San Francisco Bay Times - April 9, 2020 by San Francisco Bay Times

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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area

CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2020) April 9–22, 2020 | http://sfbaytimes.com

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Lesbian Pioneer Phyllis Lyon (1924–2020)

By Kate Kendell

Fearless lesbian activist icon Phyllis Lyon died peacefully at her home in San Francisco on April 9 of natural causes. She was 95. Few individuals contributed more to issues impacting LGBTQ, women’s, civil rights, and the rights of elder Americans than Phyllis Lyon and her partner of 58 years Del Martin. Phyllis and Del were the first same-sex couple to marry in California on June 16, 2008. Weeks later, on August 27, 2008, Del Martin died in San Francisco, with Phyllis at her side. Del was 87.

Phyllis Ann Lyon was born November 10, 1924, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and raised primarily in Northern California. She graduated from Sacramento Senior High School in 1943 and went on to the University of California, Berkeley, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism in 1946. She later (1976) earned a Doctor of Education in Human Sexuality from the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality (IASHS).

The couple’s wedding in 2008 was not their first. In 2004, when then San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom boldly determined to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in California, Phyllis and Del agreed to be the first couple to receive such a license. Their story, 54-years together and a lifetime of love and commitment, reverberated around the world. While that marriage was invalidated by the California Supreme Court, the ability to marry in 2008 meant a great deal to Phyllis. “I am devastated to lose Del, but I take some solace in knowing we were able to enjoy the ultimate rite of love and commitment before she passed.” Phyllis Lyon was born on November 10, 1924, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She spent her formative years in Sacramento, California and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1946 with a degree in journalism. As an undergraduate she served as Editor of the legendary Daily Californian newspaper. During the 1940s, she worked as a reporter for the Chico Enterprise-Record, and during the 1950s, she worked as part of the editorial staff of two Seattle magazines. Phyllis later worked as an administrative assistant to Reverend Cecil Williams at Glide Memorial Church. She is credited by Rev. Williams with helping him shape a more inclusive vision for Glide. Phyllis and Del were a pivotal part of Glide’s inclusivity for LGBTQ people. Phyllis was a co-founder of the National Sex Forum where she served as a director for 19 years. She was a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality (IASAS) where she was an innovator in sex education. Phyllis and Del met when Del joined the staff of the Seattle magazine where Phyllis was working and the two became lovers in 1952. The couple relocated to San Francisco and moved into a flat on Castro Street together on Valentine’s Day 1953. In San Francisco, Phyllis and Del embarked on a lifelong career of activism. In 1955, along with three other lesbian couples, they co-founded the Daughters of Bilitis (DOB). DOB was the first political and social organization for lesbians in the United States. Shortly after founding DOB, the couple began publishing The Ladder, the first monthly lesbian publication focused on politics, fiction, poetry, and connecting lesbians across the country. The founding of DOB and the publication of The Ladder, continuously from 1956–1972, were acts of immense political courage at a time of unchecked harassment and violence directed at “homosexuals,” largely at the hands of law enforcement and political officials. The publication of Phyllis and Del’s book Lesbian/ Woman in 1972 changed countless lives. Many lesbians found a positive description of lesbian lives for the very first time when they discovered this book. Phyllis and Del were the first open lesbians to join the National Organization for Women (NOW) and helped form the Council on Religion and the Homosexual (CRH) in northern California to persuade ministers to accept lesbians and gay men into churches. They pushed to decriminalize homosexuality in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Phyllis and Del became active in San Francisco’s first gay political organization, the Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club, which influenced then-mayor Dianne Feinstein to sponsor a citywide bill to outlaw employment discrimination for gays and lesbians. The two backed Nancy Pelosi when she was

Timeline of Phyllis’ Life

first elected to the House of Representatives in 1987. In 1979, activists established Lyon-Martin Health Services named in honor of Phyllis and Del. In 1989, the two joined Old Lesbians Organizing for Change. They were honored by the ACLU of Northern California in 1990, reflecting their decades of commitment to civil rights and civil liberties locally and nationally. Both were named delegates to the White House Conference on Aging in 1995. At that conference, they successfully lobbied to have Lesbian and Gay issues on the agenda. Because of their historical importance and engaging personalities Phyllis and Del were featured in many documentary films. No Secret Anymore: The Times of Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, tells their life story and is available on many platforms. One Wedding and a Revolution looks at the backstory of their 2004 union. Their lives and contributions were also chronicled in the award-winning 2006 book Different Daughters: A History of the Daughters of Bilitis and the Rise of the Lesbian Rights Movement by Marcia M. Gallo. The family wishes to thank the devoted caregivers and community members whose devotion and commitment gave Phyllis joy and security in her final years. Survivors are her beloved sister Patricia Lyon, called Tricia by Phyllis; her devoted daughter, Kendra Mon; son-in-law Eugene Lane, dubbed by Phyllis an honorary lesbian; granddaughter Lorri Mon; grandson Kevin Mon; his wife Ellen; and Phyllis’ great granddaughter Kexin Mon. In addition to her family, a community of millions mourns the loss of this fierce “Lyon” who made the freedom of women and LGBTQ people her life’s work. The family requests that gifts in honor of Phyllis be made to the Lyon-Martin Health Clinic: https://bit.ly/3b8C1bv A celebration of life honoring Phyllis is being planned. The Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin Papers, 1924– 2000, are archived at the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society in San Francisco. Kate Kendell, Esq., is the former Executive Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights and now works with Take Back the Court and the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Lyon served as a police-beat reporter in Fresno and as a reporter at the Chico Enterprise-Record during the 1940s. In the 1950s she served on the editorial staff at two building trades magazines in Seattle. After returning to San Francisco in 1953, Lyon worked at Glide Memorial Church with Reverend Cecil Williams until 1987. She served as a professor at IASHS from 1976–1987. She also co-founded the National Sex Forum and served as associate director and then codirector for 19 years. Lyon and Martin met in Seattle in 1950 and the two became lovers in 1952. The couple relocated to San Francisco and moved into a flat on Castro Street together on Valentine’s Day 1953. They bought their lifelong home in Noe Valley in 1955. Martin and Lyon were part of a group of eight lesbians who founded the Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) as a secret social society in 1955. The group was founded to counteract the loneliness and isolation they felt as lesbians. It became the first national lesbian rights organization in the United States. DOB began publishing the groundbreaking monthly magazine The Ladder in 1956. Lyon was the magazine’s editor until she became DOB president in 1960. In 1964, the Council on Religion and the Homosexual launched with 15 national religious leaders and 15 lesbians and gay men, including Lyon and Martin. Their mission was to persuade churches to open their congregations to lesbians and gay men and to end police harassment of gays and lesbians and overturn the laws that criminalized homosexual behavior. Lesbian/Woman, Martin and Lyons’ landmark book that described lesbian lives in a positive way—virtually unknown at the time—was published in 1972, and updated and expanded in 1983 and 1991. The Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club, the first lesbian/gay political club in the United States, started in 1971, and Martin and Lyon were among the organizers. Lyon and Martin were among the first out lesbians to join the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1967, insisting on the couple’s membership rate. They helped lead efforts at the 1971 and 1973 NOW conventions to adopt resolutions

PHOTO BY JOYCE NEWSTAT, 2016

The Loss of a ‘Lyon’: Phyllis Lyon November 10, 1924–April 9, 2020

that linked the oppression of lesbians with feminist issues. San Francisco Mayor George Moscone appointed Lyon to the San Francisco Human Rights Commission (HRC) in 1976, and she served as Chair in 1982–1983. Lyon and Martin were elected as California delegates to the National Women’s Conference, held in Houston in November 1977. There they fought passionately for the passage of a resolution on lesbian rights. Lyon-Martin Health Services was established in 1979 and later named in honor of the couple. Among the many awards Martin and Lyon received was the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California’s highest honor, the Earl Warren Civil Liberties Award, which they received in 1990. In 1994, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender (GLBT) Historical Society in San Francisco acquired the extensive papers of Lyon and Martin, including the complete records of the Daughters of Bilitis, and The Ladder. In 1995, then Congresswoman, now Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi appointed Lyon as a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging, where she and Martin strongly advocated for LGBTQ elders. As part of their 50th anniversary celebration in 2003, Martin and Lyon attended the premiere of the award-winning documentary film, No Secret Anymore: The Times of Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon. On February 12, 2004, Martin and Lyon were the first of more than 4,000 same-sex couples to wed. The marriages were sanctioned by San Francisco, but later nullified by the California Supreme Court. In 2006, Phyllis and Del were featured in the book Different Daughters: A History of the Daughters of Bilitis and the Birth of the Lesbian Rights Movement by Marcia M Gallo.  On May 15, 2008, the state Supreme Court ruled the ban on same-sex marriage illegal. One month later, as soon as it was possible, Lyon married Martin, the love of her life and her partner of 55 years. Martin died on August 27, 2008. Lyon died on April 9, 2020. When asked what their most important contribution had been, Lyon and Martin answered by saying: “being able to help make changes in the way Lesbians and Gay men view themselves & how the larger society views Lesbians and Gay men.”

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Actions to Protect San Franciscans During the Coronavirus Pandemic

As we go to press, here is the latest summary, dated April 7, from Supervisor Mandelman and his team, including former Bay Times columnist Tom Temprano: SFUSD School Sites to Stay Closed for Remainder of School Year San Francisco Unified School District announced [this week] that school sites will remain closed through the end of the school year, which concludes on June 2, 2020. San Francisco is one of six Bay Area counties that is announcing extending school closures in consultation with public health officials across their respective counties in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo, Santa Clara and San Francisco counties. San Francisco Hardship Emergency Loan Program SF HELP will rapidly deploy loans up to $50,000 at 0% interest. Funds can be used to pay payroll, rent, utilities, inventory and more. The loan will have a flexible repayment schedule, with terms determined on a case-by-case basis, based on each borrower’s ability to repay. More details can be found at: https://bit.ly/2Rm6JFT San Francisco Foundation COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund

Nonprofits may apply for a grant from SFF’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. One-time grants are available for organizations addressing racial bias, worker protection, housing security, and food security challenges related to COVID-19, including LGBTQ-focused organizations working in these areas. Apply here: https://bit.ly/3aTKjnt CITYTESTSF COVID-19 Testing Site Launched for Frontline Workers Mayor Breed, Director of Health Dr. Grant Colfax, and the Director of the Port Elaine Forbes announced a new dedicated COVID-19 testing facility located at Pier 30–32. The facility will primarily expand testing resources available for critical first responders and health care workers who are essential to the City’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The expanded testing capacity builds on the City’s commitment to protect frontline workers and to increase the City’s ability to combat the spread of the virus. New Field Care Clinic Opens in City’s Southeast Neighborhood Mayor Breed and Director of Health Dr. Grant Colfax announced that the City’s first Field Care Clinic, adjacent to the Southeast Health Center in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood, began serving residents [this week]. The Field Care Clinic adds capacity to the City’s health care system as part of San Francisco’s comprehensive plan to prepare for a medical surge of patients with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Expanded services at the Field Care Clinic provide patients with primary care, urgent care, and screening for COVID19, and will help reduce the number

of patients needing to go to hospital urgent care and emergency rooms. COVID-19 Data Tracker Launched Mayor Breed and the San Francisco Department of Public Health (DPH) have released a COVID-19 Data Tracker to provide the public with more frequently updated information about the coronavirus in San Francisco. This information will be updated daily online and will include data about confirmed cases, testing, and hospitalization across the San Francisco health care system. Additional data points will be added as more information becomes available. The tracker is posted on DPH’s website: https://bit.ly/2XmZaTk Rollout of New Staffed Public Toilets and Hand-Washing Stations in High-Need Neighborhoods Mayor Breed and Acting Public Works Director Alaric Degrafinried have announced the first deployment of a series of new portable toilets and hand-washing stations at 15 high-need locations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including a station in District 8 at 16th and Market. The portable toilets, available for use 24 hours a day, will be staffed to deter vandalism and unwanted activities. They also will be serviced daily. For more details, visit https://bit.ly/3aVuoEW

go to the store to facilitate this function); but you cannot allow customers to pick up orders or be served “at the door.” In addition, you must comply with all social distancing requirements including creating and posting a social distancing protocol. Read the FAQ for more information: https://bit.ly/3ebBJCD Accepting In-Kind Donations of Critically Needed Goods The City and County of San Francisco’s Give2SF fund is accepting tax-deductible monetary contributions for the City’s COVID-19 outbreak response efforts, as well as in-kind bulk donations of critical supplies for frontline workers such as masks, gloves, and sanitizer. Funds will be used to provide shelter, food, and other assistance to individuals, families, small businesses, and nonprofits in San Francisco. To make a monetary or in-kind donation, visit https://bit.ly/39QhruZ Eviction Protection Resources for Seniors and Disabled Adults Legal Assistance for the Elderly is offering tenant resources to help protect seniors and disabled adults from eviction during the COVID-19 pandemic, including short step-by-step videos in multiple languages and phone counseling on the City’s emergency eviction moratorium. See these resources here: https://laesf.org/COVID19/

Guidance for Non-Essential Businesses That Wish to Modify Operations to Conform to the Shelter-in-Place Order

STATE

If you do not sell a significant amount of goods like food, hygiene, or cleaning products, you cannot keep your storefront open. However, your store can deliver items directly to customers’ residences (and employees can

Governor Newsom issued an executive order prioritizing the enrollment of children of essential critical infrastructure workers and suspending restrictions on access to state-subsidized child care programs. It also

Expanded Access to Child Care for Essential Workers

San Francisco Supervisor Rafael Mandelman

allows California to take advantage of new federal flexibility to provide pandemic SNAP benefits to children to reduce food insecurity. Details are available at https://bit.ly/3c1erNF 500 State-Owned Ventilators Loaned to the National Stockpile To help states in need, California loaned 500 state-owned ventilators to the Strategic National Stockpile Inventory. Website Launched for Donations & Sales of Essential Medical Supplies The new website ( https://bit.ly/2RmFziu ) allows individuals and companies to donate, sell, or offer to manufacture 13 of the most essential medical supplies, including ventilators, N95 respirators, and testing materials. New Testing Taskforce Governor Newsom formed a taskforce to improve and refine testing capabilities in California. Initiatives include high throughput testing hubs, inventing an immunity blood test, and deploying the first rapid pointof-care test. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/39N5dTO

Senator Bernie Sanders Suspends Presidential Campaign, Paves Way for Biden

Senator Bernie Sanders on April 8 ended his bid for the presidency, with former Vice President Joe Biden now the clear Democratic front-runner in the race. After a conference call with his team and supporters, Sanders made the announcement. Via livestream he said, in part: “I have concluded that this battle for the Democratic nomination will not be successful, and so today I am announcing the suspension of my campaign.” He added that he desired to be conveying “better news” to his supporters, but “I think you know the truth.” “We are now some 300 delegates behind Vice President Biden,” he continued, “and the path to victory is virtually impossible. He called Biden “a very decent man who I will work with to move our progressive ideas forward.” Sanders also said that the decision to suspend his campaign was “difficult and painful.” MSNBC shared his words at YouTube: https://bit.ly/2Ropqc5 Biden subsequently published a statement on Medium. It begins: “Today, Senator Sanders announced he was suspending his campaign. Bernie has put his heart and soul into not only running for President, but for the causes and issues he has been dedicated to his whole life. So, I know how hard a decision this was for him to make—and how hard it is for the millions of his supporters—especially younger voters—who have been inspired and energized and brought into politics by the progressive agenda he has championed. Bernie has done something rare in politics. He hasn’t just run a political campaign; he’s created a movement. And make no mistake about it, I believe it’s a movement that is as powerful today as it was yesterday. That’s a good thing for our nation and our future.” To read Biden’s statement in full: https://bit.ly/3aTQTub 2

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PHOTO BY ABBY ZIMBERG

San Francisco Supervisor and former San Francisco Bay Times columnist Rafael Mandelman has been providing detailed updates concerning local, state, and federal actions to support and protect San Franciscans during the COVID-19 emergency. Thank you, Supervisor Mandelman! We are also grateful for the work of Mayor London Breed and Governor Gavin Newsom during this very challenging time.

Elections Matter, Stop Hoarding, Wear a Mask, and It’s OK to Feel Sad

Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History Louise “Lou” Fischer Over the past few months I wrote columns about electing women to higher office, the importance of voting in the presidential primary, Thanksgiving with Republicans, and other “la-dee-dah” topics. Now we are facing the most deadly pandemic in the modern era and I am staring at a blank screen thinking, “What the hell can I say that hasn’t already been said a hundred times?” Even my guilty pleasure of ending each column with “By the Numbers” brings me no joy because by the time this issue goes to print, the numbers will have all changed and will be worse. Let’s start with my oft-repeated mantra of “Elections Matter”; specifically, the presidential election of November 2016. Our current president took “no responsibility” for squandering precious time and living in denial (“It will all be fine, we have it totally under control”), cut the department that actually developed a functional pandemic plan, failed to replenish the nation’s medical stockpiles of crucial life-saving equipment, and, worst of all, did not provide enough testing to prevent unchecked community spread. This missed opportunity, in addition to Trump’s pandering to his sycophantic rightwing media and advisors, is why the U.S. has not been able to contain the outbreak. Other countries’ aggressive testing practices saved lives while

Six Feet of Separation: Sheltering-in for DV Survivors During COVID-19

Cross Currents Andrea Shorter the bungled testing policy of the Trump administration will cost lives. In contrast, in our very own backyard, we have two elected officials whose heroic (and yet initially unpopular) actions actually saved lives, On March 16, Mayor London Breed was one of the first elected officials in the country—along with five other Bay Area counties—to require residents to stay home. Since then, she has gone Ninja on cutting bureaucratic red tape by speeding up the hiring of nurses and public health care workers from the usual glacial pace of six months to less than a week. San Francisco’s former mayor and current Governor Gavin Newsom’s statewide order that restricted all 40 million residents from all but essential activities followed three days after the initial Bay Area lockdown. Both elected officials were essentially ahead of the curve to “flatten the curve” of COVID-19 transmission and to hopefully prevent the surge of patients from overwhelming the region’s hospital capacity. Stop hoarding. As an “essential worker,” I have not experienced much change to my work schedule. I am going to the office every day, but my team of eight who report to me are all working from home (protect the workers; the bosses, meh, not so important). The rest of the population seemed to interpret “essential activities” as rushing to the store to stock up on toilet paper, hand sanitizer, water, and canned goods. People, I exhort you to, “Stop hoarding.” The supply chain is strong, and although the empty shelves look scary, it’s only temporary. Fight the urge to panic-buy and think of others when you shop. Do you really need that last package of imported bow-tie pasta—don’t you have a few boxes of noodles in the pantry? Shop responsibly, buy only what you need, and be creative with what you already have. (continued on page 20)

Nearly 1.5 million and rising: the number of people the world over infected by coronavirus as of this writing. Soon enough, if not already, more of us will personally know of someone who has contracted the virus, is quarantined for having been in contact with someone who has tested positive, is hospitalized with the virus, or know of an individual who has lost someone to the virus. Daily, we inch closer to being at the proverbial “Kevin Bacon six degrees of separation” from the life-threatening impacts of the coronavirus. It is all about six feet of separation now, and hardly proverbial. Six feet of separation correlates into the crucial figures driving the peaks, waves, apexes, and eventual flattening of the curve on the spread of the coronavirus. Six feet could mean whether or not we experience the projected overwhelming loss of life within a matter of months to coronavirus, or not. We brace for the numbers of contraction of the virus to continue to climb in the near future. Sheltering-in-place and maintaining six feet of physical separation remain crucial behaviors that we can control to measurably lessen the loss of life. Thank you to our leaders in California, Washington, and major municipalities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, for driving collective behavioral changes to with-

stand the difference between furthering rampant spread of the virus. Once official directives were made to shelter-in and maintain physical distance, aside from calling, texting, zooming, facetiming, etc., to connect with family and friends, the other immediate connections I sought were with our regional domestic and family violence advocates and service providers. As the numbers climb daily regarding the impact of the coronavirus, the reality remains that each of us is more likely to know personally someone who has or is surviving intimate partner or family violence, if not having survived such violence ourselves. With these concerns in mind, I want to share the following advisory we issued from San Francisco’s Commission and the Department on the Status of Women with and on behalf of survivors: While the COVID-19 pandemic requires social distancing and #StayHome, for many, home is a place of abuse. According to the CDC, one in four women and one in seven men will experience physical violence by their intimate partner at some point during their lifetimes. Intimate partner violence alone affects more than 12 million people each year, and 30 to 60 percent of intimate partner violence perpetrators also abuse children in the household. While families are confined to their homes, some examples of how abuse can play out include: Increased Abuse: The abuse may worsen during this time as survivors may be spending more time in contact with their abusers. Survivors may also experience new or different types of abuse during this time. Isolation: Abusers can use this time to further isolate survivors from their loved ones. Parenting: Survivors who co-parent their children with their abusers may be facing unique challenges during these times, such as barriers to visitation and/or increased exposure to the abuser due to lack of accessible childcare. For example, in order for a survivor to work, he/she/ they may need to utilize their abuser for childcare. Safety Tips from Survivors 1. Buddy System Code Word Identify at least two people whom you can contact with a “code word” to let them know if you are in trouble. Plan in advance what they should do if you send them the code word. (continued on page 4)

2020 Foresight: Expect the Unexpected And it just kept snowing and snowing. The roads became nearly impassable. We made it to the concert, but few others did. I performed the concerto that I had worked on so hard before a very small audience.

6/26 and Beyond John Lewis When I was a senior in high school back in the 1970s, I played classical piano and was invited to perform the difficult Mendelssohn Piano Concerto in G-Minor before hundreds of students and their parents at our school’s annual holiday concert. I prepared for months on end. The morning of the concert was a sunny and crisp early winter day in Kansas City where we lived. But by afternoon clouds moved in, and soon it began to snow. I remember my mother was so nervous about my performance at the concert and how difficult it might be to get there through the snow, she baked the ham we were having for dinner with the plastic wrapper on it, yielding a completely inedible gooey mess.

I was crestfallen, but years later at my 40th high school reunion I saw my old music teacher, who also still remembered that night decades ago. Seeing him made me feel something very different: how marvelous and nourishing it was to have played so much music together with him and my fellow students from grade school through high school graduation. (I also played clarinet and tenor saxophone in many different bands, ensembles, and orchestras.) Despite the fact that I never got to perform the Mendelssohn concerto as I had imagined, I had completely immersed myself in the music for all those months I had practiced. In fact, I had been very fortunate. I’ve never again played as much music as I did during my senior year of high school. The experience gave me a taste of one of life’s most basic truths: things don’t always turn out the way we expect them to. Several years later I confronted that truth again when I came to terms with my sexuality. I had known since I was a small child that I was attracted to people of the same sex, but one reason that

I didn’t come out until my 20s was because I simply could not conceive that there was anything different or out of the mainstream about me. When I finally connected the dots late one evening while riding my bike in front of the iconic mosaic at the heart of the Stanford quad, I remember stopping in astonishment with the realization: “Wow, I can’t believe it! I’m gay!” Things weren’t the way I expected them to be. It was also the beginning of my realizing, in fact, how lucky I was to be gay. We in the LGBTIQ community are perhaps particularly familiar with the truth that life can turn out other than planned. For instance, during the heady days of San Francisco in the late 1970s, no one could foresee the havoc that the HIV/AIDS epidemic would wreak on the community just a few short years later. As we popped the cork to ring in the New Year 2020, neither I nor anyone else I know imagined that less than three months later in the face of a new deadly virus, we’d be sheltering in place at home, doing everything we could to keep six feet away from any other human being except those with whom we lived—and, of all things, fretting about whether we had enough toilet paper. It’s not surprising that many of us in the LGBTIQ community who

lived through the 1980s and 1990s in San Francisco are experiencing varying degrees of PTSD these days. But our community learned a lot about life, death, how to truly care for each other, and how to fight back and stand up for our lives during the darkest days of the AIDS crisis and beyond. We hope some of that wisdom is proving useful amidst the COVID-19 outbreak. Life’s unexpected turns can be wonderful, too—like when 33 years ago as I was preparing to leave a party because none of my friends were there, I turned around and met Stuart and we ended up being the last guests to depart and have been together ever since. Or the morning of February 12, 2004, when then-Mayor Gavin Newsom surprised the world and burst open the doors of San Francisco City Hall for LGBTIQ people to marry, igniting the marriage equality movement. None of this negates the value of planning for the future and anticipating it as best we can. Indeed, the balance, skills, and stability we can bring to life before something unexpected takes place can help us when

it does. Reminder to self: We really need to update and upgrade our earthquake kit! Although Stuart has been working harder than ever at his job in health policy at UCSF during the shutdown, we’ve also enjoyed slowing down, spending more time outdoors, seeing neighbors (six feet apart) to and from walks in the park, and living life much more simply. We hope to maintain some of these things when life eventually returns to so-called normal. And we hope to have learned something more about the vicissitudes and unpredictability of life—and to experience and appreciate each present moment and each loved one here and now. Please take good care of yourself and others during these unexpected and challenging times. Stuart Gaffney and John Lewis, 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 grassroots organization Marriage Equality USA contributed in 2015 to making same-sex marriage legal nationwide.

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APR IL 9, 2020

Big Abilities and Style HST. Both are way more than you’d ever need, although the experiences they provide might be just what you want.

Auto Philip Ruth When is too much too much? It’s a subjective question with a highly personalized answer. In terms of cars, the response has no baseline. Pretty much any vehicle owner can point to another car or truck that is faster, bigger, or more capable than theirs. It’s like the gym; no matter how lean and buff you get, there is always someone leaner and buffer. There is a certain relief in accepting that. It’s OK not to be top dog all the time, and it can be the sanest choice to let someone else drive for a while. But when competitive juices flow, a powerful tool could be just the thing. The satisfaction it can provide might make it right for your daily transportation. That’s pretty much the justification behind both our subjects this week: the Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack Plus, and the Range Rover Sport

The tested Dodge rang in at $51,570, and the Range Rover doubled it at $105,170. These are chic fees for a family sedan and a mid-sized SUV, but, of course, that’s not really what we’re examining here. Instead, the Dodge is a manifestation of brute force, and the Range Rover effectively mixes youthful vigor with old-school prestige. The first interior feature listed on the Dodge’s window sticker is its 180mph speedometer, which cues you to the 6.4-liter V8 engine and its 485 horsepower. It’s shunted through an eight-speed automatic that teams up with the Hemi engine to purr around town and then unleash the hounds at a moment’s notice. Particularly satisfying was the Charger’s throttle response from a stop. Power is parsed out in fine gradations to prevent you from over-driving a car that begs for it. That response lags by comparison in the Range Rover Sport. While it is also an eight-speed automatic, the Sport’s engine is a more modern interpretation of internal-combustion brawn, with a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 propelling this truck with 395 horsepower. But, the hat-tip to the Range Rover’s considerable off-road skill is acceleration that lags a second or two before really coming on. That’s the deliberate response you need off-road,

Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack Plus

Range Rover Sport HST

but it’s less useful when you’re at city intersections opposite time-pressed Amazon Prime trucks. Interior quality is an obvious reason for the Range Rover’s doubling of price over this top-shelf Dodge. The latter is improved over the Charger’s predecessors with attractive stitching around the instrument panel, but similarly-priced sedans like the Nissan Maxima feel better to the touch. The tested Range Rover Sport is in another class entirely, at a price point where the supple “Suedecloth” that wraps the steering wheel and seat bolsters could be from the hide of a magical animal spoken of only by young-adult authors. Above all else, both of these vehicles are like none other on the road. That distinction, along with abilities relatively few others possess, affirms their appeal. Philip Ruth is a Castro-based automotive photojournalist and consultant with an automotive staging service.

SHORTER (continued from page 3) 2. “Safest Room” If there is an argument, identify an area of the home you can move to where there are no weapons. Make a mental note of ways for you to leave the house, apartment, or building, such as a door or window, to exit. For some survivors, especially those quarantined at home with an abuser during coronavirus, no room may feel safe, so we call it the “safest rooms.” If you can at least identify the lowest risk areas, you may be able to reduce harm. 3. Planning with Children Code Words: If you have children, decide how to communicate urgency. For example, when one survivor’s daughter was little, the survivor would open her arms and the daughter knew that meant to come running to her for safety. Some survivors also create a “code word” with their children that means they should go to the “safest room” in the home that you have already decided upon. Emergency Numbers: If for some reason you are not able to make emergency calls and you have children, give them your emergency safety numbers, if they are old enough. Please see the resources listed later in this piece for some emergency phone numbers. 4. Notifying the Police Before an Emergency Ahead of time, you can notify your local police station of your concerns. Let them know the history and your concern of being in isolation due to coronavirus. It may be useful to speak with the Domestic Violence officer. 5. Exit Plan In case you have to flee, create an exit plan ahead of time with someone who could support this need. Is there a trusted friend or relative with whom you can stay? 6. Supplies, Food & Medication Check your supplies and food. If you need food and do not have the money, check your local pantry, temple, church, mosque, etc., or other community organizations. Remember to keep your medication 4

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in the safest, easily accessible location in case of emergency. 7. Emergency Bag Pack an emergency bag with an extra set of keys, clothes for you and your children, a pay-as-you-go cell phone, medications, copies of important documents, etc. 8. Important Documents Make copies or take pictures of your important documents for yourself and send them to a trusted friend or relative. Important documents may include IDs, social security cards, immigration documents, birth certificates, health insurance information, and Orders of Protection. As mentioned earlier, be mindful of sending anything via phone or computer. Please use whatever method is safest for you. 9. Seeking Social Support With social distancing and quarantining, survivors can feel even more isolated, and abusers may use further isolation as a power and control tactic. Identify trusted friends, relatives, or even online support groups where you can still connect virtually. If you have a friend who may be experiencing abuse, be sure to reach out to them even more during this time. 10. Creating a ‘Peaceful Space’ Many survivors are feeling forced to spend more time with an abuser during the coronavirus outbreak because they may feel unsafe leaving the home, as well as unsafe staying in the home. If you cannot leave your home, try to create a “peaceful space” for yourself in your home (if that is safe for you). You can draw pictures of a more peaceful place and put them on a wall to help you take an emotional break to visualize a more peaceful place. This is also an activity you can do with your children. You can also write positive affirmations and put them up on the wall to remind yourself of your worth. 11. Holding on to Your Plan Consider keeping a list of your safety plan in your phone or wherever might be safe for you. Please consider what is safest for you. If you choose to write your plan somewhere, consider

listing only keywords that help you remember the plan, but that would not be clear to your abuser. If this is not safe, try to memorize your plan, focusing on memorizing at least one key emergency number on your list of resources. The National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH) remains open 24/7 at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) and at www.thehotline.org Let’s be mindful that for survivors or those in need of help, computer use can be monitored and is impossible to completely clear. If you are afraid that your internet usage might be monitored, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH) at 1-800-799-7233 or TTY 1-800787-3224. The NDVH also has a private chat service available to more securely assist those in need. As an ally, please share these advisories and hotline number by posting in your Nextdoor app commentaries, on Facebook, on your refrigerator, and wherever else makes sense in your situation as someone who can help a neighbor, friend, sister, brother, coworker, and others potentially at risk. Everyone has a right to feel and be safe within the confines of their home. As we work together to stem the tide of this global pandemic by maintaining our physical distance from each other, let’s maintain our closeness to the unintended impacts of that distancing, including domestic and family violence. Staying safe together means looking out for one another. At six paces or doors away from one another, help remains a phone call, text, or email away. Stay safe. Andrea Shorter is a Commissioner and the former President of the historic San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women. She is a longtime advocate for criminal and juvenile justice reform, voter rights and marriage equality. A Co-Founder of the Bayard Rustin LGBT Coalition, she was a 2009 David Bohnett LGBT Leadership Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

GLBT Fortnight in Review By Ann Rostow Bad Samaritans

Can’t We All Get Along? Um, No

Last issue, I neglected to write about the antigay right-wing group, Samaritan’s Purse, which has voluntarily set up a 60-bed field hospital in Central Park. You know what, I thought? If these bozos can save a few lives, they can go ahead and give it a try. The group, run under the auspices of the hideous Franklin Graham, only employs unfriendly Christian doctors and nurses. But they insist they will treat everyone without sin-based litmus tests, and NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio says he is keeping an eye on them.

I find myself indifferent to GLBT civil rights for the moment, although I believe my decades of service to the Cause gives me permission to take a little breather. That said, I have to fight my ingrained hostility to Trumpy governors of red states and find myself feeling a grim satisfaction when I read about some outbreak somewhere that can be traced back to their laissez faire policies.

Recently, a gay man attempted to sign up as a volunteer doctor and was told to fill out a statement of “faith,” which, of course, he declined to do. The activist, James Finn, who is not a doctor or any kind of medical professional, proved the obvious. We already knew that these characters required this strict religious statement, so Mr. Finn did not uncover some earth-shaking new example of discrimination, and the purpose of his charade seems elusive. Personally, if I lived in New York and needed medical help, I would steer clear of the Samaritan’s Purse facility. That said, I assume the extra beds relieve some pressure on other Big Apple hospitals, which can’t hurt. It’s as if some antigay group was collecting and distributing face masks and gowns to doctors and nurses. We don’t have to approve of their mindset in order to step aside and let them proceed. We don’t even have to give them a round of applause. But to try to put a stop to their activities on principle would be a counterproductive waste of our energy.

However, I am not as bad as my wife and many of my friends, who actively root for the president and members of his administration to find themselves hooked up to a ventilator with a high fever. Given the conversations I’ve heard on speakerphone around here, I am surprised that the Secret Service hasn’t sent agents to half the lesbians in the country who are happy to banter on open lines about the prospect of President Pelosi stepping into the void left by both Trump and Pence should they simultaneously succumb to the pandemic. I don’t want Trump to die or even become ill. I want this egomaniac to suffer a worse fate, that of losing reelection by double digits and subsequently having to avoid article after article on his failed one-term presidency. I want him prowling around Mar-a-Lago trying to reassert himself on the national stage without success. I want him ridiculed and laughed at, until only a handful of veteran aides are left to pump him up. I want Jared Kushner relegated to obscurity, trying to place calls to MBS and getting nowhere, frozen out of the halls of power, no longer welcome in the big leagues.

I am the only one in my two-person household who wants Boris Johnson to recover. The man’s a clownish jerk who is working to turn a great country into a mediocre remnant of its former status, but I don’t wish him dead. Hell, I even want the nastygrams over at the Samaritan’s Purse to survive, far right doctors, antigay nurses, prayerful patients and all. In the long run, we are all human. We are all flawed. Some more than others perhaps (nods at the mirror with a small smile), but in the grand scheme of things the differences are minor. That’s why it’s easier to operate in the smallness of normal life, when the gap between compassionate progressive Democrats and hateful greedy conservatives once again becomes a gaping maw worthy of analysis and self-righteous condemnation. Bring back normal life, please. A Virtual Life So, I guess we’re not having Pride festivals this year. The arc of COVID-19 may be bending, but it’s bending towards August or September, not June. I read something about a virtual global Pride, but you can’t buy rainbow beer hats, skinny dip in a city fountain, or hook up with your ex-partner’s cousin during “Virtual Pride” now, can you? I’m more upset about the major tennis and golf tournaments, and now I’m hearing that my beloved college football season might be in jeopardy. All this after we lost March Madness, a tragedy that still leaves a hollow in our souls here. The Jayhawks would have won it all, as I may have mentioned in my last column. I had no idea that I was

so addicted to televised sports. But I suppose I must have known this, deep down. And what else have we lost? How about the 2020 election? The rest of the primaries, the wall-to-wall coverage, the speeches, the rallies, the conventions? The pomp and pageantry? The sturm und drang of drifting polls and contradictory commentary? What will October bring? How will we vote? Who will win the Senate? I’m watching MSNBC with the sound off and just saw a commercial for “Leaf Filter,” which seems to be a kind of netting you put over your gutters so that leaves don’t collect there and block your drainage. Hello? What’s to stop the leaves from collecting on top of the netting and letting all the water wash straight over the roof rather than through the gutters? The leaves will still be there, and if they previously got stuck in the gutters, they will now get stuck on top of the gutters, right? What am I missing? Oh, and why is this company that locates senior living residences called “A Place for Mom?” I know women live longer than men, but still. Where’s Dad going? Plus, there’s something smarmy and condescending about the whole tenor of these commercials. Just because “Mom” has forgotten your name and lit the kitchen on fire last week doesn’t mean you can treat her like a small child. Okay, I suppose it does. But wait until that point. The Lucky Ones Yesterday, Mel and I went out to close on a refinancing (got the mortgage down to the low threes!) and

stopped at the liquor store on the way home for essential supplies. After the ninety-minute trip for these two errands, I felt as if I had just finished a major article or finally completed a difficult project. Our lives are now measured in minor accomplishments. A load of laundry one day. A drawer reorganized or a bill paid on the next. Writing this column means that today will rank as the most productive of the week. Once I’m done, I will deserve hours of “relaxation” in the form of more drinking and binge watching. Even now, my mind roams towards cocktail ingredients, now plentiful after yesterday’s excursion to Twin Liquors. Meanwhile, as we take it easy, we are learning that the virus is hitting minority Americans at far higher rates than whites, due to a number of interlocking factors. This is becoming a lower income disease, one that hits those who are not working from home with Zoom connections or getting unemployment from losing salaried jobs. It is hitting drivers, cashiers, messengers, delivery people, cleaning staff, and odd jobbers. It is devastating those with no savings and those without a wellsituated extended family. And it is killing those with underlying conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes. Poor health can be a classbased phenomenon, and while some of us lounge around for days before zipping out to the grocery store every now and then with masks and gloves, others risk their lives stocking shelves (continued on page 20)

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Message from Leadership

What Will Be Our New Normal?

By Michael Gunther It is anyone’s guess what our new normal is going to be as the coronavirus pandemic continues to unfold. As business owners, who live with ambiguity on a regular basis as it is, we now live in a world of daily—if not hourly—changes to our normal way of operating. We’re constantly evaluating how we conduct business, our clients’ confidence in making financial choices to purchase services or products, basic sales and marketing activities interactions, and the list could go on and on. On top of this, we have an economy that is certainly going to experience a significant downturn in the coming weeks and months.

Secondly, define your worst-case scenario. What does it look like, and how will it impact you, your employees, and your business? Which questions do you need to answer to understand what choices you may have to make? Truly build out your worse-case scenario. Do you understand the trigger points when you need to make these decisions? Thirdly, begin working back to sustainability—do you need to change how you are servicing your clients? Do you need to offer different solutions or products? Do you need a smaller team? Should you be applying for additional credit? This is going to be a rocky road, but remember that others are feeling the pain, too. Connect with other business owners to strategize on solutions and options.

First off, how can you create stability if the foundations around you are switching or changing so rapidly? Well, we can own our stress and the concern for the future. We have to address what we are experiencing so that we can acknowledge the true challenges we are presented with in order to address them.

GGBA Member Spotlight

Lastly, stay optimistically pessimistic. Business owners tend to be optimistic, but now is the time to bring in some pessimistic perspectives as well. Have hope with a dose of reality.

Stay balanced, but don’t avoid the reality happening around you. This situation will make the proactive business owners stronger and sharper. This crisis will be one none of us have experienced and one that we will all learn from if you approach the situation as a leader who is determined to survive and come out the other end even better. It isn’t going to easy. It will continue to challenge our skills and approaches, but we have a choice. We can face the crisis head on, or choose to go with the flow without any direction or decisions. I vote to face the crisis head on—and you? Michael Gunther is a Board Member of the Golden Gate Business Association and leads Collaboration Business Consulting, which is a team of highly skilled business professionals who are dedicated to assisting proactive individuals build scalable, profitable businesses.

BottleART

BottleART is an innovative organization that offers sticker decals of fine art crafted by art students. The exposure supports the students, and the proceeds support their art education locally. Plus, the stickers are incredibly colorful, eye-catching and beautiful. If Andy Warhol himself were still around, we could hear him saying, “Why didn’t I think of that?” We are glad that Cecily and her mother Dina Greenberg did! We admired their work at their table at the GGBA Power Lunch’s Expo on March 6, and enjoyed recently learning more about the organization from Cecily, who is still in high school and yet is so accomplished already as a budding businesswoman. GGBA: Please describe your business and its mission and values. Cecily Greenberg: BottleART is a business of fine art original pieces of student artists made into sticker decals. We want to offer something more provoking to build your portable profile than memes, logos, or thoughts others had first. Art inspires thinking. This can’t be more important than for high school students, which is where I got the idea, on my high school campus in Napa. Stickers and decals are used all over our stuff; Chromebooks and water bottles, especially. It’s the “visual and portable profile” we carry around and show everyone to say who and what we are all about. BottleART is giving the student artist the opportunity we all dream about—exposure and experience—but also, we donate that student’s sticker decals to their school’s arts program for fund or awareness raising. Right now, we operate from retail on Amazon and eBay; through gifts, donations, and my art work sales; but we hope to get a chain of stores interested for widest exposure and begin wholesale. GGBA: Why did you decide to create your business? Cecily Greenberg: I’m a sophomore in high school and belong to the art club. We were discussing a fundraiser project of selling stickers of a certain piece of mine I did of a hand in the “hang loose” sign. I told my mom about the idea. She spoke to the art teacher and the office to make sure we had permission to sell stickers and said she’d invest in the making of the donated stickers because it was a piece of my art and this would be a good college project. So, we made some and donated them to the school’s arts program for various opportunities to sell. At that point my mom was convinced by a business man she knew in retail grocery stores that this idea was sound and to go for it on a larger scale. I love the idea to give more student artists this

exposure and experience; it’s been really great. I’ve learned a lot. So, my family invested some of my otherwise known as college money to create ten sticker decals of work as a chronological example of my art in high school so far. Now my mom and I are exploring business opportunities for wholesaling these and reaching out to offer another student artist the chance in the next go round of production. GGBA: Who are some of your role models, and especially those who helped to inf luence your business? Cecily Greenberg: I think I would have to say all of my Waldorf teachers I’ve had since first grade. In Waldorf education you do all the things you learn about. Their belief is using your “head, heart, and hands” in learning. You make all your own books and in the eight years you learn most all the hand working arts from needlepoint to wood crafting, farming to illustrating. You think differently when you have to do something to learn it instead of learning something someone else did or you read about. You learn quickly too that there are many ways to get to the same conclusion. People do things differently because they think differently. I think BottleART is possible because I believe in myself and that largely came from my education and teachers. GGBA: Why did you decide to join the GGBA, and how long have you been a member? Cecily Greenberg: My mom’s and my research to understand business and wholesale helped us to decide to start the process of BottleART’s Certification with the NGLCC (National LGBT Chamber of Commerce). To be defined as a “supplier of diversity” is an advantage for buyers who need to and want to be diverse in their selections for fair business. GGBA is my local chapter and our first introduction was this March’s Power Lunch at the W in San Francisco. Dawn Ackerman invited us after our site visit for NGLCC. That is the fanciest hotel I’ve ever been to. The experience was so cool. There was a band, Proud Mary, and everyone was dancing and eating lunch, buying stickers, asking me questions, telling me how they could help me ... . Everyone wanted everyone else to succeed. It was awesome. Life is so competitive usually, so this felt so uplifting. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. I’ve been an active member for over a month now. GGBA: How has being a member of GGBA helped your business so far?

Cecily Greenberg

Cecily Greenberg: Going for certification and meeting Dawn was the universe guiding my future, I think, because I am for sure going to continue within my GGBA local community to move BottleART forward. I donʼt think I could find a more helpful, energetic, positive group with more experience and opportunities to aid me. Just from the Power Lunch, this opportunity to be in the San Francisco Bay Times, and Val Kiniris and Paul Margolis offering to help BottleART at the San Francisco local merchant fairs, we did receive our NGLCC certification with Dawn’s help from GGBA. You may even see me giving out stickers from the GGBA’s float at this

year’s Pride Parade—hoping it can happen this year! I have many more opportunities to try and put BottleART out there through GGBA too. I am considering pitching BottleART to GGBA corporate sponsors. GGBA offers coaching for this first, so it may be in my future. GGBA: Do you go to the GGBA monthly Make Contact networking events? Have they benefited you and your business, and would you recommend them to others? Cecily Greenberg: Actually, the Power Lunch this March was my first meeting, and it was a doozy. Dawn had set aside a table for me to set up like in a convention and seated us during lunch with a business from our area of the valley. I am planning on attending future meetings, if possible, to maybe firm up some merchant fair possibilities. I am looking forward to more GGBA meetings, I like how I felt after being so supported last time. GGBA: What other advice would you give to someone who is thinking of starting their own business? Cecily Greenberg: Take one step at a time and get good advice. Follow your dream, but commit to the education and work. It’s weird to be so young and start a business. I didn’t really know that was what was happening at first. It was just an idea I followed through with and kept going. I never have seen myself working for a big company at a desk somewhere, but I learned that business doesn’t have to mean fancy clothes and 9-to-5. It’s mobile today while in your PJs. I feel proud to have done this and I think others could easily do it, too. At the Power Lunch, “Perspective” was discussed, and I know how important that is. I choose Inclusivity. That single choice eradicates all of ego’s issues. I think that people who learn to accept and love themselves in diversity have skills earned that can heal the world. For more information about BottleART: https://bottleart.org/ S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

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COVID-19 and Emergency Relief and programs designed to support and serve LGBTQ older adults.

Roland Schembari and Bill Hartman, Co-Founders Randy Alfred, Founding News Editor 1978

The DAS study found that one in five LGBTQ seniors feels unsafe and/or unwelcome in aging services that serve the general population, and that LGBTQ seniors are significantly more likely to access services when provided by LGBTQ seniorserving agencies.

Kim Corsaro Publisher 1981-2011

2261 Market Street, No. 309 San Francisco CA 94114 Phone: 415-601-2113 525 Bellevue Avenue Oakland CA 94610 E-mail: editor@sfbaytimes.com www.sfbaytimes.com The Bay Times was the first newspaper in California, and among the first in the world, to be jointly and equally produced by lesbians and gay men. We honor our history and the paper’s ability to build and strengthen unity in our community. The Bay Times is proud to be the only newspaper for the LGBT community in San Francisco that is 100% owned and operated by LGBT individuals. Dr. Betty L. Sullivan Jennifer L. Viegas Co-Publishers & Co-Editors

Beth Greene Michael Delgado Abby Zimberg Design & Production

Kate Laws Business Manager Blake Dillon Calendar Editor

Kit Kennedy

Poet-In-Residence

J.H. Herren Technology Director Carla Ramos Web Coordinator Mario Ordonez

Aging in Community Dr. Marcy Adelman The COVID-19 disease is causing a worldwide health crisis that impacts every one of us. It should come as no surprise that older adults stand the highest risk for infection as well as for the severity of symptoms. The combination of age coupled with underlying or chronic health conditions makes seniors extremely vulnerable to the ravages of this deadly virus. Knowing that different communities require specially tailored responses to this crisis, we understand that LGBTQ seniors have particular needs—unique to our lives—which must be considered when policies and programs are developed to serve us. Thankfully, the San Francisco Department of Disability and Aging Services (DAS) conducted an equity analysis (November 2018) that created a road map for navigating even the unanticipated COVID-19 health crisis with the most effective policies

One of the most significant findings of the study revealed that the majority of LGBTQ older clients (61%) live alone, compared to 39% in the overall senior client population, and 69% percent of LGBT adults with disabilities (age 18–59) live alone, compared to 53% in the general population. As we know from prior studies, any senior who lives alone is at greater risk for an additional subset of problems: isolation, increased risk of mental and physical health issues, and potential exploitation and abuse. Thus, in this crisis, it is imperative that the City of San Francisco and the State of California invest emergency resources in LGBTQ senior-serving community nonprofit partners, to reduce barriers to accessing emergency resources. Hand in hand with emergency funding is the need for direct outreach to LGBTQ older adults so that they can be informed and motivated to make use of this desperately needed supplemental aid. Obviously, the goal of reaching LGBTQ seniors can be effectively accomplished by utilizing LGBTQ media.

At the same time, foundations need to be proactive and support the typically under-resourced community nonprofits. Towards that goal, the Horizons Foundation has created emergency grants to Bay Area LGBTQ nonprofits that are on the frontlines supporting those at higher risk: Contact CDC's COVID-19 Guidance for Older Adults LGBTQ older adults, people living with HIV, https://www.cdc.gov/aging/covid19-guidance.html and those who are withsheltering in place, there will be few out housing. We need more foundamailers, e-newsletters, and no social tions to follow their example. events to help raise funds. I urge you all to act now, and support LGBTQ In addition, Bay Area corporasenior serving organizations through tions need to step up to the plate and directly support LGBTQ community their websites. nonprofits that have had to quickly Dr. Marcy Adelman, a psycholotransition from in-person contact and gist and LGBTQ+ longevity advoservices to remotely serving and supcate and policy adviser, oversees porting their clients. This emergency the Aging in Community column. support for LGBTQ nonprofits could She serves on the California Combe provided in a variety of ways: cash mission on Aging, the Governor’s grants, IT support, new hardware, Alzheimer’s Prevention and Presoftware, and pro bono consultation. paredness Task Force, the Board of the Alzheimer’s Association of Finally, we need the philanthropic Northern California, and the San community members, who have Francisco Dignity Fund Oversight been so generous to our communiand Advisory Committee. She is the ty’s direct services and arts organiCo-Founder of Openhouse, the only zations, to be proactive. Now is the San Francisco nonprofit exclusively time to support the LGBTQ nonfocused on the health and well-being profit whose work you feel pasof LGBTQ+ older adults. sionately about. While we are all

Alegre Home Care is proud to support Dr. Marcy Adelman’s Aging in Community column in the San Francisco Bay Times.

Distribution

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, Jewelle Gomez, Phil Ting, Rebecca Kaplan, Kin Folkz, Leslie Katz, Philip Ruth, Peter Gallotta, Bill Lipsky, Karen Williams, Donna Sachet, Gary Virginia, Zoe Dunning, Marcy Adelman, Stuart Gaffney & John Lewis Brandon Miller, Jamie Leno Zimron Michele Karlsberg Lyndsey Schlax, Randy Coleman, Debra Walker, Howard Steiermann, Andrea Shorter, Lou Fischer, Karin Jaffie, Brett Andrews, Karen E. Bardsley, David Landis, Jan Wahl Photographers Rink, Phyllis Costa, Jane Higgins Paul Margolis, Chloe Jackman, Bill Wilson, Jo-Lynn Otto, Sandy Morris, Abby Zimberg, Deborah Svoboda, Morgan Shidler, JP Lor ADVERTISING Display Advertising Standard Rate Cards http://sfbaytimes.com/ or 415-503-1375 Custom ad sizes are available. Ads are reviewed by the publishers. National Advertising: Contact Bay Times / San Francisco. Represented by Rivendell Media: 908-232-2021 Circulation is verified by an independent agency Reprints by permission only.

SF Sketch Randy Coleman Randy Coleman hails from New York, but has lived in San Francisco since 1975. Coleman shares that before moving to the Bay Area, he studied Art History and Architecture at Boston University while working as a resident artist for architectural rendering at a Massachusetts historical society. “All of my life I’ve been an artist,” Coleman says. “To know me is to know that I have a passion for art and architecture. I love this project for the San Francisco Bay Times, and hope that you enjoy my sketches.” © Randy Coleman, 2020

COVID19 2019

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James Pratt and John Smith: Martyrs to Madness and Idiocy

Faces from Our LGBT Past Dr. Bill Lipsky “Yesterday morning, at the usual hour,” the Morning Post informed its readers on November 28, 1835, “the sentence of the law was carried into effect upon James Pratt ... and John Smith ... convicted at the September Sessions of the Central Criminal Court of a capital offense.” Theirs was a crime so distasteful that the newspaper dared not specify what it was, although everyone at their execution knew. Pratt, 30 years old, and Smith, 40, had been arrested on August 29, 1835, with another man, William Bonill, 68. Until then, Pratt worked as a groom, living with his wife and children in Deptford, in southeast London. Contemporary newspapers described Smith as an unmarried laborer, although some sources claim he worked as a servant. His home was in Southwark, in central London. Bonill also lived in Southwark, in a boarding house owned by Jane and George Berkshire. The Berkshires claimed later that they became suspicious of Bonill because of the numerous male couples who visited his quarters. Their boarder, it seemed, was allowing men to use his room, as a courtesy or as a source of income, for “nefarious, sodomitical purposes.” When Pratt and Smith came to visit him on August 29, his landlords decided to find out for themselves exactly what was going on. After the men arrived, the Berkshires took turns peering through the keyhole to Bonill’s room, later claiming to see “Pratt laying on his back with his trowsers [sic] below his knees, and with his body curled up—his knees were up—Smith was upon him—Pratt’s knees were nearly up to Smith’s shoulders—Smith’s clothes were below his knees ... and a great deal of fondness and kissing.” They immediately burst through the door to stop such indecency, then notified the police. At their trial on September 21, 1835, at the Old Bailey, an all-male jury found Smith and Pratt—not “having the fear of God before [their] eyes,

nor regarding the order of nature, but being moved and seduced by the instigation of the devil”—guilty of “feloniously, wickedly, diabolically, and against the order of nature, carnally ... commit[ted] and perpetrate[d] the detestable, horrid, and abominable crime (among Christians not to be named) called buggery.” Having done so “to the great displeasure of Almighty God, to the great scandal of all human kind, against the form of the statute in such case made and provided, against the peace of our said lord the king, his crown, and dignity,” Judge Baron Gurney, who presided at their trial, sentenced them to death by hanging. Bonill, convicted of conspiring to allow buggery to be committed, was deported to Australia for 14 years, an exile he did not survive. Judge Baron Gurney

Not everyone agreed with the verdict or the sentence. Hesney Wedgwood, the magistrate in Southwark who bound over Smith and Pratt for trial, argued forcefully in a private letter to John, Lord Russell, then Home Secretary, later Prime Minister (and grandfather of philosopher and Nobel Prize recipient Bertrand Russell), that the two men be granted clemency. For Wedgwood, their guilt or innocence was not the issue because, he believed, they were victims of a greater social issue. “There is a shocking inequality in this law in its operation upon the rich and the poor,” he wrote. “The only reason these two had been doomed among the rather many enthusiasts for this victimless offense was that they were penurious enough to have to pursue their desires in a lodging-house ... where they were easily spied-upon.” Their discovery, he concluded, “was owing entirely to their poverty.” Unfortunately, he could not persuade any authority to commute the sentences. Neither Pratt nor Smith knew or even noticed a young man, one Charles Dickens, who toured Newgate Prison, where they were being held, on November 5, 1835,

Prisoners in Newgate in a cell for condemned persons

barely three weeks before they were executed, but he was about to grant them literary immortality. He described them at length in “A Visit to Newgate,” the last scene or chapter of Sketches by Boz, his first published book, which appeared in 1836. Dickens was never squeamish when writing about poverty, squalor, child abuse, exploitation of women, and other ills of Victorian society, but he was unable to mention the crime for which Pratt and Smith were about to be hung. He stated only that they were being housed with another man in the press-room because “the nature of [their] offence rendered it necessary to separate them, even from their companions in guilt.” He described Smith and Pratt as being “at the upper end of the room.” One sat with “his back towards us, and was stooping over the fire, with his right arm on the mantel-piece, and his head sunk upon it.” The other had a “pale, haggard face, and disordered hair, an appearance which, at that distance, was ghastly ... . They well knew that for them there was no hope in this world. ‘The two short ones,’ the turnkey whispered, ‘were dead men.’” Indeed, they were. On November 27, guards brought Pratt and Smith, protesting their innocence, from their cells to the execution platform in front of Newgate Prison. Spectators, who formed a larger crowd than usual, began hissing. Within minutes of the hangman placing the nooses around their necks, the men were dead. They were buried in a common grave, with others executed at Newgate, in the City Cemetery, Manor Park, London. Smith and Pratt were the last two men executed in England for buggery. The Offenses Against the Person Act, passed in 1861, replaced the penalty with deportation or a lengthy prison term. One hundred years later, the Sexual Offenses Act of 1967 finally decriminalized same-sex intimacy between two consenting adults in Great Britain. Still forbidden in many places, sodomy remains a capital offense in Afghanistan, Iran, Qatar, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Bill Lipsky, Ph.D., author of “Gay and Lesbian San Francisco” (2006), is a member of the Rainbow Honor Walk board of directors.

Charles Dickens in 1842 S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

APR IL 9, 2020

EARTH DAY 2020 Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway: Road Less Traveled mud pot and had his leg amputated.

Sports John Chen

Lassen is a haven for nature and geothermal lovers with beautiful and pristine emerald lakes, majestic peaks, and miles and miles of hiking trails above 8,000 feet. Take several deep breaths when you go because you are going to need the boost. But, if this somewhat in-shape and out-of-shape guy can do it, so can you! Lassen is a national park less traveled by Bumpass Hell, Lassen Volcanic Park most and well worth the visit, especially if you love the history of our planet.

Lassen Volcanic National Park, McCloud River Falls, and Lava Beds National Monument are some of the most scenic, iconic, and historic places to visit in Northern California on the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway. While temporarily closed now due to the coronavirus pandemic, these unforgettable locations remain in my memory as we all shelter-in-place.

Transitioning from hard geothermal landscapes to spectacular soft waterfalls, head north on the byway to McArthur Burney Falls and McCloud River Falls. Yes, I do agree with most that Yosemite National Park has amazing waterfalls, but, in my opinion, the most picturesque waterfall in California has to be the McArthur Burney Falls. SurI have traveled the entire length of rounded by lush greenery, a McArthur Burney Falls the beautiful 500-mile byway, which fast-moving above ground is divided into a northern Orecreek combined with several gon section and a southern Califorunderground water channels nia section. Although the Oregon come together at a single point byway begins or ends at the spectacuto create this magnificent lar Crater Lake National Park, I will waterfall. At 114 feet high and primarily share with you my experi250 feet wide, this is truly a ence on our amazing California side sight to behold. During one of of the byway. my several visits, I even spotted a giant osprey nest perched Approximately 250 miles northeast atop a barren tree with chicks of the San Francisco Bay Area lies chirping, waiting for their Lassen Volcanic National Park, a geo-historic park that houses all four mother to return with delectable lunch. types of volcanoes on Earth: composite, shield, cinder cone, and plug Nearby are the three McCloud dome. In addition, numerous hydroRiver Falls: Upper, Middle, thermal sites or bubbling mud pots and Lower. Unlike the McArcan be found at Lassen, similar to thur Burney Falls, lots of fam- A lava cave entrance at Lava Bed National Monument those found at Yellowstone National ilies take to the water pools Monument. I discovered this hidden treasure Park. A relatively moderate one-mile at the base of the falls where rock after seeing a photo of a beautiful undergroun hike takes visitors to Bumpass Hell jumping, swimming, and even fishatively unknown magazine. My research into where numerous out-of-this-world, ing during the summer are popular bubbling hydrothermal features are took me to a series of underground caves crea activities. on full display. Bumpass Hell was hundreds of thousands of years ago at Lava B named in honor of Kendall VanFurther north on the Volcanic Leg- Monument. hook Bumpass, who in the late 1860s acy Scenic Byway, near the Oregon Armed with a lantern, one of those lights min border, is the Lava Beds National unknowingly stepped into a boiling their foreheads, a hard hat, and a pair of the sive but sturdy hiking shoes, I set out to explo course, the visitors’ center rents all of the esse ing maps of the caves, for a reasonable price. ered was a world of wonder underground. So Chubby are large enough for groups of people to walk you may have to hunch over or even crawl thr

Take Me Home with You!

“My name is Chubby, but I just might be the tiniest and cutest thing you’ve seen all day! I’m two months old and ready to find my forever family. The world around me is still very new, and every day I’m exploring and learning more. My ideal adopter would be someone who’s ready to give me lots of snuggles, playtime, and kitten love!” Chubby 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 Chubby. Anyone interested in adopting Chubby can email: adoption@sfspca.org For more information: https://www.sfspca.org/adoptions 12

SA N FRANCISCO BAY T I ME S

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Dr. Jennifer Scarlett and Pup

There was one cave I explored that started ou lush greenery everywhere due to rays of sun c the collapsed ceilings. After maybe a quarter cave got darker and smaller where I had to hu make a decision whether to crawl further or n in full darkness, I heard faint unfamiliar rustl moving ever closer and nearer. My heart pou towards the cave entrance in one third of the me to get to the crawl space. Moments later, a emerged from the same cave telling me he jus the crawl space.

For those outdoor adventure lovers and seeke experienced all the natural wonders on the V Scenic Byway, I urge you to do so as soon as p pandemic and before all the Instagrammers t advice before you go: do a little research (Goo and planning, so that you are well-prepared f hand. Hiking at extremely high elevations, sw waterfall base pools, visiting thermal features lava caves all come with some level of risk. In will be certain to enjoy your byway road trip

John Chen, a UCLA alumnus and an avid sp competed as well as coached tennis, volleyb football teams.

BAY TIMES S

LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area

CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2020)

National Poetry Month and Earth Day, 2020

Photos courtesy of John Chen

Celebrated each April since 1996, National Poetry Month is organized by the Academy of American Poets. The 50th Anniversary of Earth Day is also this month, on Wednesday, April 22. We need poetry and nature now in our lives more than ever. Be well. Be safe. Eat good food.

EVERY BREATH IS SACRED Poet in Residence Kit Kennedy Kit Kennedy is the Poetin-Residence of the “San Francisco Bay Times” and at herchurch Ebenezer Lutheran http://www.herchurch.org/ 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

for National Poetry Month and Earth Day

No matter which great upheaval— personal or global—Earth responds with topsy turvy Spring. A bead of water on a purple iris is invitation to put down “the busy.” To linger. Let’s dwell on the magnolia. Hot pink, showy. A flame within a flame. Sensual, without borders. A field of yellow tulips paints a giddy landscape. A seed pod sending forth progeny or a stream animating a tree with sunlit magic. All these exalt Spring’s beauty, whimsy, necessity. Each new growth offers a glimmer of abundance and the gift to marvel at the marvelous. Earth is simply breathtaking and breath giving.

Photographer Stacy Boorn

e by accident nd cave in a relo this picture ated by lava flow Beds National

ners wear on least expenore the caves. Of entials, includWhat I discovome of the caves k through; others rough.

ut spacious with coming through of a mile, the unch over and not. Suddenly, ling sounds unding, I bolted time it took a young man st came through

ers who haven’t Volcanic Legacy possible after the take over. My ogle, of course) for the task at wimming at s, and exploring n this way, you to the fullest.

ports fan, has ball, softball and

S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

APR IL 9, 2020

Castro March to Remember and Reignite Hope A crowd of community activists, civic and community leaders, and neighbors joined host Juanita MORE! on Saturday, February 29, at Harvey Milk Plaza for the start of the March to Remember & Reignite. Held in conjunction with the GLBT Historical Society, SF LGBT Center, Castro LGBTQ Cultural District, and Preserving LGBT Historic Sites in California, the march progressed through the Castro with stops to lay black wreaths at the sites of shuttered queer spaces. Rainbow wreaths were also left for current LGBT businesses and historic sites. As stated by organizers, the march was held to commemorate the Castro District’s role in the LGBTQ community’s past and to inspire a brighter future. Editor’s Note: This display was scheduled to be published previously, but had to be held due to unexpected changes. We are happy to include it now, and hope you will enjoy photographer Bill Wilson’s images from this important march.

SA N FRANCISCO BAY T I ME S

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BAY TIMES S

Photos by Bill Wilson

LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area

CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2020)

Donna’s Chronicles

“When small men begin to cast big shadows, it means that the sun is about to set.”

By Donna Sachet

–Lin Yutang, writer and translator

irst of all, we want to thank wholeheartedly the many who sent us messages after our last column, letting us know that they too were experiencing many of the feelings described therein. Writing a column is so different from performing in front of an audience; one receives little immediate feedback, often wondering if one’s writing was understood, appreciated, or even read. In the midst of our self-imposed isolation, it was heartwarming to hear from so many friends and other readers with encouragement, empathy, and emotional connection. Indeed, we have never received so many responses, by phone, email, social media, and otherwise. Thank you for taking the time to do so.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DONNA SACHET (2018)

This time, we turn to a lighter subject, but one we think many of you will understand. As our loyal readers know, we adopted Peanut, an adorable brindle-colored puppy, now nearly 2 years old and 20 pounds, from the SF SPCA. We unreservedly recommend the SPCA for anyone seeking the companionship of a cat or dog. They know how to make the adoption process smooth, yet responsible, and ongoing veterinary services are easy to schedule, caring, and thorough. The comfort of a loving pet during this shelter-in-place directive cannot be overstated. Without regular social contact with friends and others, however, our conversations are becoming noticeably limited. “Wanna take a walk?” and, “Ready for supper-time?” are probably the most frequently asked questions and, “Such a good girl!” and, “Just the sweetest!” have become standard compliments. All good and well for a four-legged companion, but recently, we fear those simplistic linguistic patterns are spilling over into less appropriate settings. At the grocery store, after receiving directions on the location of dairy products, we found ourselves saying, “Very good, very good!” What? Fortunately, the store was busy and the employee barely registered my statement. On one of our last rides on MUNI, we left a friendly driver with the statement, “That sun feels good, doesn’t it?” Maybe that doesn’t sound so bad, but imagine it being said in a sing-song high voice with a lilting conclusion! And when witnessing a pedestrian carelessly crossing the street without the right light, our comment, more to ourselves, but within hearing distance, was, “We are law-abiding, aren’t we? Yes, we are!” Granted, our words were more intended for Peanut than the lawless pedestrian, but we are glad the light changed quickly. There is anecdotal evidence that stay-at-home mothers and more rarely fathers sometimes find re-entering adult conversations after indulging in nearly constant baby-talk an unexpected challenge. While we haven’t experienced exactly that challenge, we have become aware that talking to one’s pet at home is quite different from having an adult conversation in public. We pride ourselves on an extensive vocabulary, broad education, and adept skill at meaningful conversation, but without regular practice, how long does it take for all that to break down? Once this shelter-at-home situation relaxes, will baby-like repetition, singDonna and song diction, and simplistic expressions leak into our adult interchanges? Peanut at 18th and Castro's "Hibernia Beach" (2018)

PHOTO BY RINK

So, during one of these video conferences or other face-to-face electronic exchanges, please forgive our occasional lapse into pet-talk. We know that loving conversations with our pets have little in common with adult communication. Isn’t that right? Yes, it is. Oops! Sorry! We hope you continue to find meaningful ways to fill your time at home, if homebound. We thank those who are unable to work at home and are providing essential services, whether medical, delivery, maintenance, transportation, or otherwise. And no matter how scary it may get, please remember to stay safe, stay home, and stay calm! This too shall pass. Donna Sachet is a celebrated performer, fundraiser, activist and philanthropist who has dedicated over two decades to the LGBTQ Community in San Francisco. Contact her at empsachet@gmail.com

PHOTO BY RINK

PHOTO BY SHAWN NORTHCUTT

Donna and Peanut with Shelby Starkey and Michael Loftis at the new Eagle Plaza flag pole dedication (2019) S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

APR IL 9, 2020

BAY TIMES S

LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2020)

Strong Women, Strong Movies A Face in the Crowd

Emmy for portraying the gutsy Betty, bringing out to the world the issue of breast cancer as well as addiction.

Off the Wahl Jan Wahl I am the strong, successful woman I am today because of the movies my mother carefully chose for me when I was a child, teen, and all through her life. Yes, I had a good education, great teachers, and solid parental training, but having a mother who believed in strong women onscreen made me blossom and bloom. It all started with two very different onscreen images.

There was once a madcap, extravagant world traveler known as Auntie Mame (1958). She’s positive that “life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death.” One of the greatest women to ever work in Hollywood, Rosalind Russell was perfectly cast as the flamboyant Mame Dennis, a character who never let the world stop her from living out loud. Do not mix this up with the inferior Lucille Ball version of the musical Mame. Even composer Jerry Herman cried when I interviewed him, talking about his disappointment with that one. Stick with this amazing ’58 Auntie Mame! Jo March was and is a role model. Little Women is the story. I started at the beginning with Kate Hepburn as the ambitious Jo (1934.) Wynona Ryder was perfection as unconventional Jo (1994), as was the entire cast and film in the recent adaptation (2019.) The family of women struggling together and Jo staying strong to her own vision make this one for the ages and all ages.

Greer Garson as Eleanor Roosevelt is inspiring in Sunrise at Campobello (1960) and Harriet Tubman’s remarkable courage was at last shown onscreen in 2019’s Harriet, one of my Top Ten Movies of that year. But it is A Face in the Crowd (1957) that reminds us of what can happen when a woman has had it and is ready to explode ... look out world! Patricia Neal pulls the plug on a dangerous, egomaniacal TV star getting too close to the Oval Office. She finds a way to end it. Makes me wish she were here now. From Frida (2002) to Harriet Albert Nobbs ((2011) to The First Wives Club (1996), this is a subject that goes on as long as we strong women continue our fight to be ourselves against all odds. We will celebrate more of these onscreen women in the future. Let’s be part of the solution, and not mired in the muck of the problem. That’s what the onscreen women do, telling us: You go, girls! Meet you in that place of authenticity and joy. Emmy Award-winner Jan Wahl is a renowned entertainment reporter, producer, and teacher. A member of the prestigious Directors Guild of America, she is regularly featured on KPIX television (every Monday morning starting at 6:15 am) and on KCBS AM & FM and other media outlets. To read and listen to her reviews for KCBS, go to: https://kcbsradio.radio.com/authors/jan-wahl For more info about her remarkable life and career: http://www.janwahl.com/

Spotlight Film for SF Pride 50: Pride (2014) By Jan Wahl Pride is one of those unknown movies that everyone should see. From 2014, it tells a true, amazing story of a group of British gay activists who attempt something very brave. It’s the summer of 1984. The Thatcher government is closing the mines. Through circumstances starting with a young man’s first gay parade, it’s decided that this group of courageous people will go to a village where the miners are on a strike, hoping to help them. Our intrepid group sees a deep kinship between their cause (a time when the government is threatening the LBGTQ community) and the striking miners responding to the pit closures. Between trying to fundraise for the striking families and a few creative dance moves, our group attempts to show these rather shocked villagers that they are on the same side. The actual people depicted in the film show up in cameo appearances. Starring one of my all-time favorite actors, Bill Nighy, as well as Imelda Staunton, Dominic West, and Faye Marsay, this inspiring movie is terrific. Nighy told a group of us that the emancipation of the LBGTQ movement in the post Thatcher years was the greatest thing to happen in his lifetime.

As a daughter of a politically active mother, I’ve always loved movies about women who are in the public eye, whether on purpose or accident. Since I find myself deeply disappointed in our current First Lady, a TV movie worth digging for is called The Betty Ford Story (1987.) Gena Rowlands deserved her

KIT’N KITTY’S

QUEER POP QUIZ 16

SA N FRANCISCO BAY T I ME S

Albert Nobbs

YOUR PRIDE IS CALLED WHAT NOW? Sioux, City, SD, hosts an annual Pride event that is known by these 3 initials: A) LUV

B) SDP

C) SUX

ANSWER ON PAGE 20

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D) LUX

Karin Jaffie, aka Kit/Kitty Tapata, won the title of Mr. Gay San Francisco in 2011 and has earned many other honors since. Connect with Jaffie via Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pg/ktapata

Out Filmmaker’s Feature Debut Almost Love Looks at Gay and Straight Relationships Doyle chatted with me for the San Francisco Bay Times about his debut feature film, the nature of relationships, and why queer cinema is important. Gary M. Kramer: Almost Love depicts several codependent characters and relationships. What inspired you to address these themes in the way that you did?

Film Gary M. Kramer Written and directed by actorturned-filmmaker Mike Doyle, Almost Love, available on demand, is an affable romantic comedydrama about a handful of neurotic New Yorkers. Adam (out actor Scott Evans) is five years into his relationship with internet influencer Marklin (out actor Augustus Prew). The couple have not tied the knot, however, because of an issue that comes to a head in their relationship. (They are also in “couples,” as in therapy.) Meanwhile, their supportive friends are dealing with equally fraught relationships. Cammy (Michelle Buteau) is having a relationship with Henry (Colin Donnell), who has a terrible secret; Haley (Zoe Chao) is tutoring a 17-year-old student (Christopher Gray), who is in love with her; and Elizabeth’s (Kate Walsh) marriage may be on the skids.

Mike Doyle: I wasn’t looking to address codependence head on, but it’s in the fabric of many relationships. What I was attempting to do was create a patchwork of relationships—four iterations—and hit them at different points, but at a point where each couple found themselves stuck. Codependence can be why we get stuck; we lose sight of ourselves and are not the “best” us in the relationship. That’s part of the landscape. There is a fine line between mutual inter-dependence and codependence. I wanted to show in the backstory—it wasn’t imbalance, but something ever-shifting. With Adam and Marklin’s relationship, we get a peek into their history, and it wasn’t always as we see it in the present day. For me, that was an important thing to look at—especially in relationships with two men, who are socialized to be leaders, and stronger. Sometimes we are in sync emotionally and financially, and sometimes we are sine and cosine. Gary M. Kramer: Your film is also about communication and connection. What are your

observations about how people in general, and gay men in particular, interact? Mike Doyle: In any relationship, we have secrets—things we show, and things we hide. I made the choice not to have something like an affair for these characters. I wanted the secret to be more insidious—honesty. We have these devices in our pockets and in our hands that can receive and send things that might not be healthy for a relationship. Rather than make that the catalyst, I wanted to give hints of that. One character received a text message that leads down a path, but it’s flipped, and not what you think. Gary M. Kramer: The characters often talk about “wanting more” or being stuck in a life they didn’t imagine. What sparked you to write and direct—are you looking for a life pivot, or to forge a new career path?

Mike Doyle: I’ve been writing and directing for a while, but I’ve been trying to get a feature up, and I was writing things that were a bit more ambitious. At the beginning of 2016, I thought I needed to harken back to my cinematic heroes and my relationships among my friends in New York. I wanted to create a world that was practical and doable to make this movie. It’s not so much a career pivot, but an expansion of my work on TV shows in New York. I have a desire to express myself creatively that lies outside the bounds of acting. I am a Virgo who is restless and needs to stay busy. So, filmmaking is the continuation of something I started several years ago. But on a much bigger scale.

They’ve come out, battled their diversity, and are in a relationship like everyone else. I was trying to push the notion of gay cinema ahead a bit. Hopefully people will respond.

Gary M. Kramer: What can you say about making a film with realistic queer characters and being an out queer filmmaker?

Mike Doyle: I made a conscious effort to portray these gay characters. I didn’t want to stare down old tropes.

I can’t imagine myself living without being truthful about the most fundamental aspect of my being but it’s not the only aspect of my life. I wish I could say it doesn’t matter anymore whether you’re gay or straight— and for me it doesn’t—but we’re in a moment where I made a conscious decision to hire two out gay actors for romantic leads. Meanwhile, straight movie stars are still being applauded for their bravery [playing gay] in Hollywood films. Gary M. Kramer is the author of “Independent Queer Cinema: Reviews and Interviews,” and the co-editor of “Directory of World Cinema: Argentina.” Follow him on Twitter @garymkramer

Saints and Sinners 2020: The Festival That Wasn’t So many wonderful writers, whom I’ve read and admired, were scheduled to attend: • Legendary lesbian authors Elana Dykewomon, Judith Katz, and Irena Klepfisz, speaking with Michele Karlsberg about Jewish Literature and activism;

Words Michele Karlsberg Michele Karlsberg: The Saints and Sinners Literary Festival (SAS Fest) was founded in 2003 as a new initiative designed to be an innovative way to reach the LGBTQ community with information about HIV/ AIDS, particularly disseminating prevention messages via writers and others, as well as other important topics. It was also formed to bring the LGBTQ literary community together to celebrate their field. This year, writer Gar McVey-Russell was planning on covering the SAS Fest, but, well, ya know COVID-19. When SAS was canceled, Gar rose to the occasion of covering the festival that did not happen. Gar McVey-Russell: “When we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard nor welcomed, but when we are silent we are still afraid, so it is better to speak.” — Audre Lorde What a thrill the 17th Annual Saints and Sinners LGBTQ Literary Festival in New Orleans would have been. As always, SAS Executive Director Paul J. Willis assembled an exciting program full of great discussions and lively entertainment. The conference, the crown jewel of the queer lit calendar, was scheduled for March 27–29, my birthday weekend. I would have spent it in the seductively queer French Quarter with some of the finest queer literary minds of our time, munching beignets during the day and sipping bourbon while listening to worldclass jazz at night.

• Award winning poet and playwright Jewelle Gomez leading a workshop on poetry; • Noted poet and memoirist Saeed Jones teaching a masterclass on writing memoirs; • Historical novelists Henry Alley, Paula Martinac, Russ Lopez, and Felice Picano speaking about their craft; • Podcasters and broadcasters Elizabeth Andersen, Wayne Goodman (on whose Queer Words podcast I have appeared), Candice Huber, and David Swatling speaking about their work;

Furthermore, many writers and artists have no health insurance and limited access to healthcare, putting members of this community at risk. Our society’s inequities become clearer than ever during a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic. Writers have a special obligation to speak out about these inequities with our poetry, essays, articles, short stories, and novels. Our voices have the power to reach individuals, providing hope and comfort, and inspiring the need for change. Especially during times of crisis, the arts must be part of the conversation. With our voices united, I know SAS will not stay silent for long. Gar McVey-Russell’s first novel, “Sin Against the Race” (Gamr

books, 2017) was listed on “The Advocate’s” Best Books We Read in 2018: LGBTQ Novels. His short story, “Tom of Boalt Hall,” was a finalist in the Saints and Sinners LGBTQ Festival Fiction Open and appears in their 2020 anthology. His fiction has also appeared in “Sojourner: Black Gay Voices in the Age of AIDS” (1993) and “Harrington Gay Men’s Fiction Quarterly” (vol. 7, Num. 3, 2005). His non-fiction has appeared in “Chill Magazine” and The Good Men Project. He publishes a blog, “the gar spot.” He is married and lives in Oakland, where he listens to a lot of jazz. Michele Karlsberg Marketing and Management specializes in publicity for the LGBTQ+ community. This year, Karlsberg celebrates 32

Gar McVeyRussell

years of successful book campaigns. For more information: https://www.michelekarlsberg.com

• A sampling of other celebrated writers, such as Edmund White, Leona Beasly, Eric Andrews-Katz, J.M. Redmann and Michael H. Ward. The Festival holds a Fiction Contest every year, and my short story, Tom of Boalt Hall, was selected by judge Don Weise as a finalist. I would have read from the story along with finalists Ariade Blayde, Morgan Rae Hufstader, Miah Jeffra, runner-up Lewis DeSimone, and winner Matthew Cherry. I also was to appear on a panel about short story writing with Anita Dolman, Jeff Mann, Gary Eldon Peter, and Andrew Holleran. None of this came to pass. The dramatic and terrifying spread of COVID-19 cancelled SAS as it has many other events across the country. The pandemic has created a crisis in the arts community, and SAS is sadly not immune. Cancelling the Festival means a loss of attendance revenue and the potential loss of grant revenue, the lifeblood of any arts organization. SAS lives for this one great event every year, so missing a year will undoubtedly cause much hardship. S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

APR IL 9, 2020

Sister Dana Sez: Words of Wisdumb from a Fun Nun

By Sister Dana Van Iquity Sister Dana sez, “The PresiDense had said he wanted the U.S. ‘opened up’ and ‘raring to go by Easter,’ defying the warnings of many many health experts. Sorry, but the Easter Bunny will be safe in his burrow sheltering in place!” The Public Health Order for Bay Area people to shelter-in-place safely in their homes is extended past May 1 (May 3). Damn! May Day has quite a different meaning now. Here’s some great April 15 news: the Federal Government has pushed back the tax deadline by ninety days. So that’s one le$$ financial headache. A message from CASTRO MERCHANTS President Masood Samereie, whom I had the pleasure to meet the other day: We understand that this is an incredibly difficult time for so many of our beloved businesses. We want to let you know that we are working hard behind the scenes to figure out how we can best assist. Please feel free to email your comments and suggestions to us at info@CastroMerchants.com Let’s thank Senators Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) for introducing SB 939, placing a moratorium on commercial evictions, including small businesses and nonprofits, for the duration of the COVID-19 health emergency. Sister Dana sez, “This entertainment reviewer really misses sitting in the dark with you. But all entertainment has been closed down, so that’s the sitch for now. So, I’ll just keep jammin’ in my jammies at home!” For a delightful experience, you need to see this lovable hamster following the rules regarding safety during these awful c-virus times: https://bit.ly/2xS0VNt Sister Dana sez, “Coronavirus deniers have vowed to continue their daily activities, convinced that the reaction to COVID-19 is merely a plot by the media and liberals out to get President Trump. Oh, if only we COULD get Trump out!” “We will continue to answer the community’s questions about how the City’s order impacts their lives and will address how the state’s order works with ours,” said Mayor London Breed at a recent press conference. “We will continue to work with our sister Bay Area counties to handle this emergency, and we look forward to coordinating with the Governor and state health authorities as we all work together to get through this crisis.” God bless our Mayor!

past three months. Senator Scott Wiener stated, “As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting stay-at-home orders and social distancing rules, our blood banks are experiencing a severe blood shortage and desperately need blood donations. This blood shortage threatens lives. Yet, despite this emergency need, the FDA continues to take a non-science-based approach by irrationally excluding sexually active gay and bisexual men from donating.” So, on April 7, Senator Wiener held a special blood drive for gay men, #GiveForAGay Blood Drive, with the AMERICAN RED CROSS at the Zellerbach Rehearsal Hall in Civic Center. Mayor Breed and Supervisor Catherine Stefani both donated blood. Hey, you lovers of the bud, the ANNUAL 4/20 event in Golden Gate Park is cancelled because of COVID-19. There will be nationwide virtual celebrations, online concerts, and giveaways, though. This act by Republicans against Trump speaks for itself. Check out https://bit.ly/39JQPvo Then there’s this by Joe Biden about Trump and COVID 19: https://bit.ly/2xLEXvO I am so thrilled that “THE UNITY LIGHT IN THE NIGHT” campaign is encouraging this communal act to let your neighbors know that we are in this together. Join them nightly at 7 pm and put a “Unity Light” (not a candle) in your front window and send a message of hope and unity to our community. I expect this campaign to last for the duration of the pandemic. https://bit.ly/2UHsVfS As the pandemic continues, young people are disproportionately being impacted by the disruption of everyday life. For instance, LGBTQ students are leaving college dorms and returning to unsafe homes, and youth living with HIV are unable to access PrEP from doctors. https://bit.ly/3dWxTwL Singer Top 12 at American Idol, David Anthony Hernandez, has a gorgeous in-home online hour concert. Especially moving and timely are his renditions of “Stand by Me” and “Dancing Alone.” It’s “Yummy,” as he and Justin Bieber would sing. https://bit.ly/2JEFPoI Sister Dana sez, “Hey, Trump, quit being a racist and stop calling it the Chinese virus. It has a name. Just like you have a name: Idiotic Racist!” Ilana Minkoff, a realtor in San Francisco’s Cole Valley, has begun a Facebook group called “QUARANTINE SING-ALONG,” which now has thousands of members from several continents. Song of the day is posted daily at 3 pm (along with lyrics), and sing-along begins at (continued on page 20)

The FDA currently prohibits gay and bisexual men from donating blood if they’ve had sex in the 18

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PHOTO BY PAUL MARGOLIS

Sister Dana sez, “As my dear friend keeps reminding me: ‘We’re all in this together’ is a far better philosophy than ‘You’re on your own.’” Sister Dana served as a volunteer greeter, welcoming guests with beads and jello-shots, for the “Diners, Divas & Dives” 2020 Krewe de Kinque Bal Masque XVII.

This Month at the Castro Farmers’ Market Farmers’ Markets Work to Create a Safe Shopping Environment By Debra Morris Amid the continuing safety concerns due to the coronavirus pandemic, some Bay Area farmers’ markets have closed, but there are many that remain open because they are considered essential businesses. Customers and farmers alike depend on direct-to-consumer fresh quality produce and other market products to feed their families. Knowing where their food comes from and supporting local farmers is an important part of why consumers shop local farmers’ markets each and every week. It is vital to food access for consumers and the livelihoods of farmers. It is also a good alternative to the grocery store at this time because farmers’ markets have the quantity and quality of product, while supermarkets sometimes do not have the stock available. You know farmers’ markets have great quality and freshness and they offer a wider variety of products from which to choose. Farmers’ market products are also handled by fewer people—from the farmer to you. A farmers’ market environment can feel safer to people as well, since there are no small aisles and crowded check-out lines, making social distancing easier. Our shoppers on food assistance also depend on farmers’ markets to purchase fresh quality produce each week using their CalFresh/

SNAP benefits, especially with the Market Match program, which doubles the amount they can spend on healthy foods. While you’re shopping the farmers’ market, we want you to feel as safe as possible by providing as many safety precautions at the market as we can. But we also need your help in this endeavor and ask that you follow some safety guidelines to help everyone in creating a social distancing friendly environment. As farmers’ market operators, we will do our best to provide a comfortable and safe shopping experience: • We have eliminated food sampling of any kind. • Farmers are encouraged to provide graband-go, pre-packaged produce, so your purchases are easier to make. • Also, the farmers and producers have been informed on best practices of booth setup to allow space between customers. The market managers are chalking the booth areas to reflect the 6-foot personal safety distance. • We have added space between the booths, 10 feet wherever possible, and have recon-

figured them so there is easier access and departure.

• Buy pre-bagged items whenever you can; farmers are preparing them ahead for you.

• There will be hand washing stations and hand sanitizer for customers whenever possible.

• Wash your reusable produce bags between visits.

• There are no longer any information booths so we can avoid people lingering. We want you to safely shop and then leave with your purchases. Practicing social distancing takes everyone to participate for it to be effective. We need your help! Follow these simple steps to help ensure the farmers’ markets are a safe place to shop: • When you get home, be sure to thoroughly wash all fresh fruits and vegetables. • At the market, practice social distancing by maintaining 6 feet of space for other shoppers, and allow others their space when shopping. • Minimize the size of your groups when shopping—remember spacing! • Wait outside the booth until it is free of other shoppers, then take your turn. • Wash your hands thoroughly and often for at least 20 secs.

• If you are sick, stay home and ask a friend or family member to pick things up for you instead. • Please, only touch fruits/veggies that you intend to buy, or have the farmer pick out your produce for you. We will keep you updated on any changes to our farmers’ market schedules through the market Facebook pages and email newsletter. Please visit our website (link at the end of this article) to find current market information as well. Please visit your local farmers’ market for your fresh produce needs, but help us keep everyone healthy by remembering social distancing. Thank you for your support. Debra Morris is a spokesperson for the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association (PCFMA). Check out the PCFMA website for recipes, information about farmers’ markets throughout the region and for much more: https://www.pcfma.org/

PHOTO COURTESY OF PACIFIC COAST FARMERS' MARKET ASSOCIATION

Photos by Rink

San Francisco Bay Times columnist Donna Sachet cut the ribbon, assisted by Castro Merchants Association Presidenet Masood Samereie and Tom Temprano representing Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, at the Grand Opening of the new Castro Farmers' Market season held on March 11.

Shoppers wearing face masks were visible on Opening Day as Castro neighbors and guests from other parts of town and elsewhere enjoyed the market and expressed their appreciation for the opening of the new season.

Native Baking Company's staffer Jen displayed the popular German chocolate and Nutella brownies.

Singer Aprylle Gilbert performed during the opening day of the 2020 Castro Farmers' Market.

Beautiful organic strawberries were featured at the Berry Licious booth.

Organic eggs were among the products offered at the Fifth Crow Farm booth.

The "social distancing" rule was in effect and honored by customers at booths throughout the market. S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

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FISCHER (continued from page 3)

ROSTOW (continued from page 5)

Wear a mask, but give your N95 to hospital workers. The great debate on whether to wear a mask or not rages on. Initially the CDC and other experts maintained that the only people who need to wear a face mask are those who are sick or are caring for someone who is sick. This may have been tied to the need to leave the supply of N95 medical masks to hospital workers who risk their lives every day, because who are we kidding. The same people who hoard toilet paper are going to hang on to their N95 masks instead of donating them to the overworked and exhausted nurses and doctors who are literally dying while taking care of others.

or cashing out dozens of customers with no protection whatsoever.

The experts maintain that even simple homemade masks may prevent asymptomatic people from transmitting the disease or might prevent you from picking up an infection from the grocery clerk who rings up your shopping cart full of toilet paper. Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, most Asian countries, and even Israel require people to wear masks when out in public. It makes sense that masks are required in Israel; for 5780 years, Jewish mothers have been warning their children that if they go outside, they would “catch pneumonia” and now all of a sudden, they are right. Bottom line: wear a mask. If you don’t have one, make a mask or use a bandana, scarf, or anything you have. It’s OK to feel sad. While it may feel like a First World problem to complain about the loss of social activities, sports, the ability to buy toilet paper, or get a manicure when there is so much tragic loss of life and health, it’s still OK to acknowledge small losses that affect emotional health. Granted, isolating in a comfortable living arrangement with access to food, water, and unlimited streaming options is hardly the same as Anne Frank and her family hiding from the Nazis in an attic for two years, but there is no “hierarchy of grief” and loss still needs to be acknowledged. A term that describes what many people may be feeling is “ambiguous loss,” an example of which is when a loved one is suffering from dementia. They are still alive, but their personality, memory, and “essence” are gone. With the pandemic, there’s a great deal of uncertainty. How long will this last? What’s going to happen next? How can I keep my loved ones safe? Will I ever be able to buy toilet paper in bulk again? Grieving current losses, in addition to ones that have not happened yet, puts people in a continuous state of mourning. So instead of catastrophizing and over-reacting (this means you, my fellow Jewish tribe-mates), stay grounded in the present and let yourself and others experience loss in your own way. Even author Elisabeth Kübler-Ross notes that the five stages of grief are not felt equally and everyone needs to grieve in their own way. Bottom line, don’t minimize loss; you be you and let others be them.

These are the people who are more likely to die in those red states, and they are the reason I can’t really hope that the Trumpy governors see their virus statistics rise on sharp angles. Life Goes On Believe it or not, the Idaho legislature somehow found the time to outlaw transgender women from competing on female sports teams, and also managed to prohibit citizens from revising their gender on Idaho birth certificates. Anti-transgender bills of all sorts are this year’s anti-GLBT specialty around the states, but as far as I know, the spud state is the only one that has enacted anti-trans laws and sent them to the governor’s desk. At the same time, we have a couple of good rulings on transgender cases. In Ohio, a professor who refused to address his MTF student with female pronouns, calling her “he” and “Mr.,” was charged with violating the antidiscrimination rules at Shawnee State University. The professor challenged the school to no avail, and subsequently sued in federal court, in a case that was dismissed in February. He is appealing to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit with the help of Alliance Defending Freedom, aka the Alliance Defending the Freedom to be a Despicable Jerk. In Anchorage, a federal court ruled in March that the State of Alaska vio-

6:59 pm. I really enjoyed singing “I Will Survive.” https://bit.ly/2wRGDnu

By the Numbers (as of this writing)

From the West End of London to your laptops comes “LEAVE A LIGHT ON,” an online series where folks can see musical pros performing in streamed shows. To watch for free, check out: https://bit.ly/2RaL8Ab

1,490,986 - confirmed COVID-19 cases globally 87,409 - approximate global death toll 417,206 - U.S. confirmed COVID-19 cases (that we know of due to limited testing) 14,183 - deaths in the U.S. from COVID-19 43 - days to go from 1 to 100,000 COVID-19 cases ( January 23– March 6) 27 - days to go from 100,000 to 1 million COVID-19 cases (March 7– April 2) 74,186 - acute care hospital beds in California (source: American Hospital Directory) 140,000 - projected need of hospital beds in CA due to Coronavirus 7,274 - intensive care hospital beds in CA 15,000 or 20,000 or who knows? - projected need of ICU beds in CA Louise (Lou) Fischer is a Former Co-Chair of the Board of Directors for the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club and has served as an appointed and elected Delegate for the State Democratic Party. She is a proud graduate of the Emerge California Women’s Democratic Leadership program, was a San Francisco Commissioner, and has served in leadership positions in multiple nonprofit and communitybased organizations.

For a good cleansing cry, Ben Platt and the ‘DEAR EVAN HANSEN’ cast perform “You Will Be Found” during quarantine: https://bit.ly/3aHU2Nl For virtually everything online for arts, culture, virtual tours, etc. check out ChatterPack: https://bit.ly/2JID0Tj Nightlife is central to the Bay Area’s queer culture. Those whose primary source of income is in nightlife are currently experiencing economic insecurity. So, the SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA QUEER NIGHTLIFE FUND (QNF) provides financial relief to workers in the nightlife industry for as long as the current crisis continues. You can help: https://sfqueernightlifefund.org/about/ What the world needs now is LOVE, sweet love. Enjoy this gorgeous virtual orchestra and choir: https://cbsloc.al/2RaYr3M House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on TV has recommended “very dark chocolate” for these very dark times.

KIT’N KITTY’S

QUEER POP QUIZ ANSWER (Question on pg 16) C) SUX

Sioux City hosts their SUX Pride event in June each year at the Firehouse and Doxx Warehouse Bars—celebrating acceptance, diversity, equality and community. As of this writing it is scheduled to happen June 6–7, but many Pride events worldwide are going virtual due to COVID-19 concerns.

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And finally, in a complicated case out of North Carolina, another federal judge has refused to dismiss a suit against the state university and the state health plan, again concerning the refusal to cover gender reassignment surgery. Lambda Legal brought the case under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Equal Protection Clause, and the Affordable Care Act. Notably, the judge refused to set the case aside in anticipation of the High Court’s Title VII rulings. A ruling against covering gay or trans discrimination under Title VII’s ban on sex bias in the workplace would almost automatically apply to Title IX’s ban

on sex discrimination in public education. Win Win So, at this point, I’ve lost count of the anti-gay and anti-trans rules, regulations, and policies that have crawled out of the sludge of the Trump administration and slimed their way into the way we do business in this country. I’ve lost count of the anti-GLBT federal judges who now sit on the bench, poised to rule against our civil rights regardless of statutory language or judicial precedent. I’ve lost count of the religious freedom loopholes that now riddle our government standards and our legal assumptions. There is only one way back to normal in this regard, and that is to defeat Trump and slowly rebuild the country and the courts. With this imperative in mind, how hard is it to hope for the best and pray for a quick end to the pandemic? After all, the worse it gets, the likelier we are to prevail in November. And yet, we have no choice. We must hope and pray and indeed, I think we do. We must trust that two things can happen at the same time. We can dodge the worst bullets and keep our death rates below expectations and still beat Trump. We can lower the curve, survive the virus, emerge from isolation, and still send this horrible man packing. Yes, we can, as someone once said. arostow@aol.com

SISTER DANA (continued from page 18)

Stay safe and be healthy; we will make it to the other side of this crisis, and, hopefully in November, this country will do the right thing and vote out the ignorant buffoon whose actions caused so much loss. 209 - Countries and territories in which COVID-19 has spread

lated Title VII of the Civil Right Act of 1964 when it failed to extend insurance coverage to a transwoman seeking gender reassignment surgery. Lambda Legal filed suit on behalf of Jennifer Fletcher, a librarian working for the state, who ended up having surgery in Thailand after the AlaskaCare plan refused her vaginoplasty. Judge Russel Holland, a Reagan appointee, reasoned that the surgery would be paid for had Fletcher been born female, and therefore its denial was a case of impermissible sex discrimination. Note that these are the kinds of cases we win now, but may start to lose if the High Court rules against us on our two pending Title VII sex discrimination cases.

Sister Dana sez, “April 22 is Earth Day. So, love your Mother Earth—but please do so indoors!” https://www.earthday.org/ Baby Stewie and Brian the dog have a hysterical “Quarantine Podcast” interviewing other kooky characters from the TV cartoon, FAMILY GUY here: https://bit.ly/3dSJj4L John Oliver from TV’s Last Week Tonight gave us some sound advice with our frustration regarding this whole

situation of having to isolate ourselves and missing out on events and maybe getting ill: set a timer for 30 seconds of nonstop screaming at the screen, waving fists, and generally cursing out loud! You would be surprised at how therapeutic that can be! Proudly gay POSE co-creator Ryan Murphy has donated medical props from the FX show, which were used in scenes related to the AIDS epidemic, to Mount Sinai Hospital for use in the COVID-19 response. So sad that Terrence McNally, a five-time Tony Award recipient whose plays often featured explorations of contemporary gay life and a reverence for classical music, has died. He was 81. The playwright, who just last year received the Tony Awards’ Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre Honor, faced complications due to coronavirus; he was a lung cancer survivor and lived with COPD. RIP the great Mr. McNally. THE SAN FRANCISCO LESBIAN/GAY FREEDOM BAND is now on hiatus through April 30. Meanwhile: https://bit.ly/3dSW4w9 Sister Dana sez, “Out former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg has grown a beard after dropping out of the race, and he is drop-dead gorgeous!” The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence present HUNKY JESUS & FOXY MARY LIVE, an online contest with deadline for submission extended to Good Friday, April 10. https://www.thesisters.org/events Who doesn’t love famed Broadway musical writer Andrew Lloyd Webber with a new YouTube channel dedicated to stage-to-screen musicals, “THE SHOWS MUST GO ON,” airing a different show every Friday—but just for 48 hours each. April 10, Good Friday, it’s appropriately Jesus Christ Superstar. https://bit.ly/2UHfvkb

KREWE DE KINQUE, my Mardi Gras themed fundraising social club, has proudly announced that proceeds from our KdK BAL MASQUE XVII and the year reign of Queen XVI Kelly Rose & King XVI Aja Monet-Ashton raised awareness and $12,200 for COMPTON’S TRANSGENDER CULTURAL DISTRICT. With the help of fellow club members, the royal duo also raised $1,425 for RUSSIAN RIVER ALLIANCE (flood relief) and $600 for the TRANSGENDER LAW CENTER in 2019. The Trump administration’s Bible study teacher says coronavirus may be God’s punishment for LGBTQ people. In a study guide posted to his blog, Ralph Drollinger lays out the case that the U.S. is being punished by God for homosexuality, environmentalism, and other causes conservatives generally despise. Sister Dana sez, “Well, at least we’re included with a lot of really cool people!” Originally set to take place June 18–28, the world’s longest–running, largest, and most widely recognized LGBTQ+ film festival, FRAMELINE 44, is now scheduled to take place in Fall 2020, with expanded festival offerings throughout the year. https://www.frameline.org/ MAGIC THEATRE announces a new Monday-through-Friday daily podcast series, “FAR APART ART,” through April. The series is composed of brief, daily audio journals from a host of Magic’s family of playwrights. https://bit.ly/3dVUedO Sister Dana sez, “Trump spoke on the phone with evangelical leaders hosted by an anti-LGBTQ hate group. But instead of focusing on calming their flocks during a global pandemic, Mr. Ego urged pastors to focus on his reelection. Holy crap! Yep, he’s got his priorities quite evident.”

ENJOY THE VIEW! CASTRO STREET CAM Live-streaming 24/7 http://sfbaytimes.com/castro-street-cam/

Round About - All Over Town - COVID-19 Pandemic Photos by Rink

P.O. Plus on Castro Street

Mayor London Breed and other San Francisco officials, including SFDPH Director Grant Colfax, at City Hall on March 16

Jane Warner Plaza at 17th, Castro and Market Streets on April 2

Social distancing at Cliff’s Variety on Castro Street

Public transportation on Van Ness Avenue on March 18

Lafayette Park on April 2

Hot Cookie on Castro Street R Bar on Sutter Street

Rainbow Crosswalks at 18th and Castro

As Heard on the Street . . . What is a valuable service of an LGBT Center? compiled by Rink

Anjali Rimi

Brenden Chadwick

Pete Betancourt

Serge Gay, Jr.

Gypsy EsSlowly

“It is about providing employment services and cultural training that allow everyone to be themselves.”

“A sense of belonging”

“We need to celebrate our community, especially heroes of our diversity, and raise awareness of our history.”

“Having diverse speakers in the community talk about their journeys or talents”

“A place that is a safe space, an alternative version of home, which offers workshops where people can express themselves”

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Round About - All Over Town

Photos by Rink

CASTRO STREETCAM presented by

Troy Brunet and John Kiltinen at Last Call Bar on March 14

Bar goers at the Lookout on March 15 just before the City order that closed bars was issued

http://sfbaytimes.com/

Accomplished bagpipe player Hal Wilkes (second from right) has been making news by performing on his rooftop at 18th and Sanchez Streets each evening at 7:30pm. Watch at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxCzSj7rVMI

A party on March 14, just prior to the City’s COVID-19 declaration, was held at The Cove on Castro to celebrate the birthday of the restaurant’s beloved owner Solange Darwish (center).

items of the week Sound Buttons You never know when you might a little Miss Vangie or an Okurrr to brighten your day. These fun and fabulous sound buttons can be yours for just $16.99 each. Chef Jo, on Saturday, March 14, displayed a tasty menu item during the Grand Opening event at El Capitan Tacqueria on Polk Street.

El Capitan owner Nimer Massis welcomed guests as he stood in front of a mural on the wall in the restaurant on March 14.

Server Annie Van Buren displayed the celebrated Irish Soda Bread at Cove on Castro on Saturday, March 14, prior to the restaurant’s closure due to the COVID-19 declaration.

Moss Amigo

W Acknowledging Trangender Day of Visibility 2020 on March 31, photographer Rink sent his 2007 image of a memorial altar displayed following the murder of Gwen Araujo.

The Grand Ducal Court’s reigning Queen of Hearts Black Amethyst fundraising champion posed in front of the St. Patrick’s Day display at Cliff’s Variety on March 14.

Photographer Rink, acknowledging Trangender Day of Visibility 2020 on March 31, sent his 2016 image of a memorial at Harvey Milk Plaza.

Server Russell at Starbucks located at California and Van Ness Avenue was dressed for St. Patrick’s Day on March 17.

The Moss Amigo is a fuzzy little ball of algae with a unique personality. Unlike pets or plants, the Moss Amigo needs no special care. Some cool unchlorinated water and a shady spot are all it takes to make your new Amigo happy. Each new Amigo comes in a durable 16 oz. glass container with a supple cork lid and decorative white stones. $20.

e encourage everyone to take care of themselves: wash your hands, drink lots of water, sleep, eat well-balanced meals, and reduce your stress. Watching TV and looking at social media are probably stressing you out. Have you considered playing a game, doing a jigsaw puzzle, working on a craft project, fixing that thing you were supposed to fix 6 months ago, gardening? We have all sorts of things to bring a little joy and less stress to your life. Please shop local whenever possible. Your local businesses and restaurants are hurting from a lack of tourism right now.

Designer Joe Mac (left) displayed his St. Patrick’s Day decorations at 440 Castro on Saturday, March 14, prior to the City’s COVID-19 declaration.

A memorial to “Dash,” known as the cute little dog in a wheelchair, was placed by his owner at the 18th and Castro Street intersection known as Hibernia Beach.

David, a friendly server at La Méditerranée restaurant, brings a takeout bag to the front door for pick-up on March 25. S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

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