Because he is tr uly one of a kind, and without him, NCLR would not be what it is today.
Westin St Francis Hotel
NCLR’s Thirty-sixth Anniversary Celebration Awards Dinner — Anniversary Party – Metreon Cityview
Shannon Price Mintner serves as NCLR’s Legal Director. This year marks his 20th Anniversary with NCLR and we pause to celebrate Shannon for h is long-st and ing commit ment and ded icat ion to dignity and justice for all. ( S h a n n o n’s m a n y a c h i e v e ments include being lead counsel for sa me-sex couples in t he la nd ma rk Ca l i for n ia ma r r iage equa l it y ca se, wh ich held t hat same-sex couples have the fundamental right to marry and that laws that discriminate based on sexual orientation are inherently d i sc r i m i n ator y a nd subjec t to the highest level of constitutiona l scr ut iny. He was a lso a lead counsel in the subsequent Prop 8 legal challenge.)
Honoring: Justice Award – Jennifer Tobias Courage Award – LGBT DREAMer’s – Alejandra Estrada, Luis Liang, Carla Lopez and Jose Mendoza Founder’s Award – Shannon Price Minter, Esq. PHOTOS BY TRISH TUNNEY
NCLR’s Shannon Mintner congratulated by Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom BAY T IM ES M AY 30, 2013
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Arts&Entertainment Frameline Preview
Another film about two very different men connecting is Out in the Dark ( June 28, 9:30 pm, Castro), an Israeli melodrama about Nimr (Nicholas Jacob), a Palestinian student, and Roy (Michael Aloni), an Israeli lawyer. The film starts out promisingly with the two attractive guys falling quickly and deeply into love without concern that the other is “the enemy.” However, after they consummate their relationship, family conflicts arise, and the plot becomes more contrived than convincing. At least this not uninteresting film ends with a nice ambiguity.
Film
Gary M. Kramer Frameline 37 opens June 20 with the premiere of Concussion (7:00 pm, Castro), Stacie Passon’s debut about a lesbian (Robin Weigert) who changes her life after being hit on the head. The festival ends 10 days--and 238 features, documentaries and shorts later--on June 30 with G.B.F., (7:00 pm, Castro) Darren Stein’s bright and brightly colored high-energy romp that turns the drama of coming out into high comedy. Here is a rundown of a handful of comedies and dramas unspooling at this year’s fest. Starting at the end, G.B.F. has Tanner (the adorable Michael J. Willett) as a high school senior who is inadvertently outed. Rather than becoming a social pariah, he is wooed by three teen queens who want him as their “sexless accessory.” Director Darren Stein ably provides the laughs as the characters all get their share of smart and funny jokes. G.B.F. is full of teen-speak, pop culture references, and queer/bitchy flamboyance, as it fabulously spins stereotypes on their head. Another perceptive coming of age film is Young & Wild ( June 29, 8:30 pm, Roxie), one of the festival’s must-sees. This funny and naughty Chilean drama concerns a horny 17 year-old girl with ultra-religious parents secretly blogging about her sexual thoughts and desires. Told in a series of “gospels,” the film has terrific scenes of Daniela exploring her bisexuality. Her fooling around with a female co-worker is erotic, but her explicit encounter with her boyfriend--who sports an impressive erection--will set tongues wagging. Not since Y Tu Mama Tambien has there been such a perceptive
and stylish Latin American film about teenage sexuality. Frameline 37 also offers festivalgoers the opportunity to preview The Out List (June 25, 4:30 pm, Castro), an hour-long documentary showcasing 16 prominent LGBTQ individuals. It will also air on HBO on June 27. The individual subjects each directly address the camera to talk about issues important to the queer community. It is easy to be inspired by testimonies about resilience, although the music tells viewers how to feel. The best vignettes come from non-celebrities, such as Lupe Valdez, a Texan sheriff who talks about being validated in her conservative community. Although The Out List is a mixed bag, there are some very sobering reflections on being GLBTQ in America. Another highlight is Pit Stop, (June 21, 4:00 pm, Castro; June 27, 7:00 pm, Elmwood) Yen Tan’s tender drama that chronicles the lives of several lonely people all looking for love. What makes Pit Stop so absorbing is Tan’s organic style of storytelling that allows viewers to slowly learn about the characters, and see the patterns and parallels that emerge and form connections between them. Gabe (Bill Heck), is a construction worker who lives with Shannon (Amy Seimetz) and their daughter Cindy (Bailey Bass). But their living arrangement is mostly for the sake of raising Cindy as Gabe is gay. Smarting from a failed relationship, he is somewhat shy and closeted. Meanwhile, Ernesto (Marcus DeAnda) is caring for one ex, who lies in a coma, and living with another ex, Luis, (Alfredo Maduro) whom he hopes
Alexa Weber Morales
carols in malls, yachts and at events with a group called The Mistletones. Since then, she has done eleven studio recordings, including singing on the Grammy-nominated Latin jazz album Bien! Bien! in 2010. As she puts it, “My gigs keep getting better, the venues are finer, and the touring offers are increasing.”
Music Shelley MacKay Alexa Weber Morales has been a roofer, auto mechanic, carpenter, secretary, and editor-in-chief, in addition to being a professional composer and a Latin jazz singer for the last fifteen years. During her first professional gigs, she wore a bonnet and hoop skirt while singing Christmas 14
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I was first introduced to Alexa as an artist when I saw her perform at Yoshi’s with Azúcar Con Aché, an allwomen Latin jazz band. The show was a lot of fun and the band was festive. That night, Alexa’s smooth and creamy vocals inspired me to dance. Her candid humor amidst and between songs put her audience at ease and created a feeling of intimate connection. As a singer and performer myself, I can appreciate a true talent. She is also currently the bandleader of the Alexa Weber Morales Band,
Young & Wild will move out so they can both move on with their lives. This may be revealing too much about the touching Pit Stop, but Tan’s focus is on how things are not easy for these men, even when they have distance from their former relationship. Tan’s achievement is to show how both Gabe and Ernesto belong together, so viewers hope these two men in a small town meet other than in passing. Artfully lit and shot, and filmed with long slow scenes accompa-
On the lighter side, a naughty pre-credit sequence sets the appropriately arch tone for Hot Guys with Guns ( June 27, 4:00 pm, Castro), writer/director Doug Spearman’s feather-light comedy/ mystery. A bunch of drugged, naked rich guys are robbed at a sex party and it’s up to actor-turned-investigator Danny Lohman (Marc Anthony Samuel) and his well-endowed (e.g., wealthy) ex-boyfriend Pip (Brian McArdle) to ferret out the bandits. Hot Guys with Guns features some amusing banter between Danny and Pip—but the film’s comedy works better than the thriller elements. Another film set in the film world is directed by (and co-starring) out actor
Pit Stop nied by thoughtful music, Pit Stop features accomplished performances that seem real and lived in. Just watch how each character responds to a moment of intimacy or an awkward dating scene. This fine film chronicles the figurative pit stop in these modest Texans’ lives. Audiences should embrace the opportunity to share this moment in their journey to self-discovery.
which ranges from a quartet to nine pieces and plays salsa/funk/jazz/ originals in four languages. Most recently she joined Pacific Mambo Orchestra when the band commissioned her to write lyrics for a beautiful tune the saxophonist Aaron Lington had composed: “Bolero Cocomo.” The song has gotten quite a bit of attention, and Alexa said, “I absolutely love working with this band. I never say this, but… this band is going to be well known. Nationwide!” In 2011, Alexa released her crowdfunded album, I Wanna Work For You. She wrote the title track after being laid off in the midst of the recession. The song immediately gained momentum. It is a song people have been able to really relate to given the recent economic climate, and work is a subject Alexa can speak to, given her varied career history. The song changed
He’s Way More Famous Than You Michael Urie (aka the gay guy on “Ugly Betty”). He’s Way More Famous Than You ( June 29, 8:30 pm, Castro) is a funny, observant, but often cringeinducing film about celebrity culture. Halley Feiffer plays an unemployed indie film actress grappling with her lack of celebrity through massive alcohol con-
sumption, unfiltered behavior, and the need to constantly video record herself. When Halley’s boyfriend Michael (Michael Chernus) leaves her, she turns her to her gay brother Ryan (Ryan Spahn, Feiffer’s co-writer) to make “The Untitled Greenlight Halley Feiffer Vehicle Promo Trailer Project” in which they play lovers. (Halley, however, wants Macchio for the part). Featuring cameos from Ben Stiller, Natasha Lyonne, and Jesse Eisenberg among others, viewers will laugh at the rude and unruly Halley as much as they laugh with her. Some other films of note include: Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? (June 26, 9:30 pm, Castro), a fun and sunny Taiwanese import with dramatic scenes as well as moments of magical realism. Weichung (Richie Ren) is a married optometrist rediscovering happiness--and his same-sex longings--when he unexpectedly falls in love with customer at his eyeglass store. The documentary Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia ( June 26, 2:00 pm) is an affectionate portrait of the queer writer that features interviews, TV and film clips showing priceless quips, as well as anecdotes about his books, films, famous friends, and details of his life with his partner Howard Austen. Gore Vidal is a good primer for those who don’t know Vidal’s life and work, but it is also satisfying for those who do. Lastly, two worthwhile films eloquently address transgender issues. Javier van de Couter’s Mia ( June 27, 11:00 am, Castro) is an ambitious Argentine drama about Ale (Camila Sosa Villada), a homeless transwoman from the Aldea Rosa (Pink Village) shantytown, who ingratiates herself into the life of a motherless young girl, and Turning ( June 27, 7:00 pm, Victoria), a striking documentary featuring singer Antony Hegarty, as he empowers a dozen plus transwomen through performance and song as they embrace and express their gender and sexuality. © 2013 Gary M. Kramer Gary M. Kramer is the author of “Independent Queer Cinema: Reviews and Interviews,” and the co-editor of the forthcoming “Directory of World Cinema: Argentina.” You can follow him on Twitter @garymkramer.
her career. It showed her how much she had learned from being on a record label and recording two previous albums of her own. Alexa said, “I kept waiting for the project to implode, but it went incredibly smoothly and economically. It was collaborative, yet I was in charge of my destiny and I guess I am addicted to that feeling! This album still has legs and miles to go before she sleeps!” On June 1, Alexa will be singing with Pacific Mambo Orchestra at KCSM’s Jazz on the Hill at College of San Mateo, at 5 PM. On June 15, she will be singing with the group again at SFJAZZ at 8 PM. On June 22, she will be performing with The Trans-Global People’s Chorus at the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival at noon. On June 28, the Alexa Weber Morales Band will be playing at the Kaiser Center Lunchtime Concert Series at noon.
Alexa Weber Morales
See Alexa’s full calendar and sign up for her mailing list at www.alexawebermorales.com. Shelley MacKay is a Bay Area-based ja z z , po p , r&b a n d rock voca l i st/ songwriter. L earn more at www.shelleysings.com.
Willa Cather Knew About Love For someone who never married, Cather knew a great deal about love. In The Song of the Lark, Cather declares, “The world is little, people are little, human life is little. There is only one big thing – desire.” And, in My Ántonia, she writes, “You see, I was very much in love with your mother once, and I know there’s nobody like her…”
Inspiring LGBTQ Prof iles Kathleen Archambeau
“Now I understood that the same road was to bring us together again. Whatever we had missed, we possessed together the precious, the incommunicable past.” My Ántonia Pulitzer Prize Winning Novelist Willa Cather (1873-1947) Willa Cather was a prolific writer of such well-known novels as O Pioneers, The Professor’s House, My Ántonia, The Song of the Lark and One of Ours, for which she won the Pulitzer Prize. She lived with a woman, Edith Lewis, in New York City from 1908 until Cather’s death in 1947. She designated Lewis as literary trustee for her entire estate. Whether or not their relationship was sexual, it was certainly the most enduring relationship of her life. As The Selected Letters of Willa Cather (2013) reveal, Edith Lewis meant a great deal to this reclusive author. Cather addresses Lewis in the only surviving letter of the more than 500 letters in the collection, as “My Darling Edith: Everything you packed carried wonderfully – not a wrinkle. And now I must dress to receive the Planets, dear, as I won’t wish to take the time after they appear – and they will not wait for anybody. Lovingly, W.”
She was also ahead of her time describing urban life. “We are all alike; we have no ties, we know nobody, we own nothing…All we have ever managed to do is to pay our rent, that exorbitant rent that one has to pay for a few square feet of space near the heart of things…We live in the streets, in the parks, in the theaters. We sit in restaurants and concert halls and look about at the hundreds of our own kind...” Born in Virginia, Cather later moved with her family to Red Cloud, Nebraska. Later, she lived in a Greenwich Village apartment. These moves, and other travel, influenced her ability to treat geography almost as a character in her novels. For example, after one brief visit to New Mexico, she captured what many believe was the essence of the high desert in her novel Death Comes for the Archbishop. As for her intimate personal life, we may never know definitively if Willa Cather was a lesbian. But we do know that her primary emotional attachments were with women. Her f irst love appears to have been Isabelle McClung. In a recent New York Times piece, journalist Jennifer Schuessler advises that we not look to the newly compiled and published letters for evidence of Cather’s relationship with McClung, “with whom she shared a bedroom for five years in her 20’s.” Cather is buried on a hillside in Jeffrey, New Hampshire, a town she had visited with McClung. The inscription on her tombstone reads: WILLA CATHER, Dec. 7, 1873 – April 24, 1947 The truth and charity of her great spirit will live on in the work which is her enduring gift to her country and all its people. “…that is happiness; to be dissolved into something complete and great.” From My Ántonia
(ANTICIPATING continued from page 1) change along. No matter how much bad press there is in this world -- and there’s plenty of it -- I am surrounded by people who nurture and cherish the positive changes that take place to ensure that we have the opportunity to live up to our highest potential in safe and welcoming communities.
One of the good qualities of aging is that our stress responses also mature. Anticipation is described by American psychiatrist and Harvard Medical School Professor George Eman Vaillant as one of “the mature ways of dealing with real stress... You reduce the stress of some difficult challenge by anticipating what it will be like and preparing for how you are going to deal with it.” My own feeling is that our generation of LGBTI “boomers” lives in anticipation of the just, free, and conscious world that we are creating, evolving, and passing on to new generations of social, cultural, and political activists. Without the excitement and tension that is generated as we fight for equality and human rights for all of the world’s citizens, we would be fraught with anxiety and despair. For this reason, we must learn to work together, to unite in spite of our differences in order to live up to the examples of our predecessors. The world MUST change! We have an inherent responsibility towards one another to g row and move
While I am still stunned by horror stories of murder, brutality, betrayal and mayhem, I live in the world of anticipation where I strive to be ever hopeful that true justice and rampant love will prevail. I strive to believe that small efforts can make huge trajectories of change that will affect us, our families and our communities for all eternity. In the famous words by our Sixties heroes -- the Beatles -- “I guess I’m still a dreamer but I’m not the only one.” I pray each day for peace, harmony, and enlightenment for all living beings and I celebrate each advancement, every victory, with an open heart and loads of excitement. “Anticipation” by Carly Simon is one of Karen’s favorite songs. W hat’s yours? karen@sf baytimes.com BAY T IM ES M AY 30, 2013
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Round About – Celebrating Harvey Milk Day Photos by Rink
Bay Times photographer Rink joined LGBT community members celebrating Harvey Milk Day 2013 on May 22 at a host of activities: ceremony at Jane Warner Plaza, book discussion at Books Inc, guided tour at the GLBT Historical Society Museum on 18th Street, party at the Lookout, blessings by Sisters in front of Milk’s camera store location on Castro Street and a screening of Milk at the Castro Theatre.
Laura Thomas, Michael Siever and Glendon Hyde
Sisters Gina Tonic, Selma Soul and Bella de Ball Randall Mann, Aaron Wimmer, Courtney Walsh, Sister Roma, Supervisor Scott Wiener, Anne Kronenberg, Treasurer Jose Cisneros and Andrea Shorter
Medora Payne and Randy Alfred
Paul Boneberg and Cleve Jones at the GLBT Historical Society Museum
• See more News & Stories @ sfbaytimes.com • 16
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Charles E. Morris III, Dan Nicoletta, Jason Edward Black, Frank M. Robinson
Make the Shift from Student to Storyteller ARIES (March 21 – April 19) Go with the flow, Aries. Your subconscious is serving up sensations that may bewilder you now. Ideas that seem foreign at first will ultimately expand your mental wingspan. Fly high. better. TAURUS (April 20 – May 20) Beef up your boundaries, Taurus. Peer pressure could pose some pesky problems if you’re not proactive. Before bending backwards to please others, protect the integrity of your own principles.
Astrology Gypsy Love In HBO’s documentary series A YoungArts Masterclass, Broadway legend Patti LuPone mentors promising musical actors in a workshop designed to foster successful careers in the theater. The stage starlet summons next-generation artists to be fearlessly authentic with their talents. “Remember,” advises LuPone, “it’s more than a song. It’s a story.” Universally, we’re beckoned to boldly belt out our personal truths now. Make the shift from student to storyteller.
GEMINI (May 21 – June 20) Get out there, Gemini. You’re in a positive position to make a powerful impact, and people are noticing. Enhance chances of sealing the deal by surrounding yourself with sweet inspirations. CANCER (June 21 – July 22) There’s no need to confine your creativity, Cancer. Intuitive yearnings reveal new opportunities for productively channeling your spirit. Activate engines in your imagination, and allow yourself to get carried away.
LEO (July 23 – August 22) You’re sailing the social seas now, Leo. Engage with others in mindful musings that broaden the scope of your long-term goals. Team up with trailblazers who titillate your tenacity.
VIRGO (August 23 – September 22) Veer away from disruptive distractions, dear Virgo. You’ve never been one to imperil a pristine reputation, so why start now? Be sure to sidestep any suspicious suitors whose motives seem shaky!
LIBRA (September 23 – October 22) Re-appraise your resources, Libra. Possessions are powerless if they don’t serve a sacred purpose. Consider the contrasts and connections between your outer belongings and your inner being.
SCORPIO (October 23 – November 21) Surrender to your senses, Scorpio. Lean less on logic, and let instincts light the way. Sometimes, the soundest solutions are only accessible when you sync your heart with your head
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 – December 21) Keep it simple, Sagittarius. Are you pursuing unnecessary detours to fulfill your desires? Get back ontrack by demystifying your needs to intimate partners who are eager to understand them.
CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 19) Honor your word, Capricorn. Life in the workplace looks lovely if you continue to conduct yourself with grace and honesty. You’re likely to attract lots of looks and listens now. AQUARIUS (January 20 – February 18) What gets you out of bed in the morning, Aquarius? It’s time to revisit why you value your vocation. Make meaningful adjustments so career goals are driven by divine intention. PISCES (February 19 – March 20) Domestic dealings and family affairs could take a leap from daunting to delightful now. Don’t overthink it, Pisces. Design your home according to whatever generates the most joy.
www.AstrologyByGypsyLove.com
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 plans are you making for Summer?
Scarlot Harlot
Mariko Passion
Pippi Lovestocking
Sandy Graham
Mario Benfield
“To attend the 5th annual Desiree Alliance Sex Worker Conference in Las Vegas.”
“To go to Texas to be with the love of my life, and then to Japan.”
“Traveling to L.A. and Guerneville to perform for my fans.”
“Summer stock theater, visit with friends, day trips, and hiking the White Mountains.”
“Coordinating the veterans meeting space move and marching in the Pride Parade.”
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Round About – GGBA Mega Make Contact Among the Small Business Week activities of the Golden Gate Business Association was the annual Mega Make Contact held on Tuesday, May 14th and co-hosted by the SF LGBT Community Center, MUMC, and Betty’s List. GGBA’s president Eric Goforth and The Center’s Rebecca Rolfe welcomed attendees along with MUMC president Terry Asten Bennett. Photos courtesy of GGBA
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Sister Dana Sez
Sister Dana sez, “The real scandal of the IRS is the Irritable Repugnican Syndrome against President Obama. The House voted 38 times to repeal Obamacare. Not once on jobs. And as for a ‘White House cover-up?’ ‘The Annual Audit Plan’ regarding IRS investigation was published publicly online last October.” But let’s not talk about cover-ups when we can more happily discuss what’s going on under the covers at SEX & THE CITY 2 LIVE at Rebel nightclub, 1760 Market Street @ Octavia every Wednesday night, 7 & 9pm. The new SEX & THE CITY 2 LIVE is better than the TV sitcom and even better than its previous version, SEX & THE CITY LIVE. Those four sassy Big Apple broads are live and in drag on stage: sarcastic relationship columnist Carrie Bradshaw (Heklina), oversexed PR firm owner Samantha Jones (D’Arcy Drollinger), cynical lawyer Miranda Hobbes (Lady Bear), and semi-prudish art gallery curator Charlotte York ( Trixxie Carr), plus Cookie Dough and Jordan Wheeler in both boy and drag roles, and Leigh Crow as Mr. Big, among other characters. On stage, a video screens a takeoff on the opening of the TV show, featuring Carrie (Heklina) getting splashed with gutter water. Between scenes we either hear the theme song or a commercial such as Hot Pockets, Folgers coffee, or Big Red chewing gum. We also hear voiceovers in the form of Carrie’s inner monologue/narration. We are attending Miranda’s art show for lesbians, where hetero Miranda makes friends with three power dykes - but can she pass? Or is she just a “clit-tease?” The show asks many questions. For instance, what constitutes cheating by men as opposed to women cheating? Can one cheat on one’s best girlfriends? Warning: there is male nudity, including a steamy shower scene. Episode two
begins with a hot scene in bed that turns into a real snore, bringing up another query: What makes someone good in bed, and if they’re bad in bed, are they also bad in life? Should one take a course to be better in bed? There is a meet-cute that involves a real burn. A gay male couple becomes bi-curious and wants to try sex with a woman. Can they go through with it? All these queer queries will be answered when you sit down and share a couple cosmos with the girls. satc. brownpapertickets.com. T H E C A ST RO C EL EB R AT ES H A RV EY MIL K DAY wa s held in Jane Warner Plaza to honor the former openly gay supervisor and a ssa ssi nated c iv i l r ight s leader. Members of the SF Lesbian/Gay Freedom Ba nd played “ T he Wedd i ng S ong ” a nd “G oi ng to the Chapel” in hopes of a positive r uling for same-sex marr iage by the Supreme Court in June. They played severa l ot hers, includ ing t hei r s ig n at u re “ Sa n-Fr a n- C i s co.” Super visor Scot t Wiener emceed, bringing up front several friends of Milk, Dan Nicoletta, A nne K ronenberg, and others, as well as openly gay electeds Supe r v i sor Dav id C a mpos a nd Cit y Tr ea su r e r Jose Cisne r os, and newly elected A ssessor/ Recorder Ca r men Chu (ant icipat ing record ing same-sex marr iage cert if icates when legalized once again). Severa l actors read “ Pa s sages of Hope” f rom D ea r Harvey. Then everyone marched up the street to the site of Milk’s c a m e r a s h o p/c a m p a i g n h e a d quarters for a blessing by The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. ASIAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER W E L L N E S S CE N T E R hosted t hei r a n nua l g a la, BLOOM, at the Terra Ga l ler y, emceed by the fabulous Tita Aida with Supe r v isor Ja ne K i m , honor i ng Department of Public Health Execut ive Director Ba rba ra Ga rcia, for her innovative leadership. A sse mbly me mbe r P h i l Ti ng sent a Certif icate of Recognition. Blo om a l so r ec og n i zed fa s h ion desig ner A r iyaphon Sout h iphon g ( br e a kout st a r on T V ’s Project Runway and ded icated advocate for t ransgender r ights, wea r i ng her ow n desig ned f u l l-
leng t h gow n of va r ious si zes of c a sc ad i ng red roses), g iv i ng a n ext remely mov i ng speech about e qu a l it y a nd he a lt h . E X FAC TOR f inalist Jason Brock sang his w inning “New York State of M ind” and “New Att itude;” SFbased singer/songwriter L10 did a ripping rap and sang “Push Push Push” and “On the Radio” w ith backup dancers. Juanita MORE deejayed away. A & P I We l l n e s s C e n t e r b e g a n a s a g r a s sroot s res pon se to t he H I V/A I DS cr isis in 1987 and is st i l l going strong 26 years later. Execut ive Director L ance Toma sa id , “A s we look a head to ou r healthcare landscape dramatically chang ing over t hese next few years, we are preparing to expand our medical clinic so that we will be a patient-centered health home for those who are most disadvantaged in our City.” BL ISS: A NEW DAW N wa s t he M A IT R I sig nat ure ga la at M iss ion Bay C on ference C enter at UCSF emceed by new age spir itual teacher G regg Cassin who said, “No one should have to suffer and d ie a lone,” w it h a blessing by Jana Drakka and Issan’s monks. The funds from this event s upp or t M a it r i C ompa s s ion at e Care prog rams. Ma itr i prov ides compassionate residential care to men and women in need of hospice or 24 -hou r c a r e a nd c u lt iv ates t he deepest respect and love for life among its residents and careg ivers. Scot t Wiener brought a Certif icate of Appreciation from the Board of Supervisors. “A New Dawn” video was screened. Execut ive Director Michael Sm it hw ic k w a s proud to s ay, “ More a nd more res ident s a re g et t i ng better and better and able to be discharged back into the communit y.” BL ISS featured entertainment i nclud i ng t he elect r i f y i ng Ma r y Wi lson of t he Supremes, ja z z s i n g er/c omp os er S p e nc e r Day singing classics such as “The Ma n I L ove” a nd or ig i na ls; t he da nce compa ny Na-L ei Hu lu I K a We k iu, a nd He iwa Ta i ko drummers. Wilson (her 54th year in show biz) rocked the house with her Supreme h it s such as “L ove (continued on page 22)
The Bay Area’s favorite f ilm critic Jan Wahl with “Liberace” at the piano during the reception at the Castro Theatre for the HBO Films & Frameline special screening of Behind the Candelabra, starring Michael Douglas and Matt Damon. (Photo by Steven Underhill)
Read more @ www.sfbaytimes.com BAY T IM ES M AY 30, 2013
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compiled by Robert Fuggiti
See many more Calendar items @ www.sfbaytimes.com
Michelle Williams returns to the Bay Area. June 4-9. Camouflage Closet – African American Art & Culture Complex. $5-$20. 7:30 pm. (762 Fulton St.) www.aaacc.org. A digital documentary project with live original music that explores how LGBT veterans have been affected by trauma and mental health issues.
Mix, Mingle & Give – The Starlight Room. $25. 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. (450 Powell St.) www. outandequal.org. Join Out & Equal as they kick off Pride month with an exciting fundraising party. Nightlife – California Academy of Sciences. $12. 6 pm to 10 pm. (55 Music Concourse Dr.) www.noisepop.com. Enjoy a fun evening of science, cocktails and live music.
Macy’s Men’s Designer Event Benefitting the Trevor Project – Macy’s. $25. 6 pm. (120 Stockton St.) www.thetrevorproject.org. Join the Trevor Project, Out Magazine, the SF LGBT Center and Macy’s for a fundraising event for the Trevor Project.
Tubesteak Connection – Aunt Charlie’s. $4. 10 pm. (133 Turk St.) www.auntcharlieslounge.com. Dance the night away to great music and a fun crowd at one of the best gay dive bars in town.
Play with BeBe – Harvey’s. Free. 8 pm. (500 Castro St.) www. harveyssf.com. BeBe Sweetbriar hosts a weekly trivia game with drink specials and prizes.
Rebel Without a Bra – Exit Theatre. $16-$25. 8 pm. (156 Eddy St.) www.theexit.org. Enjoy a captivating evening of theater and burlesque.
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.
Boy Bar – The Café. $5. 9 pm to 2 am. (2369 Market St.) www.guspresents.com. The Castro’s hottest weekly party with go-go dancers and early drink specials.
Booty Call - Q Bar. $4. 10 pm to 2 am. (456 Castro St.) www.qbarsf. com. Juanita More! hosts this weekly party with hot guys, strong drinks and fun dance mash ups.
Friday Nights at the De Young – De Young Museum. $11. 6 pm to 8:45 pm. (50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr.) www.deyoung.famsf. org. Enjoy the museum in a fun, festive and dynamic atmosphere with live music and cocktails.
Drunk Enough to Say I Love You? – The Costume Shop. $15$30. 8 pm. (1117 Market St.) www. therhino.org. A provocative play from one of Britain’s most controversial and profound playwrights, Caryl Churchil. May 30-June 16.
Dyke March Fundraiser – Hi Tops. Suggested $20 donation. 5 pm to 7 pm. (2247 Market St.) www.hitopssf.com. A fundraising event with food and drinks to benefit the Dyke March. Hedwig and the Angry Inch – Boxcar Theatre. $29-$43. 8 pm. (505 Natoma St. www.boxcartheatre.com. A must see cult classic with a talented, diverse cast of eight that share the role of Hedwig at every performance.
Hershey Felder gives a wonderful performance as America’s favorite composer in “George Gershwin Alone” at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. (Photo: Mark Gavin) Go BANG! – The Stud. $7. 9 pm. (399 9th St.) www.studsf.com. A monthly disco party with fierce dancers and flashy dressers.
AIDS Emergency Fund Dancing Queen T-Dance – Beatbox. $20. 4 pm. (314 11th St.) www.beatboxsf.com. A daytime dance party with proceeds benefiting the AIDS Emergency Fund. Jock – Lookout. $2. 3 pm to 9 pm. (3600 16th St.) www.lookoutsf. com. A weekly fundraising party for Bay Area LGBT sports groups. Honey Soundsystem – Holy Cow! $7. 10 pm. (1535 Folsom St.) www.honeysoundsystem.com. An eccentric Sunday dance party with strong drinks and fun mash-ups.
LGBTQ Support Group – Petaluma Health Center. Free. 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm. (1179 N. McDowell Blvd., Petaluma) www.phealthcenter.org. A positive support group for the LGBTQ community in Petaluma. Meetings every Monday.
Fela! – Paramount Theatre. $37.50-$77.50. 8 pm. (2025 Broadway, Oakland) www.felaonbroadway.com. The 3-time Tony Award Winning musical starring
99% Gay Comedy Fest – Esta Noche. Free. 8 pm. (3079 16th St.) www.comedybodega.com. Marga Gomez presents a celebration of LGBT comics from around the Bay. OUT Ladies Night – Café Flore. Free. 5:30 pm. (2298 Market St.) www.cafeflore.com. Enjoy food and drink specials while mingling with new and old friends.
Bad Girls Cocktail Hour – The Lexington. Free. 9 pm (3464 19th St.) www.lexingtonclub.com. Enjoy $1 margaritas from 9 pm to 10 pm every Friday night.
Three Ways to Reduce Stress with Yoga Breathing – SF LGBT Community Center. Free. 7 pm to 9 pm. (1800 Market St.) www.sfcenter.org. A free health and wellness class for lesbian and bi-sexual women. Christianity and Marriage Equality – Grace Cathedral. Free. 6 pm. (1100 California St.) www. gracecathedral.org. Professor Kate Cooper, historian of early Christianity, and Reverend Jane Shaw lead a discussion on the debates of marriage equality.
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“Hedwig and the Angry Inch” will be at Boxcar Theatre through July 13. (Photo: Peter Liu)
com. Mix, mingle and meet new friends at this weekly bowling social.
George Gershwin Alone – Berkeley Repertory Theatre. $29$77. 8 pm. (2025 Addison St., Berkeley) www.berkeleyrep.org. The irresistible music of America’s favorite composer comes alive in this wonderful tribute.
Motown Monday – Madrone Art Bar. Free. 6 pm. (500 Divisadero St.) www.madroneartbar.com. Dance the night away to favorite Motown songs and remixes. Piano Bar 101 – Martuni’s. Free. 9 pm. (4 Valencia St.) www.dragatmartunis.com. Sing along to your favorite songs. Gay Bowling – Mission Bowling Club. $15. 5 pm to 8 pm. (3176 17th St.) www.missionbowlingclub.
Trivia Night – Hi Tops. Free. 10 pm. (2247 Market St.) www. hitopssf.com. Test your trivia knowledge at this popular sports bar. GLBT Caregiver – SFSU Campus. Free. 1:30 pm. (1600 Holloway St.) www.sfsu.edu. A support group to discuss issues among gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s. Meeting occur second Tuesdays of every month.
Castro Farmers Market – Noe St. at Market. Free. 4 pm to 8 pm. (Noe St. At Market) www. pcfma.com. Enjoy fresh produce and locally-made foods every Wednesday. Still Here – The Garage. $12-$20. 8 pm. (715 Bryant St.) www.queerculturualcenter.org. “Still Here” showcases new works by artists raised in the Bay Area during the 80’s and 90’s. Be Scene Fundraising Reception – Clift Hotel. $25$250. 6:30 pm. (495 Geary St.) www.sfpride.org. The San Francisco Pride Board of Directors present an evening of music and entertainment. With BeBe Sweetbriar, Dr. Betty Sullivan, and Jennifer Viegas.
www.sfbaytimes.com
“Much Ado About Nothing” opens in AMC Theaters on June 7. (Photo: Elsa Guillet) Much Ado About Nothing mccownevans.com. Learn how AMC Metreon 16. $!2.50. Check same-sex binational couples will showtimes. (101 4th St.) www. benefit after DOMA. RSVP. muchadomovie.com. A series of comic and tragic events challenge two couples in finding happiness. Some Thing Funny – The Stud. $7. 10 pm to 1 am. (399 9th St.) www.studsf.com. A weekly variety drag show with outrageous acts.
2013 Miss Gay California America Pageant – The Victoria Theatre. $10. 8 pm. (2961 16th St.) www.missgayamerica.com. The Miss Gay America Pageant is proud to present the 36th year of the best in female impersonations. Hey Girl Hey – Era Art Bar & Lounge. $5. 5 pm to 9 pm. (19 Grand Ave, Oakland) www.oaklandera.com. A lesbian dance party happening every second Saturday. Free Immigration Seminar McCowen & Evans LLP. Free. 10 am to 12 pm. (Location TBD) info@
Love Our Lake Day – Lake Merritt. Free. 11 am to 4 pm. (Lake Merritt Boulevard, Oakland) www. hesternet.net. Ejoy the streets and parks surrounding Lake Merritt. Donkey Punch Comedy – The Hella Gay Comedy Show. $10. 8 pm. (1772 Market St.) www.facebook.com/HellaGayComedyShow. An outrageous comedy show featuring comedians, drag performers, and burlesque dancers. Stories of Queer Diaspora – Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts. $20-$80. 6:30 pm. (2868 Mission St.) www.queerculturalcenter.org. As part of the National Queer Arts Festival, the Mission Cultural Center celebrates the stories of migrant and first generation people as they navigate their culture and sexuality.
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(SISTER DANA continued from page 19) C h i l d ,” “ M y Wo r l d I s E m p t y w i t h o u t Yo u ,” “ R e f l e c t i o n s ,” “Can’t Hurr y Love,” “Come See about Me,” “ Bac k i n My A r m s Again,” “Baby Love,” “Here’s to L i fe” su ng a c appel l a , a nd t he show-stopping “Stop in the Name of L ove,” a mon g m a ny ot her s . She joked, “I admired Dreamgirls, based on The Supremes, but I just wished they had paid me!” NCL R ( NAT IONA L CE N T ER FOR L E SBI A N R IGH TS) celebrated 36 yea r s of lega l v icto ries for the LGBTQ community at their annual dinner at Westin St. Francis Hotel. Emcee/comic Kate Clinton was ill with the f lu, so Execut ive Director K ate Kendel l took over t he dut ies f l awles s ly. T he Just ice Award was presented by Jennifer Tobits to Sha ron Smith (who won the f irst wrongful death lawsuit by an LGBTQ person). The Courage Award was presented by Olga Talamante to LGBT Dreamers: undocumented but deser v i ng of c it i zen sh ip students A lejandra Estrada, Luis L i a n g , C a r l a L o p e z , a nd Jo s e
Mendoza. The Founder’s Award was presented by former SF Mayor and cur rent Ca l ifor n ia L ieut en a nt G over nor G av i n Ne wsom to Shannon Price Minter (for more on Minter, see page 11), who has worked for queer r ights for 20 years. A slide show depicted his colorful life. Kendell gave a stirring keynote address, opening w it h “ I just want to rem ind you all of what a f-ing dif ference a year makes,” and listed the many rights LGBTQs have gained. The M A RRI AGE EQUAL IT Y USA SA N FR A NCISCO AWA R D S R E C E P T I O N , M a y 29th, 6pm at Chambers in Phoenix Hotel, 601 Eddy Street, brings toget her L GBTQ com mu n it y memb er s a nd le a der s , st r a i g ht a l l ie s , ent er t a i n ment i ndu st r y, and celebrities to raise funds for a nd h i gh l i ght c ont r ibut ion s t o the marriage equality movement. Honor e e s a r e L t . G ov. G av i n Newsom, Bingham McCutchen L L P, SF Cit y Attor ney’s Of f ice, w it h specia l g uest s Don n a Sa chet, Matt Alber, Stuart Milk,
and Dennis Herrera. marriageequality.org. Bay A rea prem iere of THE DIVINE SISTER by Cha rles Busch, a n out rageous com ic hom a ge to nea rly ever y Hol lywood f i l m i nvolv i ng nuns, r uns t h rough Ju ne 29 at t he New C on s er v at or y T he at r e C ent er, We d n e s d a y s - S a t u r d a y s , 8 p m , Sundays, 2pm. nctcsf.org. FAIROAKS PROJECT is a photog raphy show about a bat hhouse in SF ex ist ing from 1976 79, owned and operated by a gay commune. It opens June 7 at the Center for Sex and Culture, 1349 Mission. fairoaks-project.com. Adult f lick picks: T he Best of Chris Stone, falconstudios.com, Close Up, t it a n men.com, a nd Milit ia , ragingstallion.com. Sister Dana sez, “Warning to my fellow night-crawler pervs: Dolores Park is no longer a safe-ish place for late late night/early early morning cruisers. Beware: cops everywhere!”
(ROSTOW continued from page 9) Vive La France I was pleased to see that a lesbian mov ie won the top prize at the Cannes film festival. Yay! And speaking of France, they’re still marching in the streets of Paris to protest the dawn of marriage equality, but the deed is done. Meanwhile, the best tennis players in the world are starting to pound the red clay off their heels at Roland Garros, a signal that the long slog through cold hard seri-
(PRIDE continued from page 10) day she continues creating space for Lesbians of color through her clubs and continues to work with Gay Latino men and women managing the infamous “Pan Dulce.” Perry Lang & Kenneth Monteiro Life partners Lang and Monteiro are being honored this year. Lang is the executive director of the Black Coalition on AIDS. Monteiro is dean of the College of Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University. Motivated by both their deep spiritual convictions and commitment to social justice, Ken and Perry remain rooted in their families, communities, and public service. They are active locally in the African American Action Network, NAACP, Bayard
ous months are about to give way to the glories of a hedonistic summer. Much has been written about April in Paris, but in truth it can be a dismal time. Only in June does the city warm up. Even in the early rounds of the French Open you’ll see spectators in jackets and sweaters. But by the time the semi-finals come around, it will be 75 degrees and climbing in the City of Light. Vacation is around the corner, and I don’t mean a week on Long Island. We’re talking a month
Rustin LGBT Coalition, the Interfaith Circle, and many other groups. Celebrity Grand Marshals: Kamala Harris, California’s 32nd Attorney General Cheyenne Jackson, actor, singer and songwriter Thomas Roberts, journalist Roger Ross Williams, director and producer Tabatha Coffey, television personality and cancer research fundraiser Alex Newell, actor and singer
in Biarritz or Cap D’Agde, and another month of lazing around putting in half days at the office and taking three-day weekends because the other half of the staff is on vacation. Or so it was in the 1980’s when for seven years I blew off two weeks of work to watch tennis with the full cooperation of my Gallic superiors, who did the same. And that was before our actual vacations even began. arostow@aol.com
About the 2013 San Francisco Pride Celebration & Parade: This year marks the 43rd anniversary of the San Francisco Pride Celebration and Parade - held over the weekend of June 29 and 30. With more than 200 parade contingents, 300 exhibitors and 22 community-run stages and venues, SF Pride Celebration and Parade is the largest annual gathering of LGBT people and allies in the nation and it is the second largest in the world behind Sydney. The two-day celebration is free and open to all. For more information, visit sfpride.org.
(MARRIAGE continued from page 6) Senators were falling on their swords not to protect bi-national same-sex couples from unspeakable harm to their families. The Senators’ abandoning the cause of same-sex bi-national couples highlights as clearly as ever that the Supreme Court must assume its role in our constitutional democracy to protect the rights and lives of minorities when the legislature refuses to do so -- and thus overturn DOMA. Finally, we were struck by the unexpected importance of the Supreme Court arguments to another recent major gay news story: NBA player Jason Collins’ coming out. In his Sports Illustrated coming out essay, Collins reported, “The strain of hiding my sexuality became almost unbearable in March, when the U.S. Supreme Court heard arg uments for and against same-sex marriage. Less than 22
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three miles from my apartment, nine jurists argued about my happiness and my future. Here was my chance to be heard, and I couldn’t say a thing.” We could feel the pain of isolation and powerlessness in Collin’s words because we had experienced such things in our own lives many years ago. We are very happy that Collins has found his own voice now and is using it to speak out for equality. As we enter Pride month, the impact of the Supreme Court hearings on Collins reminds us yet again of the importance of the literally millions of LGBTIQ people who have come out and spoken the truth of their lives to their friends and family and to our nation. Many thousands of our community appeared at rallies in Washington DC and across the nation when the Supreme Court hearings took place; many thousands will
come out at similar events across the country the day the Court issues its decisions. Bi-national couples stood up boldly for themselves around the Judiciary Committee vote last week -and have not given up. Jason Collins’ coming out illuminates how interconnected our lives and stories are. As the day the Supreme Court announces its decisions approaches (likely during the second half of June), we see the importance of the cases in many aspects of the lives of those around us. And each and every one of our coming out stories makes the strongest case before the Court. Stuart Gaffney and John Lewis, together 26 years, were plaintiffs in the California case for equal marriage rights decided by the California Supreme Court in 2008. They are leaders in the nationwide grassroots organization Marriage Equality USA.
Round About – All Over Town – Photos by Rink
Facing History and Ourselves director Jack Weinstein with young speakers Robert Ritchie and Britlee Cox at a special forum on bullying held at the Castro Theatre.
T-shirts displaying the Films Bring Us Together theme of Frameline’s 37th LGBT Film Festival are presented by volunteers Shara Chewy Kane and Jeremy Valencia at the Festival store, 2327 Market Street, where tickets are now on sale.
Frameline director of strategic partnerships Frances Wallace at the festival’s media event at the Castro Theatre.
Asian and Pacific Islander Wellness Center’s Bloom Gala at Terra Gallery event included executive director Lance Toma and emcee Tina Aida
Bay to Breakers runners at Jane Warner Plaza The Supreme’s Mary Wilson backed up by Maitri’s Stan Stone and Jana Drakka
Transgender activist and keynote speaker Ariyaphon Southiphong and suppoter Larry Hashbarger of AsiaSF
Maitri’s Bliss Gala held at the UCSF Mission Bay Conference Center featured singer Spencer Day
Bay to Breakers runners enjoying themselves on Castro Street
Silent Film Festival operations manager Lucia Pier, programmer Anita Monga and executive director Stacey Wisnia at the festival’s media event held at the McRoskey Airflex Company. The festival runs July 18 to July 21 at the Castro Theatre.
Poesia restaurant’s Gianni and Allesandro at the Silent Film Festival’s media event.
Femme 6 at the Center for Sex and Culture’s cabaret.
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LGBT Retirement Community COMING FALL 2013 OPEN HOUSE June 23rd 3:00 - 6:00pm
Fountaingrove Lodge is our nation’s first continuing care retirement community serving lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and allied individuals, offering active resort-style retirement living with a commitment to diversity. You will be accepted for who you are and to truly be able to age in place. Opening this Fall, Fountaingrove Lodge is located in the heart of beautiful Sonoma County. Featuring concierge services, spa treatments, housekeeping and so much more, Fountaingrove Lodge is the LGBT retirement community you have been hoping for. Gourmet Dining
Wine Cave and Cellar
Fitness Center
Pet Park
Cocktail Lounge
Private Movie Theater
Swimming Pool
Memory Care Center
RSVP to Our June 23rd Open House at 707-576-1101 Entrance fees from $189,500 to $925,500. Monthly fees starting at $3,395. RCFE Pending
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4210 Thomas Lake Harris Dr. • Santa Rosa, CA 95403 fountaingrovelodge.com