San Francisco Bay Times - April 6, 2017

Celebrating the Life of Gilbert Baker pages 6–7

John Lewis & Stuart Gaffney Interview Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil pages 10–11

April 6 - 19, 2017 | sfbaytimes.com

SF LGBT Center at 15 UNVEILING THE NEWLY RENOVATED SPACE SEE PAGES 15-17

In the News Compiled by Dennis McMillan LGBTQ Community Mourns Deaths of Gilbert Baker and Ryan Nunez Late last week our community lost two incredibly gifted men: Rainbow Flag creator Gilbert Baker and Ryan Nunez, a singer and Administrative Coordinator with the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. Daniel Bergerac, President of Castro Merchants, described Nunez as “cheerful, knowledgeable and supportive for us always.” Senator Scott Wiener praised Baker as being “an LGBT icon” who “played a key role defining the modern LGBT community. For generations of LGBT people, myself included, the Rainbow Flag was part of our coming out and our discovery of community. Rest in power, Gilbert.

You will be missed.” (For more on Baker and Nunez, see pages 6 and 7.)

Rules May Need to Change Regarding Businesses in the Castro Bergerac, in his most recent Castro Merchants President’s Letter, calls for “some frank discussion about ‘Formula Retail’ and rules governing it in The Castro.” The statement comes at a time when, as reported in the last issue of the San Francisco Bay Times, there are many commercial storefront spots to fill in this neighborhood. Bergerac explained that tenant improvements are often out of the price range for many small businesses, or are difficult to negotiate with landlords. “San Francisco’s Current Conditional Use rules and Permits process is costly, complicated and lengthy,” he added. Resolving such problems is important, not just to improve business life in the Castro, but also because empty spaces can be magnets for trash, squatters and other problems.

Despite Right-Wing Attacks, LGBT Long-term Care Senior Bill of Rights Passes Senate Committee On March 29, the Senate Human Services Committee passed SB219— the LGBT Senior Long-Term Care Bill of Rights for seniors in long-term care facilities—despite attacks from anti-LGBT hate groups and the conservative media. The vote was 3–1 in committee, with Senators Steve Glazer (D-Orinda) and Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) joining the bill’s author, Senator Scott Wiener, in support. Equality California is sponsoring the legislation, and Assemblymembers David Chiu (D-San Francisco) and Sabrina Cervantes (D-Corona) have co-authored it. The bill is also supported by the American Civil Liberties Union, the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, the California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, Justice in Aging, the National Association of Social Workers, National Center for Transgender Equality, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the Transgender Law Center, Alzheimer’s Orange County and others. sen.ca.gov New Poll Shows 12 Percent Of Americans Identify as LGBTQ A new poll has found that 12% of the U.S. population identifies as LGBTQ in some way. The Harris poll, commissioned by GLAAD, determined that younger people were far more likely to identify as LGBTQ than older individuals. Twenty percent of millennials (ages 18–34) identified as LGBTQ, whereas only 5% of older people (over 72) identified as LGBTQ in some way. Most of the difference came from categories outside of gay and lesbian. Millennials are about as likely to identify as gay and lesbian as Generation X (35–51) and Baby Boomers (52–71), but were much more likely than any other age cohort to identify as bisexual, asexual, gender fluid, transgender, and agender. lgbtqnation.com

LGBT Community Won’t Be Counted in the Nation’s Census The Trump Administration announced that it would not include a question on the 2020 census that would have allowed individuals to self-identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. The justification?

The information would be duplicative and irrelevant, from the perspective of the federal government.

The census move was one of two recent knocks against the LGBT community from a hostile president. An executive order signed by President Trump also overturned an Obamaera rule that required federal contractors to report their anti-discrimination policies. Without information about the real size and scope of the LGBT community, we cannot know which social services, from education to food stamps, from health care to housing, are not getting to atrisk LGBT populations. Nor can we know the extent to which LGBT persons are victims of discrimination or disadvantaged when it comes to the provision of health care, or who are left out of federal or state contracts. towleroad.com LGBT Community Survey 2017 Underway The aforementioned information, both about the Harris poll and our nation’s census, make it all the more important to take this year’s LGBT Community Survey. Participating in this study helps to open doors and minds around the world, and influences positive changes for our community. Previous surveys have yielded 45,000 respondents from 150 countries. It requires just about 10– 12 minutes to complete. To take the 11th annual LGBT Community Survey, please go to: http://survey.communitymarketinginc.com/se.ashx?s= 359D342B6E874676&CMID=167& utm_source=Betty%27s+List&utm_ campaign=78878efc1f-EMAIL_ CAMPAIGN_2017_04_01&utm_ medium=email&utm_ term=0_3b7e2c0139-78878efc1f-40461805 AIDS United Affirms Evidence That Undetectables Cannot Transmit HIV to Sexual Partners In a recent statement, the AIDS United Public Policy Committee— the largest and longest-running national coalition of community-based HIV/AIDS organizations—strongly affirmed the conclusive evidence proving that people living with HIV who have achieved a sustained, undetectable viral load cannot transmit HIV to sexual partners. This evidence-based declaration reinforces AIDS United’s programmatic, policy and advocacy work to expand access to antiretroviral medications to all people living with HIV. “This is a landmark development in the response to HIV, and too many people are not hearing this message and receiving its full benefit,” said AIDS United President & CEO Jesse Milan, Jr. “A person living with HIV with a sustained suppressed viral load poses no risk of transmitting HIV. This is a game changer because it makes achieving viral suppression bigger than people living with HIV taking care of their own health, it is also about taking care of others too.

This development puts each one of us living with HIV at the forefront of stopping new infections, and gives everyone strong, clear and direct language to stop the stigma and move all communities faster towards ending the epidemic.” edgemedianetwork.com (continued on page 30) S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES APR IL 6, 2017

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Gilbert Baker: 1951-2017 Life of Iconic Rainbow Flag Creator Celebrated in the Castro

By Sister Dana Van Iquity It was a very sad day when Gilbert Baker, my dear friend, fellow nun, and creator of the iconic Rainbow Flag, passed away (and I’d like to picture him majestically flying Somewhere Over the Rainbow) after 65 years on this planet.

But true to my queer community’s heart, hundreds gathered in Harvey Milk Plaza on March 31 beneath the huge rainbow flag he made—assembled both to mourn and celebrate a gay hero.

Stretched out across the railings of the Plaza at the March 31 community gathering was the very last rainbow banner Gilbert had made with the words “Rise and Resist!” inscribed boldly in big black block letters. Veteran activist Cleve Jones, a close friend of Baker since way back during the days of Harvey Milk, acted as host of the community gathering. The amazing ABC miniseries When We Rise, based on Jones’ autobiography of the same name, included Baker.

PHOTO BY PAUL MARGOLIS

Baker was an artist, designer and lifelong activist for LGBTQ equality. A native of Kansas, Baker lived in San Francisco from 1970 to 1994, contributing his distinctive designs for countless events. In 1994 he moved to New York City, where he spent the rest of his life. Patrick Carney, Co-Founder of The Friends of the Pink Triangle, recently profiled Baker’s life and achievements for the San Francisco Bay Times. (http://sfbaytimes.com/our-enduringlgbtq-symbols/) Baker remained active as an artist, with his work commemorating gay victims of the Nazi regime recently displayed in San Francisco at the Castro gallery, Art Saves Lives.

The “Rise and Resist!” banner, made by Gilbert Baker, was carried from Harvey Milk Plaza at Castro and Market during the vigil on Friday, March 31.

During the gathering, we all took a moment of silence to remember Baker and to send love to his mother, Patricia. The Rainbow Flag was lowered all the way for a short while in memoriam. Jones said Baker died peacefully in bed in his home in Harlem.

Gilbert in drag

Jones recalled when the Grove Street building served as a gay community center, and he, Baker and others were s pi l l i n g d ye e ver ywhere—including all over their bodies—at the ambitious, exciting time when the first flag was made. On Pride Day, 1978, they raised t he resu lt ing in it ia l

Activists Cleve Jones (right) and Ken Jones (left with megaphone) spoke at the vigil held in Gilbert Baker’s honor. Word spread throughout San Francisco that Baker had passed away and hundreds gathered in the Castro to remember and celebrate his life.

Rainbow Flag at the United Nations Plaza to the amazement of LGBT onlookers “who just knew this was our flag,” Jones recalled.

Activist Ken Jones, whose life is also featured in When We Rise, spoke tenderly of his friend Baker, who “got his wings today, free to fly high above and wherever forever.”

Following the Castro & Market event, we all marched behind the rainbow “Rise and Resist!” banner—stretching across more than a lane of the Castro thoroughfare—to reassemble at the site of the old Harvey Milk camera shop/activist central, now known as the San Francisco Human Rights Campaign Equality Center. Along the way we loudly and proudly chanted, “All hail Gilbert Baker! We remember Gilbert Baker!” But in my mind I also chanted, “I remember Sister Chanel of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence!”

In Memoriam: San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus Member and Office Coordinator Ryan Nunez During a March 31 performance of “Paradise Found” by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC), singer Ryan Nunez collapsed on the risers and, after an hour of CPR administered mostly by fellow Chorus members, was pronounced dead during intermission by paramedics. Nunez passed away at the very spot where he had sung the first half of the show.

Nunez was just 39 years old and served as Administrative Coordinator of SFGMC. Members of the San Francisco Bay Times team worked with him these past few years and found him to be extremely kind, professional and dedicated to the Chorus as well as to our LGBTQ community as a whole.

Upon learning of Nunez’s passing, “the singers gathered in a small room and began the grieving process,” Dr. Tim Seelig, the Artistic Director of SFGMC and a San Francisco Bay Times columnist, wrote in a statement. “I have not experienced such shock or soul-shattering grief as that. Ever.”

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PHOTO BY JOHN CALDERA

PHOTO COURTESY OF GILBERT BAKER

Jones reminisced about the day in the 70s when Milk asked Baker to make a symbol that better represented the gay community than the lambda and the pink triangle. Baker selected the rainbow as a symbol of beauty, joy, diversity, and worldwide unity of our growing community. (At the time of Baker’s death, he and Carney were planning to commemorate both the pink triangle and rainbow symbols in a future exhibit.)

Gilbert Baker, 2015

Memorial Scheduled for Professor Emeritus, Author and ‘Betty’s List’ Book Club Founder Cynthia Katona The life of Cynthia Lee Katona, who passed away last October, will be celebrated at a memorial on April 23. Katona was a Professor Emeritus of Ohlone Community College in Fremont, where she established the Women’s Studies program. She was also a prolific writer who authored several books.

With San Francisco Bay Times Publisher and “Betty’s List” Founder Dr. Betty Sullivan, she created a popular Book Club that for several years hosted events at Duboce Park Cafe and other locations throughout the Bay Area. Katona was additionally a talented photographer who documented many local LGBTQ events.

“He was our voice to the world,” Seelig continued. “Filled with humor and huge hugs for all—he just took care of everyone—first.”

Christine Bolt, a Professor of Business at Ohlone Community College, informs us that the April 23 memorial will be held from 2–5 pm, with a program at 3 pm. It will be at the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose’s Dominican Center Assembly Room. The Center, next to the College, is at 43326 Mission Boulevard in Fremont.

The rest of the March 31 evening performance was cancelled. The following day, just before the Saturday afternoon concert, a private memorial was held.

Because the event will be catered, those attending are asked to RSVP by April 16 to Bolt at profbolt@aol.com

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Gilbert Baker’s Gift to the World

Do Ask, Do Tell Zoe Dunning Gilbert Baker (1951–2017) remains an icon of the LGBTQ movement, particularly given the importance of the rainbow-striped Pride Flag that he designed. This symbol of our community was unveiled on June 25, 1978, at the San Francisco Pride Parade, with its usage and signif icance growing ever larger over time.

Like so many leaders in the LGBTQ community, Baker was a military veteran who spent a year in college before he was drafted into the Army. He served as a medic and was eventually stationed in San Francisco, where he stayed for over two decades after leaving the Army in 1972.

The f lag that he designed six years later was a source of personal pride for Baker. According to The New York Times, he refused to apply for a trademark for his creation. San Francisco’s very own LGBTQ activist Cleve Jones called it Gilbert’s gift to the world.

“He told me when the flag first went up that he knew at that moment that it was his life’s work.”

The Rainbow Flag has significance and memories for nearly every LGBTQ person all over the globe. It is a universal symbol for inclusion, peace and love. There are many symbols for our movement—the pink triangle, the lambda and even the Human Rights Campaign’s bright yellow equal sign on a dark blue background. But I argue none is as universal as Gilbert’s Pride Flag. It even spawned the creation of the Leather and Transgender Pride Flags.

Symbols are important. In the 1980s, when I was a closeted lesbian serving on active duty in the Navy, I searched for ways of expressing myself without giving myself away and risking investigation and discharge. I would wear a lambda pendant on a chain around my neck while on leave. It was something I bought from a mail-order catalog, since there were few places you could physically go for those sorts of things back then.

I have a distinct memory of changing from civilian clothes to my Naval Academy midshipman uniform in an Oakland Airport restroom in 1984, getting ready to fly on a Space Available military charter to the Midwest.

I was with another woman I had met on the BART ride to OAK, a cadet attending West Point. She saw the necklace and asked me what it was.

I was mortified! Thinking quickly on my feet, but not cleverly, I responded, “A Chinese wishbone.” (How the hell did I come up with that?) She responded, “Huh.” I was terrified she would look it up and turn me in. Instead, we have become great friends over these past 30 years, and she is now the faculty rep for the LGBTQ cadet group at West Point!

Fast forward to 1991, when I was stationed in Washington, D.C. On my last day of active duty, I drove home, parked my car, and the very first thing I did to celebrate my new freedom was to place a rainbow flag sticker on the back bumper of my 1984 Honda Accord. I felt so free, so proud, and so excited to express myself through that symbol. It was a fun and, at that time, somewhat secretive way to show your support for LGBT rights, since the flag was not as universally recognized then as it is now.

I loved seeing it on my car every day, and kept it on even while serving in the Navy Reserves, and even driving on military bases with it.

After moving to the Bay Area, I loved going to the Castro and seeing col-

orful pride flags everywhere. I marched with the Alexander Hamilton American Legion Post 448 in the 1993 San Francisco Pride Parade, right behind the color guard that marched with the American flag, the flags of each branch of military service, and the rainbow Pride Flag.

When my wife joined the board of SF Pride in 2013, it was time for all of the Pride Flags up and down Market Street to be replaced. These flags, as well as the giant Pride Flag in Harvey Milk Plaza, are maintained by the Diversity Foundation, which was founded by Tom Taylor and Jerry Goldstein (the infamous “Tom and Jerry” of outlandish home holiday decorations).

We had the opportunity to spend one Saturday in their work loft, helping to organize and fold the new flags while Tom diligently sat hunched over at a sewing machine attaching the final

pieces needed to hang the flags. The room was awash in colorful fabric, and it seemed like almost a spiritual rite of passage to participate in such an endeavor. I smiled when I saw the bright new flags going up, replacing the faded old ones.

Symbols have meaning. I am grateful to Gilbert Baker for having the vision and creativity to gift us a timeless f lag that can represent all of us in our broad diversity. We as a community will miss him greatly. Rest in peace, brother.

Zoe Dunning is a retired Navy Commander and was a lead activist in the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. She served as Co-Chair of the Board of Directors for the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club and as an elected Delegate for the Democratic National Convention. She is a San Francisco Library Commissioner and is the former First Vice Chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party.

S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES APR IL 6, 2017

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Spring Forward! will reign throughout eternity. Equally as impressive were the many panelists, presenters and performers who told stories of their struggles for equality and justice for all while expressing the persistent need for selfcare, particularly in these challenging days and times.

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Living the Laughter Lifestyle Karen Williams, M.Ed. Yes, spring is in the air! I was so fortunate to jumpstart the new season at the inaugural Black Women Rise Conference in West Palm Beach.

Talk about March Madness! This conference epitomized March Gladness, as black women activists— lesbian, straight, trans and queer identified—gathered to share their hearts and hopes together.

The luminary list began with the keynote speaker, Angela Davis, whose consistent message of “SOLIDARITY!”

Even with this glamour and gladness, what I enjoyed most was the laughter. The laughs were healing and heartfelt as sisters of all races gathered together at every opportunity to embrace, enfold, enliven and enlighten.

What made this Black Women Rise event so special is that the conference aimed to be multicultural, multi-generational and multi-racial, and it truly was. Because most of us are engaged in educating the “other”—whoever that is perceived to be—it was with a collective sigh of relief that we embraced one another as activists. Community Activists!

Social Activists! Political Activists!

Sexual Activists! Cultural Activists!

The key word “Activist” united us beyond our individual differences, our personal likes and dislikes, and for that, we were all grateful.

Photos courtesy of Black Women Rise Conference

I often share that I became a Comic Activist as a result of being the f irst out black lesbian comic in the nation to use lesbian material in my act, and of launching my comedy career in San Francisco at the beginning of the HIV/ (Above) Dr. Angela Davis (right) participates in a discussion panel AIDS pandemic. I ex- and (below) joins an attendee in a one-on-one conversation at the perienced first-hand the Black Women Rise Conference in West Palm Beach, FL. healing power of humor when comics like Marga Gomez, Karen Ripley, Danny Williams, and I were added to show bills and increased the monetary profits of the event. (Laughter opens up the hearts and minds of people as well as the pockets!) In turn, that money was used to directly assist someone who was sick or in the hospital with the early diagnosis of GRID (Gay-Related Immune Deficiency Disease). ically I might add! The Cable Car We were in the throes of the Ron- Awards in San Francisco were creatald Reagon regime—a President ed to honor those valiant activists at who rarely mentioned HI V and such a critical time in our collective AIDS during his two terms. Yet, I history—an award for which I was watched and participated in a level nominated several times, and could of gay and lesbian activism that en- not win away from the lovable Marabled our beleaguered communities ga Gomez. to stand on their own feet and take (continued on page 30) care of themselves … rather (s)hero-

Calendar Editor

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Surviving the Trump Years

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of calm. We are all different, so what you choose as self-care will be different than what others or I may choose.

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CONTRIBUTORS Writers Rink, Sister Dana Van Iquity, Ann Rostow, Patrick Carney, Kate Kendell, Alex Randolph, Heidi Beeler, Gary M. Kramer, Dennis McMillan, Tom Moon, Tim Seelig, Cinder Ernst, John Chen Rafael Mandelman, Kit Kennedy, Phil Ting, Rebecca Kaplan, Leslie Katz, Philip Ruth, Bill Lipsky, Karen Williams, Donna Sachet, Gary Virginia, Zoe Dunning, Marcy Adelman, Stuart Gaffney & John Lewis Brandon Miller, Jamie Leno Zimron Thom Watson, Michele Karlsberg Lyndsey Schlax, Elisa Quinzi, Randy Coleman, Debra Walker, Wendy Ross, Howard Steiermann Photographers Rink, Phyllis Costa, Jane Higgins Paul Margolis, Chloe Jackman, Bill Wilson, Jo-Lynn Otto, Sandy Morris, Abby Zimberg

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Aging in Community Dr. Kathleen M. Sullivan The political landscape has rattled, angered and activated many of us.

The new administration, together with Congress, is seeking to repeal the Affordable Care Act, change Social Security and Medicare benefits, and create a Supreme Court that will deny women the right to self-determination and relegate LGBTQ people to second-class status. Transgender kids, in particular, are being targeted in the courts, Congress and at school.

People who practice Islam are being detained and denied entry to the U.S. Latino/a residents and citizens are targeted by ICE. Black Lives Matter is perhaps more relevant now than ever before as a movement against racism, institutional violence and oppression.

Our current time is both challenging and fear inducing. There is so much going wrong that many are left to ask, “What can we as individuals and a community do to remain positive, empowered and healthy while at the same time offering positive avenues for change?” I do not pretend to have all the answers or even to know the questions to ask about the current political and social landscape. I do believe that we all have the power to take positive actions that contribute to our communities, our families and movement for equity and equality. We must first, however, take care of ourselves.

If you have flown in an airplane, you have heard, “Put your air mask on first before helping others.” I know that sometimes self-care can feel like pure selfishness, but I am here to urge you to do the things that make you fulfilled, happy and give you a sense

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There are also a few things that relate to successful aging that I offer as suggestions. Importantly, exercise at least 30 minutes a day, which you can do all at once or in smaller bouts. More and more research finds that exercise is good for your overall health and mind. Next, try to turn off or tune out for five minutes daily. Even a small dose of meditation can help us find a sense of calm in the current political and social miasma. Eat nourishing food and make sure you hydrate with water. As we age, it is especially important for us to drink enough water and to eat well.

The better we care for our bodies and minds, the better able we are to help others. Taking responsibility for ourselves is also empowering. Personally, I have a greater sense of control when I plan my workouts and meals, and when I take the time to learn, grow and meditate.

One of the most insidious outcomes of our country’s heterosexist history is the isolation of LGBTQ older adults. We are far more likely to live alone than out straight counterparts.

Living alone can lead to feelings of isolation, loneliness and depression.

These feelings are often detrimental to our physical health as well, and are why I urge you to connect or reconnect with others. Our community has created great political and social change, and continues to do so when we work together. Billie Jean King noted in an acceptance speech a few years ago, “Nobody does anything alone.” Fortunately, there are a plethora of places to connect with others in the Bay Area—Openhouse, the San Francisco LGBT Center, AGUILAS and OLOC are just a few examples.

When we connect with others, we give ourselves the chance to commiserate, activate for change and share information and stories of triumph.

The Black Lives Matter movement, the Women’s March on Washington and response to the President’s travel ban are all indicators that, as a nation, we are ready for new and real social and political change. We all have talents and gifts to contribute, and when we do so in concert, we create a better world for everyone.

LGBT Elders Need Your Help The Trump Administration has deleted questions on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) from the national surveys of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Voluntary data collection on LGBT elders is essential for identifying unmet needs and ensuring federal allocation of resources.

Advocates fought hard to make visible the lives, concerns and needs of LGBT elders. The health and well being of the most vulnerable LGBT elders hangs in the balance. Do not let LGBT elders be erased and forgotten.

We only have until May 12, 2017, to submit requests to the HHS to restore LGBT questions to the department’s national surveys. Please submit your comment to HHS about the importance of retaining SOGI survey questions by this date. You may send written or electronic comments to: heather.menne@acl.hhs.gov Submit written comments to: Heather Menne U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living Washington, DC 20201 Please tell HHS to: Restore SOGI questions to the National Survey of Older Americans Act Participants and the Annual Program Performance Report for the Centers for Independent Living.

Thank you!

Marcy Adelman, Ph.D. My last suggestions to you are to get involved with a local community group, go to community meetings and become a citizen lobbyist.

We can, and must, create a positive, inclusive and diverse movement for equity for and within the LGBTQ community. As bleak as the nation’s political future may feel, it is also a potentially transformative time in our nation’s history. Together we can swing the pendulum back to a more equitable, open and accepting society, and stay relevant and connected to our communities.

So take care of yourself, connect with others and get involved to create new opportunities of positive change in your community and beyond.

Dr. Kathleen M. Sullivan is a soughtafter speaker and trainer on issues related to LGBTQ aging, housing, program development and cultural competency training. For more information: https://www.linkedin. com/in/sullivan-kathleen-a62a9750/ Dr. Marcy Adelman oversees the Aging in Community column. For her summary of current LGBT senior challenges and opportunities, please go to: sfbaytimes.com/challenges-and-opportunties

GLBT Fortnight in Review

By Ann Rostow

Hi Reader

Seventh Circuit Victory

Have you seen the short video, “Hi Stranger”? (https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=WHH2DFDcpH8)

The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has ruled that sexual orientation discrimination violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The 8–3 decision, issued April 4, is a major legal breakthrough, expanding the notion of discrimination “because of sex” to encompass antigay bias. The opinion also has implications for how the federal courts treat gays and lesbians under Title IX, the statute that forbids discrimination “because of sex” in public education.

Tarheel Tap Dance GLBT groups are crying foul over the so-called repeal of North Carolina’s HB2 anti-trans bathroom law, calling the cure worse than the disease. Indeed, it’s not great. The new law, signed by the Democratic governor on March 30, prohibits localities in the state from passing GLBT civil rights laws through 2020. As for bathrooms, it overturns the ban on transgender use of appropriate public facilities, but keeps control over bathroom policies in the hands of the state. As far as I can gather, this means no local entity or university will have the right to set their own trans-friendly rules even after the 2020 pause expires. It does seem, however, as if the flat ban on public bathroom use by transgendered citizens has been set aside.

I’m somewhat confused, frankly. I think the bottom line is that—in addition to putting an inexplicable fouryear moratorium on pro-gay policies—North Carolina has just singled out transgender men and women and made them permanently exempt from certain civil rights protections, a status that seems unconstitutional under the High Court’s ruling in Romer v Evans.

In Romer, the High Court ruled that the state of Colorado could not preempt gay civil rights laws by making their passage illegal. Since that 1996 decision, states have tried to sidestep the Romer Court’s philosophy by doing what Arkansas has done and what North Carolina is doing here through 2020: dictating that local entities may not expand civil rights laws beyond the protections encoded in state law. Since GLBT rights are invariably the only major category missing from state law, these statutes manage to preemptively ban gay rights laws without mentioning our community by name. It’s a clever dodge, but it won’t get by an honest court if we ever get a clean case in place.

When Fayetteville passed a GLBT rights law and challenged the state of Arkansas last year, a judge verif ied that, indeed, Arkansas mentions sexual orientation in quite a few state statutes, including domestic violence laws. As such, he continued in his ruling that Fayetteville was within its rights to add sexual orientation to its anti discrimination ordinances. Last February, however, the state supreme court overruled, striking Fayetteville’s policy as, essentially, violating the spirit of the statewide ban. Activists will return to the lower court to fight the law on constitutional grounds, and I assume our legal advocates will put the screws to North Carolina in short order as well.

Meanwhile, guess who was about to decide where to schedule future rounds of March Madness? The NCAA, of course. And guess who “reluctantly” withdrew their ban on North Carolina a few days after the repeal and replacement of HB2? The NCAA. Most infuriatingly for a Jayhawk fan, guess who won the national championship last Monday? North Carolina! (Expletive deleted.)

That is just the most brilliantly creepy thing I’ve encountered in a long time.

It’s dreamlike and disturbing and created by an artistic genius. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, maybe you should just forget about it. Or not.

The comments on YouTube capture its extraordinary ambiguity. Half the audience is profoundly comforted, while the other half is terrified.

Count me in the latter group, terrified but tremendously impressed.

It evokes half forgotten and nearly irretrievable memories of a time in early childhood when I was not completely sure what was real and what was just in my head.

So, as Rachel would say, we have a lot of news to cover this week. Have you noticed Rachel says she has a lot to get to every single night? It’s usually true, although in order to get to it we have to meander down many trails; through 19th century scandals and obscure Russian oligarchs and the history of steel subsidies and the search for the Northwest Passage and the biography of Marie Curie and the discovery of zero-sum game theory, all while yelling at the top of our lungs at the television: “Rachel, get to the point!”

Hey, it’s usually worth the wait, but honestly, we’re frustrated! I don’t mind the intricate background. What I do mind is repeating that intricate background ten times in a row after it’s already been articulated. We understand. Move on.

What’s that? Have I been guilty of the same device? Have I rehashed the 1989 Price Waterhouse case once too often for your delicate sensibilities? Yes, I know I have, but I was doing that for new readers. Sorry. It was important.

Meanwhile, the “introduction” to this section has grown so long that I can’t launch a major topic. Instead, I’ll just complain about the commercial for the sloppy “UNTUCKit” shirt that you don’t have to tuck in. Guys!

Just leave your shirt hanging out or go neat. It’s your choice. The notion that someone “solved the problem” of untucked shirts and created his own business is absurd. It’s like me “solving the problem” of having to wear suits and heels to the corporate office by starting a company that sells designer t-shirts and nice jeans.

And, as a general observation, is it my imagination, or have commercials started trespassing into gross personal areas lately? Mel and I have to scream and then race for the remote to turn off the sound every time we see the guy with opioid constipation who spouts scatological puns. Get him off.

Then there’s the “no stink” underwear ad, and those repellent toilet paper bears telling us to “enjoy the go.”

Lately I’ve seen a guy in his office who is about to pass gas until he takes a tablet. Why must we put up with this unpleasantness? Isn’t there some kind of government censor that can bring back a certain decorum?

Let’s go back to the news.

Simmering Cases Soon to Boil Over Here’s the thing. There are a lot of GLBT cases filtering through the federal courts, but now they’re not just filtering, they are quickly rising to the top. I know I’ve been mentioning several Title VII cases that examine whether or not sexual orientation and/or gender identity discrimination in the workplace should be protected under federal law.

Keep in mind that activists have a DOA bill in Congress (the Equality Act) that would add GLBTs to existing federal civil rights laws. But, at the same time, our lawyers argue that existing laws implicitly cover our community already. If that argument succeeds, the Equality Act would become moot.

That argument is a powerful one.

In 1989 the Supreme Court ruled in Price Waterhouse—just kidding!

I’ve already mentioned that a GLBT Title VII lawsuit was just decided by the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. I think it was argued last November. In the last issue I told you that another Title VII case lost before a three-judge panel at the Eleventh Circuit, and that case has now been appealed to the full appellate court. Now, a three-judge panel at the Second Circuit has again followed precedent to rule against a sexual orientation claim under Title VII, and again, the panel agreed that while gay bias is technically legal under federal law, gender stereotyping might well be prohibited.

And this is the ironic thread that we are tugging from the fabric of our current jurisprudence because, after all, isn’t being gay or lesbian the epitome of defying a gender stereotype? And if the High Court has determined that gender stereotyping violates federal law, then are we not implicitly covered by Title VII and Title IX and other statutes?

So now the full Second Circuit might be called upon to consider the question “en banc,” as they say. Note that a hearing from a full federal court of appeals is one step down from a Supreme Court review. Considering that we have two or maybe three cases at this level, it’s inevitable that this, our community’s most signif icant area of unsettled law, will reach the High Court sooner rather than later.

Gor Such and Such That brings us to Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch. I don’t understand why our party forced the issue and set up the nuclear option, which I assume will have been triggered by the time you read this column. Gorsuch isn’t our kind of justice, but unfortunately, the Democrats do not control this process. Republicans nominate conservative justices, period. So “changing the nominee,” to use Chuck Schumer’s mantra, would simply deliver another conservative.

Meanwhile, we lose the tiny bit of leverage we might have retained in the horrific case of a second Trump pick.

Gorsuch seems no worse than any other generic conservative judge, although the story of the frozen trucker seemed harsh. At least he’s not a confirmed homophobe like some of the other prospects on the Trump short list. As for Merrick Garland, I’ve previously suggested that the time will come when Democrats control the Senate and a GOP president gets a late vacancy at the High Court.

That’s when we take revenge for Merrick Garland. Not now.

I’ve been watching the Masterpiece Cakeshop case now pending before the Supreme Court, which has not decided whether or not to accept review of the Colorado baker who refused to serve gay customers on religious grounds. So far, the Court has put this case on its calendar five times, but each time the justices have taken no action. Why? Are they really serious about taking this case and stalling for Gorsuch? Are they torn? Do they not really care and do they therefore wind up talking about other petitions? At one point, the justices requested the lower court files, which (continued on page 30) S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES APR IL 6, 2017

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A Prince Who Is a ‘Queen’: A Conversation with Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil of India oldest encyclopedia, written 2,500 years ago. The Kama Sutra talks very openly about homosexuality, lesbianism, and transgenderism—even the various positions for the best sexual pleasure. We have several temples in India that are openly depicting homoerotic forms of statues and sculptures. We have centuries-old paintings, which depict homosexuality.

John Lewis & Stuart Gaffney

When Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil, heir to the 650-year-old throne of the Rajpipla Maharaja, came out as gay 11 years ago, it was frontpage news all across India. When Oprah invited him to share his story on American television and later crowned him “her favorite royal,” his story became known around the world. As Prince Manvendra likes to say playfully, the world learned that the “Prince was a Queen!”

When we heard Prince Manvendra’s coming out story, it struck us as remarkably familiar to our own story of awakening to our sexuality, experiencing confusion, overcoming emotional distress, coming out, and trying to use our experience to make things better for others. Even though Prince Manvendra grew up in an ancient royal palace in the Indian State of Gujurat and we grew up literally on the other side of the world in suburban homes in the Midwest of America, it felt as if we were neighbors when we met him to sit down and talk about LGBTQ life in India and the U.S. on his recent trip to San Francisco. Here are some highlights from our wideranging conversation.

John & Stuart: Thank you for taking the time to speak with us and the readers of the San Francisco Bay Times. To start, could you give us a little background about homosexuality in India, a vast and diverse country with centuriesold history and traditions?

Prince Manvendra: Thank you very much for this opportunity. India is a country of great diversity and rich cultural heritage. It has 26 states having their own cultures, languages, and culinary traditions.

Each state is like a different country. India is the world’s largest democracy.

India is also a country of paradox.

Homosexuality has been part and parcel of our country’s history, starting with the Kama Sutra, the world’s

However, today there is a lot of stigma and discrimination attached to homosexuality—a lot of taboo.

Sex education has been lacking in our country. Parents feel shy to talk about sex with their children. Homosexuality has been underground.

There is a hypocrisy prevailing in our country that says that homosexuality was a Western inf luence.

I would rather say that it was not a Western inf luence—it was an export. We exported homosexuality to other countries. It began in India.

John & Stuart: The nineteenth century British colonial law, Penal Code section 377 that bans most same-sex sexual activity, is still on the books in India and is now being challenged at the Indian Supreme Court. What would your message be to the Court and the public about the law?

Prince Manvendra: This is a dispute of hypocrisy versus humanity. Section 377 says that any kind of sexual act that is against the order of nature and which is penetrative, but does not result in procreation, is illegal. That means even though the law targets homosexual acts, it also targets heterosexual acts. It targets even a married heterosexual couple engaging in a sexual act that doesn’t result in procreation. And there is an interpretation of this law that says even masturbation is illegal.

Even though the legal case was filed by an organization supporting the LGBT community, it’s not just about the LGBT community. It’s about the rights of all the citizens of India. We are fighting for human rights. The Indian Constitution has guaranteed its citizens certain fundamental rights, and one of the rights is equality and another is privacy. Section 377 violates these rights.

The Court and the public must also remember that Section 377 was imposed by Queen Victoria for her own vested interests when she was ruling India. She wanted to break the power of Indians, including the influence of Hijras, a very old transgender community in India, and of female sex workers. Queen Victoria also employed the strategy of “divide and rule” to divide Hindus and Muslims in order to safeguard British interests.

Building India’s First LGBT Center

As we celebrate the reopening and $6.5 million renovation of the SF LGBT Center, Prince Manvendra and the Lakshya Trust are in the process of building and completing the first full-service LGBTA Center in India, the Hanumanteshwar Center in Gujurat.

You can learn more about the activities and resources offered by the Lakshya Trust here: http://lakshya-trust. org/ Learn more about the Freedom to Be Who You Are initiative here: http://www.thefreedomtobewhoyouare.com/ You can contribute to the Lakshya Trust here: https://lakshyatrust.ketto.org/contribute/contribute. php?fmd_id=24169

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John & Stuart: We understand that the ruling BJP Party has not taken a position either way on the Section 377 lawsuit.

What is your view on the BJP Party and LGBTQ rights?

Prince Manvendra: The world looks on the BJP as a conservative party. But even though they are conservative, they have strong Hindu values, and from that point of view, they are taking some very progressive steps for LGBT rights.

For example, the Health M inistr y brought out

SA N FRANCISCO BAY T I ME S A PR I L 6 , 2 0 1 7

John Lewis and Stuart Gaffney with Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil

an app for adolescents to provide sex education and information on health and hygiene. And the app says that it’s OK if you are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender—which is a very positive step. When this app was announced in the media, there was no opposition to it, from anyone, not even religious leaders.

The transgender rights bill was also passed by the government. Initially in the Supreme Court it was a law and now it has passed in the Parliament. India has progressed as to transgender rights, and America has not been able to give rights to the transgender people as much as India has been able to do.

The government has also been funding organizations like ours, the Lakshya Trust, which work exclusively for [those who are] homosexual and transgender.

And very recently (March 21, 2017) our Parliament passed the HIV/ AIDS amendment bill, which is a very important bill we have been fighting for and lobbying the government for the last four years.

John & Stuart: Tell us more about the new HIV/AIDS bill and your work combating the epidemic.

Prince Manvendra: India has the third highest number people living with HIV in the world. The most important thing this bill is going to do is “test and treat.” It’s very important because, in the previous government and in the earlier time, anyone who was tested positive was not treated immediately.

They had to wait until their CD4 counts dropped below a certain level. The government has also recently agreed to rapid testing.

Another important thing the bill will do is to give various legal rights to HIV-positive people, which will reduce discrimination. In India, there is a lack of awareness and education about HIV/AIDS that leads to misinformation, stigma and discrimination. The Health Minister recently told me in a meeting that he thought you could become HIV positive by eating food from the plate of a positive person.

In India, we don’t have as much privacy for sex as in America. I’ve been working on HIV for almost 15 years, and we’ve been trying to distribute condoms in all those areas we call the “hot spots,” where a lot of sexual activity happens. We’ve hung

condoms on tree branches in parks.

My message is that wherever you have sex, whenever you have sex, use condoms. Be safe. Condoms are protection not just from HIV, but also STIs. It’s in our hands to be safe, and I think condoms are impor tant tools for that.

PHOTO BY HRISHI SATHAWANE

6/26 and Beyond

Construction at the Indian LGBTA Center, Hanumanteshwar, Rajpipla, India

John & Stuart: How do you envision LGBTQ life evolving in India? Do you think it will be similar or distinct from the way it is evolving in America?

Prince Manvendra: India is a country with a lot of what I call “homosocial” behavior. You will see people of the same sex being very intimate with each other in public.

They will hold hands, walk with an arm on one’s shoulder, and hug each other freely in the parks and the railway stations, and all that is considered to be normal. If people of the opposite sex do the same thing, it’s considered abnormal.

And it’s very normal to have two people of the same sex cohabitating together. And the two guys or the two girls, they might be gay or they might be straight. Living together is absolutely treated as normal. There are many gay couples and lesbian couples in India who are living together and nobody’s bothered about them.

In some ways, it is much safer to be gay in India. I have travelled to a lot of places in the world. I’ve been to the most liberal countries, where marriage equality is there and there’s a lot of freedom for the LGBT community, but at the same time I’ve seen a lot of hate crimes, a lot of homophobia—much more than I’ve seen in India. So when you have freedom, you do not necessarily do away with homophobia.

Even though in India we do not have as much freedom as we would like, there is a lot of balance. We have a balanced freedom. Another good thing that has happened in India is that we are receiving a lot of support from the non-LGBT community. Even though there can be a feeling that you will be shunned if you come out, at the same time, there is support.

We have a Hindu Goddess named Bahuchara Mata, who is of lesbian origin and is worshipped by transgender people. And she is also a mainstream Goddess. Even the Prime Minister of India worships her. I’ve visited the Prime Minister’s office, and I’ve seen a photograph of Bahuchara Mata there.

India has a long and rich history very different from America with respect to Hijras, who some treat as saints; other transgender people; and to Kothi, a very, very old and particularly South Asian form of homosexuality.

John & Stuart: What’s your broader message to Indian people or to the world to make life better for LGBTQ people?

Prince Manvendra: Accept human beings as they are. We are born with whatever we are born with. It’s natural. It’s normal. And give love, and get love. It’s as simple as that.

John & Stuart: What is your message of hope to LGBTQ people living in India?

Prince Manvendra: Accept yourself. Most of the time, people don’t want to accept the truth if the truth seems bitter. I say accept your sexuality, whatever you are born with if you can. And be proud of who you are, rather than have a feeling of guilt and shame that you’ve done something wrong. Because whatever you’re born with is as normal and natural as your being straight. If you accept yourself, you will be able to face any challenge that comes to you because everything is based on the two strong pillars of truthfulness and honesty.

John & Stuart: Do you feel happy or even lucky that you were born gay?

Prince Manvendra: I’m very happy that I was born gay because I can do so much for others. If I had been married and had a heterosexu-

PHOTO BY RINK

al family, my whole life would have gone looking after my wife and my children and all that. I can do things the way I want to do them and thereby I can help myself help others. And also, gay people are very creative. Imagine the world without gay people. It would be so dull and dry. Our religion believes in rebirth, and I always say to the higher reality that if I’m taking the next birth, I want to David Perry, host of 10 Percent on Comcast, interviews be born again as gay.

Prince Manvendra at Beaux Bar John & Stuart: Can you talk about coming out in India?

Pr ince Ma nvendra: In India, we have a joint family system where people are very attached to their parents and dependent on their parents and families for finances. In order to come out, you must be ready to be detached from your parents and financially independent.

I was recently talking to an Indian living in America, and he doesn’t want to go back to India because he says, “The moment I return, my mother is going to get me married to a girl … I’m very safe in America.” But that is escapism. I told him, “Look, you have to come to terms with your sexuality. I know your mother is going to try to force you into a marriage, but you have to make her understand that ultimately you need your freedom as well.” Many people are coming out now and not succumbing to the marriage pressures coming to them from their parents.

John & Stuart: Your parents disowned you when you came out. What is your relationship with your parents like now?

Prince Manvendra: It is a work in progress. My mother is still not coming to terms with it. My father has been supporting me. He laid the cornerstone for the construction of the new LGBTA Center we are building in Gujurat.

John & Stuart: Tell us about the new Center.

Prince Manvendra: The LGBTA Center—A is for Allies—is being built in the 15-acre royal estate of Hanumanteshwar. The Center will have a learning center where we will teach computer skills, language, and many other things.

We will have a library and a music center with music therapy. We will have counseling, a community kitchen, multipurpose rooms, yoga and meditation, training programs, and a medical center. We have plans to make a shelter home for the community. Our Center is going to help empower the com-

PHOTO BY GARRETH GOOCH

MAX Chair Phil Walker (right) welcomes Prince Manvendra and his partner Ambassador DeAndre Duke of Hanumanteshwar (left) to a reception in their honor at Beaux Bar on March 21.

munity. Education will promote personal empowerment, which will give rise to economic empowerment.

We have purposely included Allies because I believe in inclusiveness, and not exclusiveness. The more you mainstream LGBT issues in society, the more acceptance and support and understanding you can get from the society towards us. And the Center is not restricted just to Indians. LGBTA people from any part of the world are welcome to come and use the facilities. We have a transgender person from New York at the moment with us, and she is making use of the facilities.

John & Stuart: Why should a person living in San Francisco or elsewhere in America care about an LGBTA Center in Gujurat, India?

Prince Manvendra: There is an ancient and very important Sanskrit saying, “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,” which means, “The whole world is one family.” I believe that if the whole world comes together, connects issues to each other, and addresses them jointly, we can make this whole world a better to place to live. That’s why it is important for people in San Francisco, or any part of the world, to connect with India and vice versa. At the end of the day, we struggle for common issues and common goals.

If we can unite together, come together, and fight for our issues together, it carries a lot more meaning than doing it all by yourself.

John Lewis and Stuart Gaffney, together for over three decades, were plaintiffs in the California case for equal marriage rights decided by the California Supreme Court in 2008. Their leadership in the nationwide grassroots organization Marriage Equality USA contributed in 2015 to making same-sex marriage legal nationwide.

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The Center at 15 unveiling the newly renovated space

Stepping into the Future with Full Resolve

By Rebecca Rolfe

O

n April 9, the SF LGBT Center will be celebrating its 15th anniversary with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the newly remodeled space and an open house for the entire community. We are thrilled to be starting a transformational new chapter in the Center’s history. The renovated space breathes new life into the facility while providing a sustainable home for future generations of LGBTQ people in the Bay Area.

The remodeled Center reopens at a crucial and challenging time for all of our communities. I’m confident that the program expansion the renovation has afforded us and our continued building improvements will provide crucial resources to face the challenges that lie ahead, and will enhance our work to support all LGBTQ people and allies. We can meet these challenges head on because our first 15 years have given us the opportunity to better understand the evolving needs of the community and how the building can be the strongest possible asset to meet those needs.

Soon after the Center opened in 2002, we realized that the LGBTQ community in San Francisco had significant needs around economic development—finding and keeping jobs, building businesses, and developing financial stability and security for individuals, youth, and families. Those needs were not being met elsewhere in the city, and the Center stepped in to begin building those programs and services for the community.

We created the first LGBT economic development program in the world, and have continued to innovate within that model. Over time we also created our Youth Program and Information & Referral services, both of which connect some of the most vulnerable members of our community to the incredible resources available in San Francisco.

Now, each year, our Economic Development team supports 3,000 people, our Information and Referral services connect over 6,000 people to critical resources, our Youth Program serves over 400 young people, and we host over 3,000 events.

In all, the Center and its programs welcome over 100,000 visitors annually and, given the current political climate, we expect this number to grow dramatically.

Photos by Genevieve Shiffrar/ Special for The SF LGBT Center 1800 Market Street @ Octavia

The renovation gave us a unique opportunity to look at the facilities and to improve them as an asset for the entire community. The new facilities accomplish many things, including creating a stronger revenue stream that will support longterm building maintenance and will make sure that this building and our services are here for generations to come.

“The renovated space breathes new life into the facility while providing a sustainable home for future generations of LGBTQ people in the Bay Area.”

We were also able to help alleviate the ongoing problem of affordability in the Bay Area nonprofit community by providing partner organizations with below market rate rental space. The upgraded 15,000 square feet of space allows us to bring tenants who align solidly with the strongest community needs, such as low-income legal services, primary medical care, health and wellness programs, and programs to serve the transgender community. These are critically important resources that strengthen the Center as a one-stop shop for the LGBTQ community.

The remodel also gave us the opportunity to look at creating a place that felt warmer and more welcoming and friendly for the entire community. We brought the art gallery into the lobby to create a more accessible space for the community to display art, upgraded our CyberCenter with new computers, and refreshed all of our public spaces and meeting rooms.

On the programing side, the remodel has allowed us to physically expand the youth programming space, which now includes a drop-in area, a support group/therapy room, and a room that includes all clothing resources and a washer/dryer.

The renovation culminates on the 15th anniversary of the Center—a watershed moment for the Center and the community.

Fifteen years ago, we could not have envisioned the incredible progress that our communities would experience. While this progress has been life-changing for many, we must always remember that numerous individuals in our community continue to face significant challenges rooted in homophobia, transphobia, sexism, racism and other related oppressions.

We cannot know what the next fifteen years will bring us, but we do know that the Center will still be here leading the way in understanding how to work with folks most at risk—for isolation, for violence, for illness, for unemployment or homelessness—and that we will still be welcoming people of all ages who come to San Francisco in search of a place to be their authentic selves.

With the renovation completed, we are now ready to lean into the future and make these aspirations a reality. sfcenter.org Rebecca Rolfe is the Executive Director of the SF LGBT Center.

Why I Love Our SF LGBT Community Center! would be forever stunted. There were, however, a few awkward conversations with friends and family, and the shadow of AIDS loomed particularly large back then when “treatments” were medieval and a diagnosis was understood to be a death sentence. But, all in all, going gay was pretty darned easy: I read a bunch of queerthemed books, started going to Co-op meetings, made new friends, and started working out more.

A San Francisco Kind of Democrat Rafael Mandelman We are all in this together. I believe that deeply, and that belief motivates my politics and my civic engagement.

I think it’s what makes me a Democrat, and it’s what makes me believe that each of us has an obligation to “give back” or “pay it forward.” It also animates my understanding of my place in the queer community.

I came out just about a quarter-century ago, and I was so lucky. I had grown up in San Francisco, knew gay teachers at my high school, had seen gay characters in movies and on TV, and had even, late at night with the sound turned way down on the television in the downstairs kitchen, snuck a few peaks at the naughty gay public access television shows. I was at the time studying at Yale College, the gayest of the Ivies, where John Boswell and others had done groundbreaking work in gay and lesbian studies, where several active LGBT organizations were busy making the campus a welcoming one for queer folk, and where everyone— gay and straight—agreed that the LGBT Co-op hosted the best dances.

Coming out was not hard for me.

There was no familial rejection, and no sense that my career aspirations

I fully recognized, though, that it was not that easy for everyone, and I knew that it was only that easy for me because so many people—in San Francisco, at Yale, and throughout the world—had suffered and struggled and sometimes died to clear a path for young queer kids like me. I started thinking of our LGBT community as a ship sailing the ocean, offering a lifeline to all the closeted queers struggling to survive in the choppy seas. And each of us who had been pulled to safety on that ship had—and for the rest of our lives would continue to have—an obligation to help pull others up from the watery depths.

That’s why six years ago, when I was recovering from the sting of an unsuccessful race for District 8 Supervisor and trying to figure out something worthwhile to do with myself now that the fates (and the force of nature known as Scott Wiener) had gifted me with some unanticipated free time, I decided to get involved with our San Francisco LGBT Community Center.

I had gotten to know about the Center’s programs and services, and had become a serious fan of both its Executive Director, Rebecca Rolfe, and its Board Co-Chair, James Williamson, during my Supervisor campaign. I know that there are those in the community who will always be disappointed that our Center never turned out to be a sort of Gay JCC, with a great pool and gym, and maybe even a snack bar and restaurant. It’s true that our Center is not that. But I for one don’t need our Center to be that, and I am pleased with what it is: a queer institution that, like our mission statement says, connects “our diverse community to opportunities, resources and each other to achieve our vision of a stronger, healthier, and more equitable world for LGBT people and our allies.”

Now approaching the end of my last year as the Center’s Board Chair, I am so proud of the work we have been able to accomplish together. I am especially proud of the nearly-complete building remodel. Our Center has served our community for fifteen years, with a special focus on the needs of our most vulnerable: transgender people seeking employment, homeless youth, folks of all ages experiencing housing insecurity, and the list goes on and on. But throughout that period, the Center has struggled with a basic challenge related to the layout of our building: we have never been able to generate enough revenue from the building to pay its costs of operation, and have had to rely on the vagaries of annual fundraising simply to keep the doors open. Until now.

Our building renovation should fix that math problem and set the Center on a path of fiscal stability for the foreseeable future. With the addition of approximately fifteen thousand square feet of badly needed nonprofit office space to serve organizations like Bay Area Legal Aid and API Wellness, the Center will not only be a more vibrant building better able to serve the needs of the community, but it will also be a more financially secure one as well.

The next several years should be exciting ones for the Center. With improved cash flow from building operations, the Board, staff and community will have a renewed opportunity to imagine the role the Center can play in our community life in the

years and decades ahead. This building will never be a Gay JCC, but we should be able to offer more and better services to queers in need and to do additional work in areas like Queer Arts and Culture where there is community interest. I myself would love for the Center to someday play a role in helping secure desperately needed performance and office space for queer arts organizations, but that’s just one man’s idea. The future, dear friends, is bright and limitless. We have much to celebrate.

On the evening of April 8, the Center will hold its 15th Anniversary Soiree at Terra Gallery at 511 Harrison Street. The dinner (which starts at 5 pm) has sold out, but tickets to the general admission party (which starts at 8:30 pm) are still available at www.sfcenter.org/ soiree15 and can be purchased at the door. Juanita MORE! is returning as our Entertainment Director for the evening, and, with Juanita in charge, the party promises to be a spectacular one.

The following day, April 9, we will be rededicating our renovated building at 1800 Market Street at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1 pm, followed by an open house. If you have not yet had the opportunity to visit our remodeled digs, please come by. We are thrilled about how the building has turned out, and I hope you will be too!

Rafael Mandelman is a Deputy City Attorney for the City of Oakland. He has served as a member of the City College of San Francisco Board of Trustees since 2013, and is Chair of the Board of the San Francisco LGBT Community Center.

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The Center at 15 unveiling the newly renovated space

SF LGBT Center’s Groundbreaking Employment Programs Help Job Seekers and Promote Inclusive Workplaces

By Clair Farley A few years ago, Marrisa was living a life she described as “isolating” in Montana, where she had been coping with substance abuse. Determined to find a better life for herself as a transgender woman, she sold her car and moved to San Francisco in search of a supporting queer community that would embrace her.

At first, things didn’t go as planned for Marrisa. She was rejected for jobs because she was transgender. Rent and bills piled on, and she was forced to take out a loan just to keep herself afloat.

“We can all be part of creating change. If you need work, schedule a consultation with us, attend our programs and take part in the career fair. All of our community services are free!”

Full of resolve, Marrisa did not give up. She came to the SF LGBT Center and, with the help of our Trans Employment Program staff, she improved her résumé, attended our weekly job club programs and took part in our LGBTQ Career Fairs. She landed a job and now has a successful career, a good living situation, and is on the path to building a life she always envisioned for herself.

Marrisa’s story is not uncommon.

It is painful to tell you that there are thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people living in the Bay Area who are unemployed, or underemployed and not making a living wage. While many in our community are prospering, many also face significant challenges rooted in bias and lack of acceptance. Our community is tremendously diverse, and homophobia and transphobia intersect with racism, gender bias and economic challenges that keep many on the margins, particularly when seeking employment and economic stability. I am proud to tell you that the SF LGBT Center is working hard to help them.

Every year, our Economic Development program works with more than 3,000 people, helping them to purchase their first home, find affordable housing, improve their credit, manage debt and, for many, find rewarding career opportunities. Our LGBTQ Employment Program helps job seekers to improve their résumés, cover letters, online business profiles and interview skills.

We also provide opportunities for the community to network and learn new job skills, such as coding and software development. The Trans Employment Program—the first-of-its-kind in the country—is designed to help create inclusive workplaces and jobs for trans and gender non-conforming people across all industries. Its #HireTrans mass transit campaign to educate the public on the challenges trans jobseekers face while searching for employment is currently being featured on SFMTA Muni buses, trains, and platforms, and on BART platforms.

One of the most important events for our job-seeking clients is our free LGBTQ Career Fair, attended by more than 600 jobseekers and more than 40 Bay Area companies from industries such as technology, banking, hospitality, retail, media and communications, government and transportation, among many others.

The next fair is Tuesday, April 25, at the San Francisco offices of LinkedIn. The career fair offers jobseekers the opportunity to connect with employers who value diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Participants meet recruiters, receive career and résumé consultation, and obtain a professional headshot for free. Recognizing the particular set of biases that transgender people face, in 2007 the San Francisco LGBT Center launched the Trans Employment Program, the first city-funded program of its kind, and the first such program in the country.

The team works to help create inclusive workplaces and jobs for transgender and gender nonconforming (GNC) people. It provides a wide range of services including employer support, training human resources staff on employment and benefit best practices, providing advice on navigating being out at work or transitioning on the job, mentoring, and legal services.

Earlier this year, the Trans Employment Program also launched the #HireTrans campaign to encourage employers to hire transgender and GNC people.

Marrisa demonstrates the resolve and strength representative of our community’s history. It took incredible courage for her to come out, leave everything behind and move to San Francisco. We are proud that every day we support many like Marrisa, connecting them to the critical resources they need and setting them on their path to thrive.

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We can all be part of creating change. If you need work, schedule a consultation with us, attend our programs and take part in the career fair. All of our community services are free! If you are an employer, contact us to take part in the career fair and ask us about our training and volunteer programs. If you are employed, give back and take affirmative steps to create a safe and supportive work environment for all LGBTQ individuals and people of color.

We have made incredible progress. We have won marriage equality and the right to serve openly in the military. Our brave youth are coming out at younger ages and in bolder ways than ever before. Let us make sure that no one, especially the most vulnerable in our communities, gets left behind on our path to full racial and socioeconomic equality for all.

Clair Farley is the Director of Economic Development at the SF LGBT Center.

Renovated SF LGBT Center Allows Youth Program to Expand

By Vanessa Teran “I arrived in San Francisco full of hope and ready to live my authentic self, but unfortunately I soon found myself homeless and at the mercy of strangers who took advantage of my situation.”—Anastazia, Youth Program participant After a 72-hour bus trip, 22-year-old Anastazia arrived in San Francisco with little money and nowhere to live. They left a life of rejection and harassment in Florida to seek a new beginning within a community that was supporting and accepting of young queer, trans and gender non-conforming people.

“I didn’t give up,” said Anastazia. “I found the Youth Program at the SF LGBT Center, which provided me with a safe space, weekly meals, and support in finding the help I needed in order to find housing and begin a new life. I am now more stable and have time to explore a career in design.”

LGBTQ youth, who have incredible talents and contributions to make to society, already face higher rates of suicide, homelessness, and depression.

In San Francisco alone there are 1,500 LGBTQ youth like Anastazia. In my position as Youth Program Manager at the Center, I work with over 400 of them every year.

The recently completed renovation of the Center will allow our Youth Program to expand mental health services and continue providing critical services for youth who often experience rejection, violence, racism, sexism, and transphobia—often by their own families—which create barriers to accessing housing, employment, and healthcare.

“I was so happy that even through the building remodel, the Center continued to provide me and other LGBTQ youth with a safe space to hang out, access to resources, and to find other essential support like STD testing, and information about training and employment opportunities,” Anastazia continued.

Just as Anastazia did, every day a new young person comes through our doors seeking support. Together with our nonprofit partners, the Youth Program at the Center will support every one of them.

Vanessa Teran is the Youth Program Manager at the SF LGBT Center.

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Attorney Deb Kinney Advises on End-of-Life Issues This National Health Care Decision Month J O H N S T O N, K I N N E Y & Z U L A I C A LLP

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Some of our most important decisions concern end-of-life care matters impacting ourselves and our loved ones, yet many of us avoid conversations about such topics and put off obtaining the necessary documents and legal guidance. As attorney Deb Kinney reminds, now is the time to make appropriate plans to ensure your wishes are followed.

Kinney is a partner at Johnston Kinney and Zulaica LLP, a law firm with 11 attorneys specializing in estate planning, trust administration and probate. She regularly lectures on topics such as health care documents, and helps clients to make sure their affairs are in order. She also works closely with Hospice by the Bay to provide educational seminars in the community.

Kinney recently took time to answer some key questions about planning for end-of-life care decisions.

San Francisco Bay Times: Who should be my health care decision maker? What if I don’t have kids or family who are close by?

Deb Kinney: Your primary decision maker should be someone you trust who will be a good advocate in the hospital on your behalf and who can carry out your personal wishes.

They don’t need to be related, but should be able to navigate the sometimes complex issues that can arise.

We always suggest that you have at least two people in line. If you don’t know who that could be, there are professionals that are trained and can be of great help to make sure you are getting the care you need.

San Francisco Bay Times: Don’t most individuals want to make their own decisions for as long as they can?

Deb K inney: Yes, and they should. But we often recommend that you let your decision maker have authority as soon as the document is signed, Deb Kinney which doesn’t require that Deb K inney: April is you be incapacitated priNational Health Care Decision Month—an annual remind- or to them acting on your behalf. For er regarding the need for written example, you could be coming out health care documents. The need for of surgery and be groggy and need these documents cannot be stressed someone to run interference on your enough. Whether you are married or behalf. By taking out the incapacity single, younger or older, with private requirement you can have that help insurance or on Medicare or Medi- immediately. Hopefully you have Cal, having these documents prop- chosen someone you trust who will erly executed in advance will make work with you whenever appropriate. sure that you can have the care and San Francisco Bay Times: advocacy that you would want in a What is an HIPAA release? medical situation. The documents Isn’t that already in my Health that are necessary are an Advance Care Directive?

Health Care Directive, an HIPAA release, a Hospital Visitation Autho- Deb Kinney: Congress passed the rization, and a POLST in certain cir- HIPAA (Health Insurance Portabilcumstances. (Read on for descrip- ity and Accountability Act) and, as a result, one’s medical information tions of each.) is private and confidential. Although San Francisco Bay Times: this is a very good thing, if you were What is the most important to need help making decisions, your document? people cannot access your records or talk to nurses, doctors or providers Deb K inney: Without question, without a written authorization. As your Advance Health Care Direcmany of us don’t need help with such tive is the most important document. decisions until we aren’t feeling well, It says who you want making your it is important to have an HIPAA redecisions and acting on your behalf, lease signed in advance. whether or not you want life-prolonging medical measures if you are not An HIPAA release is usually grantexpected to survive, and if you want ed to your decision maker, but if you to be an organ donor. If that is all want to have more than one person you fill out, then you are already bet- on deck to help, you can allow them all to access you and your medical ter off. records at the same time. This can be especially helpful if one of your designees is dealing with doctors, another with insurance claims and another with other issues like f inding a good rehabilitation living situation or exploring clinical trials on your behalf. Remember that these documents are used when you a re not feeling well.

San Francisco Bay Times: What are health care documents, and do I really need them?

PHOTO BY RINK

San Francisco Bay Times: How about those of us who are married?

Do couples really need these documents?

Deb Kinney surrounded by friends attending a Horizons Foundation Gala at The Fairmont Hotel.

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Deb K inney: Yes! Although many people feel l i ke t hei r spouse or registered domestic partner has all the rights to make decisions for them,

having a backup to each other is super important. It may be that your partner is also injured or ill at the time you need help. Also, since HIPAA laws were passed to keep medical information private to you alone, even your spouse will need authorization absent emergency circumstances, and also to help file insurance claims or deal with Social Security or Medicare issues on your behalf.

San Francisco Bay Times: What is a Hospital Visitation Authorization?

Deb Kinney: It is a simple one page document with a big notary stamp that says your unrelated partner or your best friend should be allowed to access you in the hospital even if access is limited to “family” only. They may not be making medical decisions yet, but want to be with you—and given that other states may try to limit same sex families’ rights and recognition, we suggest that all of our clients execute one, whether married or not.

San Francisco Bay Times: Do I need a POLST? Deb Kinney: Maybe. A Physician’s Order for Life Sustaining Treatment Form is in addition to an advanced directive, and is only for folks with a serious illness, advanced frailty, or who are near the end-of-life. It is filled out with your primary physician and more specifically outlines your end of life wishes and care. We sometimes recommend to certain clients that they think about having this conversation with their primary doctor to see if it is appropriate. It has replaced the DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) form, but it’s still bright pink.

San Francisco Bay Times: What do I do with these documents once I have them all in writing?

Deb Kinney: Please give a copy to each of your decision makers so that, if there ever is an emergency, they have them and can show that they are the person you selected to help you.

You can also give a copy to your doctor or upload them to your provider, like Kaiser. Remember you can always update them if necessary.

San Francisco Bay Times: Having conversations about these topics isn’t easy. Do you have any tips?

Deb Kinney: Having the conversation about end-of-life issues may not be easy, but it is one of the most important things you will ever do. We’re all different, so there is no right or wrong answer about how to approach it. For some, it may be easier to start thinking about such matters on your own. Or, when you initiate the conversation with others, try not to make it too heavy at f irst—and perhaps have several small conversations about the topic. When you are done, make sure to document it and share it with others. For more tips, visit wehelpyoudeal.org San Francisco Bay Times: Where do I go for more information or to obtain the necessary forms?

Deb Kinney: You can download an Advance Health Care Directive from Hospice by the Bay’s website: hospicebythebay.org Please check with your physician or attorney to obtain other forms.

On April 8, Hospice by the Bay is sponsoring a seminar in Marin County on “My Life , My Choices.”

For more information: http://hospicebythebay.org/event/life-choices-planning-future-health-care-decisions-larkspur-3/

Don’t Derail Your Retirement: Watch for These 3 Risks

ways the right solution. With many retirees living decades in retirement, you will likely have time for your assets to grow or, at least, keep up with inflation. Plan to periodically review your portfolio in retirement to make sure you’re comfortable with your progress and risk tolerance.

Money Matters Brandon Miller If you’re in or nearing retirement, you’re likely thinking about it as a time to relax, check items off your bucket list and enjoy what you’ve earned. But from a financial standpoint, it’s important not to get too comfortable. Once you leave the workforce, you will likely be reliant, at least in part, on your savings to cover living expenses. So, it is important to stay diligent and be aware of potential risks to your financial security. Here are three key risks to keep an eye on in retirement: 1. Not Revisiting Your Investment Strategy As you approach or enter retirement, you may have to re-assess your risk tolerance and make sure that your portfolio aligns with your goals, the lifestyle you want in retirement and your financial situation. Remember that you may have less time to recover from market swings, so consider protecting your portfolio as you prepare to live off your savings. With that said, being too conservative isn’t al-

2. Spending Too Much Too Quickly When retirement rolls around, you may find you have more money accumulated than you’ve ever had before. This can lead to a false sense of financial security and prevent you from adjusting spending in retirement. But if you begin spending at an unsustainable level in the early years of retirement, you risk depleting your nest egg too quickly. If you dream of traveling or starting a business after you step away from the workforce, factor those activities into your retirement budget. That way you can feel good about enjoying what you’ve earned while also being cautious about not outliving your assets.

3. The Rising Cost of Living Many retirees believe the amount of money they can generate from their investments and other sources of income, such as Social Security, will be sufficient when retirement begins. But keep in mind that, historically, the cost of living has risen over time. For example, if you live for another 25 years after you retire and the cost of living rises by an average of three percent per year, your annual living expenses could potentially double in that time. Consider the possibility that retirement may be much more expensive as time goes on. Accounting for inflation impacting the most prominent items in your budget, such as health care or travel, is a good place to start.

The Benefits of Being Prepared Preparation and discipline can keep you on track and feeling secure about your finances in retirement. You can take steps to help address these risks prior to leaving the workforce with proper planning, diligent saving and a portfolio that is aligned with your goals and risk tolerance. If you’ve already entered retirement, these risks deserve consideration to help you continue to manage your assets on the way to achieving long-term financial security.

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

Crossover Popularity Expressed in Two Ways Honda CR-V

Auto Philip Ruth Crossovers are like the popular crowd.

In human terms, they’re the ones grabbing eyes with their intellects and physiques. Seen as the complete packages, they’re the ones people fix on first. Sedans and hatchbacks are nice and all, but the crossover is the one today’s buyer wants on their arm.

The two we’re examining this week play different parts of the crossover field, but they conceivably could be considered by the same buyer because there’s some overlap in their base prices. The Honda CR-V is a compact crossover that starts at $25K and can be equipped to being just under $35K. The Mazda CX-9 is larger, with three rows of seats standard in all trims, as opposed to two rows for the CRV. The CX-9 has accordingly higher base prices, starting under $33K and ending up at $46K. So if you had somewhere in the mid-$30K range to spend, you could get either a loaded CR-V or a basic CX-9.

Each has its own f lavor of popularity. The CR-V is the top seller and has

Mazda CX-9

been for some time. When competitors are fired off from Toyota, Nissan, Chevrolet, Ford and other mainstream brands, the CR-V is their target. The Mazda, on the other hand, has had a much lower profile; the CX-9 hasn’t had the market presence to be much more than an outlier on the scene.

That changed with the CX-9’s redesign, which clicked in for 2016. My tester got many positive comments wherever it went, with one onlooker mistaking the CX9’s elegant detailing for that of an Infiniti. The CX-9’s interior is a knockout, with delicate shaping and tactile richness throughout. The smooth curves and plainspoken controls are the sort that inspire a sigh of relief when you open the door.

Honda took a different tack with the CR-V. When you’re on top you want to stay there, and the CR-V’s design has that calculation in mind. Inside and out, my top-level Touring tester was a riot of visual grabs, from its curvy and layered grille to its blocky and formal door-panel wood trim. Like an all-you-can-eat (continued on page 30)

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From the Coming Up Events Calendar See page 28 Friday, April 7 - Nasty Women Exhibition Oakland – Through April 28 @ Omi Gallery, 2323 Broadway, Oakland. A group exhibition demonstrating solidarity among artists who identify with being a Nasty Woman. nastywomenoakland.com

Sunday, April 16 - Easter - Hunky Jesus & Children’s Activities – 10 am @ Hellman Hollow, Golden Gate Park, 800 John F. Kennedy Drive. Annual Easter with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence with the theme “Sanctuary: Universal Joy,” a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love. thesisters.org/events

Arts & Entertainment

The Summer of Love Experience: Art, Fashion and Rock & Roll de Young Museum, April 8-August 20 The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF) are pleased to announce The Summer of Love Experience: Art, Fashion, and Rock & Roll, an exhilarating exhibition of iconic rock posters, photographs, interactive music and light shows, costumes and textiles, ephemera, and avant-garde films at the de Young. A 50th anniversary celebration of the adventurous and colorful counterculture that blossomed in the years surrounding the legendary San Francisco summer of 1967, the exhibition will present more than 400 significant cultural artifacts of the time, including almost 150 objects Elaine Mayes, “Couple with Child, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco,” from the FAMSF’s extensive 1968. Gelatin silver print. Courtesy of Joseph Bellows Gallery. Image permanent holdings, supple- Courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco mented by key, iconic loans.

“The 1967 Summer of Love was a defining moment in San Francisco’s history,” says Max Hollein, Director and CEO of the FAMSF. “With the de Young’s proximity to the Haight-Ashbury district, our exhibition will be the cornerstone of a city-wide celebration. The work created during this period remains a significant legacy and we are uniquely positioned to present this story in all of its controversial glory.”

In the mid-1960s, artists, activists, writers, and musicians converged on HaightAshbury with hopes of creating a new social paradigm. By 1967, the neighborhood would attract as many as 100,000 young people from all over the nation. The neighborhood became ground zero for their activities, and nearby Golden Gate Park their playground.

The period is marked by groundbreaking developments in art, fashion, music, and politics. Local bands such as Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead were the progenitors of what would become known as the “San Francisco Sound,” music that found its visual counterpart in creative industries that sprang up throughout the region. Rock-poster artists such as Rick Griffin, Alton Kelley, Victor Moscoso, Stanley Mouse, and Wes Wilson generated an exciting array of distinctive works featuring distorted hand-lettering and vibrating colors, while wildly creative light shows, such as those by Bill Ham and Ben Van Meter, served as expressions of the new psychedelic impulse.

Stanley Mouse and Alton Kelley, “Skeleton and Roses,” Grateful Dead, Oxford Circle, September 16 & 17, Avalon Ballroom, 1966. Color offset lithograph poster, 20 x 14 in. (50.8 x 35.5 cm). Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Museum purchase, Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts Endowment Fund, 1974.13.100. Artwork by Stanley Mouse and Alton Kelley. © 1966, 1984, 1994 Rhino Entertainment Company.

Used with permission. All rights reserved. www.familydog.com. Image Courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Distinctive codes of dress also set members of the Bay Area counterculture apart from mainstream America. Local designers began to create fantastic looks using a range of techniques and materials, including leatherwork, hand-painting, knitting and crotchet, embroidery, repurposed denim, and tie-dye. These innovators included Birgitta Bjerke, aka 100% Birgitta; Mickey McGowan, aka the Apple Cobbler; Burray Olson; and Jeanne Rose.

“Our collections have always reflected our interest and respect for this period in Bay Area history,” notes Jill D’Alessandro, Curator of Textile and Costume Arts at the FAMSF. “The scope and scholarship of this exhibition will weave the many threads of this story together to create a new context and narrative that we hope will be both reverential and refreshing.”

The Summer of Love Experience: Art, Fashion, and Rock & Roll commemorates an “only in San Francisco” social and aesthetic movement, and will remind museum visitors that in a time of international upheaval, the city played a vital role in changing society and amplifying the pulse of the nation. The exhibition is organized by Jill D’Alessandro and Colleen Terry, Assistant Curator for the Achenbach Foundation of Graphic Arts at the FAMSF, with contributions by Julian Cox, who is the Chief Curator and Founding Curator of Photography at the FAMSF. deyoungmuseum.org/summer-of-love | #SummerofLoveSF | @deyoungmuseum 20

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100& Birgitta (Birgitta Bjerke), Woman’s “hands” dress. Wool, crochet, ca. 1967-1968.

Collection of the artist.

Image Courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Bonnie MacLean, “Yardbirds, Doors, James Colton Blues Band, Richie Havens, July 25, 30, Fillmore Auditorium,” 1967. Color offset lithograph poster, 54.1 x 35.6 cm (21 5/16 x 14 in.). Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Museum purchase, Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts Endowment Fund, 1972.53.103. © Bill Graham / Bonnie MacLean. Image Courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Bob Schnepf, “Summer of Love/City of San Francisco,” 1967. Color offset lithograph poster, 20 1/2 x 14 in.

(52 x 35.7 cm). Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Gift of the Gary Westford Collection, in Honor of Bob (Raf) Schnepf, L16.32.11. © Bob Schnepf. Image Courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Helene Robertson, Customized “Farah of Texas” jacket ca. 1960s. Denim jacket with cotton patches and metal studs. Collection of the Artist. Pants, ca. 1960s. Silkscreened Levi’s denim jeans. Collection of Helene Robertson. Image Courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Victor Moscoso, “’Incredible Poetry’, Norse auditorium, Jun 8, 1968.” Color offset lithograph poster, NR 24, 28 3/16 x 22 1/64 in. Promised gift of Gary Westford. © Victor Moscoso. Image Courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Herb Greene, “Dead on Haight Street,” 1967 (printed 2006).

Platinum print. Private collection. © Herb Greene. Image Courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Patrick Lofthouse, “Love Staple Singers, Roland Kirk, April 18, Fillmore Auditorium, April 19 & 20, Winterland,” 1968.

Color offset lithograph poster, 53.5 x 35.6 cm (21 1/16 x 14 in.). Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts Endowment Fund, 1972.53.132.

Image Courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Loren Rehbock, “Mnasidika, 1510 Haight St.,” 1967. Color offset lithograph poster. Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Gift of the Gary Westford Collection, in memory of Janis Joplin, 2016.32.3. © Loren Rehbock.

Image Courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES APR IL 6, 2017

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Band, DJ or Both

By Natasha Miller Getting engaged is delightful, and full of endorphins and excitement. Then the planning starts, and that can either be fun or can turn into a bit of stress.

So many elements of planning a wedding are outside of people’s grasp that it seems like there is a veil of mystery surrounding some elements and a hurdle to overcome. Of course, hiring a seasoned and skilled planner is the very first thing I’d advise.

When it comes to deciding whether you should hire a DJ or a band, or both, many factors come into play. First and foremost is likely the budget. Hiring a DJ can be less expensive than a band. Keep in mind that it is their skill and experience, as well as their organization, professionalism and equipment that you are paying for. Depending on the venue, the fees for a professional DJ can go from $1200–$3800. That is the approximate range in the Bay Area. And, of course, if you want a celebrity or headline DJ, it will be much more.

A skilled and talented DJ is a great choice if you are on a tight budget, if there are space constraints, if you want to hear music that is played exactly like the recorded version, and/or if you have a noise ordinance. You can elect to go with the very hip and trendy “silent DJ,” where your guests wear headphones and boogie the night away to either one or multiple DJ’s. (Watching a group of people dance to two different DJ mixes is quite entertaining!)

I love a live dance band for the human, spontaneous, yet rehearsed sound and energy they can provide. There is nothing like an engaging band that can get your guests to f ill the dance f loor and stay there all night. I think the element of live music also creates a higher aesthetic in that the Party Crashers you are honoring human beings who are creating the music. It is authentic and original, even if they are playing a cover song.

There are nuances that human performance allows that spinning a recorded song does not.

However, I’m a big fan of including both a DJ and a band if you can afford it. This is the absolute best of both worlds.

DJ Celeste

The DJ and band can often share a sound and PA system and play with and off each other. The DJ can play music for early parts of the evening, then the band can come on for first dances and a dance set. During band breaks, the DJ can spin songs that the band might not be able to pull off well, in addition to playing the last set by cranking it up and sending everyone off with exactly the feeling the couple hopes to have them remember.

DJ Jazzy Fox

Many venues have a noise ordinance of a certain decibel level and/or a cutoff time where no sound can be played. This is the perfect time to introduce the silent DJ service. It is not a common sight and can be a surprise element that amps up the last part of the night.

The silent DJ brings in headsets and has a receiver that sends the mix s/he is spinning to the headsets. There is no audible sound except perhaps for your guests laughing and screaming with glee, or the sound of their incredible dance moves as their feet hit the floor.

Booking any talent through a reputable and insured company is the best approach to ensuring a seamless and excellent result. My company Entire Productions makes sure to hire only the most accomplished and professional musicians, handles all contracting, manages the talent as well as provides a COI (Certificate of Insurance) that most venues require and that many artists do not have.

Natasha Miller is a recovering classical violinist and jazz vocalist and owns the entertainment production company, Entire Productions, in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. She was just selected as one of The Knot’s “Wed 100” #theknotwed100. For more information: entireproductions.com/

Frederick Sullivan and Jaime Botello, who oversee the Weddings & Occasions page for the “San Francisco Bay Times,” are the talented wizards behind Sullivan-Botello Events (http://sullivanbotelloevents. com) and SnB Party Rentals (650-877-0840, www.snbpartyrentals.com). Both are Certified Wedding Planners with extensive experience in creating memorable, personalized events for special occasions. Their rental service is incredible, offering everything from beautiful gold Chiavari chairs to LED dance floors, and all at competitive prices. They are the creators of the Gay Vanity Wedding Show and are longstanding members of the Golden Gate Business Association, which is the nation’s first LGBT Chamber of Commerce.

SF Public Library’s Karen Sundheim - Retirement Celebration Photos by Rink Members of the San Francisco Bay Times team were on hand to present a floral tribute to Hormel LGBTQIA Center’s Karen Sundheim, who retired in early April. She served the San Franicsco Public Library for more than ten years combined at the Eureka Valley/Harvey Milk Branch and the Hormel Center. Library colleagues along with family and friends hosted the celebration of Sundheim’s achievements, including the 2016 Hormel Center programming and exhibit 20th Anniversary: Queerest. Library. Ever.

Karen Sundheim with author Jewelle Gomez in 2016 22

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Karen Sundheim (right) with authors Juliana Delgado Lopera, Ann Bannon and Lucy Jane Bledsoe in 2016

Karen Sundheim with philanthropist James Hormel in 2012

Sensitive New Film Truman Plumbs the Depths of Human Experience

Film Gary M. Kramer Spanish writer/director Cesc Gay had a breakout hit in 2000 with Nico and Dani, about two teenagers who are best friends, one of whom is gay. His latest film, Truman, opening April 14 in the Bay Area, addresses two best friends, but this time they are middleaged adults, and one of them is dying.

Truman opens in Montreal as Tomás ( Javier Cámara) leaves his wife and two kids and flies to Spain to surprise his best friend, Julián (Ricardo Darin). Julián is not unhappy that Tomás has come to visit for four days. In fact, the timing could not be more perfect.

Tomás can help Julián, who has decided against additional chemotherapy for his liver cancer. He is now putting his affairs in order in anticipation of his death.

Gay doesn’t dwell too much on the right-to-life issues, though they are raised. Instead, the filmmaker focuses on the friendship between the two men, and how the most important things in life are love and relationships. One of the best scenes in the film is an unexpected moment where Julián and Tomás express what they have learned from each other over the course of their friendship together. One of the most moving scenes has the two men holding hands as they go to sleep in twin beds in Tomás’s hotel room.

Gay is not a sentimentalist, and while Truman may tug at viewer’s heart-

strings, it is never mawkish or maudlin. Most of t he emot ions generated by the film come from the characters’ inability to fully express what they are feeling. In fact, what is unsaid is often more telling that was is said. This is most effectively conveyed when Julián decides to pay an impromptu visit to his college-age son, Nico (Oriol Pla), in Amsterdam. With Tomás in tow, Julián feels he can finally work up the nerve to tell his son of his decision to end his life. Things don’t go entirely as hoped for—Nico has plans with his girlfriend Sophie (Lucie Desclozeaux) that day—but an embrace father and son share is quietly powerful.

Truman unfolds in a very gentle manner, typical of Gay’s films. The tone of the film is suitably poignant and melancholic. As Julián finds strength in his decision, he may not be completely aware of how difficult life will be for his friends who remain. In addition to Tomás, Julián’s sister Paula (Dolores Fonzi) reacts badly to her brother’s news.

Moreover, as Julián, an actor by trade, meets acquaintances he knows from the industry, he has different, emboldened reactions to folks based on his impending death. He chastises a friend who ignores him in a restaurant for his bad behavior, yet he apologizes to another friend whose marriage he fears he may have ended.

These scenes depict Julián’s character, and as Tomás observes his friend’s behavior, he comes to gain a new respect for him. This also makes their parting more difficult.

loss, and he meets with a lesbian couple who might adopt the pet. But it is pretty clear to viewers who Truman will end up with when the credits roll and why.

Gay isn’t looking to create narrative surprises in Truman, but he is looking to plumb the depths of human experience. He largely succeeds because of the fine performances by the two leads, both of whom worked with Gay on his previous film, A Gun in Each Hand. The Argentinean actor Ricardo Darin exudes an air of confidence and gravitas that befits his character.

He also grows considerably more expressive with each interpersonal encounter. In contrast, Cámara nicely underplays his role as Tomás. His emotions and body language are palpable as he spends his last visit with his dying friend.

If the film has a narrative misstep, it occurs in a scene in the last reel that is meant to be cathartic for Tomás, but feels somewhat contrived. However, Julián observes that what happens makes sense in the scheme of things. Nevertheless, it seems to be out of character for Tomás. Still, this is a minor quibble for a sensitive film that yields considerable insights and pleasures.

As Julián prepares to end his life, even choosing between a coffin or urn for his remains, one of his chief concerns before he dies is who will care for his pet dog, Truman. (Truilo, the dog, gets a proper credit in this film.) Julián talks with his vet (Àlex Brendemühl) about how animals experience

© 2017 Gary M. Kramer

was full of twists and turns as two friends searched for love online, but found their happily ever after where they least expected.

Michael Thomas Ford: When I teach writing classes and we start talking about genre, I tell the participants that their story is the body of the book and the genre they chose to write it in is the clothes the body wears. You can take the same story and tell it as a romance, a horror tale, a sci-fi adventure, a western, or anything else you like.

Gary M. Kramer is the author of “Independent Queer Cinema: Reviews and Interviews,” and the coeditor of “Directory of World Cinema: Argentina.” Follow him on Twitter @garymkramer

Genre Choices

Words Michele Karlsberg Michele Karlsberg: Why did you choose to write in your particular field or genre? If you write more than one, how do you balance them?

Carsen Taite: When I sat down to write my first book, I purposefully shied away from the obvious pull to draw inspiration from my, at the time, day job as a criminal defense attorney. After all, I already put in plenty of overtime weeding through the alleged crimes of my clients and helping them navigate their way through the intricacies of litigation. The idea of doing the same for imaginary people seemed like piling on to an already stressful profession. Writing fiction was supposed to be a fresh venture.

And so I turned to romance. It was an easy choice really, since I’d always been a fan. What some deemed formulaic, I found comforting, especially since reality rarely gives us tidy packages. My first novel, truelesbianlove.com,

I’m proud of that book the way a parent is proud of a child who’s mastered her first step, but that first wobbly step inspired a desire for more. I’d always loved mysteries and suspense—it was that love that had drawn me to the law in the first place, and I finally realized I didn’t have to choose. The often messy and unresolved, loose ends of litigation could now make sense in the pages of my fiction. Mysteries could be solved, heroes could be vindicated, and lovers could find forever together. I found my passion in romantic suspense.

Carsen Taite’s goal as an author is to spin tales with plot lines as interesting as the cases she encountered in her career as a criminal defense lawyer. She is the awardwinning author of over a dozen novels of romantic intrigue, including the Luca Bennett Bounty Hunter series and the Lone Star Law series. Learn more at www. carsentaite.com

When I first started publishing my novels for adult readers 15 years ago, because they were about the lives of gay men, mainstream bookstores labeled them “gay fiction,” a category that included every single book with a gay character regardless of genre.

Gay bookstores, on the other hand, classified them more specifically as “romance” or “mystery” or “horror.”

That’s helpful in that readers interested in those specific genres can easily identify books they might like, but it can also be confining to you as a writer, or alienate other types of readers.

I used to worry about it, but, at some point, I stopped. Now I write what I want to write, then let the publishers decide what they want to label the books as. I think there’s absolutely an (continued on page 30) S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES APR IL 6, 2017

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My Friend Gave Me Syphilis any symptoms. He assured me that he would get himself checked out and let me know. So far, I have not heard from him.

Examined Life Tom Moon, MFT Q: Last month I got some weird spots on my legs, and when I saw the doctor he diagnosed me with secondary syphilis. I have a friend with benefits, Eric, who is the only guy I have had sex with in months, so I knew I must have gotten it from him. But when I called him he said he did not think it could be him because he had not had

Just a few days later, a mutual friend, Bob, just happened to mention in passing that Eric had been treated for syphilis a few months ago, which would have been about the time I was infected. I blew up. Not only did he not tell me when he found out he had it, he did not even have the decency to admit it when I told him I had it and he knew he had given it to me. I have been too angry to speak to him since I talked to Bob, so at this point he does not know that I know. I really liked him a lot, but right now I hate him and do not want him in my life anymore. Bob says I am being too judgmental for rejecting him for this.

He says I should forgive and forget, but I can’t. Don’t I have the right to be this angry?

A: Of course! This was a major betrayal. But I think that you owe it to

yourself to finish this unfinished business by talking to Eric and telling him what you know. Even if you do have to end the relationship, you need to have this discussion, and he needs to hear and understand how his dishonesty hurt you. It is also important because behavior like this has ramifications for the whole community.

His dishonesty could have resulted in your unknowingly spreading the disease to other men. Syphilis is a serious and dangerous illness, frequently at epidemic levels in gay communities. In order to get control of these outbreaks, we have to take seriously our ethical obligation to one another to give full disclosure whenever possible.

While I believe you should be honest with Eric, I also think it is important that you not do it in the way people on The Jerry Springer Show are “honest.” Be frank with him about how you were affected by what he did, but do your best to avoid shouting, selfrighteous attacks, accusatory tones,

name calling, etc. Be direct and come from self-respect, but do your best to respect his humanity as well.

If this way of speaking is what Bob means when he tells you not to be “ judgmental,” then I agree. But if he means just overlooking bad behavior, then I don’t. Some in our community seem to use the term “ judgmental” very carelessly in response to discussions of any ethical standards about acceptable conduct, especially where sex is involved. Having so recently (in historical time) won our right to sexual freedom, many of us are still suspicious and defensive when anyone suggests that we have to balance freedom with responsible and caring behavior toward one another.

That is a shame, because we want so much more than sexual freedom. We also want to belong to a community where we can feel that we are at home, and where we can count on being treated with respect, care, and in-

tegrity. We all want this, and we all know how far we are from that ideal.

What we can do in our individual lives to help create this kind of community is to commit to do all in our power to treat other gay men as if they really are our brothers, even— or maybe especially—when they hurt us. That is the big picture reason why you should talk with Eric.

Maybe the trust is permanently broken, and maybe you will have to go your separate ways, but, who knows?

It may just be possible for him to find his own integrity, step up to the plate, and own his wrongdoing. If he can do that, he will learn something important, and you may find your way to forgiveness. Out of respect for the affection you have had for each other, I suggest you give both of you that chance.

Tom Moon is a psychotherapist in San Francisco. For more information, please visit his website http:// tommoon.net/

PHOTO BY RINK

San Francisco’s City Hall was lit on Saturday, April 1, in observance of Transgender Day of Visibility and on Sunday, April 2, in memory of Gilbert Baker, creator of the Rainbow Flag, also known as the LGBTQ Pride Flag.

Personal Training – Is It for You?

Easy Fitness Cinder Ernst I’ve enjoyed being a personal fitness trainer for almost 30 years, whoa!

When I pioneered the one-on-one training program at the SF Central YMCA, there was not even a personal trainer certification. Now you can hire a personal trainer easily at any gym, to come to your home or meet you in the park. Trainers are everywhere!

Thinking of that subject, this is the first article in a 3-part series about personal fitness training: Is personal training right for you?

How to find a trainer best-suited to you How to become your own personal trainer Have you ever thought, “If I had Oprah’s money I’d be fit because I’d hire a trainer?” I jest a bit with this question, but it points to how we think about personal training. Lots of people believe that if they just had money to hire a personal trainer, they could get, and stay, fit.

One of the traps that you might get caught in is making your exercise about weight loss. I’m pretty sure Oprah has done that a lot. The weight 24

loss thing is so elusive that it brings mostly weight cycling and frustration. Then you stop exercising. We suggest that you do not use personal training as another way to try to lose weight. Fitness is having the strength and stamina to live your life, and has nothing to do with how you look.

Finding the right trainer and instructing them will be the topic of the next article.

In my decades of being a personal trainer, I have experienced how it works and how it doesn’t.

Personal training is a great way to work on your fitness. You show up for your appointment consistently and you work out; so, your strength, flexibility and stamina increase. Your fitness level improves. If you hire a personal trainer, you don’t have to worry about motivating yourself. You only need to keep your appointment.

One of the pitfalls with personal training is that, without the trainer, most people stop working out. Without the workout, your fitness level diminishes. Personal training does not “train” your capacity to self-motivate your exercise program. It’s good to realize that the personal trainer will be in your life for a long time. One of the wonderful side benefits of having a personal trainer is that if you’ve chosen well, you will enjoy each other’s company. I have clients at the gym who have been with me for decades.

We appreciate each other and always have a good time.

So, when is traditional personal fitness training a good idea?

If you are pretty good at exercising and you want to take it up a notch, hire a good trainer to push you a bit harder.

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Fitness SF Trainer Tip of the Month Naomi Gillmor, Fitness SF SOMA Single Arm Row: Stabilize your right foot on the floor and your left knee on the bench. Next, hold the free-weight in your right hand and let it hang down towards the floor. Stretch your Lat Muscle and then pull your right elbow up towards the ceiling, completing the move.

If you are pretty good at exercising and you want to learn some new techniques or a new sport, hire a trainer to help you. I took up boxing a few years ago and I love, love, love it! I have a boxing coach.

If you need to update your current exercise program, personal training can get that done with ease and efficiency.

If you are unmotivated and/or resistant to exercise and you can afford personal training for an indef inite time or forever, find the right trainer and go for it.

What if you are a reluctant exerciser and can’t afford a trainer long-term?

You are in the right place, because Easy Fitness has a system that will help you get over that exercise hump.

I will give you some tips in the third article in this series about how to become your own personal trainer. And I’m happy to say that you don’t even have to wait for that, as you can buy my new book, Easy Fitness for the Reluctant Exerciser! Find it on Amazon or check my website.

Cinder Ernst, Medical Exercise Specialist and Life Coach Extraordinaire, helps reluctant exercisers get moving with safe, effective and fun programs. Find out more at http://cinderernst. com

Tore Kelly, Director of Creative & Social Media for Fitness SF, provides monthly tips that he has learned from professional trainers. For more information: fitnesssf.com/

REAF’s Paula West Concert Photos by Rink

The Marines Memorial Theatre came alive on Saturday evening, March 25, with the sights and sounds of REAF’s (Richmond-Ermet Aid Foundation) concert featuring popular singer Paula West. Among the special moments was the cutting of a birthday cake presented to REAF Board of Directors member Sophie Azouaou. Congratulations to producers Ken Henderson and Joe Sieler for another outstanding event benefiting organizations providing services to the Bay Area LGBTQ community.

Sister Dana Sez: Words of Wisdumb from a Fun Nun ed Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific; “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” (in the Hawaiian style of Israel Kamakawiwo’ole); “Hawaiian War Chant” (à la Bette Midler with an audience sing-along: “Aaaahh-Way, Lack-of-nookie’s-gotme! Aaaaahh-Way, Come-on-I-wanna-lay-ya!” and the guys in loud Hawaiian shirts and shorts and leis); Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along; and Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.” The Chorus also presented stunning versions of “Amazing Grace” and the 19th Century hymn “Nearer My God To Thee.” But the most emotionally charged pieces were so appropriate during these terrible Trump travel ban times, the lyrics of Emma Lazarus inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, “Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor...” and “God Help the Outcasts.” I had tears running down my cheeks.

By Sister Dana Van Iquity Sister Dana sez, “Breaking news: Donald Trump has been impeached! Oh sorry, April Fools!!!”

PHOTO BY PAUL MARGOLIS

This spring, we got to experience paradise with the SAN FRANCISCO GAY MEN’S CHORUS during their heavenly concert, “PARADISE FOUND”—featuring the 250 men of the internationally renowned SF Gay Men’s Chorus, the spectacular choral sound for which they are known, and a cavalcade of surprises along the way. We joined SFGMC at the Herbst Theatre for “Paradise Found,” under the baton of Dr. Timothy Seelig, complete with several world-premiere pieces, cherished favorites, and over-thetop production numbers. In addition, the Chorus welcomed the international sensation NA LEI HULU I KA WEKIU DANCE COMPANY as special guests—bare-chested men in loincloths and women in colorful skirts doing interpretive hula and island dances and chants with stick-banging. The show ran the entire gamut of musical styles in one beautiful evening, all wrapped up in the theme of “paradise.” In addition to the four world-premiere pieces, more familiar selections includ-

Sister Dana shares a hug with Larry Lare Nelson at the recent GLBT History Museum Anniversary Party: Turning 32, Turning Six, Turning Up the Music

This was the world-premiere performance of SFGMC Composer-inResidence Dr. James Granville Eakin III’s 15-minute epic work “Paradiso,” based on the work of Dante. “Paradiso” was breathtaking, radiating with bold conviction and vivid color, and was anchored by three different trios guiding the listener from despair to ultimate joy, backed by the power of the entire Chorus. Additionally, the Chorus premiered “Sanctuary” by worldrenowned composer Ola Gjeilo.

“I can’t think of a more meaningful time in our history when we have needed [paradise] more than now,” said Chris Verdugo, SFGMC Executive Director. “We at SFGMC are doing just that with a show that calls forth hope, love, laughter and peace, and that for a few brief hours creates a paradise that you melt into and away.” ‘nuff said. But typical of the comical side of the Chorus, they closed with a bevy of bathing “beauties” (drag queens) as the Chorus guys donned bathing caps—singing to “Swan Lake” and executing 1940s–50s Esther Williams type synchronized swim choreography as “aqua-musicals.” Hilarious!

The OUT & EQUAL WORKPLACE ADVOCATES’ MOMENTUM GALA CELEBRATION was incredibly moving in sharing the

20th anniversary celebration of the founder and CEO, Selisse Berry, with 800 of our closest friends. A video screened showed all of the accomplishments of O&E. We laughed with comedian and emcee Kate Clinton (who joked, “I am the last Clinton standing; and I worry someone will yell, ‘Lock her up!’”); honored 10 LGBT and Ally Champions of the workplace (who each were given a 9-word limit to give their acceptance speeches); celebrated the hit television show When We Rise, which received the Outstanding Champion Award, along with Dustin Lance Black, Oscar-winner and 2017 O&E Champion of the Year (unable to attend and accept in person); and danced to three-time Grammy-winning pop legends, The Pointer Sisters! The trio sang a trio of their hits, “I’m So Excited,” “Neutron Dance,” and “Jump.” The night was capped off with the live auction with the celebrity guest from Bravo TV’s hit television series The People’s Couch, openly and boldly gay Scott Nevins! O&E raised nearly $500,000 for the future of Global LGBT Workplace Equality so that nobody ever has to choose between the career they love and the person they love!

Berry emphasized, “Together we are changing the world, one cubicle at a time, and around the world, we will rise!”

We celebrated international TRANSGENDER DAY OF VISIBILITY (TDOV) on March 31 at SOMArts with a reception and “Love & Resistance” program. The event was led by community partners from the SF LGBT CENTER TRANS EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM and TRANS:THRIVE at API WELLNESS, featuring special guest YouTube star Gigi Gorgeous. This year’s honorees included the Transgender Gender Variant and Intersex (TGI) Justice Project; Aria Sa’id, emerging leader and Program Director of St. James Infirmary; Tom Waddell Health Center’s Transgender Clinic; Fresh White, and videographer and advocate Gwen Park.

Nya from the Fuse show Transcendent and Shawn Demmons em(continued on page 30) S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES APR IL 6, 2017

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Speaking to Your Soul

Astrology Elisa Quinzi Spring is ushered in by alternating waves of tension and harmony, reflecting the energies of fear and love. These are the pains of a new freedom being born.

ARIES (March 21–April 19) Claim your autonomy by facing your fears and you subsequently attract people and situations that support you and your ideals.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Good vibes abound now. Your positivity and peacefulness are attractive and draw in opportunities for personal growth and add heat to your love life.

TAURUS (April 20–May 20) The closing of a cycle implies the birth a new one. See the door that opens for you. Trust in the natural goodness of life and prepare yourself.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Consider what you need in the area of spiritual self-care.

Then take action immediately on implementing a new and improved daily routine that supports you.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) The texture of current world events reflects a personal battle you’re enduring. An opportunity exists for you to release tension around a situation, which frees you up to be of greater impact to the collective.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) Spring encourages you to shed some layers and liberate yourself from fear. Trust in a harmonious vision that supports the good of the whole.

CANCER ( June 21–July 22) Draw upon courage to allow yourself to shine as you are.

Fuel for revolution revs up your mission on the planet.

Have faith in your intuition and you’ll pioneer a new path for others to follow.

LEO ( July 23–August 22) Conversation sparks a sudden urge to break out of your usual routine. You are serendipitously exposed to an experience that opens you if you let it.

VIRGO (August 23–Sept. 22) Warrior work on your wounds sees some fruits of its labor in an uplifted, harmonious sense of self-worth. Don’t let up on slaying your dragons just yet. You are climbing toward the light.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22–Jan.19) The energy of revolution and liberation funnels down into your core to root out any old ideas that might still be holding you back. Evolution for you involves applying your incredible power of commitment to goals that are true to your soul.

AQUARIUS ( Jan. 20–Feb. 18) Lively, authentic dialogue with open minds can put pieces into the big-picture puzzle for you. You’re encouraged to initiate such conversations, as awkward as that can be for you.

PISCES (Feb. 19–March 20) The winds of freedom lift your sails. Align yourself with the frequencies of harmony and balance and take some risks with your newly found confidence.

Elisa has been enjoying the art of astrological counseling since earning professional certification many years ago. In addition to astrological knowledge, she brings a high degree of conscious presence to her work, and creates a safe, comfortable atmosphere for sessions to unfold organically. Contact her at futureselfnow@gmail.com or 818-530-3366 or visit www.ElisaQuinzi.com

As Heard on the Street . . . What type of business would you like to see move into the Castro neighborhood?

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compiled by Rink

Timothy J. Flint

Miss Billie Cooper

Jonathan Fiishleder

Jeremy Prince

“More gay-owned small businesses and no chain stores”

“A soul food restaurant”

“A full service bookstore, like Books Inc. in the Castro was, and with lots of LGBT books”

“A thrift store”

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I SLEEP with PREDATORS

Take Me Home with You!

whose claws retract.

Thought to be colorblind but night opens up to them in ways obscured to me.

Poet in Residence

Three predators, three

Kit Kennedy

characters create a symphony

Kit Kennedy is the Poet-inResidence of the “San Francisco Bay Times” and at her church Ebenezer Lutheran, herchurch.org

of curiosity. The one christened after a poem, his jade green eyes are mysterious planets

She has published 5 poetry collections, and for the past several years she has hosted the poetry series at Gallery Café. For more information, please visit her blog: http://poetrybites.blogspot.com

worthy to explore. The Tuxedo with philosophical bent— of course, called Dumbledore— an elder with a soul of play

“In Greek mytholog y Helena, the daughter of Zeus, was the most beautiful woman in Helena the world. I’m honored to be named after her! I’m a special pup because I’m leaning to communicate through sign language. My hearing impairment doesn’t slow me down! Instead of learning the word ‘sit,’ I’m learning the sign for it. Come join me on this adventure!”

Helena is presented to San Francisco Bay Times readers by Dr. Jennifer Scarlett, the SF SPCA’s Co-President. Our thanks also go to Krista Maloney for helping to get the word out about lovable pets like Helena.

To meet Helena and other pets seeking their forever homes, please visit: San Francisco SPCA Mission Campus 250 Florida Street San Francisco, CA 94103 415-522-3500

his formal garb never needs pressing. And the girl like her name (Sweetie),

Dr. Jennifer Scarlett and Pup

Aside from major holidays, the adoption center is open Mon–Fri: 1–6 pm and Sat–Sun: 10 am–5 pm. Free parking is available for those wishing to adopt!

her pink enameled heart never, never tarnishes. Each a predator.

For more information: sfspca.org/adopt

Each a confessor. Each a familial whose meows are heart songs whose purrs, the lullaby Haiku

I cherish.

Dumbledore

Sweetie

LGBTQ+ History as a Road Map (Editor’s Note: Teacher Jenn Bowman of San Francisco’s Mission High School is teaching LGBTQ Studies.

In this column, Bowman’s students share their thoughts about LGBTQrelated matters, including their concerns, what they have learned in class and more. The students have been on spring break, however, so Bowman herself penned this piece.)

As the teacher of Mission High School’s first LGBTQ+ class, I often feel a pang of jealousy. I think about what it would have been like for myself, as a young questioning queer student, to be exposed to LGBTQ history and gender studies in high school.

My students are so much savvier than myself at that age. Many of them have come to this class with an erudite understanding of the difference between gender and sex, and gender expression versus gender identity. Some of them are LGBTQ+ identified, and all of them know someone who is. A couple of students have been the impetus behind the struggle for a gender-neutral bathroom at Mission. I respect my students’ activist work, and try

to design my curriculum to support their efforts.

Still, so many of my current students have not been exposed to the history of struggle and activism in the LGBTQ+ community. The following are reflections from two students in Mission’s first LGBTQ+ class after a unit focusing on the gay rights movement in San Francisco.

“I had no idea that LGBTQ people have gone through the types of experiences with police that people of color go through today. I didn’t know how hard LGBTQ people had to fight for their rights. It’s just not right.”

Nehemias, Grade 10 “I was born and raised in San Francisco. I can’t believe that I’ve never even heard of Harvey Milk. It just seems shocking that no one told me about him in all the years I’ve gone to school here. Harvey Milk was such a hero! Why didn’t our teachers think he was important enough to teach about?”

Blanca, Grade 10

Student Voices Mark Leno’s FAIR Education Act in 2008, which mandated the inclusion of LGBT history into social studies curriculum, gave teachers like myself a collective sigh of relief. We teachers had been including LGBTQ+ history in our curriculum, but there was always the possibility of a ‘fight’ for its inclusion; this fight could be with irate parents, a homophobic administration, and even with students themselves. Now that we have a law that requires that we include LGBTQ+ history, there is no excuse not to make it happen.

My students are hungr y for this knowledge; they want a historical connection. They need to hear stories about leaders like Harvey Milk

and the ‘Screaming Queens of the Compton’s Cafeteria.’ They want mentors and heroes. An understanding of LGBTQ+ history could provide a roadmap for their current activism. The struggle and resiliency of the LGBTQ+ community in the first half of last century have such a meaningful connection to today’s world under the current Trump Administration. The students make the connections themselves.

Mission High School: https://mhssfusd-ca.schoolloop.com/ LGBTQ Scholarship Opportunities: https://static1.squarespace.com/ static/52c7dc91e4b0c06fbd156f6b/ t/53b63fb8e4b079c1947dbd fa/1404452792563/LGBTQ.pdf

Jenn Bowman, a history teacher at Mission High School, is a queer woman, activist, scholar, and queercore lover. With a small group of teachers, she took part in the initial LGBTQ Studies pilot class from 2010-11 in collaboration with the SF LGBTQ Center. This pilot, which offered a class for students on Saturdays at the Center, led to a 2010 school board resolution that promoted the expansion of LGBTQ Studies across high schools.

S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES APR IL 6, 2017

27

Compiled by Blake Dillon

6 Thursday

who identify with being a Nasty Woman. nastywomenoakland.com

Celebrity Cruises Leading Edge Tour – 11 am @ Stonestown Galleria, 3251 20th Avenue, South San Francisco. The major cruise company voted “most LGBT friendly” invites you to preview their new ship class, Celebrity Edge, with refreshments, photo ops, music and reward cards. celebritycruises.com

Exhibit Opening - Lavender Tinted Glasses: A Groovy Gay Look at the Summer of Love – 7 pm @ GLBT History Museum, 4127 18th Street. Curator Joey Cain’s exhibition highlighting the roles of four queers in the 1967 Summer of Love: poet Allen Ginsberg, filmmaker Kenneth Anger, philosopher Gavin Arthur and singer Janis Joplin. glbthistory.org

Trump’s First 100 Days: Part Three – 6:30 pm @ Commonwealth Club, 555 Post Street. Co-sponsored with KQED featuring a panel discussion with Harmett Dhillon, Supervisor Jane Kim, Kori Schake, Brian Watt and more discussing how Trump’s 100day action plan continues to have impact. commonwealthclub.org Breast Cancer Fund’s 25th Anniversary – 7:30 pm @ San Francisco Design Center, 101 Henry Adams Street. Emcee Kate Clinton with an engaging program including the Impact Auction and an organic meal and wine choices. breastcancerfund.org Women In Music! Festival – Continues April 7, 8 & 9 @ Downtown Oakland locations. A multi-generational conference and festival with panel discussions, workshops, film screenings and dance parties. wimbayarea.com

7 Friday Nasty Women Exhibition Oakland – Through April 28 @ Omi Gallery, 2323 Broadway, Oakland. A group exhibition demonstrating solidarity among artists

Cheyenne Jackson – April 7, 8 & 9 @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko, 222 Mason Street. Jackson will perform songs from his latest album Renaissance. feinsteinsatthenikko.com

8 Saturday “Betty’s List” Ladies Go Biking East Bay Ride – 10 am @ Rockridge BART starting point.

Ride with leader Jackie Eaux through Berkeley to Grizzly Peak and around about through Oakland and back on BART. facebook.com/ events/1269134793177994/ Año Nuevo Hike for Women: Seal Pups and Tidepools – 10 am @ Año Nuevo State Reserve and Davenport Landing. Hosted by “Betty’s List” and Blue Water Ventures. bluewaterventuressc@gmail.com The Summer of Love Experience Opening Day – 12 Noon @ de Young Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, Golden Gate Park. Film screenings, art-making, tours and live music by San Francisco Airship and Human Be-In(volved). famsf.org

Dance & Silent Auction Benefit for Dance Mission – 6:30 PM @ Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th Street. Dance party, food & beverage and performances by SoulFource, Grrrl Brigade and more. dancemission.com Selena Screening & After Party: A Benefit for Brava – 3 & 7:30 pm @ Brava Theater Center, 2781 24th Street. Sing-along with Selena at the screening of the 1997 biographical film and help sustain Brava. brava.org 8th Annual Castro Country Club Pageant: Victor Victorian Transformation Through Recovery – 7:30 pm @ Everette Middle School, 450 Church Street. The winning drag king or queen will host the monthly Mascara event throughout an entire year. castrocountryclub.org

9 Sunday SF LGBT Community Center’s Ribbon-cutting and Open House – 1 pm @ The Center, 1800 Market Street. A rededication of the recently renovated facility. sfcenter.org SF Dykes on Bikes Beer Bust – 3 pm @ SF Eagle, 398 12th Street.

A pre-Pride fundraising beer bust supporting the organization. dykesonbikes.org SFGMC’s Dragcycle – 3:30 pm @ SoulCycle Castro, 400 Castro Street. A cycling class supporting The Chorus’ 2017 national tour. ccassy.org

10 Monday Stand Up for Choice: A Benefit for NARAL ProChoice America – 7:30 PM @ Punch Line Comedy Club, 444 Battery Street. An evening of standup comedy featuring a line-up of performers supporting reproductive freedom. punchlinecomedyclub.com

Blues Is a Woman Coming In August

Photos by Sandy Morris

A preview performance of Blues Is a Woman, created and produced by musician Pamela Rose, was presented at Freight & Salvage in Berkeley on Thursday, March 30. Featuring Tammy Hall, Pat Wilder, Daria Johnson, Ruth Davies, Kristen Strom and Rose, the show is described as a musical theater presentation showcasing notable lesbian blues musicians, including Ma Rainey, Alberta Hunter, Bessie Smith and Sophie Tucker.

A month-long run, August 3 - August 27, for Blues Is A Woman is scheduled at the Custom Made Theater, 533 Sutter Street in San Francisco. Watch for more about Blues Is a Woman on Betty’s List and in the San Francisco Bay Times, and also: custommade.org/blues-is-a-woman

Black Love! – 8 pm @ Strut, 470 Castro Street.

The April edition of the event featuring performances by queer black artists with poetry, music, spoken word, comedy, storytelling and drag. strutsf.org

11 Tuesday Community Forum on Dyke March Route & Timing – 6 pm @ The Women’s Building, 3543 18th Street.

An organizing committee discussion to plan the 25th San Francisco Dyke March. Participate online: surveymonkey.com/r/ZCN8JL6 The Sweetwater Sessions, Vol. 11 with Adrienne Maree Brown – 6:30 pm @ Omi Gallery, 2323 Broadway, Oakland. A multisensory, multi-media series of creative arts events giving voice to the collaborate process between artist, spirit, tradition and community. sweetadriennemareebrown. eventbrite.com

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Pamela Rose Perfectly Queer Celebrations National Poetry Month – 7 pm @ Dog Eared Books Castro, 489 Castro Street. Poet Natasha Dennerstein is guest curator for the monthly event, which features a line-up of poets reading from their works with a book signing to follow. dogearedbooks.com/castro.html

12 Wednesday Brimstone & Glory Screening – 5:00 pm @ Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street. SF International Film Festival presents the documentary

on Mexico’s weeklong National Pyrotechnic Festival. castrotheatre.com Family Bowling – 7 pm @ Yerba Buena Ice Skating and Bowling Center, 750 Folsom Street. Hosted

by Piper McGroin, Miss Gay SF. skatebowl.com Equality and Justice in the Age of Trump – 5:30 pm @ Merrill Lynch, 555 California, Street, 8th Floor. Horizons Foundation presents a discussion about ways the LGBTQ community is at risk from the Administration and Congress. horizonsfoundation.org

13 Thursday RADAR April Queer Reading Series – 5:45 pm @ San Francisco Public Library, Latino/Hispanic Room, 100 Larkin Street. Reading with Q&A and cookies featuring Maryam Rostami, Amaryllis DeJesus Moleski, Kevin Simmonds and Kyle Casey Chu aka Panda Dulce. radarproductions.org Raiders of the Lost Ark with Live Orchestra – 8 pm @ Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Avenue. San Francisco Symphony presents the film accompanied by John Williams’ epic score live. sfsymphony.org Queers and Comics Opening Party! – 8 pm @ Strut, 470 Castro Street. Kickoff party for Queers & Comics Conference with an international gathering of LGBLTQ cartoonists, scholars and fans. strutsf.org/calendar

14 Friday 2017 Queers & Comics Conference – Thru Saturday, April 15 @ California College of the Arts, 1111 8th Street. A two-day conference with discussion panels, workshops, readings and comics galore. queersandcomics.cca.edu SF Eagle Gaymer Night – 8 pm @ SF Eagle, 398 12th Street. Just Dance Tournament with Felix & Abominatrix and Chef Hand serving snacks and treats. sf-eagle.com

15 Saturday Human Banner on Ocean Beach – 10:30 am @ Ocean Beach. A series of peaceful, familyfriendly human banner/aerial art events to spell out: Show Us Your Taxes. tinyurl.com/junuhdj and taxmarchsf.org Mango & Uhaul SF & Soulovely: Dyke March Benefit at El Rio – 2 pm @ El Rio, 3158 Mission Street. Hosted

by Vice Tuesdays SF’s Iris Lena Triska and DJ Val G with Uhaul SF’s DJ Bribee, Mango’s DJ Lady Lu, Soulovely’s DJ Lady Ryan. elriosf.com ResurrEGGtion2! The Second Coming: An EGGS Bar 2017 Fundraiser – 8 pm @ 5051 Mission Street. Benefits the community EGGsperience known as EGGS BAR at Burning Man. burningman.org

16 Sunday Hunky Jesus & Children’s Activities – 10 am @ Hellman Hollow, Golden Gate Park, 800 John F. Kennedy Drive. Annual Easter with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence with the theme “Sanctuary: Universal Joy,” a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love. thesisters.org/events Daytime Realness Easter Sunday – 2 pm @ El Rio, 3158 Mission Street. Hosted by Honey Mahogany with guest DJs and performers. elriosf.com SF Film Festival Closing Night: The Green Fog – 7 pm at The Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street. Filmmaker Guy Maddin’s and the renowned Kronos Quartet collaborate for a fantasia experience. castrotheatre.com

17 Monday God’s Own Country Screening – 8:30 pm @ Alamo Drafthouse New Mission, 2550 Mission Street.

SF International Film Festival presents the film about a young man

struggling with his attraction for men. sffilm.org

18 Tuesday Preserving SF’s LGBTQ Cultural Heritage – 7 pm @ The GLBT Historical Society, 4127 18th Street. A community forum for residents to provide responses to the Cultural Heritage Strategy Task Force. glbthistory.org/museum The Student Screening – 9 pm @ Victoria Theatre, 2961 16th Street. SF Film Festival presents this movie about a teenage religious zealot who affects and endangers a teacher and his school’s policies as his dogmatic fervor builds to a feverish point. sffilm.org

19 Wednesday Challenge Day’s 30th Anniversary Fundraiser – 5:30 pm @ John Pence Gallery, 750 Post Street. An annual experiential fundraising event supporting life-changing programs to underserved youth and their communities, sponsored

by Challenge Day and Be The Change Movement. challengeday.org Screening of Moonlight – 6 pm @ UCSF Cole Hall, 513 Parnassus Avenue. Hosted by UCSF LGBT Resource Center and UCSF Diversity Outreach. lgbt.ucsf.edu

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ROSTOW (continued from page 9)

NEWS (continued from page 5) Author, Psychotherapist Who Coined the Term “Homophobia” Dies at 86 The psychotherapist who created the word that defines the prejudice that gays and lesbians experience died recently at 86.

George Weinberg, the psychotherapist who, over 50 years ago, coined the term “homophobia,” died of cancer in Manhattan. “I coined the word homophobia to mean it was a phobia about homosexuals,” Dr. Weinberg had explained. “It was a fear of homosexuals which seemed to be associated with a fear of contagion, a fear of reducing the things one fought for—home and family. It was a religious fear, and it had led to great brutality, as fear always does.” Wikipedia notes that the first time the word “homophobia” appeared in print was in a 1969 issue of Screw magazine. It was legitimized a few months later when Time magazine incorporated the word. edgemedianetwork.com Reports Show Rise in ATM Skimming in the Castro There have been recent incidents of ATM skimming in the Castro. As a result, Castro Community on Patrol (CCOP) has published a new set of safety tips for all ATM customers. “A compro-

mised Debit (ATM) card allows a crook to steal hundreds of dollars from your bank account. It is even possible to drain your account to zero,” says Greggy Carey of CCOP. “Notify your bank and file a police report if you are a victim. Banks generally deny being vulnerable, so contact Castro Patrol (info@castropatrol.org) with details if you encounter an unsecure ATM in the Castro, so we can work with the bank and civil authorities.” castro.nextdoor.com Folsom Street Events Names Interim Managing Director At the conclusion of a fourmonth search to replace Demetri Moshoyannis as Folsom Street Event’s Executive Director, the Board of Directors unanimously approved the promotion of Marketing and Projects Manager Patrick Finger to the position of Interim Managing Director. The search, which included over 60 talented applicants from around the world, was put on hold after the search committee was unable to identify a finalist. “Patrick has dedicated ten years to Folsom Street Events and has shown a drive to move the organization forward. I was thrilled not only that the Board of Directors unanimously approved this deci-

sion, but that Patrick has accepted the offer to lead the administrative side of the organization for the duration of the fair season,” said Edwin Morales, President of the Board of Directors. “We have the utmost confidence in Patrick’s abilities, and are very excited to have him at the helm.” folsomstreetevents.org

seemed to indicate they were interested, right? But nothing has happened. Obviously, if the Supreme Court were to accept review of a straight up “gay rights versus religious rights” lawsuit, the implications would be serious and not good. Gorsuch might not be homophobic per se, but he appears to be something of a rubber stamp for so-called “religious freedom.”

Violent Crime in 2017: Upward Trend from Castro to Haight San Francisco has begun the year with a broad drop in crime, according to official reports, including property crimes and most violent crimes. The trend, however, does not extend to every neighborhood. Reports have shown an uptick in violent incidents in the first couple of months of 2017 around the Haight, the Castro, and surrounding neighborhoods.

The good news is that the city in general has been somewhat safer this year, notably in central neighborhoods like the Tenderloin. But the string of neighborhoods running from the western edge of Hayes Valley to Golden Gate Park has seen violent incidents per month increase this year versus last. hoodline.com

Mississippi Appealing

RUTH (continued from page 19)

SISTER DANA (continued from page 25)

buffet, the CR-V is not a visual feast, but there is something for everybody.

ceed the evening. Trans Day of Visibility is an international annual holiday celebrated around the world. The day is dedicated to honoring trans community leaders while raising awareness of victories and work that is still needed to save trans lives. tdov.org

Both the CR-V and CX-9 shine on the road, and they fall in line with the reputations of their makers. The CR-V Touring’s turbo engine and CVT transmission give it that old Honda spryness, and it scooted through curves with no slack from the steering. There are times when the CR-V can feel blandly competent, but mostly it was simply relaxed and content in its work.

Mazda focuses on driving fun, and the CX-9 delivers. I did miss the previous CX-9’s brawny V6, but this CX-9 Signature’s turbo four was ample enough. The real fun was the nimbleness Mazda imbued in this three-row cruiser, as the CX-9 has none of the ponderousness that can bedevil crossovers of this size.

In the popular crowd, the CR-V and CX-9 still manage to stand out, each in its own way.

Philip Ruth is a Castro-based automotive photojournalist and consultant at www.gaycarguy.com. Check out his automotive staging service at www.carstaging.com KARLSBERG (continued from page 23) advantage to always (or mostly) writing specifically in one genre, as it creates a recognizable brand, but I like writing different kinds of books, and I think readers, once they discover you, are usually willing to go along on the journey with you regardless of what costumes your characters are wearing.

Michael Thomas Ford is a 5-time Lambda Literary Award winner and the author of numerous books. Visit him at www.michaelthomasford.com Michele Karlsberg Marketing and Management specializes in publicity for the LGBT community. This year, Karlsberg celebrates twenty-eight years of successful book campaigns.

WILLIAMS (continued from page 8) What this lesson in activism taught me is that just as Black Women Rise today, we can all rise because we’ve already risen and no one can take that away from us. Let’s choose to spring forward, to revitalize ourselves for the next wave of the fights ahead … for equal rights for all!

Yes, we can gather and meet individually, yet make no mistake. Our power is in our ability to spring forward together, united in our “peopleness”—my preference for “humanity” because even our language could use a few tune-ups (that’s fodder for another article). Let’s never forget that “SOLIDARITY!” rocks, and that laughter helps us to roll with the punches.

There’s joy in our struggle. What we’ve gained in our united hearts, minds and souls is ours to keep. Happy spring! © 2017 Karen Williams Karen Williams loves spring because she gets to start her garden! Contact her at karenwilliamscomic@gmail.com 30

SA N FRANCISCO BAY T I ME S A PR I L 6 , 2 0 1 7

THE SISTERS OF PERPETUAL INDULGENCE hosted the SAINTS & SISTERS SOCIAL at the Center for Sex & Culture in the Mission. It was a lovely buffet and cocktail event where we did NOT have to put on makeup or nun drag—and just got to know one another (nun another?) out of face, out of drag.

The opportunity to do drag and makeup will come very soon at our annual EASTER IN THE PARK event in Golden Gate Park.

SISTER DANA SEZ, “APRIL SHOWERS BRING MAY FLOWERS, BUT DON’T LET RAIN KEEP YOU AWAY FROM THESE GREAT UPCOMING EVENTS!” ART SAVES LIVES, the noncommissioned gallery and performance space in the Castro, presents another monthly exhibition and show. Performing are Donna Personna, The Magnificent, Kim Lembo and more. Featured artists are: Jim Williams, Smithy Blackwell, Jim Housley, Jay Davidson, Jose Cardiza, Irene Martha Feiks, Alexander Nowik, Russel House, Bedoyan Ara Brett, Diane Nutting, Jack Stelnicki, Donna DeMatteo, Celia V. Beatts, Ed Terpeningn and the curator, owner of the gallery, Thomasina De Maio. The event is free and open to all at 518 Castro Street, from 6–9 pm on April 7.

This spring and summer, many San Francisco cultural organizations are sponsoring special events to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Summer of Love.

The GLBT HISTORY MUSEUM is taking part by mounting a new exhibition set to open April 7: “LAVENDERTINTED GLASSES: A GROOVY, GAY LOOK AT THE SUMMER OF LOVE.” “In San Francisco’s Haight Ashbury district, young people were seeking a way out of what they saw as the soul-destroying alienation of materialism,” curator Joey Cain says. “They created new art, philosophies, politics, forms of selfexpansion, music and relationships. The City already had a dynamic LGBTQ community, and many members saw the

Finally, the end of the column approaches so we can say goodbye to legal news and indulge ourselves in cocktail recipes and amusing anecdotes from the annals of our colorful and wacky GLBT world. Did you hear, for example, about the Queer Dance Party protest outside the home of Ivanka and Jared? As far as I can tell, these were veteran leaders of GLBT activism, conducting a respectful and peaceful demonstration as befits our country’s democratic principles.

But seriously, why Ivanka and Jared?

Aren’t they sort of on our side, emphasis on sort of? Maybe that’s the point.

To be honest, we do indeed have another major piece of legal news, to wit the oral arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit regarding the constitutionality of Mississippi’s religious freedom law, one of the most alarming pieces of legislation ever to

developments of the Summer of Love as opening the way to greater liberation.”

The exhibition runs through September 27 at 4127 18th Street.

THE SF LGBT CENTER will throw its “15TH ANNIVERSARY SOIRÉE” as an unforgettable evening to celebrate the completion of their remodel, which breathes new life into their physical space and creates a sustainable home for future generations of LGBTQ people. (See pages 15–17.) The fun is at Terra Gallery, 511 Harrison Street on Saturday, April 8, 5 pm for dinner, an open bar, entertainment, and a live and silent auction; 8:30 pm for the general admission party with an open bar and hors d’oeuvres. Juanita MORE! returns as Entertainment Director with lots of live entertainment and dancing afterwards. The proceeds from Soirée will fund expansion of the Center’s Youth Program, increase information and referral services, and improve building facilities. sfcenter.org It’s that time of year again! Easter in Golden Gate Park, Hellman Hollow, on April 16 with your SISTERS OF PERPETUAL INDULGENCE, INC. This year’s theme is “SANCTUARY: UNIVERSAL JOY,” a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love. Let the sunshine in! Join the Sisters for a familyfriendly CHILDREN’S EASTER starting at 10 am, which includes an egg hunt, games, and face painting. Starting at noon, the kids can go home, and the PG13 fun starts with the EASTER BONNET CONTEST, the FOXY MARY and HUNKY JESUS contests judged by Sister Roma & Sister Dana; followed by burlesque performances, live music acts, drag kings and queens, Sisters’ vows and elevations, and a quick EXORCISM CEREMONY OF DONALD TRUMP! Emcees are Kit Tapata, Mutha Chucka, and Cruzin D’Loo. Everyone is invited to join the Easter Bonnet, Foxy Mary, and Hunky Jesus contests. All contestants must arrive backstage already in full costume 30 minutes in advance. Talk to a Sister if you need directions. Come join us for an amazing afternoon, and celebrate Easter in the best possible San Francisco values way! Bring your blanket, picnic supplies, and join us for a wonderful afternoon of irreverence and fun. And don’t forget to wear flowers in your hair!

PEACHES CHRIST PRODUCTIONS and FUDGIE FROTTAGE proudly present the West Coast premiere

emerge from a reactionary state. Normally I would look forward to this statute (now on hold) being eviscerated by a federal appellate court. But, in this case, all three judges on the panel are GOP appointees. The law is so draconian, allowing everyone and anyone the right to deny services to gays and lesbians that I have hope that even these judges will rule against it. But if I had to bet money on that outcome, I’d hesitate.

Significantly, other states and Congress are watching for the fate of the Mississippi law. If it passes muster, watch out, ladies and gentlemen, we’re in for a long war. If it loses in court, that would be a tremendous help. I suppose we can expect a decision in three to six months.

That really is it for legal news, and the other items on my list are all sad, but I’m not sad right now and I don’t want to become sad. So how about a cocktail? Let’s ring the bell and ask Jean Philippe for his latest concoction!

It took awhile, but he brought me a combination of Chambord, some dry white wine and a shot of Perrier. It’s like a kir spritzer. I wanted something stronger, but Jean Philippe said it was too early in the day. Damn him! arostow@aol.com

of Lady Bunny in “TRANS-JESTER!” Direct from a sold-out New York engagement, Trans-Jester stars the legendary Lady Bunny of Wigstock fame at The Verdi Club, 2424 Mariposa Street, April 13 & 14, 8 pm. In addition to new parodies that re-work selections from Adele, Rent and Bruno Mars to hilarious effect—punctuated by zany Laugh-In style zingers—Bunny has widened her repertoire to include some actually insightful social commentary. peacheschrist.com D’ARCY DROLLINGER presents THREE’S COMPANY LIVE! now playing through April 29, Thursdays, 8 pm, Fridays & Saturdays, 7 pm at Oasis, 298 11th Street. Come and knock on our door … Three’s Company Live! is back with brand new episodes, gender-bending send-ups of the infamous 70’s sitcom starring John Ritter, Suzanne Somers and Joyce DeWitt, that changed the airwaves forever with their racy subject matter, sexual innuendos, and over-thetop physical comedy. A man pretends to be gay in order to share an apartment with two women in this legendary bedroom farce. The cast features many of San Francisco’s drag stars and even some actual clowns: D’Arcy Drollinger, Heklina, Michael Phillis, Matthew Martin, Sara Moore, Marine Layer, Sue Casa & Laurie Bushman. sfoasis.com Called the funniest farce ever written, “NOISES OFF” is the most dexterously realized comedy about putting on a comedy. A rollicking backstage farce about a second-rate theatrical troupe—the hilarity combines slapstick, a British sex comedy, and non-stop humor from a manic menagerie of itinerant actors rehearsing a flop called Nothing On. Doors slamming, on- and off-stage intrigue, and an errant herring all figure in the plot of this uproarious backstage comedy. Now playing through May 13 at SAN FRANCISCO PLAYHOUSE, 450 Post Street.

Sister Dana sez, “Recently the Trump Administration withdrew job protections for LGBTQ workers; kept queer people off the Census; and began dismantling the Office of Civil Rights. Not to mention that North Carolina repealed its bathroom ban—only to replace it with something even worse. Ugh.”

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