San Francisco Bay Times - June 24, 2021 cover2

June 24–July 14, 2021 http://sfbaytimes.com

Pride,Please! Bay Area Pride is all in the family for new columnist Leslie Sbrocco

PHOTO BY GARETH GOOCH PHOTOGRAPHY/SPECIAL TO THE SF BAY TIMES

Centerfold Pages 16–17

PRIDE 2021 Even Without a Parade, the Spirit of Pride Lives On On June 11 and 12, the Board and Staff of San Francisco Pride partnered with Frameline45 and Giants Enterprises at the baseball stadium for back-to-back evenings of films, drag, voguing, fireworks, and music. Pride Movie Nights at Oracle Park was a massive success, full of local talent and celebrity appearances, and we were honored to be joined by thousands of LGBTQ+ friends, family members, and allies.

“All in This Together,” then I don’t know what is.

The Movie Nights were a great opportunity to build on our longstanding friendship with Frameline, the nation’s longest-running LGBTQ+ film festival, and it was as entertaining as it was cathartic. It was, for many folks, the first time they’d been out at a public gathering that large in months.

The sight of thousands of LGBTQ+ people and allies having a good time, sharing greetings of “Happy Pride!” was such a welcome reminder of our city’s optimism.

We must a lso pause to ack nowledge another of the most important reasons San Francisco weathered COVID-19 so well. Pride isn’t merely a Celebration or a Parade, but a remembrance of the two entire generat ions sad ly lost to a n ea rl ier plague. HIV/AIDS took tens of thousands of American lives from us— and is still a threat to the well-being of our communities—so as we honor their memory, we must also recognize the herculean efforts of doctors, nurses, volunteers, and advocates who fought hard to create an infrastructure of care that’s still in place today. These healthcare heroes, too, are part of the fabric of San Francisco Pride.

Through all the uncertainty and challenge that we have faced as a community, we have stepped up to display i ncred ible creat iv it y a nd res i lience. Still, we know it is hard to envision Market Street without a Parade and Civic Center without a Celebration, when California reopened almost completely just days ago. We know how disappointing it might feel for life to return almost to normal yet lack the annual tradition of queer visibility and togetherness that is Pride.

We know it because we miss it as well, deeply.

Now, t he s y mb ol s of L GB TQ+ P r ide a re a l l a rou nd Sa n Fra ncisco. Over 300 rainbow f lags have been installed on Market Street, and a segment of the very first eight-color f lag from 1978 is on display at the GLBT History Museum in the Castro. The Pink Triangle will be illuminated every night this month. We were thrilled to partner with the African American Art & Culture Complex on a Black LGBTQ+ Liberation Event on the eve of Juneteenth. Increasingly, we can be with our friends again, and even without a Parade, the spirit of Pride lives on.

At the same time, for some of us, it still feels a little strange to pass someone on the street without wearing a mask. “Normal” is not here just yet. I encourage everyone to be compassionate to friends and family who may be taking a while to feel their usual selves.

But when we think about the sacrifices it took to get to this point, we know they were worth it. For the past 16 months, from the Queer Nightlife Fund to the Oasis telethon to the simple act of connecting online with friends, we have consistently looked out for one another. Nearly three-quarters of eligible adults in our city are fully vaccinated—and if that’s not the spirit of

While the summer is already upon us, we a re f i nd i ng ways to look ahead. We at SF Pride are excited to announce an inaugural Coming Out Day festival, a street fair we’re producing this October. (Keep an eye out for more details in the months to come.) We are looking forward to being in the streets again with all of you, sharing our collective joy and visibility. Until then, stay safe and be well.

Fred Lopez

In solidarity and with Pride, Executive Director, San Francisco Pride

SF Pride 2021 Grand Marshals and Awardees SF Pride 2021 Community Grand Marshals Public Choice, Individual Melonie and Melorra Green Co-Executive Directors of the African American Art & Culture Complex ( jointly awarded) Public Choice, Organization The Oakland LGBTQ+ Community Center SF Pride Members’ Choice Akira Jackson Executive Director, TAJA’s Coalition SF Pride Board of Directors’ Choices Clair Farley Executive Director of the Office of Transgender Initiatives and Senior Advisor to Mayor London Breed Nicole Santamaría Executive Director, El/La Para TransLatinas SF Pride 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award Morey Riordan Founding Director, Transgender Strategy Center For more information: https://sfpride.org/ S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

JUNE 24, 2021

3

The Memorial at Harvey Milk Plaza: Preliminary Design Revealed The next-generation memorial will emphasize visibility, activism, and hope The Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza (FHMP) on June 24 revealed a new vision for the Memorial at Harvey Milk Plaza that is located at the iconic intersection of Castro and Market Streets.

Inspired by Milk’s message of inclusivity and his mission of greater social justice, the new memorial aims not only to celebrate the past but also to honor his life’s work by providing space that promotes visibility for all marginalized people and provides a platform for future activism. In alignment with San Francisco’s Pride Month celebrations, the design is being shared with the public for feedback via two virtual town hall meetings—one today, 6/24, at noon—and via broader continued online engagement effort.

Like Milk himself, this unconventional memorial will be like no other.

The redesigned space will welcome, represent, and celebrate all visitors as their authentic selves, honor past activism, and provide a focal point for organizing ongoing engagement around social justice issues.

“We believe the redesign captures the public’s desire to better honor Harvey Milk and creates one of the United States’ first ‘next generation’ memorials: one that will continue to represent the values of the local community through growth and change.

The Memorial at Harvey Milk Plaza will interweave the past and the present so that it serves as a call to action for generations that follow,” explains FHMP Interim Executive Director Brian Springfield.

Included in the design are features dedicated to visibility and representation of the wide spectrum of people encompassed by the LGBTQ+ community. Public art and interactive elements celebrate LGBTQ+ culture and history while also promoting a call to action in support of social justice movements, making the Memorial at Harvey Milk Plaza a place where hope and action live on forever.

“The community expressed the desire for an unconventional memorial representative of Harvey’s personality,” said Daniel Cunningham, Project Lead at the landscape architecture firm SWA Group. “You’ll notice there is no bronze statue of Harvey to be found. The entire memorial acts as a stage, elevating the voices of the community, and allowing it to evolve with the movement over time.”

The design is anticipated to be finalized this year, and the project’s initial phase of transit station improvements is expected to break ground in 2022. Springfield emphasizes that the new design being shared is still preliminary, and that FHMP and SWA continue to seek input from the community—at the upcoming design presentation and through ongoing input gathered through an interactive online community engagement portal: https://neighborland.com/harveymilk

Four core elements will characterize the renewed plaza: The Pedestal, the Beacon, the Grove, and the Gallery. ​ ublic feedback collected since 2017 P has been incorporated into the new design, reflecting the community’s desire for an unconventional and inclusive design process and assurance that Milk’s qualities and legacy remain front-and-center. Discussions among FHMP, local landscape architecture firm SWA, local Castrobased organizations, and the general public will continue as the designs are refined.

The new design is inspired by Milk’s words, intersectional activism, and community input, with a keen eye for current and future transit needs. California Senator Scott Wiener says, “Harvey Milk Plaza is at the heart of the Castro community—a place to gather, to go about our lives, and to remember Harvey’s many contributions. Our community deserves a plaza worthy of Harvey’s memory—one that educates and allows us to organize and enjoy our amazing neighborhood. The Harvey Milk Plaza redesign is a long overdue effort to make this great plaza all it can be.”

Pedestal

“The new design of the Harvey Milk Plaza does an outstanding job of preserving and sharing Harvey’s legacy, while also creating a new and dynamic space for the community to gather,” says Mayor London Breed.

“Its emphasis on Harvey Milk’s work and inspiring everyone to activism reminds us all of how far we’ve come, and the work left to do. I want to thank the Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza for their dedication to this effort and for working closely with the Castro community to ensure this design meets the needs of the community.”

“Harvey Milk Plaza can be a space that both honors the history of the LGBTQ+ rights movement and lifts up the voices and struggles of today’s queer community, all while functioning as an inviting gateway to the Castro and Muni,” says District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who represents the Castro neighborhood and is currently the Board of Supervisors’ sole LGBTQ+ member. “The concepts being shared today are an exciting step forward in achieving that vision.”

“The best public spaces are flexible and responsive to the needs of the communities they serve. The most meaningful memorials engage the public in a dialogue with the story and ideals of those we seek to remember. The new vision for Harvey Milk Plaza is exemplary in both of these categories. The design integrates a unique and innovative memorial with a series of dynamic public spaces—all created through an extensive and ongoing community engagement process. We’re thrilled to support this project both in our role as fiscal sponsor to the FHMP and as strong advocates for active and inclusive public spaces,” says Philip Winn, Director, Parks and Place for the San Francisco Parks Alliance.

Gallery

“I’m very happy with the new design because it is the result of many conversations with LGBTQ people of color, transgender leaders, youth leadership, and powerful lesbians.

The imagery of us represented as critical parts of the LGBTQ movement is clear and important,” says Castro LGBTQ Cultural District Manager, Tina Aguirre. “The legacy of Harvey Milk is that of a multitude of voices from activists that effect change, from the days of Gay Liberation Fronts and radical lesbians to Black Lives Matter and transgender leaders of today.”

“The balance between Harvey’s history and the movement’s history feels correct to me. Harvey would have liked it,” shares photographer Danny Nicoletta, who was close friends with Milk and worked at his Castro Camera store on Castro Street.

“This design just feels right to me,” says Cleve Jones, author, activist, and community leader. “The balance of hope and action, the call-toaction for activism, and the pieces that will allow visitors to feel seen and heard—this has many of the same qualities as Harvey himself.

This belongs in the Castro—and we deserve it!”

To see more of the new design and provide your input, please visit: https://www.harveymilkplaza.org/hopeandaction

Initial funding for the project has been provided through private and public sources, including a $1 million grant from the State of California, earmarked specifically to “support construction of LGBTQ space in Harvey Milk Plaza.” The project team’s next steps include continued design refinements in response to ongoing community input, coordination with various city agencies, and progress through the approvals pro-

Grove 4

SA N F RANCISCO BAY T I ME S

J U NE 2 4 , 2 0 2 1

Beacon

cess, with a goal of being prepared to begin construction in Summer/ Fall 2022.

About Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza The Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza organization was formed in 2016, in response to SFMTA plans to install an elevator in the culturally sensitive Harvey Milk Plaza. FHMP was aware of the decades-long conversation in the community about improving the plaza, and sought

greater community involvement in the redesign effort. Since its inception, FHMP has worked to see that the community’s aspirations for the plaza are realized during the work planned at the site. Their mission is to see Harvey Milk Plaza reimagined as a welcoming, vibrant space that honors Harvey’s life and legacy, celebrates his enduring importance to the LGBTQ+ community, and inspires by acting as a beacon of hope to marginalized communities worldwide. https://www.harveymilkplaza.org/

GLBT Fortnight in Review En Fin, Fulton The Supreme Court finally released its ruling in Fulton v City of Philadelphia, the second High Court showdown between religious freedom and gay rights laws protecting public accommodation.

Perhaps you remember the first such showdown, the 2018 Masterpiece Cakeshop case featuring the Colorado baker who refused to do business with two gay men in violation of state law? I’m betting you’re not quite sure who won that case, right? You have a vague feeling that the ruling went in favor of the baker, but it was some kind of technicality so it wasn’t that bad for our side.

Well, welcome to Fulton v City of Philadelphia, another case that was decided in favor of the antigay Catholic Social Services, but was so narrowly drawn to the specifics of this case that it won’t really devastate gay rights laws for now.

It makes you wonder why the justices continue to accept these cases. Do they want to clarify the complex relationship between competing constitutional rights? Do they want to help lower courts untangle the knotty situations in which a generally applicable nondiscrimination law happens to conflict with someone’s religious expression? Do they want to let local authorities understand the scope of their civil rights statutes and help them defend said statutes against frivolous challenges?

Or do they just want to mess around with everyone’s heads?! Are they sitting back there laughing their butts off while everyone else tries to read the tea leaves to figure out who has the constitutional right of way when gay plaintiffs run into antigay Christians in a one-lane alley off the public square?

Here’s the bottom line for now. In the very short 15-page majority opinion, written by Chief Justice Roberts and joined by all three liberals plus Kavanaugh and Barrett, the Court ruled that Philadelphia could not enforce its gay rights ordinance against Catholic Social Services even though the foster care placement group refused to consider prospective same-sex foster parents.

Why? First, because operating a foster placement service wasn’t really a “public accommodation” and therefore didn’t fall under the ordinance to begin with, and second because the city’s foster care rules allowed an exception for some “discrimination” in extraordinary circumstances. The Chief also made it clear that protecting gay rights was a very important public priority, which probably was why he earned the three liberal votes. This comment, like a juicy tidbit thrown to the dog under the table, was enough to generate “phew!” reactions from all the big GLBT activist groups.

Sure, it could have been worse. Just ask Justice Sam Alito, who penned a 70-plus concurrence that I couldn’t even read, joined by Thomas and Gorsuch. Or ask Justice Gorsuch, who wrote a concurrence of his own (joined by Alito and Thomas), which was much shorter and which I did, in fact, read. A concurrence, as you know, is when a justice agrees with the majority but has his or her own rationale, and in this case, would have gone further. Indeed Alito, Thomas, and Gorsuch wanted to overturn a very useful 1990 High Court opinion that says you can’t use religion as an excuse to ignore a generally applicable secular law. That opinion, Employment Division v Smith, concerned Oregon’s drug laws, which interfered with some religious peyote ritual.

Without Smith to help bolster gay rights laws, it would be far easier for someone to claim they can’t do business with our community because of their faith. Without Smith, our side would repeatedly have to prove that we had a compelling public interest in protecting GLBTs against discrimination. That’s a high bar.

In Fulton, for example, we were indeed held to this strict standard because, as mentioned earlier, the Court (mysteriously) said Philadelphia’s gay rights ordinance was not “generally applicable” and therefore was not covered by the Smith precedent. But instead of having to prove that its gay rights law met a “compelling public interest” (which it clearly does), the Court said Philly had to prove that its decision not to grant an exception to Catholic Social Services met a “compelling public interest.”

Are you with me? More power to you. This was basically moving the goal posts in the middle of the extra point attempt and it’s why Philadelphia lost the case.

6

SA N F RANCISCO BAY T I ME S

J U NE 2 4 , 2 0 2 1

By Ann Rostow

It’s also why we don’t want to have to meet the test of strict scrutiny in each and every religious freedom case. Everyone (mostly) agrees that protecting gay and trans rights is a compelling public interest. But every case has its own details. The goal posts can be moved every time we face the test, and that would be our fate if Smith is summarily overturned.

What Just Happened?

In any event, Chief Roberts’s twists and turns managed to avoid bringing Smith into the picture, and in doing so he managed to avoid overturning the precedent, so we thank him for that, I suppose. Justice Barrett wrote a twopage concurrence of her own, joined by Kavanaugh and, in part, by Breyer, pointing out that while she didn’t like Smith, she did not want to overrule the 1990 opinion without an alternative framework that allowed for nuanced rulings.

So that was that, more or less. A confusing set of four separate commentaries, which avoided the main issue at hand by jumping through Court-generated hoops. Of course the delivery of foster care services is a public accommodation! Why wouldn’t it be? And as for the “exceptions” to the city’s anti-discrimination law, those were reserved for rare situations at the final stages of a foster placement— racist statements made by the prospective parents of a Black kid, for example. The term “exceptions” was not meant to cover a blatant antigay intake policy.

We find ourselves basically back where we started. It’s encouraging that Justice Barrett took a thoughtful approach to disrupting precedent. It’s encouraging that Roberts seems aware of the downside of opening the floodgates to antigay discrimination in public accommodation, much as he seems reluctant to revoke medical insurance for millions of Americans.

I’m not sure what to think of Kavanaugh, frankly. Alito remains our arch enemy on the Court, a man who appears to bend the law to his own bigoted ends. Gorsuch is more of a Scalia-type, conservative but oddly principled; capable of writing one of our best Court victories (Bostock) one year and recommending that religion trump gay rights (Fulton) the next.

Thomas is Thomas.

I think it was Adam Liptak of The New York Times who recently wrote that the Court was shaping up to be a three-sided triangle rather than a 6–3 conservative juggernaut. It’s true that Alito and Thomas seem alone at the extreme, but Liptak’s interesting analysis seems a little too neat. This is still a 6–3 conservative Court. It’s just a little less conservative in the middle, and the general balance is helped by the fact that the pragmatic Chief Justice, the man whose name will come to be associated with this Court’s performance, holds a little more power than the others.

What Next?

Looking ahead, it’s hard to imagine where the Court goes next as far as our goals are concerned. Will it take another one of these religion v. gay rights appeals? There’s an open petition in the case out of Washington state, where a florist declined to provide services to two gay men who were planning a wedding.

And there’s also an absurd case in the pipeline from the same Colorado baker who “won” his Masterpiece Cakeshop ruling three years ago. In the latest litigation, Jack Philips refused to bake a pink and blue cake for a transgender activist, who in turn has been deliberately goading Philips in an effort to star in her own court battle.

At least that’s how it appears to me, so I’m not rooting for that case to advance. For one thing, Jack Philips has every right not to produce and sell a specific design that undermines his beliefs, religious or otherwise. If I’m a baker, I don’t have to make you a Hitler birthday cake, period. In the original case, Philips refused all transactions with the two gay men who were getting married. He effectively refused to sell them a generic cake off his shelf, and as such he was discriminating against gay clients. That does not mean that he could be forced, let’s say, to bake a specifically gay cake. In fact, Philips does not even make Halloween products, and that’s fine. It’s not discrimination.

At issue here is what plaintiff Autumn Scardina called a “transition” cake, with a pink interior and blue icing. I’m not sure of all the details, but I think Scardina explained the purpose of (continued on page 28)

PRIDE 2021 Jewelle Gomez

Still Prideful

Works by Jewelle Gomez The Gilda Stories Available on Audible and as an Ebook Waiting for Giovanni and Leaving the Blues on Amazon.com VampyreVamp Twitter & Instagram

Leave Signs Jewelle Gomez Do I still believe in Pride?

Despite the incursion of corporate interests and cheap beer, my short answer is yes. It was decades ago that I joined my first Pride march in New York City and now I’m always in the grandstand for the SF Pride parade.

So, I can’t wait until we’re back in the streets again next year.

There are a bunch of things that I love, but in general it’s the visibility of LGBTQ+ people in the parade, in the newspapers, on television that is most significant to me. It’s hard for many folks of a younger age to remember how much of the queer community was forced to live our lives in shadow and disguise in order to keep our jobs, homes, and families. The post-traumatic stress that is engendered from living a double life has yet to be fully explored but no doubt it leaves a psychological/emotional footprint that damages our interior lives as well as warps our image in the general public.

Visibility is important not because we’re exhibitionists (although why

not!). I used to think visibility helped others recognize us as fully human rather than a scary abstraction. But we now know some folks will never see anyone they’ve already decided is dangerous. But visibility is crucial for our own sense of self and to help other Queer people have role models so they can survive those shadows.

The visibility provided by monuments is currently being examined by social equity activists across the country. Some Confederate statues erected in the South long after the Civil War in order to intimidate African Americans have been ripped from their bases. Native Americans who’ve endured the diminishment of Indigenous culture way beyond John Wayne movies have instigated similar actions. After years of their organizing, images of defeat are making way for other signs of the endurance of Native Culture; signs of Native Pride.

The Pride flag is so significant that we honor Gilbert Baker and his creation. The GLBT Historical Society is currently displaying sections of the original flag Baker created in 1978 ( https://www. glbthistory.org/ ). Gilbert spoke of the flag as a representation of our “tribal, individualistic, and collective vision.” The value of the individualistic representation can be understood

Jewelle at Pride, 1978

by the desire for others to create their own version of the flag—Transpeople, Bi, and BDSM folks each have a variation on the flag. And recently, a progressive flag was created adding stripes for Black and Brown people.

Another fabulous sign of SF Pride is the Rainbow Honor Walk—a series of bronze medallions installed in the sidewalks of the Castro. Where else would you find Federico Garcîa Lorca, Sylvester, and Gertrude Stein hanging out together? http://rainbowhonorwalk.org/ Another area tradition, a mural, (newly installed), adorns the wall of the SF LGBT Community Center.

Designed by Juan Manuel Carmona and Simon Malvaez, it’s called Queeroes and includes all the colors of the progressive Pride flag. It (continued on page 12)

Happy Lucky LGBTIQ Freedom Day! gender at all. As a counseling psychology professor, he challenged his students to question all assumptions they might bring to a client in therapy and to their lives as well— including gender.

6/26 and Beyond Stuart Gaffney and John Lewis Every year at Pride, we think of how lucky we are to be gay—as we also join with the community in rededicating ourselves to the ongoing struggle for full equality and dignity. This year, we’re particularly treasuring the unique perspective being LGBTIQ gives us on the constructs of gender and how it provides LGBTIQ people the opportunity to live inwardly and outwardly free from the constraints of gender.

We both grew up in Middle America in the 1960s and 70s, when gender norms were much more rigid than they are today. We were fortunate to have parents who themselves to varying degrees did not conform to many of the gender stereotypes of the day.

John’s dad took it a step further. He questioned people’s ability to define 8

SA N F RANCISCO BAY T I ME S

J U NE 2 4 , 2 0 2 1

When friends or colleagues came over for dinner, just as we had all sat down at the table to eat he would ask the guests a question: “Do you know what sex you are?” As soon as they responded (always either male or female), he would retort: “How do you know?” Regardless of their answer, he always had further questions to expose their assumptions and undermine their confidence in their assertions. For instance, if a person responded that their chromosomes determined their gender, he would immediately reply: “Have you personally checked your chromosomes? And what about transgender people?”

John’s dad engaged in these inquiries with others to help expose broadly how assumptions people make about themselves, other people, and anything else in life are to some degree subjective, arbitrary, and not fully accurate. They don’t reflect direct, lived experience. He wanted his students to see that as therapists their unexamined assumptions could interfere with helping their clients. More generally, he sought to shed light on how assumptions, views, and opinions can limit human communication,

connection, and ability to live life fully. He wanted people to understand the power of not judging others and not pre-judging situations.

Without realizing it, he was articulating the basis for what was happening in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, and some other parts of the country at the time: the movement then known as gay liberation and freedom—that today we call LGBTIQ Pride. At its heart lies freedom and liberation from the constraints of gender and consequently the unbound expression of our lives in all their beautiful dimensions.

Nearly 1,500 years earlier, the Bodhidharma, the legendary figure credited with bringing Zen Buddhism to China over the Silk Road, had made a similar assessment of gender. The Bodhidharma explained that the terms “male” and “female” are designations or descriptors of part of life, not fixed identities. The terms mean different things to different people at different times. He likened gender designations to labels people apply to nature such as “grass” or “trees” and myriad other parts of the physical world. He believed that people who see beyond the illusion of inherently fixed, predetermined gender identities have a greater insight into life. (continued on page 12)

PRIDE 2021

‘Mother of Pride’ Importance Disputed by Early NY Gay Liberation Front Members Do a quick Google search for “Brenda Howard” plus “Mother of Pride” and some 30,400 results are generated. They include sources such as the Legacy Project Chicago, The Advocate, the organization LGBTQ History, and, more recently, this very publication.

LEGACYPROJECTCHICAGO.ORG

According to the Cove Collective, “Brenda Howard was a bisexual activist who was one of the organizers for the New York City Pride parade. She was also integral to coining the term ‘Pride’ to represent the LGBTQ+ movement. She was arrested many times throughout her life as an activist but kept moving forward with gusto and pride.

She was most vocal about bi rights, though she did fight for LGBTQ+ rights in general, human rights, and rights for people who contracted AIDS. Howard was central for making LGBTQ+ rights heard and accepted.”

The History Channel also emphasizes Howard’s importance to the LGBT movement: https://tinyurl.com/hfu5eypy Much more has been written about Howard’s contributions, particularly to the foundations of Pride as we know it, but her legacy (she died in 2005 at age 58) turns out to be as controversial if not more so as her activism was during her lifetime.

Brenda Howard

Some of the controversy has to do with the commonly used descriptive phrase “Mother of Pride,” as revealed in this letter recently received by the San Francisco Bay Times:

We, the undersigned, are very distressed by your most recent article extolling Brenda Howard as the “Mother of Pride,” and giving her credit for everyone else’s achievements. We have no idea where you got your information. There are accurate histories available, and some of us who actually did the work are still alive.

Here are the facts: immediately after the Stonewall riots, Martha Shelley—then public spokesperson for N.Y. Daughters of Bilitis (the local lesbian organization)—called on DOB and the Mattachine Society (the gay men’s organization), and proposed a protest march. When both organizations agreed, she formed a committee to organize the march. That committee consisted of Ms. Shelley and a few men from Mattachine and immediately became the Gay Liberation Front (GLF). Brenda Howard wasn’t part of it then. The march itself took place in Washington Square one month after the riots, and ended with a rally in Christopher Park, across the street from the Stonewall Inn. Ms. Shelley and Marty Robinson spoke at the rally.

The Christopher Street Liberation Day march took place one year later. Ellen Broidy and Craig Rodwell first proposed it at the Eastern Regional Conference of Homophile Organizations (ERCHO) in the fall of 1969. The idea was accepted. Once the proposal was approved, numerous groups and individuals started the arduous process of bringing this idea to life. Ms. Howard was one among many who participated in this planning activity.

The Gay Liberation Front planned a whole week of activities before the march in June, 1970; these included workshops, panels, and receptions. They were headquartered at Washington Square Methodist Church where a GLF food committee also fed out-of-town people. Ms. Howard might have been involved with the food committee or some of the other week-long activities, but she was by no means the “Mother of Pride.” We also want to correct your comment that she was the person who popularized the word “Pride.” The slogan, “Gay Pride,” was in common use well before the June 1970 March. It had spread like wildfire throughout the community and there is no documentation of its origin.

In our recollection, Ms. Howard attended GLF meetings and some demonstrations, just like any other member. We each worked on what projects were important to us, and where our skills could best be used, and we didn’t have official leaders.

Signed, Members of NY Gay Liberation Front 1969–1972 Perry Brass, Ellen Broidy, Steven Dansky, Karla Jay, John Knoebel, Mark Segal, Martha Shelley, Allen Young What then can be concluded about Howard’s life and legacy? Should these early members of the NY Gay Liberation Front have the last word on the matter? Firsthand sources and accounts such as theirs hold tremendous value, and we only wish that Howard were still with us to share her personal account.

While it does not resolve the aforementioned, documentary footage exists of the first Christopher Street Liberation Day march held in New York City. View it and learn more at this Library of Congress site: https://tinyurl.com/kctj82sz

In Memoriam

Pioneering Lesbian Musician and Activist Alix Dobkin (1940–2021)

PHOTOS BY IRENE YOUNG

Lesbian activist and music legend Alix Dobkin died at her home in Woodstock, New York, after suffering a brain aneurism and stroke. She was 80 years old.

Dobkin, with fellow lesbian activist and musician Kay Gardner (1940–2002), recorded in 1973 what was arguably the first full-length album by, for, and about lesbians: Lavender Jane Loves Women. The songs, with titles such as “Talking Lesbian” and “Fantasy Girl,” were as bold and direct as the album’s title. As reviewer Liza Cowan wrote in DYKE A Quarterly, No. 2, in 1976: “ ... I think Lavender Jane Loves Women is a far out, brilliant

album. It is so blatant and specific, you never have to guess what Alix is singing about in a song ... It’s our history and I want to know all about it.”

Cowan continued, “One thing that I feel is so fantastic about Alix’s music is that she sings so explicitly about (continued on page 28) S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

JUNE 24, 2021

9

Pride and Juneteenth 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 has always been 100% owned and operated by LGBT individuals.

Dr. Betty L. Sullivan Jennifer L. Viegas

Aging in Community Dr. Marcy Adelman June is Pride Month in which we celebrate our history, culture, and hard-won rights. We honor our elders who fought for those rights, remember the precious lives lost to HIV/AIDS, transphobia, and homophobia, and celebrate our community’s resilience and achievements. It is also a time to call out the places, people, institutions, and gov-

ernments that continue to threaten our lives and our liberty.

the ratification of the 13th Amendment.

Pride Month is now joined by a new federal holiday, Juneteenth ( June 19th), as of the signing by President Biden of the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, federal troops finally arrived in Texas, after a 2-year delay, to enforce the Emancipation Act (1863).

Section 1 of the 13th Amendment reads: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

Despite this official abolishment of slavery in the U.S., the post-slavery struggle for civil rights was only just beginning and continues to this day.

Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery and at the same time acknowledges the agonizingly slow process to full emancipation. After the Civil War, slave owners were unwilling to give up slavery and the free labor it provided them. In the Confederate states, Black people continued to be enslaved until union troops arrived to enforce the law. In fact, it wasn’t until 6 months after June 19, on December 6, 1865, that slavery really came to an end with

As we celebrate Pride and Juneteenth, history teaches us that we need to stay strong and vigilant. We need to fight for equity and justice. We need to fight institutional racism, sexism, transphobia, and

homophobia in the courts and at the ballot box. We need to do this together.

Dr. Marcy Adelman, a psychologist and LGBTQ+ longevity advocate and policy adviser, oversees the Aging in Community column.

She serves on the California Commission on Aging, the Board of the Alzheimer’s Association of Northern California, the California Master Plan on Aging Equity Advisory Committee, and the San Francisco Dignity Fund Oversight and Advisory Committee. She is the CoFounder of Openhouse, the only San Francisco nonprofit exclusively focused on the health and well-being of LGBTQ+ older adults.

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

Co-Publishers & Co-Editors

Beth Greene, Michael Delgado, John Signer, Abby Zimberg Design & Production

Kate Laws

Welcoming Juneteenth to the Celebration of Liberation and Freedom

Business Manager

Blake Dillon Calendar Editor

Kit Kennedy Poet-In-Residence J.H. Herren Technology Director Carla Ramos Web Coordinator Mario Ordonez Distribution

Juan R. Davila Volunteer Coordinator CONTRIBUTORS Writers Rink, Sister Dana Van Iquity, Ann Rostow, Patrick Carney, Leslie Sbrocco, Heather Freyer, Kate Kendell, Heidi Beeler, Gary M. Kramer, Julie Peri, Jennifer Kroot, Robert Holgate, Dennis McMillan, Tim Seelig, John Chen, Rafael Mandelman, Jewelle Gomez, Phil Ting, Rebecca Kaplan, Leslie Katz, Philip Ruth, Bill Lipsky, Elisa Quinzi, Liam Mayclem, Karen Williams, Donna Sachet, Gary Virginia, Zoe Dunning, Derek Barnes, Marcy Adelman, Jan Wahl, Stuart Gaffney & John Lewis Brandon Miller, Jamie Leno Zimron Michele Karlsberg, 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, Deborah Svoboda, Devlin Shand, Kristopher Acevedo, Darryl Pelletier, 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 © 2021 Bay Times Media Company Co-owned by Betty L. Sullivan & Jennifer L. Viegas

Cross Currents Andrea Shorter Spring has sprung, summer is here, and Pride is back with a vengeance, baby!

As we come out, come out from wherever we’ve been sheltering in, on, and off for the past 18 months to step back into the sunshine with our vaccinated selves, we carefully, yet eagerly, ease away from the artificial warmth of glowing laptop screens beaming in another Zoom meeting or visit towards actually reuniting in person with other real live human beings we’ve had to love from afar (or at least 6 feet apart from) for so very long to enjoy whatever festivities are underway in this last week of Pride 2021.

Parade or no parade, masked or unmasked, you can’t hide the smiles, joy, and relief that celebrating Pride brings now. Of course, even as we endure the global and life-changing impacts of a pandemic, and the residual effects of the last four years of hardcourt press to quash any LGBTQ civil rights gains in the past half century, we know that we never left Pride, and Pride never left us. In fact, our community Pride has and must continue to carry our resolve and resilience to stand against pressures to divide, demean, and devalue our history, our rights to downright exist fully as our authentic selves, and to erase our trials, tribulations, and representation in the American story.

However we are healthily and wholeheartedly celebrating and embracing this year of LGBTQ Pride, let’s also celebrate in equal robust fashion that Pride now officially coincides with Juneteenth. As of President Biden’s signing of the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act on June 17 of this year, June 19 is a declared federal holiday and time of national reclamation of the fundamentally significant history of the emancipation of African Americans from slavery.

GOMEZ (continued from page 8) celebrates many who are near and dear to our hearts: Sylvia Rivera, Juanita MORE!, Sister Roma, James Baldwin, and Honey Mahogany.

I’m hoping our legends, Phyllis and Del, put in an appearance before it’s completed.

Just as these symbols are important to remind the non-queer world we will not go away, they are also valuable to us. Whether you grew up in a small town, miles from a queer community center and spent your life hidden from others, or you prance your pierced, semi-naked self through the Castro every weekend—believing in yourself and your tribe must be at the core of all of our survival.

Conservatives are reaching into their deep pockets to try to dismantle the democracy we’ve been striving for. They would see queers go back into the closets, women go back into the kitchen, and people of color return to our side of the tracks. Our mission is to make sure that doesn’t ever happen; and it won’t as long as our flag is waving and Dykes on Bikes are revving their engines.

Jewelle Gomez is a lesbian/feminist activist, novelist, poet, and playwright. She’s written for “The Advocate,” “Ms. Magazine,” “Black Scholar,” “The San Francisco Chronicle,” “The New York Times,” and “The Village Voice.” Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @VampyreVamp

12

SA N FRANCISCO BAY T I ME S

J U NE 2 4 , 2 0 2 1

Juneteenth is no longer a secret, in the closet. While it has been acknowledged and celebrated in vanguard largely by African American communities, families, and in faith for years, Juneteenth belongs to us all, and always should be for everyone who values liberation, freedom, and equality. As LGBTQ people, we should be at the forefront of welcoming and embracing the historic significance of Juneteenth.

The currents of the present anxiety-riddled movement against presenting critical race theory to new generations of an increasingly multicultural society are beyond disturbing. It’s a signal of distress that presenting, correcting, and being truthful about who, why, and how we are related in the evolution of this society are real threats to the crumbling “normalcy” of a racial majority dominance. The quest for normalizing the teaching of critical race history goes hand in hand with normalizing LGBTQ history and contributions towards the fight for liberation, freedom, and equality.

Taking pride in our own pride is the heartbeat of hope that keeps us moving forward, resilient to erasure, and stronger in our quests to live and love authentically, on our own terms. We are still forging the rocky roads to obtain and sustain our rights as fully equal LGBTQ people in this society and around the world. The dual open celebrations in June for Pride and Juneteenth should make the travels along the way towards freedom for all more vibrant and illuminating. Happy Pride. Happy Juneteenth.

Andrea Shorter is a longtime Commissioner for the City and County of San Francisco, now serving on the Juvenile Probation Commission after 21 years as a Commissioner on the Status of Women. She is a longtime advocate for gender and LGBTQ equity, voter rights, and criminal and juvenile justice reform. She is a co-founder of the Bayard Rustin LGBTQ Coalition, and was a David Bohnett LGBT Leaders Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

GAFNEY & LEWIS (continued from page 8) As LGBTIQ people, we are lucky because one or more prominent elements of our lives—be it our love, sexual attraction, gender identity, appearance, way of thinking, or personal expression—defies the confines of the strict gender binary. We have the chance to see clearly through arbitrary definitions of gender and live more beautifully nuanced, complex, and creative lives than those dictated by strict gender norms. And we can help show the world that no one should have to live under artificial constraints.

Kathleen Sullivan For many of us, what the world calls “male” and “female” are dynamically at play within us. And what that interplay is capable of producing can be a gift to the world in ways big and small. Indeed, many Native Americans for millennia considered “Two Spirit” people to be a gift of supernatural intervention. We should all consider our own unique sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression to be that sacred.

Happy Gay Liberation Day, Happy LGBTIQ Freedom Day, Happy Pride!

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

Investing in Our Children’s Mental Well-Being when compared to the previous year.

For youngsters five to eleven years old, the rate was 24 percent higher, while adolescents twelve to seventeen years old jumped 31 percent.

Assemblymember Phil Ting As we move on from the pandemic, it is clear back-to-normalcy won’t happen quickly, especially for our kids.

Not only did they lose more than a year of in-person learning, but they also missed out on some emotional and social development that comes with human interaction. Isolation, anxiety, stress, and depression are among the impacts of distance learning, and such effects simply don’t go away once school reopens. In fact, they can be long-lasting.

But thanks to a budget surplus and an infusion of federal funds, California is in a unique financial position to make transformational change to our youth’s mental health system. As Assembly Budget Chair, I wholeheartedly support an investment of more than $4 billion to make this major shift happen. We need to address our children’s needs now and prepare for a possible post-pandemic crisis down the line.

A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control found that, from midMarch to October 2020, emergency room visits among children having mental health issues rose dramatically

Think about the ones who didn’t go to the ER. There must be thousands more quietly suffering, not knowing how to ask for help or where to turn.

Let’s face it. Even before COVID19, our youth behavioral health system was challenging to navigate.

Our new state budget aims, however, to make access to mental health services easier for our children, youth, and college students.

Many improvements we hope will make a difference are included in the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative. Through the state budget, this initiative expands and strengthens the partnerships between the school districts and their county behavioral health departments, so they can better connect students to mental health screenings and care. With increased grant funding, more providers will be available and more services can be offered onsite at schools.

language and culturally competent services. Similarly, income shouldn’t determine whether children can get help. For families on Medi-Cal, dyadic developmental psychotherapy will be added to their benefits, as well as services to address mild to moderate mental health needs.

And in under-resourced neighborhoods, we can scale up youth dropin wellness centers. We additionally hope to develop a Peer Social Media Network to support K–12 students who are being bullied, or at risk of being bullied, based on race, ethnicity, or language spoken.

Of course, a revamp of this significance to our mental health system will require a bigger corps of behavioral health professionals, including psychiatrists, substance abuse counselors, and social workers. California will invest in programs like apprenticeships and peer training. We will also boost education loan repayment, scholarships, and stipends to encourage more Californians to enter the behavioral health field.

We also want to address trauma.

Prior to the pandemic we knew that students go through Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), which are linked to chronic health problems, substance abuse, and mental illness.

They can also negatively impact academic performance, job opportunities, and earning potential. The state budget will allocate funding to research, treat, and prevent ACEs.

Unquestionably, the urgency for mental health services in our postpandemic world has grown. We must meet the challenge. If your children are in need of such support, this budget will be there for them. If you have a desire to help our kids, now is the time to get into the profession.

Helping our children regain their social and emotional footing is just as important as catching them up academically, if we want them to grow up to be healthy adults.

Furthermore, we must address equity in services and care, ensuring there are no mental health disparities among varying communities, particularly for children who require

Phil Ting represents the 19th Assembly District, which includes the Westside of San Francisco along with the communities of Broadmoor, Colma, and Daly City.

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

JUNE 24, 2021

15

PRIDE

Pride is all in the family for Leslie Sbrocco!

Leslie Sbrocco Pride Photoshoot On a windy San Francisco morning in June by the Golden Gate Bridge, our intrepid columnist Donna Sachet with talented photographer Gareth Gooch met with new San Francisco Bay Times columnist Leslie Sbrocco and her friend and colleague (also co-owner of Kutch Wines) Kristen Green of Kristen Green Public Relations. Sachet, formerly of Saks Fifth Avenue and a fashion icon in her own right, served as stylist.

The delicious baked goods in the photos came from Noe Valley Bakery's Pride selection. The line now includes a Pride Cake, Got Pride? Cake (chocolate instead of vanilla frosting), a Trans Pride Cake, a Bi Pride Cake, Pride Rainbow Cupcakes, and a colorful Noe Valley Bakery Pride t-shirt.

Sbrocco's daughter Grace was present too, and even designed her mother's one-of-a-kind Pride-themed shoes!

(See close-up in this section.) Thanks to her and to all who made the memorable photoshoot possible during this busy Pride Month.

Special thanks to Kristen Green, Gareth Gooch, Donna Sachet, and the Noe Valley Bakery

to asking for more money for charities."

Sbrocco Sips Leslie Sbrocco (Editor's Note: In this 2021 Pride Month issue of the San Francisco Bay Times we are proud to introduce a new column authored by multiple Emmy award winner Leslie Sbrocco, who is the host of Check, Please! Bay Area as well as 100 Days, Drinks, Dishes & Destinations on PBS. She is a recipient of the prestigious James Beard award and is the author of several best-selling books.

Voted one of the Top 100 most influential people in the American wine business, Sbrocco has toured with Oprah Winfrey and is among the country's most sought-after wine speakers.

Sbrocco, whose daughter Grace is an out and proud member of the LGBTQ community, is a longtime ally. Many prominent members of our community have appeared as guests on Check, Please!

Bay Area, including Bay Times columnist David Landis (The Gay Gourmet, also in this issue).

With Liam Mayclem, another Bay Times columnist, she has generously given of her time to host ChefsGiving, a restaurant-driven fundraiser for Northern California fire relief. She has also donated her time for efforts in the fight against breast cancer.

A popular, highly successful auctioneer at fundraisers, Sbrocco told The Weekly Calistogan: "I have no shame when it comes

16

SA N FRANCISCO BAY T I ME S

In "Sbrocco Sips," she will share her incomparable wine savvy concerning vino for every budget.

We love that this first official article in the column series—after a soft launch in our first issue of June—includes Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé. It is a sparkler that she enjoys so much that it led to a stylish, prominent tattoo. She explains more here.)

It’s time to celebrate with Pride!

Try these recommendations for Pride parties and upcoming summer sipping.

Beauty of Bubbles There’s nothing better than bubbles to celebrate and these picks span the price spectrum from steal to splurge: Josep Ventosa ‘Brut Nature 1941’ Cava, Spain $14

https://tinyurl.com/3jdevpan

This is a splurge but one of my favorite wines in the world. I love Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé so much I actually got a tattoo of a glass of it on my right calf! It’s truly a benchmark for pink sparkling. The Brut Rosé is a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, and Pinot Noir vinified as red wine making it rich and full-bodied. Pair alongside pork roast with mushrooms.

Red, White & Pink Toast to the upcoming July 4th holiday with these colorful wines: 2020 Domaine Wachau Gruner Veltliner Federspiel, Wachau, Austria $18

https://tinyurl.com/3jkkbj2p

https://www.domaene-wachau.at/en/

This is a crisp, bone dry-styled Cava that packs a quality punch for the price. Cava is Spanish sparkling wine and this delicious fizz is a blend of the traditional grapes of the region: Xarello, Macabeu, and Parellada. Try with sushi for a perfect pairing.

Looking for something light and lively to ring in summer? This wine is it. Made from the famous grape variety of Austria—Gruner Veltliner—it’s a dry white that might be new to many wine drinkers.

Aromas of lemon peel and mineral notes followed by a ping of zesty freshness showcase its unique character.

Dr. Loosen ‘Extra Dry’ Sekt, Mosel, Germany $25 https://tinyurl.com/4krefm9d

Sekt is German sparkling wine and it’s one to discover if you’re a bubble lover. This lightly sweet bubbly is lush and lovely.

It’s made from Riesling—Germany’s signature white grape—which gives it complexity and unique aromas and flavors of orange blossom and nectarines. Saddle it up to spicy fare from Kung Pao chicken to Birria tacos.

Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé, Champagne, France $80 J U NE 2 4 , 2 0 2 1

fish tacos. Pour yourself a glass of this pale pink to begin (and end) any party in style.

2018 Blue Quail ‘Old Vine’ Zinfandel, Potter Valley, Mendocino County, California $24 https://tinyurl.com/x2yba2ks

Zinfandel is California’s heritage grape variety, and it produces wines of full-bodied flair. I call Zins the "black leather pants" of the wine world because they’re wild and fun. The Blue Quail is a perfect balance of spicy intensity and fresh dark berry notes wrapped together in a wine of sleek style. These old vines bring a sweet/tart character to the wine that is simply delectable.

Uniquely Delicious Try these succulent discoveries for summertime sipping:

2020 Minuty ‘M’ Rosé, Côtes de Provence, France $22

Decoy Seltzer Chardonnay with Lemon & Ginger, California $15 (per four pack of cans)

https://tinyurl.com/wd83dejy

https://www.decoyseltzer.com

A classic of Provence, this wine is a beauty to sip and savor in warm weather. Light and juicy with aromas of orange zest and strawberries, it’s a dry style that pairs with just about anything from your back patio to a bathtub. In terms of food pairings, think of it with tuna poke or spicy

Wines in cans are a hot commodity these days, but how do you know you’re getting the good stuff? Look for a familiar name. These newly released wine seltzers are made with high-quality Decoy wines and come in flavors from Rosé with Black Cherry to Sauvignon Blanc & Vibrant Lime. I enjoy the exotic tones of the Chardonnay with Lemon & Ginger. At 80 calories a single-serve

can and a whisper of alcohol (only 5.5%) they’re oh so easy to imbibe.

2019 S.A. Prüm Essence Riesling, Mosel, Germany $11 https://tinyurl.com/txjbmv6c

If you enjoy wine with fruity freshness, try this affordably succulent sipper from one of Germany’s famed producers, S.A. Prüm. Riesling is a grape producing wines that range from bone dry to sweet.

This one showcases a hint of sweetness that dances with vibrant acidity making it light on its feet. It will become your staple summer sipper. Prost!

2018 Mt. Beautiful Pinot Noir, North Canterbury, New Zealand $28 https://www.mtbeautiful.com

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and this wine is beautiful to all who see and taste it.

Sauvignon Blanc is New Zealand’s noted grape, but Pinot Noir is actually a rising star in the country. One of the rockstar Pinot producers is Mt. Beautiful. Hailing from North Canterbury on the South Island, which is surrounded by mountains and rivers, this winery crafts layered, elegant Pinot Noir with earthy intensity and red berry fruit notes. Pair it with creamy cheeses and grilled salmon and toast to the beauty in life.

Author, speaker, wine consultant, and television host Leslie Sbrocco is known for her entertaining approach to wine and food. She has won multiple Emmy Awards for her work on PBS, which includes hosting the series "Check, Please! Bay Area" and "100 Days, Drinks, Dishes & Destinations." www.LeslieSbrocco.com

E 2021

BAY TIMES S

A

N

F

R

A

N

C

I

S

C

O

LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area

CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2021)

Photos by Gareth Gooch Photography/Special to the San Francisco Bay Times

Mother's Pride: A Conversation with TV Host & Wine Educator Leslie Sbrocco "Thirsty Girl." She has been named among the 100 most influential people in the U.S. wine industry by IntoWine (landing in the top 20 at number 16).

Liam’s LGBTQI List Liam P. Mayclem “Expressive, legs for days with buckets of personality”—but enough about the wine; let’s talk about everyone’s favorite food and wine TV personality Leslie Sbrocco. She is actually all those things and more.

For 15 years, Leslie has come into our living rooms, presiding over the Check, Please! guests as they share their critiques of Bay Area restaurants. She is also known across the country for her National PBS show 100 Days, Drinks, Dishes & Destinations. She reaches many more with her regular appearances on the TODAY Show on NBC. Leslie is also a wine educator, sharing her passion for vino and the people who make it with audiences around the world through her blog

Leslie Sbrocco and Liam Mayclem Photo by Rick Camargo

The energetic, effervescent Leslie also makes time to show up for community, and that includes the LGBTQ+ community to which she has a personal connection.

Liam P. Mayclem: What does Pride mean to you?

Leslie Sbrocco: Pride is a celebration for everyone, shining a light on diversity and inclusion and on acceptance. And I am a proud mother of my daughter Grace, who is part of the LGBTQ+ community along with my nephew and my uncle. I feel at home, frankly, with a community that is inclusive and embraces one and all for being who you are.

Liam P. Mayclem: How was that coming out moment with your daughter Grace for you as a mom?

Leslie Sbrocco: We (Leslie and her husband Leonard) were driving across the Golden Gate Bridge and Grace told us she was in a relationship, and we adore her girlfriend.

For us, it was just like okay, well, that's nice. I mean I didn't even bat an eye. And you know what I've found is just a sense of peace.

I think when somebody recognizes who they are there's a feeling of calm and peace and just Pride.

I'm so proud of her. She's so talented. She drew me a pair of shoes that are very special to wear for the Pride shoot for the San Francisco Bay Times.

Grace just graduated from City College with a certificate in graphic design. She’s an amazing artist. So, when I think about Pride, I think about Grace, and as a mom, I am

just so very, very proud of who she has become. (Leslie is also very proud of her son, Dominic.)

Liam P. Mayclem: Check, Please! Bay Area is one of if not the longest running local TV food shows. It is about giving the ordinary food fan an opportunity to give their critique of local restaurants.

Isn't it true that an extraordinary man, Barack Obama, who went on to become president, was on an early Chicago edition of the show?

Leslie Sbrocco: He certainly was.

The show originated in my hometown of Chicago, where I grew up.

I wasn't in Chicago when he lived there, but he was one of the first guests (on Check, Please!) when he was state Senator Obama. I saw the show not too long ago and he looked so young and was so articulate. I thought: In the time that he's done that, he's now controlling the free world and has changed our lives forever. Amazing!

Liam P. Mayclem: You have always championed women in your stories and work in the wine world. Was this a conscious choice?

Leslie Sbrocco: Focusing on women in wine has always been important to me and then telling stories about amazing women in the industry making and creating wine. If we need to talk about the wine industry itself, it's gotten so much more inclusive and so much better. And yet we have so much work to do. I just noticed as I spoke around the country and would lead wine and education seminars that I wanted to empower the women in the audience. I noticed the difference in the questions they would ask. (They were) smart and curious, and frankly better tasters.

I really wanted to say to women that if you love wine, I want to share some of my knowledge and give you some language to work with and help you find out what you like and you don't like. That’s it.

I think we've come so far Liam Mayclem, Leslie Sbrocco and Greg Quiroga and now have a growing Photo by Rick Camargo number of female wineLeslie Sbrocco: This is the hardmakers and also female CEOs of est because there are so many wineries. I'm proud of taking an guests whom I would love to have. early stand to support and inspire I just watched the PBS documenwomen; it matters to me. tary on Hemingway. What a charLiam P. Mayclem: We were all acter! He was fascinating, and in affected by the pandemic. How his prime probably a fun drinking did it affect the production of companion. Then the one and only Check, Please! Bay Area?

Dolly Parton. She is most magnificent human and I love her style and Leslie Sbrocco: Good news: everything about her. She would we're getting back into producdefinitely be the other dinner guest. tion. Obviously, we couldn't film We would, of course, be drinking anything last year, right? We went champagne. And with Hemingway, through a whole cycle of both my I'm not sure I'd want to do a body shows, 100 Days, Drinks, Dishes & shot off Hemingway. But hey, you Destinations and Check, Please! Bay know, Dolly would be better!

Area, being shuttered. We couldn't Liam P. Mayclem: To eat at really do anything, other than that Last Supper? repurpose some previously produced segments. It was tough not Leslie Sbrocco: Just some lovely being out there with my crew, my sushi choices with champagne. work family.

That's like my go-to when I'm feelLiam P. Mayclem: Put your DJ hat on. What are you listening to now?

ing low. That makes me happy.

Leslie Sbrocco: I'm a Brazilian jazz person. I love to listen to Brazilian music, anything by Astrud Gilberto. It gets me in an outdoor summertime mood. I imagine myself on the beach at Copacabana sipping a caipirinha. I also listen to Hawaiian music and imagine myself on the beach in Hawaii drinking. There is a theme here!

Leslie online https://www.lesliesbrocco.com

Liam P. Mayclem: The Last Supper question. You can have two guests—who will they be and what will you eat and drink?

Check, Please! Bay Area https://www.kqed.org/checkplease

Emmy Award-winning radio and television personality Liam Mayclem is regularly featured on KPIX as well as KCBS, where he is the popular Foodie Chap. Born in London, Mayclem is now at home in the Bay Area, where he lives with his husband, photographer Rick Camargo.

For more information: https://www.bookliam.com/

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

JUNE 24, 2021

17

Bacardí Limon rum + fresh and tart lemonade = the Lemon Slay;

Kokak: The Tiffany of Chocolates Entrepreneur Carol Gancia introduces high-end luxury chocolates to the Castro

Coconut Kween is a combination of light Bacardí Coconut rum and fresh pineapple juice;

grass. We also serve Cacao Porridge. This is a friendship porridge between the Mexicans and the Filipinos, since both were colonized by the Spanish. When Mexicans visited the Philippines in the 1500s, they brought chocolates. Filipinos made a porridge out of it—a chocolate, sticky rice porridge. We gave it a different twist—condensed milk, coconut, Japanese rice, and chocolate.”

Bacardí Lime + your favorite fizzy mixer = the Limelight Cooler;

Cocktails With Heather Heather Freyer (Editor’s Note: Many of us at the San Francisco Bay Times have long admired LGBTQ community member Heather Freyer for her incredible work ethic, coolness in the face of work and event chaos, talent, and dedication to local nonprofits. We have seen her countless times volunteering at fundraisers, including for HRC. How she finds time to do that is beyond us, since her day job is serving as Vice President and General Manager for Open West States at Bacardí USA. Cocktails with Heather are always first rate, so in this Pride edition we begin a new series that will share recipes, tips, and additional info to enhance your Pride celebrations, cocktail hours, and any other occasions that you wish to dress up—or perhaps dress down—with a refreshing elixir.)

and Pineapple Pride with its mix of Bacardí Pineapple rum and your favorite lemon-lime soda will transport you to the tropics.

Serve all four at your next event and impress your guests while making things easy for yourself.

From Dragon Berry to Banana, rum comes in other cocktailready flavors that can be delivered to your home. For more information, go to: https://bit.ly/3wTL5vx Heather Freyer is a beverage expert who is the Vice President and General Manager for Open West States at Bacardí USA. Previously she was with Trinchero Wine Estates, Castle Rock Winery, Cost Plus World Market, and more.

The Gay Gourmet David Landis She’s adorable. Effervescent. Immediately likeable. You can tell she has a good heart. And even better, she has good taste.

That would be Carol Gancia, the dynamo Filipino-American entrepreneur who has brought artisan chocolates back to the Castro (at 18th and Sanchez) with her quirky and artistic brand, Kokak Chocolates. Those with a memory may recall the days of Joseph Schmidt, whose eponymous chocolate operation ran for years in the ‘hood. But Carol has taken chocolate making and design to a whole new artistic level. The Gay Gourmet likes to call them “the Tiffany of chocolates.”

Kokak’s whimsical differentiators include the unique artistic designs on every chocolate. I asked Gancia: who designs them and what are they made of? “I select all the designs, but I don’t make them from scratch,” Gancia explains.

“They’re from different artists.

The design is colored cacao butter, a thin layer of which gets printed into plastic sheets. When we’re making the chocolate, we have molded chocolates. We pour wet chocolate on the sheet and when it dries, it adheres to those designs.

It’s a 2 to 3-day process. We want it to be strong enough so it doesn’t crack. You wait for the filling to set. Once it’s hard, we unmold it

What’s on the horizon for Kokak Chocolates? “For this month, we have introduced a seasonal artisanal chocolate bar (“Freedom 1896 Artist Palette Heirloom”), with the colors of the Philippine flag, to honor Philippine Independence Day ( June 12). We have a special ‘Love is Love’ 9-piece Pride box for Pride month (also this month) and we celebrated our first anniversary on June 16.”

Why did Gancia decide to locate in the Castro?

“My downtown is the Castro; it’s dear to my heart.

Growing up in the Philippines, I knew I was a lesbian, but it was a ‘hush-hush’ kind of thing. I couldn’t say it out loud in a way that you can be out and proud in San Francisco. When I moved here, I felt free. The Castro was my neighborhood of choice. I love having a small business and being in touch with the community that serves me.”

The Gay Gourmet asked Gancia for the San Francisco Bay Times, “How has your Filipino heritage influenced your chocolates?”

She replies, “A lot. My main theme is tropical pond life, with the inspiration coming from the Philippines.

We have 29 flavors now, but one of our best sellers is kalamansi, a Philippine lime the size of a quarter, with the flavor of orange and lime.

I decided to make it into a chocolate truffle. Another popular flavor is our mango lemongrass. Mango is the Philippines’ national fruit and I think that the Philippines has the best mangoes in the world—not fibrous at all, they’re fresh, smooth, and sweet. I made the chocolate more interesting by adding lemon18

SA N FRANCISCO BAY T I ME S

J U NE 2 4 , 2 0 2 1

How does Gancia get that kind of quality? “I use Arriba Nacional cacao from Ecaudor,” says Gancia.

“A typical chocolatier wouldn’t choose this because it’s very expensive. I tried different chocolates when I started with a pop-up store and this one ‘blew my mind.’

It was so arresting and I was so drawn to it. I don’t like compromising. My cacao is single origin, which means good quality. It’s also certified Fair Trade, which makes it a traceable source. The people growing and processing the cacao are doing the right things—paying their people well. It’s important that the source has integrity. But I don’t just buy single origin because it’s single origin; it has to be flavorful.”

How did Gancia survive the pandemic? “During the pandemic, neighbors were so supportive,” Gancia says. “They went on their walks and would stop by and buy chocolates from us and say, ‘We want you to stay open.’ I was very touched by that. A lot of those original customers are still our customers today.

Three months after opening, I decided to strengthen our e-commerce presence and do shipping. That was a big game changer. That’s when we started getting more orders— unprecedented orders—and we were shipping all over the country. Things turned around last Christmas.”

Why the name Kokak? “When I started the chocolate shop,” explains Gancia, “I wanted to be different. I like hanging out in chocolate shops. Before I started the business, that’s where I would hang out every weekend. I wanted a brand that was approachable, friendly, and unique. Kokak (which means “ribbit,”—yes, like frogs—in English) has a story.

I’m from the Philippines and went to a university there where there was a pond, lily pods, and animal life—that was the picture in my head.

I wanted to tell the story of tropical pond life—through chocolates.”

This June, with Pride celebrations happening across the country, Bacardí rum in tropical flavors is an easy base for quick cocktails:

olates that you don’t find with other brands—and a lovely, sweet aftertaste that lingers. In particular, I loved the Cacao Porridge—a blend of chocolate, puffed rice, and coconut that is nothing like anything I’d had before. The flavors balance sweet with texture in a way that tastes luscious and satisfying.

“Ultimately,” summarizes Gancia, “we would like our chocolate to be a sweet instrument to help create and remember happy chocolate moments with loved ones near and far.”

Bits and Bites and the design is there. The shelf life is long because it keeps oxygen away. Everything is handmade and everything is made in the shop.”

The Gay Gourmet can attest to the quality of these one-of-a-kind chocolates. I sampled many different flavors: single origin Ecuador, sea salt caramel, Earl Grey tea, matcha white, and more. But my favorites were those tropical iterations, especially the aforementioned kalamansi, the passion fruit, and the mango lemongrass.

Those flavors for me evoke an island paradise. There is a richness and a complexity to Kokak Choc-

It’s still the month to celebrate Pride, so here are some foodierelated offerings to whet your appetite: Curio Bar and Restaurant in the Mission has brunch drag shows on June 26th at noon, 1, 2, and 3 pm; The Vault Garden also hosts its popular “Tits Up” drag brunches June 26 at 11 am and 2 pm; New Belgium Brewing San Francisco is introducing a “Love Conquers Ale” beer (a partnership with Samuel Adams), where 100% of the proceeds are donated to GLAAD; and Rooftop bar Charmaine’s (at the Proper Hotel) is celebrating all month long with rainbow cocktails. Each cocktail (continued on page 28)

“CAN’T? ... That’s a word that drag queens don’t know.”

–Loosely quoted from Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

By Donna Sachet

L

ike some of the best ideas to ever surface, Pride Brunch was born during a conversation at The Edge in the Castro over several (make that many) drinks. In 1999, we were serving with Gary Virginia on the Board of Directors of Positive Resource Center at the time and tossing around ideas to raise funds to continue the important work they did. We both knew friends personally who had directly benefited from the sensitive and knowledgeable assistance of PRC in obtaining benefits after receiving a positive HIV test result. Lives that could have spiraled into despair were instead put on a new trajectory with essential support and positive encouragement. We also knew people who had lived with an AIDS diagnosis for years and who returned to productive work after receiving guidance and training at PRC. As this once fatal disease became a more manageable condition with medication, people who had given up or were struggling against insurmountable odds found new hope through PRC. Small fundraisers, especially at bars like The Edge, had been successful, but we were looking for an annual signature event that fit the agency’s needs and would appeal to our diverse group of friends and contacts.

Although the details get hazier as the years go by, Gary remembers pulling Rusty Gaspard into the conversation. Rusty worked with famous chef Jeremiah Tower at Star’s and offered his help. Gary threw out the idea of finding a slot during SF Pride week when people were already celebrating. Picturing the usually packed schedule that weekend, we were less than enthusiastic. Long story short, we hit upon the idea of a brunch on the day before the Pride Parade, perhaps at Stars, and the details developed from there.

So, in June of 1999, Gary Virginia & Donna Sachet’s Pride Brunch began its 22-year history, bringing us to this weekend when our second virtual event, A Taste of SF Pride, will air on Saturday, June 26, at noon. As always, it will benefit PRC and will again honor the Grand Marshals of SF Pride, offering each of them a chance to address our guests with prerecorded video messages. And as always, there will be a number of surprises along the way. In preparing a short video montage of the many past Pride Brunches, a host of memories rose to the surface, a few of which we thought we would share here.

At either the very first or second Pride Brunch, both at Star’s restaurant, we were surprised by the appearance of Mayor Willie Brown. Remember, we were just starting out and although we had a great, enthusiastic crowd, we had no expectation that the Mayor of San Francisco would drop by. Grand Marshals that year included Phyllis Lyon & Del Martin and Harry Hay, all of whom attended. The Mayor entered while we were speaking on the microphone, but Gary saw him and quickly let me know. Off the top of our head, we came up with an impromptu introduction, something like, “We have a lovely surprise for you all. Someone has just joined our event who needs no introduction, whose fame and power are exceeded perhaps only by the President of the United States.

Please welcome Mayor Willie Brown.” He graciously took the microphone, thanked us, and said, “Donna, the only difference between President Bill Clinton and me is that I don’t lie about who I f***!” To say we were flummoxed would be an understatement. We glanced over at Phyllis & Del, who were staring at each other in amazement. Gary fortunately took the microphone and continued the event. What a quote and what a memory!

Of all the many Celebrity Grand Marshals, including Sharon Gless, Andy Bell, Bruce Vilanch, Tabatha Coffey, Alan Cumming, the casts of The L Word, Looking, and MILK, and so many others, we were most touched by the attendance of Sir Ian McKellan in 2002. Many times, the Celebrity Grand Marshals only come into town on Saturday night in time to ride in the Pride Parade the next day, so we are always particularly thrilled to have them at the Pride Brunch. The crowd of attendees was up to 200 by then and, of course, Ian was swamped with admirers. He sat at the head table with the other Grand Marshals, enjoying his brunch and posing for the occasional photograph, and was the last scheduled speaker. As he approached the microphone, someone in the crowd yelled, “Let’s see your tattoo!” Evidently, advance press had noted that he had recently gotten a tattoo of which he was rather proud and there were those in the audience that wanted a peek. Ian was perfectly composed, saying in his British clip, “Not yet. I have some prepared remarks.” He went on to share some powerful words about his own coming out late in life and the power he felt afterwards, and the crowd applauded warmly. He began to leave the podium, but suddenly turned back, saying, “You still want to see it?” To uproarious applause, he unbuttoned his shirt and pulled back one side to expose a fresh tattoo on his shoulder, the number nine in Elvish, a memento of his time working on The Lord of the Rings. What a great sport and what a memory!

During the 22 years we have produced Pride Brunch, both hosts were honored at different times with Grand Marshal designations, presenting the rather odd situation of introducing each other to speak. Never were we more aware of how much we valued our friendship than when we had to compose a proper introduction for Gary. Pride Brunch has grown into a wonderful event, raising significant funds for PRC, affording the Grand Marshals a rare opportunity to address the public, and giving us the opportunity to gather our friends together during Pride for a spirited celebration. It is, however, a pretty big endeavor. While we receive and appreciate help from PRC staff and other volunteers, it is our event and we control many details in order to deliver an event we take pride in. It may come as a surprise to some of our readers, but in the course of preparations, sometimes tempers run hot, patience runs short, and tensions simmer. It is a testament to a true and grounded friendship that despite differences of opinion, we have always succeeded in dividing responsibilities, trusting each other, and bringing our individual strengths together. None of us take enough time to appreciate the people in our lives, much less our dearest friends, but that year, we had the chance to thank Gary publicly for his years of service, his unwavering integrity, and his loyal friendship. Yes, there were some tears and there was a standing ovation. What a friend and what a memory!

The stories could go on and on, but why not see for yourself! Tune in to the 23rd annual Pride Brunch this Saturday, June 26, at noon, as we take a tour of San Francisco sites with special significance to our community. Complete details appear in the ad across from this column. See us in action, bid on fabulous auction items, hear PHOTO BY SHAWN NORTHCUTT

Thursday, June 24 Divas & Drinks at the Academy With Donna Sachet, Mayor London Breed, SF Pride Community Grand Marshal Clair Farley, DJ Rockaway, Heather Freyer’s team from Bacardi, Anna Chase of Olivia, Kelly Gilliam of Mecca 2.0, and more The Academy, 2166 Market Street 6–10 pm $20 www.theacademy-sf.com Thursday, June 24 San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus: Wired Incredible choral music, meaningful messages, special guests Virtual concert including Homophonics and Lollipop Guild 6 pm Free! www.sfgmc.org Friday, June 25 An Evening with Donna Sachet Cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, music, blackjack The Academy, 2166 Market Street $65 www.theacademy-sf.com Saturday, June 26 Frameline 45 Film Festival at the Castro Theatre After 14 months, the Castro Theatre reopens!

11 am, 3 pm & 6 pm $14 & up www.frameline.org Saturday, June 26 Gary Virginia & Donna Sachet’s 23rd annual Pride Brunch Online event featuring A Taste of San Francisco Pride with Grand Marshals of SF Pride & others Silent auction, delivered brunch & gift bags Benefits PRC Noon–1:30 pm $50 & up www.prcsf.org Sunday, June 27 Frameline 45 Film Festival at the Castro Theatre Closing Night 11 am, 2:30 pm & 6:30 pm $14 & up www.frameline.org Sunday, June 27 Juanita MORE!’s Pride Party Benefits SF Bay Area Queer Nightlife Fund & Imperial Council of SF 620 Jones Noon–10:30 pm $85 & up www.juanitamore.com

from each Grand Marshal, help support the work of PRC, and get ready for a few surprises along the way!

And next year, we feel confident that the 24th annual Pride Brunch will be live and in person, so get ready to celebrate!

Meanwhile, we wish you a hearty Happy Pride, San Francisco! Thank you for reading our column and for sharing our pride in this incredible City and our extraordinary community. Let’s make many more fabulous memories together!

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

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

JUNE 24, 2021

21

BAY TIMES S

Coming Out Stories

A

N

F

R

A

N

C

I

S

C

O

LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area

CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2021)

Coming Out as a Lesbian to Myself, Family, Friends, and the Dyke Community

By Janet Rachel Growing up with the values of the 1940s & 1950s in white, segregated middle-class neighborhoods, I wasn’t prepared for the shock, anxiety, fear, or relief of coming out as a lesbian. We learned to model our futures after the TV shows Father Knows Best and Leave It to Beaver, which held that you better not wear green on Thursday or people would call you a fairy, that our gym teacher met with other female gym teachers in secret, and that girls go to college for a “Mrs. degree,” only majoring in teaching, social work, or nursing.

Lesbian novels were full of heartbreak and suicide. I fit in because I was feminine (ironically, that became a problem later) and dated boys. My crushes on girls were a phase of immaturity that would pass, right? After college I married a good man and had an amazing son. But change was in the air.

The first coming out was to myself. We lived a happy hippie life in the 60s, until I met a few lesbians through our lesbian roommate and gay brother (yes, it can run in families ... aunts, uncles, cousins too),

22

SA N FRANCISCO BAY T I ME S

and I was totally intrigued by these women. Then I fell in love with the roommate. My second coming out was summoning up the courage to tell my husband, and being relieved that he was supportive. Next was telling the roommate, which was terrifying. She was surprised but open to trying a relationship with me in our hippie family. But, in the end, I realized I was a lesbian and not Bi, so there went our happy hippie family.

Next was telling my parents. Although there was pain involved for everyone, they became supportive. Mom wanted me to be happy, but was scared I was headed for a very hard life ... still a common reaction of parents today. Those tear-jerky lesbian novels! Dad would ask, “How did you and your brother become homosexual when your mother and I are so het-row?” For Christmas, I gave my mom the book Lesbian Woman by Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin. There was no PFLAG in those days, no internet, and library books were few and mostly supportive of old values and thinking. It was my opportunity to educate them, although I didn’t

J U NE 2 4 , 2 0 2 1

feel strongly about that then. With gratitude, we all got through it with love. The final coming out was yet to come, and not where you›d think.

The women’s movement and a women’s studies class did a lot to boost my self-discovery. After attending a feminist and mostly lesbian camp in Northern California, I grabbed my son and girlfriend, moved to the Bay Area, and never looked back! I was inspired by leaders like Del, Phyllis, the Daughters of Bilitis, Sally Gearhart, and others. The first lesbian bar I went to was Maud’s, with many more to follow.

One day, a friend showed me the album Lavender Jane Loves Women by Alix Dobkin and Kay Gardner. I was blown away that a record (vinyl, of course) about lesbians would be produced, pressed, and distributed, all by women! My heart was thrilled by my life-long passions of music and theater opportunities in the lesbian community. The East Bay dyke community became a second family, and it was the first

time I had friends of color. We formed a child care collective, went to the first Pride parade in 1972, learned feminist ideology, acted on stage, sang & danced. I am forever grateful to those women. And, in time, my last coming out was in the dyke community itself.

When I first moved to the Bay Area, there was a code of dress and appearance. I had hippie hair that I kept long, rebelling against the pressure to have short butchlooking hair. As much as I understood actions against what men wanted us to look like, I wanted to wear femmy clothes sometimes, but felt I didn’t dare. The uniform was work shirts, jeans, overalls, plaid shirts. My hair got short eventually but I got braver about girly clothes. I still have and love plaid shirts and jeans too!

I’m grateful to my theatrical friends and to the social group Femme

to Femme in the 1990s for giving strength and support to my identity. I’ve been with my precious wife Joan for 21 years. She embraces me in all the ways that I am.

Janet Rachel is a vocalist with the band Ruby’s in Town and was a founding member of Out on a Clef. Her musical theater work includes a lead role in “Dykes on Broadway,” and she was a member of numerous jazz ensembles including the Note-orious jazz sextet and the Jazz City Singers. https://www.rubysintown.com/

San Francisco Pride Movie Nights Photos by Darryl Pelletier

Co-produced by San Francisco Pride, Frameline, and San Francisco Giants Enterprises, the Pride Movie Night program included two back-to-back nights at Oracle Park. Pre-show entertainment featured live music, drag performers, greetings from local officials, and other guests.

In the Heights, an adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical about a community of immigrant dreamers, was featured on Friday, June 11. Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, an adaptation of the award-wining West End musical about a teenager in a blue-collar English town who yearns to become a drag performer, was presented on Saturday, June 12. (See Jan Wahl’s column in this issue for more about In the Heights.)

24

SA N FRANCISCO BAY T I ME S

J U NE 2 4 , 2 0 2 1

San Francisco Giants Pride Night 2021 The San Francisco Giants became the first Major League Baseball team to support Pride Month by wearing Pride colors on their game cap logos and a Pride patch on the right sleeves of their home uniforms. Many Giants staff members donned Pride attire too. The game, played on Saturday, June 6, at Oracle Stadium, featured the Giants against the Chicago Cubs.

Honored at this year’s Pride Night was former San Francisco supervisor and state assemblymember Tom Ammiano, who was the first openly gay teacher in San Francisco. Opera singer Breanna Sinclairé sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which is often referred to as the “Black National Anthem.” A pregame ceremony included the raising of the Pride flag by members of the San Francisco Transgender Cultural District. Also, the palm trees at Willie Mays Plaza were wrapped in the eleven colors of the Pride Flag.

Photos courtesy of Gary Virginia

26

SA N FRANCISCO BAY T I ME S

J U NE 2 4 , 2 0 2 1

LANDIS (continued from page 18)

DOBKIN (continued from page 9) Dyke experiences. I love and dearly appreciate that everything she writes about comes directly from her own experiences, and is written about as such.”

Dobkin went on to record several other albums and is believed to have been the first out lesbian musician to have done a European concert tour.

Born into a Jewish Communist family, Dobkin began her career in music as a self-described “teenaged, guitar-totin’, card-carrying comrade grounding myself in mushrooming crowds of progressive Jews, self-taught musicians, and other local subversives.”

After she studied painting and earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University, Dobkin headed to New York City where she played at popular venues such as the Gaslight Cafe. She wrote that “from that rich, heady, heart of Greenwich Village in the early 60s, I launched my full-time, professional folk-singing career.”

At first, she focused on traditional, international, and contemporary protest songs. After she came out as a lesbian in 1972, she shifted to writing and singing for women and to building lesbian culture.

Dobkin frequently traveled to the Bay Area, making appearances at places such as the former Montclair Women’s Cultural Arts Club in the Montclair District of Oakland that was owned and operated by Barbara Price. She was a beloved figure who inspired many, including singer Melissa Etheridge, whom she performed with not long after Etheridge first came out as a lesbian.

In her later years, Dobkin served as Co-Director of Old Lesbians Organizing for Change, and became an advocate for senior LGBT women and the transgender community.

Looking back on her life, she wrote to other lesbians: “It has been my privilege and pleasure to gather elements of our common culture and to create a body of stories, songs, observations, and opinions, to share with you. They honor and reflect our unique feminist style, substance, issues, and values.”

features a different color throughout the month, including Red (a Mezcal Negroni), Orange (an Aperol Spritz), and Yellow (Blended Scotch, honey, ginger, and lemon). $1 from each cocktail will be donated to The Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation. Canela in the Castro is offering for $45 Pride Go-Bags, which include: a rainbow French market bag; a 16 oz. celebration sangria; a large bag of Spanish potato chips with paprika, ham, or truffle flavor; and a rainbow candy bag. And Oakland’s Sobre Mesa (whose talented chef, Nelson German, I profiled during his Top Chef season this year) hosts a Pride benefit dinner for Oakland Black Pride featuring Chef German plus a surprise guest chef on June 24 at 6 pm. Wave your Pride flag proudly this year and enjoy the festivities safely!

One final, non-Pride note: fans of the beloved San Francisco Ferry Plaza’s Farmers Market can now get their produce delivered to their home through a partnership with The Fruit Guys and CUESA, which runs the iconic market on the Embarcadero. The Gay Gourmet can attest that these boxes are fresh and delicious and delivered in a timely fashion.

Details and links for all of The Gay Gourmet’s tips this month: Kokak Chocolates: https://www.kokakchocolates.com/ Curio Bar and Restaurant: https://www.curiobarsf.com/ The Vault Garden: https://www.thevault555.com/ New Belgium Brewing SF: https://www.newbelgium.com/visit/san-francisco/ Charmaine’s: https://tinyurl.com/38nf4668 Canela: https://canelasf.com/ Sobre Mesa: https://www.sobremesaoak.com/ Ferry Plaza Farmers Market Delivered: www.fpfmdelivered.com David Landis, aka “The Gay Gourmet,” is a foodie, a freelance writer and a PR executive. Follow him on Instagram @GayGourmetSF, on Twitter @david_landis, email him at: david@landispr.com or visit him online at: www. gaygourmetsf.com

https://www.alixdobkin.com/ ROSTOW (continued from page 6) the cake to Philips, who then refused to make it. Philips was recently found to be in violation of Colorado’s antidiscrimination law and fined $500 by a Denver judge, who said the denial of service was based on bias against the client herself. We’ll see where this goes, but I don’t like it.

More GLBT Stuff Let’s move on, shall we? I’m sure you saw that a pickup truck killed someone at a pride parade in Wilton Manors, Florida. I immediately thought the driver was one of these far-right idiots, but it was immediately made clear that the driver was a seventysomething parade goer, who stepped on the gas by accident and killed one of his fellow gay men’s choir members. That said, wasn’t it Florida that passed a law saying it’s okay to careen your motor vehicle into a street pro28

SA N FRANCISCO BAY T I ME S

test? I know that’s not true, but it’s not far off, right?

And we have numerous cases of rainbow flag conflicts, including one in Racine, Wisconsin, where two gay men set up rainbow-colored floodlights when their homeowner association said they could not fly their pride flag. There’s a sweet story out of some Republican neighborhood near Tulsa, where a great dad raised a flag in support of his gay son. And there are more headlines in Austin, where another homeowner association has put its foot down over the flag.

But here’s the deal. These homeowner associations are ridiculous, yet if you buy a house and sign the forms, you can’t object to their rules and regulations. I remember one case where the HOA said no one could fly anything but the stars and stripes.

J U NE 2 4 , 2 0 2 1

Some gay guys put up a rainbow flag anyway, because the HOA looked the other way for sports flags and other random pennants. Now, those guys had a legitimate case. But if all flags are truly banned, then you can’t object.

Oh, and good for Carl Nassib, the Raider defensive end who just came out as a gay man, making history as the first active NFL player to do so. I might become a Raider fan. As long as they’re not playing the Chiefs. Or the 49ers. Or the Vikings, of course.

Back to Square Three And what else is new, you ask? We’re at the end of our column, so there’s no space to delve into the status of the Equality Act. That’s not a coincidence. I don’t think our signature GLBT rights legislation is going any-

where fast, although I think it might get another committee hearing one of these days. As you know, the Equality Act passed the House for the second session in a row a few months ago, and now languishes in the stagnant Senate along with the rest of the progressive agenda.

Elsewhere in Washington, the Department of Education is the latest Biden cabinet office to recognize gay and trans rights under federal law in line with the High Court’s 2020 ruling in Bostock. In Bostock, the 6–3 Court said gay and trans discrimination is a form of sex discrimination.

Since sex discrimination is outlawed in public education by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, that means GLBT bias is also against the law.

If that seems obvious, it wasn’t for Betsy DeVos, who simply ignored the Supreme Court’s ruling throughout the end of the Trump administration. But while it’s satisfying to watch the administrations change, and to see Good triumph over Evil, the fact that a new administration can revisit important public policy illustrates why we need the Equality Act. The courts can help us or hurt us. Political leaders are here today and gone tomorrow. But acts of Congress are difficult to roll back. The Equality Act can’t pass unless the filibuster is somehow amended, which takes us back to Doe, a deer, a female deer, Ray, a drop of golden sun. Sing with me while we go around in circles. arostow@aol.com

HAPPY PRIDE

Summer Road Trip Up the California Coast

Photos by John Chen

towns such as Muir Beach, Stinson Beach, and Bolinas.

Sports John Chen Summer is here and what better way to ring in the most active time of the year than with a road trip hugging Northern California’s amazingly scenic coastline full of wonders and hidden gems. I have made this trek many times and thought I would share with you some of my favorites and discoveries. What are you waiting for? Get in your car and follow me!

The first stop is the Marin Headlands just north of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Head up the hills and you’ll find, in my opinion, the most spectacular sweeping and panoramic view of San Francisco—both the city and the bay!

If you are a beach lover, hike down to the beautiful and unique Black Sands Beach where, you guessed it, the sand is black or more dark charcoal in color.

Point Reyes Inverness shipwrecked boat

Next, head north on the worldrenowned California Highway 1 (CA HWY 1) through Muir Woods National Monument and Mt. Tamalpais State Park. You may want to make a few pitstops to take in the beauty of various indigenous California forests, flora, and fauna. You may also want to take a short stroll through the numerous historic coastal

From CA HWY 1, make a western detour at the southern tip of Tomales Bay and drive towards Point Reyes National Seashore. Here, wildlife such as elk and sea lions are abundant and can be seen grazing on the hilly plains and lazily sunbathing on the beaches. For those of you who are photographers, I highly recommend the Inverness Shipwrecked Boat and the Cypress Tunnel.

If you are a seafood lover, especially that of the oyster variety, along the shores of Tomales Bay on CA HWY 1 are several oyster farms and restaurants where you can get the freshest oysters raw or cooked pretty much anyway imaginable. After eating your weight in oysters, perhaps you may want to look for a nearby bed and breakfast and, well, you know ... wink, wink.

Continue up the coast on CA HWY 1 to Bodega Bay, where the 1963 Alfred Hitchcock classic thriller The Birds was filmed. Drive up to the schoolhouse and take a selfie. Flocks of sinister birds, however, may not be present. Of course, Bodega Bay is much more than just the movie. It is a fishing town known as the “gateway to Sonoma Coast” that offers great seafood dinning, and scores of outdoor activities as well as artsy shops and galleries.

From Bodega Bay, CA HWY 1 takes you through the Sonoma and Mendocino coasts filled with breathtaking views of both rugged and serene coastlines. Pick and choose where you would like to stop, get out of the car, stretch your legs, and enjoy the vast infinite beauty. Eventually, you’ll find your way to Fort Bragg. Here, a glass beach is the main attraction, and you have the option of taking the difficult or the easy trail to get there. Glass

Point Reyes Cypress Tunnel

Point Reyes Beach

Beach got its name from the millions of smooth glass pebbles that line the beach, but over the years visitors have illegally taken a large number of these small glass treasures, slowly depleting the original beauty of the beach.

Although you’ve reached the end of CA HWY 1, your road trip continues north on US HWY 101 to Avenue of the Giants. The giant redwood tree is a California treasure, and you may have seen some large redwood groves in the Bay Area or at Muir Woods.

But nothing you have seen can match the size, in particular, and the height of the redwood trees along the Avenue of the Giants at Humboldt State Redwood Park. I recommend you spend a little extra time here to explore the groves, the trails, and the numerous fallen giants.

At the northern end of Avenue of the Giants, take Mattole Road west through the state park, and over the hills to the Lost Coast, a mostly undeveloped area of Humboldt County.

The Lost Coast got its name in the 1930s when the area suffered an exodus of people leaving behind largely untouched natural beauty since that time. If you are a serious hiker, the Lost Coast offers lengthy, challenging trails not for the faint of heart.

Marin Headlands

From the Lost Coast, follow Mattole Road to the historic, well preserved Victorian-style town of Ferndale, a little weekend hideaway and getaway place full of charm and tranquility.

Head north on US HWY 101 to Eureka, the city named after the famous “I found it [gold]” exclamation! For those who are history buffs, Eureka the city is designated as a his-

Mendocino Coast Point Cabrillo Lighthouse 30

SA N FRANCISCO BAY T I ME S

J U NE 2 4 , 2 0 2 1

Avenue of the Giants tall tree

toric landmark by the state of California because it once played the most significant role in the western lumber trade and the area housed hundreds of lumber mills. In addition, Eureka is home to many well-known Victorian-style homes with the Carson House leading the way. Eureka also hosts the annual Kinetic Parade, where all floats must be kinetic but non-motorized and the participants dress in extravagant costumes. (continued on page 31)

Mendocino Coast

There is a little-known historic fact about Eureka.

From the mid-1880s to the passing of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, anti-Chinese sentiments or Sinophobia on the West Coast grew exponentially, although the Chinese people played an important role in the development of the economy. The Chinese provided an essential labor-intensive work force in agriculture, lumber, and infrastructure. Nevertheless, in 1885 the city of Eureka implemented a Chinese expulsion plan that swiftly deported, without choice or rights, virtually all of the 480 Chinese residents to San Francisco. The plan was so successful that all of the surrounding cities modeled their own Chinese expulsion plans after the city of Eureka.

Kinetic Parade in front of Carson Mansion Eureka.

Eureka Historic Downtown

Crescent City Battery Point Lighthouse

When in Eureka, I recommend you check out the Clarke Museum chronicling the Chinese expulsion as well as the Samoa Cookhouse, a historic lumber mill museum with an original lumber mill dining hall style restaurant serving authentic lumberjack meals.

For those of you who would like to explore the northernmost coastline of California, continue on US HWY 101 north through more beautiful coastline scenery, giant lagoon state parks, and Redwood National Park.

From just south of Avenue of the Giants to near the Oregon border, there are numerous fun drive-thru redwood trees and other intriguing redwoods of interest. But beware; many of these places require an entrance fee.

Your journey up the Northern California coastline ends in Crescent City, just miles south of the Oregon border, that offers plenty of outdoor activities both on land and at sea. This small coastal city’s beach is shaped like a crescent, hence the name, and the city is surrounded by lagoons, dunes, wildlife, and redwood forests. On the western end of the city sits the historic Battery Point Lighthouse, accessible by foot only during low tide when the receding waters uncover scores of wildlife.

This concludes our journey. I hope you enjoyed your road trip up the Northern California Coastline. I am certain there are many things you’ll discover on your own that will help your trip to become uniquely yours.

Ferndale

John Chen, a UCLA alumnus and an avid sports fan, has competed as well as coached tennis, volleyball, softball, and football teams.

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

JUNE 24, 2021

31

BAY TIMES S

A

N

F

R

A

N

C

I

S

C

O

LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2021)

Filled with Pride

Off the Wahl Jan Wahl Pride is basically defined as “a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction from one’s own achievements or achievements of those whom one admires or finds an association with.” Four recent showbiz adventures come to mind right away that fill me with pride, and here they are.

William J. Mann’s hot summer read is Wisecracker: The Life and Times of William Haines.

Haines was a major movie star in the 20s and early 30s, kind of a Jimmy Stewart and Tom Hanks everyman, adored by the public. He also affirmed his gay identity as a totally essential part of who he was, out of the closet in public and private. Outraged that Haines refused a studio sham marriage, the industry fired and blacklisted him. But forget about obscurity. This talented man went on to flourish as a famed interior designer, studied to this day by students of the art. His story fills me with pride of an authentic life.

Ready for a return to the big screen with a movie that will send you out of the theatre with people honoring themselves and each other? Throw in Busby Berkeley meets West Side Story production numbers and soulful storytelling and you’ve got In the Heights. A pre-Hamilton Lin-Manuel Miranda gave us this exuberant musical about a summer in Washington Heights. Director Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians) finds that magical balance that most recent musicals have missed: joy and heart combined with heart-pounding rhythm and movement. It’s an extravaganza that cried out for the big screen; how else to appreciate its dancing, choreography, set design, art direction, and camerawork? The charismatic characters struggle as we become engaged in their journey and rise to the occasion with them. Move over Chicago, Kinky Boots, The Book of Mormon, and Hairspray ... a new musical is in town!

My heart is warmed by Leslie Jordan. It has been that way since the first time I saw him perform. I was fortunate to have a mother who longed for someone in our family to be a gay man or lesbian. Many of her friends were fabulous LBGTQ folks,

Halston

perhaps because we lived in the most showbiz enclave of West Los Angeles. She flew up to the Bay Area to see Jordan’s one man show, joining me with laughter and warmth at his The Man with the Golden Arm storytelling.

We were proud of this small but large performer who went from Sordid Lives to Will and Grace to internet stardom. His book is How Y’all Doing? Misadventures and Mischief from a Life Well Lived.

He has become America’s sweetheart with his puckish Southern charm and ability to be a raconteur right up there with David Niven and Noel Coward. This small but engrossing book is an easy summer read, and I hope for his next one!

I’ve written many times about some of my favorite LBGTQ movies: Brokeback Mountain, The Celluloid Closet, Saving Face, Milk, and Priscilla Queen of the Desert, to name a few. It seems time to thank a studio that kept me company during the pandemic. Netflix took me on an amazing adventure through Bridgerton, The Kominsky Method, and Halston.

allows us to see into the drug-dependent world of cocaine addiction and how it took this great artist down. The acting is completely on point, with Ewan McGregor as Halston and Krysta Rodriguez both giving performances that stay with us long after the lights go down. Right now, I’m in love with the big screen experience and urge you to find it, but hats off to Netflix for these hip and unusual projects.

Bridgerton

Find your own Pride ... it's everywhere, and especially in those of us striving to live authentic lives. Hats off to us all!

Jan Wahl is a Hollywood historian, film critic on various broadcast outlets, and has her own YouTube channel series, "Jan Wahl Showbiz.”

She has two Emmys and many awards for her longtime work on behalf of film buffs and the LGBTQ community. Contact her at www.janwahl.com

Bridgerton was sumptuous, knocking me out with its clothes, sets, and overtly sexual story. I binged it twice and would do so again. Kominsky is perfect for this showbiz queen— a behind the scenes look at an acting teacher in today’s Hollywood.

Michael Douglas has aged into the best of his father and his own crusty persona. Halston deserves every Emmy possible. It not only gives us the life and times of this revolutionary designer, but it also

QUEER POP QUIZ

A FIRST FOR U.S. PRIDE

Which of the following was the first group to campaign for gay rights in the U.S.?

A) Society for Human Rights in Chicago B) Society for Human Rights in New York City C) Society for Human Rights in Philadelphia D) Society for Human Rights in San Francisco

ANSWER ON PAGE 48 S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

JUNE 24, 2021

33

Mayor’s LGBTQ Pride Month Flag Raising Ceremony 2021

Photos by Rink

Mayor London Breed welcomed San Francisco Pride leaders, grand marshals, elected officials, and other notables to the front steps of City Hall on Monday, June 7, for the annual Rainbow Flag Raising Ceremony. The ceremony, which launched the 51st annual Pride celebration in San Francisco, also helped to mark the re-opening of City Hall that had been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ceremony included a performance by the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band and opera singer Breanna Sinclairé. The first transgender singer to perform the national anthem at a professional sporting event, Sinclairé sang an ethereal version of “Amazing Grace” in City Hall, where Mayor Breed officiated weddings on that memorable, historic day.

Advancements supporting the LGBTQ community were acknowledged at the ceremony. They include the City’s new guaranteed income project for the trans community, a new tele-health program and expanded digital access—both focusing on LGBTQ seniors, support for developing a new LGBTQ museum, and efforts to combat homelessness and housing instability for the transgender community and LGBTQ youth.

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

JUNE 24, 2021

35

Frameline's Focus on Taiwan Program Offers Some Worthwhile Films

Film Gary M. Kramer The Frameline Film Festival is winding down, but there is still time to catch some films streaming on the fest’s site through June 27. A highlight of this year’s program is the handful of shorts and features that are part of a Focus on Taiwan program.

The enchanting As We Like It reimagines Shakespeare’s play As You Like It in the near future and showcases a fun, all-female cast. When Rosalind (Hsueh-Fu Kuo) is dumped by her boyfriend, she and her cousin Celia (Camille Chalons) head to the internet-free zone, Ximenting, to find love. When Rosalind meets Orlando (Aggie Hsieh) sparks fly, but their brief meeting has Orlando

seeking out “Rose,” the name Rosalind gave him. Adding to the romantic confusion, Rosalind cuts her hair, dons men’s clothes, and renames herself Roosevelt, telling Orlando he is Rose’s twin brother. And, Roosevelt insists, if Orlando loves Rose, he must woo Roosevelt as if he were his sister to prove his heart to her.

This bromantic storyline, which involves game playing—there is a cluefilled treasure hunt—is contrasted with various other romantic subplots, from Celia wooing Oliver ( Joelle Lu), to Angel (Esther Huang) connecting with Dope (Helena Hsu), and even Gold (Lan Tsao) uniting with Silver (Hsin-Ling Chung). The result is a frothy rom-com that offers a sensory experience as it is filled with color,

36

SA N FRANCISCO BAY T I ME S

J U NE 2 4 , 2 0 2 1

music, animation—at times the action unfolds like a video game—and fantasy elements. Directors Hung-I Chen and Muni Wei have a light touch, winking at the audience with all the gender play. And the film does include the famous line, “All the world’s a stage” (in a song), as well as, “A rose by any other name ...” from Romeo and Juliet. As We Like It is very likable indeed.

Dear Tenant is an involving melodrama about Lin (Mo Tzu-Yi), a tenant living with the diabetic Ms. Chou (Chen Shu-fang) and her grandson Yo-Yu (Bai Run-yin). When Ms. Chou dies, she leaves her house to Yo-Yu, whom Lin has legally adopted. This inheritance prompts an investigation: Did Lin murder Ms. Chou to Unnamed gain the property in Yo-Yu’s name? Dear Tenant uses flashbacks to explicate Lin’s care for and intentions towards Ms. Chou and YoYu, as well as his relationship with Li-Wei (Yao ChunYao), Yo-Yu’s father.

These scenes generate sympathy as Lin is accused of murder and child endangerment. While this film is at times a bit slow, it is quite moving—especially in the scenes between Lin and Yo-Yu— and it raises important legal issues involving gay couples.

Frameline also provides attendees with another chance to see the sweet and bittersweet 2013 romantic comedy-drama, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? This wonderful film features a handful of gay and straight characters in modern Taipei.

They are unhappy in their lives and relationships. Writer/director Arvin Chen, who is straight and grew up in the Bay Area, displays a real sensitivity towards his characters who grapple with romantic crises.

Weichung (Richie Jen) is a married optometrist whose wife Feng (Mavis Fan) wants to have a second child. (continued on page 48)

Homosexualization 101: Baby Gay ... at 35 thought was that speaking the word in the hallowed confines of prayer closets, fellowship suppers, and more might crack the stained glass.

Whispering is effective, though, and does add an extra element of shame.

It was the 80s. I had dwelt in the sepia tones of Kansas, longingly looking across the fence at technicolor Oz. That is Dr. Tim Seelig not exactly what happened when I came out No, I am not going to write yet in October 1986 in Housanother article about the origins ton, Texas. I was lost and of Pride! Much has been written distraught. Broke and about the beginnings of gay pride starting with the Stonewall Riots in broken. My world had very little fabulosity in it.

NYC in 1969. We San Franciscans SF Gay Men’s Chorus member Don Ruthroff (left) assisted Still shades of sepia. mark it three years earlier with the Tim Seelig at the dedication ceremony for the Artists Portal at the National AIDS Memorial in October 2018.

Compton Cafeteria Riots in 1966.

The real entrance of Gareth Gooch Photography There are comprehensive articles, technicolor was just movies, books, and even Wikipeing aside: Dallas was the very first around the corner. In dia pages on every facet of Pride. I stop when the San Francisco Gay May 1987, I found out there was won’t attempt to add to that amazMen’s Chorus took its legendary such a thing as a gay chorus—in ing collection. It is all a part of 1981 national tour hosted by the Dallas, Texas. I auditioned to be its Homosexualization 101. When you brand spanking new Turtle Creek conductor in July. I got the job. So, have completed 101, you get your Chorale!

10 months after coming out, knowgay card. When you move on to ing literally nothing about the gays Back to me. I was so green. I knew HS 201, you get a stamp—a rainand their fabulous lifestyle, I found nothing. Little did I know I bow or a unicorn—your choice.

Just so you know, while you may was embarking on a 34-year complete a course or two, you education that is still connever truly graduate! tinuing today. What I didn’t know about being gay could This article is about Tim, the have filled books. I’ve already 1980s baby gay. I gotta say that shared my confusion at the when I came out, A CD entitled A concept of pride. In some of pride was a very forFond Farewell my very first rehearsals with eign, if not off-putwas produced by the Turtle Creek Chorale, I ting, concept. I was the Turtle Creek displayed my ignorance in Chorale to comconfused. I mean, 72-point font. I actually used memorate Dr. seriously. One of the Tim Seelig’s the term “Sexual Preference.” top-ten all-time hits move to San One time. Only. Ever. One of in the church was “At Francisco. the members read me the riot Calvary.” I must have act. I would learn sung these words a over time there thousand times, is a language I “Years I spent would trip over in vanity and pride.” And in a and sometimes flash of glitter, still do.

I was supposed The next gaffe to embrace and happened when rejoice in this I misspelled Aids thing called (sic) in a newsletpride (with a ter to the singpinch of vanity ers. Begin Riot thrown in). I was Act 2. That was yelling, “It’s not a understandable, choice!” in a very kind of sort of. I loud adult choir don’t believe I had voice as I exited ever seen it writthe Baptist womb.

For me, saying I ten down. I had was proud of my known 2 people newfound gaywho, at 20 and 26 respectively, ness implied it was had died of “natural causes.” The indeed something church folk wouldn’t even whisper I had done—a AIDS, much less spell it. Furtherchoice—of which I was proud. more, I had literally grown up with We have almost gotten over HUSKY emblazoned on my blue that messaging hurdle 35 years jeans and eating AYDS appetite later. We now rarely say we’re suppressant candies. If you have proud to be gay, but proud of not seen the commercials on Youwho we are and how far we’ve Tube, they are horrifying, given come as an LGBTQ commuwhat we know now. They were nity. popular throughout the 70s and 80s and were shared like the candy Let’s start at the very beginmyself standing in front of my first they were among my husky family. ning. I came out as a (make sure to gay chorus, called not just to wave whisper this next word) “homosexmy arms at the gays, but actually to In my first year of gay choral “outual” in the year of our Lord, 1986. lead them on every level. dom,” much changed with me Whispering it somehow made it and the chorus. I soon discovered Allow me a little background.

The less horrifying; it felt like insider two distinct factions in the chorus. chorus was only 6 years old. In trading. It also ensured that all There was a faction still guided by 1981, when it started, the founders those within earshot would lean in fear of what it might do to the chofelt the chorus would never make it to hear the news that they would rus if they were more openly gay with the “g” word in its name, livthen shout from the mountainin the public eye. There was a facing as they did in the buckle of the tops. It was whispered in prayer tion that really wanted to be more Bible belt.

When I began as Artistic circles across the Southern Bapopen and out. I definitely leaned Director of the chorus, I thought, tist world. “Dearly beloved, please toward the latter. I didn’t know pray for precious John and Virginia “I’ll do this for one year in order to there were levels of “gay.” Oh boy, pay child support while looking for Seelig. Their son, Tim, has come would I learn. It was just like today another job.” I did it for that first out as a (whisper, please) homosexwhen we deal with levels of “woke.” year, absolutely fell in love with ual.” There was no need to whisThat’s a different article.

LGBTQ+ choral music, and kept per since I came out to a church of at it for another 19 more! Interest22,000 members, but somehow the (continued on page 48)

TLC: Tears, Laughs and Conversation

38

SA N FRANCISCO BAY T I ME S

J U NE 2 4 , 2 0 2 1

Renowned LGBTQ Latinx Poet’s Work Presented in New Collection history. My words never moved any mountains but it is a testament that we were here and we fought to be noticed.”

Words Michele Karlsberg Michele Karlsberg: Emanuel Xavier’s poems are rooted in his experiences as a gay Latinx Nuyorican who survived an abusive childhood, abandonment, homelessness, addiction, and violence to speak openly about his experiences in hopes of inspiring others to pursue their dreams and live their lives to the fullest. Selected Poems brings together Xavier’s most groundbreaking poetry for the first time. This collection is an excellent starting point for understanding the power of poems as social commentary and gaining perspective on the Latinx experience. The following are two selections from this important work.

HAPPY PRIDE from the San Francisco Bay Times

Excerpt from ‘Beside Myself’ “I came onto the scene thirsty to read the work of the LGBTQ and Latinx poets that came before me. I felt it was important to know that history and celebrate my literary forefathers. I hope this book at least captures a moment in time in our

...Your words can no longer signal change. & opening doors does not mean you get to stay in the Emanuel Xavier room. It gets crowded very quickly. You become invisible like the dead poets before you.

Excerpt from ‘Walking with Angels’ “I was out on the streets during my teens in the mid-80s when AIDS was rampant. I lost many friends along the way and, those who survived, have been living with HIV for decades only to now have to live through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both diseases have largely affected the people of color communities and, though I am personally an atheist, I believe in spirituality and hope we someday find a cure for these epidemics. This was written for a close friend. I participated several times in AIDS Walk New York, which was the inspiration for this poem, hence the title.” if there is a God he has disregarded our prayers left his angels behind to journey along with us —none of us knowing exactly where we are headed

Sylvester Mural Dedication

Emanuel Xavier was born in Brooklyn, New York, and became involved in the ball scene as a homeless gay teen. Over a span of twenty-five years, Xavier has received recognition as a spoken word artist from national colleges and universities. He has been named an LGBTQ Icon by The Equality Forum and has been presented a New York City Council Citation Award. Xavier has received an International Latino Book Award, Lambda Literary Award nominations, and American Library Association Over the Rainbow Books selections for his collections that include “Pier Queen,” “Americano,” “If Jesus Were Gay,” “Nefarious,” and “Radiance.” He is the recipient of a Gay City Impact Award and The Marsha A. Gomez Cultural Heritage Award. https://tinyurl.com/3j4uxcm3 Michele Karlsberg Marketing and Management specializes in publicity for the LGBTQ+ community.

This year, Karlsberg celebrates 32 years of successful marketing campaigns. For more information: https://www.michelekarlsberg.com

Photos by Rink

Artist Josh Katz, along with other speakers, led a dedication ceremony introducing a new mural memorializing recording artist and entertainer Sylvester on Monday, May 24. The mural is painted outside of the popular nightclub Oasis located at 298 11th Street. Additional speakers included Supervisor Matt Haney, who represents the SOMA District; activist and politician Honey Mahogany; and Glide Church’s Rev. Marvin K. White. Oasis co-owner D’Arcy Drollinger was presented with a framed set of Sylvester records to commemorate the occasion.

40

SA N FRANCISCO BAY T I ME S

J U NE 2 4 , 2 0 2 1

Mission Food Hub Update & Carnaval 2021 Photos courtesy of Juan R. Davila

Carnaval 2021

Mission Food Hub founder Roberto Hendández joined San Francisco Bay Times’ event team members Juan Davila and Leticia Lopez in celebrating with volunteers and participants at Carnaval 2021.

Dancers, musicians, and information booth staff were present to entertain, provide materials, answer inquires, and provide assistance to attendees at the annual Mission-based celebration.

Mission Food Hub Continues Hundreds of residents benefit from Mission Food Hub’s resources each week. Founded in 2020 in response to the food insecurity resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hub takes care to provide culturally appropriate, nutritious foods.

We are grateful to the large team of volunteers, whose dedication and hard work help continue the Hub’s services assisting those affected by the ongoing health crisis. Find out more by visiting the Facebook page: https://tinyurl.com/jwdszej4 Text the word “Comida” to 202-858-1233 for directions on how to give. Mailed donations are also accepted. Please make checks to CANA/Mission Food Hub and mail to 1333 Florida Street, San Francisco, CA 94110.

42

SA N FRANCISCO BAY T I ME S

J U NE 2 4 , 2 0 2 1

Take Me Home with You!

SF City Hall Re-opens, Weddings Begin Again!

Photos by Rink

Arthur

“Meet Arthur and Adelaide! These 4-year-old siblings are as sweet as can be. They love to snuggle and play together, and because they’re best friends, we’re requiring that they be adopted together. Tuxedocolored Arthur is a tripod, but he doesn’t let his missing leg slow him down one bit! He loves to romp around with Adelaide, and can even outmaneuver her. Adelaide is slightly shyer than her brother, but she quickly warms up and becomes a purr machine. This dynamic duo would love to meet Adelaide you!”

Arthur and Adelaide 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 Arthur and Adelaide.

To apply to meet Arthur and Adelaide, visit https://www.sfspca.org/adoptions/

Dr. Jennifer Scarlett and Pup

44

SA N FRANCISCO BAY T I ME S

J U NE 2 4 , 2 0 2 1

PHOTO COURTESY OF OFFICE OF THE MAYOR/CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO

Mayor London Breed celebrated, on Monday, June 7, the re-opening of San Francisco City Hall by officiating the weddings of four couples, including Madelyn Peterson and Indira Carmona. The brides, who had been waiting for two and a half years for the ceremony to occur, reside in Richmond and have been together for more than five years total. News of their wedding, covered by photojournalists and videographers, was reported by media outlets internationally.

Sister Dana Sez: Words of Wisdumb from a Fun Nun

Sister Dana sez, “I wish everyone a very HAPPY PRIDE—even though once again I cannot ride atop a cable car blowing kisses and flashing peace signs to y’all while gaily floating down Market Street!”

President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden have recorded a special PRIDE MESSAGE for the LGBTQ community. In part, Biden wants to “let you know how proud we are to stand with you, this month and every month” in the video. “Pride stands for courage, the courage of all those in generations gone by, and today who proudly live their truth,” President Biden continues. “It stands for justice.” Pride “stands for defiance in the face of injustice,” Dr. Biden adds.

“While I am proud of the progress my administration has made in advancing protections for the LGBTQ+ community,” says the President, “I will not rest until full equality for LGBTQ+ Americans is finally achieved and codified into law.” He concludes, “During LGBTQ+ Pride Month, we recognize the resilience and determination of the many individuals who are fighting to live freely and authentically. In doing so, they are opening hearts and minds, and laying the foundation for a more just and equitable America.”

I was thrilled to virtually attend CAN’T CANCEL PRIDE on June 4 hosted by Elvis Duran & Bebe Rexha with incredible performances by P!nk, Kylie Minogue, Leslie Odom Jr., Regard, Tate McRae, Years & Years, Brothers Osborne, Bebe Rexha, JoJo Siwa, Yola, Hayley Kiyoko, and Troye Sivan. Much needed funds were raised providing life-saving resources and services for organizations including GLAAD, SAGE, The Trevor Project, the National Black Justice Coalition, CenterLink, and OutRight Action International. https://www.cantcancelpride.com/

Is someone else’s drug use making you crazy?

Nar-Anon family groups are 12-step support groups for friends and loved ones of addicts. Our San Francisco group meets virtually every week: Tuesdays, 7:00–8:15 pm.

For more information, please visit:

www.gganfg.org/~sfbt2106

46

SA N FRANCISCO BAY T I ME S

J U NE 2 4 , 2 0 2 1

This PRIDE MONTH, calls are growing louder for Marvel to add more LGBTQ representation to its cinematic universe. Marvel came out in support of the LGBTQ community and even released a few comic book covers to mark the occasion leading up to Pride celebrations. But the real representation people want is on screen.

GOLDEN GATE BUSINESS ASSOCIATION (GGBA) held an online HISTORY OF PRIDE TRIVIA contest on June 8 presented by board member Aaron Lander and moderated by gorgeous, witty drag queens Yves Saint Croissant and Per Sia. The DQs did not disappoint with delightful performances as well. I even had the unexpected pleasure of singing “Mighty Real” as Yves lip-synched me! Better yet, I won one round in a three-way tie! How proud was I! Sister Dana sez, “Please tell me why 21 House Republicans voted against awarding Congressional Gold Medals to Capitol Police who helped save their lives during the Insurrection! WHY?!”

MIGHTY REELS|PRIDE FOOTAGE THROUGH THE YEARS is available by the GLBT HISTORICAL SOCIETY. It is a quarterly

PHOTO BY PHYLLIS COSTA

By Sister Dana Van Iquity

We are missing the connections with readers, friends, and supporters who join us every year in the San Francisco Bay Times Pride Parade contingent. Check out Sister Dana in a favorite photo waving at the crowd from the front of our "Flower Power" VIP vehicle at the Parade in 2017.

program series that highlights moving images from the Society’s vast archives. For this inaugural event, they have screened video footage from the archives that depicts the evolution and joy of San Francisco Pride parades of years past. Featuring home movies, drag performances, amateur documentaries, and interviews with queer history-makers, the Mighty Reels program series provides an intimate look into the LGBTQ past straight from the camera lens of those who made it. Each program will feature a screening of materials from the archive followed by conversations with historians, community members, and activists on the significance of these images. I even saw my roots with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence! https://tinyurl.com/26263w78 The glorious DCappella group celebrates Pride Month with the stunning “THIS IS ME” music video of the Oscar nominated song from The Greatest Showman as an unapologetic declaration of identity and a message of resilience and empowerment.

It is truly an anthem of Pride for the LGBTQ+ community. Enjoy! https://tinyurl.com/2bt55bpw Join Gary Virginia and Donna Sachet for PRIDE BRUNCH 2021, A Taste of San Francisco Pride, with Gary and Donna visiting their favorite iconic sites across the City. This very special virtual event will celebrate San Francisco Pride with a welcome from Mayor London Breed, the Grand Marshals of the Pride Parade, online auction, entertainment, and much more!

All proceeds from the event support PRC’s HIV/AIDS and behavioral health services for those most vulnerable in our community. Saturday, June 26, 12 pm. https://tinyurl.com/emta7mmw San Francisco’s Alex U. Inn and Juanita MORE!, organizers of 2nd ANNUAL PEOPLE’S MARCH & RALLY—Unite to Fight! say this “is a vision we have had for some time— to take SF Pride back to its roots and original route of 51 years ago, to keep police and corporations out of Pride, and make a way for ALL of our Trans and Queer Black, Brown, and Indigenous family to attend!” Rally on Sunday, June 27, 11 am from 1800 Polk & Washington Street and then march to the Castro. https://tinyurl.com/tpb5swa8 Sister Dana sez, “House Democrats have passed the bill to make Washington, D.C., a state. Now all we have to do is get the Senate onboard! No biggie, riiight?!”

One of the most inclusive, powerful, joyous, and celebratory films of the year was celebrated outdoors at Oracle Park on June 11 for the big, annual PRIDE MOVIE. And LinManuel Miranda’s love letter to New York City, IN THE HEIGHTS, is also available to watch in theaters and on HBO Max. In the film version of this Broadway musical, Stephanie Beatriz and Daphne Rubin-

Vega play Daniela and Carla, a beauty salon owner and employee, who are also lovers. In a recent interview, Beatriz discussed the significance of the decision to make the character queer in the transition from Broadway to film. “What was so gratifying to me as a person who is queer is to see this relationship in the film be part of the fabric of the community,” Beatriz said. “And to be normal, and be happy and functioning, and part of the quilt they’ve all created.”

ROCK THE YARD! Celebrating PRIDE MONTH was unfortunately postponed on June 12 because of a medical emergency and sound problems. But look forward to live entertainment, singing, disco, musical theater, EDM, classics, etc. with host Carly Ozard along with Maria Konner, Katya Smirnoff Skyy, and Alotta Boutte in the near future!

FIRST ANNUAL TENDERLOIN PRIDE FESTIVAL was on Larkin Street between O’Farrell and Eddy on June 19 (also known as Juneteenth), noon to 6 pm. Special guest host was the fabulous Tita Aida. There were drag shows, live music performances, special guest DJ’s, over 15 food booths, and 30 merchant vendor booths featuring art, clothing, and more.

Sister Dana sez, “Hooray and hallelujah for making it an official Federal Holiday for JUNETEENTH as the enshrined historical end of slavery on June 19! Meanwhile, Republican politicians are actively restricting voting rights all across America!”

One of the most important staples of TRANS MARCH is its RESOURCE FAIR. They have collaborated with SFMTA’s Shared Spaces to create a safe space, a street closure on Dolores Street (between 18th & 19th Streets) to host a Resource Fair that will be regulated with 100 guests per hour. This will take place on Friday, June 25, 11 am–4 pm. https://bit.ly/3wLonFJ DON’T TOUCH THAT DIAL is 42ND STREET MOON’s vivacious virtual tour of the beloved TV song themes of the Golden Age, courtesy of the clever cast and creative directors DC Scarpelli and Peter Budinger. We will begin with All in the Family and end up where everybody knows your name in Cheers. One of my favorite sections is the Wonder Women from Mary Tyler Moore to Maude to Laverne & Shirley. This is a charming love letter from these real-life lovers, DC & Peter.

And lucky us: DC will put on drag for many of those well-loved characters. https://bit.ly/3gGxT7t PROM is a Pride Celebration with us Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, June 25, 6–10 pm under the Historic Dome. Get ready to be transported back in time to your high school gymnasium to relive nostalgic (continued on page 48)

Dykes

With Drills

Tip of the Week

By Julie Peri

Pride in Teamwork

This week’s tool tip, in honor of Pride, is a little different. One of the most important things we teach at Dykes With Drills is how to work together. Construction and building are best done with a partner or team. Working together ensures that if someone gets hurt, there is another who can help. Having a partner allows you to brainstorm ideas together, help each other stay safe on ladders, avoid making precarious cuts ... the list goes on! Working together also gives you a sense of community and a special bond that are only formed when building with another.

Start building your woodworking community and join us at an in-person or online event. Here is what we have coming up next!

Introduction to Tools, July 10 (Bay Area) Wood Burning Basics, June 26 (online) Advanced Wood Burning, June 27 (online) Overnight Carpentry Camp, July 25–31 (Bay Area) For more information about these and other events, go to: https://www.dykeswithdrills.com/workshops Julie Peri is the Founder and Director of Dykes With Drills. https://www.dykeswithdrills.com/

Artshot Abby Zimberg

At the Green Thumb Organic Farms booth at the Ferry Building Farmers' Market on Saturday, June 19, colorful hand-drawn signs and rainbow flags were placed among the ripe, juicy strawberries for sale.

Juneteenth was celebrated at the market and there was additionally much excitement over the return of restriction-free shopping.

Abby Zimberg is a licensed California Marriage Family Therapist with training in art therapy.

She formerly worked as a graphic designer and has always been a photographer. https://theartoftherapysf.com/

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

JUNE 24, 2021

47

KRAMER (continued from page 36) However, at his sister Mandy’s (Kimi Hsia) engagement party, Weichung reconnects with his old friend Stephen (Lawrence Ko), a gay man. The glum Weichung soon finds himself reconsidering his repressed same-sex feelings and questioning his marriage—especially when he meets Thomas (Wong Ka-lok), an adorable flight attendant. Meanwhile, after Mandy breaks off her engagement to San-San (Stone), he enlists Stephen and his queer friends to help him win his fiancé back. Chen’s buoyant film uses elements of fantasy and deliberately subverts the tropes of traditional romantic comedies, which is what distinguishes his film and makes it as charming as it is wistful.

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? is worth a(nother) look.

The Taiwan Shorts program (free; reserved ticket required) offers four strong films. Hidden is a delicate coming out/coming of age short about Xiao Wei (Lin Yu Lun), a bespectacled teen who is slowly breaking away from his best friend Pin Rui (Wu Chih Hsun) to explore his samesex desires. While he has different and uncomfortable encounters with Tom (Tang Wei Chun) and Kevin (Wu Shih Wei), older men he meets online, Hidden shows the risks teenagers face when they explore their sexuality. This is a touching short that operates as a real cautionary tale.

The upbeat 3-minute documentary Taiwan Pride for the World features various international LGBTQ celebrants—including noted Taiwanese gay civil rights activist and rainbow flag-waver Chi Chia-wei—marching for others who cannot attend a Pride

SISTER DANA (continued from page 46) gathering because of COVID-19.

The nearly wordless short Undercurrent is an intense drama about a teenager (Huang Lee-Fong) who encounters another man (Chang Chih-Han) in 1979 during the time of martial law and enforced curfews. When a policeman (Wu Ming-Fan) picks the teen up, the situation becomes more charged. Undercurrent features some very sensual cigarette sharing between the two young men as it makes a political statement about how gay men operate outside social norms.

Lastly, Unnamed is a comic-dramatic short about Ting (Chang Chun-Yu), a teenage girl who wants to change her name, much to her father Zhang YiChun’s (Chin-Chang Yeh) chagrin.

She seeks refuge with her gay best friend Hong Jia-Hao (Gao Hong)— and helps extricate him from a hookup with Jerónimo (William Serrano)—only for another crisis to occur.

Unnamed is a perceptive short about sexuality and identity, and was well directed by the two leads.

moments of Prom. Or better. Much better, darling! DJ, dancing, games, photo moments, drinks & bites inspired by cafeteria food (with a high-end twist)—a portion of proceeds will go to benefit the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and our many worthy beneficiaries. Tickets are $30 and it’s a 21+ open bar! Westfield San Francisco Center, 865 Market Street. https://tinyurl.com/mcyrh6kd Join the SAN FRANCISCO LESBIAN/GAY FREEDOM BAND as they come together virtually with 12 additional Pride Bands from across the country on Saturday, June 26, 4 pm and 7 pm (2 showings) for LOUD & PROUD: A Celebration of Pride Bands from Coast to Coast! They will be covering musical genres from pop, symphonic, classical, modern, soundtrack, and more. Free, but register at https://bit.ly/3gFF1RA

Empress Juanita MORE! presents PRIDE 2021, focusing on reigniting LGBTQ+ nightlife in SF, Sunday, June 27, noon to 10:30 pm, 620 Jones Street. This year will mark the 18th year throwing one of the biggest parties in the City and will focus on helping the queer community most impacted by the pandemic—drag queens, entertainers, bartenders, and others who have lost their income with the closing of so many venues. Over the years, Juanita’s efforts have raised $900,000 for the LGBTQ+ community. Beneficiaries of this incredible nonprofit extravaganza include SF Bay Area Queer Nightlife Fund and the Imperial Council of San Francisco. https://tinyurl.com/ym2ss3sj Sister Dana sez, “For 32 years, California has had a ban on assault weapons, and suddenly some Repugnican Federal judge declares it unconstitutional? Maybe we should really be constitutional and just fire flintlock muskets!”

Taking a Walk with Rink

San Francisco Bay Times photographer Rink enjoys capturing images of those he sees on his way to and from events. Bruce Beaudette and his companion Yoko-O-Yes were among those recently greeted by Rink.

The Frameline Film Festival also held a Taiwan Focus panel during the festival. It is available on the website through June 27.

Happy viewing! https://www.frameline.org/festival © 2021 Gary M. Kramer Gary M. Kramer is the author of “Independent Queer Cinema: Reviews and Interviews,” and the coeditor of “Directory of World Cinema: Argentina.” Follow him on Twitter @garymkramer

SEELIG (continued from page 38) I gotta say, we started right out with some “adventurous” (read: gay) program content. There were a few eyebrows that went askance in my first spring when we were given permission to perform PDQ Bach’s oratorio Oedipus Tex. Everyone was excited. PDQ is a genius and hilarious. We put it on the season’s plan. When it came time to start rehearsals, I announced we would be wearing togas and cowboy boots. Quelle horreur. Most of them joined in the fun. A few just couldn’t possibly denigrate their massive talent to lower themselves to such tomfoolery. Their loss. We had a blast. The audience went nuts over the whole experience. The die was cast as was the concept that would become a part of our chorus Bible. Every concert had to have TLC: a tear, a laugh, and a chill bump (or goosie!). This became our secret sauce and I’ve been pouring it on gay choruses ever since. Sing really well and then have an “oh no they didn’t” moment.

For years, there were those who would say, while shaking their head in a disparaging manner as if something terrible had happened, “Tim Seelig dragged the chorus out of the closet against its will.”

You’re welcome.

And I, on the other hand, simply told them that my own coming out had been so traumatic, I was not going back in the closet—not even one tiny toe—for them or anyone.

Oh, that baby gay Tim was a mess. Some of you all will remember being gay before the internet, or cell phones, or access to the massive amount of information we now have. We stumbled. We crawled. We learned tough lessons.

We did the best we could. Still are.

Baby Tim grew up quickly in many regards. At my first rehearsal with the chorale in 1987, I faced a 2nd tenor on the front row covered with sores. We lost scores of singers in the years that would follow. The lessons continued. I co-founded a women’s chorus in 1989 and learned so much—becoming an honorary lesbian. Moving to San Francisco was another huge learning lesson. There was not that big Texas cloud hanging over life. All of a sudden, the fight was not about defying the conservative stronghold. Without that, we are able to spend our energy on Homosexualization graduate school. We are at the forefront of learning and changing and adapting.

I am so very happy to say that my “former” chorus, the Turtle Creek Chorale, is doing incredible things right there in Dallas, Texas. I’m also very happy to say my “current” chorus just kicks ass at every turn!

OK, the article was about Pride after all. I am proud. It is with a huge sense of pride that I share in leading the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. As a person living with HIV, I am so proud that the chorus created the Artists Portal at the National AIDS Memorial Grove. As a gay artist, I am thrilled to look at the future of The Chan National Queer Arts Center as we begin to open again.

We continue to learn. That makes me proud.

HAPPY PRIDE (with a little vanity thrown in!).

Dr. Tim Seelig is the Artistic Director of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus.

48

SA N FRANCISCO BAY T I ME S

J U NE 2 4 , 2 0 2 1

Photos by Rink

QUEER POP QUIZ ANSWER (Question on pg 33)

A) Society for Human Rights Chicago German immigrant Henry Gerber in 1924 founded the Society for Human Rights in Chicago. It was the first group to campaign for gay rights in the U.S. According to The Legacy Project Chicago, Gerber also produced the first American publication for homosexuals, Friendship and Freedom. https://legacyprojectchicago.org/milestone/society-human-rights

Slow Streets: Noe Art Mart

Photos by Rink

The Noe Art Mart, part of San Francisco’s Slow Streets Program that began during the COVID-19 pandemic, remains a popular showcase for artists and makers to display and sell their works. This Pride Month and the summer weather offer the perfect time to peruse everything from colorful portraits to rare and artfully arranged succulents. The weekly event happens on Sundays through June, 11 am–6 pm on Noe Street between Market and Beaver. La Méditerranée restaurant, Jeffrey’s, and Lookout are just a few of the adjacent businesses supporting the event through their sidewalk and parklet services. The San Francisco Bay Times team joins the organizers, Christopher Vasquez, Chris Hastings, and Nicole Whitten, in anticipating that the event will continue beyond June. Watch for notices as news on the schedule becomes available.

Empress Juanita MORE! (3rd from right) and friends

Devlin Shand, Yves Saint Croissant and Kenya Knott

(Left to Right) Artist Jokie X Wilson and activist Tre Allen with friends.

Artist Matt Pipes

Dr. Dee Spencer

Event coordinators Chris Hastings and Nicole Whitten

Artist Denise Flowerday

LGBT community photographer Gareth Gooch, who created the images of Check, Please! Bay Area host Leslie Sbrocco for this issue of the San Francisco Bay Times, is among the artists featured at the Slow Streets Noe Art Mart. Popular images by Gooch offered for sale include ones featuring The Stud, Sister Roma, Oakland’s Black Lives Matter street mural, and more. www.garethgoochphotography.com Photo by JB S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

JUNE 24, 2021

49

Round About - All Over Town

Photos by Rink

The front window at Knobs on Castro Street displays merchandise for Pride.

The Frameline Film Festival 2021, June 10–27, was announced on the Castro Theatre marquee.

Examples of artist Bill Bowers’ jacket art are on display at Dog Eared books in the Castro.

American Legion Alexander Hamilton Post 448 members were out with their colors at Jane Warner Plaza on Memorial Day, May 31.

A unique sculpture by designer Eiotown, created using spoons, knives and other kitchen tools, is displayed in the front window at Out of the Closet on Polk Street.

Visitors on June 6 enjoyed the colorful flowers at Pink Triangle Park, a memorial for LGBT people who died during the Holocaust. The park is located at the intersection of Market, 17th and Castro Streets.

The familiar PRIDE banners are up and on display at the Asian Art Museum in the Civic Center.

Sir Elton John is featured, in this Muni bus stop poster found on Potrero Hill, promoting compassion for people with AIDS. 50

SA N FRANCISCO BAY T I ME S

J U NE 2 4 , 2 0 2 1

A closed Vietnamese restaurant located on Polk Street has on its outdoor wall an Immigrant Heritage Month poster.

A poster promoting getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is at the Muni stop on Russian Hill.

Rink Remembers

Photos by Rink

CASTRO

STREETCAM

Grand Duke V, King Father II of All California, Fred L. Townsend was memorialized in a service, led by Grand Duchess 35, presented by the San Francisco Grand Ducal Council.

Townsend was a New Mexico native and U.S. Navy veteran.

He devoted much of his life to service to his community. This included more than 40 years with the Grand Ducal Court.

Speakers at the service included Empress Nicole the Great of San Diego and John Carrillo, Chair of the Imperial Council of San Francisco.

presented by

Townsend was profiled during the pandemic by the Metta Fund. The piece captured his sweet nature and courage in the face of numerous challenges. https://tinyurl.com/patbth87

http://sfbaytimes.com/

Fred L. Townsend

As Heard on the Street . . . How do you plan to observe Pride this year?

compiled by Rink

Miss Shugana

Isaiah

Nguyen “Win” Pham

Tre Russell Allen

Linda Lee

“Bobby Friday’s Brunch at The Vault Garden, perform at Bootie at DNA, and to Juanita MORE!’s Pride party with my honey, Madd Dogg 20/20”

“My boyfriend and I are hosting a Pride party on Saturday.”

“I plan to observe Pride at Frameline’s re-opening at the Castro Theatre during Pride weekend!”

“I’m hosting a 50-men party at my place with a DJ and a Drag Queen, Daisy O’Dare.”

“I’m going to be at the Castro Theatre for Jump, Darling starring Cloris Leachman at the Frameline Film Festival.”

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

JUNE 24, 2021 51