2013 06 13

On the Path to Marriage Equality– Thom Watson and Jeff Tabaco

Meet Gypsy Love, singer, dancer, and Bay Times Astrologer

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June 13-26, 2013 | www.sfbaytimes.com

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Photographer Rink still documents our community! Look for him on the Parade route. See collage captions on page 26.

Gems of the BayKippy Mark’s New Column

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A Season of Queer Celebrating

A San Francisco Kind of Democrat Rafael Mandelman Happy Pride, Gentle Readers! Tis the season for queer celebrating.

The LGBT community at City College got an early start with a Lavender Graduation ceremony the evening of May 24 in the Diego Rivera

Auditorium at the Ocean Avenue Campus. The past two years have been diff icult ones for everyone at City College, not least the students, so it was especially sweet to be able to honor the accomplishments of our g raduates that evening and the following morning at the allschool commencement ceremony in Ram Stadium. Over commencement weekend, I was able to hear some of the extraordinary stories of City College graduates, queer and straight, who had overcome a host of challenges – from incarceration to teen parenthood to homelessness – to earn a degree at City College and put their lives on a new and better trajectory. These students are my heroes.

Spea k ing of heroes, on June 4, KQED and Union Bank hosted a celebrat ion of four LGBT loca l heroes at the Castro Theater: Michael Discepola, Dawn Harbatkin, Jodi Schwartz and the Bay Times’ own Stu Smith (see pages 18 and 27). Discepola, the director of the Stonewall Project at the San Francisco A I DS Foundat ion, of fered an impassioned and moving call for expanded harm reduction and HI V prevention ef forts. Harbatkin, honored for her work as medical director and recently executive director at Lyon-Martin Health Services, spoke of Lyon-Martin’s unique and historic role from its lesbian feminist roots decades ago to its present niche as a provider of excellent health care services to transgender people and women of all sexual orientations. Schwartz, LYRIC’s executive director, spoke of the inspiring youth her organization works with and the adult allies who support that work. Smith, a former client at the Shanti Project, then volunteer and Board member and now Board Chair Emeritus, recalled how Shanti had been there for him after he was first diagnosed with HI V and how he had been able, in turn, to serve others faced with a life-threatening diagnosis as a volunteer, Board member and Board Chair. With entertainment provided by Voices Lesbian Choral Ensemble, 42nd Street Moon, and the Gay Men’s Chorus, the evening was inspiring and delightful.

William Walker, Bertha Canty, Dr. Anita Grier and Rafael Mandelman at City College’s Lavender Graduation (Photo by Katherine Gelardi)

Depending on your perspective, Bradley Manning is either a hero or an anti-hero, but he has certainly become the talk of the town.

Without wading too far into the matter, I will offer this one observation: The Iraq and Afghanistan wars have cost this country something approaching $1.5 trillion, not to mention the lives of thousands of American soldiers and well over 100,000 Iraqi and Afghan civilians.

Looking back on the global and domestic devastation wrought by the Bush administration, there are lots of people I would like to see called to account. Manning is decidedly low on that list.

And finally, an update on 8 Washington, which I wrote about in my May column. Since that time, the local Democratic Party has revisited the referendum placed on the ballot by project opponents and, after much debate, signed on in support of the referendum and against the project.

That’s all I got folks. May your Pride celebrations be many and merry!

Rafael Mandelman is a member of the San Francisco Community College Board of Trustees. He is also a partner at Burke, Williams & Sorensen, LLP.

BAY T IM ES JUNE 13, 2013

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On The Path to Marriage Equality—

Building El Dorado: A Decade of Love Fuels My Drive to Achieve Marriage Equality Next week is our anniversary. That is, one of our anniversaries.

I’ve joked that one of the rare upsides to the lack of marriage equality is that, unlike our opposite-sex counterparts for whom the wedding anniversary is the focus for commemorating the relationship, samesex couples can celebrate a number of mini anniversaries. For example, Jeff and I mark, to varying degrees, the dates of registering our domestic partnership, of becoming engaged, and of our commitment ceremony, among other milestones.

But next week’s anniversary is particularly special. Ten years ago, we met in person for the very first time.

Our story is the modern trope of meeting online, but with a traditional, almost Victorian, twist: Our mutual discovery and earliest exchanges took place, not in a chat room, on a dating site, or via Grindr or Scruff, but through the written word. Back when we were accustomed to writing more than 140 characters at a time, Jeff and I were avid bloggers, and we first became acquainted through our blog posts. Reading led to commenting, commenting led to light flirting, and we eventually decided that having so much in common, and living in the same city, we should meet faceto-face.

Neither of us called that first planned get-together a “date,” nor going into it did we consciously think of it as such. But looking back even just a

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few weeks later, it was quite clear that what beforehand had been presumed to be just a casual meeting of two online friends had transformed – over the course of dinner, a concert, and hours of talking over coffee afterwards –into something else entirely.

It was the beginning of a shared life.

Three months later we essentially were living together in Virginia; three years after that, we drove crosscountry to our new home near San Francisco where Jeff had grown up.

For Jeff, California was a homecoming. For me, it was a mythical El Dorado, but with streets paved not of gold but of tolerance and acceptance.

Our California dream was that we’d marry and grow old together here.

Jeff and I left Virginia the very year its electorate passed a constitutional amendment banning any legal recognition for same-sex couples. But the lopsided result of that anti-gay initiative surprised no one, especially given Virginia’s frequent and ongoing f lirtation with anti-gay policies and politicians, not to mention its infamous history as the state that took its bid to ban interracial couples from marrying all the way to the Supreme Court.

Dorado, but I could at least start laying down a few gold paving stones myself. Though I’d been a steady, if somewhat quiet, advocate for LGBT equality, beginning in 2008, I embraced a much more outspoken, public and now nearly full-time advocacy. Yet, I eagerly wait for the day I help put myself out of a job.

I expect to see that day in my own lifetime, as political trends and polls clearly show it’s coming, sooner perhaps than any of us expected even just a few years ago. After the first same-sex couples began legally marrying in Massachusetts in 2004, it was four years before another state joined the exclusive club. It took another four years to bring the total to six, plus the District of Columbia, by mid-2012. Just since last fall, though, that number has already doubled.

There will be occasional heartbreaks and setbacks along the way, of course, as we witnessed in North Carolina last year and in Illinois just this past month. But it’s telling that the most recent stumbling block in Illinois, as surprising and disappointing as it was at the time, felt less like a loss and more like only a delay.

California, though, was supposed to be different. It was supposed to be better. Perhaps that’s why Prop 8 felt like such a bitterly deep and intensely personal betrayal to so many of us.

And it’s not just wishful thinking on our part. According to the most recent Pew Research polling, even nearly 60% of those who oppose marriage equality nevertheless agree that it is, in fact, inevitable.

So if California was my El Dorado, Prop 8 might have been my Pearl Harbor, that moment when I realized I could no longer sit on the sidelines. I might not have found El

To be sure, inevitability doesn’t imply speed, and the recent rate of success isn’t sustainable purely as a practical matter. Of the remaining states without civil marriage equality, more

P HOTO C OURT ESY O F M ARRIAG E E Q UAL I T Y USA

By Thom Watson, Marriage Equality USA

T hom Wats on wit h his par t ner J eff Tabac o

than 30 have constitutional bans. Reversing such bans can be a difficult, often multi-year process, even with the political will and initiative to do so. Nevada, for example, has begun the process, but it will be late 2016 before the freedom to marry may be recognized there, even if all goes smoothly.

Barring a Supreme Court decision f inding all state marriage equality bans unconstitutional (mirroring 1967’s Loving v. Virginia decision overturning anti-miscegenation laws), then, such bans will remain the law, in some states, for a while yet. Such a sweeping decision for nationwide equality seems, to me, extremely unlikely from this Court, at least for now. Nevertheless, I’m honestly optimistic about the possibilities for both Prop 8 and DOMA to be struck down, even if only procedurally.

Regardless, though, of how the Supreme Court ultimately rules this month in the Prop 8 and DOMA cases, I expect our community to respond publicly and in great numbers, either in celebration or in protest.

Marriage Equality USA is a coordinating member of the United for Marriage coalition dedicated to organizing and publicizing Decision Day events across the country.

Visit unitedformarriage.org for the national events registry, and www. facebook.com/dayofdecisionsf for information about local actions, including a planned community gathering in the Castro beginning 5:30 p.m. the day the Court releases its opinions, which could happen anytime this month with no advance notice, though the most likely dates are June 17th, 20th, 24th, or 27th. (continued on page 28)

Money and Finance Health Care Reform: Looking Back and Ahead (6) Medical loss ratio and rate review requirements mandate that insurers spend 80% to 85% of premiums on direct medical care instead of on profits, marketing, or administrative costs. Insurers failing to meet the loss ratio requirements must pay a rebate to consumers.

Money Matters Brandon Miller, CFP & Joanne Jordan, CFP Discussing financial planning with our clients consistently involves protecting the assets we are working so hard to accumulate. Medical insurance is just one example. Over three years ago, on March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law.

While several substantial provisions don’t take effect until 2014, many of the Act’s requirements already have been implemented, including: (1) Insurance policies must allow young adults up to age 26 to remain covered on their parent’s health insurance.

(2) Insurers cannot deny coverage to children due to their health status, nor can companies exclude children’s coverage for pre-existing conditions.

(3) Lifetime coverage limits have been eliminated from private insurance policies.

(4) State-based health insurance Exchanges intended to provide a marketplace for individuals and small businesses to compare and shop for affordable health insurance are scheduled to be implemented by October 1, 2013.

(8) The ACA provides funding to the National Health Service Corps, which provides loan repayments to medical students and others in exchange for service in low-income underserved communities.

(9) Medicare and private insurance plans that haven’t been grandfathered must provide certain preventive benefits with no patient costsharing, including immunizations and preventive tests.

(10) Through rebates, subsidies, and mandated manufacturers’ discounts, the ACA reduces the amount that Part D Medicare drug benefit enrollees are required to pay for prescriptions falling in the donut hole.

Major provisions coming in 2014 Several important provisions of the ACA are due to take effect in 2014, such as: (1) U.S. citizens and legal residents must have qualifying health coverage (subject to certain exemptions) or face a penalty.

(5) Policies (except grandfathered individual plans) cannot impose annual dollar limits on the value of coverage.

(6) Individual and small group plans (except grandfathered individual plans), including those offered inside and outside of insurance Exchanges, must offer a comprehensive package of items and services known as essential health benefits. Also, nongrandfathered plans in the individual and small business market must be categorized based on the percentage of the total average cost of benefits the insurance plan covers, so consumers can determine how much the plan covers and how much of the medical expense is the consumer’s responsibility. Bronze plans cover 60% of the covered expenses, Silver plans cover 70%, Gold plans cover 80%, and Platinum plans cover 90% of covered expenses.

Brandon Miller, CFP and Joanne Jordan, CFP are financial consultants at Jordan Miller & Associates, A Private Wealth Advisory Practice of Ameriprise Financial Inc. in San Francisco, specializing in helping LGBT individuals and families plan and achieve their financial goals.

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(2) Employers with more than 50 full-time equivalent employees are required to offer affordable coverage or pay a fee.

(3) Premium and cost-sharing subsidies that reduce the cost of insurance are available to individuals and families based on income.

PH OTO B Y RI N K

PHOTO BY STEVEN UNDERHI LL

PHOTO BY STEV EN UNDE RHIL L

(5) Insurance policies must provide an easy-to-read description of plan benefits, including what’s covered, policy limits, coverage exclusions, and cost-sharing provisions.

(7) The ACA provides federal funds for states to implement plans that expand Medicaid long-term care services to include home and community-based settings, instead of just institutions.

(4) Policies (other than grandfathered individual plans) are prohibited from imposing pre-existing condition exclusions, and must guarantee issue of coverage to anyone who applies regardless of their health status. Also, health insurance can’t be rescinded due to a change in health status, but only for fraud or intentional misrepresentation.

Lesbian pioneer Phyllis Lyon attended the KQED Local Heroes Awards.

Accompanying her from Lyon-Martin Health Services were Elizabeth Sekera, honoree Dawn Harbatkin, MD, and Marj Plumb.

BAY T IM ES JUNE 13, 2013

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Who Should Get Married After DOMA Repeal – or, Why You Should Walk (Not Run) to City Hall

Guest Article Alma Soongi Beck, Esq.

T he adva nt age for federa l lyr e c o g n i z e d m a r r ie d p e o p le i n community property states is the “double step-up in basis.” Ordinarily, property co-owned by two people on ly receives a steppedup ba s i s on t he de c e a s e d p er son’s share. However, community proper t y ow ned by a feder a l ly married coupled receives a stepup on both halves – the inherited ha lf and the non-inher ited ha lf.

Note: The double step-up in basis has been permitted since 2007 on California state taxes for community property owned by state-

clud ing a pr imar y residence and f irst vehicle) can qualify for Med ic a id , k now n a s Med i - C a l in California, which can pay for nursing home and other medical ca re. W hen t he per son need i ng care is in a federally-recognized m a r r i a g e, t he pr og r a m c ou nt s t he i nc ome a nd a s s et s of b ot h people i n t he ma r r iage, a nd i n t he case of Ca l i for n ia, a lso t he st ate -r eg i ster ed domest ic pa r tner sh ip (SR DP). A lt hough couple s w ho a r e a l r e a d y m a r r ie d or SR DPs are now per mitted to retain enough income and assets

A long w ith many of you, I have b een w a it i n g for t he r e p e a l of DOM A ever since it passed. And yet, I am also an attorney whose job is to be risk-adverse on behalf of my clients. As such, I feel compelled to emphasize the obvious.

Having the right to marriage does not create an obligation to marr y.

We should not all be running to City Hall for the marriage license just because we can. We need to t h i n k a b out w het he r it m a k e s sense, not only for legal and tax reasons, but also for social, cultural, and family reasons.

The follow ing are some possible adva nt ages of ma r r iage f rom a tax and legal perspective: (1) Immigration rights: U.S. citizen spouses have long been a llowed to pet it ion for per manent residency for their non-U.S. citizen spouses to stay in the country.

Until DOM A is repealed, samesex couples w i l l not be a l lowed this right.

(2) Social securit y benef its: Feder a l ly-recog n i zed s pou ses have the right to receive one half of his or her spouses’ retirement benef it if g reater t han what t he sur v ivi ng spouse wou ld receive ba sed on his or her own earning record, even after divorce and even while the higher-earned spouse is st ill a l ive, s o lon g a s t he m a r r i a g e lasted ten years or more. W hen a federal-recognized spouse dies, t he sur v iv ing spouse is a lso ent it led to a sma l l one-t ime deat h payment.

Bay Times wishes you a happy and safe Pride 2013!

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(3) Double step-up in basis: When someone inherits a capital asset, such as a house or stock account, federa l and state ta x laws a l low the recipient to receive a “stepped up basis” for pur poses of ca lculating the capital gains tax upon sale. The original owner’s capital gains basis (“basis”) is determined by t he or ig i na l purcha se pr ice, plus amounts spent on improvements. The capital gains tax upon sale is determined by subtracting the basis from the sale price. But i n t he c a s e of i n her it e d pr op er t y, t he ba s i s on t he proper t y is “stepped-up” to date-of-death value, which means v irtually no capital gains tax if the property is sold right after death. Generally, t h is resu lt reduces ta xes for t he benef iciar y, un less t he proper t y value has depreciated.

PHOTO BY M ARC IO JOSE SAN C HEZ

A s t he ent i r e cou nt r y w a it s i n anticipation of the U.S. Supreme Cour t’s decision in United States v. Windsor, the case that could f inally repeal the federal “Defense of Marriage Act” ( DOM A) from 1996, this seemed like a good time to take a step back and ref lect on what marriage could mean on legal and tax levels.

In this iconic photo from the historic same-sex marriage at City Hall, Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon exchange vows with Mayor Gavin Newsom officiating on June 16, 2008.

reg istered domest ic par t ners, a benef it t h at wa s ex tended to sa me-sex ma r r ied couples si nce 2008. (Please see http://becklawg r ou p.c om /r e s ou r c e s/c a - s t at e domest ic-partnership-and-samesex-marriage/ for the full article d i s c u s s i n g t he d oub le s t e p - u p in basis.)

(4) Conf idential marriages: Califor n ia law per m it s con f ident ia l mar r iage l icenses, protect ing personal information from public v iew. This benef it is only avai lable to t he pa r t ies to t he ma rriage; anyone else seek ing information about the marriage would require a court order. This privilege is not allowed for California state domestic partners.

(5) T he “u n l i m ited ma r it a l de duction” from federal g ift/estate taxes: When Edie Windsor’s wife pa s sed away, she lef t a n est ate large enough to trigger a federal estate tax of over $300,000 from her est ate. H ad t hei r ma r r iage b een feder a l ly r ecog n i zed , t he entire inheritance to Edie would have been completely deductible f rom feder a l est ate t a x . W h i le this issue has been a major issue for same sex couples in prev ious years, the exemption from federal est ate a nd g i ft t a xes was ra ised in 2013 to $5.25 mi l l ion, which af fects less than 1% of people in the U.S. Possible disadvantages of federal marriage: (1) T he “ma r r iage pena lt y ” for federal income taxes: Many, but not all, federally-recognized married people in two-income household s pay h i gher i ncome t a xes than two single people. The best w ay to a n a ly ze t h i s i s sue i s to properly run the numbers with a licensed tax preparer.

(2) Medicaid: A person w ith less t han $2,0 0 0 in “assets” (not in-

to cont i nue l iv i ng at home, t he spouse or SR DP is not permitted to have additional assets. If, however, a couple is not mar r ied or not SR DPs, the partner’s income and assets would typically not be counted toward Med ica id el ig ibility. If this situation might apply to you, please consult with an attorney specializing in Medicaid benef its, as the rules are very particular and can have dire consequences if misunderstood.

Ultimately, the analysis for each couple shou ld be c a se -by- c a se, based on the specif ic facts of the sit uat ion. At t he ver y least, before head ing dow n to Cit y Ha l l for your ma r r iage l icense, cons ider c on su lt i n g w it h you r t a x prepa rer (about t he i ncome t a x issues), f i na ncia l adv isor (about social security death benef its and long-term care planning), estate planning attorney (about capital gains, estate, gift tax, and inheritance issues) and/or Medicaid attorney. Then weigh the decision w it h you r p a r t ner, k e e pi n g i n mind t he ot her cultura l and so cial issues relating to marriage. If you still decide to move forward, consider a prenuptial agreement or estate planning documents to keep separate proper t y separate (for ow ner sh ip or t a x rea son s).

T hen, when you a re done w it h the law yers and f inancial professionals, forget about all of us for a while, and have a blast at your wedding, if you so choose to have one.

Alma Soongi Beck, Esq., is an attorney based in San Francisco who specializes in estat e planning , probat e and tr ust administration , domestic partnership, and property co-ownership issues, particularly as they affect same-sex and unmarried couples. For more information, please visit www.becklawgroup.com.

Special thanks to David Yu, Esq., Alice Dueker, Esq., A. Yvette Borja, and Gianne C. Nalangan.

Maybe Good, Maybe Bad tion with her. It turned out she was a cadet at West Point, while I was a midshipman at the Naval Academy.

We were both headed to the Oakland Airport and hoping to catch the same Military Space Available flight to St. Louis.

Do Ask, Do Tell Zoe Dunning As we await the expected marriage equality decisions coming down from the U.S. Supreme Court, I prepare myself for possible celebration or disappointment. The outcomes will be analyzed in detail as to their implications and whether they are “good” or “bad.” This causes me to ref lect on my past several weeks and inspires me to share a story.

I had the privilege of attending a dear friend’s commencement ceremonies recently. Lissa and I met on a BART train 29 years ago. She carried a duff le bag, and I was lugging around a sea bag. Assuming we were both in the military, I struck up a conversa-

We spent the entire day at the airport and onboard the aircraft exchanging stories, laughing, and comparing service academy experiences. That began a long friendship that has lasted since that summer day in 1984. We stayed in touch throughout our military careers. I entered the Navy Supply Corps and served onboard an aircraft carrier and in Washington, DC. She chose pilot training and became a highly decorated Chinook highaltitude search and rescue helicopter pilot, and even returned to West Point to teach Leadership.

While I went through my Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) administrative discharge hearings in the mid-90s, Lissa gave me strong encouragement.

She knew firsthand the toll of hiding the fact she is lesbian, and tried her best to live an authentic life while avoiding investigation and prosecution under DADT. As it turned out, I won retention in the Navy, but Lissa did not fare so well. A fellow officer

came upon her personal emails and turned her in to the investigative authorities. After 16 years of honorable service, Lissa was discharged for “homosexual conduct” based on these private emails – no pension, no benefits, nothing in return for her commitment to her country.

There was an old farmer who worked his fields for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. “Such bad luck,” they said sympathetically.

She struggled, as many victims of DADT have, to figure out where to go, what to do. After a short stint working for a defense contractor – a well paid job with lots of interesting travel – she decided it was not fulfilling and did not give her the opportunity to do what she loved to do: train and lead troops. She wanted to go back and teach again at West Point, only this time as a civilian. Lissa was accepted to Harvard’s Graduate School of Education and, after several years of challenging study, research and writing, she obtained her doctorate. It was a joy to join her for the commencement ceremonies and celebrate the accomplishment and the news that she is indeed headed back to West Point to teach.

The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. “How wonderful,” the neighbors exclaimed.

At her commencement ceremony, the Dean told the story of the Taoist farmer, a lesson about suspending judgment and the danger in evaluating events as good or bad:

“Maybe bad, maybe good,” the farmer replied.

“Maybe good, maybe bad,” replied the old man.

The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune.

“Maybe bad, maybe good,” answered the farmer.

The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son’s leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out.

“Maybe good, maybe bad,” said the farmer.

When I won my discharge hearing, most thought it was “good”, while in fact it prevented me from going to federal court to challenge the constitutionality of DADT. When Lissa was

kicked out of the Army, we considered it “bad.” While certainly traumatic, I wonder if perhaps it kept her from becoming a casualty in the Iraq or Afghanistan Wars.

We never can predict whether news is good or bad. What feels painful in the moment may turn out to be fortuitous.

What seems to be a celebratory moment may lead to disappointment and loss. So as I await the news from the Supreme Court, I try not to have too much attachment to the outcomes. A partial victory in the short term may preclude a broader victory in the future. A decision to uphold portions of the Defense of Marriage Act and Proposition 8 may lead to unforeseen policies recognizing LGBT rights. So when the news stations contact me for a reaction, I will be tempted to respond, “Maybe good, maybe bad.”

We just never know.

Zoe Dunning is a retired Navy Commander and was a lead activist in the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. She currently serves as the 1st Vice Chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party.

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Honoring LGBT Immigrants

Guest Article Kelly McCown, Esq. Each year, the American Immigration Council presents its American Heritage Awards to honor immigrants who have enriched our nation through their contributions. A nonprof it organization based in D.C., the Immigration Council honors, protects, and promotes laws, policies, and attitudes that preserve our proud history as a nation of immigrants. As we anxiously await the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on DOMA later this month and continue to push for LGBT families to be included in immigration reform, the Immigration Council will proudly recognize the achievements of LGBT immigrants at its San Francisco awards gala on June 28. This year’s honorees include a binational couple who are trailblazers in the fight for marriage equality, an activist who has documented her life as a lesbian immigrant, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist.

The Immigration Council will be honoring Richard Adams and An-

thony Sullivan, who in 1975 were one of six same-sex couples to be legally married in Colorado. After their marriage, Adams petitioned for resident status for Sullivan, an Australian citizen. The Immigration and Naturalization Service rejected their petition because they “failed to establish that a bona fide marital relationship can exist between two faggots.” The couple sued to stop Sullivan’s deportation in 1979, resulting in the first federal lawsuit seeking equal treatment for a same-sex couple in U.S. history. They became vocal advocates for same-sex marriage, even though they were risking Sullivan’s deportation. On December 17, 2012, Richard Adams died after a short illness. Anthony Sullivan continues to be an outspoken supporter of LGBT immigration rights.

Also to be honored is Staceyann Chin who, as a lesbian raised in Jamaica, faced discrimination and threats of violence. She excelled in school, but eventually had to decide between staying in Jamaica or living openly abroad. She chose to seek asylum in the U.S. and now lives in Brooklyn.

A mother, writer, performer, and activist, Chin wrote about her abusive childhood and life as a Jamaican lesbian immigrant in her memoir The Other Side of Paradise.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and undocumented American Jose Antonio Vargas will also be honored by the Immigration Council. Vargas arrived in the U.S. from the Philip-

pines as a 12-year-old, living with his maternal grandparents and unaware of his undocumented status until he applied for a driver’s license at age 16.

With the help of friends and teachers, he kept his status a secret and pursued his dream of becoming a journalist.

In June 2011, Vargas revealed that he was an undocumented American in a groundbreaking New York Times Magazine essay. Founder of Def ine American, a campaign to elevate the conversat ion around immigration, Vargas testif ied at a S en at e Jud ic i a r y C om m it t e e hea r i ng t h i s yea r where he fa mously asked the panel of Senator s: “ W hat do you wa nt to do w it h me? W hat do you wa nt to do w it h us? How do you def i ne American?”

The A mer ican Her itage Awards w i l l t a ke place at t he H i lton Union Square on Friday, June 28, 2013. The Mistress of Ceremonies will be San Francisco’s legendary Peaches Chr ist. For more information or to purchase tickets for the event visit: http://www.americanimmig rat ioncounci l.org/annualbenef it Kelly McCown, Esq., is a San Francisco-based immigration attorney and a former member of the Board of Trustees of the American Immigration Council.

She currently serves as co-chair of the board of directors of the National Center for L esbian Rights. Kelly can be reached at kelly@mccownevans.com.

HIV/AIDS News AIDS/LifeCycle Raises Record-Breaking $14.2 Million Nearly 3,000 participants from 44 states and all over the world raised a record $14.2 million during the recent AIDS/LifeCycle, a 545-mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The raised money helps to support the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the HIV/AIDS-related services of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center.

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Participants this year marked two huge milestones: two decades of riding and 20 million miles. Collectively, since the event was founded as California AIDS Ride in 1993, cyclists have ridden 20 million miles to help end AIDS and provide care for those living with the virus. That’s equivalent to traveling back and forth to the moon more than 40 times, or around the world 800 times.

“It’s diff icult to f ind a community more dedicated to a cause than the participants of AIDS/LifeCycle, and this year’s record fundraising shows it,” said Neil Giuliano, CEO of San

PHOTO COURTE SY OF AI DS /L IF ECYCLE

“I’m absolutely astounded and enormously grateful for the 20-year fundraising record set by this year’s riders and roadies,” said L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center CEO Lorri L. Jean, “especially since the need for these funds has never been greater. Today we have the tools to stop the spread of the disease and to help people with HIV live longer, healthier lives, but the epidemic is far from over. The AIDS/LifeCycle community, which includes riders and roadies of all ages and from 18 different countries, is essential to funding the Center’s lifesaving services for people who might not otherwise be able to afford them.”

NCLR’s Kate Kendell celebrating on the way to Los Angeles.

Francisco AIDS Foundation. “At a time when HIV/AIDS services face potentially devastating cuts at all levels of government, it’s tremendously encouraging to see the AIDS/LifeCycle community step up in such a substantial way to make sure we can continue to provide life-saving services to all people living with or at risk for HIV.” Registration is already open for AIDS/LifeCycle 2014! It will take place June 1-7 next year. The riders and volunteer roadies of AIDS/Life-

Cycle form a diverse, friendly community where everyone is welcome and everyone belongs—regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, or ethnic background. Riders start at all levels of fitness, and regular training rides help them get ready to ride— even if they haven’t been on a bike in years (or ever)! The AIDS/LifeCycle staff offers support to help participants achieve their fundraising goals.

For more information, and to sign up for AIDS/LifeCycle 2014, please visit www.aidslifecycle.org.

Sister Dana Sez be made into a movie to somehow save the school?

This divine show, as comic homage to practically every Hollywood film involving nuns, runs through June 29, Wednesdays-Saturdays, 8pm, Sundays, 2pm at 25 Van Ness. Your penance is $25-$45 when you visit the confessional at nctcsf.org or call (415) 861-8972. Don’t be absent, or the nuns will rap your knuckles!

On the day France got same-sex m a r r i a g e, T H E M A R R I AG E EQUA LIT Y USA SA N F R A NCISCO AWARDS RECEPTION brought together LGBTQ community members and leaders, straight allies, entertainment industry and corporate leaders, and celebrities to raise funds for and highlight contributions to the marriage equality movement. Honorees were Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (with award presented by Stuart Milk); Bingham McCutchen LLP (presented

by M EUSA E xecut ive Director Brian Silva); and San Francisco City Attorney’s Office (presented by MEUSA/SF’s John Lewis and Stuart Gaffney, accepted by City Attorney Dennis Herrera).

Don n a S a c het emceed. Si lv a spoke as the relatively new director of the volunteer-driven organization, saying, “Our work will continue in states like New Jersey, Nevada, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. We will continue to lay the groundwork across the country to bring the freedom to marry to all Americans.” Grammy Award-winning independent recording artist Matt Alber strummed guitar and sang Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody Who Loves Me.” Don’t we all?!

Sister Dana sez, “Let’s give Jersey Gov Chris Christie a big rubber chicken for his lack of courage in scheduling an expensive, unnecessary $25 million special election in addition to the regular election a few weeks away - all to discourage Democratic voters not attend his reelection and vote him out. Go Cory Booker for U.S. Senate!”

But to leave the Babylon that is Repugnican politics, let’s thank THE SF GAY MEN’S CHORUS for graciously inviting some of us Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to their private viewing of BEACH BL ANKET BABYLON in its latest hilarious version. “BBB” is so current, it even included a political scene riffing on the very recent IRS “scanda l.” The cast was v isibly thrilled to have the best audience EVAH - several hundred gay choristers and their friends, especially enjoying the actors impersonating foppish gay King Louie and icons Lady Gaga, Madonna, and Barbra Streisand. Go see the new BBB! A lso go see THE DIVINE SIS TER - now play ing at the New Conservatory Theatre Center.

A ll I can say is: “HOLY COW!” because the playwright takes every holy sacred cow and blasts them to bits with searing satire in this hilarious, mysterious, convoluted, complicated, ultra-melodramatic, sem i- d rag d ra medy t a k i ng you through unimaginable twists and turns to a musical f inale that will leave you speechless. But what else would you expect from kooky author/actress Charles Busch?! The opening scenery of the chapel has homoerotic stained glass windows, for heaven’s sake.

Celebrating Pride Month, UNION BANK partnered with KQED TV at the Castro Theatre with a live TV shooting to honor four extraordinary LOCAL HEROES for their exemplary leadership and dedication to serving their communities: Michael V. Discepola, director of The Stonewall Project, San Francisco A I DS Foundat ion; Daw n Harbatkin, M.D., Lyon-Martin Health Ser vices executive director; Jodi L. Schwartz, Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center (LYRIC) executive director; and Stu Smith, Tin Pan Alley Productions executive director (see page 18 for images). KQED President John Boland screened videos about all four heroes. The couple from reality TV’s The Fabulous Beekman Boys and The Amazing Race winners, Josh K ilmerPurcell and Brent Ridge, goat farmers from Sharon Springs, New York, were emcees. There were delightful performances from SF Gay Men’s Chor us, 42nd Moon , DJ Lamont Young, and Voices Lesbian Choral Ensemble. The recorded ceremony can be viewed (with us cheering enthusiastically in the audience) on June 23rd, 7pm; June 24, 1am; and June 29, 6pm.

This is an enigma wrapped in a mystery and covered with hot sauce.

Nothing is as it seems to be, and everything will be revealed as the plot thickens and sickens. You will gag along with the actors. Everyone’s checkered past and solemn secrets will surface to disrupt lives. Are some nuns secretly lesbian? Is there a bastard lurking? All the actors save Mot her Super ior - change characters and costumes periodically. An 11-inch penis “arises” in conversat ion. A Da Vinci Code f loats around. Cuttlef ish and nun farts abound. Flashbacks to the ‘40s take us to intrepid reporters sniffing around for juicy news. Could all this

“My office has implemented a number of initiatives to ensure that tax collect ion is not an unnecessarily complicated process,” Cisneros said. Implementation of the Cigarette Litter Abatement Fee, Tourism Improvement District, and Residential Parking Tax Simplification have allowed the City to maintain or enhance needed service in difficult financial times without a tax increase. “I have made it my mission to ensure that all San Franciscans regardless of income are able to enhance their financial security,” said Cisneros.

CUMMING UP! 12th annual FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL of transgender & queer performance ( June 20 -22, 8pm at Z Space, 450 Florida Street between 17th Street & Mariposa,) has 10 groundbreaking LGBTQ acts that have changed the face of dance and music in America forever. Gay cloggers stomping Gangnam Style, transsexuals that tickle your funny bone, queer Bomba, a vogue-of f, award-winning transgender poets, and TWO star acts from TV’s So Yo u T hink Yo u Can Dance?

Lineup includes international superstars of A X IS Dance Company; all-male clogging crew Barbary Coast Cloggers; roots music

by Coyote Grace; “San Francisco’s Best Dance Company” (SF Weekly) Sean Dorsey Dance; hiphop genius of So You Think You Can Dance fame Allan Frias / Mind Over Matter; all-female Bomba trailblazers Las Bomberas de la Bahia; powerhouse Taiko ensemble Maikaze Daiko; sassy humorist Dana Morrigan; awardwinning transgender poet A mir Rabiyah; folk-seductress singersongwriter Shawna Virago; with DJ Miz Rowdy, photo booth, drinks and dancing! freshmeat productions.org for tix and info.

35TH A NNUA L PR IDE CONC E R T: R IP P E D F ROM T HE HEADLINES! is June 22nd at the SF Conser vator y of Music, 6pm & 9pm, hosted by Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco and the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band with guest perfor(continued on page 28)

P H OTO B Y SC OTT DEVI NE

Guitar-playing, lip-synching, dancing Mother Super ior ( played by Joe Wicht aka Trauma Flintstone) is dealing with a bizarre, possibly mentally off young postulant, Agnes (David Bicha) who hears voices, sees visions, and heals the sick. Sister Acacius ( Marie O’Donnell) is a rough-around-the-edges P.E. coach who bullies her students. Sister Walburga ( J. Conrad Frank aka Katya Smirnoff-Skyy) is a sinister, evil German transfer nun up to no good - along with her crazy collaborator in crime, Brother Venerius ( Matt Weimer). Mother S and Sister A are out to f leece a rich, old Jewish atheist aristocrat, Mrs. Levinson (Michaela Greeley), in order to support the deteriorating convent school, St. Veronica’s in Pittsburgh circa turbulent 1966.

NOVEMBER 2013 ELECTION KICKOFF of JOSE CISNEROS for San Francisco Treasurer was held at the LGBT Community Center. Jose Cisneros was appointed SF Treasurer by Mayor Gavin Newsom in September 2004 and has been twice elected in 2005 and 2009, by wide margins. Cisneros has brought his professionalism and experience of his years in the tech and banking industry to enhance taxpayer systems by going online, successfully managing the City’s portfolio through a major recession, and helping create the field of municipal financial empowerment. Assessor-Recorder Carmen Chu, also running for reelection, had high praise for Cisneros.

Actors Colman Domingo, Duane Boutté, Sharon Washington, and Richard Prioleau celebrate the opening night of “Wild with Happy” at TheatreWorks, June 8 at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts.

BAY T IM ES JUNE 13, 2013

11

Kim Corsaro Publisher 1981-2011

Now Is the Time to Pass All-Inclusive Legislation Protecting LGBT Workers in America in the workplace as a business imperative, and recognize inclusion as a driving factor in their success.

2261 Market Street, No. 309 San Francisco CA 94114 Phone: 415-503-1375 525 Bellevue Avenue Oakland CA 94610 Phone: 510-846-8158

When I founded Out & Equal, only 5% of the nation’s largest companies included sexual orientation in their nondiscrimination policies. At that time, gender identity was rarely addressed at all. Today, 88% of Fortune 500 companies include sexual orientation, and 57% include gender identity. Corporations have been leading the way in advancing fair and equal treatment in the workplace. Those that are truly at the forefront of equality have been rolling out all-inclusive equal employment opportunity policies across the globe.

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Guest Editorial

Co-Publishers & Co-Editors

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Selisse Berry

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In 29 states, anyone can be fired simply for being lesbian, gay, or bisexual. In 34 states, it is legal to fire someone for being transgender.

Robert Fuggiti Calendar Editor

Kit Kennedy Poet-In-Residence

These statistics and more are presented in The Broken Bargain, a groundbreaking new report by the Movement Advancement Project ( M AP), Human Rights Campaign (HRC), and Center for American Progress (CAP) in partnership with Out & Equal Workplace Advocates and others. This report demonstrates beyond doubt the full extent of inequality and discrimination that destroys lives and hampers business. This is not news to Out & Equal. It is why we were formed and why, for these past sixteen years, we have been working with employers to affect change in corporations around the globe.

Barbara Brust / Lucille Design Webmaster & Technology Director

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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

At Out & Equa l Workplace Advocates, we have already seen a huge increase in businesses implementing non-discrimination policies and diversity training. Every year, we see a growing number of businesses taking meaningful steps to create inclusive workplaces. Major corporations are increasingly advancing diversity

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

Because of corporate leadership, millions of LGBT Americans enjoy workplace protections.

However, millions more still suffer and live un-

der the threat of harassment, ostracization, and dismissal. People should be judged by the work that they do, and never by their sexual orientation or gender identity. It is time for the broken bargain to be fixed.

How Can Legislation Catch Up With Corporate Diversity?

It is time for the United States legislature to follow the example set by major corporations and begin creating laws that protect all employees, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Passing an inclusive Employment NonDiscrimination Act is the most important next step towards equality. Although many corpora-

tions have nondiscrimination policies, there is no federal law to protect employees who are not lucky enough to work for a company that values inclusion.

What Happens Once ENDA Is Passed?

As everyone knows, a human rights law is the beginning. It simply makes unfair acts illegal.

Our greatest work lies ahead of us in expanding diversity and inclusion to workplaces and society as a whole. We are counting on our elected representatives to do the right thing for business and the American dream, and will then be able to move forward to create respectful and inclusive workplaces for all.

What Can You Do to Help?

Contact your member of Congress and encourage him/her to co-sponsor the bill. You can locate your Representative here: http://www.usa. gov/Contact/Elected.shtml. Take a look at our 20 Steps to an Out & Equal Workplace at http:// outandequal.org/steps-to-equal-workplace. Engage in the conversation via social media. Like us on Facebook (OutAndEqualWorkplaceAdvocates), follow us on Twitter (@outandequal) and share the latest news on LGBT workplace equality with your friends and family.

Fina l ly, star t conversat ions w it h your colleagues, and engage straight allies in expanding workplace equality. We create inclusive workplaces by changing one mind and one heart at a time. Achieving Workplace Equality and creating inclusive workplaces isn’t something I do or you do, it’s something that we do together.

It’s time to step up and become an advocate and together we’ll make the next big step!

Selisse Berry is the Founder and CEO of Out & Equal Workplace Advocates.

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Prince Harry’s latest fame comes from the news he protected comrade Lance Corporal James Wharton from homophobic soldiers. Learning he’s a gay icon, Harry reportedly said: “Is it because I’m an f-ing ginger?” Yes, Harry, ginger and so much more! Wharton in 2010 married Thom McCaffrey at the Westminster Registry Office.

Profiles of Courage & Compassion: Michael Nava ing the Mexican revolution. Mexican and gay in the 1970s was hard, but he worked diligently and became the first person in his family to go to college. He graduated from Colorado College cum laude.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR If you would like to write a letter to the editor with comment on an article or suggestions for the Bay Times, email us at editor@sfbaytimes.com. © 2013 Bay Times Media Co, Inc. Co-owned by Betty L. Sullivan & Jennifer L. Viegas Reprints by permission only.

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BAY TIMES JUNE 1 3 , 2 0 1 3

Don't Call It Frisco Stu Smith Michael Nava is a successful author with 7 award-winning novels to his credit. He’s also a highly regarded attorney working in the California State Supreme Court. His communit y ser v ice and commitment to equality and human rights make him a local hero.

Michael is a third generation Mexican American. He was raised in Sacramento where his family has lived since about 1920, after escap-

A Thomas Watson Fellowship allowed him to study Latino poetry.

He then attended Stanford, where he earned his law degree. Having a strong passion for writing, Michael wrote his first novel, The Little Death, while at Stanford. He has since had six more novels published. He also co-authored Created Equal: Why Gay Rights Matter to America. Michael’s f iction captures his Mexican heritage as well as his sexuality.

Wanting to write from an early age and knowing the challenges all artists face, Michael chose a profession that has allowed him to pursue his talent as an author. His interest in law grew out of his experience being a member of two disenfranchised groups: LGBT people and Latinos. In addition, he intuitively

knew that launching into a writing career wasn’t going to pay many bills, at least at first.

Michael’s writing has been recognized many times. In 2000, he won the Whitehead Award for Lifetime Achievement in LGBT literature.

Prev iously, he was awarded si x Lambda literar y prizes. Michael hasn’t been published in almost fifteen years, but he is currently writing a new novel, City of Palace. Michael believes this new work is the best he’s done and the University of Wisconsin Press has accepted it for publication.

Michael continues working as an attorney for the California Supreme Court. In 2008, he married his life partner, George Herzog, who is an oncology nurse at the Veteran’s Administration hospital in San Francisco. California Supreme Court justice Carlos Moreno presided over the ceremony.

Michael’s favorite quote is from Doris Lessing: “What difference does

Michael Nava

it matter if you fail? Don’t be so arrogant. Just begin.”

For more information about Michael and his work , please visit www.michaelnavawriter.com.

The Week in Review

By Ann Rostow

Putin On the Fritz

I Saw a Man Who Danced With His Husband

Moving on…the Cold War is over, but Russia continues to be a bastion of the worst kind of homophobia. You recall that St. Petersburg (and some other cities) passed a regional law against progay speech a few years back. Now, the entire country has legislated a similar ban, which will become law when signed by Vladimir Putin in the coming days.

Here’s the problem with covering state legislative news when you don’t live in the state in question and/or don’t follow the machinations of said legislature with any degree of nuance. You wind up writing these rose-colored stories about, let’s say, marriage equality in Illinois, only to slink back into your dark little cave a few months later when the session ends without a vote. That said, we’ve long been aware of this phenomenon at the Bay Times, ergo we no longer write about how marriage equality is about to become law in the Land of Lincoln.

Instead, we cautiously suggest that something positive might happen, adding that we really have no idea what’s actually going on in Springfield.

And our caution was justified! You may remember that the Illinois senate passed marriage equality in February, at which point it seemed as if all that stood in our communal path was a little arm twisting or deal making or whatever it is people do to secure an extra vote or two in the Illinois house.

Months went by.

It appeared as if we were short a half dozen votes or so in the house, and that our strategists were not inclined to hazard a floor vote without the necessary victory in hand. Then, as the session drew to a close, we learned that there would be a floor vote and that indeed we were confident of success! Yay! Illinois would have been the fourth state to pass marriage equality in this newest legislative session, after Rhode Island, Delaware and Minnesota. Not simply a feather in our cap, it would have been a jewel in our crown, a glittering diamond of mid-western conquest. And then, nothing. No vote; no progress. The lawmakers left us at the altar, and we’ve spent the last two weeks drowning our sorrows and indulging in crying jags.

Or at least I’m guessing that’s how our brothers and sisters in Illinois have been spending their time. I read that some legislators were not quite ready for this vote or something and that the marriage bill will be revived in the fall. Will we dry our eyes and give them another chance? Yes, of course we will. But that doesn’t mean we’re not depressed. Pass the vodka, honey.

Death in Austin I saw a pug die yesterday.

Not one of mine, thank heavens, but I couldn’t resist writing that line. Camus-esque, n’est-ce pas? A woman had brought her three pugs out in the Texas heat and, for reasons still unclear, tied two to a fence and lost track of another.

A collection of bystanders, including myself, intervened at the scene and conveyed them all to the vet. Two survived, but the other was euthanized with a body temperature of 109.

Not relevant, I know. But the sad scenario is still haunting the back of my mind this morning as I compose our GLBT news roundup, so I thought I would toss the backstory into the mix. All our pets trust us to provide everything; food, water, safety, security, health, affection. To let them die from carelessness or neglect is unforgiveable.

For whatever reason, I react more viscerally to the tales of animal suffering than I do to the stories of the horrors of war. I have to remind myself intellectually that the murder of 100 people in a Syrian village is far worse than the psychopath who killed a barn full of horses that belonged to a gay man a year or so ago. Yet the latter story somehow stays with me. The banality of evil is taken for granted while animal cruelty feels like a special sin. That said, I’m happy to eat a nice steak or rack of lamb, and I’m sure those sweet creatures did not go softly into that dark night. Didn’t someone say that consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds?

You know what? It’s not the worst kind of homophobia, because several countries still sentence men and women to death for gay sex. That said, those are the same countries that let you murder your niece for kissing the next door neighbor, but let’s agree that Russia has crossed a line into a select group of gay bashing nations.

Totalitarian countries have a tendency to revert to type. It’s like marrying a control freak. It never really gets better.

Here in the U.S., we married a decent guy back in 1776, and while he sometimes goes a little nuts, we basically trust him (metaphor for recent news about phone data mining in case you missed it). But to call Russia a democracy is absurd. It remains a totalitarian state and it relies on the idea that dissent and diversity are simply to be quashed by the powers that be.

Gay rights are a relatively recent phenomenon around the world. What?

Twenty or thirty years, if that? We are still at the cutting edge, and when a government embraces our cause, it embraces all the complexities of the 21st century. Russia has been cowering behind the West for decades since the post war period, and we continue to wait for them to man up and catch up. Meanwhile, it’s irritating.

Behind the Stereotypes Did any of you watch “Behind the Candelabra” on HBO? The depiction of a stereotypically flamboyant gay man, in this case Liberace before the onset of AIDS, had some of the flavor of The Boys in the Band. I mean, really. Five hundred pound mink coats? Tiny terriers? Penile implants? The lonely closet? Forcing your teenaged boyfriend to have plastic surgery?

And yet, what a tour de force for Michael Douglas and Matt Damon. I don’t have much patience for people who compliment a straight actor for playing a gay man or woman. They’re actors, for God’s sake. How hard can it be?

Presumably they’re not serial killers or defense attorneys either, but they play them on TV. But these performances were magnificent. And somehow, the ridiculous extravagance of this man’s life was translated into a complex human story that went beyond his gay affectations. Our community still celebrates over-the-top extravagant uber-femininity in some of our male icons. But in this age of assimilation, it’s no longer assumed that gay men are florists and gay women are gym teachers. Indeed, we have a modern tendency to denounce stereotypes, which were in fact based on reality. That’s where stereotypes come from in the first place.

This production embraced the stereotype, placed it in context, and allowed the character and the actor to transcend the image itself. You don’t always break down stereotypes by displaying the countertype of a gay male trucker or athlete. Sometimes you break them down by revealing the unique individual beneath the stereotypical façade, as was done here. Anyway, I wonder what you thought of it, if you watched it.

Lemon Test Very Pretty You may have noticed that we have avoided the elephant in the room, namely the High Court. Well, that’s because we’ve already blathered on and on about what might or might not happen, and since we’re about to find out what

Professional Services actually does happen, it seems appropriate to shut up and wait.

I know it’s hard!

We’ve all been assuming that the Court will wait until the very last minute, namely the end of June, before announcing their marriage ruling, But you know, they could make this announcement at any time! I’m just sayin’. By the way, if the justices reinstate marriage rights in California, it will take several weeks of legal hoop jumping and paperwork to make it so. But who cares as long as it’s done!

You’ll be pleased to know that we have several other legal matters to discuss.

Perhaps they’re not groundbreaking markers of the history of the GLBT civil rights movements, but still. Take my favorite case. There’s a Christian man in Oklahoma who is suing the Tornado State under the Establishment Clause because Oklahoma depicts a Native American rain ritual on its license plate. The offending image shows a man throwing a spear into the sky as a plea to the (non-Christian) gods for precipitation. Our hero believes that this implies a state sponsorship of a particular faith, and impossibly, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit appears to agree. On Tuesday, an appellate panel reinstated his case.

There’s a constitutional test for this, although some scholars say it has flaws.

For now, however, the Lemon Test applies. If memory serves, a state runs afoul of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment if it advances a law that lacks a secular purpose, which has the effect of advancing one faith over another, and finally, if it seems as if the state is excessively entangled in religion. I’m a big fan of the separation of church and state, but I can’t see how the Oklahoma license plate fails the test.

That said, I really should read the Tenth Circuit opinion before I make definitive statements, but I really don’t want to.

In other legal news, the Maine Supreme Court is hearing arguments as I write about whether to reinstate a lawsuit against a school district that refuses to allow a fifth grade trans girl to use the girls bathroom. With all the discrimination and legal problems facing transgendered men and women, why is it that so much of the legal and policy discussion revolves around bathrooms?

You know what? Making use of a public bathroom inherently involves a small lapse of privacy. It’s an intimate act and there are other people around. I’m glad that bathrooms are single sex, only because I don’t want to encounter guys at public urinals and I don’t think they want to encounter me either. But other than that, it is what it is. The notion that a transwoman in the bathroom would cause some kind of distress to other patrons is beyond ludicrous. And where is she to go? The men’s room? Do people think transgendered kids or adults are planning sexual assaults in the bathroom? Where does this social hysteria come from? Perhaps all bathrooms should have stalls and be unisexed, because the only reason for separating the genders is the aforementioned urinal situation.

Meanwhile, Shannon Minter of the National Center for Lesbian Rights asked a Tennessee state appellate court on Monday to strike the new law that effectively prohibits state governmental entities from protecting against GLBT discrimination. Yes, that does sound familiar doesn’t it? It’s the same kind of law that the High Court struck down in Romer v Evans nearly 20 years ago in the case against Colorado’s Amendment II. And in New Mexico, a significant freedom to marry case rolls on, with new plaintiffs added to the litigation. New Mexico is an oddball state. It’s not particularly liberal, and not particularly conservative. It has no state law defining marriage by gender, yet it has never allowed same-sex couples to wed and its (continued on page 28)

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BAY T IM ES JUNE 13, 2013

13

National News Briefs compiled by Dennis McMillan

Houston, TX - Out Mayor Faces Millionaire Lawyer Antagonist - 6.6

NY, New York - Queer New Yorkers Faced Increase in Violence in 2012 - 6.4

When Annise Parker became the first out mayor elected in a major US city, her victory inspired LGBTQ people across the country and around the world. In the few years since she won, more out candidates than ever before have stepped up to run for office in their own communities. Now Parker is running for her final term as Houston’s mayor, and she’s got a real race on her hands. A millionaire lawyer has pledged to spend up to $3 million of his own money to defeat her. That’s a huge campaign war chest, and he hasn’t had to raise a dime of it from other people.

The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) released its report, “Hate Violence Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and HIV-Affected Communities in the United States in 2012.” NCAVP collected data concerning hate violence against LGBTQ and HIV-affected people from 15 anti-violence programs in 16 states (with one organization reporting for two states), including from the NYC Anti-Violence Project (AVP), which coordinates NCAVP. This report is the most comprehensive data to date documenting the high level of violence experienced by this group in NYC in 2012.

Despite a slight decrease in reports nationally from 2011 to 2012, reports of hate violence in New York increased by 4%, and continued a four-year trend in local increases, including double-digit increases of 11% and 13% in the previous two reports.

“But Annise isn’t wealthy,” says Chuck Wolfe, President and CEO of Victory Fund. “She’s relying on people who believe in her.” He noted that the June 30 finance report is the first public measure of the strength of her campaign, “and we have to show she’s out to win.”

Houston is booming. Under Mayor Parker’s leadership, the city has emerged from the worldwide economic downturn with one of the highest rates of job growth in the country. It’s a diverse, business-friendly city with a healthy housing market that’s also a leader in sustainable development and alternative energy.

“This is going to be a hard-fought race against a deep-pocketed opponent, but if we stand with Annise now - the way we all did during her historic first campaign for mayor - she’ll win and make us all proud once again,” said Wolfe.

Parker has stood up for marriage equality in a state that’s not so supportive of it. If she loses reelection because she didn’t have the resources to fight a wealthy candidate, it will send the wrong message about what our community can achieve.

“Recent hate violence incidents, including one fatal incident, have brought the issue of anti-LGBTQ violence to the attention of all New Yorkers,” said AVP Executive Director Sharon Stapel. “However, the truly alarming fact is that this violence happens to LGBTQ people every day.”

This is the fourth year in a row that AVP has seen an increase in violence against LGBTQ New Yorkers. AVP is working with community members and leaders to bring safety to each neighborhood in every borough throughout New York City.

Now, more than ever, they need their friends and allies to join them.

This year’s report highlights the violence that LGBTQ immigrants face in New York City. Reports of hate violence motivated by anti-immigrant bias increased substantially from 24 incidents reported in 2011 to 90 incidents reported in 2012.

“AVP works with LGBTQ immigrants in all five boroughs and knows that undocumented immigrants are particularly vulnerable to violence,” said AVP Senior Organizer Shelby Chestnut.

This is deplorable!

Source: ncavp.org

Source: victoryfund.org

Washington, D.C. - Panel Illustrates Harm DOMA Causes to LGBTQ Elders - 6.10

Hollywood, CA - HBO Producing Riveting Documentary on Out Celebrities - 6.10

Nashville, TN - Support for Anti-Gay State Representative Yanked

by StudentsFirst - 6.5

Alternately humorous and poignant, The OUT List features a diverse cross-section of accomplished leaders from entertainment, business, sports and public service sharing intimate stories on childhood, understanding gender and sexuality, building careers while out and reflecting on the challenges still facing the LGBTQ community. Against the backdrop of historic Supreme Court hearings on same-sex marriage and financial equality, subjects recall joyous moments of acceptance and romance, along with painful instances of intolerance and discrimination, offering unique modern perspectives on being out in America. The OUT List is directed and produced by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, among other producers. It will be screened by HBO on June 27, as well as June 25 at the Castro Theatre for Frameline.

In less than one week after over 53,000 MoveOn members in Tennessee and across the country signed a petition started by the family of 11-yearold Marcel Neergaard on MoveOn.org, StudentsFirst, an education policy organization created by Michelle Rhee, agreed to rescind its support for Tennessee State Rep. John Ragan because of his continued track record supporting and sponsoring legislation that targets LGBTQ students and promotes harassment by teachers, school counselors and peers.

Among subjects featured: screenwriter, producer, director, Dustin Lance Black; former professional football player and NFL Europe Champion, assistant director of Job Readiness at the Hetrick-Martin Institute in New York, Wade Davis; stand-up comedian, actress and host of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, winner of 20 Emmys, Ellen DeGeneres; promoter, DJ, legendary drag queen, a founder of Wigstock, Lady Bunny; co-founder of the groundbreaking Gay Men’s Health Crisis and ACT UP and respected playwright and author, Larry Kramer; multi-awardwinning actress best known for playing Miranda on Sex and the City, Cynthia Nixon; star in the hit series, How I Met Your Mother, winning two Emmys, one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2010 with two children with his partner, David Burtka, Neil Patrick Harris; finance author and host of The Suze Orman Show, New York Times bestselling writer, recently named one of the Top 10 Most Influential Celebrities

by Forbes, Suze Orman; and first female and first openly gay speaker of the NYC Council, currently a Democratic candidate for NYC mayor, Christine Quinn.

Source: hbo.com

Marcel and his family decided they would home-school this year, afraid of what would happen to him if he continued to be bullied at school for being openly gay. Without safe learning environments, children cannot realize their full potential. “At StudentsFirst we believe that strongly, which is why, today, we stand with Marcel in support of the federal Safe Schools Improvement Act and the Student Non-Discrimination Act and will support similar measures in our active states,” said Rhee. “We encourage legislators across the country to support these measures to protect kids from bullying and discrimination as well.”

Rhee said, regardless of when Representative Ragan was named a “Reformer of the Year” by her organization, his introduction of ill-conceived and harmful legislation including HB 1332 - which would have cultivated a culture of bullying - does not represent the type of leadership they look for in their legislative champions. “We have made that clear to Rep. Ragan and rescinded the recognition,” she said. “Simply put, we must hold our ‘Reformers of the Year’ to a higher standard. So let me be very clear - policies that are intended to single out any student based on their sexual orientation and treat them differently are wrong.”

With a Supreme Court decision expected this month in two marriage cases, Freedom to Marry and Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) held a panel on the harms of the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act on older same-sex couples. Under DOMA, married same-sex couples are denied more than 1,100 protections and responsibilities automatically afforded to other married couples, including Social Security survivor benefits, access to health care and family leave, the ability to pool resources without adverse tax treatment, parenting rights and familial status for immigration purposes. For older gay and lesbian couples, the harms can be financially debilitating.

“LGBT elders are less financially secure and experience poorer health than American elders as whole,” said SAGE Executive Director Michael Adams. “Yet they are frequently treated as second class citizens by the federal programs designed to protect older Americans - many of which are built on the presumption of marriage.”

Even in the few states that recognize marriage for same-sex couples, DOMA prevents legally married same-sex spouses from fully accessing benefits that can improve their health and economic wellbeing, from Social Security to retiree health and survivorship benefits.

“Family ties and Medicare build the foundation of health security for our nation’s seniors,” said Medicare Rights Center Federal Policy Director Stacy Sanders. “DOMA undermines that security on both counts by treating married same-sex couples differently. With some of our most vulnerable citizens depending on Medicare after a lifetime of hard work and taxes paid, our government owes them better.”

It should be noted, the infamous “Don’t Say Gay” bill was proposed in Tennessee.

Freedom to Marry President Evan Wolfson said, “There is no shortage of examples showing the ways the so-called Defense of Marriage Act harms families - especially older couples who have paid into the system all their lives.” Do check out freedomtomarry.org for those examples!

Source: studentsfirst.org

Source: freedomtomarry.org

Local News Briefs Equality California’s Newest Polling Data Shows Majority of California Voters Support Same-sex Marriage As we await the Supreme Court’s decision on equality, it seems California is ready for the resumption of marriage for same-sex couples. Equality California polled likely voters showing 55% favor the freedom to marry - an increase of 18% since 2004. Intensity of support has increased dramatically as well, with those who strongly favor the freedom to marry increasing from 24% to 42% over the same time period. The US Supreme Court is set to rule any time now on Proposition 8, the constitutional amendment that banned marriage for same-sex couples in California, and the polling conducted by David Binder Research shows that Californians are ready and eager for marriages to resume.

“California is ready for every loving couple to be able to marry, and we are hopeful that the Supreme Court will rule to restore the freedom to marry,” said John O’Connor, EQCA executive director. “Our new polling shows support for the freedom to marry is strong and broad, and continues to grow.”

The polling of 800 likely voters throughout the state shows significant increases in support in nearly every demographic - including Republicans, voters aged 45 to 64, African Americans and Latinos. The poll also showed that talking to friends and family about the importance of marriage is a powerful tool for moving opinion. Those who have had a conversation with someone they know personally about why marriage for same-sex couples is important favor marriage by 73% to 26%.

“The simple act of having a conversation with a person directly impacted makes such a huge difference in humanizing our community and building support for equality,” said O’Connor. “It is literally a game-changer for LGBT equality, and you see that in the numbers.”

Story by Dennis McMillan

San Francisco Pride Celebrates Historic Financial Milestones San Francisco Pride announced on Wednesday that it has successfully achieved fiscal stability: retiring a three year debt burden, while simultaneously achieving record-breaking increases in key sponsorship contributions.

As of May 31, 2013, the non-profit organization that sponsors and produces the annual SF LGBT Pride Parade and Celebration completed a two-year strategic plan that allowed it to retire $300,000 of outstanding loan and debt, including nearly $100,000 to the City and County of San Francisco.

The plan also involved an organizational restructuring, including the hire of Earl Plante as its first Chief Executive Officer in December 2012.

“SF Pride is in the strongest financial health it has ever been in its 43 year history,” said Lisa Williams, President of SF Pride’s Board of Directors. “Putting Pride on sound financial footing has been our top priority. As a Board, staff, and community partnership we rolled up our sleeves, exerted the required determination, focus and discipline to deliver this key turning point for the organization and the community. SF Pride can now build much needed reserves to sustain fiscal health, as well as focus on allocating timely grants contributions to vital community-based services and programs, and peer Pride events such as the Dyke March, Trans March, and Pink Saturday.”

With over 250 parade contingents, 300 exhibitors, and more than 21 stages and venues, the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration and Parade is the largest LGBT annual gathering in the nation.

It is estimated that it costs $4,000,000 to produce the SF Pride Parade and Celebration that takes place annually on the final weekend of June during Pride Month. While cash contributions are requested at the Celebration in the Civic Center as it provides vital proceeds to community based programs, the event remains a free event to the public.

Under Plante, the organization experienced the highest corporate sponsorship in its 43-year history.

Corporate fundraising broke SF Pride’s 2012 record with a dramatic 35% increase in total cor(continued on page 28)

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BAY TIMES JUNE 1 3 , 2 0 1 3

Arts&Entertainment Bay Times Guide to Frameline, Part 2*

Film

Gary M. Kramer The Frameline Film Festival begins in earnest June 20. Here is a handy

Argentine filmmakers Marco Berger and Marcelo Monaco’s offers six tales of seduction that pivot on women using their sexuality to get what they desire. The film opens very strongly with a short written and directed by Berger in which a lesbian oogles a lithe young woman checking into a hostel. Before long, she is invited upstairs to share the girl’s room. Watching these two women slowly connect on a physical level is incredibly erotic, but it is what happens after their tryst that makes this entry so memorable.

Berger’s next short, “The Apple,” is also a lovely story about the awakening of same-sex desire, complete with a gorgeous and extended fantasy sequence between a lesbian and the Codebreaker

Interior. Leather Bar guide to several films unspooling at the fest.

No doubt, a hot ticket will be Interior. Leather Bar. ( June 23, 9:15 pm, Castro), which probes the blurry line between straight/gay, reality/ fiction, but this hour-long documentary that “re-imagines 40 lost minutes from Cruising” is too inconsequential to be an effective or thorough investigation. Co-director James Franco attempts to shatter conditioned (e.g. hetero-normative) responses to sex/ sexuality by focusing on the confusion and anxiety of his straight friend, Val Lauren, who “plays” the Pacino role. But Interior. Leather Bar. is more

secret object of her affection. Marcelo Monaco offers a diverting tale, “Sweetheart,” in which a young man waits—and waits—for his girlfriend who is privately, and quietly, experimenting sexually with a café’s comely waitress. Monaco’s “The Other Woman,” a tale of two lifelong friends discussing their relationship status, is also wonderful. It’s a beautifully filmed short featuring real dramatic tension between the two women. It provides an appropriately powerful ending for Sexual Tension: Violetas. The two other shorts—one about getting over heartbreak, the other about a man’s fantasy of having two women—are fine entries, but they don’t

Anna Margarita Albelo), a frustrated, 40-year-old f ilmmaker. Broke and living in her friend Charlie’s (Celeste Pechous) garage, she hopes to make a film, get a girlfriend, and lose 20, no 10, pounds. She dresses up periodically in a vagina costume, and one night, she catches the eye of Katia ( Janina Gavankar), a beautiful, smart and substantial woman—in other words, her unicorn. To impress Katia, Anna gives her a role in her all-female remake of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf.

But, during filming, there is competition for Katia’s affections from Anna’s best friend Penelope (Guinevere Turner, feisty and fabulous as ever).

Who’s Afraid of Vagina Wolf is fun during the improvised black-and-white film-within-a-film scenes, but the lesbian romance plays out without much surprise. There is a sweet scene between Penelope and Anna, and some nice moments Anna shares with Julia (Agnes Olech), the film’s cinematographer, who has a crush on her. But overall, Who’s Afraid of Vagina Wolf is too slight, with one-liners serving as character development. This is not to say Albelo’s film is now without heart—it has plenty—but one wishes it was as bitchy and as memorable as the original it pays homage to. The title is perhaps the best thing about Who’s Afraid of Vagina Wolf.

Gay Latino Los Angeles ( June 22, 6:30 pm Roxie), an inspiring documentary about self-discovery, opens with a two-spirit shaman talking about connecting with his ancestors through dance. The trio of subjects—Alex, a 22-year-old student in

downtown LA; Carlos, a 23-year-old growing up in the gang life of South Central; and Brian, a 22-year-old closeted student in Silverlake—are all interesting and diverse. Their stories provide insights into coming out in the Latino community, the double closet of being gay and undocumented, and the homophobia in the thug/ drug culture. Each subject wants a boyfriend, but they also need to gain a sense of self-respect. The value of this observational film is seeing how the subjects find that peace and their place in the world. Gay Latino Los An-

Gay Latino Los Angeles geles does suffer from poor editing— time jumps are sometimes unclear, as is some of what happens to the guys—but while the subjects struggle and f lourish, their stories are quite engaging.

Codebreaker ( June 25, 11:30 am, Castro) is a clunky, made-for-British-

Sexual Tension: Violetas exasperating than illuminating, even with a balanced amount of explicit gay sex acts.

Speaking of sex, in Sexual Tension: Violetas ( June 25, 9:00 pm, Roxie),

have the same level of frisson the other four do.

W ho’s Afraid of Vagina Wolf ( June 25, 7:00 pm Elmwood) is a lowbudget indie about Anna (director

TV docu-drama about Alan Turning, the gay man who gave birth to the computer, puzzled out the Engima code to help end WWII, and was a convicted criminal for being queer.

Turning was a remarkable, complex man, and his biographer, David Leavitt, gives some insights into his life. Meanwhile, dramatic (and strained) reenactments of Turning’s (Ed Stoppard) sessions with a psychiatrist, Dr. Greenbaum (Henry Goodman) address his sexual identity and criminality. Codebreaker also include useless interviews with Greenbaum’s

Who”s Afraid of Vagina Wolf

daughters; professors and scientists who explain Turing’s work, as well as with colleagues from Turing’s codebreaking days at Bletchley Park who discuss their experiences working with him. The parts are greater than the whole. The most powerful moment comes when Stoppard as Turing explains that his chemical castration by the British government—for being queer—was akin to what the Nazis were doing to the Jews and homosexuals they were persecuting.

The irony that Turing’s work helped stop the Nazis is not lost. Codebreaker also contain fascinating points about Turing’s work in which he tries to determine if machines can think, and studies morphogenesis (the patterns of nature and “mathematical biology”), but the film feels too superficial given the copious stock footage of people on cell phones in stylized vignettes. This film reignites interest in Turing, but it does not do justice to this complex man, his notable achievements, and his unfortunate disgrace. (continued on page 28) BAY T IM ES JUNE 13, 2013

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Frameline Top 10

Guest Article Catherine Brannigan Now that we are in mid June, Frameline is almost here! In this month of Pride, we are proud to say that Frameline is the longest running LGBT film festival. We at Frameline are very pleased this year to have screenings at The Castro Theatre, The Roxie, The Victoria and also in the East Bay at the Elmwood.

I am always excited to see what is being presented. With the advent of digital videos, more films are available to us. This year’s screening will be comprised of 240 films from 29 countries. Most of these films are not readily screened elsewhere in our area, so if a film description captures your interest, don’t miss your chance to actually see the movie. There will be drama, comedy, documentaries, biographies and, of course, the famous shorts programs.

Here is my Top 10 List of Must-See Frameline movies, in no particular order: 1. GBF (comedy) It’s about a high school boy who has his plans to the gay best friend of the popular kids thwarted when his best friend is outed first.

2. Valentine Road (documentary) This is the true story of a classroom shooting and subsequent death in Oxnard, California, of 15-year-old Larr y King.

3. Concussion (drama) A lesbian housewife is hit on the head, with the injury completely changes her life.

4. Codebraker (drama) This is the story of Alan Turing, who in WWII broke the German Enigma code.

5. I AM Divine (documentary) John Waters’ fearless cross-dressing muse, Divine, is celebrated in this account.

6.Chuppan/Chupai (documentaries) In these two films, LGBT people in Morocco and Pakistan live and find love despite their surrounding circumstances.

7. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 (horror) Peaches Christ hosts and star Mark Patton will be there too. Go just for the fun of it!

8. COD (dark comedy) This is the first work of David Sedaris to be on film.

It’s from the story of the same name.

9. The New Black (documentary) You will get a fresh look at changing attitudes among African American communities.

10. Reaching for the Moon (drama) This Brazilian lesbian love triangle will hold your interest.

Bonus # 11. It’s hard to leave you without mentioning some of my favorite shorts collections from this year’s festival. They include Fun in Girls Shorts, Fun in Boys Shorts, Worldly Affairs, Valencia, QWOCMAP, and I Come From a Land Down Under.

I invite you to create your own list of must-see movies from this year’s Frameline. Come and view them in community with your friends! I hope to see you at a screening.

And P.S. The best-kept secret is that you can see great movies on weekdays at the festival for a reduced price and usually with short lines.

Catherine Brannigan is a member of the Frameline Board of Directors.

Lua Hadar Fosters World Unity One Audience at a Time singer Paul James Frantz, invited me to attend Lua’s monthly music party.

The event takes place at her studio, New Performance Group in Potrero Hill. I immediately felt at ease in her presence and in the vibe she creates in her space. Singers come for $5 and are welcome to sing solos and/ or group numbers with the fabulous Barry Lloyd on piano while enjoying wine and treats.

Music Shelley MacKay A unique and original vocalist with a soaring range, Lua Hadar interprets an eclectic song list with a charming, swinging delivery infused with passionate commitment and humor.

She has been molded by cultural exchange experiences in places as diverse as Bali, Russia, Switzerland, Japan, Thailand, France and Italy.

Since its inception in 2007, Hadar’s band Twist has developed a reputation for twisting the style of international standards, performing original numbers, and expressing our common humanity through songs in 7 different languages. Lua has performed her brand of “cosmopolitan jazz” at clubs all over the world including Yoshi’s right here in the Bay Area, New York’s The Iridium, Bangkok’s Thailand Cultural Center, and the Swan Bar in Paris.

I first met Lua Hadar two years ago when my friend, local composer and 16

BAY TIMES JUNE 1 3 , 2 0 1 3

On Lua Hadar and Twist’s new CD and DVD that was released at the end of 2012, Like A Bridge, they perform original music and songs that are rarely heard in English, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese and Malagasy. The word Bridge on the album is a symbol for the connections that people can make with each other to foster world harmony. “We can, each one of us, be a bridge between a country and another country, or a person and another person, or an idea and another idea,” she shares. “We can create bridges and if we do that in our small world, then our small world becomes a micro-cosm for...the larger world and the goal is unity and harmony in our world instead of strife and terrorism.” Lua sees the world “with no borders.” This album, Like A Bridge, is an expression of Lua and her band’s mission, which is to create more harmony in the world through music.

The DVD, Like A Bridge, has been nominated by the Independent Music Awards in the Long Form Video

category for the ensemble’s 70-minute Live Studio Concert, recorded at the legendary Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, CA. The CD, recorded in the same session, is receiving critical acclaim and airplay on over 100 radio stations across the USA and in Canada, The Netherlands, Germany, England and Brazil.

Lua Hadar with Twist can be seen next in the San Francisco Bay Area at Yoshi’s in Oakland on September 30 at 8 PM. Mark your calendar! For the band’s full list of upcoming events, go to: www.likeabridge.net.

Shelley MacKay is a Bay Area-based jaz z , po p , r&b a n d rock vocal i st/ songwriter. Learn more at www.shelleysings.com.

SwallowYourPride2-BayTimesAd_Dances from the Heart Poster 6/10/13 5:58 AM Page 1

The Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation and William Grant and Sons proudly present

SWALLOW YOUR PRIDE 2 THURSDAY, JUNE 27 THE STARLIGHT ROOM

8–10pm:VIP Party ★ 10pm–close: Dance Party Produced by Michael Pagan and Patrik Gallineaux With mermaid-in-residence CASSANDRA CASS Queen of the Starlight Room, DONNA SACHET Miss Gay USA, MERCEDEZ MUNRO Special Guest, WILSON CRUZ Performances by LEANNE BORGHESI, BRIAN KENT GYPSY LOVE & KIPPY MARKS Music by DJ PORNSTAR Honoring community grand marshalls

Marlena, Bebe Sweetbriar, Dr. Betty L. Sullivan & Jennifer L. Viegas and Randy Schiller (nominee)

Tickets at 415.273.1620 or www.helpisontheway.org

BAY T IM ES JUNE 13, 2013

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Bay Times Spotlight Bay Times is proud to introduce some of the t a lented tea m who work w it h us to create each issue of our newspaper. Our Spotlight page here introduces performer and astrologer Gypsy Love, presented in the f irst installment of a new column, G e m s of the Bay, by popular musician Kippy Marks.

Pride Day Festival on Sunday, June 30. Listen for her hit song “Beautiful Thing,” now on the Abercrombie & Fitch playlist.

Gypsy will once again be a featured performer on the Main Stage in front of Cit y Hall at San Francisco’s Civ ic Center during the

Gr aph ic des ig ner A bby Z i mber g i s to be cong rat u lated for recent ly complet i ng her Masters Degree Program in Art Therapy at

Also featured here are other Bay Times luminaries, including columnist Stu Smith, who was recently named a KQED Local Hero for 2013.

Notre Dame de Namur University. Abby and her w ife Helene welcomed fr iends and colleagues to a well-deserved celebration party at their beautiful home.

We also turn the camera around on two of ou r photog r apher s, Steven Underh i l l a nd Phyllis Costa. Steven cleverly produced this shot of h i m sel f w it h a boxer. Phyl l i s wa s snapped while at work, and play, aboard the classic schooner Freda B.

SF Pride Main Stage Headliner Gypsy Love

Gems of the Bay Kippy Marks

Music connects us to our inner selves. It unmasks our emotions, allowing us to reach a higher understanding of who we are and how we treat each other. For SF Pride Main Stage headliner Gypsy Love, music is fundamentally an instrument of love.

I’m delighted to feature Gy psy Love for this debut of “Gems of the Bay.” Many of you already enjoy reading your horoscopes at “Astrolog y by Gy psy Love” here in the Bay Times. Others are more familiar with Gypsy Love’s radiant repertoire as San Francisco’s own shimmy shaking disco queen.

I’m here to share some inside scoop about this dynamic artist, stargazer, and passionate LGBT ally.

Born “Christina Marie Parini” at St. Mary’s hospital in San Francisco, Gypsy Love is an enchanting melody of Mex ican, Native American, and Libyan descent. At 9 days old, she was adopted by a loving Italian family. After attending Catholic high school in the East Bay and graduating with a Business degree from California Polytechnic SLO, Christina launched a successful career in high-technology.

While climbing the corporate ladder, Christina always felt she was living two lives. By day, she was a business executive. By night, she’d summon her inner Gypsy to freely express a message of love through music and dance.

In 2008, Gypsy left high-tech for good and started GYPSY LOVE PRODUCTIONS, whose mission is to inspire love and global unity with uplifting music and movement. Gypsy’s “love productions” are recognized for their vibrant visuals, soulful instrumentation, and positive message. A belly dancing singer/song w r iter, she passionately uses art to raise funding and awareness for important causes like marriage equality, world peace, and AIDS research.

Gypsy Love also dedicates much of her time promoting the healing and unifying properties of music and dance. For several years, she’s worked with the Bay Area’s Specia l Needs A r ts Prog ram

(SNAP), where she teaches dance to children who have conditions like Down’s syndrome and autism.

Gypsy Love’s belly dance classes at Metronome SF draw women together to celebrate the power of the female spir it by mov ing, strengthening, and appreciating their bodies.

Gypsy Love is scheduled during the headlining hour on SF Pride’s Main Stage at City Hall Sunday June 30. Her fans – referred to as “lovers” – await the performance with eager anticipation. According to Gypsy, the Main Stage will shine with colorful world-fusion flavors, featuring some of the Bay’s most dazzling artists. Songs will include “Beautiful Thing,” Gypsy Love’s newest smash single with Hit Save Music.

PHOTO BY STEVEN UNDERHILL

(Editor’s Note: Please join us in welcoming violinist and composer Kippy Marks to the “Bay Times” as we debut his new column. Kippy has supported us for awhile now, playing on “Bay Times Live” and at various events.

He is an amazingly talented musician whose beautiful soul resonates through his work. Look and listen for him at this year’s Pride and at venues around the Bay Area.)

“I wrote ‘Beautiful Thing’ to encourage listeners to embrace beautiful moments in our everyday lives (the taste of honey, light of dawn, sight of your lover with just about nothing on...). This way, people concentrate on the positives and breed more positivity,” she shares.

“I believe we have the power to shift global consciousness by train-

ing our minds to focus on love, thus elevating the vibration within and around us. When in doubt, Make Love.” w w w.Gy psyLoveProductions.com Violinist Kippy Marks entertains audiences worldwide with his inspirational compositions and lively performances that draw from classical, jazz, blues and dance.http://www.kippy marks.us.

Photographer: Steven Underhill

Abby Zimberg Photo by Helene Wenzel

Stu Smith Photo by Steven Underhill

Bay Times columnist Stu Smith is a KQED 2013 Local Hero— See page 27 Stu Smith Photo by Marty Kevin Courson 18

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Phyllis Costa

Phyllis Costa

“Ripped from the Headlines” Celebrates LGBT Civil Rights Milestones

Brass Tacks Heidi Beeler When San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band Guest Conductor Bradley Connlain first began clipping newspaper stories about LGBT issues to bring to rehearsals last summer, he didn’t realize he was crafting the theme for this year’s Pride Concert.

As victory after victory racked up for LGBT civil rights – DADT repealed, same-sex marriage spreading state to state, Prop 8 and DOMA up for scrutiny by the Supremes, Boy Scouts under fire for its gay ban – Connlain said it seemed like that pile of clippings was itself a milestone.

Guest Conductor Bradley Connlain

rial and new performers to feature.

This year, two choruses make their Pride Concert debut – the Oakland/ East Bay Men’s Chorus and the MCC Choir. Vocal Minority from the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus also returns to the program. With its eclectic

“I am excited to hear all of the voices combine with the Band in the conservatory,” Sauerland wrote. “The sound is going to be powerful and remarkable.”

LGCSF with William Sauerland

“I was amazed at the sheer volume of mostly positive LGBT stories that were appearing not only in the paper, but also in all media venues,” Connlain said in an email interview. “As GLADD-Award-winning journalist Hank Plante recently wrote in an OpEd piece, ‘By any measure it does, indeed, feel as if we have passed the tipping point in the crusade for gay rights and that there are only individual battles still to be fought.’”

Performed for the second year at the acoustically fabulous San Francisco Conservatory of Music (50 Oak Street) at 6 and 9 pm, Saturday, June 22, the concert brings the music groups together for more collaborative numbers than it has in years. Sauerland and Connlain agreed that the sound of the mass choruses with the instrumentalists has delivered some of the most exciting, uplifting moments of any Pride Concert, and they decided to expand that. Connlain said they’ve selected pieces that span the decades: from “A New Song’s Measure,” a new musical setting of Arthur O’Shaughnessy’s poem “We Are The Music Makers,” to an original arrangement of that traditional gay anthem “I Am What I Am.”

collection of choruses mixed with instrumental music from the Freedom Band, the program always presents a colorful smorgasbord of styles and sounds. Concert goers will hear a little Broadway, a little Beethoven; a little Gershwin, a little Gypsy; music that’s sassy and sacred, and even a combination of both when MCC Choir delivers some Sister Act II.

“I love this concert,” Sauerland added. “It is a combination of class and camp, silliness and sublime. Everyone will leave this concert with pride and joy and love in their hearts. What a great way to kick off the Pride celebrations!”

For more information, please visit AnnualPrideConcert.org.

At 35 years, the concert is one of the longest running shows in San Francisco, but it always finds fresh mate-

PH OTO S C O URT E SY O F H EI DI BE EL ER

Connlain brought the idea to William Sauerland, artistic director of co-producer Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco, and they turned it into Ripped from the Headlines: Music Celebrating LGBT Stories. The Pride Concert is a festival of music showcasing LGBT music groups from around the Bay Area. First performed in 1979 just a few weeks after the White Night Riots, the concert has been a musical ref lection of the political highs and lows of the LGBT community since the early days of the Castro. In fact, in 2011 emcee Trauma Flintstone announced from the stage that New York had legalized same-sex marriage right before the concert started.

With civil rights victories piling high, the key word this year is “celebrate.”

San Francisco Lesbian Gay Freedom Band BAY T IM ES JUNE 13, 2013

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Broadway Cabaret’s All-Star Birthday Tribute to Marvin Hamlisch Bay Area Cabaret’s 2012-13 season recently concluded at the Fairmont San Francisco’s historic Venetian Room with An A ll-Star Birthday Tribute to LGBT community supporter Marvin Hamlisch, recipient of Academy, Grammy, Emmy, Tony and Pulitzer Prize Awards during his legendary career.

The evening honored the memory of Hamlisch, who performed at the grand re-opening of the Venetian Room in 2010, just two years before his passing. This beautiful venue had been “dark” for more than 21 years. The recent event was held on Sunday, June 2 – the date Hamlisch would have been 69.

Featuring appearances by Academy Award-winning writers A lan and Marilyn Bergman, Broadway stars Lisa Vroman (“Phantom of the Opera”) and Karen Mason (“Mamma Mia!”), the program was directed by out & proud Grammy winning pianist, vocalist and composer Billy Stritch. The program included selections from Hamlisch’s extensive canon, including A Chorus Line, T he Way We Were and more.

The evening was produced by Broadway Cabaret founder Marilyn Levinson, who was assisted on site by Michael Williams, well-known in the LGBT community as owner/operator of the former Medium Rare Records, a prominent music store in the Castro for many years before its closing.

I n welcom ing t he aud ience, L ev inson gave a n over v iew of Broadway Cabaret’s tent h season to be launched in October with an opening night featuring Megan Hilty, star of the hit TV show Smash.

BAY T IM ES JUNE 13, 2013

21

Cooling the Wanting Mind

Examined Life Tom Moon, MFT Most people seem to take it for granted that happiness means “getting what I want.” We’re sure we’ll be happy if we gratify our desires, and that we’ll be frustrated and unhappy if we don’t. Because of these beliefs, we spend most of our waking hours leaning into the future, trying to get somewhere other than where we are right now.

A lot of our striving is rooted in our biology. To survive, all animals have to be goal-directed. And it can’t be denied that pursuing leg itimate aims—like maintaining health, paying the bills, building positive relationships, or healing old pain—is

vital to our well-being. But it’s also true that getting caught up in wanting not only doesn’t create happiness, but it’s also a major source of stress and suffering. One problem with a life devoted to pursuing desires is that even the most pleasurable experiences eventually end. Friends drift away, sexual intensity wanes, careers end, and eventually we all die. That means that grabbing and clinging to the things we want inevitably leads to loss, disappointment, and pain.

The brain has at least three built-in biases that obscure these truths and keep us locked in the trance of wanting. First, it overestimates both the expected pleasure of potential gains and the feared pain of potential losses. Second, it tends to overlook or minimize the safety, peace, and satisfaction of this moment—including the many things already resolved or accomplished—and focuses instead on what’s missing, incomplete or potentially threatening. Finally, and most importantly, it treats the future as something real, when it doesn’t actually exist and never will. Always and forever, there is only now.

Our desires aren’t going away. The challenge is to relate to them with wisdom and balance, to pursue legiti-

mate desires without becoming obsessed with them, and to enjoy life’s pleasures without clinging to them.

There’s a simple practice that can help us hold desires lightly and return us to the ease of the present moment.

It’s called the mindful pause. Here’s how to do it: Several times each day, stop what you’re doing and take deep breaths, placing your full attention on each in-breath and each out-breath. When inhaling, completely fill the lungs, hold for a second, and then exhale slowly. Become aware of the physical sensations in your body. If you come across areas of tension, invite them to soften. Become aware of your emotions and thoughts and greet them with a curious and compassionate attention. See if you can view them as passing events, like clouds moving overhead. Rest in the present for several minutes.

When practiced regularly, the mindful pause can do much to awaken us from the trance of wanting, and help us to remember that, behind our preoccupation with becoming, there is a natural ease and contentment to be found in simply being.

Tom Moon is a psychotherapist in San Francisco. His website is tommoon.net.

Come Out! in one situation -- and another way in a different setting. I simply knew I would not be able to carry off the charade without doing psychic and emotional damage to myself.

Speak Up! Speak Out! Laugh Often!

Karen Williams Come out, come out, wherever you are! How many times have we heard folks who are already out telling others to “come out” and to be proud?

Choosing to come out about your sexuality and private life must be seen as a worthy and worthwhile venture, particularly if you view yourself as a private person, otherwise you will be hesitant to undertake the project.

Our society tends to be so externally focused that we can forget that the most important person is YOU! As meaningful and significant as it is to be a part of a movement or a community, the individual also matters.

There may be times when the only person you can truly depend on is YOU! Although once you make peace with your decision to come out and

I believe that “coming out” is a gift that you give to worthy recipients.

If that recipient is your employer so that you can take advantage of domestic partnership or health insurance benefits offered at your job, then it is worthwhile for you to do so. If the confidante is closer to home, you may find that the bridge of authenticity brings you closer together. Coming out to parents, children, mates, friends, relatives, and colleagues offers them the opportunity to be more authentic in their own lives, and to examine their beliefs. They may even learn to embrace and encourage difference.

June is PRIDE MONTH! This is the time for all of us to take a look at our long-held beliefs, about ourselves, others, and the world in which we live together. Come out, come out wherever you are and help others do the same. After all, this is OUR world...

Let’s enjoy it to the fullest.

Karen strives to be authentic most of the time. Join her at karen@sf baytimes.com.

P H OTO B Y SUSAN MER R EL L

It may also be that you decide to come out to make it more comfortable for you to be authentic and true to yourself. I certainly had that experience.

I thought that it would be too difficult to be one way -- open and honest

When I realized that I not only loved women but also wanted to make them my primary preference, I did a great deal of soul searching before I committed to full disclosure. As this was in the early seventies and in the midst of a marriage, I prayed long and hard for my own well-being first. After attending the one and only meeting of a national conference devoted to black women that was held in New York City in 1973 -- and meeting several black lesbians -- I gained the courage to take my partner into my trust, although it meant the dissolution of the union. Somehow I intuitively knew that for me to be comfortable with my decision -- to come out as a lesbian -- I would need to generate peace within myself first about the decision.

to be proud about it, you will gain the love and respect of many others.

Some of those people may become part of your friendship support system, spurring you on when you hit rough patches and helping you to savor your victories.

UCSF chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann presents the Chancellor’s Award for Public Service to James Dilley, MD, chair of psychiatry and head of the AIDS Health Alliance.

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Celestial Stimulants ARIES (March 21 – April 19) Wrestling with a restless mind, Aries? Cool cognitive engines by setting aside sacred time to commune with your thoughts. Pave your mental pathways to make way for modern miracles.

LEO (July 23 – August 22) What turns you on, Leo? Cosmically, you’re compelled to demystify the depths of your desires now.

Summon all your senses to explore hidden yearnings that linger longingly beneath the surface.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 – December 21) Unexpected upsets in your pool of resources could jolt your creative process now. Don’t sweat it, Sagittarius. These are simply seeds of inspiration.

Blooming season will be that much sweeter.

VIRGO (August 23 – September 22) Your reputation is reaching new heights, Virgo. As you venture into scintillating social terrain, tap into subconscious sensibilities. Intuitive instincts will help you distinguish friendly allies from furtive foes!

CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 19) Trying to function within a fuzzy framework is hardly comfortable for a go-getting goat like yourself. Climb creatively, Capricorn. Be willing to write some of the rules as you go.

better.

TAURUS (April 20 – May 20) Hang in there, Taurus. Dabs of disillusionment could dampen spirits now, forcing you to revisit goals and ideals. Cultivate confidence and creativity by cooperating with kindred comrades in your community.

Astrology Gypsy Love The word “psychedelic” derives from a Greek phrase meaning “mind-manifest.” Many equate the term with hallucinogenic drugs. But the truth is that the Universe itself is a veritable playground of trippy treasures. Current celestial stimulants have opened an energetic window designed to alter cognition, optimize mental potential, and actualize dreams. Recall Dumbledore’s sage advice: “Of course it’s happening inside your head, Harry. Why should that mean that it’s not real?”

www.AstrologyByGypsyLove.com

GEMINI (May 21 – June 20) Listen up, Gemini. Your vocational calling is dialing in with a few insights. Current occupational challenges could signal important career growth opportunities. Download the upside of your workplace woes.

CANCER (June 21 – July 22) Crabs wear their homes on their backs – a convenient bonus when life calls for a prompt getaway.

Optimize your “shell-space” now, Cancer. Step inside when you seek serenity.

LIBRA (September 23 – October 22) Review the balance in your health bank, Libra. Are you making more withdrawals than deposits?

Replenish vital nutrients by feasting on experiences that enliven your spirit without draining your energy.

SCORPIO (October 23 – November 21) Scorpios have a knack for navigating the “dark side.” The sooner you embrace this talent, the more likely you are to gracefully weave obscure endings with beautiful beginnings

AQUARIUS (January 20 – February 18) Invite any opportunity for imagination to wash over you now, Aquarius. Wear your most whimsical fancies like badges of honor. Boost your body and spirit by bridging fantasy and reality.

PISCES (February 19 – March 20) You’re bravely breaking dysfunctional patterns that were put in place long ago. Triumph over twinges of self-doubt by broadening your perspective, Pisces.

You’re a precious part of the big picture.

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 film that’s out now do you recommend or hope to see?

Sue Irwin

Desiree Buford

Mark Murphy

JD Petras

Charlie Graham

“The Sessions”

“Concussion, Frameline’s opening night film”

“Star Trek Into Darkness”

“Lincoln ”

“The Great Gatsby”

BAY T IM ES JUNE 13, 2013

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compiled by Robert Fuggiti

See many more Calendar items @ www.sfbaytimes.com

“Wild With Happy” will be at TheatreWorks through June 30. (Photo: Mark Kitoka)

31st Annual San Francisco Jazz Festival – SF Jazz Center. $25-$80. 8:30 pm. (201 Franklin St.) www.sfjazz.org. The SF Jazz Center presents a two week series of concerts and events showcasing the best jazz music.

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. Maxie Mainwaring, Lesbian Dilettante – El Rio. Free. 6 pm to 8 pm. (3158 Mission St.) www. monicanolan.com. A book release party for Monica Nolan’s “Maxi Mainwaring, Lesbain Dilettante.”

Queer Women of Color Film Festival Opening Night – Balancoire. $10-$25. 10 pm.

(2565 Mission St.) www.balancoiresf.com. Celebrate the 9th annual Queer Women of Color Film Festival at this opening night party, with DJs that mix powerful waves of music.

Tinsel Tarts in a Hot Coma – The Hypnodrome Theatre. $15$35. 8 pm. (575 10th St.) www. thrillpeddlers.com. “Tinsel Tarts in a Hot Coma,” is a new full-length, restored version of The Cockettes’ 1971 musical extravaganza.

Extended through June 29.

Go Deep – El Rio. Free. 8 pm to 2 am. (3158 Mission St.) www.elriosf. com. Cruisy guys, drag queens and man-on-man lube wrestling make this a night to remember.

Marin Art Festival 2013 – Marin Civic Center Fairgrounds. $10. 10 am to 6 pm. (Lagoon at the Marin Civic Center Fairgrounds, San Rafael) www.marinartfestival. com. A showcase of paintings, sculpture, jewelry and fine ceramic set against the fabulous atmosphere of the Marin Center Fairgrounds.

Show for Equality: The Stephanie Teel Band – Yoshi’s SF. $24. 7 pm. (1330 Fillmore St.) www.yoshis.com. A special benefit concert featuring San Francisco native Stephanie Teel.

BIG! – The Stud Bar. Free. 6 pm to 1 pm. (399 9th St.) www.phattestevents.com. A monthly bear dance party with drink specials, go-go dancers and hot Djs. Happening every third Sunday.

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.

Blake Tucker’s Show Yourself – SF LGBT Community Center. Free. 12 pm to 10 pm.

(1800 Market St.) www.blaketucker.com. A showcase of over sixty pieces of Tucker’s work. Through July 21.

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Motown Monday – Madrone Art Bar. Free. 6 pm. (500 Divisadero St.) www.madroneartbar.com. Dance the night away to favorite Motown songs and remixes.

Wild With Happy – TheatreWorks. $23-$73. 7:30 pm.

(500 Castro St., Mountainview) www.theatreworks.com. An outrageously funny and immensely touching play that explores the bizarre comedy that lies within death and healing.

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. Through June 23.

Trivia Night – Hi Tops. Free. 10 pm. (2247 Market St.) www. hitopssf.com. Test your trivia knowledge at this popular sports bar.

API Family Pride’s Annual Banquet – Hotel Whitcomb. $45.

5 pm. (1231 Market St.) www.apifamilypride.org. Celebrate stories of love, courage and acceptance shared by family members and those who honor them.

Beatpig – Powerhouse. $5. 9 pm to 2 am. (1347 Folsom St.) www. beatbigsf.com. A kinky party happening third Saturdays of the month.

Gay Bowling – Mission Bowling Club. $15. 5 pm to 8 pm. (3176 17th St.) www.missionbowlingclub. com. Mix, mingle and meet new friends at this weekly bowling social. Full bar and restaurant inside club.

The 2013 Marin Art Festival will take place on Saturday, June 15. (Photo: Steve Eckdish)

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. Extended through June 23.

Mission St.) www.playwrightcentersf.org. Enjoy an evening filled with table readings by local playwrights.

Karaoke Mondays – Lookout.

Free. 8 pm to 1 am. (2600 16th St.) www.lookoutsf.com. KJ Paul hosts a weekly karaoke night.

Cowboys and Angels with Tom Orr – The Garage. $25-$30. 8 pm.

(715 Bryant St.) www.715bryant. com. Tom Orr pays tribute to George Michael in this must-see musical comedy cabaret.

Easy – The Edge SF. Free. 7 pm to 2 am. (4149 18th St.) www.edgesf. com. Enjoy $2 well drink specials and a fun-loving crowd.

“The Tales of Hoffmann” will be at the San Francisco Opera through July 6. (Photo: Cory Weaver) Below, the Fresh Meat Festival will be held at Z Space on June 20-22. (Photo: Lydia Daniller) Cyndi Lauper – Mountain Winery. $35-$85. 5:30 pm.

(14831 Pierce Rd., Saratoga) www.cynidlauper.com. Cyndi Lauper celebrates the 30th anniversary of her groundbreaking album “She’s So Unusual.”

their 35th Annual Pride

Creative Sex Play – Good Vibrations. $20. 6:30 pm. (1620 Polk St.) www.goodvibes.com. A creative workshop to inspire, excite, and expand participant’s sex life.

Fairyland: A Memoir of My Father – SF Public Library. Free.

6:30 pm to 7:30 pm. (100 Larkin St.) www.sfpl.org. Alysia Abbott reads passages from her book, “Fairyland,” a memoir about growing up without a mother in the 1970s in San Francisco and with an openly gay father.

Film Discussion: What Were the Queer ‘90s? – The GLBT History Museum. $5. 7 pm to 9 pm.

(4127 18t St.) www.glbthistory.org.

A look at the influence of queer life on San Francisco’s culture and politics during the 1990s.

12th Annual Fresh Meat Festival – Z Space. $20-$50. 8 pm. (450 Florida St.) www.freshmeatproductions.org. For three nights only, the Fresh Meat Festival delivers a star-studded lineup of transgender and queer performances. June 20-22.

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.

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.

35th Annual Pride Concert – San Francisco Conservatory of Music. $20-$30. 6 pm to 9 pm. (50 Oak St.) www.sfcm.edu. The Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco, in partnership with the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band, proudly presents

Dream Queens Revue: Annual Pride Show – Aunt Charlie’s Lounge. Free. 9:30 pm.

(133 Turk St.) www.dreamqueensrevue.com. A special drag performance to kickoff Pride, with performances by Collette LeGrande, Diva LaFever, Sheena Rose, and more!

Meditation Group – San Francisco Public Library. Free. 12 pm to 12:45 pm. (100 Larkin St.) www.sfpl.org. A weekly meditation group to find inner calmness and peace.

Block Party – Midnight Sun. Free. 9 pm. (4067 18th St.) www. midnightsunsf.com. Enjoy weekly screenings of your favorite music videos.

Concert: “Ripped From The Headlines: Music Celebrating LGBT Stories.”

17th Annual San Francisco Bicycle Music Festival – Golden Gate Park. Free. 12 pm to 5 pm.

(Pioneer East Meadow, Golden Gate Park) www.bicyclemusicfestival.com. The original and world’s largest bicycle music festival, happens in Golden Gate Park with live performances all afternoon.

Jalwa – Club OMG. Free. 10 pm to 2 am. (43 6th St.) www.clubomgsf.com. Enjoy a night of dancing at this unique, Bollywood themed gay bar.

Ojala Benefit Concert – Montclair Women’s Arts Club. $35.

7 pm. (1650 Mountain Blvd., Oakland) www.brownpapertickets. com/event/388008. A benefit concert featuring Goapele, Linda Tillery, Carolyn Brandy, Barbara Higbie and more talent female artists.

I am Harvey Milk – Nourse Theatre. $25-$65. 8 pm. (275 Hayes St.) www.sfgmc.org. The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus proudly celebrate their 35th season with the world premiere of “I am Harvey Milk.”

More listings @

www.sfbaytimes.com

Hick: A Love Story – The Garage. $15. 8 pm. (715 Braynt) www.715bryant.org. A solo performance by Terry Baum to brings the love letters of Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hick to life.

Tour the Marin/Sonoma County Coast/Countryside. We’re calling it Marin French Cheese to Marin French Cheese! A 47 mile loop starting at, you guessed it, Marin French Cheese, outside of Petaluma.

Ride Leader: Laura Frew. For more information, please visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ events/591990824159460/#!/ groups/8105350745/

For more information, See page 10.

Gay Pride Comedy Show – 1772 Market Street. $10. 8 pm to 10 pm. (1772 Market St.) www. facebook.com/hellagaycomedyshow. The Hella Gay Comedy Show presents a special, pride edition of their infamous comedy show.

Glamazone – The Café. Free. 9 pm to 2 am. (2369 Market St.) www.cafesf.com. Enjoy drink specials during the day and drag performances through the evening.

SF Bicycle Coalition’s LGBTQ Meet & Mingle – El Rio. Free. 6 pm to 8 pm. (3158 Mission St.) www.elriosf.com.

Enjoy an evening with bike lovers alike and support efforts to make biking safer for cyclists in the city.

Playwrights’ Center Spring Reading Series – Studio 250.

Free. 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm. (965 BAY T IM ES JUNE 13, 2013

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About Our Front Page Tribute to Pride, Rink Bay T imes welcomes Pr ide 2013 w ith a photo collage of histor ic photos by our legendary photographer Rink. His experience record ing Sa n Fra ncisco’s LGBT c om mu n it y d at e s ba c k over 4 decades and includes t ime spent as a protégé of Supervisor Harvey Milk.

R i n k ’s e x t en s ive c ol le c t ion of i m a g e s h a s b e en d i s pl aye d at e x h ibit s ho s t e d by t he GL B T H i s t or ic a l S o c iet y, SF L GB T Communit y Center and ot hers.

A d ramat ic select ion of images can now be viewed online in the S a n F ra n c i sco: T h e Ma k i n g of A Queer Mecca exhibit on the site of the Leslie + Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art.

the worst moments of the A IDS Pandemic.

• ACT U P marchers are show n during the 1991 Pride Parade.

• A truckload of celebrants has a blast during the 1976 Pride Parade on Polk Street.

• T he I mper ia l C ou r t’s d r u mmer Bobby Pace led friends in a group protesting A nita Br yant’s a nt i- g ay c a mpa ig n i n F lor id a .

Their signage linked Bryant with Adolph Hitler, Stalin, the K K K and Ida Amin.

• Fr iends were photographed at the 1978 Gay Parade Celebration in Civic Center.

Perhaps you remember some of t he moments captured by R in k on our front page? Here’s what they show:

• In 1974, t he f irst large g roup of lesbians to march in the Pride Parade joined in after Super v isor Har vey M ilk persuaded the Pa rade Com m it tee to welcome lesbian participation.

• “ We were here. We a re here.

We have a future.” These haunti ng a nd prophet ic wor d s wer e displayed on a poster in the 1977 San Francisco Pride Parade. The text was later wor n on but tons at t he t ime. T hese dancing act iv ist s sy mbol i zed hope dur i ng

• T he L esbian and Gay H ippie Love-In, held in June of 1970 at H ippie H i l l i n Sa n Fra ncisco’s Golden Gate Park, was the f irst gathering to remember the 1969 S t one w a l l R iot s i n Ne w Yor k Cit y t hat star ted on June 27 of that year.

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Round About – KQED Hero Awards KQED’s 2013 Local Hero Awards at the Castro Theatre featured entertainment by the Voices Lesbian Choral Ensemble, members of the SF Gay Men’s Chorus and emcees Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge. Honorees included Michael V. Discepola, M.A. director, The Stonewall Project, San Francisco AIDS Foundation; Jodi L. Schwartz, executive director, Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center (LYRIC); Dawn Harbatkin, MD executive director, Lyon-Martin Health Services; and Bay Times columnist Stu Smith, executive director Tin Pan Alley Productions.

P HOTO BY RI N K

P HOTO BY S TEV EN U NDER HI L L

P HOTO BY RI N K

P H OTO B Y S T E V E N U N DE R H I L L

P HOTO BY RI N K

P H OTO B Y S T E V E N U N DE R H I L L

P HOTO BY S TEV EN U NDER HI L L

P HOTO BY S TEV EN U NDER HI L L

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(EL DORADO continued from page 4) When Rhode Island became the tenth state to recognize the freedom to marry just six weeks ago, I wrote about the psychological power of the number ten: “Ten states. ‘Ten’ has a significance that goes beyond just being the number that follows nine. Ten has weight. It’s double-digits, it’s two full hands, it’s a number we count by.

There are powers of – and a power in – ten.” A period of ten consecutive years even has its own name, and we romanticize such decades as constituting a significant unit of shared history: “the gay nineties,” “the roar-

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ing twenties,” “80s music,” and even one’s own twenties or thirties.

We think this September would be

One decade after our first date, Jeff and I are about to celebrate a significant milestone of our own shared history. At the same time, we’re awaiting a critical landmark decision in our community’s history. And the two are ineluctably intertwined.

only gift we want, or need, is for the

Although the anniversary of our first date is a meaningful one to commemorate, there’s another we’re even more eager to be able to celebrate: our really-truly-legally-married wedding date.

Tabaco. T hom and Jeff plan to marry

a lovely time to say, “I do.” And the Supreme Court to say, “You may.”

T hom Watson, a leader in the nationwide grassroots organization Marriage Equality USA, lives in Daly City with his f iancé and partner of ten years, Jeff this year, after the U.S . Supreme Court agrees with the lower courts that California’s Prop 8 is unconstitutional.

(SISTER DANA continued from page 11) mances by Metropolitan Community Church Choir, Oakland East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus, Vocal Minority (of the SF Gay Men’s Chorus). Visit AnnualPrideConcert.com or call (415) 779-5428.

6 TH A N NUA L P R IDE K ICKOFF PARTY June 19th, 7-11 pm in the Redwood Room and Velvet Room at the Clift Hotel honors the SF LGBT Community Center and its Pride thru Action Campaign to support its cultural programs and services for youth, the unemployed,

and everyone who visits the Center to celebrate and connect. Hosted by Mark Rhoades. eventbrite.com.

FRAMELINE 37, SF INTERNATIONA L LGBT FILM FESTIVAL runs June 20-30 at the Castro, Roxie, and Victoria Theatres. Go to frameline.org for the lineup, but so far I recommend June 22nd: Lewd & Lascivious: archival footage from the 1950s and ’60s, amidst the era’s anti-war protests - preCompton and pre-Stonewall riots; Concussion, the opening night

Castro gala; C.O.G.: darkly comic David Sedaris story; Big Joy: the adventures of faerie James Broughton; Freddy’s Revenge: Peaches Christ’s wicked rewrite of Nightmare on Elm Street, and June 24, Continental: the Divine Bette Midler at the baths.

Adult flick picks: Scruf and One Thing Leads to Another, titanmen.com.

Sister Dana sez, “I’m so full of Gay Pride, I could barf up a rainbow flag!”

(ROSTOW continued from page 13)

Bring this ad and receive 2 for 1 Napa Valley Tasting at our Yountville Tasting Room 6505 Washington Street, Yountville 707.945.0388

marriage paperwork includes lines for “bride” and “groom.” Recently, Santa Fe officials considered just letting gay couples marry, San Francisco-style if you will, but such weddings would have been contracted in a legal limbo. Our legal eagles sued the state for marriage equality shortly thereafter.

So, keep an eye on New Mexico. It joins Illinois and New Jersey on the threshold of the threshold of marriage equality.

Our column is done for this fortnight, and by my calculation I will next address you on June 27. Will we have turned a corner in our fight for equal-

ity? If we do turn the corner, will we see a finish line, or just another long stretch before us? One thing is sure. I’ll be blathering about the Supreme Court even if they have yet to rule, because I won’t be able to stop myself. arostow@aol.com

(FRAMELINE continued from page 15) There is a sensitive story about parents accepting their gay and transgender children in Melting Away ( June 23, 7:00 pm, Roxie). However, for all its good intentions, this Israeli drama has all the sophistication of a madefor-TV movie. Assaf ’s parents Galya and Shlomo throw their son out of the house when they discover his penchant for women’s clothing. Years later, Galya hires a private investigator to find her son so she can tell him his father is dying. Assaf, now Anna (Hen Yanni), poses as a nurse to care for her father, but this plot—which allows the parent/ child to bond—strains credibility as Anna goes unrecognized by her family members. Shlomo’s brother comes on to Anna. She tries to avoid Galya, and has to deal with Shlomo having a seizure in a shower. It all plays out with a creepi-

ness that undercuts the messages about acceptance and family. An equally soapy subplot features Anna’s gay friend Shimi (Shay Kadimi) and his relationship with his matchmaking, homophobic mother. While there is a nice coming out scene, it too feels a bit contrived.

Melting Away is certainly made to help the older generation to accept the queer youth, but the film reduces its gay characters to good-looking men who kiss in pride parades. Its transgender heroine, an excellent performer on stage, has a complex life that’s then reduced to the simple question of: are you happy?

One of the best films at Frameline this year is I Am Divine ( June 23, 3:30 pm, Castro), a fabulous documentary portrait about the plus-size transvestite. This affectionate film traces Harris

I Am Divine Glenn Milstead’s life from childhood to Hollywood. Excellent interviews and video footage chronicle the underground star’s films with John Waters, stage work with San Francisco’s Cockettes, and his music career, along with talk of doing makeup, eating dog doo, and working with Tab Hunter (twice!).

Fans will especially enjoy his mother’s comments as this larger-than-life cult icon gets the biopic he deserves. © 2013 Gary M. Kramer * See the Bay Times May 30th issue for Part 1 of the Frameline Guide.

Melting Away

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.

(SF PRIDE continued from page 14)

Check out more from the

Bay Times

@ sfbaytimes.com.

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BAY TIMES JUNE 1 3 , 2 0 1 3

porate cash donation to $882,899, and $1,615,550 in secured in-kind donations — a 44% increase over the previously highest rate secured in 2008.

“I am very proud and humbled to lead the team effort of our dedicated volunteer

Board of Directors, community advisory board, and staff and contractors since my tenure began in January to move SF Pride forward,” said Plante. “We are humbled and honored by the goodwill and good faith that our diverse range of local business and corporate partners

has invested in the history and ongoing transformational work of SF Pride. We welcome with great appreciation both returning and new sponsors that help us to produce one of the most celebrated LGBT Pride events in the world.”

OUT Ladies Night Pride Party Bay Times columnist Heidi Beeler and her Dixieland Dykes+3 band mates provided lively tunes to accompany the Ice Cream Social themed June edition of the monthly OUT Ladies Night on the patio at Café Flore. Frameline’s Des Buford and Catherine Brannigan shared Festival Guides and tickets. Dr. Frankie Bashan led her now famous Speed Dating activities, DJ Gray spun tunes indoors and the staff of Café Flore entertained and served all attending.

Bay Times design expert Abby Zimberg and wife Helene Wenzel joined co-publishers Betty Sullivan and Jennifer Viegas in welcoming everyone, including Alameda County’s Judge Tara Flanagan, Nathalie Huerta of The Perfect Sidekick gym in Oakland, Santa Rosa’s own Dedee Rogers and many more who came to enjoy the evening. (Photos by Rink)

BAY T IM ES JUNE 13, 2013

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Round About – Pride Month – All Over Town

Honoree SF City Attorney Dennis Herrera with Stuart Milk at the Marriage Equality USA Awards Reception. (Photo by Rink)

Miss Gay candidate Felicia LaMar and her company performed at Hotel Whitcomb during the Mr & Miss Gay Pageant produced by the SF Imperial Court.

Graduate Dan Espara and Sister Mae Joy at the Castro Ambassadors graduate ceremony held at Jane Warner Plaza (Photo by Rink)

Jezebel Patel was named the new Miss Gay upon winning the competition at Hotel Whitcomb produced by the SF Imperial Court. (Photo by Rink)

Supervisor Scott Wiener spoke in support of LGBTQQ youth at a rally in front of City Hall seeking safety for students at Everett Jr. High School.

(Photo by Rink)

Singer / songwriter Garrin Benfield performing as part of the Live in the Castro performance program (Photo by Rink)

Instagram founders Mike Krieger and Kevin Systrom speaking at The Commonwealth Club’s Inforum event held at the Castro Theatre.

(Photo by Steven Underhill)

Veterans of the long-remembered Fairoaks Inn sponsored by the Center for Sex and Culture included Tom Jackson, Daniel Lyon, Frank Melleno, photograph show curator Gary Freeman, Nikos Diaman and Jerry Orth. The Fairoaks was a bath house during the late 1970s that was noted for welcoming men of color. (Photo by Rink)

Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence were there at Jane Warner Plaza to bless the new graduates of the Castro Ambassadors group, which has as a mission to assist tourists visiting from around the world. (Photo by Rink) 30

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Fairoaks show coordinator Nick Maclerz, Sister Saki Tumi, and Frank Melleno photograph show curator Gary Freeman at the Center for Sex and Culture (Photo by Rink)

Round About – Pride Month – All Over Town

At 92, former Democratic Party Chair Jane Morrison with Cmdr.

Zoe Dunning, current Party Vice Chair, at the Dyke March Benefit.

(Photo by Rink)

Coordinators at the Dyke March Benefit held at Hi Tops. (Photo by Rink)

Partygoers attending the AIDS Emergency Fund (AEF) Tea Dance at Beatbox. (Photo by Rink)

Sister Agnetha Maria of Cologne, Germany, at Castro and 18th Streets, getting ready to ride 545 miles in the AIDS LifeCycle. (Photo by Rink)

Harvey Milk’s nephew Stuart Milk, Donna Sachet and producer Richard Sablatura at the Marriage Equality USA Awards Reception at Chambers Lounge (Photo by Rink).

Ed Toland and AIDS Emergency Fund’s Jonathan Foulk at AEF’s Tea Dance at Beatbox. (Photo by Rink)

Author, poet and musician Angus Whyte introduced his new book, After-Dinner Tales, at Books Inc. (Photo by Rink)

Ingu and Randy installing a Walgreens window display promoting the 15th year of Sundance Saloon.

(Photo by Rink) BAY T IM ES JUNE 13, 2013

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