San Francisco Bay Times - June 13, 2019 by San Francisco Bay Times

BAY TIMES S

LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area

CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2019) June 13–26, 2019 | http://sfbaytimes.com

Film Festival Preview 2019 SEE PAGES 21–23

In the News

California Poised to Be First State to Provide Healthcare to Undocumented Immigrants California Democrats in the state legislature, during the afternoon of Sunday, June 9, agreed on a proposed budget that would allow some undocumented immigrants to receive healthcare via the Medi-Cal program. While the full legislature still has to pass the budget that contains this provision, Governor Newsom has already expressed his support for it. The new plan would permit adults aged 19–25 who are undocumented to access Medi-Cal coverage. Lawmakers are looking at taxing residents who do not have health insurance—a penalty similar to the former Obamacare individual mandate—to help pay for the groundbreaking plan. The budget, assuming passage, will apply to the fiscal year beginning July 1. Transgender Law Center Mourns Death of Johana Medina and Continues Fight for Trans Migrant Justice Johana Medina, a transgender woman from El Salvador, was just 25-years-old when she died earlier this month at Del Sol Medical Center in El Paso, Texas. Medina had been in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for over six weeks. Following the news of her death, Kris Hayashi, Executive Director of the Oakland-based Transgender Law Center (TLC), said, in part: “We are still learning details about Johana and her passing on the first day of Pride month. But we pledge to continue our work with Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement and the Black LGBTQIA+ Migrant Project towards justice for all LGBTQ migrants—with a focus on the Black, trans, and HIV positive migrants who are most intensely targeted. Black trans women in particular are frequently punished in detention with solitary confinement, a form of torture.” TLC has filed suit against both ICE and the Department of Homeland Security for what Hayashi and colleagues say was illegal withholding of information about the death of another transgender woman, Roxsana Hernandez from Honduras. Hayashi said, “Justice for Roxsana means justice for Johana. Justice for Johana and Roxsana means an end to the conditions that killed them, conditions that transgender people in migrant prisons across the country continue to endure.” Debate Continues Over Harvey Milk Plaza Redesign For three years a campaign has been underway for redesigning Harvey Milk Plaza and the entrance to the San Francisco Muni Metro station at Castro and Market streets. On June 6, Terry Beswick, Executive Director of the GLBT Historical Society, issued a statement mentioning that his organization “favors preservation and restoration of the existing historic plaza with limited adaptation of the original design to ensure ADA compliance, to allow for appropriate arts and history installations and to address other functional considerations.” He concluded the statement with: “We strongly encourage the City to refocus funding and to organize efforts to restore, refresh and make accessible the original design of Harvey Milk Plaza and the surrounding area with the utmost respect for the spirit of Harvey Milk and the history of the Castro neighborhood.” The Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza then posted this statement via social media: “We view these projects as working together to draw people to the Castro where they can do a deeper dive into our rich LGBT history. We continue to support the important work done by the GLBT Historical Society, and look forward to working with them to develop the narrative aspects of this

important historic effort to honor Harvey Milk.” New Affordable Housing Slated for Mission Site Mayor London Breed and community members on Tuesday, June 11, announced that the city is in contract negotiations to buy 1515 South Van Ness Avenue. The planned city purchase, estimated at around $18.5 million, is expected to result in 150 affordable housing units. The site, once home to McMillan Electric Company, was going to be developed for market-rate housing by Lennar Multifamily until that developer pulled out. Mayor Breed and her team continue to eye the Mission District for possible other affordable housing prospects, given that the historic neighborhood as well as the adjacent Castro have been heavily impacted by gentrification in recent years. AIDS LifeCycle Raises RecordBreaking Amount During the Opening Ceremony for AIDS LifeCycle on Sunday, June 2, it was announced that the organization has raised a record-breaking $16,755,967 that will benefit services provided by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Among the riders this year was Olympian Gus Kenworthy, who topped the list of fundraisers with $245,118.12. Three Bay Area residents made the Top 10 Fundraisers list, too: Max Mason of Oakland ($70,116.50), Sean Ray of San Francisco ($52,353.13), and Robert Quon, also of San Francisco ($47,295.10). See page 8 of this issue for more about the 2019 AIDS Life/ Cycle. Mayor Breed Files for Re-Election Surrounded by family, friends and supporters, Mayor Breed on June 4 officially filed to run for re-election on November 5 of this year. She is widely expected to win. As of this writing, only one other individual will be on the ballot, social worker Ellen Lee Zhou, and she lost the general special election on June 5, 2018. After filing, Breed said: “Since taking office less than a year ago, I have been working to make a difference on the most challenging issues facing our city, from housing affordability, to keeping our streets cleaner and safer, to helping our most vulnerable residents get the care and housing they so desperately need. I am committed to building on what we have already accomplished so far to make San Francisco a more just and equitable city. We have a lot of work left to do, but together there is nothing we can’t accomplish.” The November 5 election is the regularly scheduled election for the four-year term running 2020–2024. San Francisco’s Conservatorship Laws to Be Strengthened The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on June 4 approved conservatorship legislation, SB 1045, introduced by Supervisor and former San Francisco Bay Times columnist Rafael Mandelman and Mayor Breed, following work on the state level by Senator Scott Wiener. The legislation will allow the city to petition a court for a short-term conservatorship in cases where individuals are dual-diagnosed with a serious mental illness and with a substance use disorder, and have been brought to the psychiatric emergency room at least eight times in a 12-month period under an involuntary “5150” emergency hold. (A 5150 hold is issued to individuals who present an immediate danger to themselves or others, or are gravely disabled and (continued on page 18) S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

JUNE 13, 2019

State Democratic Convention: 14 Presidential Candidates, 3400+ Delegates, 2 Pulled Muscles access to affordable healthcare, protect women’s right to choose, combat climate change and the usual list of Democratic values. Rather than delve into message and policy, my review of each speaker will focus on the vibe and buzz (or lack thereof) and my personal thoughts on their candidacy.

Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History

Mayor London Breed

Senator Kamala Harris (CA) As the hometown senator, Kamala rightfully got the opening slot; the crowd loved her, I love her, and I love her husband Doug. I’m all-in for Kamala. She’s brilliant, qualified and has the “it” factor needed to get elected. An added bonus that

Louise “Lou” Fischer

Nancy Pelosi

Senator Kamala Harris

From May 31–June 2, the Moscone Center hosted the California Democratic Party (CADEM) Convention that served as a preview of the upcoming 2020 presidential campaign. Fourteen presidential hopefuls descended on San Francisco like the 8th plague of locusts during Pharaoh’s reign in Egypt; the only difference being that the Jewish delegates and attendees hung around instead of escaping before their dough had time to rise. I was granted a media pass and attempted to channel my inner Rachel Maddow and Annie Leibovitz. While photographers had front row access, we were not allowed to stand for more than a few seconds at a time. After an hour of squatting and standing, I heard a faint pop and felt a painful burn at the front of both my thighs as my quad muscles decided they’d had enough of this. Such is the sacrifice I make for Democracy. The Convention, otherwise known as “Comic-Con” for political nerds, is open to the public, but a pass is required to enter the cavernous room known as the “Floor” where the speeches are held. Traditionally, the speakers are leaders of the State party, California elected officials, and candidates for party positions. At most Conventions, a popular federal elected official or candidate will helicopter in for some California love and drive the crowd wild—VP Joe Biden and Senator Elizabeth Warren attended the Convention in 2016 and that was regarded as a big “get” for CADEM. At this year’s Convention, our own senator and current presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, had a prime speaking slot. Surprisingly, thirteen other candidates swooped in to parade across the stage, claim their 7-minutes of glory (Candidate Speed Dating!) and mingle among the masses at both the Moscone Center and events (mostly fundraising) throughout the city. Candidates’ messages were generally similar: beat Trump in 2020, expand

I shared with her husband, Doug, is that he too would be a trailblazer as the first Jewish “First Spouse” (“First Gentleman?”) in history. Former Congressman Beto O’Rourke (TX) If I lived in Texas, I definitely would have voted for him. My partner Amy and I convinced her parents to vote for him. We need Beto to run for senator in Texas. Spread the wealth, Beto. You came so close to beating Ted Cruz. You can take out John Cornyn in 2020. Please end this vanity run for president. Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA) Having never seen Senator Warren speak live, I never realized how dynamic she is; she has a talent for reading the crowd. She can elucidate a detailed policy plank while actually increasing the level of enthusiasm in the audience. I feel like I’m cheating on Kamala, but I love Warren, too. Her tagline of “I have a plan for that” is not just a gimmick, and is not a vague, “I’m going to roll up my sleeves and wrap my head around the problem.” She actually has produced realistic proposals to move the country forward. If Kamala doesn’t win the primary, I’m looking at you, Senator Warren. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) Senator Gillibrand only has two problems: she is neither Kamala Harris nor Elizabeth Warren. Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (HI) My initial thought was, “Who is this 38-year-old from Hawaii with a funny name, and why is she running?” While she too suffers from “NKH NEW syndrome” (not Kamala Harris, not Elizabeth Warren), she has potential. She’s a veteran, she presents well and has an energy that draws people in. I think I developed a little crush on her, but that felt like I was cheating on Kamala (and Doug) so like the line from the musical Book of Mormon, I “Turn[ed] It Off.”

Lou Fischer & Senator Amy Klobuchar

SF DA Candidate Suzy Loftus & BOE Rep Malia Cohen 4

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Photos by Lou Fischer

Mayor Pete Buttigieg (IN) Mayor Pete is the shiny new toy and darling of the LGBT community. I like Pete, and admire his education. I have immense respect for his service to the country, but he’s not ready to be president. Yes,

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Senator Kamala Harris

Congresswoman Barbara Lee

Senator Elizabeth Warren

Senator Bernie Sanders Mayor Pete Buttigieg

Gov. Gavin Newsom

he’s 10 times more qualified than Trump, but that’s a specious argument because so were half the people at the Convention. His speaking style is less dynamic and folksier; he reminded me of Opie Taylor from The Andy Griffith Show. That said, with a little more seasoning, I’d definitely vote for Opie, I mean Mayor Pete, in the future.

Former Governor John Hickenlooper (CO) Poor guy—he was one of two candidates who got booed by the crowd. He’s not going anywhere, at least in California.

Congressman Eric Swalwell (CA) One of our own from California, Congressman Swalwell gets props for giving a shout-out to the volunteers who were instrumental in flipping seven House seats in California (and multiple others throughout the country). He also had, by far, the best line in the whole Convention: “You cut our time in hell in half.” He’s not going to be president in 2020, but don’t count him out for future races.

Senator Cory Booker (NJ) As the only candidate to refer to the recent tragedy in Virginia Beach, Senator Booker’s comments about gun violence re-energized the crowd. He definitely has appeal and is a popular choice, but I don’t think he is the next “Obama.” If anyone is close to being another Obama, it’s Kamala, so just cut to the chase and vote for Kamala.

Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN) She is also a sufferer of “NKH NEW syndrome,” which is too bad. At the Convention, unlike the more “famous” candidates who prowled the halls and disrupted meetings while surrounded by their screaming, sign-waving sycophants (I’m looking at you, Bernie and Beto), Senator Klobuchar quietly walked around without an entourage and made herself available to the mere mortals who wanted to chat and take selfies.

Governor Jay Inslee (WA) He’s a good climate-change guy, but he didn’t stand out in this crowded field.

Senator Bernie Sanders (VT) Not my guy, he has good ideas and I’m grateful for the work he has done to energize the party, but I don’t think he can beat Trump and that’s a big problem. Senator Warren’s stock is rising and she is chipping away at Bernie’s base, so it will be interesting to see how that plays out. Former Mayor Julian Castro (TX) Why is he running and not his twin brother, Congressman Joaquin? They should run as president and vice president on the same ticket—

Attorney General Xavier Becerra

how convenient, as they could fill in for each other and no one would know. Former Congressman John Delaney (MD) Who? He was the other speaker who got booed and is not going anywhere. The Convention, By the Numbers (for the math nerds) • more than 3,400 delegates registered for the convention; • 340 media credentialed; • total number of attendees was approximately 5,000; • 8.6 million registered Democrats in California; • with the primary in CA moved to February, there is another CDP Convention this year in Long Beach, CA, in November. 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.

A First for Pride Month Governor Newsom, on the other hand, eagerly welcomed his duty under the new law. His recent proclamation of June as LGBT Pride Month is a reminder of how great California is. People here are encouraged to embrace who they are and whom they love. We’ve made strides in fighting discrimination, recognizing the accomplishments of the LGBT community and raising its visibility. I’m proud to have contributed to this culture by championing the Assemblymember Phil Ting nation’s most inclusive restroom access law, making all single-user I’ve never been prouder to hail from restrooms in California businesses, California. Our state has the largest government buildings and places of LGBT population in the country and public accommodation universally accessible to all genders. There’s still is home to more than 40 local pride more work to be done, but I’m comcelebrations, from San Francisco to Palm Springs. We have always unof- mitted to continuing the fight for equality. ficially observed the month of June as LGBT Pride Month. But this year, It’s also fitting that the first official for the first time, California officially declaration of LGBT Pride Month proclaimed June as LGBT Pride in 2019 coincides with the 50th Month under a new state statute that anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, I enthusiastically voted for last year. an event widely considered as the AB 2969, introduced by my colcatalyst of the modern LGBT civil league Assemblymember Evan Low rights movement. In the early hours (D-Silicon Valley), now requires the of June 28, 1969, New York police sitting governor to make the declararaided the Stonewall Inn, a gay tion annually. club in New York City’s Greenwich Village. Officers violently hauled I proudly supported this bill because it’s important to stand up for our val- employees and patrons out, leading ues in light of what’s happening at the to six days of protests and clashes with law enforcement. This led to federal level against LGBT rights. swift political organization and From bans preventing transgender fueled the advances we see today. people from serving in the military to proposals allowing some adopLet’s make a statement at this year’s tion agencies to reject gay couples, San Francisco Pride Parade on the Trump Administration seems June 30. Please join me in supportintent on erasing the progress we’ve ing equal rights and pushing back made on equality. In fact, AB 2969 on efforts to roll back the progstemmed from President Trump’s ress we’ve made. With the current refusal to make the same Pride Month national climate, it is important decree at the federal level during his (continued on page 18) first two years in office.

Commemorating the 1969 Stonewall Uprisings Today and 50 Years from Now eration movement, the events stemming from the uprisings at the New York City gay bar Stonewall Inn on June 28, 1969, will forever denote the beginning of the beginning: literal riotous street fighting to counter the aggressive oppressive tyranny against the LGBTQ community that ignited the next major American civil rights movement for freedom, dignity and equality.

Cross Currents Andrea Shorter 1968. Much has been written, film documented, recalled and revisited about the series of epic events of 1968. Among the most obvious and notable are the assassinations of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert Kennedy; protests against an escalating and failing Vietnam War; President Lyndon Johnson’s signature of the Civil Rights Act of 1968; the violence against war protesters outside of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago; the rise of the Black Panthers and black power movements; the rise of the Second Wave of Feminism; and the election of Richard M. Nixon as President of the United States. So much occurred in 1968 that it often feels as if the decade itself ended with that year— overshadowing, shaping, or defining in some way all other political and pop cultural events that followed in the next decade plus. For the LGBTQ liberation movement, 1969 is hardly a blur in the aftermath of the world-changing events of 1968. For the LGBTQ lib-

On that day in 1969 there were no known openly LGBTQ elected officials in any U.S. city, county, state or federal office. Being LGBTQ was broadly outlawed, so running for, let alone getting elected to, any office as an openly LGBT person was hardly imaginable. To today’s millennial woke sensibilities it might seem near impossible to imagine that homosexuality, bisexuality, being transgender, gender non-binary expression, and practically any expression or act of queerness was not only against the law, but also was enforced with brute police force. People could lose their jobs, children or lives for any indication, suggestion, accusation or actuality of being gay. Even with today’s corporate embrace and celebration of LGBTQ Pride on such massive display starting in June—and now year-round in commercial adverts, sponsored LGBTQ diversity and inclusion conferences, the elections of nearly 700 openly LGBTQ identified people to local, state and U.S. congressional offices, and the eventual law of the land ruling for same sex civil marriage in all fifty states—challenges concerning the oppression of LGBT people still exist and persist today. In the majority of U.S. states, for example, you

can be refused hire or be fired for being LGBTQ. Electoral engagement is not, nor should be, a singular response or path to further empowerment of the LGBTQ community. Change of hearts and minds most often occurs as a cultural shift. Growing support for the passage and enactment of an Equality Act is as much due to the political empowerment as it is to those necessary cultural shifts concerning LGBTQ inclusion and equality. We have a ways to go before full LGBTQ equality and acceptance are intact. The price of freedom is the continued fight and struggle for freedom. In the last 50 years since Stonewall, LGBTQ resistance not only continues to survive the HIV/ AIDS crisis of the 1980s, but it has also resulted in a pathway for the election of a record number of openly LGBTQ people to every level of government. Well, almost. Continuing to nationally poll as a top five presidential candidate, openly gay Pete Buttigieg is actually more viably in play than anyone might have expected or dared in 1969. The Stonewall uprisings and resistance are now part of the annals of American and world history. As President Obama so plainly put it, “from Seneca Falls to Selma to Stonewall,” upon the U.S. Supreme Court ruling for same sex marriage. Perhaps as President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, the path will finally be made clear to eventually gain the signature of even this POTUS of the Equality Act in 2019. Fifty years from now, that’s (continued on page 18)

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JUNE 13, 2019

Supporting a Budget That Supports Our Communities and trash, help the homeless and expand equity and opportunity. Many of our neighborhoods, especially in East Oakland, lack adequate access to healthy food. My proposed budget amendment includes funding for heathy food corner store conversions, East Oakland business development and dedicated staff to ensure focus.

Out of the Closet and into City Hall Oakland City Councilmember At-Large, Rebecca Kaplan Writing a budget is about the numbers, and it is also about our values. After the release of Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf’s budget proposal, the law requires the Council President to produce a set of budget amendments, in response to community needs and public input. On June 10, we had the opportunity to hear and respond to the budget proposal that I, as the current Council President, submitted. It seeks to respond to vital needs, reduce blight

The number one concern for Oaklanders in the budget survey was homelessness and our unsheltered community. The point in time homeless study in Alameda County shows homelessness increased by 43% over the last two years. Our budget proposal establishes a mobile homeless outreach team, hires a full-time administrator to coordinate efforts, provides targeted services to homeless youth (including LGBT youth) and funds a pilot program for selfgoverned encampments. It expands temporary housing options, such as tiny homes and RVs with safe spaces to park, and provides funds for storage space, mobile showers and restrooms for our unsheltered neighbors, and to hire the homeless to help improve Oakland. The proposal expands

pro-active illegal dumping removal and strengthens the enforcement and rewards program to make people stop dumping on Oakland, and expands support for job training and preparedness, and youth summer jobs. Our Amendment rejects the Mayor’s proposed cut of 8+ parks maintenance workers. This was planned to be handled by eliminating upkeep for over 30 community parks, many in areas that are struggling and cannot afford the blight and loss of access to healthy recreation that would be caused by leaving parks in disrepair. We have the opportunity to insist on a budget that responds to community needs. Councilmember At-Large Rebecca Kaplan was elected in 2008 to serve as Oakland’s citywide Councilmember; she was re-elected in 2016. She also serves on the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC). Follow Councilmember Kaplan on Twitter @ Kaplan4Oakland ( https://twitter. com/Kaplan4Oakland ) and Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/ Kaplan4Oakland/ ).

Hardworking Advocate for LGBTQ Businesses Honored

Photos by Paul Margolis

With his time, passion and genuine concern for others, Paul Pendergast has for decades worked to benefit the Bay Area’s LGBTQ business community. When he is present on stage, it is most always when he is introducing others, handing out awards or otherwise volunteering so that others might shine and gain valuable exposure. At the San Francisco Bay Times, we were therefore pleased to see that Pendergast himself was at last recently honored. On June 11, he received the Selisse Berry Legacy Leadership Award at The Business of Pride reception and awards ceremony at the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco. Pendergast’s achievements include serving as Past President of the Golden Gate Business Association and serving as a member of the California Small Business Association, the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, the California Governor’s Small Business Reform Task Force; and former President Bill Clinton’s Commission on National Service. The owner and founder of Pendergast Consulting Group, he has over 20 years of experience in the fields of strategic communications, public and community relations, media production and market research. He has earned a reputation for leading both large and small teams of highly successful professionals in developing and implementing communication programs

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between multiple and complex stakeholder groups. It seems fitting that Pendergast should win the award named after Selisse Berry, the founder of Out & Equal Workplace Advocates. Both he and Berry have dedicated much of their lives to strengthening the global LGBTQ workplace equality movement and to promoting education, empowerment and visibility of our community members. Please join us in congratulating Pendergast— for so long an unsung hero— on this very well-deserved award. We hope that more honors will follow! For more information about Pendergast Consulting Group (PCG): https://bit.ly/2X0lhiL

GGBA Letter from Leadership: A Call for Board Development GGBA CALENDAR

By Dr. Krystal Drwencke

Dr. Krystal Drwencke Vice President Chair Membership Ascent Sports Chiropractic

Serving on the Golden Gate Business Association (GGBA) Board has opened my eyes in many ways: from being new to San Francisco four years ago, to finding my mentorship tribe, and to opening my own business in 2018. I found the utopia that is love, acceptance and celebration of each other for the individuals we are. I also had my eyes opened to the depth of social injustice still woven into the fabric of society’s business practices and social communities.

As a body, the GGBA, founded in 1974 and the world’s first LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce, advocates for the Bay Area LGBTQ+ business community, understanding that what we do serves as an example for other chambers around the country and world. We engage and support other minority and allied institutions to ensure that we remain a relevant, diverse and forwardthinking organization. As a board, we are proud to say that we are comprised of individuals who identify as L, G, B, T, Q and A. The role of a board

member is to engage with our membership, identify member needs and assist with programming and networking solutions, and to help raise funds to continue our mission of Advocacy, Education and Opportunity.

June Make Contact Tuesday, June 18 5:30 pm–7:30 pm Goorin Brothers 1612 Stockton Street San Francisco GGBA members and SFCDMA members: FREE Non-members: $25 https://bit.ly/2HP8gyE

The GGBA is seeking Bay Area professionals of all genders and sexual identities to join its board of directors. We seek those who: • enjoy problem solving in a fun, collaborative and respectful environment; • have business expertise, either as a small business owner, aspiring entrepreneur, in corporate or within a nonprofit; • want to make a positive difference.

Wealth Management for Same-Sex Couples Thursday, June 20 5 pm–7 pm 555 California Street, 44th Floor San Francisco Free Admission https://bit.ly/2wJB2M9

If you or someone you know is interested in joining, we encourage you to contact us at nominations@ggba.com We are truly stronger together. Dr. Krystal Drwencke is the Vice President and Membership Chair of the Golden Gate Business Association. She is also a sole proprietor. To learn more about her business Ascent Sports Chiropractic: http://www.ascentsportschiro.com/

Learn About LGBT Owned Business Certification

GGBA Member Spotlight

ARC Alternative & Renewable Construction’s Lonnie Coplen and Widney Brown By Magdalena Rodriguez For Americans to dramatically reduce per capita carbon footprints, a radical rethinking of the systems and gadgets that we use in our homes and on our campuses will revolutionize our economy, create jobs and provide local control. Among its many services, ARC Alternative & Renewable Construction offers low cost/low carbon alternatives that improve comfort, performance and control. I recently caught up Magdalena Rodriguez with Lonnie Coplen, ARC Founder and President, who runs the company with Founder and Executive Vice President Widney Brown, to learn more about their work.

Lonnie Coplen

Magdalena Rodriguez: Describe your business and its mission and values.

Magdalena Rodriguez: Why did you decide to join the GGBA?

Lonnie Coplen: ARC is an infrastructure program management and implementation company founded by two women, Widney Brown and myself, who have wide-ranging experience in infrastructure applications and development. ARC’s mission is to enable fundamental and equitable access and opportunity for all by deploying “independence technologies” deliberately at two scales: the local scale, and the infrastructure network scale.

Lonnie Coplen: GGBA is a terrific organization for networking with like-minded professionals.

ARC explores and embraces infrastructure development that delivers services faster and cheaper to more people in a more ecologically respectful manner. Examples include distributed energy networks that are locally and regionally deployed using design-build delivery, integrated project delivery and agile management strategies.

The GGBA works in partnership with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) to bring to its members the opportunity to get their businesses certified as an LGBT Business Enterprise. NGLCC is the exclusive third-party organization for the LGBT Business Enterprises certification.

Magdalena Rodriguez: How has the GGBA helped your business so far? Lonnie Coplen: GGBA has provided significant exposure and highlighted our profile in positive ways. We are also specifically pleased that GGBA gave us the opportunity to work with Gina Grahame (empowerment speaker, corporate trainer) to strengthen our presentation skills. Magdalena Rodriguez: What has been your biggest reward and satisfaction during your journey as an entrepreneur?

Does your business meet the following criteria?

Lonnie Coplen: We delight in being able to offer opportunities for people to work on truly groundbreaking projects.

• Majority (at least 51%) owned, operated, managed, and controlled by an LGBT person or persons who are either U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents;

We believe that technology must be deployed in ways that empower individuals, families and communities. The way in which projects are organized and implemented makes a difference: Team compositions that leverage diverse perspectives and expressions will yield more resilient solutions, and management that favors both collaboration and accountability will yield greater innovation and productivity.

Magdalena Rodriguez: What was your biggest disappointment and/or nerve-racking situation?

Magdalena Rodriguez: Why did you decide to create your business?

Lonnie Coplen: Biggest challenge: waiting for the sweat equity to turn into actual equity.

Lonnie Coplen: Both of us have worked in a variety of positions and companies. We felt like we were ready to build a company that was outcome-driven and based on best practices, with inclusive and innovative management practices.

Magdalena Rodriguez: What is the most important lesson that you have learned, being an entrepreneur?

Magdalena Rodriguez: Do you have any specific policies in place that benefit the LGBT community? Lonnie Coplen: We actively provide opportunities to people who may be overlooked because of some element of their identity, including sexual orientation or gender identity.

Did you know that more than 160 corporations, including Wells Fargo, PG&E, Facebook and BART, now recognize certified LGBT owned businesses as part of their diverse and inclusive supply chains? With a membership tailored to Bay Area LGBT business owners, the GGBA has guided nearly 100 members to national certification as an NGLCC LGBT Business Enterprise (LGBTBE)—making San Francisco the home to the second largest number of LGBTBE’s in the country!

Lonnie Coplen: The greatest lesson has been the value of effective communication—with colleagues, clients, partners and others. Learning how to talk and listen effectively is ongoing and everlasting. Magdalena Rodriguez: What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of starting their own business? Lonnie Coplen: Be very deliberate taking care of yourself. Don’t wait. For more information: https://www.arc-dec.com/ Magdalena Rodriguez is the Co-founder and Director of GPSGAY Inc. mobile app and website—available in Spanish, English and Portuguese—for the LGBTQ community, www.gpsgay.com

• Exercises independence from any non-LGBT business enterprise; • Has its principal place of business (headquarters) in the U.S.; • Has been formed as a legal business entity in the U.S. In 2018, the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index began to require that companies make efforts to include LGBTBEs in their supply chains in order to receive a score of 100. Your company can benefit from this and other opportunities. For more information and to get certified: https://my.nglcc.org/

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JUNE 13, 2019

Diary from AIDS/LifeCycle 2019 Photos courtesy of Pam Schmitz

AIDS/LifeCycle recently announced that it has raised $16,755,967 for lifesaving medical and social services for people living with HIV/AIDS or who are at risk of infection. The 545-mile journey from San Francisco to Los Angeles took place from June 2–8. Among the riders adding to that impressive fundraiser tally this year was Pamela Schmitz, a Financial Adviser at Brio, which has had a longstanding column in the San Francisco Bay Times. (See page 6 of the May 2 issue for the latest one.) Schmitz texted us from the road for several days, sharing her thoughts and sending photos on the fly.

Pam Schmitz (front row, second from left) with the Marin Marauders team members

Sunday, June 2: Still seems surreal, but I’m really excited. I can’t believe it! At the Opening Ceremony, the feeling of love, nerves and excitement is palpable! Monday, June 3: There are glorious tail winds and, of course, the Otter Pop Stop (a pit stop at Mission Soledad with popsicles, dancing and shenanigans).

Thursday, June 6: 41 miles to Lompoc ... and Red Dress Day! I am happy to get this far and am meeting new friends and enjoying time with longtime friends. I am struggling with saddle sores and tender quadriceps. From then on, she devoted her time and energy to finishing the ride, and did so successfully. She is already looking forward to doing it again. As she told us: “I ride not only to raise money to find a cure for HIV/AIDS and to offer support for those living with the disease, but also because I love the LGBTQ community and am proud to stand with them.”

Tuesday, June 4: I made it through 66 miles today! Wednesday, June 5: Quad buster through Bardley and into Paso Robles, where the temperature was 104 degrees. So far, I have spent 22 hours on my bike and ridden 246 miles. I stayed in a hotel—first time princessing on the ride—and now I get it: a real bed and a shower! Today, day 4, we tackle the evil twins to reach the halfway point. We end in Santa Maria for a daily total of 91 miles.

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To register for the 2020 AIDS/ LifeCycle: https://www.aidslifecycle.org/

Middle Income Older Adults Need New Policies and Programs That Will Work for Them if we had the money. I’m not sure if they would be respectful of our relationship.”

Aging in Community Dr. Marcy Adelman Joan and Lucy are members of an increasing older population of people in their 70s and 80s who will need some type of assistance to support them to age in place. Joan is a retired teacher and her partner Lucy is a retired social worker. Joan told me for the San Francisco Bay Times: “We always planned on traveling after retirement. There are so many places we haven’t been and we wanted to visit all of them. But then Lucy developed Alzheimer’s and everything changed. We took some great trips at the beginning of the disease. We enjoyed every minute of our time together. It was just grand really. Over time the trips got shorter and then they stopped.” She continued, “At first, I could take care of Lucy by myself. Then we had lots of help from our closest friends. Then we needed to hire help and then more help. We can’t afford to move to one of those senior housing places that have dementia services. That just isn’t an option at all, even

“We didn’t think about long-term care insurance,” Joan added. “It just wasn’t on our radar. But oh my god, the cost of working with these home care agencies is staggering ... and then there is getting comfortable with strangers in our home. It feels like we’re caught between a rock and a hard place.” Challenges in Managing Later Life Care A recent study in the journal Health Affairs ( https://bit.ly/2UMTrB6 ) projects that, in just ten years, 54% of the 14.4 million middle-income American seniors will lack the financial resources to pay for senior housing and supportive care. Medicare does not pay for long-term assisted living or nursing home care and covers very limited in-home care. Middle income older adults do not qualify for Medicaid. Without assistance of some kind, even the best of financial planning will only go so far for most middle-income seniors. The study looked at older adults age 75 to 84 and defined middle income as those who would have incomes in 2019 of $25,001 to $74,298 and incomes of $24,450 to $95,051 for seniors 85 years or more. These incomes are too high to be eligible for public assistance, but not high enough to cover the cost of long-term care for a sustained period of time. Joan and Lucy, unlike many LGBTQ elders who are single or widowed, have each other to nav-

igate the journey they are on. But similar to most LGBTQ elders, they do not have adult children to help support them by providing informal direct care or emotional and/ or financial support. LGBTQ older adults are more likely than heterosexual seniors to live alone and to be childless. These differences between LGBTQ and heterosexual older adults leave LGBTQ older adults with fewer resources and options for managing later life care. Clearly, there is need for more affordable LGBTQ welcoming senior housing with services for lowand middle-income older adults. One new Northern California affordable senior housing project is now open and another project in Southern California has just been approved for development. Openhouse, San Francisco’s LGBTQ welcoming senior housing and senior service nonprofit, is slated to reach full occupancy of their new 79 apartment housing and activity center in July of this year. This will complement their adjacent 40-unit building for a total of 119 apartments. In Southern California, the Palm Springs City Council recently approved plans for a three story, 95-unit LGBTQ friendly retirement complex. Need for Affordable Senior Housing with Supportive Services The general housing crisis now has the attention of California’s Governor Newsom and leaders of local municipalities, such as Mayor London Breed in San Francisco. Huge state and local resources are

being made available to build more affordable housing for low- and middle-income people and working families, and to build shelters for the homeless. Affordable senior housing needs to be built with supportive services to really be a part of the solution. Removing or decreasing bureaucratic impediment to housing development and the reduction of fees will facilitate the creation of more housing, but creating new or expanding old neighborhoods without making them elder friendly will only exacerbate the problem. State and local governments need to commit to a Master Plan on Aging that will prescribe that housing growth adheres to senior friendly and senior centered policies. In response to the need for more affordable long-term care services welcoming to frail LGBTQ seniors, Openhouse, in partnership with OnLok, a community-based nonprofit that pioneered PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly), is developing on their new site a Senior Social Adult Day Program for low- and middle-income adults who require a high level of support. Social day programs help participants to maintain their physical health, and provide empowering and engaging client-centered community programs. For the caregivers of participants, the programs provide them with rest from caregiving activities and offer them the comfort of knowing their loved one is in a safe and engaging environment.

California Bills Attempting to Address Senior Care Necessities Many middle-income seniors, regardless of sexual orientation, will need financial assistance to help care for themselves or their loved one at home or in a long-term care facility. There are several California bills attempting to address issues of affordability and protection for consumers of long-term care insurance. SB512, authored by Sen. Richard Pan and co-sponsored by the California Commission on Aging, creates the organizational structure to manage the Long-Term Services (LTSS) and Supports) benefit fund. The fund would provide middle-class and working families with a managed case a benefit to spend on services, such as help with bathing, dressing and medication assistance, as well as help with housekeeping and transportation. The bill has passed through the Senate and is now in the Assembly. AB567, authored by Assembly member Ian Calderon and also (continued on page 18)

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

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LGBTQ Flag Raising and Pride Ceremony at San Francisco City Hall

BAY TIMES S

LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2019)

Mayor London Breed—along with other city officials, SF Pride leaders and Grand Marshals, and additional community leaders and supporters—attended the annual Flag Raising at San Francisco City Hall on Monday, June 3. After the Rainbow Flag was raised on the Mayor’s Balcony, there was a ceremony and reception just outside of the Mayor’s Office. It concluded with a performance of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” by the city’s official band: the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band.

A Toast to Pride 2019

Photos by Rink

The San Francisco Bay Times and Canela Bistro and Wine Bar (2272 Market Street) hosted “A Toast to Pride 2019” on Sunday, June 2. Columnist and legendary entertainer Donna Sachet emceed the event. Music was by Dr. Dee Spencer, a Professor of Jazz and Musical Theatre at San Francisco State University. Chef Mat Schuster of Canela spoke, and helped to craft the delicious appetizers that were served. Special thank you to Chef Mat and to the entire Canela team, as well as to our wine sponsor NAPA Cellars. We enjoyed a selection of their excellent wines. Guests included Supervisor and former columnist Rafael Mandelman; GGBA President Audry deLucia and Fran Herman from ellaprint; Patrick and Hossein Carney from the Pink Triangle project; San Francisco Bay Times columnist Dennis McMillan (aka Sister Dan Van Iquity); Beth Schnitzer of Spritz PR; Andrew Freeman of af&co.; Curtis Lahaie of the Horizons Foundation; Openhouse founder and columnist Dr. Marcy Adelman; former SF Pride President Gary Virginia; Steve Gallagher of Coldwell Banker; Contingent leaders Karen Bardsley, Juan Davila, Warren Alderson of the San Francisco Federal Credit Union and his soon-to-be husband Steve Scheitlin (they’re getting married just before Pride!); San Francisco Bay Times photographer Rink; and others. A percentage of proceeds from dinner sales following the event went to benefit Larkin Street Youth Services, https://bit.ly/2WyfAZK We look forward to our next visit to Canela, a landmark elegant restaurant in the Castro serving authentic Spanish cuisine in a beautifully decorated, romantic space. We’re also looking forward to the Pride Parade, and will share more information about the San Francisco Bay Times/“Betty’s List” contingent in the next issue!

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PHOTO BY RINK

PHOTO BY RINK PHOTO BY RINK

PHOTO BY RINK

She added, “As we look towards the future, we also must remember those who have come before us, including those who have been the victims of hate crimes and who have lost their lives to HIV/AIDS. We honor all the pioneers of the LGBT community who fought so hard so future generations could live in a more just and equal society. On this 49th Anniversary of San Francisco Pride, we recommit ourselves to being a city for all people, no matter who you are, where you come from, or who you love.”

PHOTO BY RINK

PHOTO BY WWW.SFMAYOR.ORG

The Mayor said, in part: “Today we celebrate the beginning of Pride Month, which is an incredible time of year when we recognize the contributions and vibrancy of the LGBT community here in San Francisco and across the world. San Francisco has always been a leader in the fight for equal rights, and we will continue to push to not only protect the rights of everyone in our city, but to expand those rights. In the face of attacks on LGBT people, especially our transgender community, from the federal administration and state legislatures across the country, it is more important than ever that San Francisco continue to lead the fight against bigotry—with our words and with our actions.”

Donna’s Chronicles

“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself!” –Harvey Fierstein

By Donna Sachet

he Book of Pride: LGBT Heroes Who Changed the World, painstakingly compiled by Mason Funk, was unveiled at Opera Plaza’s Books, Inc. last week and it is chock full of memorable people, several of them familiar local individuals. After reading our own page within, based on interviews conducted nearly two years ago, all we can say is that we most decidedly walk upon the shoulders of those who went before us. The contributions to the LGBTQ Community within range from philanthropic generosity and tireless activism to proud presence and organizational leadership. Mason’s award-winning nonprofit OUTWORDS is determined to document the stories of the many who have shaped the LGBT struggle, advancing it in ways large and small, monumental and personal. Get your copy and take pride! State Senator Scott Wiener revealed a lighter side when he hosted a reception for the LGBTQ Caucus of the California Democratic Party at Oasis on Friday, May 31. We happily co-emceed with him as hundreds of Democrats from across the State took time out of the important business of the convention in town that weekend to celebrate and party. Believe us, this group was ready to party! Very brief remarks from several elected officials were punctuated by drag performances by Khmera Rouge, BeBe Sweetbriar and Mercedez Monro. We’ll avoid overt political remarks here, but suffice it to say, the California Democratic Party is poised for action! SF Pride must officially be here! The rainbow flag rose on June 3 above City Hall, where it will fly throughout the month in recognition of the LGBTQ Community. A dizzying array of city leaders gathered in the Mayor’s Office for this symbolic ceremony, including Police Chief Bill Scott, Sheriff Vicki Hennessy, Fire Chief Jeanine Nicholson, Treasurer Jose Cisneros, Chief of Protocol Charlotte Shultz, and Supervisors Catherine Stefani, Matt Haney, Ahsha Safai and Rafael Mandelman. After the ceremony, the Mayor spoke enthusiastically of the occasion and recognized the Grand Marshals of the Pride Parade, SF Pride’s Executive Director George Ridgely and the Board of Directors on the Mayor’s Balcony at a reception catered by Taste and sponsored by the Bob Ross Foundation. On hand were Teddy Witherington, Roberto Ordenana, Audrey Joseph, Bill Wilson and Anthony Morin. Everything points to another glorious and successful San Francisco Pride Parade and Celebration, June 29–30! The Rainbow Honor Walk unveiled another eight plaques at Stonewall 50 Speakeasy, co-hosted by Google on Monday, June 3. This community space filled quickly to capacity as guests enjoyed free flowing wine, delicious hors d’oeuvres and silent auction. We emceed a short program with remarks from David Perry, President of the Rainbow Honor Walk Board of Directors; Rebecca Prozan, Head of California Public Affairs at Google; and Tarita Thomas, Chair of the Event Committee. Full-size mock-ups of the plaques soon to be placed up and down Market Street near the Castro honoring Chavela Vargas, Freddie Mercury, Marie Aqui, W.H. Auden, Josephine Baker, Gerry Studds, Alvin Ailey and Lou Sullivan flanked one wall, while a photo booth with whimsical props and staffed by Rusty Best and Suzan Revah beckoned guests near the entrance. An eye-catching video loop played on multiple screens featuring the honorees, memorable scenes from SF Pride and references to the Stonewall Inn in New York City as DJ Zanne deJanvier played related music. Among the guests were Wells Fargo’s Mario Diaz, AT&T’s Cammy Blackstone, City Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, John Newmeyer, Bruce Beaudette, Richard Landry, Larry Hashbarger and Joanie Juster. How refreshing to see so many interested in preserving our history and recognizing deserving pioneers and contributors! And what a way to kick off Pride 2019! We spent most of last week visiting Key West for the very first time as the guest of Patrik Gallineaux and Skye Paterson for the 6th Annual Stoli Key West Cocktail Classic. Although we rarely travel during our own Pride month, this trip proved the perfect catalyst for our San Francisco celebration. We met wonderful members of a tight-knit and dedicated LGBTQ community, including Mayor Teri Johnson, Sushi, Jennifer McClain and Alan Beaubien, participated in wildly enthusiastic and publicly supported bar events, and even endured the unbelievable heat and humidity along with activist Eddie Reynoso, singers Debby Holiday and LaToya London, travel writer Troy Petenbrink, Swiss Stoli rep Miguel deLima, Real Housewives of Dallas’ LeeAnne Locken, comedian Bruce Vilanch and personality Lance Bass. We unveiled a fabulous wall mural by Lisa Marie Thalhammer, whose art appears on the second LGBTQ themed Stoli bottle commemorating Stonewall 50. San Francisco’s own finalist David Facer of Badlands/Toad Hall competed admirably, advancing to the finale on Saturday night outdoors on Duval Street, but the winner was Sam Benedict representing Club Cumming in New York City. We all joined the splendid Key West Pride Parade the next day and Stoli presented thousands of dollars to local nonprofits as part of the event. Thank you for this special opportunity, Patrik and Skye, and thank you, Key West, for the hospitality and memories! Now, on to San Francisco Pride! 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 SHAWN NORTHCUTT

Calendar a/la Sachet Every Sunday Sunday’s a Drag! The Starlight Room Sir Francis Drake Hotel 10:30 am Brunch, 11:30 am Show $75 inclusive https://bit.ly/2OB4Gur Friday, June 14 Disco Coalition Series of Happy Hour tributes to Queeros Salute to José Sarria, benefits Castro Country Club 5–8 pm Lookout 3600 16th Street https://bit.ly/2Wva5q3 Saturday, June 15 Daytime Disco w/Wayne G 1–6 pm Virgin Hotel Rooftop 250 4th Street $25 https://bit.ly/2X2kNsg Sunday, June 16 Broadway Bares: San Francisco Strips IV Richmond/Ermet Aids Foundation benefit Bruce Vilanch, Jai Rodriguez, Cassandra Cass, Leanne Borghesi 8 pm DNA Lounge 375 11th Street $45 & up https://www.reaf-sf.org/ Thursday, June 20 Frameline Film Festival Opening Night Vita & Virginia 7 pm Castro Theatre $35 & up https://www.frameline.org/ Friday and Saturday, June 21–22 Queens, San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus Imperial Court, Grand Ducal Council, Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence June 21, 8 pm, June 22, 2:30 pm & 8 pm Sydney Goldstein Theater 275 Hayes Street $25 & up https://www.sfgmc.org/ Sunday, June 23 Marc Huestis Presents Frameline Festival’s special presentation Impresario of Castro Street book release 6:45 pm Victoria Theatre

2961 16th Street $15 & up https://www.frameline.org/ Monday, June 24 Dress Up Like Mrs. Doubtfire by Will Zang Through the Windows by Peter Barma & Bret Parker Frameline Film Festival Castro Theatre 1:30 pm $15 & up https://www.frameline.org/ Wednesday, June 26 Equality Federation LGBTQ Mixer 6–9 pm Salesforce Tower 415 Mission Street $35 https://bit.ly/2wr2OwW Friday, June 28 Trans March 2019 11 am–8 pm Dolores Park Free! http://www.sfpride.org/ Saturday, June 29 Gary Virginia & Donna Sachet’s 21st Annual Pride Brunch Benefiting PRC, honoring Grand Marshals of Pride Parade Tito’s Handmade Vodka & Korbel sparkling wine Silent & live auction, raffle, speaking program 11 am–2 pm Westin St. Francis Hotel, Union Square $125 & up https://prcsf.org/ Saturday, June 29 27th Annual SF Dyke March Dolores Park 11 am–6:30 pm Free! http://www.sfpride.org/ Sunday, June 30 San Francisco Pride Parade: Generations of Resistance! Market Street from Embarcadero to Civic Center 10:30 am start time Free! http://www.sfpride.org/ Sunday, June 30 Frameline Film Festival Closing Night Gay Chorus Deep South Castro Theatre $35 & up https://www.frameline.org/

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How to Survive a Breakup The elevated levels of dopamine are blissful when the love is returned, but become a nightmare of craving and anguish when it isn’t. Dopamine has also been found to be elevated in the craving that characterizes addiction as well; and the same areas of the brain that are activated in addictions are also activated in romantic love. This isn’t to say that romantic love is an addiction, but it does suggest that addiction makes use of the same brain processes as romantic love.

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

Examined Life Tom Moon, MFT Romantic love can be a roller-coaster ride of agony and ecstasy. When it’s going well, nothing is more blissful. But when it ends in a break-up, or in betrayal or rejection, the emotional devastation can be hard to bear. How can we best take care of ourselves in such painful times? Recent developments in brain research may provide some guidelines. Helen Fisher is a biological anthropologist and an expert on the biology of love and attraction. Her research on what happens in the brain following break-ups has uncovered biological parallels between the experience of romantic love and the experience of addiction. The feelings of intense attraction in romance are driven by dopamine, and are characterized by exhilaration and intrusive, obsessive thoughts about the object of love.

Mario Ordonez Juan Ordonez 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 Photographers Rink, Phyllis Costa, Jane Higgins Paul Margolis, Chloe Jackman, Bill Wilson, Jo-Lynn Otto, Sandy Morris, Abby Zimberg, 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. CALENDAR Submit events for consideration by e-mail to: calendar@sfbaytimes.com © 2019 Bay Times Media Company Co-owned by Betty L. Sullivan & Jennifer L. Viegas

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This insight suggests that the most effective way to deal with the aftermath of a break-up is to treat it in the same way that recovering addicts treat withdrawal from drugs. Fisher recommends: No half measures! Go cold turkey. Throw out the cards and letters. Delete the emails and texts. Put all of the photos and mementos in a box and, if you can’t throw it out, then bury it in a closet. Just as recovering alcoholics don’t leave a bottle of vodka on the desk, you should remove anything that might trigger memories of your relationship and send you spinning into a relapse of grief and anguish. Don’t call, don’t write and don’t show up where your ex works or hangs out. If you see his or her friends, don’t ask how he or she is doing. Create a short affirmation that you can repeat to yourself while in the shower, while driving or

at any time you feel invaded by thoughts of him or her. The first half of the slogan should boost your self-esteem; the second half should state what you want in the future. A good affirmation might be: “I love being myself with a new partner who loves me.” Imagine yourself with someone new. When you find yourself dwelling on memories of your lost love, focus on the negative events, not the positive ones. Stay busy. Avoid what psychologists call the “vegetative state.” Don’t sit and stare into space. Get up, get dressed and go out. Do new things. Any kind of novelty boosts the brain’s dopamine system and gives you renewed energy and optimism. Exercise. Any kind of aerobic exercise also stimulates the dopamine system, elevates serotonin to calm you, and helps to increase endorphins to lessen pain. Interestingly, Fisher recommends taking Tylenol. The emotional pain that follows a rejection or a break-up activates the same pain regions that are activated when we feel physical pain. By dampening activity in these centers, the popular pain reliever lessens emotional as well as physical pain. Cultivate gratitude. Make gratitude lists and memorize them. Pay attention to what is

going right in your life. Focusing on the negative is exhausting and may slow the healing process. And smile. Thinking of things that make you smile—usually the little but sweet stuff of everyday life, like people you love, silly moments, funny movies—makes you feel better immediately. It also calms down the stress response, which is toxic to physical and mental health, and releases dopamine and natural opioids. Researchers have found that the physical, facial movements of smiling by themselves, regardless of what a person feels inside, cause people to feel more optimistic. Finally, remember that time heals. The longer the time since the breakup, the less activity there is in the ventral pallidum, which is the brain region linked with feelings of attachment. Over time, attachment wanes. With patience and good selfcare, you’ll wake up some morning and realize that you haven’t thought about him or her all week. You’ll feel new vitality and new life, and you’ll realize that you are free. Tom Moon is a psychotherapist in San Francisco. For more information, please visit his website http://tommoon.net/

GLBT Fortnight in Review By Ann Rostow Thanks for Next to Nothing It appears that I made a mistake in my last column, reporting that Trump “declines to issue Pride proclamations.” Apparently, my topof-the-head assertion was wrong, because in covering the embassy pride flag hoopla, I now read that late last month, Trump did indeed recognize Pride for the first time, tweeting: “As we celebrate LGBT Pride Month and recognize the outstanding contributions LGBT people have made to our great Nation, let us also stand in solidarity with the many LGBT people who live in dozens of countries worldwide that punish, imprison, or even execute individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation.” Since the man failed to recognize our June jamborees in 2017 and 2018, and since he’s been busy undermining our civil rights at every turn, I may perhaps be excused for jumping to the conclusion that this year there would be no exception to the indifferent, if not hostile, rules he has applied to our community. In fact, as alluded to above, this is the first year that American embassies have been denied permission to fly rainbow flags on the same pole used for the stars and stripes. In the past, said permission has been routinely granted to celebrate pride month. To be fair, embassies may use other posts or standards to display solidarity; they just can’t use the main flagpole, where according to Mike Pence, only the American flag should be raised. I’m not versed in flag policy, but it seems clear that the rainbow flag was commonly raised below the U.S. flag in the Junes of times past, and I assume that other flags were flown when appropriate, also below the stars and stripes. No one is suggesting that we lower our national flag at the American embassy, for God’s sake, so the primacy of the star-spangled banner is not at issue. This is clearly a gratuitous dig at the gay community, courtesy of Mike Pompeo, Mike Pence and the conservative Christian minions now embedded in various infested crevices throughout the administration. I might add that if you only read the headlines, you could think that the Trump administration has forbidden embassies from showing their rainbow colors in any context, which is simply not the case. In this same vein, photos of various rainbow displays from this or that diplomatic outpost are not exactly protests or rebellions; they are not banned in the first place. The only question under State Department review was whether or not the rainbow banner could fly on the official flagpole under the American flag. Don’t get me wrong. It’s still ridiculous and wrong to deny approval. I am only annoyed by the sloppy news media, including the headline writers, that has allowed the story to be exaggerated.

posing an apology on index cards in his spare moments. Then, on his own initiative, he made the statement during a safety briefing on June 6. “I think it would be irresponsible to go through World Pride month, not to speak of the events at the Stonewall Inn in June of 1969,” O’Neill said. “I do know what happened should not have happened. The actions and the laws were discriminatory and oppressive, and for that, I apologize. “I vow to the LGBTQ community that this would never happen in the NYPD in 2019,” the Commissioner continued. “We have, and we do, embrace all New Yorkers.” In a related note, I was trying to find the exact wording of O’Neill’s remarks, so I googled “O’Neill apology text,” and wound up immersed in a story from late 2017, when Bill O’Neill (not James O’Neill) was running for governor of Ohio. O’Neill, a married justice of the state supreme court at the time, released this tonedeaf comment just as “me too” was gathering steam: “As a candidate for Governor let me save my opponents some research time. In the last fifty years I was sexually intimate with approximately 50 very attractive females. It ranged from a gorgeous blonde who was my first true love and we made passionate love in the hayloft of her parents’ barn and ended with a drop dead gorgeous red head from Cleveland. Now can we get back to discussing legalizing marijuana and opening the state hospital network to combat the opioid crisis.” This insufferable man proceeded to pooh-pooh the predictable reactions: “As an aside for all you sanctimonious judges who are demanding my resignation,” he huffed, “hear this. I was a civil right lawyer actively prosecuting sexual harassment cases on behalf of the Attorney General’s Office before Anita Hill and before you were born. Lighten up folks. This is how Democrats remain in the minority.” When that didn’t work, O’Neill took a baby step back: “If I offended anyone, particularly the wonderful women in my life, I apologize. But if I have helped elevate the discussion on the serious issues of sexual assault, as opposed to personal indiscretions, to a new level ... I make no apologies.” Our Romeo, who at one point came out against abortion rights, eventually cratered in the Democratic primary with about 3.3 percent of the vote. You Go, Girl!

Apology Accepted?

Before we continue, Kirsten Gillibrand has won a lot of points with me for tending bar at the Blazing Saddle, a gay club somewhere in Iowa, where one man said he’d have what she was drinking and was handed a glass of straight whiskey. Further, she also went shopping for rainbow gear at Raygun in Des Moines with Chasten Buttigieg.

Speaking of headlines, when I saw the one about New York’s police commissioner apologizing for the Stonewall raid, I figured it was a well-planned feature of the 50th anniversary of the 1969 riot. It seems, however, that Commissioner James O’Neill had been prepared to limit himself and the department to meaningless bland statements until a voice inside his head told him that more was required.

I love her! I’m not for her, but I appreciate her free-wheeling style. She did something else that caught my attention a few months back, but I’ve forgotten what it was. Got it. She exchanged fashion suggestions with the drag queens at Blazing Saddle in April. Guess she’s something of a regular over there. I also just saw her arm-wrestle an extremely strong looking female opponent in some other community context.

According to a piece in The New York Times, O’Neill spent a day or so com-

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A Little Slice of Paris in Hayes Valley: Absinthe Brasserie and Bar

onion soup. Highlighted in numerous magazines as one of the best in the country, it has a robust stock and plenty of gooey cheese.

The Gay Gourmet David Landis When I first moved to San Francisco to open Davies Symphony Hall in 1980, the surrounding neighborhood (now called Hayes Valley) was a scary proposition. There were basically three places to eat if, like me, you worked in the Civic Center: the Hayes Street Grill (the oldest establishment around, a seafoodfocused eatery that is an oldie but still a goodie); Kimball’s (no longer there, but where the recently-closed Jardiniere held court for years); and Ivy’s (what we then called a “continental” restaurant at Hayes and Gough). The blocks around the symphony hall boasted lots of empty storefronts—and you didn’t dare walk further west than Gough St. Flash forward lo these many years and Hayes Valley is one of the most bustling, energetic and diverse neighborhoods in the city. One reason for that re-birth? The vision of restaurateur Bill Russell-Shapiro, who owns Absinthe Brasserie and Bar. In addition to his innate love of food, Bill had studied urban planning. He knew that after the 1989 earthquake, when the double-decker Central Freeway was slotted for demolition, there would be an opportunity to reclaim the neighborhood. By opening Absinthe in 1998 (where Ivy’s had been for years), he helped to reignite the renaissance for the neighborhood, which now feels like a mini SoHo or East Village. An homage to all things French, Absinthe is still one of my favorite places to eat in the city. Why? It’s a buzzy destination that feels glamorous and special, evoking a one-ofa-kind feeling of Belle Epoque-era Paris. It’s not just where I dine before the opera, symphony, ballet or SFJAZZ, but it is also where I always take out-of-towners, business associates, clients and staffers. What makes this brasserie so popular? “A culture of hospitality comes from the top down,” explains Absinthe General Manager Brian Gavin. “Bill (our owner) is very gracious and the tone he sets makes everyone feel welcome.” Walking into the restaurant at any given time, says Gavin, “you’ll encounter young techies at the bar, neighborhood people who stop in for a burger and a glass of wine in the café and operagoers in the dining room.” Or you might even see regulars with their dogs dining al fresco! The restaurant serves close to 400 meals on average a day, but the food is always handcrafted. A perfect meal at Absinthe would start with whatever fresh oysters that they are serving (my suggestion is the Beausoleils from the East Coast if they have them—their flavor profile is clean, sweet and light); or perhaps the Tsar Nicoulai White Sturgeon caviar, if you’re celebrating something special. For a great starter, I’d try their famous French 14

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My go-to menu choices are the always-fresh potato-crusted salmon (cooked to a perfect medium rare), served with a radish-laden side salad that includes fennel, hard-cooked egg and Nicoise olives; or the famous Absinthe burger, which is grass fed with a corn finish (served with tasty house-made pickles and crispy fries). Since you’re wishing you were in the land of Gaul, I’d order the burger with gruyere cheese. For dessert, the chocolate pot-de-crème is dark and creamy, one of the finest and most satisfying in the city; or perhaps you want to opt for a make-your-own cheese plate, with a selection of artisanal California and French cheeses with house-made walnut bread. To accompany an Absinthe meal, “We have one of the biggest wine lists on the West Coast,” says Gavin, “with 7,000 selections.” What do I like about their wine list? It’s expansive and comprehensive, but you can still order a delicious glass of dry, Muscadet white wine from the Loire Valley for a reasonable $11; or a Cabernet Franc red wine from the same region for $13/glass; or a brut nature sparkling rosé from Burgundy for $13/ glass. Why the name Absinthe? For those who don’t know, absinthe (the liquor) is (generally) a green-colored, anise-flavored spirit derived from botanicals. “When we opened in 1998,” remarks Gavin, “people only vaguely knew about absinthe; it evoked a time and place that was exotic. Our first bar manager, Marco Dionysos, developed a program that coincided with cocktail culture re-emerging in the U.S.” In fact, Absinthe’s cocktail program has spawned some major names in the business: besides Dionysos, that includes Jonny Raglin (who, with Jeff Hollinger, re-opened the historic Comstock Saloon—another great Absinthe group restaurant and bar in North Beach). What should an Absinthe cocktail newbie try? The “Green Beast,” which includes absinthe verte, lime, sugar, cucumber and water (served over ice); the “Lawhill,” a rye whiskey drink with dry vermouth, maraschino liqueur, absinthe verte and Angostura bitters, served up; “Death in the Afternoon,” consisting of sparkling wine and absinthe verte, served

in a flute; or “The Secret Garden,” a Sea Gin drink with cucumber, dashes of absinthe, lime juice, sea salt and a splash of soda, served up. Absinthe also has one of the most elegant private dining rooms in the city. I recently attended a celebration of life for a good friend from the symphony there. I can attest: this space maintains the quality of the main restaurant with an intimacy that is seductive. Absinthe is part of a bigger restaurant group that, besides Comstock, includes several other local restaurants to put on your list. The group is opening a new concept in the former Arlequin space on Hayes Street (keeping the outdoor courtyard); they also own Barcino, around the corner, which serves delicious Spanish tapas in a convivial setting; and Bellota, one of the group’s most elegant restaurants (in the AirBnB building south of Market), is a modern Spanish-style restaurant worthy of a visit for a special occasion. And for the future of Absinthe? “We want to maintain our core values of hospitality and good food, but not become stagnant,” says Gavin. After more than 20 years, I’d say that’s a great roadmap. Absinthe Brasserie & Bar 398 Hayes Street at Gough http://absinthe.com/ David Landis, aka “The Gay Gourmet,” is a foodie, a freelance writer and a PR executive. Follow him: @david_landis, email him at: david@landispr.com or visit online at: www.gaygourmetsf.com

Keeping the Pulse Alive

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

6/26 and Beyond Stuart Gaffney & John Lewis As we waited in line at Newark Airport to board our flight home to San Francisco after a recent trip back east, we struck up a conversation with a delightful and outgoing African American woman, who lives in New York but was returning home to East Oakland, where she grew up. We soon noticed, however, that tears were welling up in her eyes. Without hesitation, she revealed to us that she was coming home to bury her lifelong best friend, who ten days before had been murdered in East Oakland—shot in the head near her house by a stray bullet intended for someone else. “She didn’t deserve this,” said our fellow traveler over and over again. She then told us how her friend’s adolescent son had dashed out of their house as soon as he heard the shot. The killer made a speedy escape, and minutes later, the son cradled his mom’s bleeding head in his arms as she breathed her last breath and he felt her pulse stop.

Our new friend showed us a beautiful photo of her lost friend whose name was Hadiyah, and talked about their years growing up together. She then divulged that she had been unable to eat or sleep since she had learned of Hadiyah’s murder. She explained that, as soon as she got to Oakland and saw the children, she would simply embrace them, hold them tight and comfort them. She had no words to console them in the face of their unspeakable loss. Pulse—a mom’s pulse ceasing to beat as her young son held her in his arms. Pulse—a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, where 49 mostly Latinx members of the LGBTIQ community were shot and killed, and 53 others wounded, three years ago in the wee hours of June 12, 2016. It is staggering to consider the thousands of Americans killed or wounded by gun violence in the three years since the Pulse nightclub massacre. These include the headline-grabbing mass shootings, such as at Las Vegas, Parkland, Pittsburgh and Virginia Beach; police shootings, like Stephon Clark in Sacramento; and the murders of trans and other queer people, like Anthony “Bubbles” Torres,

“Watch the Video” and support the We Can End Gun Violence nonprofit organization: http://everytown.wecanendgunviolence.org/

who was shot in the Tenderloin. There are thousands of people, like Hadiyah, whose names don’t make the headlines, but whose loss is felt keenly by their friends, families and communities. A Japanese friend of ours visited us last week from Tokyo. Her visit reminded us that it doesn’t have to be this way. In all of Japan, with its strict gun control regulations, only three people were murdered and five others were wounded in gun violence in 2017. We must not relent in making gun control in America a political priority and in remaining mindful of the harm that gun violence inflicts on Americans daily. Our fellow traveler reminded us of that reality as we waited together to board a plane together at Newark Airport two weeks ago. She spoke the truth about gun violence spontaneously and from the heart.

Pink Triangle 24th Annual Installation

PHOTO SOUCE: WECANENDGUNVIOLENCE.ORG

The family waited a week to tell his 8-year-old sister that her mom had been murdered. They understood that the young girl would not immediately be able to comprehend that her beloved mother would not be coming home again.

• Set-Up Saturday, June 29, 7-10am • Ceremony 10:15am • Take Down Sunday, June 30, 4:40-8pm Info: Patrick Carney 415-726-4914 www.thepinktriangle.com

Every year, on the anniversary of the Pulse nightclub massacre, we recall the entreaties Christine Leinonen made in a live television interview as she desperately searched for her son Drew, whom she later learned was killed in the shootings: “We’re on this Earth for such a short time. Let’s try to get rid of the hatred and the violence, please ... . [P]lease could we do something with the assault weapons ... . I beg all of you, please.” The heartbeat must become a drumbeat. We must keep the Pulse alive. John Lewis and Stuart Gaffney, together for over three decades, were plaintiffs in the California case for equal marriage rights decided by the California Supreme Court in 2008. Their leadership in the grassroots organization Marriage Equality USA contributed in 2015 to making same-sex marriage legal nationwide.

Real Estate

BAY TIMES S

LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2019)

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324 Larkin Dedicated as ‘Gilbert Baker Rainbow Flag Apartments’ Mayor London Breed and Q Foundation on Tuesday, June 11, dedicated 324 Larkin Street as the “Gilbert Baker Rainbow Flag Apartments.” The site is widely believed to have been where Baker (1951–2017) covertly created and sewed the first rainbow flag in the building’s basement.

“Cognizant of heightened public awareness (and the resulting photo opportunities) and eager to represent the LGBTQ community, Jones decided to fly a large rainbow flag over the building. Jones soon installed brass letters over the front door proclaiming 324 Larkin as the ‘Rainbow Flag Apartments,’ and an icon was born.” “A chance meeting while searching for housing for his AIDS-afflicted partner connected Brian Basinger and Bill Jones. Soon after, Basinger had a dream where a booming voice told him ‘to organize housing for people with AIDS’—in a stroke of luck, he received a phone call the same day from 324 Larkin’s building manager offering two units to tenants suffering from AIDS. A lightbulb went off; Basinger quickly founded the PHOTO SOURCE: 324LARKIN.COM

The history-making events at 324 Larkin did not end there, however. As the website ( https://www.324larkin.com/ ) for the building reports: “In 1992, Bill Jones—the first single (and gay) man in California to adopt a child, in 1969, and an LGBTQ civil rights activist—purchased 324 Larkin from its previous owners. At the time, the area around City Hall was undergoing considerable change. Already a fixture in the news as the seat of San Francisco government, the neigh-

PHOTO SOURCE: 324LARKIN.COM

borhood was receiving extra attention from media and tourists for construction at the Asian Art Museum and new main branch of the San Francisco Public Library.”

AIDS Housing Alliance (now called the Q Foundation), with Bill Jones joining as its first board member.” This brings us back to more recent history concerning the building. Ten years ago, new owners removed the large rainbow flag that flew over the annual Pride celebration area and removed the “Rainbow Flag Apartments” brass lettering. Q Foundation vowed to end this practice of erasure and to restore pride and dignity. A statement recently issued by the foundation holds: “Gilbert Baker created the Rainbow Flag in the Civic Center. It is only right for it to once again fly over the Civic Center and Tenderloin, the longest continuously inhabited LGBTQ neighborhood in the country.” Q Foundation: http://theqfoundation.org/

SF Sketch Randy Coleman

Randy Coleman hails from New York, but has lived in San Francisco since 1975. “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, 2019

Fannette Island and Tea House https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1159 S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

JUNE 13, 2019

ROSTOW (continued from page 13) Finally, she has also announced a wide-ranging GLBT rights platform, proving that she’s not just sprinkles and glitter. She’s got a plan for us. As I may have mentioned, getting rid of Trump is my single issue for 2020, and Kirsten doesn’t seem to be the most promising champion at this moment. Other than that, she’s great. Now I’m wondering if a cocktail might not be in order. It’s June, so I’m well into my seasonal favorite, Campari, glistening with a slice of orange and some club soda, maybe with just a dash of gin to give the drink a decent kick. Throw in a handful of raw almonds and who needs lunch? I blame Kirsten Gillibrand for these tempting thoughts. I feel as if we’re both bad girls at heart. Perhaps we’d do well in a movie with Kate McKinnon and Melissa McCarthy. Foiled Again! Hah! Do you remember the florist from Washington state, Barronelle Stutzman, who refused to do business with two gay men planning their wedding? I don’t blame you if some of these small-minded business people have begun to merge with each other, but you should probably keep Stutzman in mind since her case was petitioned to the Supreme Court at the same time the nine justices were butchering the Masterpiece Cakeshop case. After delivering a murky and unsettling ruling in Masterpiece, the justices sent Stutzman’s case back to the Washington Supreme Court from whence it came, for a redo in the context of the Masterpiece decision. Considering that the Masterpiece decision was basically impenetrable, it was hard to imagine how the Washington court would reconsider the matter of Arlene’s Flowers, where Stutzman had flatly refused to comply with the state’s ban on GLBT discrimination in public accommodations. While the Masterpiece baker, Jack Philips, had ostensibly been treated disrespectfully by a Colorado com-

NEWS (continued from page 3) missioner at one point in the litigation surrounding his situation, Stutzman had no such encounters with the powers-that-be in Washington. Instead, she had gone through a straightforward series of complaints and unpaid fines and what have you. And, since the U.S. Supreme Court had come to no conclusions about the merits of these type of religious freedom cases in Masterpiece, there was no reason for the Washington court to change their unanimous decision against Stutzman. As such, on June 6, the Washington supremes once again handed down a unanimous ruling against the sanctimonious florist, who it seems will try to appeal her defeat back up to the U.S. Supreme Court. It was a relief to get a clear-cut favorable decision in one of these infuriating religious freedom cases, and it was particularly satisfying for a major state supreme court to put Masterpiece Cakeshop in its proper place, framing it as a nothing burger of an opinion with no logical impact beyond the facts of the Denver bakery. Now, however, we still have to worry about another one of these bakers, Melissa Klein, who has a petition pending at the High Court. And of course, we must also keep our eye on Barronelle Stutzman, who will likely try to creep back onto the High Court’s agenda. It’s hard to worry about these dangerous matters when we are already facing two potential nightmares in the next session, namely the gay and trans Title VII workplace discrimination cases now scheduled to be argued before the justices this fall. I recently had the pleasure of watching Godzilla on IMAX (don’t ask) where the scenes in which five or six gargantuan monsters converge on hapless metropolitan centers remind me of our present legal status. But hey, all’s well that ends well. I Need a Drink. Where’s Kirsten? I should mention, while we’re talking about the Supreme Court, that

as the last San Francisco Bay Times went to press, word came that the High Court will not review a transgender rights victory out of the Third Circuit. That’s good news. We don’t want the justices messing with GLBT-friendly rulings out of the appellate courts. At the same time, I’m not sure how significant it is. The case was a bit of an anomaly, where antigay complainants were trying to argue that the Boyertown, Pennsylvania, school district had violated the rights of non-transgender students by operating under a trans-friendly policy. The complainants failed, and the fact that the justices chose not to keep the battle alive does not indicate that the Court is suddenly amenable to transgender rights. But it’s better than a kick in the pants. Oh, and there are other stories to tell. In Alabama, a small-town mayor sort of suggested on Facebook that killing gay people would improve life. Look, I can’t even remember exactly what he said, but his name is Mark Chambers and he lives in Carbon Hill. There was a time when I would single out such an item for detailed review, but that time has gone. Carbon Hill sounds like the town in Star Trek Enterprise, where T’Pol’s grandmother was accidentally stranded in the early 20th Century and had to wait tables in a pool hall. Eventually, she takes some Velcro from her shuttlecraft to the local bank and trades it for thousands in cash, which she gives to the son of the pool hall owner so he can go to college. But that’s neither here nor there. And finally, did you hear that murderous Indonesian president Rodrigo Duterte claims that he was once gay, but “cured himself” by sleeping with beautiful women? Speaking to a group of Filipinos in Tokyo in early June, the madman head of state proceeded to kiss several women from his audience in order to illustrate the dynamics of his rehabilitation. I can’t even laugh at this stuff anymore! arostow@aol.com

unable to provide for their basic needs.) At the end of the conservatorship process, these individuals would be guaranteed permanent housing. Supervisor Mandelman said, “San Franciscans have made it clear that they are unwilling to continue to allow severely mentally ill and addicted people to languish on our streets. SB 1045 is a small but important step to bring the sickest, most vulnerable, and hardest-to-reach individuals into care. Perhaps even more importantly, SB 1045 has spurred a long overdue conversation about radically transforming our response to untreated mental illness and drug addiction. I thank my colleagues for their support of this legislation, and look forward to continuing the conversation.” SFPD Raises Funds for Larkin Street Youth Services San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) officers are celebrating Pride by raising funds for Larkin Street Youth Services. Throughout this month, SFPD officers are sporting rainbow-patterned versions of the department’s signature blue and gold patch. Donations for the patches will benefit the organization, which supports homeless San Francisco youth, many of whom are LGBTQ. In addition to the patches, San Franciscans and visitors during Pride month are also asked to keep an eye out for SFPD’s special Pride SUV on city streets. The Police Officers’ Pride Alliance paid for the cost of wrapping the SUV, which will be used for recruitment and community engagement events. City of Dublin Reverses Decision on Raising Rainbow Flag for Pride The rainbow flag is flying over Dublin City Hall for Pride after the East Bay city’s council reversed its widely criticized decision of last month to nix the idea. The reversal followed a petition signed by over 800 people demanding that the flag be flown. As Allison Tebbe who started the petition wrote, in part: “I was extremely disturbed by the insensitive comments made at the Dublin City Council meeting regarding the debate on whether to fly the rainbow flag.” Dublin Mayor David Haubert said that the controversy stemmed, not from the city leaders’ lack of support for the LGBTQ community, but because the council had not agreed upon an overarching policy for flying “commemorative” flags like the rainbow one. The councilmembers on June 4 decided to take the matter up on a case-by-case basis, giving the go ahead for the rainbow flag raising.

TING (continued from page 5) now, more than ever, that we come together to celebrate diversity in our community. The parade route begins South of Market near the Embarcadero and proceeds down Market Street, ending at Civic Center. Afterwards, you are invited to a reception with light refreshments in my district office. For those who RSVP on my website ( https://bit.ly/2WUcoHq ), an exact meeting place prior to the start of the parade will be emailed to you. I hope to see you there! Phil Ting represents the 19th Assembly District, which includes the Westside of San Francisco along with the communities of Broadmoor, Colma and Daly City.

SHORTER (continued from page 5) what one can hope Americans will be acknowledging as they commemorate another landmark Stonewall anniversary. 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.

ADELMAN (continued from page 9) co-sponsored by the California Commission on Aging, would create a task force in the Insurance Commissioner’s office to study ways to create a new LTSS product accessible for middle-income and working-class families in California.

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housing subsidies and voucher programs for middle income seniors.

Bill AB1209, authored by Assemblymember Adrian Nazarian, would provide consumer protection by giving consumers the right to access any loan and withdrawal features while receiving long-term care benefits. The bill further protects consumers by prohibiting rate increases based on the insured’s age as well as mandates disclosures to help consumers make more informed decisions.

All of these policy changes and programmatic efforts to find a solution are important and will help, in the short term, to provide more affordable senior housing and supportive services, but at the end of the day, they will not fix a broken system. We need a federal policy that benefits all seniors regardless of age, income, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity. We need a benefit expanded Medicare that works closely with a reinvigorated and expanded Department of Housing and Urban Development. Until then, it is important to keep improving affordability and access wherever and whenever we can.

The authors of the study present several ideas for making housing with supportive services and in-home care more affordable. They suggest new tax incentives for increasing affordability of long-term care insurance, and expanding tax credits to encourage developers to build senior housing with supportive services for middle-income older adults. They also advocate for the expanded use of

Dr. Marcy Adelman, Co-founder of the nonprofit Openhouse, oversees the Aging in Community column. She is a psychologist and LGBTQI longevity advocate and policy advisor. She serves on the California Commission on Aging, the Board of the Alzheimer’s Association of Northern California and Northern Nevada and the San Francisco Dignity Fund Oversight and Advisory Committee.

Sports Paved the Way for a Global Leader in Gay Men’s Health

Sports John Chen Sports has been my bridge to meeting many amazing LGBT people over the years. Their capacity to overcome great physical, emotional and psychological obstacles has earned them tremendous respect and admiration from the communities that they serve and impact. Many of these leaders, including Stephen Leonelli of the organization MPact Global Action for Gay Men’s Health & Rights, are unsung heroes who are fighting and paving the way for LGBT people’s rights every day, every hour. Last year at volleyball, I had the pleasure of meeting Leonelli. He told me for the San Francisco Bay Times that he wasn’t the most athletic kid, but he emphasized: “Playing sports taught me about teamwork and being an integral member of a community, making contributions and sacrificing for the greater good.” Sports also helped him to develop the social and cooperative skills to be a team member of the LGBT student activists at the University of Virginia. Sports gave him the confidence to live, thrive and effect change in China. And sports paved the way for the impact he is now making on gay men’s health at a global scale. Originally from Fremont, Leonelli grew up in Ohio, where he found himself alone in a sea of conservative heterosexual adherence. At age 10, he would hear girls calling their gay male instructor, “disgusting.” In doing gymnastics, his friends questioned why he was in a “girl’s sport.” Leonelli said that, throughout his youth, “I was preoccupied with carrying myself the right way. At school I had to dress correctly so I wouldn’t be called a faggot. At church I had to appear righteous and virtuous so I wouldn’t be labelled a sinner. Around my father, I had to act a certain way so that he wouldn’t call me a girl.” After quitting dance and gymnastics, Leonelli tried every acceptable “masculine” sport imaginable, including soccer, wrestling, lacrosse and water polo, just to be one of the boys. Playing sports became a strong preoccupation and a fine suppression of his attraction to men.

At seventeen, Leonelli Stephen decided to tell his parLeonelli ents about his attraction to other men, but ended up agreeing to conversion therapy as a means to appease his family. Leonelli told me: “The therapist consistently and continuously imprinted the unfounded, pseudo fact that consensual gay sex was molestation.” Although conversion therapy didn’t deter Leonelli from dating men, it did make him feel ashamed. He suppressed the significance and trauma of his story for many years. While he was a university student, Leonelli attended a rousing speech given by Julian Bond (1940–2015), an African American civil rights leader who vehemently declared marriage an issue of equality. Bond’s words had a personal and profound impact on Leonelli, leading him to part take in LGBT activism by organizing protests and education campaigns, as well as by pressuring school administrators to create a queer studies minor. After graduation, Leonelli’s interest in Chinese culture, language and philosophies led him to a six-year charge on the streets of Beijing— educating, supporting and assisting others at the Beijing LGBT Center concerning a myriad of gay issues, such as acceptance, visibility and equality. Fluent in Mandarin, Leonelli quickly connected with the ever-growing, but reluctant, Chinese gay community. He endured, at times, heated accusations of being an “evil Western influence.” Although cultural and belief challenges did little to deter his commitment and desire to make a difference in China, Leonelli said, “My inexperience in research and data analytics led to shortcomings in more impactful social and policy efforts.” Upon returning home from China, Leonelli pursued a master’s degree in public policy at Harvard, bridging that educational gap necessary to influence perceptions and policy changes on a more meaningful scale. Armed with advanced academic skills, he excitedly accepted a Senior Policy Advisor position with Oakland-based MPact, focusing on the “inclusion of key populations [including gay men, trans people, sex workers and drug users] within the [United Nations] 2030 Agenda framework and human rights mechanisms.” At MPact, Leonelli shared that he is “most proud of working with activists in countries around the world to address health issues gay men face on a day to day basis.” He provided an example: “In Tanzania, gay men face

Step into the story... and become art Portraiture, Fine Art, Event Photography 415.481.5185 www.exlightstudio.com

great discrimination when seeking healthcare, with nurses laughing at them and doctors telling them to turn to God to repent. In addition, 69 countries around the world criminalize consensual samesex relations between adults, and in some countries, a humiliating form of torture known as ‘anal examinations’ are used to ‘substantiate’ homosexuality.” He assisted and supported activists in Tanzania by developing a stigma index survey designed to illuminate the truth and reality gay men face in that East African country. The data collected and analysis were part of a coordinated effort to persuade the U.S. government officials working with the Government of Tanzania to commit to abolishing these harmful “anal exams.” For Leonelli, it was rewarding and satisfying to see his efforts encourage the U.S. to leverage its diplomacy for policy change and for the better. As a guest speaker at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government in 2016, Leonelli opened his speech with, “Can my story really make a contribution to the global movement of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer people?” The answer is an emphatic yes! Leonelli is truly an unsung hero. To learn more about MPact Global Action for Gay Men’s Health & Rights ( https://mpactglobal.org/ ), join Leonelli, Executive Director Dr. George Ayala and other speakers for a community event at the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center, 3207 Lakeshore Avenue, on June 26. Follow MPact’s Facebook page for more information: https://bit.ly/2WI90Ab John Chen, a UCLA alumnus and an avid sports fan, has competed as well as coached tennis, volleyball, softball and football teams.

Take Me Home with You!

Fitness SF Trainer Tip of the Month Christina Barreto - Fitness SF SoMa

Gwen, Frisk and Speedwagon

“It’s not often that we get a bonded trio! Gwen, on the right, is looking for a home to share with her kids, Frisk and Speedwagon. They’re a big, happy family that needs a second chance. Gwen and Frisk like to go slow and take it easy, whereas Speedwagon is an outgoing ambassador of love! They do best when they’re together, and promise to fill your home with lots of fun feline antics. Come meet them!”

“If you’re looking to improve your overall physique, don’t neglect your back muscles! By focusing on exercises like the Lat Pull-Down, you’re able to have a stronger support system for your arms & chest. The stronger your back is, the better you will look in total.”

Gwen, Frisk and Speedwagon are 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 Gwen, Frisk and Speedwagon. To meet this fabulous feline family, as well as other pets seeking their forever homes, please visit: San Francisco SPCA Mission Campus 250 Florida Street San Francisco, CA 94103 415-522-3500 Aside from major holidays, the Mission Campus adoption center is open Mon–Fri: 1–6 pm and Sat–Sun: 10 am–5 pm. Free parking is available for those wishing to adopt!

Dr. Jennifer Scarlett and Pup

For more information: https://www.sfspca.org/adoptions

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

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

JUNE 13, 2019

Film Festival Preview 2019 Photos courtesy of San Franicsco Gay Men’s Chorus

Priscilla Meets Dixie The preparation was incredible. The singers raised the money for their trip. The organization raised the money for all of the things that make a huge tour like this work, including renting huge performance halls, marketing, outreach, etc. We did all of this so that we could leave the $100,000 we raised in the five states where we sang. Documenting the Tour

TLC: Tears, Laughs and Conversation Dr. Tim Seelig Hopefully you are familiar with the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus’ Lavender Pen Tour to the South in October, 2017. Steve Huffines, our board chair at the time, suggested it a few days after the disheartening election of 2016. The results had us immediately concerned for our own futures, but even more so for our brothers and sisters in the South, especially Mississippi and North Carolina, which at that point had the most egregious discriminatory anti-everything laws on the books. (Alabama recently joined that hall of shame.) So, off we went to the above three states, as well as to Tennessee and South Carolina. We made 25 appearances in eight days. Six buses, a number of vans, and security detail including a police escort in many of the cities. It was gargantuan, ginormous, momentous and life-changing (running out of superlatives)—for us. Harvey Milk Inspires Name We chose the name “The Lavender Pen Tour” to honor our gay patron saint Harvey Milk. In 1977, he presented Mayor Moscone a lavender pen to sign the nation’s strictest antidiscrimination bill that they made a reality in San Francisco. Early on, my choice for the name of the tour was “Priscila Meets Dixie.” I had the graphics ready: a big tour bus—full of the gays—with a huge stiletto on the top from which would fly a flowing in the wind confederate flag. My idea was vetoed. I am from what many in the Bay Area would consider the South, or South adjacent. Many in the Deep South do not include Texas in their family of states. It is considered to be its own country. In recent years, we Texans are not all that sad to be left out of their ignominious clan. Nonetheless, my upbringing, taste in food, and accent after too many margaritas, are all most definitely southern.

OK, now on to the close-up. As soon as word got out that the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus and the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir were heading to the South, we had a number of people approach us wanting to document it. We listened to their vision for the project, and, of course, the specific story they wanted to tell. We decided on one. It was a real gift, because this particular production team had the backing of our incredible San Franciscobased company Airbnb. Their mission aligned with ours, and it was a match made in heaven from the start.

Members of the Chorus making their way across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama

The documentary team, led by director David Charles and executive producer Bud Johnston, jumped right in—long before the tour. In fact, we all took a “scouting tour” in August, visiting every Southern stop we would bring the Choruses to in October. It was inspiring. We met the groups who are doing Herculean work on the ground across the South. These folks are in the trenches—one of the lessons we learned. They have chosen to stay in very difficult places to fight the good fight. They are our heroes, and made us look differently at our own bubble and our efforts. Boy, does it take a village. Then, after less than one year of planning, we left on tour. Oh good Lort. The crew was everywhere filming everything, yes everything. They were up in our grill for eight days. Then, we came home ... and they kept filming! Finally, almost a year ago, they hired one of the best editors anywhere, Jeff Gilbert. In January of 2018, they handed him approximately 300 hours of film and basically said, “Call us when you have watched it all!” He watched, and called back, blown away by what he experienced. The hard work began. By August, they were testing it with private screenings for people in L.A. who didn’t know anything about the chorus or the tour. They helped David to hone in on some stories, asked for more of some, less of others. But, bottom line, they all loved it. They finished the film, and finally showed it to us. Some might say I am a controlling person (yes, I “hear” those unison eye rolls), but I’ll just say turning over the complete creative process to others is not my favorite thing to do. But it paid off this time, aided by the fact that I had no choice!

Dr. Tim Seelig and members of the Chorus visited the Stonewall Inn while in New York for the Tribecca Film Festival 2019.

Documentary award. A really big deal. It won Audience Favorite Documentary in Zurich a week later, with a 2-minute standing ovation by the normally stoic Swiss. To round out the trio, it won Audience Favorite in Edmonton, Canada. Three countries! Now it is on to a total of about The Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir accompa- 40 film festivals. I have the very difficult task of nied SFGMC on the Lavender Pen Tour. representing at the festival in Honolulu and Vancouver, B.C. (Am I hearing those eye rolls again?) “What now?” you ask. Well, we are incredibly honored to have Gay Chorus Deep South chosen as the closing night film for Frameline. We are so grateful and excited. As we did in NYC, members of the chorus will be singing a few songs at the end of the screening. Oops, that might have been a secret. Cat’s out. This is a huge deal that our hometown festival (and the largest LGBTQ film festival in the world) selected Gay Chorus Deep South for its closing night.

An aside here. This was not my first rodeo with a team of people filming so close as to reveal my blocked pores and “Where will it go from here?” you ask. nose hairs! No siree bob. In the early We wish we knew. I can just quote direc1990s, PBS filmed a documentary tor David, as he tells every audience at about my Dallas chorus, the Turtle the Q&A following the screening: “We Creek Chorale, titled After Goodbye: just want as many people as possible to An AIDS Story. It was about music see this film of love and passion and comand grief and featured Dr. Elizabeth mon ground.” Of course, we are nervous to Kubler Ross. It won 12 major awards, be showing it to our hometown crowd. We and the national Emmy for best dochope you like us. Really like us. umentary in 1994. There was a follow SFGMC Executive Director Chris Verdugo, film director up twenty years later titled The Power of David Charles Rodrigues, SFGMC Artistic Director Dr. Tim Thank you, San Francisco, for supporting Seelig, and film producer Bud Johnston at the Gay Chorus the chorus for 41 years—through thick and Harmony. More stories, gay marriage, Deep South world premiere at Tribeca Film Festival thin and dark, dark times. You have stood adoption. It won Best Documentary behind us and loved us. We hope we make at the USA film festival. Both are amazing pieces of work, but nothing like Gay you proud with Gay Chorus Deep South. Chorus Deep South. The third time is definitely turning One final note: please come to see Queens on June 21 and 22. It is out to be charmed. our homage, at this 50th Anniversary of Stonewall, to all of the Showings at Film Festivals, Including Frameline

Ashlé, an SFGMC member whose story is told in the film Gay Chorus Deep South

KIT’N KITTY’S

QUEER POP QUIZ

Thus, began the process of entering the film into film festivals, a process we had no knowledge of, and still don’t, really. But David, Bud and Airbnb do! The rest is history. It had its world premiere at Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. We took 80 singers who performed following the credits, and the next day at the Stonewall Inn! It won Audience Favorite

drag queens, transvestites, trans community, lesbians and Sisters who have changed history and continue to make life better for all of us. Hope to see you at Frameline and Queens. I still like “Priscilla Meets Dixie.” Maybe a sequel of bloopers and outtakes? Dr. Tim Seelig is the Artistic Director of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus.

SONG BIRD This LGBTQ singer won the Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen in 2014. A) Conchita Wurst B) Demi Lovato C) Hayley Kiyoko D) Jamala ANSWER ON PAGE 34

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

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JUNE 13, 2019

Film Festival Preview 2019

Fifteen Highlights and Lowlights from Frameline43 Fireflies

Benjamin

Film

Searching Eva

Gary M. Kramer The 43rd edition of Frameline will unspool on area screens June 20–30. The LGBT film festival opens with Vita & Virginia and closes ten days later with Gay Chorus Deep South. In between, there are more than one hundred features, shorts and documentaries to see, as well as panels and parties to attend.

One Taxi Ride

This year’s Frameline Award will be presented to Rodney Evans on June 26 at 4 pm at the Castro Theatre. The festival will screen a 15th anniversary of Evans’ narrative debut, Brother to Brother, at 1 pm, followed by the tribute and a screening of his latest film, Vision Portraits, at 4 pm.

End of the Century

Meanwhile, here are fifteen highlights and lowlights (in chronological order) screening at this year’s fest. Fireflies ( June 20, 10 pm, Castro; June 22, 9:30 pm, Victoria) is a poignant, artfully made drama that depicts the connection that develops between Ramin (Arash Marandi), an Iranian exiled in Vera Cruz, Mexico, and Guillermo (Luis Alberti), a laborer he meets. The characters are both lost, stuck and trying to move on. Their palpable sense of despair is moving— especially as the lonely Ramin often looks longingly into the distance. There is considerable sexual tension between the men, most notably during a beach scene, or when Guillermo visits Ramin in his bedroom. Writer/director Bani Khoshnoudi asks viewers to fill in some blanks, but that approach helps viewers to engage with the characters. Marandi gives an affecting, internal performance; a scene of Ramin laughing-crying conveys his conflicted emotions. If Guillermo’s character is slightly underdeveloped, Luis Alberti smolders with intensity.

Family Members

We Are the Radical Monarchs Queer Genius

This Is Not Berlin ( June 21, 6:45 pm, Victoria; June 24, 3:45 pm, Castro) is an affectionate portrait of youth—gay and straight—in 1980s Mexico City. Director/co-writer Hari Sama immerses viewers in the period’s counterculture to share the heady experiences of two friends, Carlos (Xabiani Ponde de León) and Gera ( José Antonio Toledano). They explore sex, drugs and punk music to escape from their middle-class society and stifling conformity. This atmospheric film may have some narrative contrivances, but its rebelliousness rings true. End of the Century ( June 21, 9:30 pm, Castro; June 29, 9:30 pm, Victoria) is an absolutely hypnotic romance. Ocho ( Juan Barberini) hooks up with Javi (Ramon Pujol) in Barcelona. Their tryst is erotic, but it becomes something more complicated when Javi confesses: “We’ve met before.” Cut to twenty years earlier ... End of the Century unfolds slowly, deliberately and it plays with time, memory and imagination in ways that will provoke viewers. It also features a scene of the guys dancing that is pure magic. 22

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Monsters

Making Montgomery Clift

For They Know Not What They Do

Benjamin ( June 22, 7 pm, Castro), the sophomore effort by writer/director Simon Amstell, is alternately charming and cringe-inducing. In this romantic comedy that is both romantic and darkly funny, the title character (Colin Morgan) is an insecure filmmaker about to premier his own sophomore feature. He falls quickly for a soulful French singer, Noah (Phénix Brossard), who is studying music at a nearby school. Benjamin is a bit gawky, and often says the wrong thing, which is amusing and horrifying J U NE 1 3 , 2 0 1 9

all at once. He is clearly unable to read the signals that Noah is sending to him, making their relationship both sweet and tenuous. Things get complicated when Harry ( Jack Rowan), the star of his film, also expresses a sexual interest in Benjamin. Benjamin generates much of its humor out of the awkward encounters Benjamin has, such as one with his ex, Paul (Nathan StewartJarrett), while at dinner with Noah and his parents. Nevertheless, it is easy to root for Benjamin

and his friends, even if they are their own worst enemies. The emotional documentary One Taxi Ride ( June 23, 4 pm, Roxie) chronicles the journey of healing for Erick, a twenty-something gay Mexican who suffered traumatic sexual abuse as a teenager. Erick claims he is “tired of hiding and living a lie,” and decides to tell his boyfriend Rodolfo about an incident from his past that he has long kept secret. While Rodolfo is compassionate after Erick’s confession, a later, related discussion raises issues of truth and trust between the guys. As Erick tries to process his feelings, he recounts his experiences to his family in a scene that is the highlight of One Taxi Ride. The dialogue Erick opens up about sexual abuse resonates with his family members, and, as the film’s stirring coda shows, many other people have been afraid to discuss rape and sexual abuse in Mexican society. Erick’s courage to tell his story is inspiring, and this film is important and necessary for providing an example of bravery and support for victims.

BAY TIMES S

LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2019)

Sister Aimee

Sell By This Is Not Berlin

Family Members ( June 23, 11 am Victoria; June 30, 4:15 pm, Castro) is a patchy drama from Argentina. The film has siblings Lucas (Tomås Wicz), a 17-yearold coming to terms with his sexuality, and Gilda (Laila Maltz), who has been separated from the family for a spell, arriving in a coastal town to take care of their mother’s burial wishes. The siblings don’t get along at first, but a transit strike strands them in town and they slowly connect. Lucas becomes interested in Guido (Alejandro Russek), a fitness freak who stirs his attraction, but their meetings crackle with only limited sexual tension. Family Members features some striking cinematography, but it unfolds so slowly that the subtleness of what happens may be of greater importance for the characters. This well-made film is too slight to generate enough emotion to compel viewers. Temblores

Making Montgomery Clift ( June 23, 4 pm, Castro) is a tantalizing documentary by Robert Clift (Monty’s youngest nephew) and Hillary Demmon. The film showcases fabulous clips and home movies, as well as audio and video interviews that investigate the actor’s life, sexuality and career. Jack Larson’s story about a kiss is terrific, as is information about Clift’s insistence to work outside of the studio system and play parts that he wanted to (even if it meant turning down juicy roles). This commitment to his craft, including rewriting his lines, is what comes across best, as a key sequence from Judgment at Nuremberg shows. But too much of Making Montgomery Clift gets lost in the weeds as the Clift family tries to correct various biographers’ errors. A bit about the actor’s arrest with a “boy” is carefully parsed, and other revisions, such as Clift’s extended trouble with John Huston, feel belabored. This documentary will certainly be of interest to fans of the actor, but it could have been better. Monsters. ( June 23, 6:30 pm, Castro) is a fantastic slow-burn drama from Romania. Told in three acts, over the course of 24 hours, the film opens with the moody Dana ( Judith State) returning home from a trip, but not wanting to go home. She hires a taxi driver (Alexandru Potocean) for the night and contemplates her next move. The second sequence features her husband, Arthur (Cristian Popa), meeting Alex (Serban Pavlu) for a discrete tryst. The men discuss the difficulties of gay relationships, but their encounter is uncomfortable and unsatisfying. These two episodes are both shot in a 1:1 square frame that emphasizes the claustrophobia each character feels. They also run about 90 minutes into this two-hour film. The last act has Dana and Arthur together, and the screen opens wide to show the couple. As they attend a baptism and visit his shrewish grandmother (Dorina Lazar), Dana and Arthur re-evaluate their relationship. Monsters. is simple, but riveting. The long stretches of silence, along with the body language by the two excellent leads, convey the weight of their emotions. Seeing Dana sitting forlornly in the taxi, or Arthur, with his back to the camera on a bed, after sex, are extremely sad, revealing moments. In his film debut, writer/director Marius Olteanu has made a searing marital drama. (continued on page 34) S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

JUNE 13, 2019

Sister Dana Sez: Words of Wisdumb from a Fun Nun

Sister Dana sez, “I wish everyone a HAPPY FATHER’S DAY (June 16) to all the Fathers (Gay and Straight and Leather Daddies) who mean so much to our community. Rock on, and You Go, Guys!” It was my absolute pleasure to attend the VIP Grand Opening and scissors-cutting ribbon ritual of THE LGBT ASYLUM PROJECT’s Center for Immigrant Protection’s brand-new offices in the heart of San Francisco’s Castro District, 526 Castro Street on May 30. The LGBT Asylum Project is a nonprofit organization that provides pro-bono legal representation for LGBT immigrants who are fleeing persecution and seeking asylum in the United States. Past clients of The LGBT Asylum Project shared their heart-wrenching stories on video; founders Okan Sengun and Brooke Westling discussed the asylum process; Supervisor Rafael Mandelman presented the Certificate of Honor from the unanimous Board of Supervisors; and Asylum Project board members were on hand to explain how to help those who need help. https://www.lgbtasylumproject.org/ AIDS/LIFECYCLE was co-produced by the LOS ANGELES LGBT CENTER AND SAN FRANCISCO AIDS FOUNDATION on June 2–8. It was designed to advance their shared interest to reduce new HIV infections and to improve the quality of life for people living with HIV/AIDS. As part of this event, thousands of people participated as either Cyclists, Roadies, Volunteers, or Virtual Cyclists to raise critically needed funds for HIV/AIDS-related services and bring to light the fact that HIV/AIDS is still a devastating disease in our society, particularly the LGBT community and communities of color. Mayor London Breed unveiled her budget proposal for Fiscal Years (FY) 2019–2020 and 2020–2021. It includes important new investments in programs to create more housing, prevent homelessness and transition people into services and housing, clean the city’s streets, provide behavioral health treatment, and ensure that the city government is working for all San Franciscans. The Trump administration will launch a human rights panel that stresses anti-gay “natural law,” which is one of the religious right’s favorite phrases for why they oppose LGBTQ rights. Disgraceful! A PRIVATE PARTY for TENDERLOIN TESSIE invited everyone who has volunteered, did fundraising or attended one of the Tenderloin Tessie holiday dinners every year. The nonprofit, all volunteer organization has been feeding the community of San Francisco on Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas for over 40 years. The event was held on June 1 at Manny’s in the Mission with emcees Board President Michael Gagne and Grants Administrator Marilyn Murrillo. State Senator Scott Wiener handed out Certificates of Recognition to outstanding volunteers. Gagne also gave certificates to volunteers, including The Sisters 24

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Sister Dana sez, “The Trump administration is rejecting requests to fly rainbow flags during LGBTQ Pride month in at least four U.S embassies. Yet only a week ago he promised that his administration would be standing in ‘solidarity’ with the many LGBTQ people around the world who are oppressed.” SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES team members and friends enjoyed A TOAST TO PRIDE 2019 on June 2 at Canela Bistro & Wine Bar in the Castro. We heard beautiful music by Dr. Dee Spencer while sipping Napa Cellars wine. Donna Sachet welcomed everyone and introduced Canela Chef Mat Schuster. It was delightful to toast and celebrate the arrival of Pride Season. We also toasted to the leaders of the San Francisco Bay Times/”Betty’s List” contingent in the upcoming SF Pride Parade on Sunday, June 30. Sister Dana will be the Rainbow Nun once again, waving and blowing kisses atop a bus full of excited proud parade celebrants. ST. JAMES INFIRMARY commemorated their 20TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY GALA on June 2 at Terra Gallery. The Infirmary has been celebrating lives saved and improved health for thousands of sex workers and their families in our community for twenty years. They raised $156,000 that night. The gala was hosted by actor Dale Johannes. Special guests included delicious diva Jennifer Holliday singing “The Way We Were” followed by her iconic “And I Am Telling You” from Dreamgirls; and always funny delightful dyke comic Marga Gomez; along with American Idol’s Lawrence Beaman singing “Lean on Me.” The after-party was hosted by Sister Roma with Micah Tron performing. https://stjamesinfirmary.org GOOGLE celebrated STONEWALL 50 at Google headquarters on The Embarcadero on June 3. There they unveiled the next designs for RAINBOW HONOR WALK plaques to be installed on Market Street. Donna Sachet sang her version of “It Had to Be You,” changing the lyr(continued on page 34)

PHOTO BY PAUL MARGOLIS

By Sister Dana Van Iquity

of Perpetual Indulgence who serve at these gatherings every time. I accepted the award for us. Senator Wiener spoke of the necessity during these terrible Trump times (my words, not his) of thinking and acting locally to result globally, and the importance of Tenderloin Tessie dinners for the homeless and sick people in the Bay Area with events at the Universal Church. One of the features of these dinners is always the live entertainment of Gagne singing with the Songstress of TT, Vanessa Bousay. They do lovely duets and also take turns doing solos—usually hit Broadway tunes that we can sometimes sing along with. Both sang gorgeously at this event. DQ Vanessa can really belt ‘em out! https://bit.ly/2F1VP22

Sister Dana enjoyed the reception just prior to dinner in the Grand Ballroom during the PAWS and Shanti Petchitecture benefit at the San Francisco Fairmont Hotel on Thursday, June 6.

Serving Up FRESH Transgender and Queer Performance: FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL is a Pride Highlight

Featuring edgy, exquisite and extraordinary performances by fourteen gender-nonconforming, transgender and queer artists and ensembles from the Bay Area and across the U.S., the FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL offers a different lineup every night (see website for details https://bit.ly/2GAjlFT ). This June 20–22 at Z Space, the FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL features performances by: AfricanAmerican Deaf dance trailblazer Antoine Hunter, integrated/disabled dance pioneers AXIS Dance Company, vogue superstars #kNOwSHADE Vogue Ensemble (Pittsburgh), sublime harmonies by the GAPA Men’s Chorus, exquisite poetry + dance by J Mase III & Randy Ford (Seattle), queer bachata champions Jahaira Fajardo & Angelica Medina, cuttingedge performance artists Javier Stell-Fresquez & Ivy Monteiro (Bay Area/Switzerland), sidesplitting comedy-storytelling by Lottie Riot, the groundbreaking and powerful New Voices Bay Area TIGQ Chorus, trailblazing Trans/queer modern dance by Sean Dorsey Dance, folk-punk by the legendary Shawna Virago, multi-disciplinary music superstar Star Amerasu, gorgeous contemporary and R&B songs by Tajah J, queer retro quartet The Singing Bois, and “femme-cee” Annalise Ophelian.

PHOTO BY KEGAN MARLING

Sean Dorsey Dance

The festival is produced by Fresh Meat Productions, a trans-led SF-based arts organization that invests in the creative expression and cultural leadership of transgender and gender-nonconforming communities through its year-round programs. Fresh Meat Productions’ programs include the FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL, resident dance company Sean Dorsey Dance’s home season and national touring, a national education program, TRANSform Dance - an education and advocacy program, and national LGBTQ community residencies. Founding Artistic Director Sean Dorsey, recognized as the nation’s first acclaimed transgender modern dance choreographer, was recently awarded a prestigious Dance/USA Artist Fellowship, in recognition for his almost 20 years of dancemaking and trans activism.

Shawna Virago

Tajah J The Singing Bois

Antoine Hunter

PHOTO COURTESY OF KNOW SHADE

Included with each ticket purchase is the popular FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL tradition of a post-performance lobby afterparty with festival artists, DJ Frida Ibarra, go-go dancers, photo booth, refreshments and more. Advance tickets are recommended for this very popular 3-nights-only event. Four World Premieres This year’s festival also features four world premieres that were commissioned by Fresh Meat Productions especially for the 2019 FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL. Audiences will be

PHOTO BY GWEN PARK

Star-Studded Lineup The star-studded artist lineup performs an enormous range of genres—dance, theater, comedy and live music—with a cornucopia of world premieres. ASL interpretation will be provided every night, and the theater, seating and restrooms are wheelchair accessible.

Empowered and Groundbreaking The FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL is the only annual event of its kind in the U.S., and is celebrated for its world-class artistry and sold-out crowds. The FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL’s transgender focus and leadership are especially powerful this year—in the face of anti-transgender bills and anti-trans backlash across the U.S. The FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL is also a featured event of the 2019 National Queer Arts Festival.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SINGING BOIS

The FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL was the first of its kind in the U.S., and this year (the 18th annual), the team is pulling out all of the stops.

These artists were awarded support to create new work from Fresh Meat Productions’ FRESH WORKS! commissioning program for trans, gendernonconforming and queer artists of color.

PHOTO BY LYDIA DANILLER

The annual festival is anticipated by Bay Area and national audiences all year long: “People travel from New York, Seattle, Florida, Ohio—you name it—to attend the festival,” says Artistic Director Sean Dorsey. “The festival has really become a ‘pride destination’ for a lot of trans and queer folks. A lot of people treat FRESH MEAT weekend as their own Pride weekend.”

treated to highly-anticipated premieres by: world champion bachata duo (partners in love and art) Jahaira Fajardo & Angelica Medina, world-touring multiinstrumentalist and trans trailblazer Star Amerasu, exquisitely-talented contemporary and R&B singer-songwriter Tajah J, and acclaimed queer retro boyband quartet The Singing Bois.

PHOTO BY RJ MUNA

San Francisco’s wildly popular FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL of transgender and queer performance returns next week, featuring transgender theater trailblazers, world champion bachata dancers, vogue superstars, a queer retro boy band, award-winning disabled dance pioneers, a 40-member gender-defying choir and more.

#kNOwSHADE Vogue Ensemble

“There’s nothing like it,” raves Dorsey. “I mean, there is just so much JOY in the room. It’s palpable. These are extraordinary artists and extraordinary audiences. And we get together and we make and witness art that articulates our power, beauty, resilience, anger, resistance and love. There’s a lot of love here.” Love indeed—something that the FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL is known for cultivating and multiplying. Get those tickets before they sell out and experience it for yourself!

WHAT: FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL of transgender and queer performance WHERE: Z Space (450 Florida Street, San Francisco) WHEN: Thurs.-Sat., June 20–22 All performances begin at 8 pm and will be ASL interpreted. TICKETS: Thursday/Friday: $15+ sliding scale (advance purchase rec.) Saturday night Gala: $20–$50 sliding scale (advance purchase rec.) Post-show receptions EVERY NIGHT with DJ Frida Ibarra, go-go dancers, photo booth, drinks & dancing TICKETS/INFO/ ACCESSIBILITY INFO: http://freshmeatproductions.org

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JUNE 13, 2019

St. James Infirmary 20th Anniversary Gala

PHOTO COURTES OF LAWRENCE BEAMAN

St James Infirmary, the provider of free, compassionate and nonjudgmental healthcare and social services for sex workers of all genders and sexual orientations, held its 20th Anniversary Gala and Hookers Masquerade Ball on Sunday, June 2, at Terra Gallery. Featured entertainers included Broadway star and recording artist Jennifer Holliday, America’s Got Talent’s Lawrence Beamen, comedian/playwright/humorist Marga Gomez, host and auctioneer Dale Johannes, and additional entertainers at the After Party.

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‘Forever Let Us Hold Our Banner High’ No one combined sequined couture and street theater to greater effect than Gilbert, so in 1978, when he was asked to create a visual affirmation of San Francisco’s LGBT+ communities, he was ready. His simple and elegant solution: a banner with eight equal stripes to show our unity, our diversity and the sources of our strength.

PHOTO BY RINK

San Francisco Pride Parade (2015)

pride, leather pride, trigenders and other communities within our community. All follow Baker’s original design, but only his universally unites us all. Although the debut of Gilbert’s flag may be the first among firsts for Pride, every San Francisco parade has had at least one, including: 1972 – first politician to participate in the parade: San Francisco County Sheriff Richard Hongisto, the first sheriff to hire lesbian and gay deputies

In 1989, the International Congress of Flag Makers recognized the Rainbow Flag. Today, many variations of the flag exist. Some people add a black stripe to honor those lost to AIDS. There also are versions with different colored stripes or symbols added to represent bisexual people, transgender people, pansexuals, asexuals, bears, lesbians, genderfluid

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1984 – first nationwide theme 1985 – first time a U.S. senator, Alan Cranston, spoke at a pride celebration anywhere in the country 1988 – first time a San Francisco Mayor, Art Agnos, rode in the parade; first time the parade started in the Castro

1976 – first mayoral proclamation, issued by George Moscone

1995 – after several name changes, first time the event officially became the San Francisco Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Pride Celebration, now known simply as Pride

1978 – first appearance of Gay Freedom Day Marching Band; first time Dykes on Bikes led the parade

1996 – first time a Catholic church, Most Holy Redeemer, participated in a pride parade anywhere in the world

1979 – first time rainbow flags lined Market Street

2001 – first time a Muslim contingent participated in any pride parade

1973 – first community banners 1974 – first empress to ride in the parade on an elephant 1975 – first time the parade was the largest in the U.S.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DR. BILL LIPSKY

Gilbert Baker presented the Gilbert Baker Pride Founder’s Award to Pink Triangle Project founder Patrick Carney. (2015)

PHOTO COURTESY OF DR. BILL LIPSKY

After Harvey Milk’s assassination in November 1978, the parade committee voted to adopt the new rainbow flag as a symbol of the community’s unity and strength, not only in joy but also in adversity. The pink stripe was dropped when, according to Baker, his flag manufacturer “ran out of pink dye.” The violet band was removed so that the flag could be displayed evenly along the parade route, three colors on each side of the street.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DR. BILL LIPSKY

His chance to follow the yellow brick road came in 1970, when he was drafted into the army. Stationed in San Francisco, where he served as a medic, he found the welcoming community he sought. After his honorable discharge in 1972, Baker stayed in the city. He became involved with the social and political causes of the time, using his artistry to create banners for anti-war protests and progay marches.

Gilbert’s first flag at City Hall, 1978

PHOTO BY RINK

Baker grew up in Parsons, Kansas, not far from the famous barnyard, which actually was in Culver City, where Dorothy Gale allegedly first sang “Over the Rainbow.” Because he was drawn to art and fashion as a child, not to cows and corn like his peers, he did not exactly fit into their bucolic world.

Gilbert displayed his newly created banner publicly from the flagpoles in United Nations Plaza for the first time on June 25, 1978, for the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade. “When it went up and the wind finally took it out of my hands, it blew my mind,” he remembered later. “I saw immediately how everyone around me owned the flag. I thought, ‘It’s better than I ever dreamed.’”

2005 – first time crowd estimated at more than 1,000,000 people 2015 – first grand celebration of same-sex marriage 2019 – celebration of the golden anniversary of Stonewall Today there are annual pride celebrations on every continent except Antarctica, including Cape Town Pride in South Africa; Pride Parade Brasilia, Brazil; Istanbul LGBT Pride Festival and Parade, Turkey; Sofia Pride in Bulgaria; the Tel Aviv Pride Parade in Israel; the Tokyo Pride Parade in Japan; Bali Pride in Indonesia; Warsaw Equality Pride in Poland; and many others. Pride now is worldwide. Gilbert’s Rainbow Flag is part of all of them. PHOTO BY RINK

Green carnations. Red neckties. Violet corsages. Colors and symbols used for many years by gay men and lesbians, often strangers in the night, to identify each other across a crowded room or in a public place. Until Gilbert Baker created the Rainbow Flag in 1978, however, there was no single emblem or icon to join LGBT+ people as members of a worldwide community, wherever they might be, much less one that validated and honored them everywhere.

WWW.GILBERTBAKER.COM

Dr. Bill Lipsky

PHOTO BY HUSSEIN CARNEY

Faces from Our LGBT Past

Although others helped him to dye the material, Baker sewed the original flag himself. Each of the eight stripes represented a different quality. From top to bottom they were pink (sexuality), red (life), orange (healing), yellow (sunlight), green (nature), turquoise (magic), indigo/ blue (serenity), and violet (spirit).

President Obama welcomed Baker to the White House.

As we remember how far we have come and as we celebrate the ascendance of love this year, we also need to remember what we yet have to achieve. Although 25 of the world’s 195 countries now recognize marriage equality, same-sex intimacy between consenting adults is still illegal in more than 70 of them; 11 prescribe the death penalty for homosexuality. Bill Lipsky, Ph.D., author of “Gay and Lesbian San Francisco” (2006), is a member of the Rainbow Honor Walk board of directors.

Bouquets to Art 2019 at the de Young

BAY TIMES S

LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2019)

The 35th Bouquets to Art at the de Young Museum from June 4–9 offered a new palette of spring and summer blooms, given its move to a later month in the year—usually it’s held in March. One of the museum’s most popular events, Bouquets to Art is a weeklong display of floral designs from florists across Northern California. They take inspiration from the works of art in the de Young’s galleries. The patrons are often as colorful as the posies, with some dressing up in floral garb for the occasion ... or dressing down. One woman in burlesque attire, for example, basically pole danced at one display. A famous dog was in the museum too: Bella the Boston, aka “the Fashion Dog.” Sporting a pearl collar and aviator glasses, she was with her equally fashionable caretaker, Aracelli Kopiloff, manager of the Hillside Club in Berkeley. Bouquets to Art comes and goes in a flash, given the ephemeral displays that onlookers rush to capture in photos, and in memory after repeated sniffs of the flowers and greenery. We are already looking forward to next year’s version of this annual spring tradition in San Francisco.

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JUNE 13, 2019

Rusalka

SF OPERA Rachel Willis-Sorensen as the title role in Dvorak’s Rusalka during rehearsal, San Francisco Opera

Behind the Scenes of Rusalka at SF Opera Rusalka, soon to be presented by San Francisco Opera, is a fairytale fantasy based on the same story that inspired The Little Mermaid. It looks beyond the storybook world of happily-ever-after to expose truths that are powerfully and painfully human. We highlight it, in part, because it features one of our favorite opera singers, Jamie Barton. A member of the LGBTQ community, she proudly defies the convention of gay divas, and male opera stars too, staying in the proverbial closet. As she recently told Opera Magazine: “It’s not a secret that I’m bisexual—why can’t I sing a song as a woman to a woman? We’re living in a world where queer love stories exist. Why can’t they exist in classical music?” She continued, “It’s no longer that very specific cis/hetero/white male kind of world. I’m a champion of everybody having an equal chance, no matter where you come from, no matter whether you’re religious or not, no matter what sexuality you identify with.” Barton deftly plays the character Ježibaba, a witch in Rusalka. Her attire, and that of the other characters, matches the story’s dream-like qualities and requires talented costumers. San Francisco Bay Times photographer JP Lor recently visited SF Opera’s costume department to go behind the scenes. Special thanks to Jeffery McMillan and to Galen Till for making this possible and for warmly welcoming JP into their secret-feeling sanctum.

Jamie Barton

PHOTO BY BENGT NYMAN/FLICKR

Rusalka, like so many other late spring and early summer events, will come and go before you know it. Be sure not to miss this spectacular production with performances on June 16, 19, 22, 25 and 28. Pride Night at the Opera is on June 19 at 7:30 pm. For more information: https://bit.ly/2Istym8

Rusalka inspired watercolor by Eduard Tomek (1912–2001)

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PHOTO: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Rusalka at the Metropolitan Opera in New York

BAY TIMES S

LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2019)

An Inside Look at SF Opera Costume Design for Rusalka By Galen Till With the first onstage dress rehearsal of Dvořák’s fantasy opera Rusalka just days away, the costume studio at the San Francisco Opera is bustling. Given that the production features over 100 individual costumes, each of the studio’s artisans plays an important role in bringing them to life. The production was originally designed for Lyric Opera of Chicago by Moritz Junge in 2014, so our job is to alter costumes to fit new singers, and if that’s not possible, to build new costumes from scratch. In the main workroom, Senior Cutter Irene Murray is adding dyed bits of organza to the straps of Rusalka’s water nymph slip dress to add a light, almost ethereal quality. These pieces were added over the course of several costume fittings with Rachel Willis-Sørensen, who sings the title role. Rusalka goes through the most dramatic changes as a character in the opera, and this is also true for her costumes. As such, she has two quick changes that we’ve needed to troubleshoot. The first is the moment that she leaves her watery home. Her dreamy floating slip dress is swapped for a simple linen dress. She has 5 minutes to change.

PHOTO BY JP LOR

The second moment is in Act II. She changes from a beautiful red Victorian gown into her wedding gown and she has 3 minutes in which to do it. On our end, this takes so much troubleshooting as to what would work best. Does she have time to change boots? Does she have time to change bustles? It requires fine-tuned problem-solving skills and a knowledge of what is possible. At an adjacent table, Breanna Bayba, one of our Costume Technicians, is hand sewing faux fur trim onto the jacket for the Foreign Princess, sung by Sarah Cambidge. The dress that matches will get dazzling rhinestones heat set onto the bodice.

PHOTO BY JP LOR

Through the arch at the south end of the costume studio is the dye room, where Senior Dyer Amy Van Every is busy sponging the perfect amount of stage mud on the hem of the title character’s “distressed” wedding dress, worn in Act III. The stage mud consists of sawdust, paint and acrylic medium. This is the second of two identical dresses, alike in every way except for the mud and wear that Amy is applying. One of the many interesting costumes in this production is that of the witch Jezibaba, sung by Jamie Barton. It was very important to the designer, Mr. Junge, that she didn’t look like a cartoon stereotype, but rather a real person. She wears layer upon layer of garments that one might imagine she’s found over the years. Each layer is dingy and falling apart, though there is the glimmer of something that may have been, once.

Downstairs in the basement is our industrial spray booth, and it’s where Jersey carefully develops the perfect complexion for Vodník the Water Goblin’s webbed hands and feet using a spray gun filled with liquid latex and pigment. We’ve collaborated with the Wig & Makeup Department to ensure the skin tone on his prosthetics is a precise match with his makeup.

PHOTO BY JP LOR

PHOTO BY CORY WEAVER

Jezibaba’s familiars in our production are crows, played by dancers. Jersey, the Senior Crafts Artisan, has the unique challenge of working with each dancer to ensure that their crow mask is comfortable and easily seen out of, that their wings are in good shape, and that the dancers can use their fingers to climb ladders as the staging demands.

After the tireless efforts of 30 or so costumers, every costume piece will be meticulously checked out and moved to the War Memorial Opera House where we will have a week of onstage dress rehearsals. Notes will be taken, adjustments will be made, and by opening day on Sunday, June 16, a finished product will grace the stage and the costume studio will move on to the next show.

PHOTO BY JP LOR

Galen Till is the Production Supervisor for “Rusalka” at San Francisco Opera, https://sfopera.com/

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JUNE 13, 2019

PAWS Petchitecture 2019 Photos by Rink and Paul Margolis

Dogs and their humans excitedly entered the San Francisco Fairmont Hotel on Thursday, June 6, for Petchitecture, Shanti’s annual fundraiser for PAWS (Pets Are Wonderful Support). It is rightfully described as being “Your Dog’s Favorite Gala!” For the popular event, “Petchitects” design one-of-a-kind pet beds and related furr-niture for guests to bid on. This year’s items included a Sento Box (kitty condo with hammock, scratching pad, toys and more), a modular versatile set for dogs, a stylish black and white pet bed that could double as a side table, and a very warm and cozy pad for either a spoiled cat or a small- to mid-sized pooch. Members of our San Francisco Bay Times team also admired an impossibly tall red birdhouse that was up for silent auction.

PHOTO BY RINK

PHOTO BY PAUL MARGOLIS PHOTO BY PAUL MARGOLIS PHOTO BY PAUL MARGOLIS PHOTO BY PAUL MARGOLIS PHOTO BY RINK PHOTO BY PAUL MARGOLIS

PHOTO BY RINK

PHOTO BY PAUL MARGOLIS

PHOTO BY RINK

PHOTO BY PAUL MARGOLIS

The event included not only the silent auction, but also a raffle reception, dinner, program and live auction conducted by celebrity auctioneer Lenny Broberg, whom we have missed (he now lives in Southern CA). Shanti Executive Director Kaushik Roy welcomed guests and Dede Wilsey presented the Champion of the Human-Animal Bond Award to honoree John L. Lipp, who has served as a nonprofit leader and volunteer for more than thirty years. Congratulations to the entire Shanti team of volunteers, supporters and staff. http://www.shanti.org

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KRAMER (continued from page 23)

SISTER DANA (continued from page 24)

We Are the Radical Monarchs ( June 24, 7 pm, Landmark Shattuck Cinemas) is an absolutely enchanting documentary. Director Linda Goldstein Knowlton profiles the Oakland-based Radical Monarchs, a loud and proud activist group for young girls of color (most are aged 10–13). These adorable tweens learn about social justice issues from the troop’s unapologetically feminist and queer creators, Anayvette Martinez and Marilyn Hollinquest, who create a safe space to talk to 2nd graders about race, gender and LGBT issues. The Radical Monarchs confront negativity (from Fox News and on Facebook) as well as seek funding that they need to continue their mission and grow with additional troops and in additional cities. But the highlight of We Are the Radical Monarchs is seeing the young girls step into power: testifying for a renter protection act, marching for transgender rights, and meeting with various folks in Sacramento to address the issues that are important to them. The messages of why this inclusionary group is crucial for minority pre-teens may be repeated throughout the film, but they are necessary and worth hearing. Queer Genius ( June 25 at 1 pm, Castro) is director Chet Catherine Pancake’s galvanizing documentary that profiles five queer female artists. The film opens with a segment on the late Barbara Hammer, who talks about her life, her archive, her legacy and her career as visual artist. (Curator Jenni Olson will pay tribute to Hammer prior to the film’s screening.) Rasheedah Phillips and Camae Ayewa (aka Moor Mother), run a Black Quantum Futurism collective in North Philadelphia and pair soundscapes with spoken word to engage with queer voices and science fiction. They also talk about their lives and experiences and theories in compelling interviews. Queer Genius next showcases Jibz Cameron aka Dynasty Handbag, who is seen in her closets, talking about her favorite outfits, as well as performing on stage. Rounding out the documentary is a portrait of lesbian poetess Eileen Myles, who has achieved considerable fame in her career. She is seen reading her work, and discussing her life, her sobriety and her political attitudes. What emerges is an inspiring portrait of provocative and legendary artists-activists. The topical documentary For They Know Not What They Do ( June 25, 4 pm, Castro) addresses gay and trans children in evangelical Christians families. The stories range from hopeful to tragic, and there are micro and macro discussions of sexuality and gender identity issues. However, it is how these subjects navigate their family life and find their place in the world that inspires—and why viewers should forgive the film for cramming too many topics into 90 minutes. Temblores (Tremors) ( June 25, 6:30 pm, Castro) is an exquisite—and exquisitely made— drama from Guatemala about Pablo ( Juan Pablo Olyslager), an upper-class, evangelical, married father of two who leaves his family for Francisco (Maurio Armas). The ripples of his coming out create the tremors of the title as Pablo is cut off from his kids and brings shame on his family. How he negotiates his situation is compelling as Pablo learns the harsh lesson that he cannot have it both ways. Tremors is a quietly powerful film buoyed by Olyslager’s remarkable performance.

Margaret Hollyman)—the second most popular religious figure in America (after the Pope)— was looking for her own miracle. Tired of performing healings and attending revivals, she faked her own death and, according to the story presented in the film, headed off to Mexico with Kenny (Michael Mosley), and Rey (Andrea Suarez Paz), a guide. As detectives investigate McPherson’s disappearance, interviewing family members, exes and others, Sister Aimee develops a connection to Rey that is chaste, but deep. The lesbian angle may be downplayed, but Sister Aimee offers other pleasures, such as a catchy and showstopping musical number. Hollyman delivers an impressive performance here, but it is the sultry Suarez Paz who truly captivates as the woman Sister Aimee wants to be—or at least, be with. Written and directed by actor-turned-filmmaker Mike Doyle, Sell By ( June 26, 9:15 pm, Castro) is a middling romantic comedy about Adam (Scott Evans) who is five years into his relationship with internet influencer Marklin (Augustus Prew). The couple have not tied the knot yet, in part, because Marklin has money, and Adam, who paints work for another artist (Patricia Clarkson, in a cameo), does not. This makes Adam insecure, but there are other issues festering. 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. Sell By wants to address sex and intimacy, jealousy and communication, and the pleasures and pains of being single, but Doyle paints his characters too broadly. Everyone is defined by one issue— which often gets resolved off-screen. This makes the characters difficult to relate to or sympathize with, and therefore frustrating. The actors are all pleasant enough—Buteau gives the film’s standout performance—but they, like the audience, deserve more complex characters and material that is not so superficial. Searching Eva ( June 26, 9:30 pm, Roxie), is a documentary that seems fascinated with its subject, Eva, a bisexual sex worker in Berlin. Audiences, however, may find this portrait more enervating than illuminating. Director Pia Hellenthal poses Eva artfully in various tableaus—taking naked selfies, taking a shower or bath, preparing a needle for drug use, or in bed with various guys (and the occasional girl). But there is something creepy and exploitative about how these scenes are filmed. Dramatically, Searching Eva is only intermittently interesting. When the 25-year-old talks about the trap of trying to be someone or do something, there is perhaps some insight into her existential quarter-life crisis. But why she behaves the way she does remains largely unclear. She is inspiring to some of her followers—one talks about how Eva prompted her to act on a same-sex attraction—but she is also trolled in one frame, where copious messages of concern fill the screen. Is Hellenthal making a cautionary tale? Is she celebrating the freedom of a sex worker who can talk candidly about her life? How viewers respond to Eva will dictate their appreciation of this documentary. It should prompt both walkouts and polarized opinions.

ics to “It had to be LGBTQ.” Supervisor Rafael Mandelman lauded the RHW. The Rainbow Honor Walk features bronze sidewalk plaques that honor LGBTQ individuals who have made a significant difference to society in California, the U.S., or elsewhere around the world. Now spanning several blocks (and growing!), the Rainbow Honor Walk is educational and inspirational for all who walk with some of the greatest and bravest pioneers in modern history. The criteria for all nominations to be honored with an RHW sidewalk plaque are as follows: self-expressed LGBTQ individuals, now deceased, who made significant contributions in their fields. “LGBT history is world history,” said Rainbow Honor Walk Co-Founder and Board President David Perry. “These 24 individuals represent real battles fought during their lifetimes for equality, equity and justice. They are symbols to hold up to future generations so that we may learn from them and continue their work.” http://rainbowhonorwalk.org/ PAWS (PETS ARE WONDERFUL SUPPORT), a program of SHANTI PROJECT (in operation for 45 years), celebrated at the Fairmont hotel on June 6 with their annual PETCHITECTURE gala. These events always stand out, because attendees are encouraged to bring their dog companions on leash to join in the fun. My tabby cat, Panther, was of course not allowed. Event emcee was Board of Supervisors member Catherine Stefani. There was a display of two dog houses and two feline domiciles on which to bid. This was fewer than other years’ pet homes offered. The always awesome Lenny Broberg flew in from Palm Springs to lead the auctions in his inimitable style. There was an additional opportunity for one dog owner and one cat owner to bid on their pets to become PAWS Animal Idols of the Year. This year was special in recognizing one of the most impactful individuals in PAWS’ thirty-two-year history! Former PAWS Executive Director John L. Lipp received the 2019 Dede Wilsey Champion of the Human Bond Award from Dede Wilsey herself. Lipp, a person with and advocating for Parkinson’s disease, was executive director of PAWS from 2004 to 2011. We heard a touching testimony from 25-year client of PAWS, Richard Smallcomb, an AIDS survivor who has been supported by his dog. PAWS Executive Director Kaushik Roy noted that over the past year, PAWS has served 600 clients and 800 beloved companion animals. He spoke of the healing compassion—no matter what else is happening in our world—that we can always count on from our pets for unconditional love. (See page 32 for more about Petchitecture.) Sister Dana sez, “What would ‘TRUMP’ be as an acronym? ‘Tyrannical Racist Ugly Misogynist Pig.”

Inspired by the golden and silver age comics of Marvel and DC, Cheyne Gallarde reimagines drag queens as superheroes and villains all month long at STRUT, 470 Castro. With their amazing transformations and © 2019 Gary M. Kramer Sister Aimee ( June 25, 7 pm, Roxie) is, full over-the-top personas, drag queens are the disclosure, sponsored by the San Francisco Bay Gary M. Kramer is the author of “Independent modern-day superheroes that the world needs Times. Written and directed by the married cou- Queer Cinema: Reviews and Interviews,” and today. Cheyne’s work, COMIC BOOK ple Samantha Buck and Marie Schlingmann, the co-editor of “Directory of World Cinema: QUEEROES, is nostalgic, celebrating the the film (re)-imagines what happened in 1926 Argentina.” Follow him on Twitter @garymsentimental look and grit of vintage comics when Sister Aimee Semple McPherson (Anna kramer while putting a modern twist on it. On June 7, Strut held a reception for this multi-faceted artist born and raised in Hawaii. Prior to illustration, Cheyne was an awardwinning fashion photographer and also a drag queen himself. During an exclusive interview with me, Cheyne revealed his former DQ name was ANSWER (Question on page 21) “Rhonda Corner.” Cheyne’s illustration work is quintesA) Conchita Wurst sential pop art. Of course, I was immediately drawn to “Conchita Wurst” is a stage persona of Thomas Neuwirth. Neuwirth, “San Francisco Superheroes Sisters who identifies as a gay male, in 2014 performed in drag while also of Perpetual Indulgence,” and sporting full facial hair. In his latest video (“Hit Me”), Wurst has an this, which I adore: “fightentirely different look with shorter white hair. For more information ing against bigotry and hate about this Austrian performer: http://conchitawurst.com/ with fierceness.” Others I like are Heroes of History: Harvey Milk, “the Political Visionary Power by Hope;” many, many, many RuPaul Drag Superstars “revealing” their superpowers; and Miss Major is a total Trans

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