San Francisco Bay Times September 17, 2015

Thank you to the firefighters who continue to battle wildfires throughout California!

/SF Bay Times

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A Life of Operatic Proportions Caitlyn Jenner - See Page 3

PHOTO SOURCE: ABC/IMAGE GROUP LA-MODIFIED TO SPECIFICATIONS

September 17-30, 2015 | www.sfbaytimes.com

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Caitlyn Jenner to Speak at SF Opera House in February

It struck us as kismet that Jenner will be appearing on February 29 at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. Even the most emotional opera production would seem to pale in gravitas to Jenner’s true story.

She is no stranger to media attention or high achievement. In 1976, Jenner represented the United States and broke the world record by scoring 8,634 points in the decathlon at the Olympic Games in Montreal, earning the title of “World’s Greatest Athlete.”

2015 has been an incredible year for Jenner too. In April 2015, she revealed to the world that she is a transgender woman. She f irst told her story during an ABC News 20/20 special interview with Diane Sawyer.

The two-hour primetime show was a ratings smash, drawing 17 million total viewers—the highest for the show in 15 years.

On June 1, 2015, she revealed her new name and look on the July cover of Vanity Fair. The cover image drew more than 9 million unique visitors to Vanity Fair’s website in a single day, the most ever for the site. Jenner also became an instant trending topic on

social media, attracting one million Twitter followers in just over four hours, setting a new Guinness world record.

In July, she was honored with the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at the 2015 ESPYs. The awards show, which aired for the first time on ABC, averaged 7.7 million viewers overall, a 253% increase over past years.

T h is past summer, Jenner a lso launched her new E! Network show, I Am Cait, for which she is an executive producer. The show documents her life post-transition as she learns more about the transgender community, and allows viewers to meet a diverse group of transgender people.

Off screen, Jenner finds time to enjoy her own hobbies including flying planes, racing cars in Grand Prix events, working on her golf game, and spending time with her children Burt, Casey, Brandon, Brody, Kendall, and Kylie; stepchildren Kourtney, Kim, Khloe, and Rob; and her seven grandchildren.

Next year, Jenner embarks on a short tour of speaking engagements, appearing in Toronto, Vancouver, Denver and Seattle, in addition to San Francisco. The tour is part of Unique Lives Experiences, a women’s lecture series. We’re not sure what Jenner will talk about, but if the past is any indication of the future, expect surprises, humor, great stories, and that Jenner will give it her all.

By Dennis McMillan

San Francisco-based ORAM (Organization for Refuge, Asylum, and Migration) calls on the Obama Administration to safeguard 500 Slots for LGBTI refugees out of the 10,000 announced previously. “The fact that the United States will now start accepting more refugees is a very welcome development,” said Neil Grungras, executive director of ORAM. “Also, we urge the Administration to hold 500 of those slots for vulnerable LGBTI refugees like Subhi Nahas, who are escaping extremely treacherous countries. Of course the number announced yesterday should be additional to the current annual refugee quota.” There are at least 400 selfidentified LGBTQ Syrian refugees currently in Turkey, a temporary host country—with thousands more in hiding. LGBTQ Syrians have also escaped to Lebanon, Jordan and other countries. oraminternational.org Mayor Lee Issues Statement on Valley Fire Mayor Edwin M. Lee issued the following statement regarding the devastating Valley Fire in Lake, Napa and Sonoma counties that has burned 61,000 acres and has destroyed hundreds of homes: “On behalf of the residents of San Francisco, my thoughts and prayers go out to the families affected by the devastating Valley Fire. San Francisco stands ready to support and assist the families and children in this region to recover and rebuild.” The best way to help those affected is to make a monetary donation to an organization responding to this disaster and providing aid to those most in need. People can find information at sfgivesback. org “I thank all the brave first

Jenner with soccer champion Abby Wambach at the 2015 ESPY Awards

For more information, please go to: www.uniquelives.com

In the News

ORAM Applauds President Obama’s Action to Help Syrian Refugees

PHOTO SOURCE: ABC/IMAGE GROUP LA

There is living large, and then there is Caitlyn Jenner. The well-known transgender woman clearly lives life to its fullest, with the whole world sharing in her personal highs and lows via her hit reality shows. Jenner is also 6’2”, and when high heels are added, she presents a towering figure who really does seem larger than life.

responders who are still fighting to beat back and contain this blaze, including members from our own San Francisco Fire Department,” said Mayor Lee. “This is another stark reminder that we must be prepared for any disaster or emergency to ensure our families and loved ones are safe and our cities remain resilient.” Mayor Lee urges all San Franciscans to visit sf72.org to learn how to prepare and to join the Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT). sfgov.org California Legislature Adopts Resolution on Blood Donation Policies The California Legislature has adopted Assembly Joint Resolution (AJR) 16, authored by Assemblymembers Richard Bloom, Eduardo Garcia and Evan Low and sponsored by Equality California. This resolution was brought forward in response to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) revised blood donor guidelines, which continue to discriminate against gay and bisexual men. AJR 16 calls on President Obama to encourage the Secretary of Health and Human services to direct the FDA to develop science-based protocols that focus on real individual risk rather than guidelines that discriminate against gay and bisexual men as a group. eqca.org Two Landmark Transgender Rights Bills Pass California Assembly The California State Assembly has passed two bills—authored by Senator Mark Leno and co-sponsored by the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), Equality California and Transgender Law Center—protecting transgender people who work for companies doing business with

state agencies and transgender children in the foster care system. The first bill, Senate Bill 703, prohibits state agencies from doing business with companies that fail to offer transgender employees the same health care coverage and benefits they provide all other workers. The second bill, Senate Bill 731, extends to all foster children the right to placements consistent with their gender identity.

Both bills will return to the Senate for a vote on amendments taken in the Assembly before heading to the Governor’s desk for consideration. nclrights.org Election Results Are In for Golden Gate Business Association At their annual meeting, Golden Gate Business Association elected the following candidates as GGBA’s newest board members: Bryon Heinrich, Dawn Ackerman, Gina Grahame, Jay Greene, John Eric Henry, Nicole Jackson and Theresa Ensminger.

GGBA is the first business organization founded by LGBTQ entrepreneurs. The GGBA is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit, membership-driven organization consisting of over 350 business entities, community organizations and individuals. The membership also voted to approve bylaws changes to increase the number of board members to 21. ggba.com War Memorial Veterans Building Re-dedication Ceremony Held The San Francisco War Memorial Board of Trustees invited the public to join Mayor Edwin M. Lee and members of the City family to celebrate completion of the War Memorial Veterans Building renovation. The Vets building has been home to The Alexander Hamilton Post 448 of the American Legion—the only post whose veteran membership is predominantly LGBTQ. A ribbon cutting and Re-dedication Ceremony took place in the historic Herbst Theatre, followed by an Open House to learn more about the

Seismic and Life-Safety Improvement Project. sfwmpac.or Training Offered for Volunteers with Castro Community on Patrol Castro Community on Patrol (CCOP) invites the public to become a patrol volunteer. A 3-hour patrol once a month helps keep the Castro and Duboce Triangle neighborhoods safer. The next free training session is Saturday, September 19, at 1pm.

All volunteers must complete the Patrol Basic Training Class in order to be fully acquainted with the role and function of CCOP. The training requires reading a written manual and then attending a 3 ½-hour practical class to fulfill the basic training component.

Completing the Patroller training does not obligate anyone to actively patrol with CCOP; there are other opportunities for volunteers if they elect not to patrol. castropatrol.org SF Sheriff to Move Transgender Women into Daytime Programming in Women’s Jail San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi announced that he is implementing a policy that will allow transgender women to receive programming in the women’s jail. Although the women will participate in classes, job training, physical recreation and other programs in the women’s jail during the day, they will remain in the men’s jail during the evenings and overnight. Several local organizations, including TGI Justice Project and Transgender Law Center, have been working on these issues with the Sheriff ’s Office for more than two years. nclrights.org Kate Kendall to Receive CEDAW Human Rights Award

Kate Kendall, executive director of National Center for Lesbian Rights, will be receiving the 2015 CEDAW Women’s Human Rights Award for Leadership on October 5 at the CEDAW Luncheon. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly, is often described as an international bill of rights for women. NCLR is a national legal organization committed to advancing the civil and human rights of LGBTQ people and their families through litigation, public policy advocacy and public education. The Leadership Award is presented to an individual who has shown extraordinary vision in promoting women and the CEDAW principles in innovative and collaborative ways that have resulted in fundamental change. unwomen.org Estate Planning for Singles and Same-Sex Couples Offered The law provides a default estate plan for every person, but it may not reflect your wishes, so Hospice by the Bay offers a plan tailored to your own life and priorities. A free seminar will be held at 180 Redwood Street, Suite 350 on Thursday, October 1, 6:30– 7:30pm. For same-sex couples, changing laws may also impact your estate plan. This seminar will offer options for your financial and health care decisions, and ensure your wishes will be followed after your death. Pre-registration is required by calling (415) 526-5580. hospicebythebay.org Supervisor Wiener Calls for Subway Master Plan Supervisor Scott Wiener is introducing legislation requiring the (continued on page 22)

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A Reality Check Concerning Women in State and Federal Government

Ready for Her Leslie R. Katz The genesis for this column was a discussion a few months ago about the dismally low number of women in elected office and how important it is to be aware of opportunities to increase those figures. We in the LGBTQ community are all too well aware of what a difference it makes to have a seat at the table, harkening the old adage that if you are not sitting at the table, you are on the menu.

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Studies have shown that when women are in leadership roles they govern in a more collaborative way, work towards achieving consensus, and are more willing to share credit in order to achieve goals. Now, more than ever, such traits are needed to enable us to address the opportunities and challenges before us.

We need to work towards increasing the representation of women in higher office and towards representational parity.

Kamala Harris

are now seeking a Senate seat, such as Nancy Skinner in the East Bay, yet we are still nowhere near numbers that reflect parity.

So what can we do?

First, simply acknowledging the situation helps us start to move in a better direction. Second, we need to think about “building the bench” much as the Victory Campaign has done for the LGBTQ community. Third, and obvious in its simplicity, we need to encourage greater participation in elections. The turn-

out numbers have been declining, a trend that must be reversed.

Our community has always supported electing qualified women, and now we need to once again demonstrate forward thinking on that front. As a community, we know how critical these rights are, and thus fighting for better representation of women, as well as members of the LGBTQ community, is a cornerstone of ensuring that we protect the gains we have made, keep seats at the table, and move forward on an agenda that enables all to have opportunities to improve their lives. As the title of this column suggests…we are ready for her.

Leslie R. Katz is a former member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, was the coauthor of the City’s Equal Benefits Ordinance, has served on the SF Democratic County Central Committee (as Chair, and as a general member), and serves on the California Democratic Party’s Executive Board. She is an attorney with a government law, policy and strategy practice, with a focus on emerging technologies.

In California, we have been lucky to have two female Senators, both of whom hold key leadership positions.

Senator Boxer, a champion of the LGBTQ community, has announced that she will not seek re-election in 2016. Kamala Harris, our current Attorney General, is well positioned to succeed in winning election to the Senate Seat. She has long been an ally of our community, and will no doubt be a strong addition to that body.

There will not be, however, a change in numbers of women in the U.S. Senate.

In California, we also have a number of extremely well-qualified women running for the State Legislature, some who have served in the Assembly and

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EMILY’S List, for example, has been at the forefront of this issue for decades.

EMERGE trains Democratic women to run for office. Close the Gap is singularly focused on finding women who will run for key offices, and there are other groups as well that are focused on helping women get elected. Yet with all of these efforts to elevate the discussion regarding increasing the numbers of women in office, we have not ad-vanced as far as many other countries in terms of representation being more reflective of society.

PHOTO CREDIT: INSAPPHOWETRUST

Surprisingly, very few strides have been made since 1992, the “Year of the Woman.” Representation of women in both the U.S. Congress and Senate is barely at 20 percent, and even here in “liberal” California, the numbers are surprisingly the same. There are several organizations working to improve that representation.

Nancy Skinner

Read more from columnist Leslie Katz online at sfbaytimes.com

FROM DIRECTOR ROLAND EMMERICH AND WRITER JON ROBIN BAITZ

SF AIDS Foundation Launches Public Campaign to Fund New Castro Health Center: ‘Strut’ San Francisco A IDS Foundation launched the public phase of “The Campaign for Health & Wellness,” having raised more than $12.2 million of its $15 million goal. The campaign funds the programmatic expansion and renovation costs associated with its groundbreaking new center for gay and bisexual men’s health and wellness at 470 Castro Street. Slated to open in October, the new center is named “Strut,” and brings together the foundation’s well-known and popular free services for sexual health, substance use and mental health, and community engagement and support.

“We’re grateful for the campaign’s tremendous early momentum—a clear testament to the hunger that exists in our community to make San Francisco the first city to end HIV transmission,” said Tom Perrault, chair of the Campaign for Health & Wellness and former board chair of San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

“Major donors and institutional partners really stepped up during the quiet phase, and we’re excited to invite the community to join us, help forge a groundbreaking new model and ensure the programs are fully funded for years to come.”

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Strut co-locates the sexual health services of Magnet, the substance use and mental health counseling services of Stonewall, and the communitybuilding and support programs of Bridgemen and Positive Force. Two of the newest San Francisco AIDS Foundation programs designed to address the needs of young, gay and bisexual African-American men (the DREAAM Project), and men over the age of 50 (the 50-Plus Network) will also be located at Strut. The new, larger location enables the foundation to expand case management services by 25%, mental health counseling by

25%, substance use and harm reduction counseling by 50%, and HIV and STI screening by up to 40%.

The name “Strut” was selected for its multi-dimensionality—it is both a verb meaning “to walk with pride and confidence,” and also a noun referring to a beam that provides structural support. The name and identity were developed pro-bono by Heat, a San Francisco-based creative agency.

Heat’s yearlong brand development process was guided by primary and secondary research, interviews with community leaders, creative workshops with foundation staff and focus groups with clients and other community members.

“We knew we had tremendous responsibility to develop a new name as exciting as the innovative model it represents, especially considering the affection that exists in the community for our three program brands that will come together to form Strut,” said Neil Giuliano, San Francisco AIDS Foundation CEO. “Strut is celebratory, unique, a little quirky and memorable, just like San Francisco.

That’s why it works—but at the end of the day, it’s not about the name, it’s about coming together to build a stronger, healthier and more vibrant community.”

The new model at Strut was developed following a 2011 study by Bain & Company, a top management consulting firm. Bain worked with the foundation pro-bono to help determine how the agency could better meet the needs of gay and bisexual men and chart a path towards ending HIV transmission in San Francisco.

The team identif ied a compelling need to co-locate individual existing programs serving gay and bisexual men, offer new programs to address

HIV and AIDS Fact Sheet San Francisco People Living with HIV and AIDS San Francisco has one of the largest HIV-positive populations in the United States with an estimated 15,979 people living with HIV. Of the total number of San Franciscans living with HIV/AIDS, 9,567 were living with AIDS at the end of 2014. AIDS is a late-stage of HIV disease defined by a low count of CD4 cells.

Gay and bisexual men of all ages and ethnicities continue to bear the brunt of the disease and 86% of new HIV diagnoses are among gay and bisexual men.

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In 2014, there were 302 newly diagnosed HIV cases, a decrease in number from recent years.

Of those newly diagnosed with HIV in 2014, 93% identified as male, 86% were men who have sex with men, a majority (54%) were between 30–49 years old, and 45% were white.

In the past five years, the proportion of Latinos (21% in 2009 to 27% in 2014) and Asian/Pacific Islanders (8% to 13%) who make up new HIV diagnoses has increased. The proportion of new diagnoses among people ages 25 to 29 years dropped from 21% to 17% between 2013 and 2014.

African-Americans are disproportionately represented among new HIV infections, with 11% of new diagnoses among African-Americans in 2014, while only 6% of San Francisco’s population is African-American.

Neighborhoods showing the most new HIV diagnoses are located in central parts of the city in the Castro, Western Addition, Tenderloin, South of Market, and Mission. Not only did the Castro have the highest rates of new HIV diagnoses with 294 new cases per 100,000 people, its rate was more than three times the San Francisco average. Other high rates were reported in the Tenderloin (189 per 100,000 people) and Potrero Hill (132 per 100,000 people).

HIV and AIDS Care Nearly three-quarters (70%) of all newly diagnosed people living with HIV are engaged in ongoing proper care for three to nine months after their first medical visit.

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unmet need and pivot away from a focus on disease identification and management towards a new model that promotes holistic health and wellness.

“Strut is a revolutionary new model for San Francisco and one that addresses a clear need—I expect that we will get between a third and half of gay and bisexual men in San Francisco coming through the doors of Strut in the very first year,” said Tim Patriarca, executive director of Strut.

“Co-locating our services in a beautiful, larger, central community space will help us serve even more people with the sexual health, substance use, mental health and community programs we are known for. With the opening of Strut, we absolutely have the potential to make a positive impact on the lives of so many people in our community.”

The Campaign for Health & Wellness is a four-year, $15 million major fundraising campaign to establish the first-ever home for health and wellness for gay and bisexual men in order to help make San Francisco the first city to end HIV transmission.

Naming opportunities exist for major donors within the building. Programmatic naming opportunities are also available. For example, the foundation is grateful for the support of the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, which made a five-year pledge to support and secure naming rights to the 50-Plus Network, which will henceforth be known as the “Elizabeth Taylor 50-Plus Network.”

Learn more about the campaign and get involved at http://strutsf.org/ wellnesscampaign To learn more about Strut and receive updates as it prepares to open, visit http://strutsf.org

Among all people living with HIV—whether diagnosed or not—60% have their virus under control (are virally suppressed) compared to 30% nationally. Viral suppression is associated with better health outcomes and less likelihood of transmitting the virus to others.

On average, 62% of people newly diagnosed with HIV achieve viral suppression within a year of diagnosis in San Francisco. Neighborhoods that fall below this average include the Bayview (49%), the Outer Mission (56%), and the Tenderloin (59%).

Survival after AIDS diagnosis is worse for AfricanAmericans than for other racial/ethnic groups. The five-year survival probability among people diagnosed with AIDS between 2001 and 2014 was 78% for African-Americans compared to 85% for whites, 87% for Latinos, and 91% for Asian/Pacific Islanders.

In 2014, more than 58% of those living with HIV in San Francisco were over fifty years old. A decade ago, in 2005, only 38% of those living with HIV were over fifty.

California In California, an estimated 119,878 people are living with HIV and AIDS. Of these, an estimated 73,291 were living with AIDS at the end of December 2013.

In 2013, there were 4,636 newly diagnosed HIV cases in California. An estimated 11% of Californians with HIV do not know their status.

As of December 2014, the state has lost 96,443 people who had an AIDS diagnosis. These deaths may or may not have been related to AIDS. United States In the United States, an estimated 929,646 people are living with HIV/AIDS. In 2013, there were 42,018 newly diagnosed HIV cases in the United States. This number has remained relatively stable since 2008.

As of 2012, approximately 658,507 people who had an AIDS diagnoses have died. These deaths may or may not have been related to AIDS. Data was provided to the “San Francisco Bay Times” by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

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Surviving AIDS – Looking Beyond the Meds from HIV-negative gay men, who can treat them like pariahs. That can have a great impact on their ability to manage the multiple conditions they face. The question becomes, what kind of life are they living? We must work not only to prolong life, but also to promote a good quality of life.

Aging in Community Hanna Tessema, MPH, MSW On September 18, the eighth annual National HIV & Aging Awareness Day will highlight the massive change in the epidemic: half of all people with HIV in the U.S. will be over 50 this year. That number will rise to 70% by 2020. Organizations throughout the country are holding events to acknowledge the struggles and triumphs of older adults with HIV—both newly diagnosed and long-term survivors.

People with HIV are living longer lives due to advances in HIV treatment. But while the new meds can control HIV itself, they can’t eliminate the inf lammation that HIV causes. As a result, many older adults with HIV are developing illnesses that usually happen much later in life.

These include heart disease, cancers, bone fractures, and depression. It can be quite challenging to manage the complex treatment regimens these multiple chronic illnesses require.

These older adults are often isolated and have 3–5 times the rate of depression of their HIV-negative peers.

Older gay men face what therapist James Masten calls the “triple threat”: homophobia, ageism, and HIV stigma—the last most notably

In San Francisco, it’s estimated that 68% of people with HIV over 50 are controlling their virus with medication. That’s higher than other age groups and higher than the national average, but we still have work to do ensuring to achieve the goal of “Getting to Zero” new HIV infections, zero HIV deaths, and zero HIV stigma.

Local HIV organizations need to work more closely together and create new ways of including adults over 50 in testing campaigns for HIV and HCV, as well as helping them get into and stay in care. We must ensure that the services we provide are culturally appropriate and inclusive of transgender groups, women, and communities of color.

HIV organizations must partner with aging service providers, since their expertise in aging is critical to this effort. It is time for HIV and aging providers to find effective ways to reach isolated seniors and longterm survivors who often face depression, loneliness, and the effects of trauma. Despite their numerous challenges, many older adults with HIV have shown incredible resilience and strength. We need to understand how they’ve succeeded and learn from them if we are to achieve better health outcomes for those older adults with HIV who need our help.

This summer, ACRIA launched a new prevention campaign in the “Age

Sex is an important part of healthy aging, and many adults have active sex lives well into their 70s, 80s, and beyond. The 2015 campaign highlights the fact that older adults have different kinds of sex—casual, romantic, straight, gay, curious, etc. It’s important to recognize that people can be sexually active at any age, and if they do have sex, being older does not protect them against STIs or HIV. San Francisco is at the forefront of HIV and aging issues and has an HI V & Aging workgroup (under the Long-term Care Coordinating Council & DAAS). The workgroup holds monthly meetings and works to mobilize the community around advocacy issues. Let’s Kick ASS (AIDS Survivor Syndrome), a San Francisco-based national grassroots organization, recently issued the HIV LongTerm Survivors Declaration, subtitled “A Vision for Our Future.” They will be celebrating their third anniversary on September 18.

Also on September 18: Positive Resource Center, AIDS Legal Referral Panel, Shanti, Westside Community Services and others who collaborated on the “We’ve Got This” series are holding an event focusing on long-term survivors. For more info, please contact: Vaughn Villaverde at VaughnV@positiveresource.org Finally, ACRIA has initiated ROAH 2.0 (a follow-up to our 2005 Research on Older Adults with HIV study) on a national level, including the San Francisco/Bay Area. The advisory council for the study includes a national network of researchers, service providers, advocates, and HIV longterm survivors who met for the first time last month to design the ROAH 2.0 questionnaire.

LGBT Resources for Seniors • Openhouse: 415-296-8995 openhouse-sf.org/ • Family Caregiver Alliance: 415-434-3388 www.caregiver.org • Institute on Aging: 415-750-4111 www.ioaging.org/ • National Resource Center on LGBT Aging www.lgbtagingcenter.org/ • Project Open Hand San Francisco: Nutrition Services 415-447-2300 www.openhand.org/ • SAGE: 212-741-2247 www.sageusa.org/about/ • Shanti Project, Inc: HIV Services and Life Threatening Illnesses 415-674-4700 www.shanti.org/ Media Sponsor

is Not a Condom” series. While the majority of older adults with HIV were infected years ago, too many people over 50 are still getting infected. There are simply not enough social messaging campaigns targeting older adults, so ACRIA’s latest campaign was designed to counter the myth that older adults are not sexually active.

Alzheimer’s Association Programs and Services: • 24/7 Helpline: 1-800-272-3900 www.alz.org/norcal/; Online Community: www.alzheimersblog.org/ lgbt-forum

Dr. Marcy Adelman oversees the Aging in Community column. For her summary of current LGBT senior challenges and opportunities, please go to: sf baytimes.com/challenges-and-opportunties

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• Memory Clinic, Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center: 408-530-6900 mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org/ncal/facilities/region/santaclara/ area_master/departments/memorycliic/index.jsp

Hanna Tessema, MPH, MSW, is the Associate Director of the Training Center at ACRIA. She has been managing local and national HIV & Aging initiatives for ACRIA since 2007.

Following the LGBT Roundtable meeting she hosted on September 3, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi was greeted by SF AIDS Foundation’s James Loduca and SF Human Rights Commission’s Michael Pappas on the steps of the Harvey Milk Building at Duboce Park.

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PHOTO BY RINK

The San Francisco Pride Annual General Meeting was held at the LGBT Community Center on Saturday, September 12. The theme for Pride 2016 was announced: For Radical and Economic Justice. New members elected to the Pride Board include Melanie Nathan, Joey Stevenson and John Weber. Returning members are Justin Taylor and Jesse Oliver Sanford.

To Stop the Shootings, We Must Stop the Illegal Guns

Justice for LGBT Students

T h r ou ghout t he Un it e d States, attention to the problem of gun violence seems to rise when there is a wellpublicized shooting, but often does not last, and fails to result in real action being taken.

Education is the greatest gift we give to our children. We strive to preserve equal access to it through laws that protect K–12 students from discrimination and harassment in our public schools.

And we need the help of the public too. One of the sources of guns used in crimes involves guns stolen from the homes of the public. Please do not leave a gun where it could be stolen. We need to strengthen prohibit ions on anyone leaving guns and ammunition in a place where it can easily be taken—like the back seat of an unattended vehicle. A nd encourage everyone to avoid being a part of the problem of gun violence.

If we are serious about stopping gun violence, we need to take action against the f low of illegal guns. In Oakland and elsewhere, a simple argument can turn into a shooting Out of the Closet if the people involved have and into City Hall guns. Those who are profiting from bringing guns into Oakland Vice Mayor our community from places The United States does not Rebecca Kaplan with weaker gun laws must be need to continue to lead the caught and stopped. We have world in gun violence, but is learned that the overwhelming majority of gun choosing to inadequately crack down on illegal crimes are being committed by people who ob- gun dealing because of the power and wealth of tained their guns illegally. the opposition. Inadequate Federal dedication to stop illegal guns is causing violence and sufShutting down access to illegal guns is a necesfering throughout our communities. sary step in reducing gun violence.

In order to build safer communities, particuThis means we need our State and Federal oflarly since many of the guns are coming from ficials to act to help stop the flow of guns from out of State, we will need to continue to urge our other States into our communities. We need to State and Federal leaders to take stronger acclose the background check loophole nationtion, especially on background check loopholes wide. And, at the local level, we need to increase and illegal gun dealers. And, at the local level, support to track down and shut down the sourcwe need to strengthen our own tracking and es of guns being used in local crimes. response to shootings, and make clear that we That is why I am proud that I fought for, and will not tolerate the spread of illegal guns and won, funding in the new City of Oakland bud- gun violence in our communities. get to specifically focus on stopping gun crime.

Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan was elected in 2008 to This work will include tracking down and shutserve as Oakland’s citywide councilmember. She was ting down sources of illegal guns, and more. re-elected in 2012 and serves currently as Vice Mayor.

We need to improve police response to shoot- She is working for safe neighborhoods, for local jobs and ings, including responding when gun shots be- for a fresh start for Oakland. Vice Mayor Kaplan gradugin—even before someone is hit by a bullet—to ated Phi Beta Kappa from the Massachusetts Institute of catch people engaged in shootings, stop things Technolog y, obtained a Master’s degree from Tufts Unibefore they escalate, and take guns off the street. versity and a Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School.

UPGRADE YOUR CARIBBEAN VIEW. FREE.

The law requires appeals to the Department to be addressed within 60 days because they are the last resort for students stuck in toxic or stif ling situations. However, many students have had their appeals go unaddressed for years. Unfortunately, this is not a new criticism weighed against the Department.

The need for these laws is dire, especially for LGBT Two years ago, an audit restudents who face verbal, vealed that the Department physical, and online bulAssemblymember Phil Ting was systematically failing lying. A survey by the Gay these students and recomLesbian Straight Educamended that the Legislature be informed of action Network found 91 percent of LGBT students hear discriminatory remarks, 70 percent tions to solve this problem. Given the persistent are called names or threatened, nearly one- lack of resolution, I teamed up with Equality third report physical harassment or assault, California and the American Civil Liberties Union to hold the Department accountable. and nearly half report cyberbullying.

These serious problems undermine learning.

Students will frequently skip class, or entire days of school, because they feel unsafe, which contributes to much lower grades among bullied students. The consequences can also be much more tragic.

A Sacramento area 12-year-old named Ronin Shimizu took his own life last year to escape the pain caused by years of schoolyard bullying. The boy’s parents sought aid from the school district, but were forced to shuttle their son from campus to campus, even resorting to home schooling, in a vain attempt to outrun the attacks.

This shocking example shows that we flirt with disaster by failing to provide swift justice for LGBT kids facing discrimination. So, I was outraged to learn that the California Department of Education was failing to help LGBT students who filed antidiscrimination claims against their schools, were unsatisfied with the school’s response, and appealed to the Department for help.

In May of this year, at my request, the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance convened an oversight hearing to discuss these issues. In testimony from the Department, we learned that there was an appeals backlog of 245 cases at the beginning of the year and a 145 case backlog in May. When faced with sustained pressure, the Department responded. It has since reported back to me that the LGBT student appeal backlog is gone.

Earlier this month, the State Legislature passed a bill I co-authored requiring the Department to take a more proactive approach to help LGBT students in grades 7–12 fight discrimination. If signed by Governor Jerry Brown, Assembly Bill 827 requires the Department to evaluate school districts to determine which have trained educators about supporting students through knowledge of school site and community resources.

This bill is a chance to repair the damage done from the Department’s neglect by helping foster solutions for students without state (continued on page 22)

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9/4/15 2:45 PM

Injustice Collectors go of seeing ourselves as life’s victim also means letting go of the comforting delusion of our own perpetual innocence.

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Examined Life Tom Moon, MFT Some of the unhappiest people I’ve ever met are “injustice collectors,” an evocative phrase that most of us intuitively understand as soon as we hear it. Injustice collectors ruminate continually about the Bad People who have harmed them. They are preoccupied with the injustices that they believe they’ve suffered; and, as a result, they live in mental prisons of helplessness, hurt, rage, and the longing for vengeance.

If we’re honest, most of us have done some injustice collecting in our lives, even if we’ve escaped its most extreme forms. Holding onto our grudges is always painful, but it also has its rewards.

Self-righteous rage is a rush, which makes it potentially addictive. Letting

Because injustice collectors are convinced of their helplessness, they are rarely troubled by any questions of personal moral responsibility or accountability. But to acknowledge our strength also means acknowledging that we have the power to hurt others— which requires that we see ourselves as morally accountable in a new way. It means surrendering the delusion that, whenever we’re in conflict, we are always the only one who has been wronged. It means letting go of the pleasant assumption of entitlement, the self-serving idea that we are owed special treatment and consideration by the people around us.

Paradoxically, injustice collectors sometimes have a huge capacity for insensitivity and cruelty. The reason is that this mindset always involves dehumanizing and demonizing others, because somebody, or some group, has to fill the role of the perpetrator. And when we are in the trance of this mindset, the perpetrator or oppressor can become the omnipotent Other against whom any level of vengeance is justifiable. Nothing is more potentially destructive than the rage of these “innocents.”

But to challenge the thinking of injustice

collectors is to risk being accused of insensitivity to cruelty and oppression, of not recognizing the realities of racism, sexism, homophobia and economic oppression. Vester Flanagan, the man who murdered two TV broadcasters in Virginia—who was a classic injustice collector—was also gay and black; and no one, I think, can seriously doubt that he must have suffered very real abuse and injustice by virtue of belonging to two targeted groups. But in his case, his experiences of injustice seem to have congealed into a solid identity, so that he uncritically lived every day of his life as its Victim.

Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Aung San Suu Kyi, Nelson Mandela, and the Dalai Lama also suffered oppression, injustice and persecution. But we revere them because they refused to identify themselves with the role of Victim— with the sense of hopelessness, helplessness, despair, and vengefulness that are its defining features. None of them surrendered their human dignity to their oppressors, but even more remarkably, none of them forgot the humanity of their oppressors. They are moral examples for all of us, not only because of their courage in fighting injustice, but also because they demonstrate the amazing capacity of the human heart to remain open, forgiving, and compassionate under even the most oppressive of circumstances.

J.H. Herren

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Singers of the Street Concerts

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CONTRIBUTORS Writers Rink, Sister Dana Van Iquity, Ann Rostow, Kirsten Kruse, Kate Kendell, Heidi Beeler, Gary M. Kramer, Dennis McMillan, Tom Moon, Terry Baum, Gypsy Love, Rafael Mandelman, Kit Kennedy, Phil Ting, Rebecca Kaplan, Leslie Katz, Philip Ruth, Bill Lipsky, Karen Williams, Donna Sachet, Gary Virginia, Zoe Dunning, Marcy Adelman, Stuart Gaffney & John Lewis Brandon Miller, Jamie Leno Zimron Rebecca Kaplan, Thom Watson, Courtney Lake, Michele Karlsberg Photographers Rink, Steven Underhill, Phyllis Costa, Paul Margolis, Chloe Jackman, Bill Wilson, Jo-Lynn Otto, Sandy Morris, Abby Zimberg

Singers of the Street, a choral organization founded in 2010 by Dr. Kathleen McGuire, presented two recent concerts featuring the Bay Area premiere of a new work entitled Street Requiem.

Opera superstar Frederica von Stade was the special guest artist at the performances held on Saturday, August 29, at Old First Presbyterian Church in San Francisco, and on Sunday, August 30, at the San Mateo Congregational Church in San Mateo. State Senator Mark Leno was on hand at the San Francisco performance to present proclamations to von Stade and McGuire.

Street Requiem, described by The Peninsula Daily Journal as “a multicultural, multi-faith work mourning those who have died innocent on the street as a result of poverty, war, illness, violence, hate crimes or homelessness,” was co-composed by McGuire, Dr. Jonathan Welch, AM, and Andy Payne, who was on hand for the performances.

Singers of the Street is a choir of San Franciscans who have experienced, or are at risk of, homelessness.

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Photos by Rink

BAY TIMES SEPTEMB E R 1 7 , 2 0 1 5

Extreme injustice collectors like Flanagan are all-but-impossible to help, because they’ve reached a level of cognitive closure that renders them impervious to any challenge to their convictions. But most of us have enough capacity for self-inquiry that we can examine our cognitive distortions and work to correct them. When tempted to succumb to injustice collecting, we can ask ourselves questions like: How does adopting an air of moral superiority help me? Does harboring resentment really lead to a meaningful life? Does it make sense for imperfect individuals to demand that others act perfectly? We can understand that when we spend time collecting injustices, we waste valuable mental energy that could otherwise be used to achieve our goals.

The human psyche is amazingly equipped to recover from experiences of trauma, injustice and cruelty. But while we can recover from specific experiences of victimization, we can never recover from the victim role, because a role isn’t a wound. It’s an attitude, a way of understanding our place in the world— that is, an idea. And we don’t have to recover from ideas that don’t serve us.

We only have to learn to stop believing them.

Tom Moon is a psychotherapist in San Francisco. To learn more, please visit his website at tommoon.net

GLBT Fortnight in Review

By Ann Rostow

Out Out Damned Spot!

Have any of you seen the Tide samesex marriage ad? Two men in tuxedos approach the church. “It’s too late to back out now,” one says, and I paraphrase because I forget the exact script. A Kim Davis-type matron greets them sternly at the door, announcing that she won’t let them “blemish the sacred rite of marriage.” Appalled, the men begin to protest until she produces one of those stain-erasing markers and removes a spot on one of the groom’s shirt. She straightens the tie on the other groom and welcomes them into the church.

The ad is not a real Tide ad. It was produced on spec by an independent producer. But still, it uses Tide, and Proctor & Gamble is obviously okay with it. Indeed, the company is running a real Tide ad in Canada that features a gay man who has bought a bargain brand against his husband’s advice.

The point is that not too long ago, an ad like this would make headlines, provoke a right wing boycott and force P&G into a public relations tailspin.

These days, it’s an unnoticed piece of amusement that someone might stumble upon in cyberspace. It also reflects the fact that the vast majority not only approves of marriage equality, but also finds people like Kim Davis appropriate targets of ridicule. And that kind of encapsulates the fate of the embattled Kentucky clerk.

As you know, Davis went to jail for five days after she refused to abide by a federal court order to issue marriage licenses to one and all in Rowan County. Our side had asked the judge to give her a fine, fearing that jail time would make a martyr out of her.

But the judge thought a fine wouldn’t bring her to heel, and sent her to the lockup instead.

In the interim, her deputies began complying with the court, and issuing licenses to both gay and straight couples. Davis was released under the proviso that she would not interfere with the duties of her assistant clerks.

She agreed, to a point. But she now insists that the licenses are not valid without her stamp of approval, which she continues to withhold. Happily, she is the only one who holds this cramped view, as the state attorney general and the court think the licenses are perfectly legal, with or without Ms. Davis’s blessing.

The litigation continues, although it’s not clear what Davis and her far right pro bono legal team hope to accomplish. Most of us think Davis should be forced to resign or be ousted for dereliction of duty, but on a practical level, her fifteen minutes of fame are over and the limelight is fading to black. When all is said and done, the Kim Davis episode has devolved in our favor. It released some of the hot air that built up after the High Court’s marriage ruling, but it did so to no effect, thanks to her sour personality, the hypocrisy of her many divorces, and her status as a public servant rather than a sympathetic small business owner. We could not have hand-picked a better adversary.

gay and lesbian friends and allies.

Well, better late than never, my dear.

Reality star Jenner appeared on Ellen the other day, and confessed that back in the day, her views were traditional.

Now, she gets it, although her understanding still sounded a little tenuous.

Ellen felt obliged to explain why the word “marriage” was intrinsic to the concept of “marriage equality,” and why a separate designation for gay and straight couples would have undermined the goal of civil rights.

But still, I’ll give Caitlyn a break. I’ll give her a break on marriage, not on being a Republican.

Meanwhile, I read that a prisoner with a 19-inch penis has complained that guards and other prison staff harass him, trying to get a peek and feel him up on purpose out of curiosity.

He has also been nicknamed “anaconda.” Do you believe this?

I just tried to find the story again, and discovered several other accounts of another 19-inch guy in Mexico (not in prison) who wants some acknowledgement in the Guinness Book of World Records. Experts believe, however, that his length is mostly skin.

Yuck!

I tried to f igure out which story was real and wound up watching a few unconvincing porn videos (after Googling “anaconda dick”). God knows what’s going to happen to my email inbox.

Love Birds I’ll get back to GLBT news in a minute, but first, I was reading about the experiments on 160 zebra f inch at an ornithology institute in Berlin. It seems zebra finch are monogamous, so the scientists released groups of birds and let them hang out for a while until they picked a mate. Half of the couples were allowed to continue their lives as usual, while the other half were cruelly separated and then mixed with other separated finch. In the end, the self-selected couples had more chicks and exhibited more affection than the others. Further, the male birds in the uncommitted group tended to stray.

This was mean, don’t you think? Instructive, but mean. I often think that our understanding of other species puts us in the dark ages compared to what we will learn in the future, don’t you?

Oh, that assumes that the future will come. I gather that a bunch of Mormons think the end is near and/ or that a financial or physical calamity will befall us late this month. The doomsday warnings come from a f lakey woman who nearly died and had some disturbing visions. Also, there’s some seven-year pattern that takes us from September 11 to the financial crisis to, um, the end of this month! Never mind that nothing happened in September of 1994, as far as I can recall, so the seven-year “pattern” consists of two events.

Barring some unexpected new development, Davis has lost, and thanks to her useless grandstanding, the next champion of “religious freedom” will have less public energy and fewer news cycles.

At any rate, according to the Salt Lake City Tribune, people are reportedly stocking up on emergency supplies, and some of the Mormon hoo-haws are urging everyone to take the fanatical warnings with a grain of salt.

Did I mention the “blood moon” scheduled for September 28? As far as I know, that is actually a regular old full moon, but I haven’t died or had any visions. Can you tell I’m not really in the mood to return to GLBT news?

Size Matters

Plus Que Ҫa Change

You’ll be happy to know that Republican Caitlyn Jenner has decided that marriage equality is okay. I gather that Bruce used to be opposed to the idea, but that Caitlyn has come around, in part thanks to all her new

Part of my problem is that the progress of gay rights, culminating in the marriage ruling, has changed the context of GLBT news. When opposition to marriage equality becomes a joking matter for a laundry detergent

ad, it’s hard to get up a head of steam over the sorts of things that used to be serious grist for our mill. Like tshirt disputes in schools, to pick an example at random.

Ten or so years ago, the annual Day of Silence, when high school kids showed solidarity for GLBT rights, used to be a news engine, generating dozens of stories of nasty administrators and campus bullies. And I can’t count the number of t-shirt stories, where students were forced to censor themselves by frightened school officials with little grasp of constitutional mandates. Keep in mind that the banned shirts included those with Bible verses as well as those with gay rights slogans. It seemed that school principals just wanted to mute the whole subject of sexual orientation.

These days, it’s rare to encounter a t-shirt story. And when we do, like this week, for example, you can’t help but feel as if the scenario represents a throw back to an earlier time. To be “newsworthy” is not just to stir the pot, but to do so in a way that embraces a larger trend. A t-shirt dispute in this day and age is an anachronism.

St ill, the latest incident, out of Chesnee High in South Carolina, seems noteworthy for a particularly obtuse school official. The shirt in question, worn by Brianna Popour, read “Nobody Knows I’m a Lesbian,” hardly high on the list of offensive commentary. Popour, who has worn the shirt on several other occasions, ran into one administrator who we suppose had not seen the garment in the past, and was told to take it off or go home. Popour pointed out that there was nothing in the dress code to prohibit such a message, but the unnamed official replied that not all the rules were written down in black and white. Popour was eventually sent home for wearing the shirt, which someone at the school described to the press in an email as “offensive and distracting.”

Say what? According to various web news sources that I’ve never heard of, Brianna returned to school the next day wearing a shirt that said “Keep Calm and Kiss Girls,” arguably a more “distracting” sentiment.

It looks as if the administrator is now going to ignore the situation and just hope that the story goes away before it draws more negative attention. Indeed, my first encounter with the sad tale came from the highly respected Volokh Conspiracy legal blog via the Washington Post, in which law professor Eugene Volokh used it to discuss free speech rights on high school campuses, where, to use the familiar High Court quote, students do not shed their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse gate.

Ten years ago, this could have been a court case. Now, that nameless administrator is hiding in the hallways, hoping to avoid Brianna Popour in her latest fashion statement. I suspect Brianna can wear whatever the hell she likes now that her nemesis has enjoyed a small taste of the backlash that would accompany further censorship. I hope she wears the “Nobody Knows” shirt for a month.

Personally, I wasn’t allowed to wear t-shirts of any sort when I was in high school. And in eighth grade, I was actually sent home for wearing a button down instead of a Peter Pan collar.

That said, the dress code was very specific, so I had no excuse.

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Equality on Top Here’s an interesting tidbit. Eleven years ago in 2004, the most common Google search relating to same-sex marriage was “against gay marriage.”

This three-word phrase topped the (continued on page 22)

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11

Ban Ki-moon: Leading by Example

Marriage Equality

In his speech at the celebration, Ban proclaimed the marriage equality decision to be a “great step forward for human rights in the United States.” He recognized the broad importance of the ruling, explaining that “[d]enying couples legal recognition of their relationship opens the door to widespread discrimination” and that the Court’s “ruling will help close that door…”

In last edition’s column, we told the story of openly gay Syrian refugee Subhi Nahas, who recently made history when he addressed the first ever meeting of the United Nations (UN) Security Council concerning the human rights of LGBT refugees. Today, we focus on the extraordinary support for LGBT equality coming from the head of the United Nations: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

He also spoke passionately about the struggle of LGBT people all over the world: “Millions of people, in every corner of the world, are forced to live in hiding, in fear of brutal violence, discrimination, even arrest and imprisonment, just because of who they are, or whom they love…The abuses and indignity suffered by members of the LGBT community are an outrage—an affront to the values of the United Nations and to the very idea of universal human rights. I consider the struggle to end these abuses to be a great cause on a par with the struggle to end discrimination against women and on the basis of race.”

On June 26, 2015, the day the Supreme Court issued its historic nationwide marriage equality decision, Ban Ki-moon was in San Francisco to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the UN’s founding and to receive the Harvey Milk Honors Medal for “his unparalleled and unequivocal support of LGBT inclusive human rights across the globe.”

Ban has put his words into action and spoken the truth to those who need to hear it most. For example, at the start of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, Ban gave a speech in Sochi in which he stood up against homophobia in Russia and elsewhere, and urged all people to “raise our voices against attacks on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex people…We must oppose the arrests, imprison-

John Lewis and Stuart Gaffney, Marriage Equality USA

ments and discriminatory restrictions they face.”

Early in his tenure, Ban met with LGBT UN staff who were afraid to come out, and declared that he “would make the United Nations the best workplace in the world, where people living with different sexual orientation would have no obstacles, no discrimination.” Under Ban’s leadership, the UN extended to same-sex spouses the same benefits available to different-sex spouses, and a General Assembly committee rejected a Russian effort to thwart the move by a nearly 2–1 margin. In 2013, the UN Human Rights Office launched the Free & Equal campaign to combat homophobia and transphobia. In Ban’s words: “I believe in leading by example.”

In January 2015, the Secretary General traveled to India, where the Indian Supreme Court is currently rehearing a legal challenge to India’s retention of British era anti-sodomy laws. Ban made his position clear: “I staunchly oppose the criminalization of homosexuality…I speak out because laws criminalizing consensual, adult same-sex relationships violate basic rights to privacy and to freedom from discrimination. Even if they are not enforced, these laws breed intolerance…”

On a 2010 trip to Malawi, Ban engaged in quieter diplomacy on (continued on page 22)

Religious or Spiritual, Marriage Is Still a Great Blessing

Weddings Howard Steiermann Editor’s Note: This is the second of a twopart series.

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All Faiths, All Beliefs, All Couples 12

BAY TIMES SEPTEMB E R 1 7 , 2 0 1 5

In the last San Francisco Bay Times, Reverend Elizabeth River shared two closing prayers. Both were examples of readings appropriate for couples who request “spiritual but not religious” wedding ceremonies. Many of my couples also state that they desire a spiritual but not religious ceremony. I would like to share two prayers from the Jewish tradition.

These are both adaptations of the Sheva B’rachot (Seven Blessings), which are recited at traditional Jewish weddings.

The first was inspired by the creative rendering of the Sheva B’rachot by Rabbi Leila Gal Berner. She included a quote in the third stanza from Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel.

As we celebrate with this couple on this wonderful occasion, we give thanks for the sweetness of their love and the sweetness in all nature.

We fully honor G-d*/society/ ourselves when we live our lives with integrity and honesty. We rejoice in the courage and commitment that this loving couple expresses today and throughout their relationship.

“Just to be is a blessing; just to live is holy.” Today we open ourselves

to the beauty and wonder in all life.

Each and every one of us was created in G-d’s image. Today we are awakened to the preciousness of the Divine Spark within each of us and we marvel at the manifold beauty of each creation.

Today we rejoice with this couple and offer our thanks for the creation of joy and gladness, pleasure and delight, love and harmony, peace and friendship.

[Amen] This next reading was inspired by the creative rendering of the Sheva B’rachot by Rabbi Stacy Offner: Thank you G-d, for creating that wonder which is the world: The mountains, the oceans, the deserts, The forests and the fields all is full of life.

Thank You, O G-d, for creating all people in Your image.

Each Person reflects the wonder of creation.

All people are sacred, creators of life.

May the joyous hope of a better world Inspire all people to work together For justice and thus for peace, So that the homeless will have homes, The hungry will be fed, The persecuted and oppressed will be free, And all people will learn To live in peace with each other And in harmony with their environment.

We surround this couple with our love.

May they be for each other lovers and friends.

May their individual gifts help them To create new worlds together.

Blessed are You, O G-d, Creator of joy and gladness,

Song, laughter, good luck, hope, Love, happiness, peace and friendship.

May we all witness the day When the dominant sounds throughout the world Will be these sounds of happiness: The voices of lovers, The sounds of feasting and celebrations, And the songs of peace.

We give thanks to the Source of All for creating that wonder which is the world and for allowing this couple to find each other in your world.

[Amen] * The custom of using the word G-d in English is based on the traditional practice in Jewish law of giving the Creator’s Hebrew name a high degree of respect and reverence.

Both readings teach us that while a wedding is a celebratory event, we simultaneously must be aware “that not all is right in our world. People are hurting; animals and trees are dying; the temperature rises, affecting more than we can imagine, and injustice thrives in too many places.” (Excerpted from Prayer of Concern—Community Congregational Church Tiburon, September 6, 2015 Sabbath service) No matter if we are spiritual, religious, both or neither, the Jewish tradition commands us to rejoice in celebration and also commands us to work toward making the world a better place.

Thanks to Rev. Elizabeth River for delving into this topic in her previous column. And thanks to the Community Congregational Church for their warm welcome. Lastly, as we have just observed Rosh Hashanah, I wish my Jewish readers a wonderful New Year!

Howard M. Steiermann is an Ordained Ritual Facilitator based in San Francisco.

For more information, please visit www.

SFHoward.com

Sister Dana Sez: Words of Wisdumb from a Fun Nun

name from AIDS Foundation to AID Foundation, in order to expand its mission.

The GAY ASIAN PACIFIC ALLIANCE (GAPA) held its 27th annual MISTER AND MISS GAPA RUNWAY PAGEANT at the Cowell Theater (Fort Mason Center). With its bayside location, there could not be any more of a perfect venue for Runway XXVII’s theme “Under the Sea”! The gay gala pageant was hosted by Miss GAPA 2012 Jezebel Patel and Mister GAPA 2013 Sir Whitney Queers (Nguyen Pham). The background of the stage was a continually changing video of sea creatures swimming along. This was interrupted briefly with stills of past GAPA royalty from 1988 to 2014. Seven judges had the fun task of quizzing the contestants: Supervisor Jane Kim, Miss Gay SF Lily Rose, Absolute Empress 39 China Silk, iHeartMedia’s Lydia Neff, restaurateurs Brenda & Libby, Wells Fargo Foundation V.P. Mario Diaz, and Oakland Asian Cultural Center executive director Tamiko Wong.

By Sister Dana Van Iquity Sister Dana sez, “It’s Leather Week in EssEff! Celebrate!”

THE SPIRITUAL PURPOSE OF AGING is the title of the experiential workshop created under the auspices of OpenHouse. The first workshop will be followed by two more on September 22 and October 27 at The LGBT Community Center.

Through the wisdom of guest speakers, group discussion, personal reflection, and poetry, we considered how various spiritual traditions answer this question and, in turn, how we answer it for ourselves. Renee aka Sister Jendra Uforian facilitated and noted that the challenges of life and aging can be gently eased as we cultivate ways to deeply soothe and comfort ourselves, to nurture an optimistic attitude, and to delve deeply into the spiritual nature of our being.

Seekers have curiosity, desire, and perhaps a longing to understand and fully participate in all of life, suspecting or knowing that they and all beings are an expression of the sacred. Sister Jendra recited a delightful ancient poem by philosopher Rumi: “You are God hiding from yourself. The appearance of this world is a Magi’s brilliant trick, though its affairs are nothing into nothing. You are a divine elephant with amnesia trying to live in an ant hole. Sweetheart, O sweetheart, you are God in drag!”

Miss GAPA candidates were Singa, Mia Ho (voted Miss Congeniality by fellow contestants), Victoria Vertigo Moore (voted Most Photogenic), Victoria Secrette, Reyna, and D’Lady Ito. Mister GAPA candidates were: Kenekai Carson, Maleko Kililopela (who was voted by the audience as Boy Next Door), and Dez Kwok. All were dressed in sea-themed costumes.

During the talent portion, I must give props to Victoria Secrette winning Favorite Fantasy with her “duet” of half man/half woman singing live “Endless Love.” Also kudos to D’Lady Ito winning Girl Next Door for her puppet version of herself doing ventriloquism. During halftime, the dance troupe Squirrel Friends executed an impressive interpretation of Madonna’s “Vogue” and a lively hip-hop number. This was also the stepping down of Jezebel and Sir Whitney (wearing a #LoveWins tank top) singing live Ricky Martin’s “Here We Go, Ole Ole, Ole!”

The first workshop featured Dr. Nader Shabahanger, co-founder of Age Song, a pioneer in the development of elder care. We discussed the challenge of being a person of service, but one day no longer being able to serve - but rather being in need of service our self. We talked about the need to draw up a health directive - assigning someone trusted in our life to “pull the plug.” We spoke of not dreading getting older, because the alternative is death; and by the way, we are not OLD; we are MATURE. We all have an “inner elder” guiding us in maturation to become who we really are. We decided that true spirituality involved loving ourselves and others unconditionally.

The judges voted Second Prince Maleko, First Runner-up Kenekai, Second Princess Mia, First Runnerup Victoria Secrette. And now, please welcome your new Mister and Miss GAPA 2015 Dez Kwok and D’Lady Ito! By the way, I believe this will be the very first ever BEARDED Miss GAPA! You go, grrrlll!!!

It’s going viral! What I am referring to is the KIM DAVIS CELL BLOCK TANGO by Randy Rainbow at youtube.com/watch?v =14C3TZg6NQM&feature=youtu. be - in which the famous Chicago musical number is a glorious takeoff on Kentucky Kim’s refusal to issue same-sex marriage licenses.

Hilarious!

RICHMOND-ERMET AID FOUNDATION (REAF) held a check distribution party at E&O Kitchen and Bar Restaurant to give an $80,000 donation to SAN FRANCISCO AIDS FOUNDATION (accepted by SFAF’s Eric Rosendahl) and MEALS ON WHEELS SF (accepted by Jessica Sweedlerand David Miranda). Executive Directors Ken Henderson & Joe Seiler thanked everyone for their support. It should be noted that REAF has changed its

PHOTO BY RINK

Coming up!

Dennis McMillan, aka Sister Dana, with Bob Dockendorff at a recent Richmond/Ermet AID Foundation (REAF) benefit at E&O Kitchen & Bar at Union Square

In celebration of their fanciful fabric showrooms, the SAN FRANCISCO DESIGN CENTER has partnered with local drag queens to create amazing ensembles from textile manufacturers represented at the SFDC. The event on September 17 at 68:30pm, 101 Henry Adams Street, will be a combination variety/runway show with dossiers made for each queen. From amazing drag performances to high-energy acts, DESIGN MEETS THE DIVAS OF DRAG will present an unforgettable drag show that will keep guests entertained and always wanting more! To round out the variety show, a special ensemble performance from the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus will be a highlight of the evening – performing songs by Elton John.

“Rainbow Cable Car”

Four finalists will be chosen by celebrity judges, Sister Roma, Tim Seelig, Darin Geise and Richard Hallmarq.

One beautifully outfitted and talented queen will be crowned. Net proceeds of the event will benefit the Episcopal Community Services’ new Navigation Center whose pilot program strives to find permanent housing for the homeless, directs them to rehabilitation and/or mental health centers, and provides bus rides home to family members. Ticket includes appetizers, complimentary specialty cocktail, no-host bar. eventbrite.com/e/designmeets-the-divas-of-drag-tickets

(c) Richard E. Brooks 2014

BALONEY: FOLSOM is San Francisco’s Gay All-Male Revue, choreographed by Rory Davis, directed

by Michael Phillis, starring Will Bedell, Rory Davis, Shaun Mullen, Simon Palczynski, Michael Phillis, Andrew Sheets, Andrew Slade, Alex Steinhaus, Tim Wingert & Nancy French.

Baloney returns on Thursday, OscarUnmasked.BayTimesAd_Layout 1

September 17, Friday, September 18, and Saturday, September 19, doors 7pm, show 8pm at Oasis (298 11th Street at Folsom Street). Sister Dana sez, “Don’t miss this hot ticket!”

Tickets at sfoasis.com The magnificent upcoming Art Opening for Leather Month is BE MY PORN STAR TONIGHT, art by

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THE RICHMOND/ERMET AID FOUNDATION PRESENTS

Join me at The Edge Bar, 4149 18th Street, for our ANNUAL BAR BRAWL / DRAG BATTLE to benefit THE AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS COALITION and SF KREWE DE KINQUE on Saturday, September 19, 5pm – 8pm, Beer Bust, Jello Shots, and Show: KLASSY VS TRASHY II: THE REVENGE. The African Human Rights Coalition (AHRC) works with LGBTI communities and individuals in African countries seeking to claim and defend their human rights. They provide advocacy and direct services to advance this mission. edgesf.com FOLSOM STREET EVENTS presents LEATHERWALK, Sunday, September 20, from 10 am-2pm, as the official kickoff for SF’s Leather Week which culminates one week later at the fair.

Participants walk together to celebrate leather, kink, family and community - all while raising funds for three great agencies. Each year, hundreds of LeatherWalkers take over Market Street and march from the Castro to SoMa. The route includes stops at some of San Francisco’s favorite watering holes including Powerhouse, Oasis, and BeatBox, and ends with raising of the Leather Pride Flag at the SF Eagle.

FOLSOM STREET FAIR, THE WORLD’S BIGGEST LEATHER EVENT, is Sunday, September 27, 11am to 6pm on Folsom Street from 8th to 13th Streets. With 400,000 fetish enthusiasts spread out over 13 city blocks, there is something for everyone. Leather and fetish players from all over the world converge.

With over 200 exhibitor booths showcasing fetish gear and toys, it’s a leatherfolk dream. Check out the massive live stage, two huge dance areas spinning tunes, and an erotic artists’ area with a performance stage. And, yes, you can still be naked, so avail yourself of the coat and clothes check areas as well! folsomstreetevents.org

Featuring the Company of the Spectacular New Production of

The Phantom of the Opera Sep. 21, 2015, 7:30 pm Marines’ Memorial Theater A One Night Only Benefit Cabaret for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation

Tickets: 415-273-1620 or www.reaf.org

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Gay 9/11 Hero Mark Bingham Remembered

Learning to Be an LGBT Ally

LGBTQ Studies seemed like the perfect way for me to do this. I remember feeling a little hesitant to show my parents the syllabus for Ms. Schlax’s brand new LGBTQ class; I would have to calmly explain why I wanted to take the course, and my personal frustrations and confusion about society would have no doubt infringed on my ability to articulate.

I still have very strong feelings about why I’m taking this course, but the most important reason is about learning to be a helpful ally.

Student Voices

At first I did not understand why my fellow middle school classmates attacked me the way they did, but since high school, I’ve been able to know actual members of the LGBTQ community, and, on some level, familiarize myself with their experience and how society’s perception of them affects their personal lives. Of course, I still have a lot to learn, and LGBTQ studies is sharpening my awareness and sensitivity on the subject.

One piece of advice that I’ve received from class is to reach out and educate yourself. “You don’t know what you don’t know,” Schlax said, and that rings very true to me. I live in San Francisco where there is seemingly overwhelming support for the gay community, but it wasn’t until I met LGBTQ people and heard their stories that I really saw reason for legislation protecting their rights in this country. The class has taken that a step further, and delves into a nearly erased heritage and history that widens all of our perspectives, giving us the ability to make helpful and informed decisions. Our class uses both written accounts from the past, and contemporary resources to

On the way back home from a summer art intensive, I recounted all my memories to my godfather. He was surprised to hear that many of my classmates identif ied as members of the LGBTQ community, recalling that they had a much less visible existence in his own youth. In my childhood, I heard that gay people didn’t even exist until the twentieth century. Even including events like Stonewall in our history books can make such a big difference.

In Becoming Visible, Kevin Jennings explains the importance of teaching gay and lesbian history, and how discovering the existence of people like himself gave him proof that gay people can still lead happy existences and satisfying lives. The social media also provides a great deal of visibility. I remember how surprised I was when I read people’s stories online about their journeys, and how they found the courage to continue living despite bullying and alienation from their schools and families. I may not be part of the LGBTQ community, but I know that I want to spread the same love and support those posts offered.

For more information about the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts, please visit http://www.sfsota.org/

PHOTO BY RINK

I left the exchange feeling attacked, unheard and frustrated, and she seemed to feel the same, as she brought friends over later to try to change my mind again. This interaction stuck with me, though. Over time, it became one of my big motivations to learn more about listening, about LGBTQ history, and about how to be a good ally, especially one who can talk to people with opposing viewpoints without making them feel alienated, as I was made to feel.

explore the roles alternate sexualities and non-cisgender people have played in humanity, and how and why those roles have changed.

A memorial tribute honoring 9/11 hero Mark Bingham was placed on the grillwork behind the Bank of America at the corner of 18th and Castro Streets.

Fourteen years after the tragic events on September 11, 2001, LGBT community members and friends continue to remember Bay Area native Mark Bingham, the gay rugby player who died in the crash of United Airlines 93. Bingham and other passengers fought back against the terrorists who had hijacked their plane and were en route to Washington, DC, with plans to attack the US Capitol.

This past Saturday, September 12, KQED Public Television presented the national television debut of the award-winning documentary, The Rugby Player, about Bingham’s life.

PHOTO BY JO LYNN OTTO

When I was in middle school, a friend asked me why I didn’t support gay marriage. I told her that I believed marriage was between a man and a woman. She became understandably very upset with me, and wanted to argue on a subject that we both had very strong feelings about.

She was not about to change my mind, and I was not about to change hers, and a heated debate would accomplish nothing except to create a rift in our friendship.

Teacher Lyndsey Schlax of the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts is teaching the nation’s first on-site high school LGBT course, according to district officials. In this new column, students from her class will be anonymously sharing with the San Francisco Bay Times their thoughts about related matters, and what they are learning in the groundbreak ing course, “LGBTQ Studies.”

Randy Shilts: The Murrow of Castro Street

accomplishment. “Any good reporter could have done this story,” he said later, “but I think the reason I did it, and no one else did, is because I am gay. It was happening to people I cared about and loved.”

Rainbow Honor Walk Dr. Bill Lipsky Before AIDS had its name, before it had the attention of the media, the government, or even the gay community, Randy Shilts was bringing information about it to the notice of the public. Reporting for the San Francisco Chronicle, where he was the first openly gay reporter to be hired by a major American newspaper—and the first to cover the gay community full time—he eventually persuaded his bosses to let him focus exclusively on the malady.

One of the few journalists to recognize the growing epidemic as an important national issue, Shilts discovered there were, in fact, two important stories not being reported: the tragedy of human suffering and the lives being destroyed in their prime; and the unmovable indifference of government, medicine, health care, and social systems to a major—and growing—public health crisis.

The work Shilts was doing to report the AIDS epidemic led him to write And the Band Played On. Published in 1987, when a diagnosis of AIDS still meant certain death, the book was the first serious attempt to chronicle the disease in the United States. More importantly, however, Shilts detailed why and how so many institutions and organizations, both public and private, designed “to promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity,” by doing so little for so long, enabled the disease to spread unrestrained during the first five years after its appearance: their loathing of the gay community; their focus on idealogical preaching instead of public health; petty squabbles; turf wars; scientific jealousies and rivalries; self-serving interests; and

“With a passion I have rarely seen equaled in the business, Randy pushed, wheedled and cajoled until his AIDS stories made their way from the back pages of the Chronicle to the front page,” said Susan Sward not long after his death. “He hurled himself into the stories he wrote.” Shilts himself was more modest about his 14

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failures of political vision, principle, and equity.

Born in 1951, Shilts spent his entire career in investigative journalism, almost always writing about gay issues.

After earning his degree in journalism the University of Oregon, he went to work as the northwest correspondent for The Advocate, then moved to the Bay Area to cover city politics and gay issues for local radio and television stations. He joined the staff of the Chronicle just before his first book, The Mayor of Castro Street, was published in 1982.

This book not only shared the life and career of Harvey Milk, the first open-

ly gay man to be elected to public off ice in the United States, but it also told the story of LBGT society and politics in 1970s. Many praised the book as “the definitive story of the man whose personal life, public career, and tragic assassination mirrored the dramatic and unprecedented emergence of the gay community in America.” Shilts, however, considered it to be “an investigative piece on the mechanics of big city government in all its expedient, back-biting splendor,” one that “employs standard, professional reportorial techniques in the gathering and verifying of all the information cited.” First published almost 35 years ago, it has never been out of print.

Conduct Unbecoming, his third book, carried on his examination of institutional and social attitudes toward members of the LGBT communities.

Published in 1993, the year before he died, it chronicled the experiences of lesbians and gays in the United States military from the end of the Korean War to the onset of Desert Storm.

Based upon extensive research that included more than 1000 interviews, he documented not only how institutionalized homophobia led to the mistreatment of gay men and lesbians in the armed services, but also the hypocrisy of an organization that only selectively enforced its ban on homosexuals in uniform. It remains a classic example of investigative journalism.

Our world is different than the one Shilts investigated—and dissected— in his three books. Unlike politicians and other professionals at the time Milk ran his election campaigns, members of the LGBT communities now can be open about themselves as public office-seekers, or as film stars, newscasters, corporate officers, and even professional athletes. AIDS is no longer ignored by public and private institutions. Lesbians, gays, and bisexuals can serve openly in the military services.

All of this may seem to make Shilts’ work dated and irrelevant to the present, but nothing is less true. He did more than write the biography of any individual, or present the story of any single pubic policy. He revealed how bigotry, hypocrisy, and sheer indifference to others become institutionalized; how they deeply damage human lives; and how they increase human suffering. Because only the names of the governments, the organizations, and the communities left to fend for themselves ever seem to change, his findings are as vital today as when Shilts first shared them.

Bill Lipsky, Ph.D., author of “Gay and Lesbian San Francisco” (2006), is a member of the Rainbow Honor Walk board of directors.

A MONTHLY HIGHLIGHT FROM THE DE YOUNG AND LEGION OF HONOR

New Exhibits Highlight Roman Silver Treasures and the Art of Watchmaking

Images courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Ancient Luxury and the Roman Silver Treasure from Berthouville September 19, 2015–January 10, 2016 at the Legion of Honor In 1830, a French farmer plowing his field near the village of Berthouville, in rural Normandy, accidentally discovered a hoard of spectacular silver-gilt objects that were deliberately buried during antiquity. The items, all dated to the first or second century AD, were dedicated to the Roman god Mercury and collectively became known as the Berthouville Treasure. After four years of meticulous conservation at the Getty Villa, this splendid collection of Roman silver comes to San Francisco in a new exhibition. The exhibition features more than 160 pieces, including selections from this find, as well as precious gems, jewelry, and other Roman luxury objects from the royal collections of the Cabinet des médailles at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris.

“Aureus of Hadrian,” 134–138, Roman. Gold. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Département des monnaies, médailles et antiques, Paris.

“Cup with Masks,” 1–100, Roman. Silver. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Département des monnaies, médailles et antiques, Paris.

“Plate with the Embassy to Achilles (The Shield of Scipio),” 375–400, Roman. Silver and gold. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Département des monnaies, médailles et antiques, Paris.

“Offering Bowl with Bacchus, Hercules, and Coins, ‘Patera of Rennes,’” about 210, Roman. Gold. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Département des monnaies, médailles et antiques, Paris.

“Mercury,” 175–225, Roman. Silver and gold. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Département des monnaies, médailles et antiques, Paris.

“Cameo of Emperor Trajan,” about 100, Roman.

Sardonyx set in a seventeenth-century gold, enamel, and ruby mount. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Département des monnaies, médailles et antiques, Paris.

“Bowl with a Medallion of Omphale,” 1st century, Roman.

Silver. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Département des monnaies, médailles et antiques, Paris.

“Plate with Hercules Wrestling the Nemean Lion,” 500–600, Roman. Sliver. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Département des monnaies, médailles et antiques, Paris.

“Pitcher with Scenes from the Trojan War, ‘Achilles Dragging Hector before the Walls of Troy,’” 1–100, Roman. Silver and gold. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Département des monnaies, médailles et antiques, Paris.

Breguet: Art and Innovation in Watchmaking September 19, 2015–January 10, 2016 at the Legion of Honor Courtesy of Montres Breguet S.A. Breguet: Art and Innovation in Watchmaking explores the history of the watch and clock maker Breguet. The company’s cutting-edge innovations transformed the nature of personal timekeeping, and the exhibition will include displays describing the technology that earned Abraham-Louis Breguet his sobriquet as “the father of modern horology.”

From its beginnings in Paris in 1775, Breguet advanced great technical developments, such as the self-winding watch, the first wristwatch, the repeating mechanism, and, most notably, the tourbillon—a revolutionary movement that neutralizes the negative effects of gravity on pocket watches. Breguet played a key role in the history of watchmaking, elevating the craft to its zenith by producing finely made watches that were a pleasure to handle and use.

“‘Marie-Antoinette’ watch. Automatic (perpétuelle) minute-repeating watch.” Complete automatic date, equation of time, power reserve, metallic thermometer, platinum oscillating weight, sapphire bearings and rollers, large independent seconds hand and small directdrive seconds, gold case, enamel dial, rock crystaldial, gold and steel hands; diameter 2 1⁄2 in.(6.4 cm). Replica made by Montres Breguet S.A., 2005–2008. B1160

“Automatic (perpétuelle) quarter-repeating watch with dumb (à toc) repeater.” Sixty-hour power reserve, gold case with engine-turned decoration, silver engine-turned dial with Roman numerals, seconds subdial at numeral VI, window for phases of moon and power reserve indicator, Breguet hands of blued steel, twin-barrel movement, lever escapement, compensating balance wheel, platinum oscillating weight; diameter 2 1⁄8 in. (5.4 cm). Sold March 14, 1794, to Count Journiac-Saint-Méard for 3,600 francs. B5

“Precision clock.” With patinated bronzes by Pierre-Philippe Thomire representing Genius and Experience on black marble base, enamel dial with Breguet numerals, twinbarrel movement, constant-force escapement visible above dial, and rotating disc for seconds; 24 3⁄4 × 13 3⁄8 × 8 1⁄4 in. (62.9 × 34 × 21 cm). Sold October 22, 1806, to Mr. de Pourtalès for 3,000 francs. B453

“Half-quarter-repeating travel clock.”

With alarm; solid silver case, silver engine-turned dial, day and date indicator, platform lever escapement, compensating balance wheel; 4 3⁄8 × 3 3⁄8 × 2 1⁄2 in. (11.1 × 8.6 × 6.4 cm). Sold March 31, 1826, to Prince Serge Galitzin for 3,600 francs. B3358

“Subscription watch.” Silver case with gold fillets, back decorated with engineturned decoration and monogram JB in center, enamel dial, ruby cylinder escapement; diameter 2 3⁄8 in. (6 cm). Sold November 26, 1798, to Mr. Bergeront for 600 francs. B383 Collection Montres Breguet S.A.

“Small (médaillon) touch (à tact) watch.” Blueenameled gold case, diamond-set pointer, touch studs of large round diamonds, silver dial, ruby cylinder escapement; diameter of case 1 9⁄16 in. (3.9 cm); diameter overall, with diamonds, 2 1⁄16 in. (5.2 cm). Sold February 18, 1800, to Mrs. Bonaparte, later Empress Josephine,for 3,000 francs. B611

“Marine chronometer.” Twin barrels, mahogany outer case with brass hinges andhandles, brass clock case and Cardan suspension, silver-plated dial with subdial for hours/minutes above subdial for seconds, Earnshaw spring detent platform escapement (porte-échappement); 8 1⁄2 × 7 1⁄2 × 6 1⁄2 in. (21.6 × 19.1 × 16.5 cm). Sold January 14, 1822, to French Ministry ofthe Navy for 2,400 francs. B3196

“Small gold ring-watch.” Alarm function, winding and time-set crown on right, smaller alarm-set knob on left (alarm triggers small needle that pricks the wearer’s finger); gold dial with off-center chapter ring of Roman numerals, seconds subdial at numeral XII, Breguet hands of blued steel, ruby cylinder escapement; diameter 1 in. (2.5 cm). Sold October 18, 1836, to Count Paul Demidov for5,500 francs. B180

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San Francisco Bay Times Founding Member/News Editor Honored at NLGJA 25th Convention The National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) inducted San Francisco Bay Times founding staff member and former news editor Randy Alfred and five additional new members during the organization’s annual conference held in San Francisco, September 3–6, at the Westin St. Francis Hotel. Alfred, along with colleagues Roland Schembari and Bill Hartman, was instrumental in the newspaper’s launch.

In 1979, Alfred began producing and hosting The Gay Life program on KSAN-FM, the first regularly scheduled LGBT-oriented program on commercial radio in the U.S. In 1980, he conducted a detailed probe of the biased and unfair portrayal of San Francisco’s gay community in CBS Reports’ “Gay Power, Gay Politics.” His work resulted in a rare public apology from CBS. Alfred is also a founding member of NLGJA.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NLGJA

FREE SEMINAR Thursday, October 1, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NLGJA

PHOTO COURTESY OF NLGJA

Estate Planning for Singles and Same-Sex Couples

PHOTO COURTESY OF NLGJA

Also inducted into the Hall of Fame were Alison Bechdel, Alan Bell, Lou Chibbaro, Jr., Charles Kaiser and Armistead Maupin. NLGJA is celebrating its 25th Anniversary and the 10th year of its LGBT Journalists Hall of Fame. Conference speakers and attendees included Emmy Award winners, leaders in LGBT news organizations, mainstream media personalities and executives, in addition to many representatives of Northern California media outlets.

Speaker: Deb Kinney of Johnston, Kinney & Zulaica, LLP

PHOTO COURTESY OF NLGJA

The law provides a default estate plan for every person, but it may not reflect your wishes. Create a plan tailored to your own life and priorities. For same-sex couples, changing laws may also impact your estate plan. Know the options for your financial and health care decisions, and ensure that your wishes will be followed after your death.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NLGJA

Hospice by the Bay 180 Redwood St., Suite 350, San Francisco

Reservations are required, register at

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PHOTO BY RINK PHOTO COURTESY OF NLGJA

PHOTO COURTESY OF NLGJA

PHOTO COURTESY OF NLGJA

PHOTO COURTESY OF NLGJA

www.hbtb.org • (415) 526.5580

#KateClinton

What a summer: The Confederate flag was taken down and the Donald Trump flag was raised.

Arts & Entertainment Sean Dorsey Dance: Making Waves and Dancing Bold Bay Area dance fans have the rare opportunity to see award-winning LGBT

“The Missing Generation is a love letter to a forgotten generation of survivors—people who witnessed

dance company Sean Dorsey Dance

and experienced the early years of the AIDS epidemic. This is truly full-throttle dance: highly-physical,

perform twice in San Francisco this month. Sean Dorsey Dance, directed by

rooted in story, accessible and danced with guts and precision and deep humanity.”

–Sean Dorsey

transgender choreographer Sean Dorsey, tours extensively, but will be performing at home at two major September dance events...and one of them is free!

Here at the San Francisco Bay Times we have long admired Sean Dorsey Dance and its namesake director, who is a visionary, in our opinion, and someone who has for years been at the forefront of both the arts and transgender culture.

Regarding the latter, in particular, he has been way ahead of his time, helping to pave the way for individuals like Caitlyn Jenner, seen on our cover this issue.

Sean Dorsey Dance headlines the opening night of the 24th annual West PHOTO BY LYDIA DANILLER

Coast Dance Festival on September 23.

The company will perform an excerpt from their new work, The Missing Generation, which is based on oral histories from longtime survivors of the early AIDS epidemic. Other artists include Soulskin Dance, Sonsheree Giles, Tanya Bello’s Project B, Khala Brannigan, Amy Lewis and Raisa Punkki.

On September 26, Sean Dorsey Dance performs a free 1:45 pm matinee minishow at Yerba Buena Theater at Bay Area Bold, a 2-day summit of arts and culture hosted by the San Francisco Foundation. Sean Dorsey Dance will perform a 30-minute excerpt of The PHOTO BY KEGAN MARLING

Missing Generation. This performance is free to the public and happens on Saturday, September 26, 1:45 pm, at the Yerba Buena Theater.

“I’m thrilled to perform at these incredible feasts of dance and culture,” Dorsey told the San Francisco Bay Times.

“The West Wave Dance Festival is a great way for audiences to sample the Bay Area dance scene. And offering audiences a free performance at the gorgeous Yerba Buena Theater is extraordinary.”

“We love touring the country,” added Dorsey, “but there is absolutely nothing

upcoming Sean Dorsey Dance events, please visit http://seandorseydance. com/calendar/current-events/

PHOTO BY KEGAN MARLING

For more information about these and

PHOTO BY KEGAN MARLING

like performing at home.”

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Discovering Ultimate Freedom drifting around waiting for the next best relationship, job, idea, or cause. Spending ourselves fully will fill us deeply.

Astrology Linda Amburgey It may seem paradoxical that freedom is obtained by way of commitment. Aligning ourselves with a deliberate choice may surface fears about settling, missing out on the next best thing, or boredom. However, when we discover something we truly value, align ourselves wholeheartedly, and have the discipline to stay when it gets uncomfortable or hard, we will discover ultimate freedom. Rigidity is a form of control, and the parameters of commitments should be f luid, having the possibility of being updated and re-negotiated.

It is time to stop searching and

ARIES (March 21–April 19) You are getting clear on the details of how you will execute your well-formed vision. A structured and disciplined plan is important to follow, and will keep you realistic and honest about where you actually are in the implementation.

Your body and overall health will give you very clear signals if adjustments need to be made.

TAURUS (April 20–May 20) Very specific aspects of your self-expression are looking for outlets to convey the deeper core of your soul’s longing. A little inner child therapy goes a long way for you right now. Having discipline and regularity in addressing old emotional wounds will calm the fears that you may be obsessing over.

Make a plan to have fun.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Your compelling desire to commit yourself more seriously in relationships will require that you humbly reveal what may seem like an endless list of line item details within your inner emotional

world. Think of yourself as a humble servant to Love rather than a suave and romantic charmer.

CANCER ( June 21–July 22) You have a golden, and perhaps diff icult, opportunity to adopt a routine that better suits your changing needs around your health and body. Set realistic and obtainable goals, and you will find that, over a short period of time, you will produce solid and lasting results.

LEO ( July 23–August 22) It is time to get serious and disciplined about your creativity.

Following a detailed checklist might not seem creative or fun, but if you use it like a background riff, you will find yourself with plenty of room to scat. If you learn the steps to this discipline dance, you will liberate the depths of your potential.

VIRGO (August 23–September 22) Set your intentions by listing your inner needs without becoming too attached to the form they will come packaged within. Take comfort in knowing that your home is secure within your own sk in and bones, and, like a turtle, you can take it anywhere you go.

LIBR A (September 23– October 22) You are mentally sorting out what in your life is working and what is not.

You may have fresh ideas that excite you, but may find it difficult to implement any one of them. This is a slow and steady climb, so avoid the temptation to make hasty decisions for fear that you are stuck.

SCORPIO (October 23– November 21) Make a list of your long-range life goals.

Every day, take a step to work toward one of your goals. You are also being ordered to apply the maturity of small disciplined steps, rather than over reaching with big plans. This approach will land you safely on the summit in time.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22–December 21) Push yourself to organize every arena of your life. You can no longer dazzle the world with just your gift of meaningful gab. Practice committing to whatever and whoever is in front of you now, and avoid the temptation to jump to the next horizon. The payoff is big… just the way you like it!

CAPRICORN (December 22–January 19) It may not be as easy as usual for you to

manifest. You are embarking on a period of letting go of your extreme efforts to produce results. If anything gets produced during this period, it will be because something larger than your own ef forts used you as a channel.

Breathe and let go. Something bigger has got you!

AQUARIUS ( January 20– February 18) If you are going to bring your life work into the community, you must start by sifting through your darkest fears. Until now, some of these personal demons have gripped you so tightly that they chocked out your full wattage. Spend some time working to dissolve what has held you back.

P I S C E S ( Febr u a r y 19 – March 20) Other people will notice the hard work and discipline that have been added to your life recently. It may feel unfamiliar to be seen as a solid, capable, and sturdy force that you have become. Keep grounding yourself in the steps, rather than dreaming about the leap.

Linda Amburgey has owned Crystal Way Metaphysical Center for 11 years, and has been an Intuitive Reader for 20 years. To book readings, on-going counseling for couples or individuals, events and parties, please e-mail her at ConsciousCounsel@gmail.com or call 415-218-5096. Astrology classes begin this month!

As Heard on the Street . . . The summer of 2015 ends soon. What do you plan to do before fall begins? compiled by Rink

Gina Grahame

JP Leddy

Yuki Ogawa

DJ Bus Station John

Melanie Nathan

“To be elected to the GGBA Board”

“To finish the book, ‘Go See a Watchman’ ”

“Focus more on social influences and productivity of what Pride can be, especially in international leadership”

“Gettin’ primed and ready for my new party down south next month, ‘Disco Daddy Does L.A.’ ”

“I would like to see migrant refugees resettled around the world, with special consideration given to LGBT refugees.”

Fitness SF Trainer Tip of the Month From Robbie Moreno, SF Fillmore Evolution Trainer: To avoid injury and maintain balance in your routine, try to incorporate more pulling exercises into your program. If you find you tend to focus on chest and shoulders (what you can see in the mirror), try moving to a 2:1 ratio of pulling to pushing exercises. One of my favorites is the inverted row, which can be performed on the TRX suspension trainer.

San Francisco Bay Times welcomes Troy Macfarland of Fitness SF as a contributor.

Troy provides monthly tips he’s learned from his colleagues who are professional trainers at local gyms.

He can be reached at tmacfarland@fitnesssf.com

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Fantastic Comedy-Drama The New Girlfriend Will Leave You Feeling Enchanted

Film Gary M. Kramer Nothing is what it seems in cheeky gay French filmmaker François Ozon’s fantastic new comedy-drama, The New Girlfriend. Based on a Ruth Rendell novel, the film opens with lipstick, eyeliner, and blush being applied to a woman’s face. Although a wedding march is being played, the “bride” is actually the corpse of Laura (Isild Le Besco). Laura’s best friend Claire (Anaïs Demoustier) is delivering the eulogy at the funeral. She has promised to watch over Laura’s infant daughter, Lucie, and her husband, David (Romain Duris).

While Claire is grief-stricken, her emotions take a further somersault when she enters Laura’s house one day and makes an unexpected discovery: David is dressed as a woman. He is as startled to see her as she is, but feels relieved he can confide his secret in someone. David quickly explains that Laura knew that he cross-dressed for fun, and never in public. He asks Claire to keep this between them and not to tell her husband Gilles (Raphaël Personnaz).

Initially taken aback, Claire eventually comes to enjoy the company of “Virginia” (as David is known when dressed in female garb), especially after she takes him shopping. Claire starts to befriend Virginia as intensely as she once did Laura.

As the characters in The New Girlfriend lie, their deceptions start to raise various suspicions. The delight of the film is seeing how the situations that develop between Claire, David/Virginia and Gilles form an elegantly twisted web.

While there is dramatic tension created around if and how David’s secret will be discovered, Ozon’s film features plenty of amusement. At a dinner one night, Gilles mistakes David’s admiration of a woman’s dress as having interest in the woman. Likewise, when David is at the movies with Claire while dressed as Virginia, he receives some not-unwanted physical attention from a handsome man sitting next to him. (Ozon in a fabulous cameo).

While David insists that men have never turned him on—he is resolutely straight—the film develops both humor and tension as a series of queer love triangles play out, as when Claire tries to persuade Gilles that David is gay to cover for his cross-dressing. The New Girlfriend is full of delicious twists as multiple same-sex permutations play out, both real and imagined.

The film is also an affecting drama about grief, love, and identity. The codependent nature of Claire and Virginia is a means for the two bereft friends to cope with their shared loss.

An episode in which Claire and Virginia go spend a weekend at Laura’s country home triggers all kinds of sad memories for Claire. It provides one of the few moments David/Virginia can care for Claire.

What makes The New Girlfriend so engaging is how non-judgmental the film is about David’s transvestism. The two main characters each experience moments of self-loathing, but they also

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find solace in “Virginia.” A scene of the two women each dressing for dinner shows how they work to move beyond their pain. A subsequent episode at a gay nightclub featuring a drag performance is especially liberating for the two “girlfriends.”

Duris is remarkable in the dual, title role, and not just because he looks fetching in a wig and a dress. The actor has effeminate mannerisms that are sometimes exposed—like the lipstick he accidentally left on, or the beard he forgot to remove—that threaten to reveal his secret. What makes Duris’ performance so tender and touching is that he is always expressing David’s humanity. There may be comic moments, such as David dressed in black lacy bra and panties getting his lower back hair waxed, but this is one of the few comedies where a man in a dress is played for sensitivity, not laughs.

Demoustier is also impressive in her role, making Claire’s transformation and all of the emotions that go with it—anger, fear, denial, acceptance and eventually concern and guilt—credible. The actress with her red hair and freckles is also made to look stunning in a red dress, or masculine at times in less flattering suits. Demoustier is a terrific performer and she makes a good coconspirator with Duris.

FEATURING

the nation’s #1 Cher impersonator + winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, CHAD MICHAELS!

As the plot plays out to its wonderful denouement, there are scenes that suggest just how fragile the relationships between the trio might actually be. If things reach a (soap) operatic pitch— with betrayals and other developments that are best not revealed—Ozon makes sure to have the last laugh.

The New Girlfriend is sure to leave viewers smiling, and enchanted. © 2015 Gary M. Kramer Gary M. Kramer is the author of “Independent Queer Cinema: Reviews and Interviews,” and the co-editor of “Directory of World Cinema: Argentina.” Follow him on Twitter @garymkramer

THE OFFICIAL AIRLINE OF SFGMC

BAY T IM ES S EPT EM BER 17, 2015

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See many more Calendar items @ www.sfbaytimes.com

compiled by Robert Fuggiti

widower Walter “Pops” Washington, who is desperately trying to hold on to his rent-controlled apartment while battling his inner demons. Through September 27. www.ac-sf.org

• 17 : T HURSDAY

Design Meets the Divas of Drag - San Francisco Design Center. $25. 6 pm. (101 Henry Adams St.) The San Francisco Design Center has partnered with local drag queens to create amazing ensembles from textile manufacturers represented at the SFDC. www.sfdesigncenter.com

Radical Politics & Outlaw Passions Book Launch Party - McRoskey Mattress Company. $3.

7 pm to 9 pm. (1687 Market St.) Enjoy light refreshments and book signing by San Francisco author, Michael Helquist. www.michaelhelquist.com

Baloney - Oasis. $20. 7 pm. (298 11th St.) San Francisco’s smash-hit Gay All-Male Revue is back with an all new show for Folsom Street Fair. www.sfoasis.com

West Wave Dance Festival Z Space. $15. 8 pm. (450 Florida St.) A showcase of choreographer’s work from Sean Dorsey, Soulskin Dance, and many more. www.space.org

Comedy Returns to El Rio El Rio. $7. 8 pm. (3158 Mission St.) A popular monthly comedy show (every 3rd Thursday) featuring an eclectic mix of Bay Area comedians. www.facebook.com/elrio

• 24 : T HURSDAY

LGBT Two-Step – Sundance Saloon. $5. 6:30 pm to 10:30 pm.

(550 Barneveld Ave.) Learn to twostep at an LGBT country-western dance night. www.sundancesaloon.org

• 18 : F RIDAY

King Lear - California Shakespeare Theater. $15-$51. 7:30 pm. (100 California Shakespeare Theater Way, Orinda) An epic tale of a king who loses everything only to experience the power of revenge, betrayal, and ultimately, redemption. Through October 11. www.calshakes.org Stereotypo - The Marsh Theater. $20-$100. 8 pm. (1063 Valencia St.) A series of comedic monologues, often moving, sometimes dangerous — all set at… America’s melting pot – the DMV. Extended through October 3. www.themarsh.org In Conversation with Ruth Weiss - Oddball Films. $10-$15. 8 pm. (275 Capp St.) Gerry Fialka interviews activist and anti-racism

Activist and writer Ruth Weiss at Grant Avenue Street Fair, North Beach, San Francisco, 1959. Weiss will be interviewed at Oddball Films on Sept. 18. Photo C. R. Snyder writer Ruth Weiss. www.oddballfilms.blogspot.com Out on the Mountain - Six Flags. $41. 6 pm to 1 am. (26101 Magic Mountain Pkwy.,Valencia) Join the eighth anniversary of this Six Flags Magic Mountain private party for the LGBTQ community. www.outonthemountain.com

• 19 : S ATURDAY

J.M.W. Turner Exhibit - de

Young. $19. 9:30 am. One of the greatest English painters of the nineteenth century, J.M.W. Turner was celebrated for his brilliant depictions of light, the virtuosity of his technique, and his extraordinary Romantic imagination. Through September 20. www.famsf.org Mascara - Castro Country Club. $20. 8 pm. (4058 18th St.) A monthly drag benefit for the Castro Country Club hosted by Miss CCC 2015 Somoa That. www.castrocountryclub.org Vanya, Sonia, Masha and Spike - Novato Theater Company. $27. 2 pm. (5420 Nave Drive, Novato) Winner of the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play,Vanya, Sonia, Masha and Spike, tells the story of unforgettable family reunion filled with rivalry, regret, and racket.

Through September 20. www.novatotheatercompany.org

• 20 : S UNDAY

Introduction to Queer Theology - Calvary Presbyterian Church. Free. 9 am. (2515 Fillmore) Local gay pastor Victor Floyd discusses the progress and current status of gay rights. www.calpres.org Sunday’s a Drag Brunch – The Starlight Room. $60. 12 pm.

(450 Powell St.) Join host Donna Sachet for an elegant brunch with lively entertainment and comedy every Sunday. www.starlightroomsf.com Paper Wings - Exit Theatre. $15.

7 pm. (156 Eddy St.) A visual-art puppetry show by talented artist Sha Sha Higby. Through September 26. www.theexit.org

• 21 : M ONDAY

Romeo and Juliet - Presidio Main Post Lawn. Free. 2 pm. (103 Montgomery St.) Celebrate Shakespeare’s remarkable genre20

BAY TIMES SEPTEMB E R 1 7 , 2 0 1 5

defying play, which soars to the heights of romantic comedy before plunging into heartbreak. Through September 27. www.sfshakes.org LGBT Sangha – SF LGBT Center. Free. 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm.

(1800 Market St.) All are welcome to join for a mindful meditation and spiritual practice. www.sfcenter.org Oscar Unmasked – Marines’ Memorial Theater. $30-$75. 7:30 pm. (609 Sutter St.) The Richmond/ Ermet AIDS Foundation presents a special night of Academy Award winning music and the company of the cast of Phantom of the Opera. www.reaf.org

• 22 : T UESDAY

Funding What Matters in Our Local Economies Commonwealth Club. $8. 6 pm.

(555 Post St.) Leading investors and philanthropists will share how they are pursuing neighborhood economics as an antidote to “two pocket thinking” and bringing the full diversity of a community into local economy-building. www.commonwealthclub.org Queer Ancestors Project Art Exhibition - LGBT Center.

Free. 6 pm to 8:30 pm. (1800 Market St.) An exhibition of prints by queer artists Aged 18 to 26.

Through September 23. www.sfcenter.org Beach Blanket Babylon – Club Fugazi. $25-$130. 8 pm. (678 Green St.) Enjoy Steve Silver’s famous musical revue packed with hilarious pop culture and political antics. www.beachblanketbabylon.com

• 23 : W EDNESDAY

Between Riverside And Crazy - A.C.T.’s Geary Theater. $20-$100.

2 pm. (415 Geary St.) The winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Between Riverside and Crazy tells the story of ex-cop and recent

The Royal Road – Roxie Theater. $10. 7 pm. (3117 16th St.) From acclaimed filmmaker Jenni Olson, The Royal Road, is a stunning feature-length cinematic essay that offers up a primer on the Spanish colonization of California and the Mexican American War. www.roxie.com Lesbians of Color Discussion Group – Pacific Center. Free. 7 pm to 9 pm. (2712 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley) Network and socialize with women discussing a range of various topics. www.pacificcenter.org

• 25 : F RIDAY

Friday Night Market - United Nations Plaza. Free. 5 pm. (Market St. and Hyde St.) The Night Market attracts nearby workers, neighborhood residents, students and visitors alike to spend Friday evenings eating, drinking, shopping, dancing and listening to music in the historic plaza. www.fridaynightmarketsf.org Having Cancer is Hilarious The Marsh. $15-$35. 8 pm. (1062 Valencia St.) Inspired by her real life experience, the show follows 22 year-old accomplished actress Megan Timpane on a poignant and surprisingly uproarious journey as she is diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Through November 28. www.themarsh.org Luisa Miller - War Memorial Opera House. $72-$132. 8 pm.

(301 Van Ness Ave.) The SF Opera presents Luisa Miller, the story of a brave young woman who sacrifices her own happiness in a desperate attempt to save her father’s life.

Through September 27. www.sfopera.com

• 26 : S ATURDAY

Open House - Randall Museum.

Free. 10 am to 2 pm. (745 Treat St.) Join in the fun at the Randall Museum’s Open House at its new temporary location at Mission Art Center. www.randallmuseum.org

LGBT Center. Free. 6:30 pm. (1800 Market St.) A free class that welcomes all those seeking freedom from nicotine addiction, including those using cessation programs and nicotine withdrawal aids. Happening every Wednesday. www.sfcenter.org Chief Technology Officer of the U.S. Megan Smith - The Nourse Theatre. $25-$70. 7 pm to 8 pm. (275 Hayes St.) Megan Smith

and Sal Khan, founder and executive director of Khan Academy, will discuss how the U.S. government needs a tech upgrade. www.commonwealthclub.org Castro Farmers’ Market – Noe St. at Market. Free. 4 pm to 8 pm. (Noe St. at Market) Enjoy fresh produce and locally made foods and delicacies. Happening every Wednesday through December 16.

Megan Timpane at The Marsh

Toast and Jam Brunch – Preservation Park. $50. 11 am to 2 pm. (1233 Preservation Park Way) Sway to the sounds of jazz and raise a toast to our community as Project Open Hand celebrates 26 years of meals with love in the East Bay. www.openhand.org

ALPINE BLUE: Alpine Blue is back at the market with kiwifruit and walnuts!

Magnitude - The Midway. $100. 9 pm to 4 am. (900 Marin St.) The official kick-off party for Folsom Street Fair. www.folsomstreetevent.org

CORACOA CONFECTIONS: Chocolate lovers rejoice!

Coracoa Confections has joined the market with their artisan chocolates. All organic, vegan, soy free, and produced in Emeryville.

September at the Market ALLARD FARMS: Check out Allard Farms for the first of the season pears. They also have grapes, apples, pomegranates, Asian pears, almonds, and walnuts.

• 27 : S UNDAY

Folsom Street Fair - Folsom Street Events. Donation. 11 am to 6 pm. (Folsom St. between 8th and 13th) Join the world’s largest leather event where fetish players from all over the world converge. www.folsomstreetfair.com

PAMELA SOAPS: Pamela Soaps has some lovely scented soaps and body products for the fall. Check out their new natural bug spray, and extra moisturizing facial soaps.

3rd Annual Musical Extravaganza - Humanist Hall. $30-$100. 2 pm. (390 27th St.) Musical benefit for the Charlotte Maxwell Clinic with performances

by Rita Lackey, Stephanie Teel, Carolyn Brandy and many more! www.charlottemaxwell.org

• 28 : M ONDAY

Portraits and Other Likenesses – Museum of the African Diaspora. $10. 11 am to 6 pm. (685 Mission St.) A unique exhibit bringing together approximately 50 carefully selected artworks that explore the dynamic role of portraiture in modern and contemporary art. Through October 11. www.moadsf.org Humanities West Book Discussion - Commonwealth Club. $5. 5 pm. (555 Post St.) Join for a discussion of hell and purgatory within Dante’s Divine Comedy, led

by Lynn Harris. www.commonwealthclub.org Monday Night Sketch – Stage Werx. $5. 8 pm. (446 Valencia St.) Enjoy a spotlight of Bay Area LGBT sketch theater every Monday night. www.stagewerx.org

• 29 : T UESDAY

Queer Youth Meal Night – SF LGBT Center. Free. 5 pm. (1800 Market St.) Queer Youth Meal Night is a safe space to meet with trans/queer/ally friends and enjoy a warm meal. www.sfcenter.org Pride Skate: LGBT Roller Disco – Church of 8 Wheels. $10.

7 pm to 10 pm. (554 Fillmore St.) An LGBT roller skating disco happening every Tuesday. 415-752-1967

1.800.949.FARM F

fb.com/castrofarmersmarket

SUNSET PRESENTS

Stay in the village Travel & Leisure rated #1 in North America for

“World’s Best Cities for Romance!”

See Jane Sing at Carmel-by-the-Sea’s Sunset Center

See Jane Sing!

With Jane Lynch

Champagne and Chocolate Reception at 7PM!

Saturday, September 26 at 8PM SEASON OPENER EVENT! Help us kick off the season with a delightful evening of cabaret and comedy.

Featuring Kate Flannery (The Office) and Tim Davis (vocal coordinator from Glee).

BRIAN BOWEN SMITH

Ellen Robinson - Found on Piedmont. Free. 4 pm. (425 Piedmont Ave., Oakland) Come hear vocalist Ellen Robison perform live with Debbie Poryes on the keyboard and Kristen Strom on the sax. www.foundonpiedmont.com

pcfma.org

DESIGN : LOGOMAN : logomantotherescue.com

RAINBOW ORCHARDS: Stop by Rainbow Orchards for late season blueberries and blackberries. Apples are here too! Try interesting varieties such as Arkansas Black and Pippin!

831.620.2048 www.sunsetcenter.org

The Monterey Peninsula’s Premier Performing Arts Facility

San Carlos St. at Ninth Ave., Carmel-by-the-Sea

Brought to you by Sunset Cultural Center, Inc. a Non-Profit 501 ( c ) 3

Female Trouble - El Rio. Free. 7 pm. (3158 Mission St.) Enjoy a screening of John Water’s classic 1974 film. www.elriosf.com

• 30 : W EDNESDAY Free Quit Smoking Class - SF

BAY T IM ES S EPT EM BER 17, 2015

21

NEWS (continued from page 3) creation of a Subway Master Plan, with a goal that San Francisco expands its inadequate subway system. Currently San Francisco has two subways—a short subway under Market Street for Muni, and a BART subway that runs down Market Street to the Mission and to Daly City. Most of San Francisco has no subway access at all. A second Muni subway tunnel, the Central Subway, is under construction and will be open in 2017.

The Subway Master Plan will require that the City come up with an outline for long-term subway expansion throughout the entire city. sfgov.org

beneficiary of the Castro Street Fair happening on Sunday October 4. Just as in the past, they can earn a portion of the fair proceeds according to the number of volunteer hours that they can donate.

The more the fair makes, the more hours they donate, and the more they earn. Last year, they raised over $1,700 for the general fund going to community outreach, improvements and donations to area issues. There are gate staff, first aid, stage hands, tear down and set up positions available. evna.org

Volunteers Sought for Castro Street Fair The Castro/ Eureka Valley Neighborhood Association (C/ EVNA) has been designated as a

Transgender Asylum Seekers Can’t Be Equated with Gays Transgender people can be especially vulnerable to harassment and attacks and shouldn’t be equated with gays and lesbians by U.S. immigration officials determining

TING (continued from page 9)

ROSTOW (continued from page 11)

intervention. By helping LGBT youth feel physically and emotionally safe, we can ensure greater student success and prevent further tragedies. There is no alternative.

search charts every year through 2007 until it changed to “California gay marriage” in 2008. From 2009 to 2012, the most popular search was for “gay marriage states.” The next year, it changed to “marriage equality,” reverting to “gay marriage states” in 2014 and back to “marriage equality” in 2015.

We cannot abandon these students who already feel alone. We owe them better than that. We must do a better job providing justice for students by protecting LGBT rights at school.

By providing a safe and supportive environment for all youth, whether they are straight or LGBT, they can thrive.

Phil Ting represents the 19th Assembly District, which includes the Westside of San Francisco as well as the cities of Broadmoor, Colma and Daly City

I’d be curious to see specifically how the rankings for antigay searches dropped over the last decade. Wonder how Google rankings will be used a half century from now when we really get some big historical data under our belts.

I was looking for extra items to conclude my column when I noticed that the new CEO of BMW fell over during his first big presentation at some auto show in Frankfurt. The man’s only 49!

whether to grant asylum, a federal appeals court said. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued the ruling in the case of a transgender Mexican woman who sought shelter in the U.S. on the grounds that she would likely be tortured if returned to Mexico. Edin Avendano-Hernandez said she had been sexually assaulted, by uniformed Mexican police and a military official, for being transgender.

The Board of Immigration Appeals wrongly relied on Mexican laws protecting gays and lesbians to reject Avendano-Hernandez’s asylum request, the ruling states. The 9th Circuit said transgender people face a unique level of danger and are specifically targeted in Mexico by police for extortion and sexual favors. edgemedianetwork.com

Check out the video. He starts to talk in a wavering voice, pauses and then falls backward for no reason. A bunch of guys rush up and help him to his feet and lead him off stage. They said he had a dizzy spell, but really. Who has a dizzy spell like that in the middle of a presentation? Maybe he was nervous and took something.

I remember one time I was too nervous to finish my column because I was about to go to the airport for a romantic trip. Someone gave me a Xanax and I spent the next hour staring at the screen unable to come up with 200 words. Should have had a nice shot of Cognac. arostow@aol.com

MARRIAGE EQUALITY (continued from page 12) behalf of LGBT people when, in a private meeting, he urged Malawi’s president to release Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, two LGBT Malawians who had been sentenced to 14 years in prison after announcing their engagement. Upon the couple’s release the next day, Ban publicly urged that “outdated penal code[s]” such as Malawi’s “be reformed wherever [they]…may exist.” On other occasions, Ban has noted that most such laws “are not home-grown,” but “inherited from former colonial powers.”

Two year later, as part of 2012 Human Rights Day events, Ban declared: “It is an outrage that in our modern world, so many countries continue to criminalize people simply for loving another human being of the same sex.” A year later, as part of a 2013 International Human Rights Conference in Oslo, Ban recognized that the struggle for

LGBT equality “is one of the great neglected human rights challenges of our time.” He observed that opponents of change “may invoke culture, tradition or religion to defend the status quo.” But that “[s]uch arguments have been used to try to justify slavery, child marriage, rape in marriage and female genital mutilation. I respect culture, tradition and religion, but they can never justify the denial of basic rights.”

The 71-year-old Secretary-General was not born an LGBT civil rights activist, but came to support the cause through “a journey.” As Ban grew up in Korea in the 1950s and 60s, he was unaware of knowing any LGBT people.

Noting the influence of Confucianism in Korea, Ban explained that “[s]exual orientation and gender identity were not issues we spoke about.” But according to Ban, “I…learned to speak out when I realized that people’s lives are at

stake. It is that simple.”

Ban feels “enormous pride” in being “the first UN Secretary-General to push hard for equal rights and respect for LGBT people around the world.”

We are proud to have such a strong advocate leading the UN. In speaking out for LGBT rights, Ban has reminded the world that the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights begins with the proclamation: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” Ban has emphasized how that declaration applies to: “All human beings—not some, not most, but all.” We agree.

John Lewis and Stuart Gaffney, together for three decades, were plaintiffs in the California case for equal marriage rights decided by the California Supreme Court in 2008. They are leaders in the nationwide grassroots organization Marriage Equality USA.

SISTER DANA (continued from page 13) Jok Church at Magnet, the health and wellbeing hub in the Castro. Jok’s exhibit illustrates the beauty of man in a kaleidoscope of body parts. Jok has also committed to donating 100% of all proceeds from the show to Magnet.

The reception for the show will be pushed back from Magnet’s usual first Friday to the last Friday, September 25, 8-10pm.The show will be up the entire month of September. Be sure to start your Folsom weekend out right by stopping by to see the sexy work of Jok Church. makemagic.org/magnet Come to VINCE, 36 Geary Street, in support of ACADEMY OF FRIENDS to shop for a cause as they announce their 2016 Beneficiary Partners. Also view the Fall 2015 Collection, enjoy 10% off your full price-purchase, and complimentary champagne and bites. Thursday, September 17, 5:30 - 7:30 pm. 10% of proceeds will be donated to Academy of Friends. academyoffriends.org OSCAR UNMASKED will feature the Broadway touring cast of The 22

BAY TIMES SEPTEMB E R 1 7 , 2 0 1 5

Phantom of the Opera as a fundraiser for the RICHMOND/ERMET AID FOUNDATION on Monday, September 21, at Marines Memorial Theater, 7:30pm.This amazing cast will be presenting Academy Award-winning songs from movies since the Oscars have been being given out. reaf.org SAFEHOUSE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS is proud to announce the 24th Annual WEST WAVE DANCE FESTIVAL, “CULTURAL DESTINATIONS,” Wednesday, September 23 - Sunday, September 27 at Z Space, 450 Florida Street. safehousearts.info SAN FRANCISCO LESBIAN/GAY FREEDOM BAND is performing HEROES, LEGENDS & VILLAINS on September 25 at 8pm. Join the band at Ebenezer / Her Church, 678 Portola Drive, for a musical journey through time! From Odysseus’ epic ten year journey, to the struggles of a slave girl in Pompeii; from brutal King Xerxes of Persia to swashbuckling pirates and a Knight of the Grail,

SFL/GFB will bring to life history’s greatest “Heroes, Legends & Villains!” sflgfb.org SPARK! is the TRANSGENDER LAW CENTER’s 13th anniversary celebration on October 1, 6-10pm at Sir Francis Drake, 450 Powell Street.

Hundreds of TLC›s closest supporters will gather for an evening of merriment, to recognize their outstanding honorees, and to toast another year of inspiring victories. transgenderlawcenter.org Sister Dana sez, “As Dr. Ben Carson is climbing high in the polls for the 2016 presidential election, LGBTQ voters are advised to take a close look at six of the most audacious anti-gay comments made by the retired neurosurgeon in the two years he’s been in the public eye as a conservative politician. He has stated: prison sex is proof that being gay is a choice; judges who rule in favor of marriage equality should be ejected by Congress; gay rights advocates are dividing America with their ‘hate speech;’ gay-affirming clergy put a finger in the eye of God; gays are like pedophiles; and marriage equality is a Communist plot.

Scary!!!”

Round About - All Over Town

Photos by RINK

Assistant manager Colby Peters welcomes customers to the Castro location of Weaver’s Coffee and Tea Castro Merchants Association president Daniel Bergerac with Devin of Sweet Inspiration and Orphan Andy’s at the Castro Farmers Market Host Aja Monet with Madd-Dogg at the Aja Monet for Grand Duke campaign event at the Midnight Sun benefitting the Grand Ducal Court charities

Sweet Inspiration’s McKenna Morgan at the counter offering mixed berry and chocolate raspberry tarts

Bolerium Books co-owners John Durham and Alexander Akin at their location in the Mission neighborhood

Windy City Times publisher Tracy Baim with Hormel Center director Karen Sundheim at the Main Library where Baim presented a book talk on her new work entitled Barbara Gittings Gay Pioneer

Photographer Matthew Hudson displayed his work at Jane Warner Plaza, including a photo of activist Harry Hay and his lover John Burnside in the San Francisco Pride Parade.

Luke Klipp at the microphone with Klipptone’s band members (Ollie Dudek on bass, Claudio Rochat-Felix on drums, Kasey Knudsen on sax and Eric Vegler on guitar) performing at Jane Warner Plaza on September 6

Artist Jessica Joy Jirsa with her work on display at Jane Warner Plaza at the intersection of Castro, Market and 17th Streets

Host Troy Brunet and entertainer Sara Payan at the Edge Bar welcoming attendees to the 10th Nicole Rivera, Jamie Botello, JP Leddy and Ryan Ayres at the GGBA Annual Anniversary Fundraising Experience Make Contact Mixer at 1300 Fillmore Eric Goforth and John Eric Henry at the Golden benefit for the AIDS Emregency Fund and Breast Gate Business Association’s (GGBA) Make ConCancer Emergency Fund tact held at 1300 Fillmore Husbands Clarence and Michael Albarra, host Troy Brunet and greeter Sophia at the 10th Annual Anniversary Fundraising Experience held at Edge Bar GGBA greeters Jackie Cuneo, Audry deLucia and Jacob Roberts welcoming attendees to the Make Contact mixer held at Spur Community College Board candidate Alex Randolph with Center Google’s Rebecca Prozan at the GGBA Make Contact at 1300 Fillmore

Judges for the 27th Annual Gay Asian Pacific Alliance Runway Pageant included Libby and Brenda, China Silk, Lydia Neff, Supervisor Jane Kim, Tamiko Wong, Mario Diaz and Lily Rose

2015 winners included (left to right) First Prince Kenakai Carson, Mister GAPA Dez and Miss Gala D’Lady Ito at the 27th Annual Runway Pageant

Supervisor Jane Kim, Miss GAPA 1990 Lia Tom Kwan and Donna Sachet at the 27th Annual Runway Pageant at Fort Mason’s Cowell Theatre BAY T IM ES S EPT EM BER 17, 2015

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