2013 12 05

When you wish upon a tree... pages 16-17

December 5-18, 2013 | www.sfbaytimes.com

Josh Klipp and Emily Day of the Klipptones page 24

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P H OTO S C OU RT E SY O F RAI N BO W W O R LD F UND

World Tree of Hope

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National News Briefs compiled by Dennis McMillan

Denver, CO - LGBTQ Latinos Face a Broken Bargain in American Workforce - 11.14

NYC, NY - Freedom to Marry Lights Up Times Square with Message of Love - 12.1 Celebrating a year of big wins and marking the need to finish the job, Freedom to Marry installed a new video billboard titled “Love for Everyone” featuring three diverse same-sex families and a message of love and commitment. The billboard will display in Times Square throughout the holiday season up until January 4, 2014. More than 1.5 million people pass through Times Square daily.

According to a new report, A Broken Bargain for LGBT Workers of Color, queer Latinos are among the most disadvantaged workers in America. This groundbreaking report by the Movement Advancement Project (MAP) and a broad spectrum of civil rights organizations finds that LGBTQ Latinos face extraordinarily high rates of unemployment and poverty due to discrimination coupled with a lack of workplace protections, unequal job benefits and taxation, and unsafe, under-resourced U.S. schools.

“With the rapidly expanding importance of digital technology and new media, Freedom to Marry is using every opportunity to communicate our message of fairness for all committed couples and their families,” said Michael Crawford, Freedom to Marry’s digital director. “We’re excited to reach millions of Americans through a unique platform, at a time of year when all of us have love and family on our minds. There’s no better place to draw attention to the freedom to marry – and get more people on the right side of history – than among the visitors from all over the world in the heart of Times Square, in the heart of a freedom to marry state.”

Contrary to some stereotypes about gays and lesbians, LGBTQ workers are more racially diverse than the general population and are also more likely to be raising children. In a 2012 Gallup poll, one in three LGBTQ respondents (33 percent) identified themselves as people of color, compared to 27 percent of non-LGBTQ respondents. In addition, data from the 2010 Census show that LGBTQ people of color are more likely to be raising children than white LGBTQ people; fully one-third of Latinos in same-sex couples are raising children.

The ten-second multimedia ad, which appears once every hour in a rotation, appears on the corner of 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues, and can be viewed on YouTube.com.

Unfortunately, these Latino families face significant hurdles to finding good jobs that provide fair wages and benefits. They are at high risk of becoming homeless, of being unemployed, at significant risk of poverty, are less likely to have health insurance, and are less likely to be out at work.

The stories highlight the different levels of uncertainty faced by same-sex couples across the country that want to marry.

Gail and Audrey receive all the protections of marriage in both states they call home. Daniel and Yohandel are legally married, but their marriage is not recognized in the state where they are building their family. Natalie and Leah are unable to marry in either the old or new state they call home.

The Broken Bargain report details a series of policy recommendations, and thankfully, the Senate took a first step by passing the long overdue ENDA. The bill had an impressive bipartisan vote of 64-32, and if it were allowed to pass the House, it would create federal LGBTQ workplace protections parallel to the protections against anti-Latino discrimination that have existed for nearly 50 years.

Under the three respective clips are the subheadings “Marriage is Love,” “Marriage is Commitment,” and “Marriage is Family.” The final slide ends with a simple phrase: “Love for Everyone: Join the Campaign!”

May the tourists who visit become enlightened by these lights!

Source: freedomtomarry.org

While we wait on Congress to act, President Obama has the legal authority to sign an executive order requiring the companies that profit from federal contracts to adopt LGBTQ workplace protections. Similar executive orders already protect Latino workers from discrimination. LGBTQ contractors deserve the same protections.

Source: huffingtonpost.com

Fort Lauderdale, FL - Tea Party Leader Says Gay Republicans Have Taken over Broward Party - 11.26 Sacramento, CA - Signatures Submitted to Repeal School Success and Opportunity Act - 11.27 Homophobic opponents have submitted signatures in an attempt to overturn the School Success and Opportunity Act at the ballot box. The same people who spearheaded Proposition 8 - Frank Schubert and the National Organization of Marriage - are now going after the most vulnerable members of the LGBTQ community, our youth.

The purpose of the School Success and Opportunity Act (AB 1266) is to explicitly spell out the requirements of existing federal and state law in California statute so school administrators, teachers, parents and students understand their obligations and rights.

Those requirements are that all students in California must be allowed to participate fully in school so they can thrive academically and socially.

These fringe anti-LGBTQ groups have used every dirty trick in the book to collect hundreds of thousands of signatures. By distorting the truth about non-discrimination protections, they were able to scare voters into signing their petitions.

The Secretary of State confirmed that opponents of AB 1266 submitted 614,311 signatures in their effort to overturn the law. Election officials will now verify the submitted signatures to determine if the proponents submitted a sufficient number of valid signatures to qualify the referendum. That process could take up to several months.

Because often times many signatures are invalidated for various reasons, it is unknown whether the referendum will qualify. It is not surprising that the opposition was not able to acquire a comfortable margin to repeal a law that simply makes sure all students know they can have a fair chance to succeed at school. Hopefully fair-minded Californians will see through any attempts to cause confusion about this.

“For many transgender students, having policies in place that ensure all students are able to fully participate in school has been crucial to their success,” says Transgender Law Center Director Masen Davis.

We must stand with our youth to ensure every young person is allowed the chance to thrive.

Source: transgenderlawcenter.org

Richmond, VA - Senator Ebbin Introduces Legislation to Repeal Measure Banning Gay Marriage - 11.26 Virginia State Senator Adam Ebbin, the first openly gay member of the Virginia General Assembly, introduced legislation to repeal the state constitutional amendment that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The measure is a long shot, however, as the state approved the amendment in 2006 with a 57 percent majority. In order to pass the legislation, it would have to pass the General Assembly twice, with an intervening election, then would appear on the ballot in the succeeding general election.

Even gaining first passage in the General Assembly could be the longest of long shots, particularly in the House of Delegates. A companion bill to Ebbin’s has been introduced by Del. Joseph Morrissey (D-Richmond).

In the 2013 session, a similar measure by Del. Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax) failed to make it out of a House subcommittee. There was no companion bill in the state Senate.

When the marriage amendment was approved by the General Assembly in 2006, it passed on votes of 73-22 in the House of Delegates and 29-11 in the state Senate, winning support from a bipartisan mix of legislators. The six members of the Arlington legislative delegation at the time all voted against it.

An email from Danita Kilcullen, co-founder of Tea Party Fort Lauderdale, has caused a new round of agita in the Broward Republican Party. Kilcullen’s email was apparently a response to an email from Andy Eddy of the Broward Log Cabin Republicans, a largely gay group. She said the Log Cabin Republicans are “a thug organization” which has “all but taken over” the Broward Republican Party.

Kilcullen also made clear she does not like the proposed federal law banning discrimination based on sexual orientation.

“We must fight with all we have. We must put pressure on the House like has never been seen before. I’ll be damned if I will ever be forced to hire someone with orange hair, body/neck/face covered with tattoos, multiple piercings, or a man in a dress - or for that matter, a demonstrative effeminate male or purposeful butch-looking female,” denounced Republican committeeman Jim Gleason. “The Log Cabins are the same lobbyist organization that has all but taken over BREC; and besides that, we have someone on the Board of BREC who is using her position to openly put pressure on some BREC members to stand for same-sex marriage.”

Gleason rattled on, “Keep in mind, this is a thug organization with only their own ‘special interests’ in play. I wonder what they will do with Democrat Charlie Crist now running for governor? I’m betting on them to vote for Charlie, along with some other mousey Republicans.”

While the measure passed statewide in 2006 with 57.1 percent of the vote, a majority of voters in local jurisdictions opposed it. The vote against was 73.8 percent in Arlington, 70.1 percent in Alexandria, 69.2 percent in Falls Church and 54.2 percent in Fairfax County. Voters in Loudoun and Prince William counties supported the measure with majorities of 54 percent and 61.7 percent, respectively.

A press release from the national Log Cabin Republicans further riled the Teabaggers, praising Senate passage of legislation to ban employment discrimination against gays and lesbians: “Undoubtedly, the Republican Party is going through a cultural shift as more Republican legislators consistently step up for LGBT Americans. LCR believes this momentum already existing in the Party will help propel this bill to the House floor.”

Okay, so it’s a long shot. But let’s give it a shot!

Let’s hear it for Log Cabin and those “mousey Republicans!”

Source: sungazette.net

Source: sun-sentinel.com

Local News Briefs Historic Safer Sex Posters Now on Display at Center for Sex & Culture

Milk-Moscone March Brought Attention to Housing Evils, Including Ellis Act Evictions

The Center for Sex & Culture in San Francisco held a reception on World AIDS Day for “Safe Sex Bang: the Buzz Bense Collection of Safe Sex Posters.” Co-organized by CSC gallery curator Dorian Katz and New York-based writer and curator Alex Fialho, in close collaboration with Bense, the exhibition runs now through January 31, 2014.

The Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club produced the 35th Annual Milk & Moscone Rally and March in honor of slain Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone, with the overall theme of housing evils. At the Harvey Milk Plaza rally, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence pointed out that “the current high tech gold rush and wave of economic and cultural Darwinism sweeping the City threatens to destroy our diversity.”

Bense is a veteran safer-sex activist in the battle against HIV and STDs. He has collected and produced safer sex posters aimed at members of the queer community since the mid-1980s. In March 2012, Bense donated his collection to CSC of over 150 unique posters, accumulated primarily during his time as a graphic designer with various safer sex advocacy groups and as founder of the San Francisco safer sex club Eros. Circulated at a moment when the queer community experienced the initial ravages brought on by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, these posters comprise a striking aesthetic collection of graphically innovative design that explicitly visualizes diverse LGBTQ communities and safer sex activism.

“These posters do more than chart the tragedy of an epidemic, of an outsider community reeling from grief, loss, and the decimation of a blooming culture of sexual liberation,” says Bense.

“The history of these posters is a story of a fight against stigma, hatred and ignorance; of a community stepping up to take care of its own; of finding a way to extinguish fear and build pride and self-esteem; and of devoted efforts of committed activists to communicate a path to health and survival.”

The exhibit spans from 1982 into the 2000s, from San Francisco to New York City, stateside, and internationally to Australia, Germany, Denmark and Canada. Highlights of the exhibition include the “Play Fair!” brochure produced by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence in 1982, considered “the first queer positive, safer-sex pamphlet” (on loan from the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco).

CSC is located at 1349 Mission Street. Gallery hours: Monday 11:30 am - 3:30pm and by appointment.

They said the world needs our weird and kooky artistic innovators, writers, poets, performers, and dreamers. The Cockettes, Angels of Light, Cycle Sluts, Doris Fish & Tippi, Flower Children, Janis Joplin and the 1960’s rockers, Beatniks and beat poets like Ginsberg and Ferlinghetti, founders of The Sisters, and Harvey Milk helped build this community and have added to the diversity and richness of this City. But they never could have afforded to live here today.

The Sisters led the crowd of about one thousand strong in their “Rosary of Housing Evils,” in a call & response, “Save us from the speculators!” They pointed out evictions are up 170%, and “we need to repeal the Ellis Act, unfairly evicting the disadvantaged; we must defend the eviction of Jeremy Mykaels, a disabled long-term Castro resident; we should extend rent control to ALL rental and commercial units; one person’s rent controlled apartment is NOT another person’s TIC or condo.”

Statistics do not lie: 3,705 families were evicted from their homes since 1997; 29% of homeless are queer; 40% of LGBTQ seniors can’t afford their rent; 40% of homeless youth are queer; rents have risen 21% this year; evictions are at a 12 year high; and a vacant building can sell for twice the price of an occupied one.

This was reason to gather in Harvey Milk Plaza to hear stunning speeches from riveting speakers, as well as the SF Gay Men’s Chorus singing inspirational numbers. A candlelight march down Market Street to City Hall included words of inspiration there from MILK movie screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, and a recorded message from Milk, “You Gotta Give ‘Em Hope,” perfectly concluded the evening.

Story by Dennis McMillan

Story by Dennis McMillan BAY T IM ES DEC EM BER 5, 2013

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Round About – Light in the Grove & World AIDS Day Photos by Rink

The National AIDS Memorial Grove was the site for two annual events remembering all whose lives have been touched by AIDS. On Saturday evening, November 30, the Light in the Grove celebration included an evening of performance, light installation, and a program featuring The Grove’s supporters, staff and honoree Tim Hanlon of Wells Fargo Foundation.

Activities on Sunday, December 1, marked the observance of World AIDS Day 2013, and included a ceremony honoring Phill Wilson of the Black AIDS Institute and, posthumously, Franco Beneduce, who was a lifelong activist and visionary creator of Light in the Grove.

Attendees with candles walking to the Circle of Friends

Honoree Tim Hanlon receiving a proclamation from Senator Mark Leno

Guests placed candles at the Circle of Friends during Light in the Grove.

Light in the Grove light display by Randall Schiller

Light in the Grove co-chairs Larry Hashbarger, Laura Heffron and Patrick Smith Tributes at the Circle of Friends

Grove board member Marcy Fraser with honoree Phill Wilson

Honoree Franco Beneduce, posthumous recipient of the Local Unsung Hero Award, was represented by his mother and his brother who spoke during the ceremony.

A red ribbon decorated the entrance sign at the National AIDS Memorial Grove.

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Velocity Circus dancers at the National AIDS Memorial Grove’s Light in the Grove annual benefit on November 30

Activists Brian Vouglas and Richard Shadoian checked out quilts at the National AIDS Memorial Grove World AIDS Day Ceremony on December 1.

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Round About - Harvey Milk 35th Anniversary Ceremony, March & Rally Photos by Rink

On the Eve of Thanksgiving this year, Wednesday, November 27th, the 35th Anniversary of the deaths of Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone were observed.

The planned commemoration on the steps of San Francisco City Hall, with Senator Mark Leno serving as emcee, included remarks by city officials, Stuart Milk representing the Milk Foundation, and a performance by members of the SF Gay Men’s Chorus. Following the ceremony at City Hall, participants marched to the Castro for a rally at Harvey Milk Plaza. Speakers called for assistance for homeless LGBT community members and for an end to evictions.

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Real Estate and Design

P H OTO B Y SE R G I U B AC I O I U

The Ripple Effect

Real Estate Mark Penn “The direction of a big act will warp history, but probably all acts will do the same thing in their degree, down to a stone stepped over in a path or a breath caught at the sight of a pretty girl or a finger nail nicked in the garden soil.” John Steinbeck, East of Eden We’ve heard ad nauseum about finger pointing and blaming concerning who was responsible for the government shutdown in October. It probably depends on your own personal politics as to which side of the argument you line up on, but one thing is clear: The effect that the shutdown had on the entire system of our economy is not simple to measure. Sure, all of the experts and pundits can attach a figure to the estimated amount of revenue that was lost, but there are continuing, far-reaching ripples and intricacies.

Drilled down to the reality of rubbermeets-road real estate, the govern-

ment shutdown impacts were significant. For example, if you were a conventionally “financed” buyer, and were scheduled to close an escrow in early October, you were very likely delayed, as the provision of income tax documentation, a key service provided by the IRS to major lenders, was not available during the shutdown. Delaying these escrows had a noticeably immediate effect as lenders, REALTORs® and their clients all scrambled to find alternatives to their contractual obligations. This type of influence can’t really be measured, but almost all buyers with a financed real estate transaction and their industry professionals were temporarily forced into crunch mode.

future, be it on a large or a personal scale, one is far less likely to venture into the pool of risk surrounding the sale or purchase of one of the biggest assets someone will ever own.

An exception is if you were a cash buyer. If that applies to you, it’s very possible that you felt little if any impact from the October antics. If you were an investor purchasing government-owned property (foreclosures in particular), however, you almost certainly were delayed in the completion of your transaction.

As Steinbeck intimated, in our world there is no action, regardless of size, that doesn’t impact something else.

There are few facets more dependent on other driving factors than the world of real property ownership. Big picture or small, we live on a planet driven by consequences.

Another difficult to measure impact was the hit taken by consumer confidence, and what that does to the psyche of home buying. We do know that sales statewide were down in October. We also know that much of that decline is attributed to the resultant decrease in consumer confidence driven by the government shutdown and related events. After all, if one feels uncertain about the economic

A Bay Area native, Mark Penn has been a REALTOR® with Coldwell Banker since 2004. He is also active in animal welfare, and is a former educator, facilitator, and air traffic controller. Mark can be reached at mark@MyHomeInSonoma.com.

ourselves that seeks validation and is crushed when we don’t get it.

of cocoa. The big smile he gave me warmed my heart.

I was asked by a dear friend to accompany her to a church this Thanksgiving to serve meals. I did not know what to expect. However, I was very excited because I’ve never done anything like this before. Tables were neatly arranged to seat six and were covered with colorful cloths with autumnal centerpieces featuring small pumpkins and gourds. Volunteers were assigned to teams of order takers, runners, and servers, with four tables given to each team. I decided to be a server, which gave me the opportunity to assist the order takers by getting plates of food and bringing them to the tables. I also got to meet and greet folks, and pay close attention to their needs.

Although I was not with my biological family members this holiday, I can honestly say that I felt like a part of a bigger family this time. At one point, I felt like I was serving at a fine restaurant with the warmest, kindest, most grateful clientele ever. When I looked around the room, I experienced deep stirrings of gratitude and joy, empathy and compassion.

Joy! Joy! Joy!

Speak Up! Speak Out! Laugh Often!

Karen Williams Tis the season to be...

Joyful? Just how am I supposed to do that? Or be that? What is joy anyway?

I have to admit that I am happy when I get the things I want, or get to be with someone with whom I want to share my time and energy. I feel rapture when I have a new love or get another car. (I’ve had 47 of them and I still get excited!) I can even feel ecstasy when more money mystically falls into my lap. But joy...that’s an elusive one and I have finally figured out why.

True joy has nothing to do with me and my wants and needs or desires. I get to experience joy when I do something for someone else without any expectation of something in return.

It really is that simple. Yet giving without expecting to receive is challenging to our lesser ego, the part of 8

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Deeply touched by the generosity of spirit and love that permeated the dining room, I immersed myself in the environment...listening, sharing, encouraging, laughing. There was plenty of food and the server crew packed up bundles of take-away packages for those present and for shutins who were unable to take part in the Thanksgiving meal. And what a delicious meal it was! Roasted turkey with all the fixings, green beans, beets, mashed and sweet potatoes, and a special dessert of pumpkin pie and whipped cream. One little fellow put so much whipped cream in his cup of hot chocolate that he could only manage a bite or two of dinner. Along with his packaged meal, I sent him home with an extra packet

These people are me. I have felt alone or like no one cared about me. I’ve had hard times and somehow made it through. Although I’d thought that I was there to do something for someone, everyone in that room helped me feel a little more connected to them and to that universal spirit that connects all of us.

So the next time I want to feel joy, I know what to do: I plan to step out of myself and do something for someone else, just because it feels so good! In fact, I know where I’ll be this Christmas Eve! Karen Williams lives to create more joy in the world. Enjoy life with her. karen@sfbaytimes.com.

Real Estate and Design Gifts and Gadgets for the Home Remodeler

J EF F REY _BIL HUBER’S_DESIGN _BASIC

Project Remodel Jim Tibbs I am always on the lookout for ways to simplify and streamline the design and remodeling process. The technology and information age has come to the rescue with a plethora of apps,

selections include real paints from Behr, Benjamin Moore, and other well-known brands.

B o o k s: T he m a r k e t h a s b e e n f lo o d e d r e c e nt l y w it h i nt er ior design books that vary in quality and usefulness. Many of them are over pr iced tomes t hat a re more focused on promoting a designer than of fering helpful advice. The books that have become my go-to sources for inspirat ion are Decorating Master Class by Elissa Cullman and Tracey Pullman, Jef frey Bilhuber’s Design Basics and Dar yl Carter’s T he New Traditional.

websites, books and gadgets that make the task an easier one. This is an edited list of my favorites, many of which make great gifts for anyone who is into home design and remodeling on a small or large scale.

Websites: Setting up accounts on Pinterest and Houzz for the home design enthusiast in your family is def initely a gift that keeps on giving. P interest is a user-fr iend ly, virtual corkboard site where you can collect images and ideas that you f ind on the Web. Houzz is a site w it h an inspir ing col lect ion of inter ior desig n ideas that can be org a n i zed i nto Ideabook s to suit your personal taste and project needs. Both sites have quickly become i nd ispensable to homeow ner s a nd home i mprovement professionals.

Apps: Photo Measures for iPhone a nd i Pa d ($ 5. 9 9) a nd D - P hot o Measures for Android are similar apps that let you take a photograph of a room on your phone or tablet and mark it up with measurements for future reference. Video Painter for iOS is one of the best virtual wall paint apps available.

It lets you take a picture or video of a room and virtually paint it a new color. The colors in the preview image look accurate and the

Software: Most people hire a designer, architect or contractor to draw the plans for their project, but it can be a real money-saver to do some preliminary drawings on your own before hiring a professional. The Urban Barn Room Planner is a web-based program that allows you to create a furniture plan for ever y room in your home. Autodesk Homest yler is a fa st a nd ea s y way to create 2D and 3D drawings of a single room or your entire house.

Hopefully you will f ind these remodeling tips and tools extremely helpful and also fun to use.

J im T ibbs is the creative director of HDR Remodeling. If you would like to learn more, please read his blog at ht t p:// h dr re mod elin g.wordpress .com or follow him on Twitter @ HDRremodeling1.

G adget s: My st a r ter k it of re model ing gadgets includes a d ig it a l c a mer a , i Pa d or t ablet , a st a nda rd t ape mea su re a nd a level. These are items that most of us already own. I recommend supplementing the starter kit with a la ser “t ape mea su re” t hat a llows one person to take accurate room dimensions with a handheld la ser dev ice a nd a const r uct ion calculator that manages all of the dimension conversions into feet, inches, yards and meters with the touch of a but ton. My favor ites are the DeWA LT Laser Distance Measurer ( DW030P) and the Calcu lated I ndust r ies Const r uct ion Master Pro Calculator (4065).

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Avoid Post-Holiday Emptiness by Filling Your Spirit, Not Just Your Shopping Bag a curated constellation of images, words and sensations meant to grab our attention and convince us that our lives are not complete without this or that product. We become, in a word, consumers, and the machine of commercial enterprise goes into overdrive to keep us there.

Kim Corsaro Publisher 1981-2011

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

The thing, though, about consuming in this way is that it becomes its own end. It tells us a story about ourselves that isn’t entirely true, that we were made to consume. The goal, after all, of consuming stuff, of buying the hottest products, is, in fact, to buy more stuff, the next must-have thing. We often feel empty at the end of the holiday season because, even though so much of our energy is de-

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The Bay Times was the first newspaper in California, and among the first in the world, to be jointly and equally produced by lesbians and gay men. We honor our history and the paper’s ability to build and strengthen unity in our community.

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Guest Editorial The Rev. Jude Harmon The holidays are a time of great merrymaking, of giving and receiving wonderful gifts, throwing fabulous parties, and reconnecting with old family and friends, but they can also be a source of great anxiety. Gucci, Keurig, Kindle, iPad…keeping up with the Joneses isn’t cheap, especially with San Francisco’s skyrocketing rents and rapid gentrification. In our LGBT image-conscious, branddriven communities, many of us work multiple jobs or put in extra hours to make ends meet, or to be the glittering icons of ‘the good life’ that pop culture seems all too eager to tell us we should be.

No time of the year do we feel greater pressure to capitulate to this image of ourselves than in the frenetic shopping cycle from Black Friday to New Year’s Day, especially in this new age where it is increasingly fashionable to support “equality.”

Corporations stake entire marketing strategies on nabbing the Pink Dollar during this critical retail moment. We are bombarded from every side with

voted to keeping this dynamo going, we sense deep inside that we were made for more. And that’s because we are.

We are not only creatures of flesh and blood, who need to consume to survive; we are also spiritual creatures, who need inspiration to thrive. This is why it’s so important to seek out places like Grace Cathedral, which invite us into a far more honest, whole and fulfilling understanding of ourselves, not as consumers principally, but as dreamers and visionaries. To break free of the market image of who we ought to be, we must saturate ourselves in a counter-vision that holds out a different image – an

image of our humanity as sacred, valuable beyond the money we make and the stuff we acquire. Giving ourselves space to dream, allowing our eyes to lift from the store window to the heavens, to hear the ancient songs dance in our ears can actually be the most valuable gift we receive in this season.

Have yourself a Grace Cathedral Christmas. In the midst of hours spent pouring over online catalogues, or standing in line for that special gift, take time to indulge your soul in this season of intoxicating beauty and dazzling darkness. Discover deepening mystery and pregnant hope in Britten’s cantata, St. Nicolas, during our Christmas concerts. Allow yourself to be caught up in the soaring majesty of our Christmas services. Whoever you are, wherever you are on your spiritual journey, know that in Grace Cathedral you have a place beyond the din of the marketplace, a home where you are truly welcome to learn, to pray, to play and to grow into the full image of your sacred self.

Christmas at Grace Cathedral: gracecathedral. org/Christmas T he Rev. Jude Harmon is a Minor Canon at San F ra n c i sco’s G ra ce C at h e dral , wh e re h e ove rsees young adult and e me rg ing mini str i es. Hi s background includes time with the Society of St John the Evangelist , internships at New England’s largest day shelter, St. Francis House, and at St. Mark’s on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C ., and ser vice as a Mission Partner in the Diocese of Haiti. Jude, an out gay man, was educated at Haverford College, Harvard Divinity School and Virginia T heological Seminary.

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Writers Rink, Sister Dana Van Iquity, Ann Rostow, Kirsten Kruse, Kate Kendell, Pollo del Mar, Heidi Beeler, K. Cole, Gary M. Kramer, Dennis McMillan, Tom Moon, Paul E. Pratt, Terry Baum, Gypsy Love, Rafael Mandelman, Shelley MacKay, Kit Kennedy, Leslie Katz, Karen Williams, Gary Virginia, Stu Smith, Zoe Dunning, Jim Tibbs, Mark Penn, Marcy Adelman, Stuart Gaffney & John Lewis Brandon Miller & Joanne Jordan, Kippy Marks, Naomi Jay, Jamie Leno Zimron Photographers Rink, Dennis McMillan, Steven Underhill, Phyllis Costa, Cathy Blackstone, Robert Fuggiti, Bill Wilson

Macy’s 24th Great Tree Lighting Ceremony in Union Square included the giant Christmas tree, a menorah lit for Hanukkah, and wreaths in store windows shimmering in the background. The program included live music, dance performances and special appearances by singer Judith Hill (from The Voice), the Glide Ensemble, SF Boys Choir and Make-A-Wish Ambassador Shelby Miguel. (Photo by Steven Underhill)

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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 Company Co-owned by Betty L. Sullivan & Jennifer L. Viegas Reprints by permission only.

Stu Smith Gary Virginia, President of San Francisco Pride’s Board of Directors, says that he fell in love at first sight with San Francisco when he first moved to the city in the late 1980’s. That passion has helped to fuel years of activism and charitable efforts in our community. He is easy on the eyes too, having won Mr. SF Leather in 1996.

In 1996, he co-created the annual Pride Brunch with Donna Sachet.

Born and raised north of Pittsburgh, PA, Gary attended Duquesne University, where he later worked before taking on a job at the University of Charleston. That experience led to a position at San Francisco State Uni-

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GV: I come from a blue collar, tightknit family and was taught from an early age to help other people. My extended family are the type of people who make cakes for colleagues’ birthdays, collect money for people in need, help others with repairs, make food for funerals, weddings, holidays and more. My love of food today stems from my mother and relatives who are excellent cooks and bakers.

My father left my mother and our family when I was 14 years old and that had a lasting impact on me. My mother took on three full-time jobs to keep a roof over our heads and sustain us.

SS: Who have been your key mentors?

GV: It’s hard to name one mentor who inspires me for there have been so many. Charmaine Kanoza-Strong was Assistant Dean of Students at Duquesne University during my three years as a student there. The Dean and Associate Dean were a lesbian and gay man. The three of them were early mentors. Colleagues like Rich Mahoney at Duquesne, Kent Sumrall at SFSU and Michael Archer at La-

haina Galleries all taught me professional skills and ethics. I’ve been volunteering since my college days, so it’s a natural extension to keep it going.

There will always be those in need, and service is its own reward. What you share, you strengthen, and I believe in building good karma. Other mentors have included spiritual ones like Rev. Matt Garrigan and healer George Melton, and leather community leaders like Lenny Broberg, Ray Tilton, Don Ho Tse and the late Alan Selby. My six years on the board of Positive Resource Center provided powerful mentors like Susan Fahey, Zoe Borkowski, Bob Emerson and Susan Christy. Currently I learn a lot from contemporaries like Tommi Avicolli-Mecca, Donna Sachet, Tom Ammiano, Patrik Gallineaux, Gypsy Love and Wanda Whitakker.

SS: If you could solve or fix a community problem, what would it be?

GV: While tempted to say providing housing as a fundamental right, the one problem I would want to fix in the Bay Area would be to find a cure for AIDS. I say this not only as a 25year survivor, but also for the 16,000 survivors in San Francsico and the 1.1 million Americans living with HIV/ AIDS. Globally, 35 million people have died of AIDS, and about 34 million people are living with HIV (end of 2011). Can you imagine what a cure would mean to the millions depen-

Gary Virginia

dent on expensive life-saving drugs, to the global workforce and economy?

I’m determined to “Be Here for the Cure” as the slogan read on t-shirts decades ago.

SS: What achievement are you most proud of?

GV: My proudest achievement is probably earning my college degree.

I was the first in my extended families to earn a degree and it represented great sacrifice by my family. Growing up I was an insecure yet curious kid: tall, skinny, big ears, buck teeth, glasses by age six and braces for six years starting at age nine. I cut grass and cleaned my neighbor’s pool as a teen, and have been working legally since age 16. Even after having fullblown AIDS in 1995, I worked for a year until going on disability. Three months after that, I was back to work(continued on page 30)

Fortnight in Review

By Ann Rostow Corporations…Corporations Who Love Corporations Hello dear readers. The holiday GLBT news lull continues on its meandering drift towards Twelfth Night, and yet we are not completely becalmed. Indeed, the High Court has just accepted a couple of cases that may not directly involve gay rights, but will certainly have a major impact on our community’s legal position in the future. So much so, in fact, that I would have expected every GLBT newspaper, blog and website to cover this story with a rainbow blanket.

And yet? The blockbuster is ignored!

But fear not. The San Francisco Bay Times will never shirk its duty to keep you up to date on any and all gaysignificant nuances in constitutional jurisprudence, and this time, there’s more than a nuance at stake.

Last week, the Supreme Court agreed to decide whether or not a for-profit corporation has the same right to religious expression as a person under the First Amendment. The issue at hand is the obligation to provide insurance for the full range of contraception under Obamacare, but it could just as easily involve the duty to welcome gay customers under a state antidiscrimination law.

The legal underpinnings are basically identical. Under a fairly recent law (passed in the early 1990s), the state may not infringe upon our religious comings and goings without a compelling interest, and even then, the trespass must be narrowly targeted towards that interest. Think drug laws that prevent you from your favorite peyote ritual. Or maybe our recent example of laws against handling venomous snakes in church— a policy now under court challenge in Tennessee.

Certainly, no state authority could force you to take contraceptives, particularly those that might prevent an egg from implanting in the uterus after fertilization. But can the state force a company to offer health insurance that includes this option? What if the company’s officers think it’s wrong?

What if the company’s objections are founded on religious beliefs? If the answer is no, then surely a company also has the right to ignore gay rights laws for faith-based reasons.

Maybe “surely” is too strong, because there’s also a case to be made that gay bias is not a valid “religious belief,” any more than racial prejudice can be justified by scripture. But let’s just say that a Supreme Court ruling that recognizes corporate personhood for the purposes of religious expression is not an opinion any of us would welcome.

Many commentators have scoffed at the notion that a corporation is a person, but corporations certainly have constitutional rights, and commercial speech has always been given First Amendment protection. That said, it’s always been far less expansive than the protection accorded to an individual speaker. That limitation appeared to be, shall we say, “relaxed” under Citizens United, the ruling that allowed corporations to pour zillions of dollars into the political coffers under the guise of Free Speech.

Given the precedent of Citizens United, some fear the Roberts Court will be only too happy to bend the rules for conservative companies like Hobby Lobby and their likeminded buddies at some Mennonite furniture company who are also suing for religious exemption to the Affordable Care Act. At the appellate level, Hobby Lobby won their case at the Tenth Circuit, while the Mennonites lost at the Third Circuit. Or maybe the reverse. Let’s just say there was a split between the two appellate courts, which probably inspired the justices to accept review.

The core problem with laws that purport to lift religious expression high and above the secular rules and regulations that serve society as a whole is this: Who decides what specif ic form of religious expression deserves a transcendent status? As I implied before, the notion that “gays are evil,” is not a tenet of any religion. It’s a traditional attitude that is linked to, but not intrinsic to, various conservative faiths.

Likewise, when is a feature of religious expression a deal breaker, like eating kosher meals, and when is it a superficial gimmick, like wanting to wear a kitchen strainer on your head for your driver’s license because you’re a Pastafarian? Don’t get me wrong.

I love the Pastafarians, who worship the Spaghetti Monster and drink beer every Friday, but can they claim First Amendment protection? Indeed, they were created to test exactly this kind of conundrum, and in at least one case they have won the right to wear strainers for their license photos. That may have been in Europe, but the question remains. Who decides these things?

Who picks and chooses between the Wiccans and the peyote guys, and the Christians and the Muslims, and all the people who might define their own personal religious mandates?

The dilemma is tough enough when individuals are involved, but throw in corporations and we’ll have a real nightmare. Meanwhile, I should mention that Britain’s highest court has just ruled against an innkeeper who wanted to ban gay couples from sharing a room. And I know you remember the case of the photographer in New Mexico who wanted to ignore state antidiscrimination laws and refuse service for a gay commitment ceremony. That case is on appeal to the Supreme Court, but the justices have yet to decide whether to take review.

Two other cases are in various stages of litigation: a baker in Colorado and a florist in Washington. And I have no doubt that there are others on the list.

All Aboard!

Speaking of the High Court, I read somewhere that they have accepted even fewer cases than usual for this winter, a decline that follows a trend of accepting fewer and fewer petitions in general. I’m sure they have their reasons, but then I wonder when I learn that they have just heard oral arguments on the trenchant question of whether or not an airline can dump a “platinum” VIP club member simply because he complains incessantly about every little thing.

The answer may be yes. Apparently airlines have a lot of control over their customer dealings. Frankly I don’t care whether the answer is yes or no. I only care whether or not they’re making the best use of their valuable time.

Actually, I do care. I sort of hope the whiner gets dumped. Apparently, he’s lodged 24 official complaints against Northwest Airlines over the past eight months, and tried to demand undeserved discounts and other perks that go well beyond his platinum status. I hate people like this. Litigious, arrogant, and obsessed with petty accoutrements of success. Plus, he’s a rabbi!

Isn’t there something in the Torah about this kind of frivolous nitpicking?

And what is it with these airline categories? Have you flown recently? Have you noticed that there’s a lengthening list of people who can board first? I think the kids still go first, or maybe the First Class passengers. But then come the platinum people, followed by the gold people, followed by the priority-boarding people, followed by the special club people. Now, they’ve stuck active military people into the mix at some point, as well as people without carry-on luggage.

Yet everyone still hangs around in a big anxious crowd, waiting for their designation to be called so they can

Professional Services rush into the packed jet the very first chance they get. Why not sit back and wait until most people are gone and then board? Are people afraid someone will take their seat? The specific numbered seat that is already assigned and printed on their boarding pass?

I may have previously mentioned the height of boarding mania. And that is the phenomenon of Southwest passengers who obtain an “A” pass and proceed to stand in the “A” line, up to an hour before the plane is scheduled. Presumably they went to great lengths to get the early seating in order to make their trip a little bit nicer.

But instead of taking advantage of a guaranteed position, they impose an added and unnecessary hardship on themselves, for what reason? In order to be three rows closer to the front? Is that worth an hour on their feet?

Would you give up a perfectly good Bloody Mary for that? I wouldn’t. Let alone the two or three that I could down if given sixty minutes in an airport bar. (There’s something about airports that nullifies all the rules on drinking.)

Divorce, Gay Style Moving right along, I see that a state court judge in Mississippi has denied a divorce to two lesbians who married in California in 2008. According to press reports, the judge seemed sympathetic to the women’s plight, but was hamstrung by the state’s antigay amendment that considers same-sex marriages void.

We have the same problem in Texas, where the state supreme court has recently heard arguments on two gay divorce cases, but where antigay blowhards, um, lawyers from the Attorney General’s office, insist our marriages are also void from the start. There’s another divorce case pending in Kentucky, and you may recall that Wyoming surprised everyone a couple of years ago by actually allowing a gay divorce to proceed. That said, unlike Mississippi, Texas and Kentucky, the Brokeback State has no amendment defining marriage and no statute that specifically bars recognition of samesex marriage.

There are a number of legal side streets in the fight for marriage equality that can theoretically lead us to victory, and divorce is one of them.

Our main routes, of course, are to argue our constitutional rights, either to marriage under the Due Process Clause, or to equal treatment under the Equal Protection Clause. But we now have dozens of active cases around the country, and several of them target tangential issues.

Can we divorce? Can we sue for loss of consortium if our civil union partner died from malpractice before we had the right to marry? Even if we can’t marry in our state, can our out of state marriage be recognized? Can it be recognized for the purposes of a death certif icate? How about for a death benefit from a private employer?

Some of these indirect suits may turn out to be detours towards equality.

But others may be shortcuts, and still others may serve to weaken marriage discrimination, even if they don’t defeat it completely. I thought it significant that long before we triumphed over Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, federal bankruptcy laws were effectively allowed to recognize same-sex couples. Why? Because the process of disentangling joint estates was simply too cumbersome for bankruptcy court and not fair to the creditors either.

That change f lew under the radar and it’s possible that many instances of marriage recognition will fly under the radar as well. A divorce in Wyoming. A death certif icate in Ohio. (continued on page 30)

Read more @www.sfbaytimes.com and check us out on Twitter and Facebook.

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World Tree of Hope 2013 The World Tree of Hope is the largest origami decorated holiday tree in the world, standing 25 feet tall and decorated with over 12,000 origami cranes and stars. Each is hand-folded and inscribed with wishes for the future of the world. Over 300 people come together, donating more than 2,500 hours to create the tree. We thank these volunteers as well as the creators from Rainbow World Fund. RWF presents the tree as a gift from the LGBT and friends community to the world. The tree will be on display through December in the Rotunda of San Francisco City Hall. We encourage you to visit this beautiful symbol of global unity and to make your own wish.

Rainbow World Fund president Karen Kai decorating the tree this year

“I dare to wish for a world in which people live in harmony with each other and with the natural world.”

- Dame Jane Goodall

Volunteers raise the 2013 World Tree of Hope in San Francisco City Hall

“I wish for a world where all people are treated with dignity, respect and equality - no matter who you are or whom you love.”

Rainbow World Fund’s Jeff Cotter and origami artist Linda Mihara

“My wish is for more justice for all of us– economic justice as well as social justice– starting with the recognition that poverty is not a sin.”

- Dorothy Allison, Author

- Hillary Clinton, Former US Secretary of State

“My wish is to live in a society where marriage equality is a reality for all & where American families are treated with respect and dignity.”

- Nancy Pelosi. US Congresswoman

It takes a village to create the tree. Origami folders for the tree included the American Indian Culture and Spirit Group from San Quentin Prison.

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The AIDS ribbon in origami, created by Karen Kai, placed next to the bust of Supervisor Harvey Milk at SF City Hall

Photos by William Lee

Chris Olsen decorating the 2007 Tree of Many Colors

“I wish it will snow in the morning so nobody does not have to go to school for 2 weeks!”

“My wish is for us all to stop waiting on others to right the wrongs of our time and instead turn to the leader in the mirror. It is only by tapping into our own leadership potential that we can remake the world.”

- Michael, 13 Long Island, New York

- Arianna Huff ington, Author, Syndicated Columnist and Commentator

Everything Is Born From Hope

By Jeff Cotter W hat does t he hol iday season mean to you? For me, it is about spending time with friends, ref lecting on the past year’s achievements and shortcomings, but most of all it is about hope.

In my personal life and as the Execut ive Director of Rainbow World Fu nd , I have come to respect the power of hope. Hope is a deep emotion – that what we want, what we dream, can be had. It is what gets us out of bed every morning. It is what keeps us going. No matter where one lives, or what language one speaks, or belief system one has – we all have hope. I believe it is the most power-

ful energy in the world, the glue that holds things together. All mankind shares this and it is magical.

Through Rainbow World Fund’s humanitarian work internationally on behalf of the LGBT community, I have been witness to the power of hope in people’s lives. I have seen people living in the most desperate circumstances with very few resources making positive changes – with just a little support – improving their children’s lives and their communities’ lives. Rainbow World Fund’s support gives hope by letting people know that someone cares. That alone is very powerful.

When we visit projects and communities it can give people a sense of dignity and value – a feeling that they matter and are not alone. I have

come to learn that, besides providing humanitarian aid, it is equally important if not more so to foster a spirit of hope in people’s lives.

Eight years ago, I realized that it was just as important to foster the energy of hope at home in the US. I was not sure how to do that, but I have always liked art and I realized that it was a great way to reach people. My boyfriend at the time introduced me to the story of Sadako Sasaki, the little girl whose journey and death several years after the bomb was dropped in Hiroshima led to the crane becoming a symbol of world peace.

Sadako was two when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. She was home, about one mile from ground zero. Several years

Gay & Lesbian Families by Wyatt, Age 8

End the War by Eli

World Peace by Millie

Clean Water by Charlotte, Age 10

“A world for our children more just, more fair, and more kind than the one we know now.”

- President Barack Obama later, she developed the disease of the bomb, leukemia. While in the hospital, a friend brought her an origami crane and taught Sadako the Japanese legend that the folder of 1000 cranes is granted a wish. Sadako started folding, but grew weaker with time and passed away 356 cranes short of her goal. Her classmates folded the rest. All 1000 were buried with Sadako. On the wings of the cranes, Sadako would write messages. One deeply profound message read, “I will write peace on your wings and you will f ly all over the world.” Her hope, strength and determination have inspired millions.

I was touched that this little girl’s wish transformed from self-healing to healing for the whole world. Fiftyone years after her death, the first World Tree of Hope was created.

We create the tree each year as a symbol of global unity to promote

peace, love and humanitarianism.

We give the tree as a gift from the LGBT community to the world.

Our hope at Rainbow World Fund is that the tree will inspire people to think more deeply about their role in bringing about positive change in the world and will challenge people to get further involved and turn their intentions into actions to help heal the world.

My wish for 2014 is that we will all start to live more fully in the knowledge that we are really One Human Family. That is the philosophy that informs everything we do at Rainbow World Fund.

What is your wish?

Jeff Cotter is the Executive Director of Rainbow World Fund.

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Turn Stressed Around to Desserts!

By Howard Steiermann

font) so you can read it from the main binder.

Last month I had the wonderful opportunity to be a friend’s best man.

This gave me a close, yet different, perspective on weddings. Being a best man rather than the officiant cemented the following beliefs I’ve long held about ceremonies: Like relationships, wedding planning requires work, patience and communication.

No matter how much planning you do, something unexpected will happen.

Breathe and be present, since the day is going to fly by and you want to create memories in addition to pictures.

Don’t do anything just because it will satisfy Aunt Gladys’ wishes.

This is your wedding, not Aunt Gladys’!

Howard Steiermann

It’s totally okay to ask questions.

Most people have limited experience with wedding planning. As each industry has their own vocabulary (including acronyms), billing methods and requirements, it is imperative that you understand what each vendor is providing so you are not surprised or disappointed on your wedding day.

Many people aren’t used to being the focus of attention. Don’t try to memorize anything. Have your officiant print the text out (in large

The best guideline is to trust your heart. That holds true in romance, as it does in planning. If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.

Some amount of stress is inevitable.

Life is short, so try to breathe, and think about turning being stressed around: to desserts! Silly, but oh what a wonderful goal!

May all your celebrations be filled with more sweetness than frustration!

Howard M. Steiermann is an Ordained Ritual Facilitator based in San Francisco. For more information, please visit www.SFHoward.com.

P HOTOS BY SAN DY M ORRIS

Pay your vendors prior to the big day, or delegate someone else to take care of the ‘day of ’ business items. You’ll want to be spending time with your family and friends, rather than figuring out how to tie up the business end of things.

Weddings

If you think you’re going to cry, that’s okay. Weddings are emotional. Don’t hold back. Be in the moment, and make sure someone around you has a good supply of handkerchiefs! And if your or anyone else’s crying is going to get in the way of you speaking, remember that you only need to get two very little words out: “I do!”

Sandy Morris, Rachel Ginsberg and friends celebrated Thanksgivukkah last week with a lovely dinner at Rachel’s home in Oakland.

Mark Burns and Paul Olsen announced their engagement this year. Now they are decking the halls for the holidays at their beautiful home.

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Above left, Patrick Carney was confirmed by the SF Board of Supervisors as a member of the SF City Hall Preservation Advisory Commission. Patrick and husband Hossein have just returned from visiting Patrick’s mom and getting her home ready for the Holiday Season.

Health News

Friends of Naomi Dr. Naomi Jay, RN, NP, PhD It’s been a wonderful month for anal health! Researchers and patient advocates had a busy pre-Thanksgiving week. You might have noticed the article published recently in the SF Chronicle Health Section on anal cancer? This was an absolute first. This was followed by the New York Times’ Saturday Nov 23rd report that the American Board of Gynecology had informed our nation’s gynecologists that they were no longer allowed to provide anal exams for men, creating an immediate fiasco for those receiving care or enrolled in treatment studies. A quickly organized letterwriting campaign by clinicians and advocates saw this decision reversed within days. The world is once again safe, regardless of gender, because anal exams can be performed by your local gynecologist or gaynecologist, providing they are trained in the procedures.

All of this happened while the inaugural meeting of the International Anal Neoplasia Society (IANS) was underway in San Francisco Nov 2224. Over 170 enthusiastic participants from 17 countries attended the meeting, representing a variety of medi-

cal specialties as well as patients and community advocates. An opening ceremony that could only occur in San Francisco had Supervisor Scott Wiener declaring Nov 22 “Anal Neoplasia Day” and Senator Mark Leno reminding us that, in California, we know how to do universal health care. There was Myron Ho dancing the hula and Ethel Merman channeling Tina Turner. Justine Almada of the HPV and Anal Cancer Foundation opened with a reminder of the human face of anal cancer, and Dr. Lawrence Piro presented a beautiful montage of his former patient, Farrah Fawcett.

There was also science. Dr. John Schiller discussed developments in HPV vaccination. Sessions covered changes in the epidemiology of anal cancer (there’s more of it), and different approaches to screening and emerging new treatments. There were debates on whether or not to screen, or vaccinate HIV positive people for HPV, highlighting the different approaches in health care systems between the United States and Australia.

A panel on community advocacy included several anal cancer survivors and grounded the discussion with moving descriptions of the dayto-day struggle they contend with concerning the effects of treatment, particularly radiation. The panel represented patient advocacy groups including the HPV and Anal Cancer Foundation (www.analcancerfoundation.org) founded by the A lmada siblings whose mother died of anal cancer in 2010. Other advocacy groups included were the Farrah Fawcett Foundation www. t hefa r r a h fawcet t fou ndat ion.org a nd t he Ca nad ia n organ izat ion A B u m R a p w w w. a n a lc a nc e r -

N ASA PH OTO

How’s Your Anus?

Uranus

abumrap.com. Besides its clever name, you can f ind this organization’s twitter support group at cancer@A BumRap. The organizations all have Facebook pages, which you can “L ike” and show your support.

The never-t ir ing Dr. Joel Pa lefs k y, who i s pr e s ident of I A N S a nd d irector of t he UC SF A na l D ysplasia Cl i n ic, presided over a two-day meeting discussing the launch of the newly NIH-funded A na l Ca ncer P revent ion St udy (A NCHOR). Over 5,0 0 0 people with HIV will be enrolled nationw ide in t his 5 -year study whose modest goa l is deter m i n i ng t he ef fect iveness of d iag nosi ng a nd treating the precursor lesions to pr e vent c a nc er. S a n Fr a nc i s c o will be enrolling subjects beg inning in April.

T he con ference wa s t he cu l m in at ion of t wo dec a des of work by devoted clinicians and scientists regarding a disease that gets l it t le at tent ion. T he A NCHOR study will def ine the next decade of work. Based on the excitement among the conference attendees, it is clear we are ready to begin.

Dr. Naomi Jay is a nurse practitioner in the department of Infectious Disease at UCSF.

The SAD Season Antidepressant medications are also sometimes helpful.

Examined Life Tom Moon, MFT Many of the people I see in my therapy practice are now showing the characteristic signs of Seasonal Affective Disorder. SAD is depression that usually begins in the late fall and continues through the winter months.

The typical symptoms are depressed mood, hopelessness, anxiety, loss of energy, social withdrawal, oversleeping, loss of interest in activities, appetite changes (especially a craving for foods high in carbs), weight gain, and diff iculty concentrating. Research suggests that the prevalence of SAD in the adult United States population varies from between about 1.5 percent (in Florida) to about 9 percent (in the northern US). A milder form, called Subsyndromal Seasonal Affective Disorder, affects an estimated 14% of the population.

SAD is a serious, even debilitating, condition for some people. But for the majority, the blue moods can be relieved by exercise and outdoor activity, especially on sunny days when there is increased solar exposure.

Another treatment is light therapy, which involves sitting near a specially designed light source for 30 to 60 minutes per day. The treatment devices are usually portable boxes that contain fluorescent bulbs and emit a type and intensity of light that isn’t found in normal household lighting. ( Just sitting in front of a household lamp won’t relieve the symptoms.)

Light therapy mimics outdoor light and is thought to cause a biochemical change in the brain that lifts the mood. Many people benefit from this form of therapy, while others feel no change. It has yet to be officially approved by the FDA, because the clinical trials of its effectiveness yielded mixed results. In any case, the treatment is easy to do and doesn’t seem to have harmful side effects. Those who want to try it can easily locate relatively inexpensive light boxes for sale at various online sites.

For most of us, the winter blues are mild enough that all we need to do to cope with them is change some attitudes. To begin with, it can be helpful to accept that a certain amount of melancholy is natural during this season. As the winter solstice approaches, the darkest time of the year, there may be a natural tendency for the body to hibernate, for the mind to become ref lective, and for the heart to turn inward. But in our compulsively busy and “positive” culture the message is “sad is bad.” The solstice festivals observed around the world may be ways of bringing some cheer into the winter months, which is fine,

but I think we try too hard. Instead of listening to our bodies and letting ourselves slow down a bit, we treat our winter blues by quickening our pace. Instead of respecting our moods and feelings, we grit our teeth and get with the “holiday cheer” program.

From Thanksgiving through the New Year we host or attend parties, go into credit card debt to buy useless presents for people we rarely see, travel in crowded planes to uncomfortable places to be with relatives we don’t want to visit, eat too much sugar, drink too much, and sleep too little.

Ironically, the expectation that this is supposed to be a season of joy and celebration can make us feel even more down. The emphasis on family togetherness can feel bitter to those who don’t feel connected to family, which is true of so many in the LGBTQ community. The paradoxical effect can be that we focus even more than at other times of the year on scarcity and lack – on the losses, betrayals and failures in our lives, which exacerbate a sense of disappointment and loneliness. That’s why it can be so important to take some time to slow down during this season and to focus on the people and experiences that nourish us and connect us with a sense of abundance and fulfillment. Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh writes: “The present moment is filled with joy and happiness.

If you are attentive, you will see it.”

All of us have treasures. To see them we need only to turn our attention away from what is lacking and focus on what is present.

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

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Arts&Entertainment Josh Klipp and Emily Day of the Klipptones The Klipptones are San Francisco’s hottest new crossover band, playing Sinatra-era standards mashed up with pop classics. They are currently the historic Palace Hotel’s resident band, playing every Friday night. They’ve also been featured at the Fillmore Jazz Festival, Union Square’s “Jewels in the Square,” Brick and Mortar, and San Francisco Pride’s 2013 VIP Party at City Hall. The Klipptones’ two lead singers, Josh Klipp and Emily Day, sat down and interviewed each other for the Bay Times.

JK: Really? Because it sounds like you’re making it up on the spot...

Anyway, why was being a Klipptone your childhood dream? And now that you’ve achieved it, what’s next?

Josh Klipp: How many degrees in music do you have?

JK: Ok, go.

JK: And in your very educated, professional opinion, what’s the best band in the Bay Area? Hint: The Klipptones.

ED: In the world of academia, making value judgments can come off as seeming uninformed. But in the case of the Klipptones, I have actually gone into the field and conducted research on the subject. And although the results of the study are still awaiting peer review and publication, I can confirm the findings: The Klipptones are, objectively, the best band in the Bay Area.

JK: Well stated Professor Day. How are the Klipptones different from other bands?

ED: We have 2, count ‘em, 2 singers.

We can’t decide which kind of music we love more- jazz or pop- so we “Frankenstein” them together until it satisfies our musical itch. The result can be hysterical, or poignant, or downright fun.

JK: Mostly fun. And why do you answer my onstage banter questions with improvised scat solos?

ED: Scatting is my first language. I’m trying to teach it to you by immersing you in it. The answers are all there.

ED: Please state your name and height.

JK: Josh Klipp, 5’7” in heels.

ED: There are a lot of bands that perform for swing dancers. What makes the Klipptones a different, or better, dancing experience?

JK: Despite the image you have of me prancing about onstage in my suit, tie, and well-polished shoes, I used to be a half-dressed sweaty go-go dancer at 177 Townsend. Why are you laughing? (Furrows brow). Anyhow, I am well versed in encouraging people to get up and dance. I do hip-hop as well, and so does our sax player, Jeremy. He also does swing. We can’t help but bring this energy and sensibility to our music. We’re working on bringing out the dancer in you too, I might add. I’ve asked the Palace to build you a go-go box.

PHOTO COURTES Y OF JOS H KL IPP

Emily Day: I have 2 degrees in music - BFA in Jazz Performance and an MA in Popular Music Studies. I also possess a degree in Mixology just to give my parents some peace of mind in this crazy economy.

ED: I always had a predilection for fake eyelashes and kitten heels. I knew some day I’d make a living with them, I just didn’t know how. And what’s next? The circus, but come to think of it, that may be a step backwards.

But hey, why do you get to ask all the questions? It’s my turn!

ED: Yay?! Where did you learn how to play air guitar so well?

JK: Tom Cruise.

ED: Why do you pantomime to the songs I sing?

JK: To help you remember the words and distract the audience when you forget.

ED: Can you recall how we met?

And please mention the first gig you asked me to join.

J K: I wa lked into the Berkeley Jazzschool where you were teaching

Josh Klipp, Emily Day and Jeremy Harris of the Klipptones a course on the life and music of Ella Fitzgerald. And we couldn’t stop staring at each other’s huge smiles. The class was awesome; you were awesome - and new in town. I wanted to help you score some awesome gigs. So I invited you to sit in at my next gig,

which was the Condor Club. Which is a strip joint in North Beach. There’s a pole in the middle of the bandstand.

You emphatically answered yes.

ED: You had me at “pole.” Finally, what do you do between the hours

of 9am and 5pm Monday through Friday?

JK: Everything else.

The Klipptones play the Palace Hotel’s Pied Piper, 2 New Montgomery, every Friday 8pm-midnight. For info visit joshuaklipp.com

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P H OTO B Y J O - LYN N OTTO

P H OTO B Y RI K PA NG AN I BAN

The Bay Times thanks Josh Klipp, Emily Day and the entire Klipptones band for their excellent performance at our Pride Parade Contingent Party.

BAY TIMES DECE MB E R 5 , 2 0 1 3

Sister Dana Sez: Words of Wisdumb From a Fun Nun CUMMING UP!

palette consisting of 21 colors, of which green was NOT one.

By Sister Dana Van Iquity Sister Dana sez, “Repugnicans and some dipstick Democrats have planned since the beginning to loosen the sequester in exchange for unpopular cuts to our Social Security system, Medicare, and Medicaid. This is insane. Congress can work together now to end all of these careless cuts in benefits and services by closing corporate tax loopholes and ending tax breaks for the wealthy.”

On the eve of World AIDS Day, LIGHT IN THE GROVE was the annual fundraising gala for the NATIONAL AIDS MEMORIAL GROVE in Golden Gate Park. For the occasion, on this very special night, the Grove was lit up everywhere, bathed in various colors of the rainbow.

The theme was «an evening of remembrance, renewal, and reunion.» Across from a babbling brook on a ledge, a troupe of Polynesian dancers performed.

We traveled a path lighted with pearlescent globes to the Circle of Friends, where names of both the living and the dead were inscribed in cement and lit by hundreds of flickering candles. We proceeded down the path to a grove that replicated thousands of firef lies buzzing overhead, and then past a lighted Japanese rock garden and simulated stream to a lit up memorial stone for the great diva Sylvester, reading, «Thank you for the dance.

You make me feel...» Projected against the trees was a rotating list of names of those who lost their battle with AIDS. We entered a clear plastic tent allowing dramatic views of trees overhead and to the sides, with the feeling of being outside yet toasty warm within. Inside an art gallery depicted all the f lora found in the park, painted in watercolors by students of the Mary L. Harden School of Botanical Illustrations. They were created from a

THE GOLDEN GIR LS - THE CHRISTMAS EPISODES opened December 5th and runs through the 22nd, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays - 8pm and Sundays 7pm. This classic on a classic stars Heklina, Cookie Dough, Matthew Martin, and Pollo Del Mar, costarring Laurie Bushman, Manuel Caneri, Peter Griggs, and Jordan Wheeler. The Victoria Theatre, 2961 16th Street at Mission. “Thank you for being a friend.” Trannyshack.com.

The program opened with the melodious singing of soprano Parris Lane and her gorgeous interpretation of the inspirational “A Hero Lies in You.” Grove Honorary Co-Chairs Larry Hashbarger, Laura Heffron, and Patrick Smith introduced Grove Executive Director John Cunningham, who asked the audience to picture someone they knew who they lost to AIDS. He encouraged everyone to feel the spirit of remembrance and healing inside the tent and the “intricate tapestry of the fabric of AIDS.” He thanked principal sponsor Wells Fargo, then screened a video of Tim Hanlon, recipient of the Light in the Grove honor, which was both a tribute and a humorous roast. Hanlon is President of Wells Fargo Foundation and an Executive Vice President of Wells Fargo. He is responsible for many charitable programs across the nation. He urged everyone to recommit to the battle against AIDS.

HELP IS ON THE WAY FOR THE HOLIDAYS XII is produced by the RICHMOND/ERMET AIDS FOUNDATION on Monday, December 9th, Marines’ Memorial Theater, 609 Sutter Street, with primary beneficiaries including Maitri and Positive Resource Center.

Your favorite stars of both present and past entertain in a fabulous lineup that just must be seen at helpisontheway.org!

So go! See! THE WORLD TREE OF HOPE is the largest origami decorated holiday tree in the world, standing 25 feet tall and decorated with over 12,000 origami cranes and stars- each hand folded and inscribed with wishes for the future of the world.

The tree is created each year as a symbol of global unity to promote peace, love, and humanitarianism. It is created by RAINBOW WORLD FUND as a gift from the LGBTQ and friends community to the world. The tree is displayed in the Rotunda of City Hall. Open to the public on Tuesday, December 10th is the TREE LIGHTING PARTY in the Rotunda, beginning 5:30pm with concert by the Grammy Award winning San Francisco Boys Chorus; 6pm is a Celebration of Hope with Mayor Edwin Lee and First Lady Anita Lee. Dr. Clarence Jones, political advisor, counsel, and draft speechwriter (“I Have a Dream”) for Dr. Martin Luther King, will speak on hope. Consul General of Japan, Masato Watanabe, will present a peace crane to the City. The Chinese American International School Children’s Choir will perform. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will bless the tree. The emcee is Donna Sachet. rainbowfund.org.

Very few individuals have had as vital and lasting an impact on HIV/AIDS advocacy, policy, planning, and community empowerment as has Phill Wilson, this year’s recipient of the National AIDS Memorial Grove’s National Leadership Recognition Award, given at WORLD AIDS DAY OBSERVANCE at the Grove on Sunday, December 1st, where about 600 people attended. Wilson currently is the President and CEO of the Black AIDS Institute, the only national HIV/AIDS think tank focused exclusively on Black people.

The Institute’s mission is to stop the AIDS pandemic in Black communities by engaging and mobilizing Black institutions and individuals in efforts to confront HIV. Among other awards, the Local Unsung Hero Award was given posthumously to Franco Angelo Beneduce, who was involved in LGBTQ causes throughout his life. He was the visionary creator and producer behind the annual “Light in the Grove” event and the Folsom Street Fair’s “Magnitude” after-hours dance party fundraiser.

25th Annual WORLD AIDS DAY mobilization on December 1st featured the Castro Theater screening the awardwinning WE WERE HERE, which was followed by a silent vigil on Castro Street.

ECT OPEN HAND, December 12th, The Fairmont, 950 Mason Street, 11am - noon: creative cocktails & silent auction; noon - 1:30pm: multi-course chef showcase lunch by SF’s most brilliant chefs.

Delicious! openhand.org.

HAM PANTS PRODUCTIONS presents TOP GUYS. Remember Top Gun? Of course you do. Who could forget Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer hanging around in locker rooms, learning about male intimacy, playing volleyball, and occasionally even flying airplanes. All completely heteronormative right? Riiiight.

Catch this hilarious send-up at Stage Werx, 446 Valencia, now through Dec. 14th, Wednesdays through Saturdays, 8pm. sfindie.com.

THE NUTCRACKER IN 3D is at the Castro Theatre, Saturday, December 14th, 1:30pm matinee and 4pm. Captured live in December 2011, this sumptuous traditional production of Tchaikovsky’s beloved ballet was filmed at the historic Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia where the original Nutcracker was first performed over 120 years ago. castrotheatre.com.

T he a n nua l S A N F R A NC I SCO SANTACON is on Saturday, December 14th. This is a total “SantAnarchy” event when a herd of folks dressed as Santa (and usually not the traditional look) or elves “terrorize” the City - all in good fun.

Deets can be found at sa nt acon.i n fo/ San_ Francisco and sanfranciscosantarchy.wordpress.com. You have been warned. Ho ho!

16TH A N NUA L HOL IDAY LEATHER BRU NCH is a benef it for POSITI V E R ESOURCE CENTER at the Edge bar, 4149 18th Street and Col l ing wood, on Sunday, December 15t h, 11a m to 2 pm. $20 t icket get s great food, drink, and entertainment.

S ister Dana sez, “Senator Barbara Boxer i s or ig inal co-spon sor of SB-500, th e Keeping Our Social Security Promises Act that would keep Social Security solvent for the next 75 years by applying the current payroll t a x rat e t o a nnu al in co m e above $250,000. It would raise more than $85 billion a year for the Social Security Trust Fund with no increase in taxes for anyone making less than $250,000 a year – that is, 98 .7 percent of American workers. Go, Barbara, go!”

22ND ANNUAL HAND TO HAND LUNCHEON is a benef it for PROJ-

Dance-Along Nutcracker Takes You to the Caribbean This Holiday Season sweeping music that evokes high seas adventure, a slight smattering of bathroom humor – all mixed in with, yes, Tchaikovsky’s Christmas ballet.

“Blockbuster!!!” isn’t the sort of exclamation you would typically apply to a show performed by a symphonic wind ensemble showcasing a roomful of untrained ballerinas.

Conducted by Artistic Director Pete Nowlen, the Dance-Along Nutcracker is the Freedom Band’s annual DIY holiday bash. With its costumed audiences storming dance f loors since 1985, the show probably represents the first flashmob in history. Picture a mosh-pit with tutus, fairy wands, a mirror ball and ballet music, and you’ve got the idea. All comers, who think they can dance, strap on tutus and tiaras from the Tutus R Us Boutique in the back (if they haven’t brought their own) and leap onto the dance floor while the Band performs Fantasia faves like “Waltz of the Flowers” and, of course, “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.”

Of all the Dance-Along Nutcrackers® the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band has produced since 1985, though, this year’s Nutcrackers of the Caribbean! has all the elements: pirates, an evil queen in disguise, sword play, an elaborate treasure hunt, romance,

Only the Suite portion of Tchaikovsky’s ballet (the fairyland dances after Clara’s Nutcracker turns into a prince) is arranged for concert band.

So the show is filled out each year with music on a theme. In between dance-along numbers, actors and

Brass Tacks

The Nutcrackers of the Caribbean cast this year is looking rather Blockbuster!!! itself. Joe Wicht (a.k.a. Trauma Flintstone) is back to play the lead role of Captain Jack Drosselmeyer. Wicht has been a Dance-Along Nutcracker institution, playing the lead role from 2007 to 2009 as Cavalry Nutcracker, Scrooge/Drosselmeyer, and the Rat King, as well as feature numbers in productions going back to 1999.

Wicht is a prominent figure in the local cabaret scene, tickling the ivories for what’s billed as the Last Piano Bar at Martuni’s, co-producing the Cabaret Showcase Showdown with Katya Smirnoff-Skyy and, more recently, co-hosting Broadway Bingo with Smirnoff-Skyy at Hotel Nikko.

PH OTO C O URTE SY OF H EI DI BE EL ER

Heidi Beeler

dancers tell the story, sing a song, or dance in feature numbers.

Cast members perform during Dance Along Nutcracker

Flynn DeMarco is directing the cast and plays Emperor Norton in this year’s show. He first joined the Dance-Along Nutcracker as Sgt. L emon Pepper in 2011’s Clara’s Magical Mystery Tour! and played Drosselmeyer in last year’s show.

After years of performing at San Francisco theaters like Theater Rhino and Artfull Circle Theater, DeMarco started his own theater company (Running With Scissors) in New Orleans, where he won Big Easy Awards for Best Actor in a Musical and Best Director. Hurricane Katrina f lung him back this way, where he fell in with the Thrillpeddlers and performed in their Pearls Over Shanghai, Shocktoberfest and Vice Palace, which he associate-directed.

Tina Sogliuzzio, who performs with Red Hots Burlesque and Thrillpeddlers (Shocktoberfest and Vice Palace), plays Queen Rattannia and gives the conniving monarch a brassy (continued on page 30) BAY T IM ES DEC EM BER 5, 2013

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DVD Gift Guide

Film

Gary M. Kramer Holiday shopping? It is not always easy to find the right DVDs to suit everyone’s tastes. Here are a few suggestions to purchase or request.

For the romantically inclined (and a nice film to watch on New Year’s Eve): Leather, directed by Patrick McGuinn, is a lovely, gentle, and extremely satisfying romantic drama set in the Catskills. When his father dies, Andrew (the hunky Andrew Glaszek) takes his partner Kyle ( Jeremy Neal) “back home” where he reunites his childhood friend, Birch (Chris Graham). In the isolated rural setting, the two old acquaintances measure past experiences against their present situ-

ations. The set up provides a great crucible for drama, and the characters -- who become empowered over the course of the story -- really grow on viewers because they take time to explore what they have, what they want, and whom they desire. The film looks fantastic too, with some grainy 16mm photography as well as artful lighting and composition, and a fine moodinducing soundtrack. But it is the performances that really make Leather so enticing. Glaszek imbues Andrew with palpable mix of toughness and vulnerability, and both he and Graham play off each other well. What’s more, they look comfortable together, and not just when they are sans clothes.

For documentary lovers and the politically minded: An inspiring documentar y about LGBT activists in Uganda, Call Me Kuchu chronicles the late activist David Kato, who fought for liberation, and against violence and discrimination towards LGBT individuals. Call Me Kuchu chronicles the battle Kato and other gay rights activists wage against their oppressors. This includes a legal fight Kato and a lesbian activist named Naome initiate against Giles Muame for his publication Rolling Stone, which “ignores the rights of privacy in the interest of the public” and publishes the names, addresses, and photos of LGBT folks, calling for their hanging. Interviews with Maume, where he casually discusses his antigay agenda, are downright chilling.

But it is what happens after the verdict

that makes this powerful documentary so important.

For folks with dysfunctional families: Out director and co-writer Ash Christian’s dark but, at times, sweet comedy Petunia features the various members of the titular-named family clan grappling with romantic and sexual dysfunction. The parents Felicia (Christine Lahti) and Percy (David Rasche) are discussing divorce. Their son Michael (Eddie Kay Thomas) marries Vivian (Thora Birch), who it is soon revealed is pregnant, possibly

by Michael’s sex-addicted brother, Adrian ( Jimmy Heck). And then there is Charlie (Tobias Segal), the Petunia’s gay son who is practicing abstinence -until he meets George (Michael Urie) and falls in love. The guys’ romance is charming, but it too hits a major snag.

Christian’s film may feature unhappy characters, but viewers will become engaged in their heartfelt stories as the eccentric characters struggle to find love and happiness as they deal with sex, family, and over-sharing.

For viewers with short attention spans: Green Briefs is the latest gay shorts compilation by Rob Williams’ Guest House Films. The focus here is on family. Pride asks if a son can stop hating his father, who threw him out of the house years ago but who now has dementia. Their interesting reunion (continued on page 30)

Stars of Cirque Dreams Holidaze Find Holiday Magic in SF BT: For those who haven’t seen Cirque Dreams Holidaze before, what’s in store for them?

NG: Audiences will see, hear and experience more than they ever imagined. The show is part Broadway musical, part cirque and part holiday stage spectacular, making it a one of a kind holiday experience.

BT: What’s new in this year’s production?

Cirque Dreams Holidaze is “so full of energy it could end our dependence on oil,” according to the New York Daily News.

We are inclined to agree, especially knowing that many of the performers are LGBT and have never been in San Francisco before.

See more

Stories @sfbaytimes.com Twitter, and find us Facebook.

and follow us on on

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BAY TIMES DECE MB E R 5 , 2 0 1 3

Imagine gingerbread men flipping mid air, toy soldiers marching on thin wires, snowmen daringly balancing, icemen powerfully sculpting, penguins spinning, puppets dancing and reindeer soaring high above a landscape of holiday wonderment. Director Neil Goldberg and his talented cast achieve all of that and more during the action-packed production that will have you forgetting December’s cold and stresses while you and your guests rediscover the magic of the season.

Here, Neil shares some thoughts about the show, which will soon be at the Curran Theater:

NG: This year’s production has over 300 costumes, 30 performers and 20 acts. It is our largest production to date.

There is not another show in the world today that has this many acts in a 2-hour theatrical stage production.

There are currently three touring productions of Cirque Dreams Holidaze comprised of over 120 artists and design-

Neil Goldberg

ers. There are many creative individuals within the organization who are openly gay. Throughout our 20-year history, many performers from the San Francisco area have both auditioned, and been cast in, various Cirque Dreams brand shows. The physicality of our perfor(continued on page 30)

Fall Basketball Playoffs Underway

By Tony Jasinski The 9-team Castro Fall Basketball League is coming to its normal conclusion: playoffs and fun. The SFGBA has sponsored a league competition since 1996 that’s usually twice a year, one Spring League and one in the fall. As always, there were many fresh faces this season, and the competition was fierce. On Wednesdays, a ‘B’ division of four teams is less brutal, but just as exciting. And, on Thursdays, the more athletic players challenge each other with 5 teams in the ‘A’ division.

Games are typically attended by dozens of fans and partners and curious folks. The playoffs are usually the optimal time to watch some of our best local athletes.

It is interesting to note the distinctions in the broad span of gay sports activities in our Bay Area. Most sports programs are built on a similar model, which goes like this: There is usually a single, repeated participation location for each sport that is managed by a small team of people as a nonprofit. All who organize and run local gay sports are volunteers. There are no paid positions within these organizations, although service providers and location fees are often required.

The bigger team sports run from rugby, football, and hockey, with volleyball being a little larger in participation. Softball has long been the kingpin of all team sports for size and longevity. Basketball is a mediumsized gay sport, with an unfortunate drop-off in participation levels of lesbian-oriented teams.

There are typically 5 or 6 basketball tournaments every year managed by a national organization called the NGBA (you can guess the words).

Often 3 or 4 teams from San Francisco are represented in many tournaments.

The ultimate goal of gay basketball teams is to medal at the Gay Games, which will be held in Cleveland next summer. Most gay sports have the same ultimate goal, with the exception of softball, which has a World Series crowning achievement.

For softball and many team sports, teams stay together as much as possible from season to season. They learn the strengths of their teammates, and the camaraderie is strong. However, the SFGBA oddly does it differently for the league’s competitive programs. Every season’s entire roster for teams is redrafted. This has had some enlightening effects. In a given season, a player may get upset at an opposing player for some reason, such as just being competitors. Well, the next season, that player could become a teammate, and a person’s own success would become dependent on their

former rival’s good play. It doesn’t always result in them becoming friends, but it has been observed that more respect is given.

Marco Rodriguez, who is a current team captain, commented, “I think the SFGBA is a great representation of the melting pot that is the Bay Area. I think this season really stands out for everyone working together for our fundraisers and accepting people for who they are and building a sense of community in the league. I feel this is important because it will help with the word of mouth to recruit new faces to keep the league moving forward.”

On most Sundays, there is open court play, for anyone who might be interested in playing some basketball, at 5pm at the Mark Bingham Gym behind Mollie Stone’s Market in the Castro. Players need to bring a white and a dark t-shirt, as that is how teams are built. A five-dollar donation is needed after the first week of play.

This season there was an open date, so it was decided to do a ‘Tops vs.

Bottoms and Shirts vs. Skins’ series of games. Some players showed up with wigs, shorter shorts, and other fun attire. Of course, one highlight of the event was the team that was ‘Skins’ (shirtless), which must have been carefully chosen! One of the referees even put on a bright orange wig too.

All basketball games are again at the Eureka Valley Recreation Center Gymnasium (also known as Mark Bingham Gymnasium), right behind Mollie Stone’s in the Castro. The playoffs began last night and continue again tonight. The championships of both divisions will be on December 12. All games start at 7pm, with second games starting at 8pm.

PHOTOS C OURT ESY OF C AST RO BASK ET BAL L L eag u e

The breadth of gay sports goes from smaller, individual programs, such as rowing, golf, swimming, wrestling and bowling (which is big in some areas of the country and not in others), to the larger ones, such as track and tennis.

Everyone is invited and encouraged to come and see what these players can do. Congratulations to the latest excellent leadership team, headed by Johnny Nguyen, on such a successful season!

Fo r a d d i t i o n a l i n f o r m a t i o n , plea se go to: w w w.sfgba.com/ home/.

Tony Jasinski is the founder and former president of the SFGBA.

BAY T IM ES DEC EM BER 5, 2013

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compiled by Robert Fuggiti

See many more Calendar items @ www.sfbaytimes.com

• 5 : T HURSDAY

The Vixens of Broadway – Hotel Nikko. $50-$80. 8 pm. (222 Mason St.) www.ticketweb.com.

Tony Award winning actress and singer Betty Buckley will bring her acclaimed show, “The Vixens of Broadway,” to San Francisco for 8 performances.

Golden Girls Christmas Show – Victoria Theatre. $30. 8 pm. (2961 16th St.) www.goldengirlssf.eventbrite.com. Enjoy a special drag performance of your favorite holiday Golden Girls episodes.

Bear Coffee – Café Flore. Free.

6 pm to 8 pm. (2298 Market St.) www.cafeflore.com. A monthly meet-up and social for bears in the Castro.

• 6 : F RIDAY

Quickies Short Film Competition – Good Vibrations. $10. 8 pm. (429 Castro St.) www. goodvibes.com. Good Vibrations presents the hottest films of all flavors from around the world all in 7 minutes or less.

Flamenco Holiday Celebration – Brava Theater. $25. 8 pm. (2781 24th St.) www. bayareaflamenco.com. Celebrate the holiday season with a cast of Gypsy flamenco artists.

Friday Live – El Rio. Free. 10 pm.

(3158 Mission St.) www.elriosf.com.

Dance the night away at this queer dance party with hip hop and house music.

Shine – War Memorial Opera House. 8 pm. www.sfgmc.org. SF Gay Men’s Chorus holiday show with SF Opera’s Marina Harris.

Read more @ sfbaytimes.com

“The Barbary Coast Revue” will be at The Stud bar on December 11.

• 7 : S ATURDAY

Dickens Victorian Holiday Fair – Cow Palace. Free. 12 pm.

(2150 Geneva Ave.) www.meetup. com/Bettys-List-Parents-Are-SocialToo. The Great Dickens Christmas Fair is a one-of-a-kind holiday adventure into Victorian London.

House Party Benefit – Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project. Donation Based. 1 pm to 4 pm. (Location upon RSVP) To RSVP email: dykewomon@yahoo.com.

Enjoy food, films and a celebration of queer women.

Swedish Christmas Fair – St. Mary’s Cathedral. $8. 9 am to 4 pm.

(1111 Gough St.) www.facebook. comSweaSanFranciscoChristmasFair. For the 30th consecutive year this fair features the best Swedish shopping including handmade artisan crafts, food, and traditional entertainment.

• 8 : S UNDAY

SFMADE Holiday Gift Fair – Fort Mason. Free. 10 am to 5 pm.

(Buchanan St. And Marina Blvd.) www.fortmason.org. Shop locally made crafts, gifts, candy and more.

Also December 7.

Shangri-La – Endup. $20. 10 pm to 6 am. (401 6th St.) www.theendup.com. Keep the party going late in to the night at this monthly after-hours party.

LGBTQ Support Group – Petaluma Health Center. Free. 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm. (1179 N. McDowell Blvd., Petaluma) www.phealthcenter.org. A positive support group for the LGBTQ community in Petaluma. Meetings happen every Monday.

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.

• 10 : T UESDAY

Beach Blanket Babylon – Club Fugazi. $25-$130. 8 pm. (678 Green St.) www.beachblanketbabylon.com.

Enjoy Steve Silver’s famous musical revue packed with hilarious pop culture and political antics.

Matisse from SF MOMA – Legion of Honor. $11. 9:30 am to 5:15 pm. (100 34th Ave.) www. legionofhonor.famsf.org. The SF MOMA and California Palace of Fine Arts are proud to display an intimate exhibition of 23 works by Herni Matisse.

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.

• 9 : M ONDAY

• 11 : W EDNESDAY

Karaoke Mondays – Lookout.

Free. 8 pm to 1 am. (2600 16th St.)

BAY TIMES DECE MB E R 5 , 2 0 1 3

our notorious red light district, the Barbary Coast.

GLBT Caregiver – SFSU Campus. Free. 1:30 pm. (1600 Holloway St.) www.sfsu.edu. A support group to discuss issues among gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s. Meetings occur second Tuesday of every month.

Help Is On The Way For The Holidays XII – Marines Memorial Theatre. $40-$100. 7:30 pm. (609 Sutter St.) www.helpisontheway. org. A celebrity studded fundraising event benefitting Maitri Compassionate Care and Positive Resource Center.

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www.lookoutsf.com. KJ Paul hosts a weekly karaoke night.

Sex and the City Live – Rebel. $20. 7 pm. (1760 Market St.) www. velvetrageproductions.com. Enjoy hilarious renditions of you favorite episodes, in drag.

Barbary Coast Revue – The Stud. $10. 8 pm. (399 9th St.) www. barbarycoastrevue.com. This new original musical features a typically complicated SF love story set in

• 12 : T HURSDAY

Hand to Hand Luncheon – The Fairmont San Francisco. $275+.

11 am to 1:30 pm. (950 Mason St.) www.openhand.org. A fundraising event benefitting Project Open Hand.

Amaluna – Grand Chapiteau at AT&T Park. $92-$165. 8 pm. (24 Willie Mays Plaza) www.cirquedusoleil.com. Cirque du Soleil presents an alluring performance about a mysterious island governed by a goddess. Through January 12, 2014 Nutcracker – San Francisco Ballet. $25. 7 pm. (301 S.Van Ness Ave.) www.sfballet.org. San Francisco Ballet’s sparkling production of Nutcracker, set here in our own City by the Bay.

• 13 : F RIDAY

Tristan & Yseult – Berkeley Repertory Theatre. $29-$48. 8 pm.

(2015 Addison St., Berkeley) www. berkeleyrep.org. Director Emma Rice and designer Bill Mitchell reunite to create must-see theatre, blending gorgeous music and ingenious staging. Through January 6.

Simon Patterson – Ruby Skye. $20. 9 pm. (420 Mason St.) www. rubyskye.com. Master trance DJ Simon Patterson delivers a show you won’t want to miss.

Some Thing – The Stud. $5. 10 pm. (399 9th St.) www.studsf.com.

The Crackpot Crones put on a holiday show at the Exit Theater, Dec. 14-19. Right, Bruce Vilanch will attend the annual “Help Is On The Way” fundraising event on Dec. 9.

A uniquely themed party every Friday night, with drag performances at 11 pm.

• 14 : S ATURDAY

Doing It For Ourselves Holiday Party – LGBT Community Center. Free. 1 pm to 5 pm. (1800 Market St.) www.difobayarea.org. Celebrate the holidays with the women of “Doing It For Ourselves” (DIFO) a free, federally funded health and wellness project for 40+ lesbian/bisexual.

Holiday Show – High Street Station Café. Donation based. 7:30 pm. (1303 High Street, Alameda) www.highstreetstationcafe.com. A fabulous night of holiday fun and frolic, with holiday songs by Red Velvets and Judea Eden Band.

Maitri Holiday Open House – Maitri Compassionate Care. Free.

2 pm to 5 pm. (401 Duboce Ave.) 415-558-3003. Enjoy delicious confections generously donated by Hot Cookie along with a steaming cup of coffee, hot chocolate, or cider while enjoying live festive holiday music.

• 15 : S UNDAY

Nutcrackers of the Caribbean – Yerba Buena Center. $50 . 11 am and 3 pm. (701 Mission St.) www. dancealongnutcracker.org. The 2013 Dance Along Nutcracker presents Nutcrackers of the Caribbean, a whimsical, fun show for all ages.

• 17 : T UESDAY

Gay Comedy Sketch – Mark I. Chester Studio. Free. 6:30 pm.

(1229 Folsom St.) www.markichester.com. A hilarious queer comedy show happening every Tuesday night.

Visit our new web site www.sfbaytimes.com

Funny Tuesdays – Harvey’s.

Free. 9 pm. (500 Castro St.) www. harveyssf.com. An LGBT comedy night hosted by comedian Ronn Vigh.

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.

• 18 : W EDNESDAY The Charlie Hunter and Scott Amendola Duo – The Independent. $20. 8 pm. (628 Divisadero St.) www.theindependentsf.com. The funkiest duo in jazz comes to the Bay Area for one night only.

Candlelight Flow Community Yoga – LGBT Center. Free. 7 pm to 8 pm. (1800 Market St.) sfcenter.org Help Wanted - Skilled in WordPerfect / Secretary - Part-time, permanent. Reliable. 1-5 pm Saturdays once/month minimum or maybe more. Work located at author’s office. To apply, write to: Author, PMB #243, 2636 Judah Street, San Francisco, CA 94122

November – Dragon Theatre. $200. 8 pm. (2120 Broadway St., Redwood City) www.dragonproductions.net. Dragon Theatre presents David Mamet’s hilariously biting commentary on the state of the union.

Crones for the Holidays – Exit Theater. $15. 3 pm. (156 Eddy St.) www.crackpotcrones.com. The Crackpot Crones are back for the winter holidays, rolling out a series of vignettes, improvisations, sing alongs, and sundry subversions.

• 16 : M ONDAY

Monday Night Bluegrass – Amnesia. Free. 6 pm. (853 Valencia St.) www.amnesiathebar.com. Enjoy a night of Bluegrass music every Monday night at this cozy mission bar.

Piano Bar 101 – Martuni’s. Free.

9 pm. (4 Valencia St.) www.dragatmartunis.com. Sing along to your favorite songs with friends and patrons.

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.

BAY T IM ES DEC EM BER 5, 2013

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(PROFILES continued from page 14) ing, non-paid for my community.

That continues.

SS: What are your goals for the future?

GV: My future goals must include staying alive each day. While that might seem obvious, surviving AIDS requires daily prescription regimens, doctor visits and lab work, reducing stress, juggling insurance and finances, and keeping mentally healthy and spiritually nourished. I’m a metaphysical practitioner so I believe in having goals and imagining experiences on one’s future timeline.

I have a penchant for addressing emergency needs, which is partly why I founded Krewe de Kinque Mardi Gras club 10 years ago. One of our first efforts raised $18,500 for Katrina relief. Spearheaded by Gays Without Borders and the World Rainbow Fund, our community quickly raised $10,000 for gay Iraqis facing torture and murder in 2009. The 15th Annual Pride Brunch for Positive Resource Center, co-founded by Donna Sachet and I, netted $42,000 this year, which will impact many locals facing emergency needs. I just got elected to the board of SF Pride, an organization that I feel is facing a crisis of ethics

and governance. I’m worried about my own ability to afford living and staying in San Francisco, so I’m seeking personal and community solutions through politics and non-profit agencies. As many of my friends say, “We can sleep when we’re dead!”

The six justices heard the case December 3, but the government did not request an injunction against the weddings, and none was ordered. As such, weddings are scheduled to begin December 8 under terms of the new law. Since the justices will not rule on the underlying question of marriage equality until December 12, it sounds as if gay couples in the capital will be able to get married for at least four days. There are something like 377,000 people living in the Territory, so I’d guess there could be several thousand gay couples.

And what will happen if the Court re-bans marriage? It’s not clear to me, ergo the use of the adjective “confusing” in the lead sentence.

Stu Smith is board chair emeritus of Shanti Project, board chair of The Paratransit Coordinating Council, a member of the Castro Country Club Advisory Board and the LGBT Senior Task Force, and producer and host of the public access TV program “The Drag Show.” KQED has honored Stu as a 2013 LGBT Hero.

(ROSTOW continued from page 15) A death payment in Pennsylvania.

A state tax form in Missouri. These things add up.

Can You Berra Nother Marriage Item?

Here’s a confusing situation Down Under. The Australian Capital Territory, a jurisdiction that includes the Australian capital of Canberra, approved a same-sex marriage law a couple of months ago, a law that was promptly contested by the federal government in a challenge to the highest court.

Finally, I didn’t tell you about Croatia’s new anti-marriage law. Nor did I mention oral arguments on marriage in federal court in Utah, or a federal marriage case dismissed in Louisiana.

And since my time is up, I will leave you with those intriguing bits of information. Croatia is particularly tantalizing, n’est-ce pas? arostow@aol.com

(DANCE-ALONG continued from page 25) edge. Fritz and Clara are played by two teen actors – Jack Goldstein and Ruby Roto – who worked with DeMarco at the Thrillpeddlers’ summer drama program, Creature Camp.

Kelly Collins, who’s performed in the Dance-Along Nutcracker since 2006, plays Al Capone. The Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco performs Michael Jackson’s Thriller.

Carolyn Carvajal, veteran of the San Francisco Opera Ballet, has choreographed some of the DAN’s most memorable moments, like the Hershey’s Kisses dancing to Swan Lake.

She’s back with her dancers, choreo-

graphing the pirate ballet and underwater finale.

shoes and strap on your cutlass! You’ll have a gay ol’ time!

The Saturday evening Captain’s Ball Gala goes Caribbean with a pre-show cocktail reception, holiday nosh and piratical DJ dance party.

And whether you like your pirate ballets with a cocktail reception or prohibition-style, every show features thrilling music like Klaus Badelt’s “Pirates of the Caribbean,” John Williams’ “Medley from Hook,” and Alan Menken’s “Under the Sea,” not to mention a little Tchaikovsky to ring in the holidays. So pull on your toe

2013 Dance-Along Nutcrackers® Nutcrackers of the Caribbean! happens on Saturday, December 14, and Sunday, December 15, at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Forum. For tickets and more information, please go to: sf lg f b.tow na live.com/seasone vent s/d a nc e a lon g-nut c r a c kerdecember-2013/.

Trumpet player Heidi Beeler has been a me mber of the San Francisco L esbian/Gay Freedom Band since 1991.

(DVD GIFT GUIDE continued from page 26) occurs during a gay pride celebration.

Shabat Dinner has two teenagers coming out to each other when their families come together for a meal. Kimchi Fried Dumplings has a gay son returning home with his partner and encountering a sticky situation. Rounding out the collection are two very earnest, and rather amateur, shorts: The Commitment, about an interracial gay couple hoping to adopt a child, and The Symphony of Silence, which addresses bullying and a gay teen tormented by his brother.

For film snobs and/or Fassbinder Aficionados: Early Fassbinder is a collection of five films, made between 1969 and 1971, by the late, great gay German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

The box set includes his first three features--Love Is Colder Than Death, a gangster tale; Katzelmacher, a drama about xenophobia; and Gods of the Plague, about a man released from prison. The other two titles are The American Soldier, about a hit man, and Beware of a Holy Whore, about the making a film that might never get made.

For fans of Fassbinder, or those unfamiliar with these works, this hand-

somely packaged Criterion box set is a must-have.

For the International Mystery set: Blood on the Docks is a French adaptation of the Faraday detective novels by the British crime novelist Graham Hurley. This two-season, four-part DVD features Jean-Marc Barr as the detective, a weary cop, but one not without integrity. In Angels Passing, he solves the mysterious death of a pregnant 15 year-old girl.

In White Lines, Faraday takes on a ring of drug dealers. Season 2 is even better with the series’ best entry, a tricky whodunit entitled One Under, and Blood and Honey, a complex story about immigrants, prostitutes, and a real estate deal. Made for European TV, these

compelling police procedurals should satisfy viewers who appreciate Prime Suspect and other cop dramas of that ilk. The stories are intricate and interesting, even in the European TVmovie format.

For teens and the young at heart: Monster Pies is a sensitive Australian import about two classmates that unexpectedly fall in love. Bullied Mike (Tristan Barr) slowly befriends newcomer Wil (Lucas Linehan) perhaps because he has a crush on the hunk.

Bonding over a school project, the guys become close, and when Mike impulsively kisses Wil one night, Wil tells him that he likes it. Thus begins their clandestine romance that ultimately takes a surprising turn. Monster Pies is a bit crudely made, and clumsily acted, but it is a heartfelt drama about coming out and caring for others. © 2013 Gary M. Kramer Gary M. Kramer is the author of “Independent Queer Cinema: Reviews and Interviews,” and the co-editor of “Directory of World Cinema: Argentina.” You can follow him on Twitter @garymkramer.

(STARS OF “CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDAZE” continued from page 26) mance artistry appeals to a broad demographic and mass audiences throughout the world.

BT: Is the show particularly good for kids? How about kids at heart?

NG: One of the most unique features of Cirque Dreams Holidaze is that parents can bring their kids and grandparents and all are amazed by the experience. This show is very appealing to kids and it also brings out the kid at heart in adults and seniors.

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BAY TIMES DECE MB E R 5 , 2 0 1 3

BT: Where are you from, and what do you look forward to the most when visiting San Francisco?

NG: I was born and raised in New York and currently live in South Florida. I visit San Francisco often, and enjoy the restaurants, art, culture, unique entertainment experiences and shopping. For many of the performers, this is their first time in the US. They’re excited to ride a trolley, see Alcatraz, walk around, shop, etc.

Cirque Dreams Holidaze is a celebration of the holiday season. It cannot be compared to any other cirque show, as it is a different kind of experience. We continue performing to sold out audiences throughout the country and hope folks in San Francisco will share this experience with their friends and family.

Cirque Dreams Holidaze will be at the Curran Theater in San Francisco from December 11-December 15. For tickets and additional information, please go to: www.cirqueproductions.com/tickets/.

Manifest Your Soulful Mission ARIES (March 21 – April 19) Go get ‘em, Aries. These days, your fiery determination blazes brighter than a Burning Man bonfire.

Conquering career goals comes naturally to you now. Stake your claim, and seize it.

LEO (July 23 – August 22) You were designed to do what you love, Leo. The stars surround you with subtle suggestions that speak to your mode of service now. Integrate daily duties with dreamy desires.

better.

Astrology Gypsy Love Humankind has always rooted for the underdog.

We draw strength from David’s gallant victory over Goliath. We hail the heroism of a hobbit, and find fortitude in the fearlessness of Forrest Gump.

Presently, the planets propel us to overcome needless nemeses, and slay dragons that soil social justice.

As Anne Frank said, “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

TAURUS (April 20 – May 20) Take a look around you, Taurus. Traveling “abroad” is simpler than you think now. Take a stroll through immediate surroundings, and bask in the benevolence of your own backyard.

VIRGO (August 23 – September 22) Veer away from energy vampires, Virgo. As your creative juices jostle joyfully, you’re attracting all kinds of interested collaborators. Resonate with those who respect your intentions. Sidestep the selfish suitors.

GEMINI (May 21 – June 20) Respect your boundaries, Gemini. The cosmos cautions you to tighten your reins a bit before plunging into potential investments now. It’s possible to produce greater returns by simply saying “no.”

LIBRA (September 23 – October 22) This is no time for linear logic, Libra. Despite your fondness for empirical evidence, the Universe asks you to access subconscious senses instead. Clear your head, and heed your heart.

CANCER (June 21 – July 22) Be your own judge of character, Cancer. Soliciting self-confidence from outside sources will only serve to stifle your swagger now. Turn inward, and wield the wisdom of your inner guru.

www.AstrologyByGypsyLove.com

SCORPIO (October 23 – November 21) As you’ve probably noticed, celestial winds have been sweeping through your “self-sector” for some time, Scorpio. Nurture this new state of being.

Take your truth for a test drive.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 – December 21) Spend smartly, Sagittarius. The current stellar lineup highlights your finances now. Focusing more precisely on fewer fancies will bolster your balance sheet and build more bang for your buck.

CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 19) Cultivate your core relationships, Capricorn.

Nowadays, you could find yourself scrutinizing social connections that lack substance. Meanwhile, other alliances seem stronger than ever. Prioritize partners whose sincerity is steadfast.

AQUARIUS (January 20 – February 18) Manifest your soulful mission, Aquarius. Career success twinkles on the horizon as you sail amidst that sweet spot between your copious capabilities and legitimate limits. You just have to believe.

PISCES (February 19 – March 20) Find peace with your people, Pisces. While the future may appear fuzzy, the closeness of your kindred circle is crystal clear. Keep calm by congregating consciously within your community.

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 new movie do you recommend that “Bay Times” readers should see?

Bill Crissman

Gypsy Love

Sister Dana

Peter Wong

“The Book Thief”

“Captain Phillips”

“Philomena”

“Blue is the Warmest Color”

BAY T IM ES DEC EM BER 5, 2013

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