April 19 2018_Edition of the Bay Area Reporter by Bay Area Reporter

Tobacco, taxes on ballot

Milk terminal is official

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Vol. 48 • No. 16 • April 19-25, 2018

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Ballot props address SF taxes, Tasers, tobacco by Alex Madison

an Francisco voters have a lot to contemplate June 5 at the ballot box when it comes to their tax money. Dueling tax initiatives to fund either affordable housing and homeless services Rick Gerharter or subsidized child care, increased bridge Supervisor Jeff tolls, and a parcel tax Sheehy is a Prop for the San Francisco D proponent. Unified School District are among the proposed tax measures. A policy on the use of Tasers by police and a ban on flavored tobacco products are also on the ballot, which includes six public initiatives, two charter amendments, and one regional proposition and a measure submitted by city supervisors. Although not as full of a load as previous years, the measures are not short of controversy and political differences.

Taxes

Perhaps the most contentious of the measures are Proposition D, the “Housing for All” initiative, and Proposition C, “Universal Childcare for San Francisco Families Initiative.” Both depend on money from raising the gross receipts tax, meaning only one can take effect if both pass. Each measure would tax commercial landlords, those with more than $1 million in gross receipts. Currently, commercial landlords generally pay a rate between 0.285 percent and 0.3 percent of gross receipts. Each ballot measure tax is in addition to the existing gross receipts tax. Prop D would implement a 1.7 percent tax on commercial landlords, generating approximately $70 million annually to fund low and middle-income housing and homeless services. The 10-year funding plan would dedicate $450 million specifically for resources to lessen homelessness, including navigation centers, transitional housing, supplemental housing, and programs and wrap-around services for mental illness and substance abuse. Another $350 million is dedicated to middle-income housing, mainly subsidized housing. The remaining $200 million will fund low-income senior housing and more singleroom-occupancy housing. Proponents of the initiative are the more moderate wing of the Board of Supervisors, including author Ahsha Safai, Katy Tang, Malia Cohen, and Jeff Sheehy. Sheehy, the board’s lone out member who is facing his own election in June against gay City College trustee Rafael Mandelman, said See page 2 >>

Vol. 48 • No. 16 • April 19-25, 2018

Advocates to next SF mayor: End youth homelessness by Matthew S. Bajko

Topics include transgender youth, how LGBT youth are treator years San Francisco has ed by the criminal justice system, made it a priority to move and the needs of LGBT homeless homeless veterans and famiyouth of color, which was co-writlies with young children off of the ten by Johnson. city’s streets and into supportive “I believe that we have the talhousing. City policy has also ent and the resources to make this favored the chronically homehappen in San Francisco,” Johnless, directing programs to assist son told the Bay Area Reporter. those who have been living on the “Again, this topic is not new. That streets for eights years or longer. is the painful thing about it. Yet not Homeless youth, meanwhile, much, historically, has been done have not seen the same prioritito address it.” zation by city leaders to get them Gay District 8 Supervisor Jeff housed. There is a lack of dedicatSheehy has been making the arguRick Gerharter ed housing options for them, even Angel, center on couch, is a client of the LGBT Community Center’s ment that San Francisco is failing less for those who are LGBTQ, de- Youth Drop-In center, whose staff includes Rebecca Rolfe, left, its homeless youth population spite their accounting for 43 per- executive director; Zami Tinashe Hyemingway; and Levi Maxwell. since being appointed to the board cent of the estimated 1,500 homelast year. He worked with the late less youth on the city’s streets. mayor Ed Lee to secure $1.54 milGreggory Johnson III, Ph.D., a professor of With residents set to elect a new mayor in lion in supplemental funds in the city’s 2017public policy and management at the Univerthe special election on the June 5 primary bal2018 budget for a number of local homeless sity of San Francisco School of Management. lot, advocates are calling on the winner to make youth programs. Johnson, who is bisexual, is hosting a naending youth homelessness, particularly among And as the B.A.R. reported earlier this month, tional symposium Thursday (April 19) focused LGBT youth, a priority of their mayoralty. Sheehy and Mayor Mark Farrell have commiton various ways cities can address LGBT youth “For me, the issue comes down to the ted to continue the funding in the 2018-2019 homelessness. It is sponsored by the journal Pubfact these kids are out there dying on the fiscal year budget. The majority of the money, lic Integrity, which this month is also publishing streets for being their real authentic selves. It several articles looking at specific solutions for See page 10 >> should be an issue for all of us,” said Richard meeting the needs of homeless LGBT youth.

Milk SFO terminal to debut in 2020 by Matthew S. Bajko

he Harvey Milk Terminal at San Francisco International Airport will formally debut in 2020. That is when airport officials expect the signage denoting the new name for Terminal 1 will be installed. This fall the city’s arts commission is expected to approve the designs of the various signs needed for the terminal renaming. The proposed signage will then be submitted to City Hall for final approval in December. “We look forward to the rollout of this very successful artwork at the SFO terminal,” said Jeff Littlefield, the airport’s chief operating officer. Terminal 1 is undergoing a $2.4 billion remodel that will be unveiled in stages through 2024. The section most likely to include the dedication for Milk will open in early 2020, SFO spokesman Doug Yakel told the Bay Area Reporter this week. “We’re working on the design of some temporary construction walls, which will likely also include Milk references. No firm dates on this, but this would precede the completed facility,” stated Yakel. Five years ago city leaders agreed to name one of SFO’s four terminals after Milk, a gay icon who 40 years ago became the first out LGBT person to serve on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. After an advisory panel last year selected Terminal 1, the Board of Supervisors approved the decision this month. Mayor Mark Farrell signed the legislation to rename the terminal Monday morning (April 16) at a

Rick Gerharter

Mayor Mark Farrell holds legislation he signed designating Terminal 1 at San Francisco International Airport as Harvey Milk Terminal. At the April 16 signing ceremony, he was joined by, from left, former supervisor, state legislator, and mayoral candidate Mark Leno, Supervisors Malia Cohen, Hillary Ronen, and Jeff Sheehy, former supervisor David Campos, Stuart Milk, and former supervisor and state legislator Tom Ammiano.

ceremony on the mayor’s balcony inside City Hall. “We are ensuring his name will last forever and be synonymous with the city of San Francisco,” said Farrell. Milk’s gay nephew, Stuart Milk, attended the ceremony on behalf of the Harvey Milk Foundation that he established to promote LGBT rights around the globe. He noted that his uncle

{ FIRST OF THREE SECTIONS }

was “looking over us by that bust over there,” referring to the Milk bust placed across the rotunda near the doors to the board chambers. “This is a very important message to the world,” said Stuart Milk, adding that having people “transit through the Harvey Milk Terminal See page 10 >>

<< Community News

t King talks of lifelong fight for equality at SF event

2 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 19-25, 2018

by Sari Staver

The journey from middle-class kid to world champion tennis player was not always a smooth one, according to King. “It wasn’t until I was 51 years old that I felt comfortable in my own skin,” she said. King’s early career had many victories, both on and off the court. Professionally, she became the topranked women’s tennis player by 1967 and also gained wide respect for her successful fight for equal pay for women in tennis. King is credited with launching women’s professional tennis after she and eight other players broke away

from the tennis establishment and accepted $1 contracts from tennis promoter Gladys Heldman, leading to the formation of the Virginia Slims Tour and Women’s Tennis Association. Then, in 1973, King defeated Bobby Riggs in the famous “Battle of the Sexes” televised tennis match, a story that was turned into the Hollywood movie of the same name in 2017, in which Emma Stone played King and Steve Carell played Riggs. (The movie was screened at the event.) But the early 1980s brought a “dark chapter” into King’s life she said, when her then-secretary and lover Marilyn Barnett outed

King, who was then married to sports mogul Larry King. The story made worldwide headlines and King’s agents and attorneys advised to her to stay mum until the scandal passed. “I wouldn’t hear of it. I had to tell the truth,” she said, acknowledging the 18-month romance. “Overnight, I lost all but one of my endorsements” she said. “It was a nightmare, and I don’t know how I survived.” “I started my life over,” she said, continuing to focus on her crusade against inequality. Looking back on the decades long battles for equality in women’s tennis, King said she and the other early pioneers “convinced ourselves that we were doing this not to make a lot of money or get a lot of applause” but for “future generations.” “Any girl in the world can compete in tennis,” said King. “For the first time, women were appreciated for their accomplishments, not just their looks.” King acknowledged the work of Kendell and NCLR, thanking her for the many victories the organization has achieved for the LGBT community. “We could not enjoy the life we do without you,” said King. Kendell, who grew up Mormon in Utah, said she remembers well the day that King held her nationally

candidate London Breed. Randy Quezada, communications and community relations manager at the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, which would receive Prop D money if it passes, said funding for permanent housing is the biggest need. People utilizing mental health and substance abuse programs or those who stay in temporary shelters will still need permanent housing, Quezada said. “The thing about more supportive permanent housing is that it’s permanent,” Quezada said. “After some stabilization and people get better, there is still an ongoing need for affordable housing.” Brian Basinger, executive director for the Q Foundation, which provides housing for people living with HIV/AIDS, does not support Prop D. He said the measure is not effective because it does not dedicate enough funding to homelessness specifically. “The amount is insufficient to

make an impact and the type of impact that voters need,” Basinger, a gay man, said. Basinger said homelessness disproportionally affects the AfricanAmerican, Latino, and LGBT communities and resources should reflect that. Instead, Basinger is advocating for a measure voters might see on the November ballot that would generate about $340 million annually for homeless services and supportive housing. The Coalition on Homelessness is behind the measure, which would tax any San Franciscobased company that earns more than $50 million a half a percent. District 6 Supervisor and mayoral candidate Jane Kim also supports the November initiative to fund homelessness over Prop D. Kim and Supervisor Norman Yee gathered signatures to put Prop C, “Universal Childcare for San Francisco Families Initiative,” on the June ballot. The measure would implement a 3.5 percent tax on commercial

landlords generating about $146 million annually to fund child care and education subsidies for children up to 5 years old and increase wages for early educators and other child care workers. Parents whose income is less than 85 percent of the state median income would be eligible for subsidized child care and education for children five and younger. While parents whose income is less than 200 percent of area median income would be eligible for subsidized child care and education for children three and younger. The remaining funds would be used to raise the wages of child care workers. In an editorial board meeting with the B.A.R., Kim touted the importance of early childhood education, expanding the city’s quality improvement system for early educators, and increasing wages for child care workers, an industry that is predominately comprised of women of color, immigrants and other minorities.

illie Jean King’s lifelong fight for equality began when she was 12 years old, when the junior tennis player was practicing at the Los Angeles Tennis Club. King, 75, speaking to a sold out audience at Brava Theatre April 12, said she remembers noticing that everyone at the club was white. “Where is everyone else?” King asked her mom. “It was my epiphany,” said King at the benefit, which raised over $20,000 for the National Center for Lesbian Rights. The question about the noticeable absence of people of color was “not the kind of question you’d expect from a kid growing up in a conservative home,” she said. But from then on, said King, “I just kept fighting for equality and freedom.” “I was lucky,” she conceded, “because I had tennis as a platform.” King, who lives in New York City with her partner of 38 years, South African tennis star Ilana Kloss, was in San Francisco for an hourlong chat with Kate Kendell, executive director of NCLR. Kendell, who is stepping down from NCLR this year after 22 years with the nonprofit legal organization, described King as a “badass” and asked her what it was like to be Billie Jean King.

Ballot props

From page 1

the city is “going in the wrong direction” and that housing and homelessness is a “crisis.” “We need specific funding for homeless,” Sheehy said in an editorial board meeting with the Bay Area Reporter. “Only 7 percent of funding is dedicated to homelessness, although 20 percent of the population is homeless.” Mandelman supports both C and D, but thinks its ridiculous they’re both on the ballot. Sheehy also noted the importance of creating housing for all income levels because of the rapid rise in middle-income people leaving San Francisco. “We have a crisis retaining and recruiting middle-income workers,” Sheehy said. “We need to create housing so the workforce can live in the city.” Other supporters of the measure include Mayor Mark Farrell and board President and mayoral

Jane Philomen Cleland

Tennis legend Billie Jean King, left, played air guitar on a tennis racket that Kate Kendell auctioned off as a fundraiser for the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

televised news conference and acknowledged her lesbian affair. “I remember feeling nauseous because of the shame, stigma, and internalized homophobia that pervaded our culture” at the time, she said. King urged the audience to refrain from outing others. “People need to come out on their own terms,” she said. “I don’t want anyone to have to go through what I did” during the outing on national television. King said her parents, conservative Methodists, did not understand homosexuality. “Of course they didn’t,” she said. “If I didn’t even understand it, how could I expect them to?” Now that she has perspective on the process of coming to terms with being gay, King said she has compassion for her family’s lack of understanding. “My mother would’ve been happy if I’d gotten married, had three kids, and came home” to see her every weekend, said King. King said she gained further understanding of her mother when, at age 80, her mom talked about her youthful success in athletics. For women of her mother’s generation, pursuing their own interests was not encouraged, she said. “Thankfully, we are living in a different world,” King said.t

“This is the first time we have ever provided subsidies to middleclass families who are also struggling in San Francisco,” she said. “It is investing in the positivity of our workforce and it’s appropriate for employers to invest in their workforce.” The findings in the measure claim, “Three out of four families in San Francisco with children under the age of six have both parents working outside the home,” and “early education and childcare can cost a staggering $20,000.” “It’s a huge need for parents,” Kim said. “It allows people to go back to work and support their families, it also supports our economy.” Currently, the city has more than 2,400 low-income and homeless children on a waitlist for subsidized child care. Kim said with the passage of Prop C, those families would be accommodated. Other supporters of the bill See page 9 >>

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<< Open Forum

4 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 19-25, 2018

Volume 48, Number 16 April 19-25, 2018 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman BARTAB EDITOR & EVENTS LISTINGS EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • Alex Madison CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ray Aguilera • Tavo Amador • Race Bannon Erin Blackwell • Roger Brigham Brian Bromberger • Victoria A. Brownworth Brent Calderwood • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Belo Cipriani Christina DiEdoardo • Richard Dodds Michael Flanagan • Jim Gladstone David Guarino • Liz Highleyman Brandon Judell • John F. Karr • Lisa Keen Matthew Kennedy • Joshua Klipp David Lamble • Max Leger Michael McDonagh • Juanita MORE! David-Elijah Nahmod • Paul Parish Sean Piverger • Lois Pearlman Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota • Bob Roehr Adam Sandel • Jason Serinus • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith • Tony Taylor • Sari Staver Jim Stewart • Sean Timberlake • Andre Torrez Ronn Vigh • Charlie Wagner • Ed Walsh Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood ART DIRECTION Max Leger PRODUCTION/DESIGN Ernesto Sopprani PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • FBFE Rick Gerharter • Gareth Gooch Jose Guzman-Colon • Rudy K. Lawidjaja Georg Lester • Dan Lloyd • Jo-Lynn Otto Rich Stadtmiller • Kelly Sullivan Steven Underhil • Dallis Willard • Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge • Christine Smith ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION Colleen Small Bogitini VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING Scott Wazlowski – 415.829.8937 NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

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Re-imagining Castro Street Fair W

e encourage interested community members to attend a meeting this weekend to reinvigorate the long-running Castro Street Fair. Gay activist Cleve Jones wrote in last week’s Guest Opinion that the fair, which was started by Harvey Milk in 1974, is a neighborhood treasure. It raises money for local nonprofits, but more importantly, as Jones noted, it maintains the character of the Castro, which has changed over the years, especially with the recent exodus of LGBTs and other former residents due to the housing affordability crisis. We met with Jones several weeks ago, and he expressed gratitude for the all-volunteer fair board and the work its members do. But it seems that the board needs new ideas. Members deserve credit for welcoming changes and public input. In general terms, it would be great if creative young people are part of the planning process. There are also logistical issues, such as booth placement, that could benefit merchants and gain their support; after all, it’s a great opportunity to increase foot traffic for local businesses. These are just some of the suggestions we are hearing. We have noticed an enthusiasm gap and lower attendance in the last couple of years. Now is the time to make positive changes that will boost participation and make the Castro Street Fair “the place to be” that first Sunday in October. This is a historic milestone as well – it’s the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Milk and then-mayor George Moscone. Perhaps this year’s street fair could pay tribute to the two men, one gay and one straight, whose progressive values ushered in a new era for the city. Other large events in the Castro – Pink Saturday and Halloween – ended after violence occurred. The Castro Street Fair is the last street party hanging on, but it will only be successful if people step up to help. The meeting is Saturday, April 21, from 3 to 5 p.m, at the Eureka Valley Recreation Center, 100 Collingwood Street. If you have a couple of hours and are interested in giving back to the LGBTQ community, you should stop by.

Rick Gerharter

Long Wu, left, Lizzi Dierken, and Coco Flannel shopped for handmade face masks at the 2015 Castro Street Fair.

The Trump administration’s 4/20 gift

In advance of 4/20, the unofficial celebration of cannabis, President Donald Trump did an about-face, announcing that his administration was abandoning a Justice Department threat to crack down on recreational marijuana in states where it is legal. The Los Angeles Times reported that the move “could enable cannabis businesses in California and other states that have legalized pot to operate without fear of federal raids and prosecution.” We’ll emphasize “could,” since you never know if Trump will change his mind again. The Times reported that the president “personally” directed the retreat at the behest of Colorado Senator Cory Gardener (R), and that makes sense, since the Centennial State was one of the first to legalize recreational cannabis for adults. And the paper noted that Trump, in a typical move, did not give embattled Attorney General Jeff Sessions advanced notice. Recall last year, after voters approved California’s adult recreational marijuana law, but before it went into effect, that Sessions had said he did not think pot should be legal. As recently as last November – just as California was gearing up for the January 1 start date for legal weed sales – Sessions hinted that a marijuana

crackdown was imminent. The raids did not happen, however, and now appear even less likely with the administration’s latest decision. Gardener, the Times reported, was angry that the administration threatened to rescind an Obama-era policy that directed federal prosecutors not to target marijuana businesses that operate legally under state law. “The senator had blocked Justice Department nominees in retaliation,” the paper noted. That seemed to get the attention of the administration, which has had a difficult time filling numerous vacant positions, and Gardener has lifted his remaining holds on nominations in response. Sessions’ threat was concerning to cannabis businesses in the Golden State, though it did not stop legal sales once they went into effect. Additional evidence that the cannabis industry has entered the mainstream: former Republican House Speaker John Boehner, a wine and cigar aficionado – and former anti-pot advocate – joined the board of advisers of Acreage Holdings, a cannabis corporation that operates in 11 states. Boehner said his thinking on marijuana has “evolved.” Former Massachusetts governor William Weld, a longtime marijuana backer, also joined the Acreage Holdings advisory board, saying in a statement that “the time has come for serious consideration of a shift in federal marijuana policy.” That’s right. With the administration’s current stance, advocates and corporations can now address other issues, like being able to open bank accounts, which are a problem under current federal law. That’s because the federal government still classifies cannabis as a Schedule I drug (like LSD). Going forward, we’d like the feds to relax the marijuana classification and expand cannabis research more broadly than the one university that is authorized now. The medical benefits could help patients addicted to opioids or sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder, including veterans. Boehner seems to be on board, sending a tweet that de-scheduling the drug would allow such research to proceed. We’re not entirely convinced that Trump will keep his word, but lawmakers should work with the Drug Enforcement Administration now, while the president has abandoned Sessions’ hardcore stance on cannabis. t

LGBT center is an antidote to hate by Rebecca Rolfe and Roberto Ordeñana

We find hope in how our votes in places like Alabama and Pennsylvania – traditionally conservative strongholds – make clear that we will not toleople of color, queer people, erate hate and bigotry from our elected women, and people with disleaders. abilities know that bigotry is deeply When faced with the worst morooted in this country’s DNA. Our ments of the AIDS crisis, we opened differences have always been used as our homes to those who were a weapon to divide us. stricken. We took to the streets to Trish Tunney Yet today, we are experiencing vitriol, hate, and bigotry that is Rebecca Rolfe and say this epidemic must end. And we more open, more championed and Roberto Ordeñana commit now that we will get to zero – worst of all – more actively en- greeted attendees new HIV infections. And while the challenges we face are forced by our government than we at the LGBT overwhelming, at the San Francisco have experienced in decades. center’s Soiree LGBT Community Center we work We are seeing many of the gains benefit April 14. to address these issues every single day. we have made eroded and renewed On this, our 16th anniversary, we efforts to curtail our lives through are proud of what we have created. Tens things like religious exclusions, narrowing of of thousands of people rely on our voting rights, and taking away the very right of direct services – we support some transgender and gender nonconforming people of the most vulnerable members – including children – to use a bathroom in of our community – and we are a safety. community hub that has grown We are overwhelmed by the repeated physical and evolved as the needs of our and emotional attacks on so many of us and the community have shifted. near-constant anxiety and fear that informs so We innovate by bringing commany of our lives – Dreamers unsure of their munity together to find solutions, legal status, young people sleeping in parks, and even for problems as intractable as transgender women living in fear of violence. homelessness. Just last week we learned that This is happening right here in San Francisco. our youth program qualifies for an expansion We are exhausted by the Bay Area’s affordof its services. Later this year we will launch ability crisis and the daily struggle to survive. San Francisco’s first Host Homes program for But we have the antidote to hate. LGBTQ homeless youth, pairing youth withWe are the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, out shelter to community members who will queer, questioning and allied community. When open their hearts and homes to them. faced with challenges, we rise up! We are not We value and honor our youth who are too powerless. We have a voice, and a vote. We are not often disrespected or seen as disposable by crewithout assets – and we know how to give generating community and a place they call home. ously of our time, our resources, and our hearts. We recently expanded the hours of our dropWe find inspiration in each other and in our in youth space and increased mental health many allies; inspiration in how violence and services for them. injustice are being called out: #MeToo, Black We care deeply about the many people facing Lives Matter, and the teenagers from Florida violence or deportation or hunger. Our informaspeaking out so courageously and powerfully tion and referral program connects thousands about gun violence.

of community members to critical services like shelter, medical care, and legal support. Instead of allowing our differences to divide us, we celebrate our culture, shared histories, and lives. Hundreds of emerging artists have exhibited their works at the center, sharing their experiences and posing critical questions about our community’s future. We address the affordability crisis in the Bay Area and help thousands of people struggling to survive. Our first-in-the-nation LGBT economic development program helps community members find employment, start and grow their small businesses, and find affordable housing. And our volunteers and donors, through their investment in the center, fuel our movement striving to ensure that no one – particularly the most marginalized in our community – is left behind on our path to full equality. We have so much gratitude to every founder, public and private partner, individual and family that have invested in the center since before we even opened our doors 16 years ago. We hope that on this Give Out Day (April 19), a national day of giving to LGBT causes, you will join us and make a contribution of any size to the center, or to another nonprofit organization you support, to help us meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. These times call for all of us to leverage our collective histories of resilience and creativity to fight against injustice. Together, we will get through these difficult days with grace, compassion and generosity, and we are confident we will come out even stronger. We are sure of that. t Rebecca Rolfe and Roberto Ordeñana are the executive director and deputy executive director, respectively, of the San Francisco LGBT Community Center. To make a gift, visit: www.sfcenter.org/giveoutday2018. For more information about the center, visit www.sfcenter.org.

Letters >>

April 19-25, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 5

The problem with AB 2943

Assembly Bill 2943 currently gestating in the Legislature would classify “conversion therapy” as a false business practice, creating a standing to sue in California courts to create monetary damages for anyone to sue who perceives a mental health professional is offering such treatment [“Chiu, target of EQCA blast, backs conversion therapy ban,” April 5]. Certainly many gay and lesbian individuals have been harmed by ignorant and prejudicial mental health professionals, and it took decades for the research of Evelyn Hooker, Ph.D., to trickle down through the mental health community that a person could be both gay and “well adjusted.” Therein lies the flaw in this bill: a grown mature consenting adult who legitimately seeks conversion treatment is not well adjusted. A couple years ago, the Legislature ripped up patient privilege and made therapists mandated reporters. Today, if an individual has compulsions to consume child pornography and approaches a therapist for help (most such individuals are disgusted at themselves), the therapist is required to turn his/ her patient in or risk criminal prosecution. This bright ideal landed with a thud: consumption of child pornography increased due to perceived lack of access to treatment. The outcome of many attempts at so-called conversion therapy is, of course, nonconversion. That’s a good thing: Individuals who feel unhappy and then start talking about it start to face their own self-imposed and socially-learned entrapment. Some of the riskiest and most selfdestructive sexual behavior is done by those who won’t be honest with themselves. Getting their foot in the door, they come to learn that conversion might not be what they are searching for after all. Advertising “conversion” is really advertising hope. Any modern mental health professional worth his/her salt knows the patient is not going to “convert.” He/she is going to learn to be well-adjusted. Mental health professionals (whose job is literally to play with your mind) engage in false advertising all the time – witness the myriad online consultations to obtain a robosigned certificate for emotional support animal therapy. You don’t see the Legislature criminalizing them. I recently confronted a yapping dog permitted in the apartment of an individual with “medical necessity” permit to treat debilitating anxiety. If the medical profession still doesn’t know how the human body and most medications actually work, how can the Legislature? It’s one thing to support civil liberties. It’s another to restrict them out of arrogance. Thomas J. Busse San Francisco

Marriage equality leaves out poly people

I’m a bit sorry to bring this up, since reading something as politically incorrect in the Bay Area Reporter as Michael Colbruno’s frustration with tribalist language and wistful evocation of an African tribe that had just one word for “people” comes as a kind of a breath of fresh air even when I don’t fully agree with him [“Why I left East Bay Stonewall board,” Guest Opinion, March 22]. (When transgender people are still very much fighting to overcome widespread legal and social oppression, using people’s preferred pronouns isn’t just good manners, it’s an act of political solidarity with that struggle.) Nevertheless, Colbruno’s assertion that all is well with marriage equality, now that “anyone who can marry is (theoretically) equal under the law and can use the same terms” shouldn’t go unchallenged. That’s because even in San Francisco in 2018, polyamorous people are still denied the legal equality of being able to marry their partners, just because the marriage would include more than two people. Unless you’re for poly-marriage equality, you’re not for true marriage equality, and that fight isn’t over until poly people can legally marry and form families as readily as monogamous couples.

Recalling Lambda Legal’s Nabozny victory

Thank you for your excellent article, “Trans plaintiff to speak at Lambda Legal gala” [April 12] about the April 20 annual San Francisco fundraiser at the Fairmont Hotel. In citing some of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund’s 45 years of work on behalf of LGBTs and people with HIV/AIDS, you mentioned Jamie Nabozny’s 1995 case against his Wisconsin school district. The district, rather than protecting Nabozny from anti-LGBT bullying and violence requiring surgery, told him he should expect this if he were gay, and Nabozny eventually dropped out. In 27 annual San Francisco fundraising events featuring Lambda Legal’s diverse group of plaintiffs, Nabozny’s appearance at the San Francisco City Club in 1996 stands out uniquely as a moment both of making a difference globally, and San Francisco coming together to make its own unique difference in the life of this one person. In winning Nabozny’s case, Lambda Legal attorney Jon Davidson and other lawyers won a settlement of almost $1 million (the school district insisted on a settlement of slightly less than that level as it hoped not to get publicity as a million-dollar damages award) and an agreement that the district would engage in training, etc. The National Center for Lesbian Rights, and its pro bono attorney, Jim Emery; UCSF Child and Adolescent Gender Center mental health director Diane Ehrensaft; and others went on to win similar victories – including on behalf of lesbian and gay students nearby us in Morgan Hill. But the other thing the Wisconsin school district refused to do was grant Nabozny the high school diploma he had earned after dropping out of school and pursuing his own GED. At the Lambda Legal annual fundraiser, San Francisco’s school board and superintendent granted Nabozny an actual San Francisco high school diploma, and the city threw Nabozny and his family the high school graduation party he never had, with Cheer SF cheerleaders performing as a glee club of entertainment and congratulations. You can be sure, there was not a dry eye in the somewhat staid and very historic SF City Club that night. The Bay Area Reporter was there and reported the story. Fights never end, and now include transgender plaintiffs like Ryan Karnoski at Lambda Legal’s April 20 reception, but there are victorious moments when we all make a big difference globally, locally and personally. Thank you, B.A.R., and, all who make this work possible.

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family law specialist* • Divorce w/emphasis on Real Estate & Business Divisions • Domestic Partnerships, Support & Custody • Probate and Wills www.SchneiderLawSF.com

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Charlie Spiegel San Francisco

So long, Richard Dodds

Ah geez, that was such a bummer to read that Bay Area Reporter theater critic, Richard Dodds, would be packin’ it up and leaving San Francisco [“LGBT time travel,” March 29]. I lived in New Orleans back in the last century, when his byline was in our daily paper, the Times-Picayune. And then, by coincidence, I’d moved to San Francisco just about the same time he came here and started writing for the B.A.R. So that meant over three decades of reading his columns religiously and relying on his thoughts many times to go check out some local production that might not have already caught my eye to add to the to-do list. I go see about a hundred shows every year, and they’re certainly not all winners – but I could always depend on Dodds’ reviews to help me make sure not to miss a lot of real gems. Always insightful, always clever, and so often, so funny. And, never too mean or too harsh on some various shortcomings, but yet, honest and not just blowin’ unearned praises – the perfect critic to me. Good luck on your move to the desert, my old friend – you will be missed.

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SF Pride lifetime award goes to author Gomez

compiled by Cynthia Laird

esbian author and playwright Jewelle Gomez was named this year’s recipient of San Francisco Pride’s Lifetime Achievement Award. The board and membership of the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee announced the community grand marshal and other honorees last week. Gomez is the author of seven books, including the double Lambda Literary Award-winning vampire novel, “The Gilda Stories.” She and her spouse, Diane Sabin, were one of the plaintiff couples in one of the same-sex marriage lawsuits and she is a former library commissioner. Other honorees include:

Community grand marshals Kin Folkz, Brian “Chickpea” Busta, Billy Curtis, and Soni Wolf. Folkz is an educator and human rights activist. Busta founded Gay Glow Theater, the Temple Whores Drumming troupe, and was a grand duke of the Ducal Court. Curtis is a longtime activist and was hired as UC Berkeley’s first fulltime director for LGBT resources. He is currently the university’s Gender Equity Resource Center director. Wolf is a founding member of Dykes on Bikes and helped the group evolve into a registered nonprofit. Organizational grand marshal is the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay

Freedom Band, the first openly gay musical organization in the world. It was founded in 1978 by the late Jon Sims. The Heritage of Pride – 10 Years of Service Award will go to Aria Sa’id, a writer and policy strategist who is the founder and director of the Kween Cultural Initiative. She cofounded the Compton’s Cultural District. The Heritage of Pride – Pride Freedom Award recipient is Jen Orthwein, who helped launch the detention project at the Transgender Law Center. She co-founded Medina Orthwein LLP, a queer-owned, civil rights law See page 10 >>

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<< Politics

6 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 19-25, 2018

San Francisco and Cork, Ireland to take joint stand for LGBT rights by Matthew S. Bajko

an Francisco and Cork, Ireland will take a joint stand for LGBT rights next week by seeking to be the first cities in their countries to join a global network of municipalities committed to protecting the rights of their LGBT citizens. Sister cities since 1984, San Francisco and Cork aim to become the first American and Irish cities to belong to the Rainbow Cities Network. Begun in 2011 by founding members Amsterdam, Barcelona, Cologne, and Turin, the network as of last fall had grown to include 27 members from 15 countries, mainly in Europe but also Mexico, Brazil, and Turkey. The network members share best practices with each other on how to protect LGBT rights as well as promote and develop their local LGBT communities. It meets once a year in a different member city. A sister city delegation led by

Tony Fitzgerald, the Lord Mayor of Cork, will be in San Francisco next week for the signing of the memorandum of understanding for the two cities to become official members of the Rainbow Cities Network. San Francisco Mayor Mark Farrell will host a signing ceremony at City Hall Monday morning. “San Francisco has a long and storied history of supporting our LGBTQ community and we are proud to share these values with our Sister City Cork. By exchanging our best practices, we can find innovative new measures to advance the needs of our LGBTQ residents,” said Farrell in a statement to the Bay Area Reporter. “While our federal government wants to close doors to the world, San Francisco is embracing other cultures and nations with open arms. We are fortunate to have such an open and responsive sister city in Cork, and we look forward to working together on the crucial issues facing our LGBTQ community.”

RY StevenUnderhill PHOTOGRAPHY

Courtesy Siobhán O’Dowd

Lord Mayor of Cork Tony Fitzgerald, left, joined Siobhán O’Dowd, chair Cork City LGBT Inter-Agency Group, at a presentation to mark the city agency winning the national award in Ireland for LGBT Ally.

Siobhán O’Dowd, a lesbian who chairs Cork’s LGBT Inter-Agency Group, told the B.A.R. via email that “the memorandum of understanding, which will be signed during our visit to San Francisco, strengthens the existing links and connections between our twin cities.” The Irish delegation coming for the visit numbers nearly 60 people. Among the community and business leaders will be Ann Doherty, the chief executive of the Cork City Council; Paul Moynihan, the council’s director of services and corporate affairs; and Kate Moynihan, the LGBT Inter-Agency Group’s secretary and coordinator of LINC, short for Lesbians in Cork. (They are not related). “Generally, when there is a formal signing of a memorandum between cities, the Lord Mayor represents the whole city and signs on our behalf,” noted O’Dowd. “So it is really significant that the LGBT Inter-Agency will also be a signatory to this agreement, but that signature will represent a broad coalition across the city.” It is estimated that 12,500 LGBT people live in Cork, which is Ireland’s second largest city. O’Dowd told the B.A.R. it has “a number of established and reputable LGBT community groups, social spaces and is increasingly seen as an inclusive and welcoming city for LGBT community members.” Back in 2002, when Ireland’s

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“Having a non-gay mayor who is so encouraging and celebratory of LGBTQ rights was just something very special. It was just a wonderful trip,” recalled David Perry, who owns his own public relations firm in San Francisco and was joined by his husband, Alfredo Casuso, on the trip to Ireland. Perry had contacted O’Dowd and Cork city officials as soon as he learned about Lee’s death. “Even before dawn had dawned in San Francisco, the flag was at half mast over Cork City Hall,” recalled Perry, who was in Spain at the time. Jim Herlihy, former chair of the SF/Cork Sister City Committee, had invited Perry and Casuso to join the delegation last fall as the spouses are interested in expanding their business connections throughout Europe. Casuso is a dual citizen of Spain, where he was born, and the U.S., while Perry is a U.S. citizen with residency status in Spain due to being married to his husband. “This came as a serendipitous opportunity,” recalled Perry, adding that Matthew Goudeau, the deputy chief of protocol in the mayor’s office, “had mentioned that becoming rainbow cities had been talked about but had not been pushed forward. He asked us to meet with the LGBT group in Cork to see how we could move it along.” When they looked at the requirements to be considered for membership in the Rainbow Cities Network, both Cork and San Francisco were already meeting all the necessary stipulations, said Perry. “San Francisco and Cork are examples of what LGBTQ inclusion is at every level of city government and every level of city politics,” he said. t Web Extra: For more queer political news, be sure to check http:// www.ebar.com Monday mornings at noon for Political Notes, the notebook’s online companion. This week’s column looked at which candidates LGBT leaders are backing in a Santa Clara County supervisor race. Keep abreast of the latest LGBT political news by following the Political Notebook on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/politicalnotes. Got a tip on LGBT politics? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 8298836 or e-mail m.bajko@ebar.com.

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Baker exhibit at SFO opens

an Francisco International Airport formally opened its new exhibit, “A Legacy of Pride: Gilbert Baker and the 40th Anniversary of the Rainbow Flag,” Saturday, April 14. The exhibit is located in a pre-security exhibit space in the International Terminal Main Hall Departures Lobby, and is free and accessible to anyone visiting the airport. While Baker is credited with

Rick Gerharter

turning the rainbow flag into an international symbol of LGBT equality, two others, Lynn Segerblom, who now lives in southern California, and James McNamara, who died of AIDS in 1999, helped Baker create the first two rainbow flags that flew during San Francisco’s 1978 Pride parade and celebration. They are also mentioned in the exhibit, which runs through January 6.

Community News>>

April 19-25, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 7

LYRIC celebrates 30 years helping queer youth by Tony Taylor

or the only time this year, doors to the purple house on Castro’s Collingwood Street will be open to the public as the Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center celebrates 30 years. On Thursday, April 26, community members are invited to “Unity is Resilience,” an event conceptualized by 17 LYRIC youth interns. At the open house, attendees can explore two floors of art galleries created by youth, guided tours of the building that introduce LYRIC’s history and current work, interactive activities, and the premieres of two LYRIC youth videos. A formal program will honor alumni that have continued their commitment to the LYRIC community and LGBTQQ youth. LYRIC youth and staff host dances each year to build community and celebrate being queer and trans. This milestone year, attendees can expect historical nods to the center’s very first dance. In 1988, the program that would later become LYRIC emerged from the shared vision of Donna Keiko Ozawa and Beth Kivel, who started an ad-hoc Committee for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Youth. According to LYRIC’s website, when Ruth Hughes from the old Center for Special Problems offered a space for the committee to convene, a celebratory

Courtesy LYRIC

Natalia Vigil, LYRIC communications and development manager, left, and Jodi Schwartz, LYRIC executive director, welcome people to the organization’s 30th anniversary open house next week.

dance was held in October 1988 at the Women’s Building. Forty youth attended the dance and at least 20 adults were there to support the event. Building on the momentum of the dance, a community meeting was held in January 1989 and, within six months, the committee had a name, Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center, and a collective

structure. The founders partnered with adult advocates to define the organization’s goals, obtain resources, and start programming and advocacy work. In 1993, LYRIC completed the purchase of 127 Collingwood Street to house its services. Natalia Vigil, LYRIC’s communications and development manager, invites those interested to come see the organization’s youth development model in practice. “The youth performances, artwork, videos, and more are all a testament to our youth development model and collaborations with others integral to supporting LGBTQQ youth,” Vigil, who identifies as queer, wrote in an email to the Bay Area Reporter. When asked what advances she has seen with the city offering enough available housing and competent services to LGBTQQ youth, Vigil said she’s seen progress, “but [there’s] much more to go.” In 2016, the city passed legislation requiring the collection of data on sexual orientation and gender identity from all city departments and cityfunded agencies that provide health care and social services. “[That was] a critical step to lifting LGBTQQ youth out of invisibility,” Vigil said. While LGBTQQ youth were named a priority population in the city’s fiscal

year 18/19 – 22/23 Children and Youth Fund’s Services Allocation Plan, Vigil said that LYRIC has seen a rise in the level of homelessness and unstable housing status among its participants. “[It’s increased] from 39 percent in FY 12/13 to 56 percent in FY 14/15 to 68 percent in FY16/17,” Vigil said. “Heartbreakingly, [there are] high levels of experiences of violence in 97 percent of the youth who walk through our doors.” LYRIC, which operates on a budget of about $2 million, works with other advocates to support their most marginalized communities, including the primarily low-income LGBTQQ youth community they support. Vigil said they encourage adults in the community to act as allies to youth by supporting city budget and neighborhood resource priorities set by the young people. Priorities include more youth-specific safe and accessible housing, more opportunities for leadership and workforce development, better access to culturally competent mental health services, and less policing of open space. JoJo, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, is one of 10 LYRIC fellows who will emcee at the open house. According to a statement they wrote, their journey at LYRIC started the year after they dropped out of high school. “I was hesitant to go to LYRIC

because I was scared,” JoJo, who uses only one name, wrote in the statement. “Growing up, I always thought I should be ashamed of my identity and not be proud of it. What if the people [at LYRIC] did not like me? What if I did not fit into their community? Those fears and self-doubt completely vanished as soon as I came through their purple door.” JoJo wrote that their experience at LYRIC taught them what it means to have pride as a queer, gender nonconforming person of color. They are now confident stepping into leadership roles and have become a LYRIC fellow. Launched in January 2017, the LYRIC Fellowship is a paid, two-year program for trans and gender nonconforming youth leaders ages 18 to 24. Fellows foster their leadership through five key components: youth advocacy, rites of passage, work readiness, educational support services, and policy and advocacy. “Youth like me are the leaders of tomorrow and our experiences and knowledge can be used to shape a better future,” JoJo added. “You can continue to empower LGBTQQ youth to have self-acceptance and pride just like me.” Vigil said the community can also See page 10 >>

Drag queen competes for SF Carnival title by Matthew S. Bajko

Peruvian drag queen who works for the city’s health department is among those competing to be crowned the first Drag Majesty titleholder for Carnaval San Francisco 2018. This year marks the event’s 40th anniversary. As part of the celebration, Carnaval organizers for the first time added the Drag Majesty title and the gender-neutral title Royale to the event’s Royalty Court. Transgender actor Jaylyn Abergas, currently appearing in the Tenderloin Museum’s show, “The Compton’s Cafeteria Riot,” will serve as the inaugural Carnaval Royale ambassador. The competition to crown this year’s Carnaval King, Queen, and Drag Majesty ambassadors will take place Saturday night. The winners will join Abergas in leading the televised 40th annual Carnaval San Francisco Grand Parade through the city’s Mission district Sunday, May 27. Maria Jose Garza, 55, a transgender woman who performs in drag as Garza, is one of the three contestants vying for

Never Navarro

San Francisco drag queen Garza will compete for a Carnival royalty title Saturday.

the Drag Majesty crown. Born in Lima, Peru, and raised on a sugar plantation in Paramonga four hours north of the capital city, Garza was a ballet dancer in her home country. About 25 years ago she began performing in drag at various gay clubs and bars around Lima. Her drag

name is a nickname she was given derived from garza blanca, the Spanish name for the great egret, an all-white heron with long legs found in Florida. “I wasn’t a swan, but I was an egret,” Garza explained in a phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter. Due to the homophobia and violent threats she faced in Peru, Garza sought refugee status in the U.S. and moved to San Francisco. In 2003, she was crowned Miss Gay Latina, the first of several drag titles she has won over the years. Since 2005 Garza has worked on various HIV initiatives for the San Francisco Department of Public Health. She is currently with its Bridge HIV section and serves as a recruiter for its HIV vaccine trials and HIV prevention studies. She launched The House of Garza to promote other Latin drag performers and used to host a monthly show in the Castro featuring its members. When she learned about the new drag and royale titles at Carnaval, Garza was thrilled to see the organizers celebrating the local LGBTQ Latin American community.

“Even here, there is still stigma and transphobia and homophobia in San Francisco. Maybe through our art and culture we can address it,” said Garza, who will highlight her Incan ancestry during this weekend’s title competition. She recalled how four years ago a San Francisco police officer misgendered her when she was tabling on behalf of the health department at the Haight Ashbury Street Fair. “I was doing my job, sharing info and condoms and lube. I was all dressed up, there was no doubt I was a girl. He said, ‘No thank you, sir.’ It was shocking because those people are trained to respect the residents of the city,” recalled Garza. “We ran into that police officer again – I was with my co-workers – and I said, ‘Excuse me, sir, I identify as a transgender woman. Don’t use that term ‘sir’ with me.’ He did apologize and shake my hand. It was good for me to say it.” She is vying to be crowned Carnaval’s first Drag Majesty ambassador in order to bring more visibility to the Bay Area’s Latin American LGBT community. Her competitors for the

title are Latina drag queens Fortuna Vivanco and Mama Dora. Should she claim the crown, Garza will experience a royal introduction to the city’s Carnaval festivities, which are held each year during Memorial Day weekend. Due to work or other obligations, Garza said she has never been able to participate. “I am very excited. I want to bring more attention to our community in the Bay Area,” she said.“It would be an honor being part of such a wonderful celebration of the rhythm, colors, and flavors of our Latin American countries.” The Royalty Competition will take place at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 21, at Mission High School’s auditorium, 3750 18th Street in San Francisco. Advance tickets cost $21.95 for orchestra seating and $17 for balcony, and increase to $25 orchestra and $20 balcony if purchased at the door. t To learn more about the competition, and purchase tickets online, visit http://www.carnavalsanfrancisco.org/kq.

Gay former SJ school trustee sentenced to jail by Heather Cassell

ay former San Jose school board trustee John Lindner was sentenced to 60 days in county jail last week for embezzling nearly $30,000 school campaign funds and misleading investigators. Lindner, 55, a retired elementary school teacher who served on the Franklin-McKinley School District board in East San Jose since 2004 and was re-elected in November 2016, pleaded no contest in February to grand theft, perjury, and violations of the Political Reform Act. Pleading no contest is effectively the same as a guilty plea in criminal court. A Santa Clara County Superior Court judge found him guilty of taking $28,000 from the FranklinMcKinley for Our Kids – Yes on Measure J 2010 campaign, for which

John Lindner

he was treasurer. The money was for personal use, including a $12,000 loan to a relative. The bond measure, which voters

approved, was for $50 million in property taxes to improve the Franklin-McKinley School District’s aging facilities. The school district, located on the eastside of San Jose, serves more than 10,000 elementary and middle school students in some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods. The money was eventually paid back, prosecutors noted to the Mercury News. That was only after Lindner attempted to cover up what he did, claiming that he anonymously donated the funds in small amounts to a variety of community organizations. “Mr. Lindner betrayed the trust of the students and the schools that he was serving,” prosecutor John Chase told the Mercury News. “Jail time reflects the seriousness of stealing from a fund whose purpose was the improvement of education.” The sentencing was the latest

installment in the embattled former school board trustee’s downfall. Lindner resigned in February following months of investigation and an ongoing campaign by a small group of persistent community members that repeatedly showed up at the school board meetings and launched a petition for his resignation. In September 2017, the state Fair Political Practices Commission fined him $18,500 for failing to disclose and itemize expenditures and for using campaign funds for personal use. He paid the fine in October 2017, he told the Bay Area Reporter. The following month his board colleagues voted to censure him, said fellow gay school board trustee Omar Torres. In December 2017, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office charged him with grand

theft, perjury, and violations of the state’s Political Reform Act. Lindner turned himself in and was released on $35,000 bail. In February, he faced the judge. Following his court appearance, Lindner emailed a brief statement to the B.A.R., “I accept responsibility for the charges brought against me and apologize to the Franklin-McKinley School District community for the actions I took in regards to use of leftover bond campaign funds.” In the email he expressed gratitude to Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Arthur Bocanegra for considering his decades of public service regarding his sentencing. “I am committed to fulfilling its terms,” he wrote. Lindner will be barred from running for office for the next four years, officials told the media.t

<< Community News

8 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 19-25, 2018

Local events bloom for 4/20 celebration by Sari Staver

ozens of parties, sales, and special events will be held in San Francisco on April 20, aka 4/20, the unofficial holiday to celebrate all things weed. This year’s celebration, the first since adult recreational sales have been legal, includes the usual sales at most dispensaries, as well as the infamous free parties at Golden Gate Park’s Hippie Hill and Dolores Park. The Hippie Hill event, which typically attracts tens of thousands of stoners to Sharon Meadow, promises to be bigger than ever. Event organizers said on their website that this year’s party will have increased funding from sponsors, enabling them to make several improvements to ensure less damage to the park and increased safety for patrons and the surrounding neighborhood. In 2016, there were several reports of violence and theft – as well as 11 tons of garbage left behind – prompting organizers to put safeguards in place last year. For more information, visit http:// www.420hippiehill.com. Over in the Castro-Mission neighborhood, another outdoor celebration takes place at Dolores Park, from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. The party is dubbed a “mini Burning Man” by organizers on their website, http://www.420festsf.com, and their Facebook page, https://www. facebook.com/420FestSF/. According to the website, the

Courtesy http://www.420festsf.com

People filled Dolores Park at last year’s 4/20 party.

Dolores Park party promises to be “smaller, more conscious, and more considerate” than the Hippie Hill event. “We are hoping for a rolling flash mob of cannabis celebration and community connection,” the organizers wrote. Planned events include yoga; discussion groups; an edibles bar; live art; expert talks, and the “Stoner Olympics,” which will include a joint rolling competition. Organizers also hope to have an app to get food, drinks, and other products and services delivered to Dolores Park. Event tie-ins with art and music will also be held. One northern California firm, Natural Cannabis Company, will

announce the winners of its annual “High Art” contest on 4/20, where the top prize is $25,000. For more information, including pictures of last year’s winners, visit https:// naturalcannabis.com/highart/. The gay-owned dispensary SPARC is collaborating with Jazz Dispensary to launch a limited edition 45 rpm single, “Private Stock #001,” featuring Bobby Rush’s funk nugget “Mary Jane” and Rusty Bryant’s tried and true burner “Fire Eater” on the flip side. In an interview with the Bay Area Reporter, SPARC’s director of product, Joshua Hoffman, said 500 copies of the limited edition record have been produced and will be available at all four SPARC locations on April 20, priced at $15 or free with a $200 purchase. Hoffman said there will be “many, many” specially priced items but declined to give any specifics, “to be sure everyone doesn’t wait until that day to shop.” Sale items will include flowers, cartridges, and pre rolls, he said. Check https://www.facebook.com/ SPARCsf/ for updated information. All locations of the Apothecarium (http://www.apothecarium. com) will feature discounts on its entire product line, media director Eliot Dobris told the B.A.R. in an interview. Discounts will range from 5 to 50 percent based on a token you pull from a bag when you

enter the dispensary. There will also be specials in its Castro boutique, at 2029 Market Street. The first 100 customers at each location will get a gift bag with a 4/20 T-shirt and a pipe, said Dobris. The Castro location will also have a photo booth, and “lots of vendors and drag queens,” including the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, LOL McFiercen, Dulce De Leche, Veruca Bathsalts, and Roxy-Cotton Candy. Over the years, various stories have circulated about the origins of “4/20,” the most popular of which says it first began in 1971 when a group of San Rafael High School students met at 4:20 p.m., just after classes, to smoke a joint. The Oxford English Dictionary added the term “4/20” recently, citing this story. A perfect way to end your 4/20 celebration is at the Roxie Theatre, 3117 16th Street, where an underground stoner comedy, “Hippie Hill” will be screened at 9:45 p.m. Directed by Kevin Epps (“Straight Outta Hunter’s Point”), the 80-minute feature story turns on a series of corny events when James Wade (aka, Big Chimney) loses some rare golden weed seeds that he was delivering to Hippie Hill. For more information and advance tickets ($12), visit http://www.roxie.com/ai1ec_event/ hippie-hill/?instance_id=26412.

Oakland CannaCrawl

In Oakland, Oaksterdam University and local businesses are partnering together for 4/20 to celebrate the region’s 20 years of robust cannabis history and heritage. The Historic Oaksterdam CannaCrawl kicks off at 10 a.m. People can stop by the university, 1734 Telegraph Avenue, to grab a map and start the crawl. Oaksterdam will be holding an open house and tours of the campus; a panel of cannabis experts will be on hand to answer questions. Next door at EVB Gallery, 1740 Telegraph Avenue, the Cannabis Community Foundation will have a 1 p.m. gallery opening of its cannabis-centric exhibit, “Stories from the Underground.” The exhibit runs through July 31. At 7 p.m., people can wrap up their 4/20 celebrations in style at Eli’s Mile High Club, 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way at an afterparty. There will be a cash bar and live music. (There is a separate cover charge at the door.) Organizers said that people must be 21 and over to attend CannaCrawl events. For more information, visit http://www.oaksterdamuniversity.com. t Bay Area Cannasseur usually runs the first Thursday of the month; this is a special 4/20 edition. To send column ideas or tips, email Sari Staver at sari@ bayareacannasseur.com.

Lawsuit filed in ADAP data breach by Alex Madison

ollowing a data breach that compromised the medical records of

93 HIV-positive people in California in November 2016, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund this month filed a class action lawsuit in

San Francisco Superior Court against A.J. Boggs & Company, which at the time held the AIDS Drugs Assistance Program contract with the California

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Department of Public Health. A.J. Boggs, a private company based in Michigan, was awarded a contract by CDPH in July 2016 to oversee the state’s ADAP online enrollment system. ADAP, part of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009, provides life-saving medication to low-income people living with HIV who have limited or no health care coverage and are not eligible for Medi-Cal. Lambda Legal attorneys claim A.J. Boggs did not do enough beta testing before rolling out the new online enrollment system, also known as a portal. Prior to the system going public, the Los Angeles County Department of Health voiced its concern over the lack of testing and vetting of the online portal, as did various nonprofit HIV/AIDS service organizations in the California HIV Alliance, including the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. “[A.J. Boggs] should have been much more aware of the possibility of a breach than they were,” said Scott Schoettes, an attorney and HIV project director at Lambda Legal. “There were numerous warnings and concern over the insufficient testing of the online enrollment system. They did not pay enough attention to protecting this information.” A.J. Boggs CEO Clarke Anderson declined to comment to the Bay Area Reporter saying, “We have not yet received the filed complaint and therefore cannot comment at this time.” Schoettes spoke about the impact the breach had on the 93 low-income victims, saying it is yet another barrier to health care to already vulnerable communities including LGBT, women, and people of color. “The people in this lawsuit already face discrimination and stigma around their identities in the system,” he said. “This violation of their trust is another barrier to care. The important thing about this lawsuit is for people to realize how important it is to protect the information of people living with HIV.” In California, approximately 30,000 people are enrolled in ADAP,

A.J. Boggs CEO Clarke Anderson

according to a Lambda Legal news release. The enrollment process requires people to provide sensitive information, including detailed medical records that contain their HIV status, which under state law requires complete confidentiality. One of the plaintiffs, identified in court papers under the pseudonym Alan Doe, said in the Lambda Legal news release, “I need these medications to live, and I could only afford them through ADAP. That doesn’t mean, however, that I want everyone to know my HIV status. That’s for me to decide, and A.J. Boggs took that choice away from me.” The complaint filed by Lambda Legal alleges A.J. Boggs became aware of the breach in November 2016, at which point it took the portal offline. In February 2017, the state health department discovered that unknown individuals accessed the ADAP system and downloaded the private medical information of 93 people. The state department canceled its contract with A.J. Boggs in March 2017 and now oversees the enrollment system. Courtney Mulhern-Pearson, director of state and local policy at SFAF, told the B.A.R in a phone interview there had been issues with ADAP See page 10 >>

Commentary>>

April 19-25, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 9

Standing up to the ‘ammosexuals’ on their own ground by Christina A. DiEdoardo

responding with grace and tact to each and every argument (most of which, during the time I was there, were either legally incorrect, factually false, or patently ridiculous, like the guy whose “solution” was to bar video game sales to anyone under 21 and for the media to stop reporting on mass shootings) thrown at them by the “ammosexuals.” As Johanna Castro, a senior at Oakland Technical High School who was in attendance, put it, “What better way to spend your weekend than standing up for what you believe in?”

or years, state legislators have tried to end the gun shows at the Cow Palace in Daly City without success. Last weekend, a group of high school students tried a different tactic and, by doing so, served notice to attendees at the Crossroads of the West Gun Show that the days of community tolerance for their presence was at an end. “This is a place where there aren’t a lot of protests, usually,” said David Gales, a junior at Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco, while protesting the show Saturday, April 14. “I want to change that and to raise awareness that guns are being sold in our backyard.” San Francisco hasn’t had a brick and mortar gun store since High Bridge Arms closed its doors in 2015, so the gun shows at the Cow Palace function as a pop-up bazaar of arms and ammunition minutes away from the city limits. That’s a strong motivation for those in the area who buy several thousand rounds of ammunition at a time (as one man said he did on Saturday to Gales and the other protesters) to fight to keep the shows open, as there isn’t a closer alternative to the city for them to add to their arsenals. Moreover, as the arena is owned by the California Department of Food

Ballot props

From page 2

include former supervisor and mayoral candidate Angela Alioto, District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin, and the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee. When asked why it was important to support Prop D over Prop C, Sheehy replied, “Child care is something to address but housing and homelessness is a crisis.” Other tax propositions include Proposition G, a parcel tax to fund the San Francisco Unified School District. The $298 per parcel tax increase could be used to increase teacher salaries, staffing, technological advances, and fund charter schools. Supervisor Hillary Ronen is a strong proponent of the measure, saying, “It’s time for a living wage for educators and Prop G will get us closer to that goal.” Other supporters include Supervisors Kim, Breed, and former state senator and mayoral candidate Mark Leno.

Kelly Sullivan

Supervisor and mayoral candidate Jane Kim worked to get Prop C on the ballot.

Tasers

A public safety measure is on the ballot – Proposition H, a policy for the use of Tasers by San Francisco Police Department officers. Although the San Francisco Police Commission approved the department’s use of Tasers last November – and the department is supposed to have them by the end of the year – it did not adopt a policy for their use until last month, after the ballot measure was submitted. Prop H was developed by the

Organizing against fascism

Christina A. DiEdoardo

David Gales, left, Johanna Castro, and Natalie Keim protest the Crossroads of the West Gun Show outside the Cow Palace Saturday, April 14.

and Agriculture, it’s historically been easier for those who fetishize firearms to block measures against the shows when they come up in Sacramento than they likely would be if a local government like Daly City had jurisdiction over the Cow Palace. That’s also why Gales, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, and their fellow protesters were there. Since the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida in February, their tolerance for political gridlock on the issue of continued gun sales at the Cow Palace has been exhausted.

“In order to effectively further the movement, you need to maintain pressure in as many ways and in as many places as you can,” Gales said. Natalie Keim, a first-year student at Lick-Wilmerding with Gales, came because she wanted to start “a dialogue with people who don’t necessarily agree with us.” “At the March for Our Lives [Against Gun Violence], people tended to have a similar ideology, which isn’t bad because solidarity is important, but it’s important to continue the dialogue,” she said. On Saturday, Keim, Gales, and their colleagues did exactly that,

San Francisco Police Officers Association, and has been criticized by Police Chief William Scott. In a letter to the Department of Elections, Scott called the measure “the antithesis of the spirit” of the reforms recommended by the United States Department of Justice after its investigation of the SFPD following several controversial killings by the police. Scott also criticized how Prop H undermines the commission’s control to make amendments or other changes. If passed, any changes to Prop H would need to be approved by voters or by an ordinance adopted by four-fifths vote of the Board of Supervisors. Breed said she does not support Prop H in an editorial board meeting with the B.A.R. “I don’t support H, but I do support Tasers,” she said. “What I am taking issue with is bringing a policy matter that may need changes to the ballot box.” Other opponents include Brothers Against Guns, Cohen, and Leno, who said he agrees with Scott. “It usurps the power and purpose of the power of our police commission. That’s not how we should be making decisions at the ballot” said Leno. Farrell formerly supported the measure, but has since pulled the plug on his endorsement saying, “I have always said that I would support a [Taser] policy that works best for the community and for our officers, and the plan approved by the Police Commission does exactly that.”

products as gum and candy to foster a lifelong addiction,” she said. Opponents include R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, the owner of the popular menthol cigarette brand Newport. It claims the ban is harmful to small business owners who sell tobacco products and calls it prohibition. The company has spent more than $700,000 to repeal the ban, efforts led by a group called Let’s Be Real San Francisco, which is

At 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 19, Communities United Against Racism and Fascism will conduct its monthly meeting at New Valencia Hall at 747 Polk Street in San Francisco. Among other topics, the group will discuss creating an early-warning system for rapid action to counter threats from both local fascists and those who come to the area to start trouble. Admission is free (but donations are appreciated), and the space is wheelchair accessible.

Poor People’s Campaign

At 5 p.m. Saturday, April 21, the Faith Alliance for a Moral Economy and several other groups will host the East Bay Mass Meeting for the Poor People’s Campaign at Taylor United Methodist Church at 1188 12th Street backed by the Arab American Grocers Association and the American Vaping Association. “We support San Francisco’s long-standing spirit of not restricting choices or telling responsible adults what they can and cannot do,” said Let’s Be Real San Francisco in a news release. Miriam Zouzounis, a board member with the Arab American Grocers Association and a member of the San Francisco Small

in Oakland to discuss planning for the upcoming 40 days of Action.

Open mic for CAIR

At 4 p.m. Sunday, April 22, at 518 Valencia Street in San Francisco, the Council on American-Islamic Relations will hold “We are Not A National Security Threat: A Community Open Mic.” The event, which takes place ahead of scheduled oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court on the administration’s Muslim ban measures, is intended to give members of the Muslim community and their allies a space to push back against the demonization of their faith.

Interfaith conference on drone warfare

At 10 a.m. Saturday, April 28, at the Pacific School of Religion Chapel at 1798 Scenic Avenue in Berkeley, the Pacific School of Religion and the Interfaith Network on Drone Warfare will host the SF Bay Area Interfaith Conference on Drone Warfare. Speakers include Congresswoman Barbara Lee (DOakland), as well as Professor Marjorie Cohn, former president of the National Lawyers Guild. Admission is free, and lunch will be provided, but organizers are asking participants to register ahead of time at http://bit.ly/2l6iMqU. t Got a tip? Email me at christina@ diedoardolaw.com.

Business Commission, called the ban “draconian,” and said it would “gut small business” and “create an underground economy for these products” that would increase sales to minors. Cohen said the argument that the ban harms small businesses is “ridiculous.” t Next week the B.A.R. will look at the other propositions on the San Francisco ballot.

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Tobacco

A new fight against tobacco is Proposition E, a referendum put on the ballot by tobacco companies after legislation by Cohen was approved that bans the sale of flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes and flavored e-cigarettes. A yes vote on Prop E would uphold local law while a no on Prop E would rescind it. Cohen said the purpose of her legislation is to “restrict sales to reduce consumption.” She said big tobacco companies intentionally target vulnerable communities who are more susceptible to addiction, particularly youth, LGBTs, and African-Americans. “They intentionally mask tobacco

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<< Community News

10 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 19-25, 2018

Milk SFO terminal

From page 1

sends the message that this community not only honors those who led but paid the ultimate sacrifice.” Eleven months after Milk assumed office, he and then-mayor George Moscone were assassinated on the morning of November 27, 1978, inside City Hall by disgruntled former supervisor Dan White. Over the ensuing decades Milk has become a globally cherished LGBT rights advocate. In 2013, gay former supervisor David Campos had proposed naming the entire airport after Milk. Due to a lack of support, Campos worked out a deal with the late mayor Ed Lee to instead name one of the airport’s

News Briefs

From page 5

firm that focuses on employment discrimination and trans prisoner rights. The Heritage of Pride – Pride Community Award will go to Shaun Haines, a San Francisco native and founder of San Francisco Impact Partners. He also serves on the police chief ’s LGBT Forum, Castro Community on Patrol, and the Stop the Violence Campaign. The Heritage of Pride – Pride Creativity Award recipient is Carolyn Wysinger, an author, blogger, high school educator, and host of “The C-Dubb Show” podcast. The Gilbert Baker Pride Founder’s Award will go to Ali MarreroCalderon, who fought against the Briggs initiative in the late 1970s and worked with the Shanti Project in the early days of the AIDS epidemic. She has belonged to Dykes on Bikes since 1976 and today fights for the rights of old lesbians, particularly old lesbians of color. The Jose Julio Sarria History Maker Award will go to the FAIR Education Implementation Act. Convened in 2014 by Our Family Coalition, over half a dozen organizations comprise the FAIR Education Act Implementation Committee, which works to see this state law is thoroughly implemented across California. The Teddy Witherington Award recipient is Kate Kendell, the longtime executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights who announced last month that she is stepping down from the position at the end of this year. Under her leadership, NCLR won the California marriage equality case in 2008 and was later part of the team of attorneys to secure national marriage equality in 2015.

LYRIC

From page 7

contribute by referring youth to the agency, hosting beneficiary events for LYRIC, donating, or being a sponsor for the upcoming open house.

ADAP data breach

From page 8

since A.J. Boggs first took control, including patients’ difficulty receiving medicine and being denied care. ADAP has since been running sufficiently, Mulhern-Pearson said. “Since they moved the ADAP portal back into CDPH, it’s much

four terminals in honor of Milk. “We are going to make it the coolest and gayest terminal we can make it be,” pledged Campos at the signing ceremony. Even that compromise was opposed by airport commission President Larry Mazzola, who argued areas of SFO should only be named for people with a direct connection to the airport. Yet, prior to winning public office, Milk had taken an interest in the city’s airport and plans to expand it. In a January 26, 1976 letter he sent to Moscone, simply addressed “George,” on letterhead for the Castro Village Association, the group he formed to promote the city’s thenburgeoning gay neighborhood, Milk laid out a proposal for expanding the airport without it costing the city.

Youth homelessness

From page 1

$906,000, has gone toward housing subsidies for transition-age youth between 18 and 24 years old. The San Francisco LGBT Community Center expanded its drop-in hours for its youth program to six days a week, including Saturdays, with the $289,000 it received. And Larkin Street Youth Services received $350,000 to partly fund a new

Irene Young

Author Jewelle Gomez

The Audrey Joseph LGBTQ Entertainment Award will go to Pamela Peniston, a founding member and artistic director of the Queer Cultural Center. QCC produces the popular National Queer Arts Festival. SF Pride takes place June 23-24. This year’s theme is “Generations of Strength.” For more information, visit www.sfpride.org.

“Just force the airlines to stagger their take-offs and landings. The airport expansion is needed for ‘peak’ traffic. That is when all the lines have half-full planes landing at the same time,” wrote Milk. “It demands more buildings, wastes more fuel and costs the airlines a lot of money. If they were forced to land at non-peak rush hour times there would be plenty of room, a large saving of fuel and greater profits for an ailing industry.” Milk offered to meet with Moscone for a 10-minute “rap” session in order to give the mayor “grounds for a veto and setting up a study based upon changing the hours of the airlines.” (The letter is part of the George Moscone Collection housed at the

University of the Pacific’s HoltAtherton Special Collections.) Former supervisor Angela Alioto, who is running for mayor this year, has revived Campos’ call for naming all of SFO after Milk. In a recent editorial board meeting with the B.A.R., Alioto said she would advance the proposal if there was a movement to do so. “I knew Harvey,” she said. “I know what it’s like to stand up for your rights when everybody is calling you names. And then to be assassinated on top of all of it. But I think it’s a great first step, the terminal. Those were tough times. It’s tough now in a very different way, but those were tough times.” District 8 Supervisor Jeff Sheehy, currently the board’s lone gay member and a co-sponsor of the terminal

naming legislation, plans to pursue renaming the airport’s access road in honor of Milk. “Harvey was always about opening doors. When you come to San Francisco, the first door you go through is SFO,” said Sheehy. District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen, who had worked for Campos, took the lead on the board in ensuring the Milk terminal became a reality. She said Monday was “an exciting day” and that the Milk terminal would signal to queer youth who face persecution at home that they are “not only recognized in our city but cherished here.” Farrell used three pens to sign the legislation into law and gave one each to Campos, Ronen, and Stuart Milk. t

The 25 committee members represent a diverse cross-section of the state, with participants from both the public and private sectors. Brown named 23 people to the committee, while lesbian Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Los Angeles) each appointed one member to the panel. Other LGBT members are John Joanino, 25, of Los Angeles, who is a senior communications associate at Advancement Project California, and Nicholas Hatten, 43, of Stockton, who is the executive director of the San Joaquin Pride Center. None of the positions require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation.

friend, and a pastor. Our community has benefited immensely from his intellect, his faith, and his kindness. We wish him happiness and fulfillment as he follows his heart and continues his journey.” Williams did not respond to a message seeking comment.

Park, Benicia State Recreation Area, Candlestick Point State Park, Half Moon Bay State Beach, Mount Diablo State Park, and the Sonoma Coast State Park. PG&E is providing a $200,000 grant to the parks foundation for supplies and materials needed to complete Earth Day projects across the state. A separate grant of $50,000 has been awarded for projects to help prepare state parks for natural disasters. To volunteer, visit www.calparks.org/earthday or call (415) 262-4400. Space is limited, so advance registration is required. Parking fees are waived for Earth Day volunteers.

Glide’s lead pastor quits

Dignity coalition to hold mayoral forum

The Dignity Fund Coalition will hold a mayoral forum Thursday, April 26, from 10:30 a.m. to noon at Herbst Theatre, 410 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco. The coalition advocates for the needs and concerns of seniors and people with disabilities, and that is planned to be the focus of the forum. In a news release, it pointed out that 25 percent of city residents are seniors and people with disabilities. According to the release, confirmed participants are: former supervisor Angela Alioto, Board of Supervisors President London Breed, Supervisor Jane Kim, and gay former supervisor and state legislator Mark Leno. The event is free. To RSVP, visit https://bit.ly/2qCU9nz.

Petchitecture coming up

The aforementioned Kate Kendell, 57, was one of at least three LGBT people named by Governor Jerry Brown and state legislative leaders to the California Complete Count Committee, which will guide the state’s outreach for the 2020 federal census. “It is vitally important for California to do everything it can to ensure that every Californian is counted in the upcoming census,” Brown said in an April 13 news release announcing his executive order.

The Reverend Dr. Jay Williams, a queer man who last year became the lead pastor at Glide United Methodist Church, announced during last Sunday’s sermon that he will be leaving the job. Williams, no relation to Glide’s the Reverend Cecil Williams, had been on the job less than a year. Loren Meissner, who attended the 9 a.m. service April 15, told the Bay Area Reporter in an email that Williams said he would leave by June. Williams said his resignation was voluntary. On Glide’s Twitter page, it quoted Williams as saying, “I love this place called GLIDE because it’s an ideal, it’s a people, it’s a dream. I love GLIDE. But sometimes loving means leaving.” Glide’s Facebook page stated, “Rev. Jay will always be held with love in our GLIDE family! All of us have appreciated the chance to get to know Rev. Jay as a colleague, a

Help clean up state parks for Earth Day

State parks across California will be the focus of the California State Parks Foundation’s 20th Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup Saturday, April 21. Volunteers are sought for various projects and will be joined by employees, friends, and family of PG&E, which us the presenting sponsor. Participating locales in the Bay Area include Angel Island State

Petchitecture, an event showcasing animal habitats that benefits Pets Are Wonderful Support, will be held Wednesday, May 9, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Fairmont Hotel, 950 Mason Street in San Francisco. This is PAWS’ 31st anniversary; the agency that helps people living with HIV/AIDS and other illnesses care for their pets is now part of the Shanti Project. The evening begins with a reception and silent auction, followed by the program. This year’s Dede Wilsey Champion of the HumanAnimal Bond Award will be presented to Shireen McSpadden, a lesbian who is the executive director of the San Francisco Department of Aging and Adult Services. Leashed dogs that are vaccinated are welcome to attend. Tickets are $200 and can be purchased online at http://www.shanti.org/pages/petchitecture_2018. html.t

Many of the organization’s collaborative partners will be present at the open house. Expected to be on hand are representatives from Dimensions Clinic, which LYRIC co-founded and helps connect LGBTQ youth to primary care; the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, which partners

with LYRIC to ensure youth have access to PrEP and other HIV prevention; and the Women’s Building, which has been a welcoming host for the youth dances. Looking forward to the next 30 years for LYRIC, Vigil said the organization plans to continue building

community and inspiring social change with LGBTQQ youth. “Our goals are to continue youth advocacy, community building, workforce development, and ensure a strong and diverse leadership pipeline for the future of our community for generations to come,” she wrote. t

LYRIC’s 30th anniversary open house takes place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 127 Collingwood Street. Refreshments will be catered by Slurp Noodle Bar. For more information about LYRIC, or to donate, visit lyric.org.

more secure,” she said. “We have not heard of any security complaints, since last March.” She also said A.J. Boggs’ process for getting the online portal up and running was “rushed.” The breach set back the state’s PrEP Assistance Program for uninsured people by a year. That program aims to expand access to PrEP for uninsured people.

Historically, the state has contracted with private vendors to administer the ADAP program. As previously reported by the B.A.R, the CDPH previously contracted with Ramsell, a pharmaceutical company, and then split its contract into three contracts: Magellan Rx Management and Pool Administrators Inc., which along with Boggs, were the new contractors. The state had split

up the contract in an effort to get better prices, spokespeople said. However, Ramsell is suing the state over losing its contract. In court documents, the Oakland-based company alleges that its bid had been “$9 million lower than Boggs.’” In their response, state officials admitted that “Boggs’ proposal resulted in a higher cost (by $9 million) over

three years compared to Ramsell’s.” Lambda Legal is seeking to have the lawsuit certified as a class action, and is seeking statutory and compensatory damages. It is suing over the violation of California’s medical privacy laws, including the California AIDS Public Health Records Confidentiality Act and the California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act. t

outreach coordinator and increased staffing for outreach teams that work with homeless youth in the Castro and Haight Ashbury neighborhoods. Yet, Sheehy believes the city should be doing more to assist homeless youth. He has called for there to be a youth-only Navigation Center, which provides temporary housing on a limited basis while the staff tries to find a more permanent housing option. And he is one of the sponsors of Proposition D, the “Housing for All”

initiative on the June ballot that would raise $700 million over the next 10 years for various housing programs and homeless services. A portion of the funds, $90 million, would be dedicated for homeless youth. “The city should commit to ending youth homelessness,” Sheehy told the B.A.R. Gay attorney Rafael Mandelman, who is challenging Sheehy for his supervisor seat on the June ballot, also contends the city can, and should, be

doing more to address homelessness and the lack of affordable housing in the city. “We have the resources – the city has a huge budget – within the community to solve these problems,” said Mandelman, who serves on the board overseeing City College of San Francisco and has been working to address the needs of the community college’s homeless students. In its 2018 annual report on the state of youth homelessness in the

city, Larkin Street not only called on city leaders to open the youthspecific Navigation Center and expand youth-dedicated housing options but also to finalize a five-year strategic plan to prevent and end youth homelessness and implement a three-year pilot study of innovative ways to house homeless youth. “With the right investments and policies in place, we can ensure that

LGBTs named to CA census outreach panel

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Election 2018>>

Youth homelessness

From page 10

any experience of homelessness by a young person is rare, brief, and nonrecurring,” stated the agency in its report. Due to its reputation as a “gay mecca,” San Francisco for decades has been attracting LGBT youth looking for a safe haven and refuge from the harassment and violence they face in their hometowns. Angel, 22, who preferred not to disclose his last name and uses gender-neutral pronouns, last year walked for eight days from their home in Kings County in the Central Valley to find a more accepting community in San Francisco. Pansexual and genderqueer, Angel stayed in hotel rooms, slept in city parks, and spent the night in a shelter run by Larkin Street. In January, on their birthday, Angel moved into permanent housing for transition age youth run by Community Housing Partnership. Angel told the B.A.R. there needs to be more housing specifically for LGBT homeless youth because, even in San Francisco, they can face harassment from other homeless youth who are transphobic or homophobic. “I stayed on the streets because there was a lot less drama,” said Angel. “We need to get housing for LGBT youth because a lot of people would rather be homeless than deal with that shit.” One of the places Angel found support was at the LGBT

April 19-25, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 11

All four of the leading mayoral candidates pledged to the B.A.R. that they would tackle youth homelessness should they be elected to Room 200 at City Hall. Each has included homeless youth as part of their plans to address homelessness. Gay former District 8 supervisor and state lawmaker Mark Leno pointed to his plan to end street homelessness in the city by 2020. While his plan does not specifically mention LGBT youth, he said they would be covered by his plan. “So, in the plan, we did not call out any subpopulations, but I am well aware of course, having represented our LGBTQ community and the Castro/Eureka Valley community for the past 18 years in public office, no one needs to remind me what the statistics show,” said Leno. “We are disproportionately high in terms of youth homelessness, adult homelessness, adult poverty rates. We know these rates are too high.” Despite the city’s liberal

reputation, Leno acknowledged it has not been as welcoming to LGBT youth as it could be. He recalled the backlash he received when he was running to represent District 8 and supported opening youth shelters in both the Castro and Noe Valley, particularly to house queer youth. “They are getting kicked out of their homes across the country. They are abused emotionally, sometimes sexually. They run away looking for a haven, looking for refuge and come to San Francisco because that is where they hear it is safe and welcoming,” said Leno. “Unfortunately, we do not have the safety net to provide for them as we should. When I was in local office I did just that. As mayor, I will have a special sensitivity of course to youth facing high rates of homelessness.” Board President London Breed has pledged to move everyone living in tents on the streets into supportive housing within a year. But, unlike Leno, is not claiming to end all street homelessness in a certain timeframe. “Based on conversations I have had with all the departments, it is realistic to remove all the tent encampments within a year’s time in the city. We have a plan we started working on last year, so I am confident that that is something I can do within a year’s time of taking office,” Breed told the B.A.R. “And as it relates to ending street homelessness, you know, I am going to make sure ... I am not going to make a definitive commitment

around that because there are a lot of different challenges that exist as it relates to homelessness.” Her homeless plan does call attention to homeless LGBT youth. She would open a shelter specifically for LGBT homeless youth and promotes seeing the city replicate a host home program for LGBT homeless youth similar to the one the Minneapolis-based agency Avenues for Homeless Youth runs. “It’s something I thought was a really great idea and could be something, potentially a program, we could implement here. And if successful, could be a great opportunity for housing for some of our homeless youth,” said Breed. “And more specifically, I know this has been a challenge with a lot of young people in the Castro, in particular in the Duboce Triangle area, as well as in the Haight Ashbury community. Focusing on helping young people at an early age to get on their feet when they are having challenges is something I care about.” San Francisco’s LGBT Community Center, in fact, is set to launch a host home program this fall. It recently learned that the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development had accepted its grant application to start a twoyear pilot host home program. “We are just starting negotiations, but anticipated that the funding for the project will be $350,000,” Rebecca Rolfe, the center’s executive director, told the B.A.R. this week.

District 6 Supervisor Jane Kim agreed that the city should prioritize ending LGBT youth homelessness. “This is a city problem. It’s an affordability issue. And for the segment of our homeless count where they are homeless or insecurely housed purely for economic reasons, we should be doing everything that we can to keep those folks housed in place, because, as you said, they are the easiest group to house,” said Kim. “I think that the group that is most challenging are the people that folks see every day, the chronically homeless.” Civil rights attorney and former supervisor Angela Alioto would revive the 10-year plan to address homelessness in the city developed by the committee she chaired during the administration of former mayor Gavin Newsom. She told the B.A.R. she would also commit more city funding to agencies addressing youth homelessness, like Larkin Street. “I believe that utilizing that 10year plan will house everybody that is sleeping on the streets that’s chronic. Our plan was chronic homelessness,” said Alioto, adding that refers to people who have been homeless for four to six years and, generally speaking, don’t want to leave the street. “These are chronic. It’s the hardest population. If you want to get the easiest population, get the kids, get the unaccompanied women who have been sexually abused. That’s the easiest because they’re the newest on the streets.”t

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038052900

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038067400

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038055900

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038075800

MAR 29, APR 05, 12, 19, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038045000

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038075900

Community Center. They are now a member of the center’s youth leadership council and are helping to connect other homeless youth with supportive services and housing options in the city. “Before I came to the city, I never had been to a place like this where I could drop in, be safe, and be myself. It definitely changed my life since I have been here,” said Angel, who is now working to get their GED and enroll in college.

Candidates’ pledges

Legal Notices>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-18-553803

In the matter of the application of: TARANATH TIMALSINA, 995 HOWARD ST #104, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103, for change of name having been ﬁled in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner TARANATH TIMALSINA, is requesting that the name TARANATH TIMALSINA, be changed to SURAJ TIMALSINA. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 22nd of May 2018 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-18-553779

In the matter of the application of: RACHEL HART NUNNALLY, 1690 BROADWAY ST #409, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109, for change of name having been ﬁled in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner RACHEL HART NUNNALLY, is requesting that the name RACHEL HART NUNNALLY, be changed to HART HARAGUTCHI. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 24th of May 2018 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAR 29, APR 05, 12, 19, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038059800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CASA DE LA CONDESA RESTAURANT, 2763 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANGELA MIRANDA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/23/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/23/18.

MAR 29, APR 05, 12, 19, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038053600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SMOOTH OPERATOR, RIDIN HIGH ENTERTAINMENT, 1201 BACON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RANDY BREWSTER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/01/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/21/18.

MAR 29, APR 05, 12, 19, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038047100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AMPLITUDE IP, 182 HOWARD ST #2, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ROBERT BURLINGAME. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/08/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/16/18.

MAR 29, APR 05, 12, 19, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038047700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MR. DEEP CLEAN HOUSEKEEPING, 18 HALE ST UNIT C, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DENYS A. RUIZ ZAMBRANA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/16/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/19/18.

MAR 29, APR 05, 12, 19, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038055400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WANDERING VET; WANDERING VETS, 2153 BEACH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ADAM BEHRENS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 09/18/08. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/22/18.

MAR 29, APR 05, 12, 19, 2018

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GENERAL HOUSE CLEANING, 1481 REVERE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANGELICA DE PAZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/05/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/20/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GREENHOUSE WISDOM, 3118 DIVISADERO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SUZANNE MARIE DITO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/09/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/28/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE SALAD PLACE & ROTISSERIE, 5392 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GLORIA AGUIRRE TENORIO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/15/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: COB MARK-IT, 305 SPRUCE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed COURTNEY WADSWORTH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/30/18.

MAR 29, APR 05, 12, 19, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038052300

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038060800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: 1DEALCATCHER. COM, 1559B SLOAT BLVD, #481, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed 1DEALCATCHER.COM (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/20/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: YURI CONSTRUCTION, 400 ANZA ST #206, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed IOURI N. KOPYLOV. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/23/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/23/18.

MAR 29, APR 05, 12, 19, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038057600

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038066200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: INFINITE BEAUTY, 233 GRANT AVE 6TH FLR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed INFINITE BEAUTY (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/22/18.

MAR 29, APR 05, 12, 19, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038045500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GEARY BLVD PLACE, 6314 GEARY BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed WHOLE FAMILY LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/15/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/15/18.

MAR 29, APR 05, 12, 19, 2018 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-18-553800

In the matter of the application of: A ERDEM CIMEN, 420 STANYAN ST #5, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117, for change of name having been ﬁled in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner A ERDEM CIMEN, is requesting that the name A ERDEM CIMEN, be changed to ERDEM CIMEN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 22nd of May 2018 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-18-553803

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: OLD MISSION BARBER SHOP, 2485 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed OMAR NAZZAL. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/27/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038067300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: POOH PERFECT BETTER BOWEL, 2339 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed BARBARA DULLEA; ROSEMARY RAU-LEVINE MD; RICHARD TRAVERSO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/27/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038071000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NORM’S MARKET, 2201 BRYANT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed NAIM B. TOTAH & BASEM TOTAH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/01/93. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/29/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038077900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FOLSOM DENTAL GROUP, 3085 24TH ST #202, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ULLOA AND LUQUE DENTAL CORP (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 04/02/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/02/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26 , 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038064900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: QUEST CLINICAL RESEARCH, 2300 SUTTER ST #208, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed LALEZARI MEDICAL CORPORATION (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/09/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/22/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038066600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GRITS, 210 JONES ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed JAKINS CO (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/27/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038061300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SILO, TWO EMBARCADERO CENTER, FLOOR 8, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SILO TECHNOLOGIES, INC. (DE The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 10/09/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/23/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038068800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JK SOUND, 1425 DAVIDSON AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed JK SOUND INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/22/99. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/28/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038071400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CORNELL & MUNZER LLC, 326 BRAZIL AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed CORNELL & MUNZER LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 07/14/14. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/29/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038068200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: OINK & OSCAR, 87 YERBA BUENA LANE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed OINK, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/28/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/28/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038068000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: COCOSUEÑO, 865 MARKET ST, STORE 497, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed YBL PARTNERS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/28/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/28/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038069200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SF SHOTCRETE, 318 WEST PORTAL AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BRADY CONSTRUCTION INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/21/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/27/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE VOLUME; THE WAKING HOUR, 465 S. VAN NESS AVE #A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed CULTURE VULTURE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/28/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/28/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GORKHA KITCHEN, 1386 9TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed HALESI MAHADEV LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/30/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/30/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-035157300

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: CORNELL & MUNZER, 326 BRAZIL AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business was conducted by a general partnership and signed by ROBERT MUNZER & SUZANNE CORNELL. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/27/13.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-036478200

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: CULTURE VULTURE, 465 S. VAN NESS AVE #A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business was conducted by a limited liability company and signed by YBR PROMOTIONS LLC (CA). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/12/15.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037375300

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: THE WORD, 465 S. VAN NESS AVE #A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business was conducted by a limited liability company and signed by YBR PROMOTIONS LLC (CA). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/06/16.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-036739000

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: NOB HILL GENERAL STORE, 1398 LEAVENWORTH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business was conducted by a married couple and signed by TIMOTHY ANDREW TALBOT. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/20/15.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 ICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038086500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FIRE 2 SMOKE, 1954 48TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DONALD MICHAEL BUDETTI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 04/09/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/09/18.

APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038060700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BUILDCORP, 666 MONTEREY BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed FLORENCE LY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/23/18.

APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038082300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ADVERTISE ON SEARCH, 548 MARKET ST #19013, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CARTER KASH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 04/01/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/05/18.

APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018

<< Section

12 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 19-25, 2018

Legal Notices>> NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF MARILYN ROSE SHERIDAN IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES-18301660

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of MARILYN ROSE SHERIDAN, MARILYN SHERIDAN, MARILYN R. SHERIDAN. A Petition for Probate has been filed by LYDIA SHERIDAN in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that LYDIA SHERIDAN be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: May 07, 2018, 9:00 am, Dept. Probate, Rm. 204, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the latter of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: Jayleen Janell Woodbury (CA BAR #289808), The Woodbury Law Office, 875 University Ave, Sacramento, CA 95825; Ph. (916) 837-8211.

APR 12, 19, 26, 2018 FFICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038047500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TEICHOSCOPIA, 866 VALENCIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SALEM EVANS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/18/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/19/18.

APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038082700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: EKO KITCHEN, 3090 26TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SIMILEOLUWA ADEBAJO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/05/18.

APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038078500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: VOLDI EVENTS, 1151 POST ST APT 3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NICOLAU FERNANDES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/03/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/03/18.

APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038049400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TARANTINO’S, 206 JEFFERSON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HERRINGBONE TAVERN INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/19/18.

APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018

SUMMONS SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO, CIVIC CENTER COURT, 400 MCALLISTER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102 NOTICE TO DEFENDANT: BRYAN CHAUVEL, SCOTT NOLEN, JASON LALAK & DOES 1-5, INCLUSIVE, YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PLAINTIFF: 100 VAN NESS ASSOCIATES, LLC CASE NO. CGC-16-553342

Notice! You have been sued. The court may decide against you without your being heard unless you respond within 30 days. Read the information below. You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this summons and legal papers are served on you to file a written response at this court and have a copy served on the plaintiff. A letter or phone call will not protect you. Your written response must be in proper legal form if you want the court to hear your case. There may be a court form that you can use for your response. You can find these court forms and more information at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo. ca.gov/selfhelp), your county law library, or the courthouse nearest you. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case by default, and your wages, money, and property may be taken without further warning from the court. There are other legal requirements. You may want to call an attorney right away. If you do not know an attorney, you may want to call an attorney referral service. If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program. You can locate these nonprofit groups at the California Legal Services Web site (www. lawhelpcalifornia.org), the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association. NOTE: The court has a statutory lien for waived fees and costs on any settlement or arbitration award of $10,000 or more in a civil case. The court’s lien must be paid before the court will dismiss the case. The name and address of the court is: Superior Court for the State of California, County of San Francisco Civic Center Court, 400 McAllister St, San Francisco, California 94102 The name, address and telephone number of plaintiff’s attorney, or plaintiff without an attorney is: Francisco G. Torres (SBN 156169), 625 Market St, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105; (415) 977-0444 ext. 224, Date: July 29, 2016. Clerk of The Court. NOTICE TO THE PERSON SERVED: You are served as an individual defendant. On behalf of: Limited Liability Corporation.

APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038066900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CORVERA’S TOWING, 2000 MCKINON AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HOWARD N. CORVERA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 08/21/07. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/27/18.

APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038071700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TAZ STREET CLEANER, 1450 SUTTER ST #322, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOSEPH MASKINS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/22/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/29/18.

APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038055600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NORTH SOUTH CONSTRUCTION, 1657 JENEVEIN AVE, SAN BRUNO, CA 94066. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed NORTH SOUTH CONSTRUCTION INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/22/08. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/22/18.

APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038081300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SIMPLE, 2620 OCEAN AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132.This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed AP SIMPLE (CA).The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/04/18.The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/04/18.

APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038080600

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038072700

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038093000

APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038087000

APR 19, 26, MAY 03, 10, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038091600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AGENCY ALL ABOUT CHILDREN, 1410 NORIEGA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed EDWARD Y. ROMANOV. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 10/20/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/11/18.

APR 19, 26, MAY 03, 10, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038087800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RAAVI EATERY, 1063 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BHUWAN FOOD INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 02/01/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/09/18.

APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038084900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JACOBSEN WINES, 1387 DEHARO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed JACOBSEN WINES LLC (CA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/01/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/06/18.

APR 19, 26, MAY 03, 10, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038083200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KIDS PARADISE, 1700 31ST AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SHEYNDEL SAMERS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/01/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/05/18.

APR 19, 26, MAY 03, 10, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038091700

APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037539100

APR 19, 26, MAY 03, 10, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038089300

APR 19, 26, MAY 03, 10, 2018 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037839500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MIX TRADITIONS, 800 CORTLAND AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed FVI INVESTMENT CORP (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 04/04/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/04/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KNR CLEANING COMPANY, 145 BRITTON ST APT G, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KYWANNA REED. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 04/09/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/09/18.

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: E BUY STORE, 2750 SAN BRUNO AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by XIU MEI LI. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/31/17.

APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038049100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE MINT, 1942 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed MINT PARTNERS INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 10/01/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/19/18.

APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-18-553836

In the matter of the application of: CHERRY MARY SHEEDY, 391 ELLIS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102, for change of name having been ﬁled in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner CHERRY MARY SHEEDY, is requesting that the name CHERRY MARY SHEEDY, be changed to CHERRY SHEEDY. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 17th of MAY 2018 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

APR 19, 26, MAY 03, 10, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038081400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE ERGO LADY, 1519 OAK ST #5, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CAMERON STIEHL. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/29/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/05/18.

APR 19, 26, MAY 03, 10, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038087100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RED SHELF, 1232 UNION ST, OAKLAND, CA 94607. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed OBAIDALLAH MEDHAT KAMAL MAHMOUD. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/09/18.

APR 19, 26, MAY 03,10, 2018

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The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SAN MARCOS RESTAURANTE, 98 LELAND AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SULMA YOJANA CASTANON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/15/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/29/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LAMELLA, 381 VALENCIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CLAUDIO MARTONFFY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/10/18.

APR 19, 26, MAY 03, 10, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038099000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GREEN SPA & NAIL, 347 JUDAH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NGOC-TRANG TRAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/16/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/16/18.

APR 19, 26, MAY 03, 10, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038094300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SF TRUCKER, 1330 VAN DYKE AVE #B, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed JAGPAL SINGH & SANDEEP KUMAR. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/12/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/12/18.

APR 19, 26, MAY 03, 10, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038096800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: EGGXOTIC, 3251 20TH AVE #156, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed EGGXOTIC INC, (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/13/18.

APR 19, 26, MAY 03, 10, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038090200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MISSION DENTAL HEALTH, 2725 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed VICTOR J. QUANT, DDS INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/10/18.

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The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AZAR REALTY GROUP, 2700 SAN BRUNO AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed AZAR REALTY GROUP INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/14/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/11/18.

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: MISSION DENTAL HEALTH, 2725 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, 94110. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by JEROME HOWARD WEITZ ESTATE. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/03/17.

APR 19, 26, MAY 03, 10, 2018 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037221700

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: EMPIRIKAL SERVICES, 1782 LOMBARD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by JOHN MILO. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/18/16.

APR 19, 26, MAY 03, 10, 2018 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037159000

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: BAY SUBS & DELI, 2486 SACRAMENTO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business was conducted by a married couple and signed by SANG WOO LEE & MI HYANG LEE. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/30/16.

APR 19, 26, MAY 03, 10, 2018 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037886500

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: KIDS PARADISE, 1700 31ST AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business was conducted by a married couple and signed by EDWARD ROMANOV & JANET ROMANOV. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/08/17.

APR 19, 26, MAY 03, 10, 2018 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037279800

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: MARINA PET HOSPITAL, 2024 LOMBARD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business was conducted by a limited liability company and signed by LEGACY VET-MARINA, LLC (WA). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/26/16.

APR 19, 26, MAY 03, 10, 2018

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The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HART, 925 O’FARRELL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed STAG DINING GROUP (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/28/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/11/18.

APR 19, 26, MAY 03, 10, 2018

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Vol. 48 • No. 16 • April 19-25, 2018

www.ebar.com/arts Annaleigh Ashford returns to Bay Area Cabaret’s “Venetian Evenings.”

Courtesy the subject

BAC

Drag performer Black Benatar was created three years ago by Beatrice Thomas.

Cabaret for a new generation

That ol’ black magic!

by Jim Gladstone

by Sari Staver

“S

ince the last time I was in San Francisco,” said Annaleigh Ashford, recently seen as Andrew Cunanan’s best gal-pal in “The Assassination of Gianni Versace,” “I won a Tony award, worked with Sondheim, and had a child.” See page 16 >>

rag performer Black Benatar will host a “black magic salon” at Brava’s Theater Center Cabaret, 2481 24th St., on Thurs., April 19, at 7:30 p.m. Co-sponsored by Brava! for Women in the Arts, a professional arts organization dedicated to supporting the work of women, the LGBT community and other underrepresented voices, and BACCE, which focuses on the black arts scene, the event is part of the ongoing series “So Soul San Francisco Black Arts Salon.” See page 22 >>

by David Lamble

The Roxie Theater does April

Courtesy Roxie

Johnny Depp in director Jim Jarmusch’s “Dead Man.”

he Roxie Theater concludes its April calendar (4/20-30) with a lovely goulash of seldom-seen, minor arthouse classics. “Dead Man” (1995): Director Jim Jarmusch and Johnny Depp are a creative odd couple in this surreal adult Western. Depp is a mild-mannered accountant from Cleveland whom an Indian friend calling himself “Nobody” (a low-key performance from Native American actor Gary Farmer) considers the reincarnation of the poet William Blake. Shot by Robert Muller in a weather-challenged slice of Nevada and Arizona, the film gets artistic points from its stark B&W visual canvas. “Dead Man” can seen as a kind of homage to Woody Allen imitating Ingmar Bergman. The film’s most viable conceit involves the mortally wounded but gorgeous William Blake floating off in a cloud of hippie bliss. Perhaps this is why Jarmusch so loves B&W photography: this scene really wouldn’t work in color. See page 14 >>

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<< Out There

14 • Bay Area Reporter • April 19-25, 2018

Suddenly, this April

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ll of a sudden we got really booked up! We don’t remember when our datebook full of arts events went on overdrive, but it’s been a while since we’ve caught up, Dear Reader, and in the interim Out There has been more out than in. We suppose it all started with opening night of the SFFILM Festival, which rolled into San Francisco movie theaters in early April, perhaps to get a jump on the Tribeca film fest. First on offer was director Silas HowCourtesy SFFILM ard’s “A Kid Like Jake” in a gala night at the Castro The- A scene from director Silas Howard’s “A Kid Like Jake,” opening-night fare atre. It was great to see a film at the 2018 SFFILM Festival. tackle a delicate issue like Brock accompanied by a fevered gender-variant preschoolers, or’s Art Award,” said Mayor Farrell. Kitten on the Keys, and the spirit and actors of real talent and status “Her grace, skill, versatility and and beat of Alex U. Inn and Kinglike Claire Danes and Jim Parsons strength have helped her become dom. Dragster performers Jef gave it their all. But it’s hard to the first Chinese prima ballerina Valentine, Trixxie Carr and Lady consider a film a success when its in the US, and one of the greatest Piranha shared their special vertitle character is never onscreen for Chinese ballerinas of all time. She sion of “Valley of the Dolls.” By more than a few seconds at a time. has gracefully served as cultural the end of it, it was Out There who Out of squeamishness or misconambassador for San Francisco and needed a doll! ception, the film fizzles out. The the United States.” Then, as if to bracket the events opening night party stayed Honored as well with of this column, to wrap it all up was fun, however, at the San the Mayor’s Art Award closing night of the SFFILM FestiFrancisco Design Cenwas SF gallerist Rena val, which mysteriously came two ter Galleria, and came Bransten, a grand days before the actual end of festival complete with live doyenne of the Bay programming. The fare this time music, tasty morsels, Area art world and was “Don’t Worry He Won’t Get Far spirited beverages, and impeccable aesthetician. on Foot” from gay director Gus Van film-world luminaries. Many art-world people Sant, with bravura performances The next night it felt were there to congratufrom Joaquin Phoenix, Jonah Hill very smart to be back late her. As always, it felt and Jack Black. The fest’s closing at another one of San regal in the Rotunda of night party at Public Works was Francisco Ballet’s faour great civic building. Last Friday night found truly fab, a celebration of the movie mous NiteOut parties OT chilling with B.A.R. colleagues world right here in our own back for the LGBTQ balletgoer. This time and friends at the SoMa nightclub pocket. the gay festivities came after SFB’s Oasis for the annual Besties party. Don’t worry, OT can cover the Program 6, the John Neumeier balEntertainment was superb and waterfront, trip the light fantastic, let Nijinsky danced to perfection spirited, as MCs Leigh Crow and and still find our own way back to by guest company The National Ruby Vixenn presented singers the arts desk in the morning. We’ve Ballet of Canada. Knowing that we Connie Champagne and Jason grown accustomed to this pace.t would see some of our fellow gay ballet fans cavorting in Dress Circle for a nightcap seemed to throw the gay elements of “Nijinsky,” the man and the dance, into high relief. As usual, there was a clutch of adorable young dancers, from both ballet companies, partying it up at the bar. Terrific night at the opera house. Then last week we were honored to be invited to the reception for the 2018 Mayor’s Art Awards hosted by ArtCare: Friends of the San Francisco Arts Commission at City Hall. Mayor Mark Farrell honored Yuan Yuan Tan, internationally renowned principal dancer for San Francisco Ballet, as a Mayor’s Art Award recipient. Prior to his untimely passing, Mayor Edwin M. Lee had singled out Tan to receive Courtesy SFFILM this esteemed cultural distinction. Joaquin Phoenix and Jonah Hill star in director Gus Van Sant’s “It is my great honor to fulfill “Don’t Worry He Won’t Get Far on Foot,” closing-night film at the Mayor Lee’s wish of recognizing 2018 SFFILM Festival, which played the Castro Theatre. Yuan Yuan Tan with the 2018 May-

Roxie Theater

From page 13

With a very old and scary Robert Mitchum, Crispin Glover, John Hurt, John North, Gibby Haynes, Mili Avital, Peter Schrum, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Henriksen, Gary Farmer, Iggy Pop, Alfred Molina and an unbilled Steve Buscemi. The US box-office totaled $1,037,847, making it one of Depp’s weakest-earning performances, but very much in the ballpark for indie avant-garde master Jarmusch. (4/20) “Purple Rain” (1984): The Minnesota-based film-musician artist known as Prince scored a career high with this moody drama about a black artist bucking the whitedominated music industry. An Oscar winner for the film’s score, including Prince’s “When Doves Cry.” Directed by Albert Magnoli. (4/21) “The Devil and Father Amorth”

(2017): His fans know filmmaker William Friedkin as an eclectic writer/director who has dipped his creative toes in a wide variety of storytelling genres, from the 1971 Oscar-winning cop drama “The French Connection” to taking the breakout gay comedy/drama “The Boys in the Band” from the stage to the screen, to creating an exciting, stomach-churning screen adaptation of William Blatty’s early-70s pulp bestseller “The Exorcist.” Friedkin returns with “The Devil and Father Amorth,” in which he claims to have filmed an actual exorcism. While the middle-aged woman undergoing the exorcism can’t hold a candle to the 1973 film’s teen star Linda Blair, the docudrama holds some interest, especially for viewers from Catholic backgrounds. “Father Amorth begins every exorcism by thumbing his nose at the devil.” This quote from Fried-

kin’s narration tells us he retains his credentials as an extraordinary showman. I personally prefer Max von Sydow’s performance in the 1973 film. Plays with Friedkin’s “The Exorcist: Extended Director’s Cut.” (4/24) “Outfitumentary”: Filmmaker K8 Hardy provides a diary of her daily clothing choices, trying to describe the relationship between feminist choices and the evolution of lesbian life choices. (4/25) “Instrument”: This portrait of the punk band Fugazi was culled by filmmaker Jem Cohen from 11 years of footage. “Surrealism in Animation”: A provocative compilation of cuttingedge animation from 1908 thru the 50s. (both 4/26) “The Judge”: A brave Muslim woman challenges centuries of anti-female bias in Middle Eastern religious courts. (4/27-5/3)t

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16 • Bay Area Reporter • April 19-25, 2018

Other Minds’ sound poetry compels

Courtesy the subject

Italian sound poet Enzo Minarelli in performance.

Etang Chen

Dutch sound poet and performance artist Jaap Blonk in 2015.

by Philip Campbell

ther Minds Festival 23 recently finished a week of events dedicated to new and old sound poetry at ODC Theater, San Francisco. Subtitled “The Wages of Syntax,” the series covered a range of vocal expression, from language as music to performance art cum poetry slam. It wasn’t intended as a competition or comprehensive survey, but there were some breakout hits and fascinating examples. OM Executive and Artistic Director Charles Amirkhanian made good on “bringing an unpredictable cohort of independent-minded mavericks” to convene in celebration of the nexus between poetry and music. Far from academic endeavor, even if one evening was dubbed “The History Channel,” the programs offered an entertaining variety of works from the dramatic to the absurd, and sometimes, the downright funny. It was a week that could have just as easily been called “The Dis-

Annaleigh Ashford

From page 13

The Tony was for her role as Essie Carmichael in the Broadway revival of “You Can’t Take It with You.” The opportunity to work with lifelong idol Stephen Sondheim came when she was cast opposite Jake Gyllenhall in last year’s acclaimed production of “Sunday in the Park with George.” The child is 18-month-old Jack, her son with husband Joe Tapper, an actor. And that last visit to San Fran-

covery Channel.” The international blend of artists, largely American, included visitors from Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Italy. They brought attention and relevance to writers dating from early in the 20th century to the present day. Criticizing performers or compositions was irrelevant once one settled into the groove. The most effective pieces were realized by the more extroverted personalities, but even moments captured only on archival tapes managed to impress. Hearing Gertrude Stein reciting her own “If I told him (a completed portrait of Pablo Picasso)” from 1934 was an amazing treat. The ostensibly purest practitioners of sound poetry were self-taught Dutch composer, performer, and poet Jaap Blonk and Venetian Enzo Minarelli, noted sound, writing, and video artist. Minarelli appeared in several sets that showed his emotive versatility, whether working simply with a microphone, or with pre-recorded sound effects and his own Fellicisco? It was – as is her return later this month – to perform her critically acclaimed solo act as part of Bay Area Cabaret’s “Venetian Evenings” series at the Fairmont hotel. Remarkably, it was only three years ago. “It feels like my whole life has changed,” said the 33-year-old, perhaps best-known for playing prostitute Betty DiMello in HBO’s “Masters of Sex.” “The world has changed, too.” Which means, explained Ashford, that her solo show has also changed.

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niesque visuals. His expressive style is powerful, but he can also be charmingly comical. Blonk relied even more on the sheer flexibility of his own voice. Kurt Schwitters’ “Ursonate” (1932) has been called “the greatest sound poem of the 20th century.” With a structure like a classical sonata or symphony, Schwitters used one of his earliest Dada poems, the German alphabet read backwards as a coda. In Blonk’s virtuosic interpretation, the work became the stunning centerpiece of the Festival. On opening night, performers already in town for the Festival were introduced. Living-legend poet, playwright, novelist, and journalist Michael McClure and American poet, novelist, biographer, memoirist and playwright Aram Saroyan appeared for their one-night-stands. McClure read “Marilyn Monroe Thou Hast Passed the Dark Barrier” and other “Ghost Tantras” (1962) with a weathered voice that evoked memories of his fabled days (and nights) as the firebrand of San Francisco’s poetry scene in the mid1950s and 60s. The revolutionary scourge of Off-Broadway and L.A.’s theatre world remains a vibrant presence with a lion’s roar and a mane that has turned platinum. Saroyan’s performance was more of a cameo, but the minimalist wit of “Crickets” injected a sense of “Cabaret has always been one of the great loves of my performing life as an artist. And part of being an artist means reflecting the world around you. So I’ve changed some of the songs I do, and more importantly, I’m telling my stories from a different perspective on life. “I really feel like cabaret is a form that’s been lost in my generation. We’re so much more prone to go to concerts.” Part of this may be that younger potential audience members assume that cabaret acts are largely limited to repertoire from Broadway and the Great American Songbook. But Ashford, like Will Roland who also brought a refreshingly modern take on the form to the Bay Area Cabaret stage this year, finds room to incorporate music by the likes of Adele, Alanis Morissette and Cyndi Lauper, in a set that also showcases Kurt Weill and Johnny Mercer. Ashford also wishes that more of her contemporaries realized the advantage of seeing performances in small venues. “In a big concert setting, where you have effects and lighting cues and some of the audience is very far from the stage, there just has to be more consistency from one show to the next.” This, she notes, is true not only of pop concerts, but even of her guest appearances singing Broadway tunes with symphony orchestras. “When I’m working with just a few musicians in cabaret, there’s a lot more flexibility than with an orchestra. There’s enough

humor and a playful theme which continued throughout the Festival. Lawrence Weschler is an author of creative nonfiction, and was for over 20 years a staff writer at The New Yorker. He is also the oldest grandson of Ernst Toch, who once called himself “the world’s most forgotten composer.” After a celebrated career in Weimar, Germany, Toch fled the Nazis and wound up, like many other refugee musicians, in Los Angeles. Weschler has endeavored to return his grandfather’s music to its rightful prominence, and he appeared during Festival 23 to add interesting context. He also assisted in transforming Toch’s “Geographical Fugue” to “The Medical Fugue,” changing all the words to diseases, for a world premiere performance. The “Fugue” finished a Toch set that included the U.S. premiere of “Gesprochene Musik” (1930) and the droll “Valse” (1962) performed by The Other Minds Ensemble: Kevin Baum, Joel Chapman, Sidney Chen, Amy X Neuburg, Randall Wong (OM Administrative Director), and pioneer San Franciscobased composer/performer and media artist Pamela Z. The OM Ensemble was joined later by pianist Sarah Cahill, fresh from an appearance at the recent Bard Music West celebration of Henry Cowell, in an energetic ren-

dition of Virgil Thomson and Gertrude Stein’s “Capital Capitals.” I missed Pamela Z’s solo turn on the final event of the series, but I was able to hear and see composer/performer Amy X Neuburg, known for her use of live looping technology, classically trained voice, and genrecrossing style, the night before. Neuburg mixed operatic and Broadway-inflected singing with deadpan standup comedy and percussive accompaniment in a semi-autobiographical set that had audience members comparing her to Laurie Anderson. I could see the link, but Neuburg is an original, and I was delighted to get to know her work as a uniquely talented sound poet. Composer Mark Applebaum opened the evening with a fourchannel audio performance of “Three Unlikely Corporate Sponsorships” for tape. Called “The mad scientist of music” by TED Talks, Applebaum’s 2016 piece cleverly lampoons and berates Nestle, General Motors and Halliburton. The Friday the 13th program concluded appropriately with OM’s Charles Amirkhanian performing some of his own compositions for voice with tape. The lively “History of Collage” and “Maroa” included bright vintage visuals created by artist Carol Law, who also happens to be his wife.t

Courtesy the subject

Annaleigh Ashford is back in SF.

leeway that it can be more organic and move around like jazz. “In my mind, I also compare cabaret to stand-up comedy. It’s a very intimate relationship with the audience. I can see people’s faces and feel very specific energy coming from them. It’s palpable. And you work off each other.” When asked about her own first experience seeing cabaret, Ashford spoke of her childhood voice teacher Kit Andre, who in the 1970s operated and performed at a popular Denver nightspot. “She was always telling me her own stories and teaching me to connect songs with storytelling. It was like I had a personal club act going on in my voice lessons from the time I was seven.” By the time she landed her first

Broadway lead at 22, as a Glinda replacement in “Wicked,” Ashford deeply revered the live cabaret recordings of Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, Patti LuPone and Ella Fitzgerald. Her earliest solo shows were on Monday nights, when Oz was dark and there were open mics at Birdland. “I remember once spending like a whole week’s take-home pay to go see Carol Channing play at Cafe Carlyle. She was in her late 80s, just nailing material she’d honed to perfection over 50 years. I said to myself, ‘This is it!’”t Annaleigh Ashford, (Still) Lost in the Stars, Sun., April 29, 7:30 p.m. Venetian Room, Fairmont Hotel www.bayareacabaret.com

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<< Books

18 • Bay Area Reporter • April 19-25, 2018

Semaphored gay history by Tim Pfaff

wo ghosts loom over Martin Duberman’s new memoir, “The Rest of It: Hustlers, Cocaine, Depression, and Then Some 1976-1988” (Duke University Press), neither of them named in the lengthy subtitle. One is the towering presence of Paul Robeson, whose biography Duberman wrote. The other is the alternatively shrinking and clutching presence of Chris, the Duberman “bad penny” boyfriend from hell. They are ghosts because they neither fully appear nor disappear. Duberman’s 800-page 1989 biography of Robeson is likely to remain his crowning achievement as a historian. Considering the dates of this slice of Duberman’s memoirs, it warrants the three substantial chapters it gets. Granting the difficulty of making short work of the life of a man whose biography he has written definitively and at length, the question remains why Duberman might not have eked out, say, a sentence, a few connected words, to identify Robeson as the African-American bass-baritone, actor, star athlete and political activist whose influence on all those areas of 20th-century life was gigantic then and still is. Sort of like that. Readers younger than Duberman and me might not be prepared for the scope and importance of either Robeson or his biographer. This clarified the question I had by the new book’s midpoint: Whom is Duberman writing this memoir for? The author’s account of the many intrigues of writing of the biography is fascinating enough, and the

constellation of details surrounding the research, including meetings with remarkable men and women for interviews, ultimately coheres. But it resembles the way the characters of Dorothy’s world spin by

in the containing if wild tornado that lifts her out of Kansas in “The Wizard of Oz.” From the first mention of the biography, the reader is, however, prepared – in that waiting-for-the-

other-shoe-to-drop kind of way – for the surprise revelation about a previously unknown aspect of Robeson’s sexuality. The soteased reader is not disappointed, although Robeson – whose involvements with women famous and not were legion, including the stars opposite whose Desdemona he played the two Othellos that alone would have secured his place in the history books – turns out to have been less bumptiously bisexual than was his understanding wife. We learn that Robeson did not have the rumored affair with the known homosexual film director Sergei Eisenstein when Robeson was in Russia more for lefty political reasons. But Robeson did have an affair with also married but, like Leonard Bernstein, gay American composer Marc Blitzstein. Duberman was in most of the right places, albeit mostly on the American East Coast and New York in particular, during the period of modern gay history pre-Stonewall to post-AIDS crisis. Although he was in direct contact, and often conflict, with some of the major figures of our history, the issues sometimes seem semaphored and ultimately lost in the cascade of names. The problem is not exactly some sort of unctuous name-dropping. Indeed, much of it could be regarded as setting the record straight, so to speak; individuals barely remembered now take their place alongside the leaders and heroes of the gay-rights movement.

Seldom in my reading experience has American gay history felt so bi-coastal, and so heavily weighted toward the East. Even granting that Duberman was where he was, saw what he saw and knew the people he did, a whiff of East Coast condescension to the more laid-back West did less to right my sense of the balance than just irk me. Duberman wrote political and cultural pieces for some of the major gay publications of the pre-AIDS era, a matter of no little interest to me, yet it was hard not to take offense at his halfsentence nod to the B.A.R. More refreshing is the fact that in the author’s writing about himself – the proper subject of a memoir, after all – is that there is nothing resembling (or that I read as) a whitewashing of his own character. In the same way that “The Rest of It” consigns the history, politics and culture to that outpost, the hustlers, cocaine and depression do take their rightful prominence as a kind of through-line of Duberman’s personal story. The major events in this memoir are the hospitalizations, for hepatitis (masked by a history of depression), a heart attack, and finally, depression itself, at New York’s Paine Whitney, a now-closed if still legendary nuthouse for the rich, famous and downtrodden, about whom Duberman, Auden-like, becomes the most sympathetic. Perhaps it’s in the ways I am most like Duberman – the undertow of depression, the pull of addictions, the particular sexual history, the tension of the desire for strong relationships waging a losing battle with the hermit’s life – that made reading this memoir such a trial. Ruefully, it has left me with a sense less of a man revealing himself than of an author heading off future biographers at the pass.t

Tribute album works, sometimes by David-Elijah Nahmod

evamp: The Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin is a new album in which a variety of contemporary artists put their own unique stamps on the songs of music legends Elton John and Bernie Taupin. John, one of the 20th century’s greatest rock stars, is also a gay icon, having publicly come out many years ago. He is currently on an extended three-year tour, after which he’ll be retiring to spend more time with his family. Some of the performances on Revamp underscore the beauty of Taupin’s often-unforgettable lyr-

ics and the intense magnetism that John conveys on stage. But some of the tracks are a disappointment. Mumford & Sons’ “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” is a snoozer, featuring dull vocals that lack the raw emotions of John’s original recording. The same can be said for “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” by Queens of the Stone Age. The track just doesn’t have any power. The band’s lead singer Josh Homme sounds bored, nearly killing the song. It should be noted that Queens of the Stone Age is an odd choice for inclusion on this CD. According to Wikipedia, Homme came

under fire for calling an audience member “a chicken-shit fucking faggot” and “a 12-year-old dickless fucking turd” at a 2008 concert in Norway. Homme said that he’s not homophobic, and attributed his behavior to food poisoning and a high fever. But should a man who uses such language be part of a tribute to one of the rock world’s most accomplished gay artists? That aside, there are some lovely tracks on Revamp. Ed Sheeran’s take on “Candle in the Wind” has the haunting quality that this Marilyn Monroe homage requires. Like John’s unforgettable original, the track captures the lonely isolation and tragedy of Monroe’s life and death. Sam Smith, well on his way to becoming a gay icon, offers a personal cover of “Daniel.” Smith has developed a reputation for weeping with his voice, a talent which lends itself beautifully to lyrics like, “Daniel my brother, you are older than me, do you still feel the pain of the scars that won’t heal?” Lady Gaga takes us all the way back to 1970 with a simple and sweet rendition of the plaintive, romantic “Your Song,” one of rock’s greatest love ballads. Florence and the Machine give us an equally sweet version of “Tiny Dancer,” John’s homage to “the seamstress for the band.” The

vocals are intensely emotional on this track. One track is a bit weird. “Bennie and the Jets” opens with John’s synthesized voice followed by Pink’s performance of the song’s wellknown lyrics. She’s interrupted midstream by a bizarre, out-ofplace rap by Logic. The rap has nothing to do with the song itself, so what’s it doing there? Equally out of place is Q Tip and Demi Lovato’s club remix of “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” a song that is

anything but a dance tune. Revamp features a total of 13 tracks. As you can tell from our review, the selections are a mixed bag. Truth be told, it’s highly unlikely that even the best of the bunch will usurp the brilliance of John’s original recordings. Nor will this album inspire anybody to stop listening to their Elton John’s Greatest Hits CDs. But Revamp still has some delightful moments that are worth a listen. The album is now on CD and streaming at Spotify.t

Books>>

April 19-25, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 19

Who’s afraid of ‘The Boys in the Band?’ by Brian Bromberger

The play was a huge success, running over two years and 1,001 performances. Witty repartee such as “Who do you have to fuck to get a drink around here?” has been quoted through the decades. By the time filming began in the post-Stonewall summer of 1969, Boys was already being derided as a pre-gay-liberation period piece. Consequently, the movie was dismissed among the gay intelligentsia as self-hating, narcissistic, guilt-ridden portrayals of homosexuals. Bell’s mission is to challenge many of these assumptions, and the contributors, in their high-handed manner, succeed in this rehabilitation. The counterargument to caustic criticism is that because Boys in the Band was the first gay play, it was unfairly expected to represent every gay person in the country, a task no artistic work should have to shoulder. On the plus side, not only did the play render gay men visible, an empowering experience, but it compelled many audience members to come out, indirectly inspiring activism to counter the homophobia and internal self-hatred portrayed in the drama. Ramzi Fawaz in his essay “Beware the Hostile Fag” (the best in this collection) effectively argues that what was often ridiculed as vitriolic bitch sessions by critics was actually a kind of gay consciousness-raising in which the characters felt comfortable to reveal their insecurities, and how each was coping with the strains of widespread homophobia. In an intimate community, they could be honest and vulnerable in telling their stories, and receive both loving criticism and advice. Fawaz notes, “We might learn something fundamental about how homophobia functions from these angry ‘screaming queens’ precisely because they are willing to scream about its pain-

n a famous review of its 1996 revival, New York Times theater critic Ben Brantley wrote, “Apparently it’s all right to like The Boys in the Band again.” This year seems to reinforce Brantley’s observation, as it marks the 50th anniversary of the original landmark Off-Broadway stage production of Boys in the Band, commemorated both by a gay star-studded limited run on Broadway (with Zachary Quinto, Andrew Rannells, Jim Parsons, and Matt Bomer) as well as by an academic book exploring the 1970 William Friedkin film based on the play, The Boys in the Band: Flashpoints of Cinema, History, and Queer Politics, edited by Matt Bell (Wayne State University Press). The book is a hodgepodge of professorial contributions discussing aspects of the film/play, with topics ranging from the role of camp, alcohol abuse, its ranking in the William Friedkin oeuvre, Jewish visibility, the emotionality of gay love, acoustics and politics. If most of these contributions sound abstruse, they are. Most read like pared-down dissertation topics. This is a book only a queer pedagogue could love. But in his introduction Bell, associate professor of English at Bridgewater State University, situates well the controversy behind Boys in the Band. When it opened in 1968, it was the first play to present gay men sympathetically as ordinary people, revealing the richness of homosexual subculture in pre-Stonewall Manhattan. In a notorious New York Times article, “Homosexual Drama and Its Disguises,” Stanley Kauffman asserted that playwrights Tennessee Williams, William Inge, and Edward Albee had reconsti-

tuted gay male experience into heterosexual plots, distorting views of American women and marriage, rather than write their own gay plays. Dramatist Mart Crowley took up the challenge and wrote a gay version of Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, more shocking with its frank sexual language, describing

Brotherhood way

by Jim Piechota What Drowns the Flowers in your Mouth by Rigoberto Gonzalez; Univ. of Wisconsin Press, $24.95

n his beautifully written, lucid, and emotionally intense third memoir, prolific author, poet, and educator Rigoberto Gonzalez, who has penned more than 17 books, describes his tumultuous early life with his brother Alex and their coming-of-age into adulthood amidst grief and trauma. Gonzalez’s book begins with his brother’s kidnapping from the Mexican border town of Mexicali. The news of the disappearance, delivered from his sister-in-law, happens during the summer of 2010 when the author is at a literary conference in Vermont. He tells her he will pay any ransom that is demanded for Alex’s safe return as a show of brotherhood and familial allegiance. While

he waits, Gonzalez ponders the nature of their relationship. “I tried to piece together again the story of our lives as men because everything inside me had just shattered.” The book then flashes back to their childhood in Baja California, where the family relocated in the hopes of a better life for all 19 family members. Their situation became further strained once the author’s mother dies and their father abandons the family. The brothers’ youth became dominated by their cruel, controlling, bristly grandfather (“a bully and a brute.”) Both fell into depression and destructive behavior. The author abused alcohol and explored his attraction toward men through a series of self-destructive relationships, while Alex gravitated toward women and endured a series of troublesome couplings, as well as the birth of two children. Throughout it all, as Gonzalez describes their devoted brotherhood, both men kept in constant touch and fortified their relationship with shared stories of their lives, struggles, and personal evolutions into and out of sadness, dependence, and the messiness and grief of failed relationships. Lyrical and poignant, this is also a story about the nuances of manhood, particularly Latino machismo, and how boys are shaped by expectations, tradition, and vulnerability. In press interviews, Gonzalez has said that he is currently working on a fourth memoir volume; there seems to be no end to the life stories this multi-talented writer has to share about his legacy, his loves, and the desires that have shaped him into the man and artist he is today.t

eight homosexual men who gather to celebrate the birthday of their mutual friend Harold. When the host Michael’s homophobic college friend Alan crashes the party, conflicts rise to the surface, including internalized self-hatred, unrequited love, the nature of gay desire, and societal condemnation.

ful consequences.” Those detractors who said the play depicted the worst aspects of gay male identity at a time when the movement wanted only positive images actually “denigrated the possibility that negative emotions might be an acute register of homophobic injustice, and consequently, a rebellious act against it.” The fact that the drama has been revived many times through the years shows that its provocative subjects, including suicide, homophobia, violence, depression, substance abuse, and damaged self-esteem, still ring true for many gay people despite all the progress the LGBTQ community has made. As long as full equality hasn’t been reached, Boys will continue to have relevance. Crowley was brave to write this play in 1968, when homosexuals were seen as criminals, mentally ill, and sinners. He showed that gay people come in all sizes and shapes, with differing emotional issues and wide gender fluidity, not to mention various relationships (open, fwbs), suggesting a tolerance for difference. When Michael at the end of the play utters the famous line, “If only we could stop hating ourselves a bit,” he is declaring an agenda of gay liberation. Fawaz summarizes why we should still care about Boys in the Band: “It demands engagement as it refuses to dissociate love from critique, intimacy from accountability, and collective life from fractious disagreement. It demands that we keep speaking to one another, keep turning toward each other, until our revolution is complete.” For the intellectuals among us, Bell’s compendium might prove stimulating, but Craig Robey’s 2010 documentary Making the Boys, about the movie’s history, impact, and controversies, remains the preeminent source on the play and the film.t

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<< Fine Arts

20 • Bay Area Reporter • April 19-25, 2018

Judy Dater: Human nature by Sura Wood

ince first seeing “Maggie Smoking,” a frank, implicitly carnal picture shot in 1970 by Berkeleybased photographer Judy Dater, it has been impossible to get it out of mind. In it, a feline blond artist in jeans is sitting in a white rattan chair, unselfconsciously naked to the waist. She could be a youngish Marlene Dietrich, if Dietrich, notorious for taking viewers hostage with that arresting gaze and insinuating attitude of hers, had been

a laid-back Californian. “People were easier about nakedness back then and thought nothing of taking their clothes off,” recalls Dater of shooting one of her favorite images now on view in “Only Human,” a concise, carefully chosen exhibition encompassing a half-century of her stirring black & white photographs. Elegantly installed at the de Young Museum and spare enough in its contents to leave one wanting more, it’s the last project to bear the imprint of former FAMSF photography curator Julian Cox, who left in

October. His departure, though not nearly as high-profile as that of the institution’s director Max Hollein, who’ll be assuming the top job at New York’s Metropolitan Museum in a few months, is a loss for lovers of the medium. A native Californian, Dater grew up in Hollywood, wiling away hours in her father’s darkened movie theater as a child. She later moved north, where her sensibility was shaped by San Francisco’s HaightAshbury scene in the late 1960s, and even more crucially by the growing momentum of feminism, which has remained a constant theme. A feminist, she says, “is someone who’s strong and independent and does what they want.” Here, here. As a mature, self-aware artist in command of her art-form, she has often explored gender fluidity and identity, sexual and otherwise. She spotted Laura Mae Dunlap in a North Beach restaurant dressed in the same spiffy, three-piece gangster suit and fedora she would sport in a striking 1973 portrait. “I just walked over to her table, not knowing whether she was a man or a woman, and told her I wanted to photograph Courtesy of FAMSF her,” Dater remembers. Though primarily staged compoJudy Dater, “Twinka and Tree, San Anselmo, California” (1970). sitions, her pictures have no apparGelatin silver print. ent artifice, no membrane between artist and sitter. Individuals like like Atlas holding up the Earth, or Nudity became an all-purpose “Paolo Tenti, Rome, Italy” (1998), an ordinary woman symbolically vehicle for Dater “to express ideas a quietly defiant, androgynous figresisting the oppression of societal about sexuality, gender politics, ure, seem to open their souls to her convention. But “Self-portrait with freedom, vulnerability, strength camera. The same holds true in a Stone, Badlands, South Dakota” and character.” That seems to apply relatively recent suite of handsome, (1981), where she’s curled in a fetal to a group of moving self-portraits large-scale close-up studio portraits position on a rock-strewn, barren she undertook in the wilderness as of older eminences, whose lived-in prairie as late-afternoon shadows she approached her 40s. Naked and faces were shot against a simple fall across her body, is the starkalone in a vast, desolate landscape, black backdrop. In addition to Datest; one half-expects tumbleweed it’s as if she’s pitting herself against er’s gift for establishing rapport, the to roll by on a flat expanse whose the universe, literally sizing up the Deardorff 4x5 large-format camera emptiness extends as far as the eye big picture and wrestling with her she favors entails a slow process that can see. place in it. For “Self-portrait with allows time for subjects to unwind There’s a timeless, existential Sparkler, Yellowstone National and shed inhibitions. Her Rome lonesomeness to these particular Park, Wyoming” (1982), she struck street portraits (1998), presumably images; nature is constant, infinite, a bold stance on the edge of a geyser shot on the run in 35mm, are less they seem to say; the rest of us, powbordering a volcanic lake. In “Selfinteresting. erless in its wake, are just passing portrait Holding up Rock, Capitol The West Coast’s Group f/64 through.t Reef National Park, Utah” (1983), photographers were also partial to her tiny body is dwarfed by the the large, anachronistic cameras that gigantic boulder she’s standing unThrough Sept. 16. deyoung. helped them achieve the sharply dederneath and reaching up to steady, famsf.org fined photographs for which they’re known. Their adherents Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, and especially Imogen Cunningham, a rare woman in a male-dominated field, influenced Dater’s work. Cunningham, who was 80 when the two women met, became a mentor to the 20-year-old Dater. “She was such an inspiration as a woman who had decided that photography was what she was going to do and did it, forging ahead no matter what,” reflects Dater. “She liked me because I photographed people, when most everyone else was doing landscape. And of course, I gravitated to her work because she was a master portrait person.” She was also feisty and game, qualities on display in a 1974 photograph in Yosemite in which the watchful, gray-maned Cunningham observes her quarry, a naked model (Twinka, painter Wayne Thiebaud’s daughter), who resembles a woodland sprite peeking at the intruder in its midst. The picture playfully invokes Thomas Hart Benton’s 1938 painting “PerseCourtesy of FAMSF phone,” while critiquing the voyeuristic male gaze Judy Dater, “Lovers #2, San Francisco, California” (1965). and giving it a feminist Archival pigment print. jolt.

Film>>

April 19-25, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 21

After the war was over by David Lamble

erenc Torok begins “1945,” his “High Noon”-style adaptation of Hungarian author Gabor T. Szanto’s short story “Homecoming,” with the sight of a huge steam locomotive belching its way into the station of a tiny village. The town’s inhabitants are set to celebrate the wedding day of a charming young man, the son of the community’s town clerk. Just as in the Gary Cooper oater, all is not well in this rural haven. World War II, with its horrific death tolls, has just concluded as two darkly attired men climb down from the train, bearing with them two large trunks. Word spreads quickly, and soon everyone in town comes to dread the appearance of these visitors. As Russian troops circle the town, set to crush hopes of a Hungarian postwar democracy, the strangers recruit men with shovels to dig in the local graveyard. Suspense mounts as we learn why many townsfolk fear the return of their village’s once-thriving Jewish community.

The town clerk and the station master, the guys who run the village, meet over plates of hearty noodles. “Jews have arrived. With trunks of perfume.” “Perfume? Locals?” “Who knows? They all look the same: hats, beards.” The clerk practically inhales his noodles, then grabs his hat and heads for the door, stopping only for a chat with the town drunk. “Bandi, there are Jews in the village. Tell the others, but first tell your wife.” Unlike the typical Holocaust-era tale, Torok’s film keeps its focus tightly on the daily rituals of the village. We observe the sinister, sleepy qualities of a community that has “Rip Van Winkled” itself through two devastating wars, mass extermination, and an impending Russian takeover in which Soviet troops will grab everything in sight, from food to tools and money. A country that is struggling to achieve its first democratic institutions is instead about to pop back into the deep-freeze of Cold War Stalinism. “1945” is remarkable in the deft

Lenke Szilagyi/Menemsha Films

Hermann Sámuel (Iván Angelus) and his son (Marcell Nagy) arrive via train to a small village in Hungary full of secrets, in director Ferenc Torok’s “1945.”

way it reveals bad news through small gestures: the way a man rolls a cigarette, the roll call of bad news on the radio, in which the American atomic blast destroying a Japanese city is just another grim item.

From the first sight of the locomotive, itself a kind fire-breathing dragon, to an O’Henry-style surprise ending, “1945” keeps us riveted as we learn how modern Hungary earned its reputation for being

one of the most fiercely anti-Semitic spots on the planet. “1945,” which played at the 2017 San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, is in Hungarian with English subtitles. Opens Friday.t

underneath there’s a cauldron of repressed desires and emotions. The film also mildly satirizes Westerners who use foreign countries as fodder for their own self-actualization. Despite the 60-year gap, Heat and Dust implies that not much has changed for women, with their aspirations and sexuality still ruled by men, rendered social outcasts for their self-reliance. There is a gorgeous shot uniting the generations, with Anne looking into Olivia’s house as both she and the Nawab stare out at her. Perhaps because Olivia’s story is more compelling than Anne’s, Greta Scacchi steals the movie, at 22, her first big starring role, and as she admits in an interview, the best performance of her career. It was also the summit for Shashi Kapoor, a regular performer for Merchant Ivory and an established Bollywood star. The main supplement is the 1975 hour-long Merchant Ivory English television film Autobiography of a Princess, also about the Raj, but in retrospect. A divorced Indian princess (Madhur Jeffrey, magnificent), living in a self-imposed exile

in London, invites her Maharaja father’s ex-tutor and secretary, Cyril Sahib (James Mason), to tea on the anniversary day of her late father’s birthday to reminisce about royal India. Using archival 35mm footage from grand events (funerals, weddings, hunts) in Jodhpur discovered by a friend of Merchant, they form a mini-documentary of royal India, disguised as home movies of the Princess’ father. Cyril, who is gay and a similar figure to Harry Hamilton-Paul, has darker memories than the Princess of her father’s excesses and later arrest for corruption. Ivory filmed former real-life royalty who were upset about their cut-off allowances and privileges. Mason is extraordinary, with Ivory later commenting it was the best male performance in any of his films, with the exception of Anthony Hopkins in The Remains of the Day. Similarity of theme and content makes it a natural companion to Heat and Dust. Because no studio would make a Merchant Ivory-type film today, we can treasure them for the jewels in the independent-film crown they truly are.t

A Royal return to India

by Brian Bromberger

ith his recent, richly earned Oscar win for Best Adapted Screenplay for Call Me by Your Name at almost 90, director James Ivory is back in the public imagination. So it’s fitting that Cohen Media Group has reissued for the first time on Blu-ray DVD one of his crowning achievements, Heat and Dust, released in 1983. Heat and Dust was a major component of that creative 1982-84 period when there were several films and television series focusing on the British Raj, colonial rule of India, including Gandhi (1982), A Passage to India (1984) and The Jewel in the Crown (1984). Due to distribution problems it didn’t do well in the U.S., but H&D was a huge hit in Europe, becoming Merchant Ivory’s first big commercial success, and laying the groundwork for their future masterpieces A Room with

a View and Howard’s End: opulent period pieces, top-notch acting, literate screenplays, and master technicians behind the camera with meticulous attention to detail. The Merchant Ivory brand (which included Indian-born producer Ismail Merchant and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, their screenwriter, who here adapted her Booker-winning novel) as we remember them today really began with H&D, though they had been making films for 20 years. H&D would be the culmination of all their Indian-themed movies. Its plot is composed of two intertwining stories, the first set during the 1920s, about a scandalous affair between the lovely Olivia Rivers (Greta Scacchi), the recently married wife of the handsome, dull Douglas Rivers (Christopher Cazenove), a British civil servant sent to Satipur (Central India); and the Indian prince Nawab (Shashi Kapoor). This melodrama alternates

with a 1982 saga concerning Anne (Julie Christie), Olivia’s great-niece, having inherited her letters and diaries, traveling to India, following in her great-aunt’s footsteps, trying to ascertain what happened to her after she aborted Nawab’s baby. Anne also has an affair with her married landlord Inder Lal (Zakir Hussain, the musician) and gets pregnant. Anne had interviewed in England the elderly gay Harry Hamilton-Paul (Nickolas Grace), who lived in the Nawab’s palace as a kind of court jester and confidante, but was also a close friend of Olivia’s. The Nawab is a charming, charismatic, but corrupt rogue, masterminding a group of marauding bandits. He invites all the British officials and their wives to a sumptuous dinner party where he meets Olivia, a free spirit fascinated by Indian culture and already tired of rigid British conformity and racist attitudes towards their colonial underlings. This is exemplified by Dr. Saunders and his wife, who see all Indians as children, and the men as potential rapists. Douglas tries to convince Olivia to head north during the summer with the other British wives (whom she finds insufferable) to escape the brutal heat, but she insists on remaining with him, retorting, “You have these set notions about what Englishwomen are supposed to stand. Why should anyone tell me what I can stand and what I can’t stand?” This kind of female independent thinking was radical for the time, and her liaison with the Nawab is as much a revolt against British stuffiness and prejudice as it is a sexual tryst. Anne, representing the modern woman, has more choices than Olivia, and decides to keep her baby, fleeing to the same secluded house in the snowy mountains of Kashmir built by the Nawab where Olivia spent her remaining years. Typical of many Merchant Ivory pictures, the plot is subordinate to the exotic locale and sophisticated atmosphere. On the surface there doesn’t seem much going on, but

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<< DVD

22 • Bay Area Reporter • April 19-25, 2018

Girls to women: ‘The Group’ stays vivid

by Tavo Amador

ary McCarthy’s 1963 novel “The Group” follows eight Vassar graduates of the class of 1933 who remain friends as they face the tribulations and joys of the real world. Lesbianism, pre-marital sex, women arranging for contraceptives, abortion, spousal abuse, and marital infidelity are among the themes. Australia, Ireland, and Italy

Black Benatar

From page 13

Black Benatar was created three years ago by Beatrice Thomas, a queer woman of color, as a “social justice drag queen,” she told the B.A.R. in a recent telephone interview. Thomas, who says she is a “millennial” but declined to state her age, works full-time as a performance artist, consultant, and producer. As host of the cabaret, Black Benatar will introduce the performers, who will include acrobat Toni Cannon, comedian Dominique Gelin, actor Steven LeMay, choreographer Zoe Donnellycolt, musician Jade Way, and dancers Whirl We Blues, Tarin Griggs, Jenna Chen, and Kaitlin Duffey. “Honestly, I have no idea of the specifics of each performance,” she said. “It’s our first time in the cabaret space, and I’d like to think of it as an out-of-the-box event. We will all be surprised.” Thomas said Black Benatar will be performing “some black magic” that she is learning with a magic “mentor.” When Thomas was creating her drag persona, “One question I asked myself was, how big and over-thetop do the makeup, hair, boobs, and butt have to be before it becomes a weapon? How exaggerated do the tropes of femininity have to be before people become intimidated?” Traditionally, said Thomas, to be “palatable,” women are encouraged to project an image of “softness.” But that form of femininity “invites people to put their hands on you or make comments that may not reflect fullness of your person. So I decided to create the kind of woman

banned the novel as “offensive to public morality,” but it remained on The New York Times bestseller list for nearly two years. Norman Mailer was among its critics, saying McCarthy was a good writer, but not good enough to write this kind of fiction. In 1966, Sidney Lumet filmed it, using a screenplay by Sidney Buchman. It’s available on DVD and for streaming. It remains vivid and topical, if less shocking.

Kay Strong (Joanna Pettet) is the first of the Group to marry. Her husband Harald Peterman (Larry Hagman) is a playwright who took graduate classes at Yale, but whom Kay describes as a “Yale man.” She goes to work at Macy’s to support him while he waits for his theatrical break. Dottie Renfrew (Joan Hackett) wants to be a welfare worker. She’s seduced by Dick Brown (Richard Mulligan), only to discover that she was simply a sexual conquest. Mary “Pokey” Prothero (Mary Robin-Redd) is the richest of the Group, and is happy to live the life of a wealthy society matron. Nextwealthiest and the most beautiful is the enigmatic, sensitive “Lakey” Eastlake (Candice Bergen in her film debut). She goes to Europe to get her Ph.D. in art history, and returns with more than a degree. Warm, patient Polly Andrews (Shirley Knight), whose family lost its money during the Depression, works as a hospital technician. Her neighbors seem to be socialists. She has an affair with a married publisher, Gus LeRoy (Hal Holbrook), who spends a fortune on psychoanalysis to determine if he should leave his wife. Beautiful English major Libby MacAusland (Jessica Walter) is hired by Gus to read manuscripts, earning $5 for each one. She fails to become an editor, but instead establishes herself as a successful literary agent. Brainy Priss Hartshorn (Elizabeth Hartman), an adamant supporter of President Roosevelt, goes to work in the National Recovery Administration. She marries the controlling Dr.

Sloan Crockett (James Congdon) and suffers after the birth of their son, Stephen, because he prevents her from bonding with the infant. Witty Helena Davidson (Kathleen Widdoes) defies family expectations to teach at an experimental school in Cleveland. The Group stays in touch, celebrates birthdays, weddings, births, and other happy events. They balance rivalry with loyalty, competitiveness with camaraderie. Kay, perhaps the most ambitious, rises rapidly at Macy’s. She insists on taking a larger apartment and furnishing it in the latest style. Harald, who has not established himself in the theatre, resents her success and becomes physically and verbally abusive. After one harrowing beating, Kay is taken to the hospital where Polly works. Kay’s shame and denial are deeply touching, as is Polly’s supportive, sympathetic response. She introduces Kay to Dr. James Ridgely (James Broderick), who offers help. Each of the Group grows in response to life’s challenges and reveals more of herself. Dottie gets over Dick without becoming bitter and marries a warm, older man. Libby, flirtatious, gossipy, with “a red scar for a mouth,” says Polly, is actually frightened of men and of sex. Polly lets Gus Edwards return to his wife without any bitterness. She and Dr. Ridgley fall in love. Kay, on the other hand, cannot admit her marriage has been a failure. Lakey introduces the Group to the severe Baroness (Lidia Prochnicka), her lover, whom she met in Europe. They accept her without hesitation. The untimely death of one of the Group unites them in tragedy for the first time. Each one’s reaction is consistent with her character. Together, they do the right thing. Lumet gets excellent work from his young cast. Part of the pleasure of the film is watching the talented actors early in their careers. Knight,

perhaps the most experienced (she had already been nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar twice), is splendid as Polly, bringing humor to a part that could easily have been merely noble. Walter relishes playing bitchy Libby, yet reveals her fears and is ultimately moving. Hackett’s Dottie projects a rueful wittiness, making her resiliency touching. Pettet is superb as Kay, capturing her drive and fear of not being the best at everything, whether it’s a model wife or a model career woman. Widdoes is excellent, especially in her confrontation with Vassar classmate Norine Blake (Carrie Nye), whose resentment at not having been one of the Group is poisonous. Hartman is fine as Priss, tormented by her controlling husband, but unable to break free and do what she knows is right. As Lakey, Bergen’s self-assurance, self-acceptance, and compassion make her performance memorable and unlike almost anything she would ever do. Her response to the angry Harald’s questions about her relationship with Kay is memorable. Hagman is fearless in portraying the troubled, mean Harald, yet keeps him multi-dimensional. Holbrook’s Gus demonstrates the risks of “analysis paralysis.” Broderick is warm, confident, and smart enough to value Polly. Buchman’s screenplay remains faithful to the novel and avoids bathos. Lumet keeps the action moving without ever stinting on character development or sharp dialogue. The Manhattan locations are evocative, beautifully rendered by Boris Kaufman’s first-rate cinematography. Anna Hill Johnstone designed the outstanding costumes. Lesbianism is no longer a big deal for much of American society, but the other issues raised by McCarthy’s novel and its film adaptation remain disturbing and unresolved.t

I wanted to lift up.” Black Benatar is “big-bodied to the extreme,” she said. “Her derriere measures somewhere between 48 and 60 inches in span. The two to three inches of padding on her breasts create the body of a diva. A diva is a female archetype that allows a woman to be a woman of size who is large and proud,” she said. “Think of Patti LaBelle or Aretha Franklin.” In mainstream society, “heavy men” can wield power, but women are prized for their youth and slender body. “I wanted to harken back to celebrate the bodies of large women.” The upcoming salon, which will include people who identify as queer and transgender, will have people of all colors “in a context centering on brownness. It’s a flip of the usual,” she said, “and is not about exclusion.” Thomas said Black Benatar has performed on the Main Stage of San Francisco Pride, at the deYoung Museum, and at the faux drag queen competition at Oasis. She was recently given an “arts enabler award” by the Arts for a Better Bay Area organization for her advocacy of queer arts. BACCE’s Edris Cooper-Anifowoshe, who coordinates the “So Soul San Francisco Black Art Salon” series, said future salons include May 17, “Black on Black: High Crimes & Misdemeanors”; and June 21, “Sugar Shack Remix.” t Info or tickets ($10-$25): www.brava.org.

Black Benatar (Beatrice Thomas) will appear at Brava’s Theater Center Cabaret.

Arts Events

Leather

Adam Ramzi Vol. 48 • No. 16 • April 19-25, 2018

www.ebar.com V www.bartabsf.com

r e h h it w f f ake o T Pa m Ann, stewardess with sn ark, crash-lands at Feinstein’s By Jim Gladstone

his past December, local fans of comedienne Caroline Reid, better known as her stage character, flight attendant Pam Ann, had the chance to experience her in the Airbus-scaled environs of the Castro Theatre. This weekend, though, she’ll be serving up private plane privilege in the luxe limited-seating cabin of Feinstein’s at the Nikko. See page 24 >>

Gooch

Pam Ann

Trog delight Joan Crawford’s monstrous cinematic swan song at Oasis by David-Elijah Nahmod

idely considered to be the worst film in legendary movie star Joan Crawford’s filmography, Trog returns to the stage as Trog Live at Oasis in what promises to be both a campy spoof and a reverential homage to the cult classic. See page 24 >>

Adam Roy and Matthew Martin in Trog Live.

{ THIRD OF THREE SECTIONS }

<< Cabaret

24 • Bay Area Reporter • April 19-25, 2018

Pam Ann

So, would you rather book a flight on the world’s largest commercial aircraft –the double-decked Airbus A380– or on a sleek Gulfstream G650, which seats only 18? On the one hand, there’s a thrill in sharing a marvel of aeronautic engineering with over 800 fellow flyers. On the other, there’s a unique intimacy –and to some, a nervewracking vulnerability– to traveling in compact cushiness. “This show will be very different,” Reid said in a recent conversation via email. “Performing in an intimate venue allows me to be much more interactive with the audience. I get to know people and take my time. It’s like when I go see Dame Edna. I want to see her play with the audience.” (Front row ticketholders, you’ve been warned.) Reid also reveals that her shows this week will include the premiere of a new video segment spoofing the hit BBC television competition The Great British Bake Off. “My version,” she notes, with typical demurity, “is called The Great British Wank Off.” In her interview with the Bay Area Reporter, Reid buckled up to answer a few questions about her high-flying life and remarkably single-minded performance niche: air hostess comedy.

Caroline has given me a huge appreciation and respect for Pam Ann. I’ll never resent her; she’s gifted me a lifetime of experience, introduced me to many friends, got me my Green Card (a native Australian, Reid now lives in Miami). She opened my life to a world of people I may never have met without her. I love her like P.L. Travers loved her character, Mary Poppins.

From page 23

Trog

From page 23

Crawford made Trog, her last theatrical feature, in 1970, when her career was in decline. In this British science fiction chiller, Crawford played Dr. Brockton, a brilliant scientist who discovers the missing link. Crawford’s producer was Herman Cohen, then the king of Poverty Row, whose credits included I Was A Teenage Frankenstein (1957). In Ryan Murphy’s recent miniseries Feud: Bette and Joan, the filming of Trog was presented as a tragedy in Crawford’s life, a film she made because she was desperate to

Given your big gay fan base and your opportunity to travel and perform worldwide, can you recommend any appealing vacation spots that may be a bit under the radar ? Phnom Penh, Cambodia is so fabulous for the gay traveler. It has my favorite transgender/ drag venue, Blue Chill. You have to check it out. I was so honored to grace the cover of the country’s first ever LGBT magazine, Q Cambodia. Cambodia’s Koh Rong Islands are also a hidden gem. My favorite island to escape to is Song Saa, which means “sweethearts” in Khmer. Pam Ann

What music do you listen to during flights between gigs? I have been in a very sad place lately after a break up, so I feed the pain with sad songs and music. I’m so dramatic! I’ve been listening to Lady Antebelum, This Mortal Coil, the Jean De Florette soundtrack, Ed Sheeran, Eminem, Fugees, Ja-

net Jackson, Michael Jackson, and Whitney Houston. I have the ear buds and they are up as loud as they can go. My take-off song is “Can You Feel It?” by Michael Jackson and my landing song is “I Gotta Feeling” by Black Eyed Peas. I guess I should update that one. As the gap between the 1% and the rest of us grows, how would you describe first class commercial flyers versus private plane users? And what’s the difference between flight attendants on private planes versus commercial? I love flying long haul First Class commercial. The flight attendants usually always take great care of me regardless of class, because of Pam Ann. I’m always in the galley chatting to the crew getting drunk anyway, so I don’t know why I ever waste my money on a First Class ticket. I love flying commercial and, well, I don’t really have a choice! To be honest, I have flown private once in my life. It was so exciting. We flew from London to Mykonos. We did an ice bucket challenge on board, I sat in the cockpit for landing and I got so drunk the rest is a blur.t

What are the biggest differences between Caroline and your stage persona Pam Ann? Pam Ann is my comfort zone. The biggest difference is that when I do stand-up as Caroline, I’m talking

about my personal life and experiences, which makes me sometimes feel more vulnerable. The Pam Ann character is based on 20 years of observation of airlines and traveling around the globe. Doing shows as

work. It was, according to Murphy, a humiliating experience for her. “She had bills to pay and was a workhorse, so I believe she was okay with making it,” said Matthew Martin, who plays Crawford’s character in Trog Live. “I know she was disappointed with the title change from Missing Link to Trog, and the final product was not what she hoped it would be. Yet it was a starring role and, star that she was, she was going to play it to the hilt. It would have been sadder had her career ended decades before and had she been a footnote in film. She had staying power and was a box office draw; nothing sad about that.”

Martin, who is often viewed as much an actor as well as a drag queen, described his unique approach to this role. “I’m playing Dr. Brockton as Joan Crawford playing Dr. Brockton and as an amalgam of her screen personae,” he said. “I will be embodying the same high stakes seriousness with which she approached the part, which allows for inspired lunacy on stage.” This is not the first time Martin has played Joan Crawford. He has in fact played her numerous times. “If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I have grown up loving and conjuring many leading ladies from the silver screen,” he said. “Bette Davis, Crawford, Judy Garland, Katherine Hepburn, Susan Hayward, to name a few, and that has always come from a deep love and respect. I never want to denigrate or mock, but to pay tribute, with a healthy dose of humor.” Other cast members include Heklina, Sue Casa, Michael Phillis, Rory Davis, Sara Moore, and physical comedy stalwart Adam Roy in the troglodyte title role. Cindy Goldfield, who is directing, cited working with Martin and producer D’Arcy Drollinger as what draws her to this project. “Generally, I look to be in a room with good people, making something that will entertain and connect with the audience,” she said. “My projects vary all over the map. I am currently Gooch also directing Call Me Madam, Heklina, Adam Roy, Matthew Martin, and Sara Moore in Trog Live. an old Ethel Merman/Irving Berlin vehicle at 42nd Street Moon. I like to have a chance not be disappointed.” ed in honesty. So, although this is to really play with my comedy skills There might even be a little glama send-up of the film and of other here at Oasis. There are not many our. Joan-isms, we still are digging into theaters that do the broad vaudeville “Head to toe, Crawford never what the characters are really are old school physical comedy with the trying to do, while all the while walked out her front door without style and balls-to-the-wall commitplaying with the broad comedy.” looking stunning, dazzling star that ment as Drollinger productions at And even though the stage at Oashe was,” Martin said. “Whatever Oasis. It’s fun to come here to play.” sis is small, Goldfield promises an trouble she was encountering in Goldfield also spoke of her own elaborate presentation. her films, she always looked great take on the project. “As in most Drollinger/Oasis doing it.”t “It’s definitely a parody, taking productions, we will incorporate from other Joan Crawford films video, tons of sound effects and ‘Trog Live’ opens at Oasis on April and quoting famous lines, but I music, dancing, crazy props and 20. Additional performances: April think my approach has been to take 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, May 4, 5, 6, 11, 12. costumes recreated to look and feel All shows at 7pm. $27.50-$45 ($250 this piece on its own merit,” she like the film, but the film through champagne table). 298 11th St. said. “D’Arcy and I talk a lot about the lens of drag,” she said. “Those www.sfoasis.com how comedy is best when it’s rootwho desire drag performance will

Pam Ann at Feinstein’s at the Nikko, 222 Mason St. April 20 & 21, 8pm. $37.50 to $70 ($20 food/drink min.) www.pamann.com www.feinsteinsatthenikko.com

April 19-25, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 25

Arts Events April 19-26

A Fatal Step @ The Marsh

Fri 20

Joan Marcus

Arts Events>>

Head Over Heels @ Curran Theatre

Jill Vice’s noir solo show, extended thru April 28. $20-$100. Thu 8pm, Sat 8:30pm. 1062 Valencia St. www.themarsh.org

SF Hiking Club @ Las Trampas Join GLBT hikers of the SF Hiking Club for a 9-mile hike at Las Trampas Ridge Regional Park. Carpool meets 8:30 at Safeway sign, Market & Dolores. (510) 599-4056. www.sfhiking.com

Velvet Variety @ Martuni’s Monthly music and comedy variety show with Lisa Appleyard, Ryan Patrick Welsh, Nick Leonard, Jack Sanches and Russell Deason, Samantha Rose Cardenas and Alex Gilliam. 7pm. 4 Valencia St.

For full listings, visit www.ebar.com/events

Thu 19 Alex Chee @ Books Inc. The acclaimed gay author ( The Queen of the Night) reads from and discusses his new book, How to Write an Autobiographical Novel. 7pm. 601 Van Ness Ave. www.booksinc.net

Classic & New Films @ Castro Theatre April 20: The Big Lebowski (7pm) and Up In Smoke (9:10). April 21 & 22: Grease sing-along (3pm, 7pm). April 23 & 24: A Fantastic Woman (2:30, 7pm) and Call Me By Your Name (4:30, 9pm). April 25: Annihilation (6:30) and Stalker (8:40). April 26: RZA performing live from the score of The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (7pm). $11. 429 Castro St. www.castrotheatre.com

Diffused Reflections @ Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts 31st annual Solo Mujeres exhibit of new works, curated by Marissa Del Toro. Also, Guerrilleras, Victoria Montero and Rebecka Biro’s exhibit of El Salvador women who endured the Civil War. Both thru April 20. 2868 Mission St. missionculturalcenter.org

Disruption @ Z Below 3Girls Theatre Company’s world premiere production of AJ Baker’s whodunit about sexual harassment, social media, miracle drugs and sexual politics. $35-$55. Thu-Sat 8pm, Sun 3pm, thru April 28. 450 Florida St. www.3girsltheatre.org

The Effect @ SF Playhouse Lucy Prebble’s play explores romance amid pill-popping culture as a straight couple fall in love, but is their passion from the drug they’re taking? $35-$55. Tue-Sun thru April 28. 450 Post St. sfplayhouse.org

The Gangster of Love @ Magic Theatre Jessica Hagedorn’s stage adaptation of her novel about her imigration from Manila, set in SF’s 1970s Haight district, with live music, poetry and video. $20-$65. Tue 7pm, Wed-Sat 8pm, Sun 2:30pm. Thru May 6. Fort Mason, 2 Marina Blvd., Bldg D. www.MagicTheatre.org

Jazz Search West @ Various Venues New weekly jazz singer/musician showcases and competition. Various dates thru Semi- Finale April 24 at Yoshi’s Oakland. https://www. livingjazz.org/jazz-search-attend

Michelle Meow Show @ 110 Embarcadero Guests Jeff Sheehy and Rafael Mandelman are interviewed by Meow, with cohost John Zipperer. Free, weekly, 12pm, Max Thelen Boardroom, 110 Embarcadero. commonwealthclub.org

My Stroke of Luck @ The Marsh Diane Barnes’ solo show about recovering from a stroke. $20-$100. Mar. 15-29, Thu 8pm & Sun 2pm. 1062 Valencia St. themarsh.org

Vietgone @ Strand Theater American Conservatory Theatre’s production of Qui Nguyen’s moving road trip comedy about three Vietnamese immigrants who trek across 1970s America. $25-$55. Tue-Sat 7pm or 7:30pm (some 2pm); Extended thru April 29. 1127 Market St. www.act-sf.org

What They Said About Love @ The Marsh Berkeley Steve Budd’s ‘Best of SF Fringe’ solo show rumination on finding love. $20-$100. Thu 8pm, Sat 5pm, Sun 2pm. Thru April 21. 2120 Allston Way. www.themarsh.org

Fri 20 Angels in America @ Berkeley Repertory Tony Kushner’s multiple awardwinning two-part epic drama about the ‘80s, AIDS and politics, returns to the Bay Area, with Randy Harrison ( Queer as Folk), Stephen Spinella (Tony-winning original cast member) and Caldwell Tidicue (Bob the Drag Queen). Part One: Millennium Approaches and Part Two: Perestroika on separate dates, and a few double-header days; many free events and talks, too. $40-$100. Tue-Sat 7pm. Most Wed, Thu Sat & Sun also 1pm. Thru April 27. 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. www.berkeleyrep.org

A Different Long Stretch of Earth @ The Flight Deck, Oakland Addie Ulry’s play about the myth of the American West, and an apocalypse-themed birthday party. $25-$45. Fri & Sat 8pm, Sun 5pm. Thru April 28. 1540 Broadway, Oakland. http://www.raggedwing. org/ http://www.theflightdeck.org/

Head Over Heels @ Curran Theatre The new Go-Go’s musical, a lighthearted Elizabethan romp, plays before its Broadway premiere. $39$175. Thru May 6. 445 Geary St. www.sfcurran.com

Megabytes the Musical @ Shelton Theater Morris Bobrow’s comedy song revue about the frustrations of technology. $25-$30. Fri & Sat 8pm. Extended thru May 5. 533 Sutter St. www.megabytesthemusical.com

M. Lamar and The Living Earth Show @ Old First Church Lordship and Bondage: The Birth of the Negro Superman, a ‘gothpostpunk-diva’ concert of works by Hegel, Nietzsche and Sun Ra. $5-$23. 10pm. 1751 Sacramento St. www.oldfirstconcerts.org

The Mystery of Love and Sex @ New Conservatory Theatre Center Bathsheba Doran’s play about a young man and woman who are very different, but find ways to connect. $20-$45. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. Thru May 20. 25 Van Ness Ave., lower level. www.nctcsf.org

A Number @ Aurora Theatre, Berkeley Caryl Churchill’s inventive drama about human cloning. $33-$65. Thru May 13. 2081 Addison St. Berkeley. www.auroratheatre.org

Smoke + Mirrors @ Ravot Exhibit of glamorous nightlife photos of local drag queens by Gareth Gooch. Extended thru April 24. 115 Clement St. https://ravot-sf.com/

Smuin Ballet @ YBCA Works by Helen Pickett, Amy Seiwet and Val Caniparoli are performed in the Dance Series 02 concert. $39-$79. Thu-Sat 8pm, Sat & Sun 2pm. Thru April 29. 700 Howard St. Touring thru Bay Area thru June 2. http://www.smuinballet.org

Trog Live @ Oasis Matthew Martin & Heklina costar in a restaging of the hilarious camp drag parody performance of Joan Crawford’s no-budget final film about a scientist and a troglodyte. $27.50-$40. Fri-Sun 7pm. Thru May 12. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Return to the Scene of the Crime @ The Marsh David Kleinberg’s solo show about his return to Vietnam 50 years after serving in the Army. $20-$100. Fri 8pm. Sat 5pm. Thru April 21. 1062 Valencia St. www.themarsh.org

Unbound Festival @ War Memorial Opera House San Francisco Ballet dancers and young choreographers premiere new works. 4 programs thru May 6. $28$365. 301 Van Ness Ave. www.sfballet.org/unbound

Sat 21 Cult of the Machine @ de Young Museum Precisionism and American Art, featuring works by Charles Sheeler, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Charles Demuth and industrial objects of the era; thru Aug. 12. Also, modern and historic art, including embroidery, Maori portraits and installations. Free/$15. 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, Golden Gate Park. www.famsf.org

Divine Bodies @ Asian Art Museum New exhibit of sculptures and works about the Buddha, humans and their environments; thru July 29. Also, Traces of the Past and Future, Fu Shen’s painting and calligraphy, thru Sept. Many other exhibits of sculpture and antiquities. Sunday café specialties from $7-$16. Free$20. Tue-Sun 10am-5pm. 200 Larkin St. www.asianart.org

Xian Rui: Ten Years @ Chinese Cultural Center

Tue 24 Designed in California @ SF MOMA Exhibits of Pop, Abstract and Modern art, including Designed in California (thru May 27), Sublime Seas: John Akomfrah and J.M.W. Turner (thru Sept. 16), Nothing Stable under Heaven (thru Sept. 16), The Train: RFK’s Last Journey (thru June 10) and Alexander Calder: Scaling Up (thru Aug. 19). Free/$25. Fri-Tue 10am6pm. 151 3rd St. www.sfmoma.org

Dining Out for Life @ Bay Area Restaurants Raise funds for the SF AIDS Foundation while dining at participating restaurants. doflsf.org/participating-restaurants

t.w.five @ Museum of Craft & Design

Exhibit of works representing the Center’s first decade. Thru Aug. 18. CCC Visual Art Center, 750 Kearny St., third floor. www.cccsf.us

Installation of a lesbian couple’s “home” and an exploration of domestic life. Also, Tom Loeser’s Please Please Please, artistic unusual handmade chair sculptures. Both thru May 20. 2569 Third St. sfmcd.org/

Sun 22

Various Events @ Oakland LGBTQ Center

Contraption @ Contemporary Jewish Museum Contraption: Rediscovering California Jewish Artists, a new group exhibit of works by 16 artists who explore the idea of the “machines,” including ceramics, drawings, sculpture and paintings by Ned Kahn, Bella Feldman, Howard Fried, and Annabeth Rosen. Thru July 29. 736 Mission St. www.thecjm.org

Casanova: The Seduction of Europe @ Legion of Honor See Rococo finery in an 80-work tour of paintings, furniture and lavish objects. Thru May 28. Also, Séraphin Soudbinine, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Framing the Body, Mummies and Medicine and other exhibits of classical and modern art. Free/$30. Lincoln Park, 100 34th Ave. www.egionofhonor.famsf.org

The Leaf Trio @ Old First Church Earth Day benefit concert of works by Saint-Saens, Brahms, and Beethoven, and a celebratory arrangement of Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires “Spring.” $5-$20. 4pm. 1751 Sacramento St. www.oldfirstconcerts.org

Queer Tango @ Finnish Hall, Berkeley Same-sex partner tango dancing, including lessons for newbies, food and drinks. $5-$10. 3:30pm6:30pm. 1970 Chestnut St, Berkeley. www.finnishhall.org

Mon 23 Judah Friedlander @ Independent The comic actor ( 30 Rock) pops in with his new show (also April 22 at Griffo Gin Distillery, Petaluma). Matt Lieb and Irene Tu open. $25. 8pm. 628 Divisadero St. www.theindependentsf.com

Illuminating Artifacts @ GLBT History Museum Illuminating Artifacts: Preserving Our Queer Material Culture (online donation campaign). Empowerment in Print: LGBTQ Activism, Pride & Lust , a mini-exhibit of periodicals from the collection. Also, Angela Davis: OUTspoken, a new exhibit of art and ephemera about the historic lesbian activist and scholar, and Faces of the Past: Queer Lives in Northern California Before 1930, part of the Queer Past Becomes Present main exhibit. $5. 4127 18th St. www.glbthistory.org

Social events and meetings at the new LGBTQ center include film screenings and workshops, including Bruthas Rising, trans men of color meetings, 4th Tuesdays, 6:30pm. Film screenings, 4th Saturdays, 7:30pm. Game nights, Fridays 7:30pm-11pm. Vogue sessions, first Saturdays. 3207 Lakeshore Ave. Oakland. oaklandlgbtqcenter.org

Will Durst @ The Marsh The satirical comic returns with his politically-themed show, Durst Case Scenario. $20-$100. 8pm. Tuesdays thru May 29. 1062 Valencia St. www.themarsh.org

Wed 25 Father Comes Home From the War (Parts 1, 2 & 3) @ Geary Theatre American Conservatory Theater and Yale Repertory Theatre’s production of Suzan-Lori Parks’s epic drama trilogy inspired by Homer’s The Odyssey, reset during the U.S. Civil War. $35-$85. Thru May 20. 415 Geary St. www.act-sf.org

Respect: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom @ Oakland Museum New exhibit that visualizes the movement and sound of the music genre, with many live events through the run, including Friday night parties and performances. Free-$16. Wed-Sun. Thru Aug. 12. 1000 Oak St., Oakland. www.museumca.org

Thu 26 Film Screenings @ BAM/PFA Artistic and award-winning films, including documentaries about artists; ongoing. 2155 Center St., Berkeley. www.bampfa.org

Literary Speakeasy @ Martuni’s The monthly author night, hosted by James J Siegel, features National Poetry Month, with Preeti Vangani, Daniel Ari, Marguerite Munoz, Peter Kline, and Norma Smith. 7pm. 4 Valencia St. at Market.

Spring Selections @ Jenkins Johnson Gallery Group exhibit of print and paintings honoring Women’s History Month, featuring works by Lalla Essaydi, Aida Muluneh, Nnenna Okore, Julia FullertonBatten, Wesaam Al-Badry, Blessing Ngobeni, Omar Victor Diop, Gordon Parks, Hendrik Kerstens, and Julian Opie. Thru May 12. 464 Sutter St. www.jenkinsjohnsongallery.com

<< Nightlife Events

26 • Bay Area Reporter • April 19-25, 2018

Thu 19 After Dark @ Exploratorium The cocktails and science night for adults, with installations throughout the hands-on exhibit museum. April 19: NASA scientists share films, tlaks and demos on InSight Lander’s mission to Mars. April 26: SOFIA, Reflections on the universe from 40,000 feet. $20. 6pm-10pm. Pier 15 at Embarcadero. exploratorium.edu

Bare Chest Calendar Prelims @ Powerhouse Cheer on contestants in the sexy calendar fundraiser. $5. 8pm-10pm. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

NightLife @ California Academy of Sciences The museum parties showcase science topics and provide ample space for dancing, schmoozing and spectating. $12-$15. 6pm-10pm. 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park. https://www.calacademy.org/nightlife

Nile Rodgers & Chic, The English Beat @ The Fox, Oakland Enjoy classic disco and pop music with the master, and the ska-pop British band. $55-$75. 1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. nilerodgers.com

Royal Variety Show @ Moby Dick Queen Dilly Dally’s weekly fun variety show of drag, music and even puppets. 9pm-11pm. 4049 18th St. www.queendillydally.com

Comedy Returns @ El Rio

Sundance Saloon @ Space 550

The fun monthly comedy show this time features Justin Lucas, Ian Williams, Barry Fischer, Eve Meyer and MC Lisa Geduldig. $10-$20. 8pm. 3158 Mission St. elriosf.com

The Country-Western line-dancing two-stepping dance event celebrates 20 years. Free thru April 29; $5 after. 5pm-10:30pm. Also Sundays. 550 Barneveld Ave. sundancesaloon.org

The Monster Show @ The Edge The weekly drag show with host Sue Casa, DJ MC2, themed nights and hilarious fun. $5. 9pm-2am. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

The drag and performance night takes on an “Alloy” theme; metallic couture encouraged, with Donna Persona, Jillian Gnarling, Yves St. Croissant, plus DJs Juanita MORE!, Jordee, Scorpion Warrior and Gossip Cat. $5-$10. 10pm-4am. 399 9th St. www. studsf.com

Fri 20 Bearpad @ Lone Star Saloon Opening reception for the artist’s installation of colorful bears and penises ($20 each!) plus T-shirts. 6pm8pm. 1354 Harrison St. lonestarsf.com

La Bomba Latina @ Club OMG Drag show with DJ Jaffeth. $5. 9pm2am. 43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

Thu 19 Dulce de Leche hosts Junk @ The Powerhouse

Donna Sachet’s Songs for No Reason @ Russian Center Enjoy comedy and music with MC Sachet, special guest stars Bruce Vilanch, Shawn Ryan, Kitty Tapata, Ronn Vigh, Kim Nalley, Shann Carr, Brian Kent, Jessica Coker, and Michael Grossman at the piano, a full bar, select silent auction items, and laughs by the boat-load. $45 and up. Proceeds benefit the Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation. 8pm-10pm. 2450 Sutter St. www.eventbrite.com

Friday Night Live @ El Rio Enjoy the weekly queer and LGBTfriendly live acoustic concerts. April 20: Secret Emchy Society, Shawna Virago, and Lavender Scared. $5pm. 3158 Mission St. www.elriosf.com

Higher & Higher @ Oasis

Junk @ Powerhouse MrPam and Dulce de Leche cohost the weekly underwear strip night and contest, with sexy prizes. $5. 10pm2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Creature XV @ The Stud

CJ Knight

For full listings, visit www.ebar.com/events

Enjoy a 420 pot-friendly party on the club’s outdoor rooftop patio. 8pm-on. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Kurtis Wolfe, Adam Ramzi @ Nob Hill Theatre Porn stud Wolfe strips solo (8pm) and in duo stage sex shows with Ramzi (10pm) at the famed strip club. $25. Also April 21. 729 Bush St. at Powell. 397-6758. thenobhilltheatre.com

Lambda Legal Soirée @ Fairmont Hotel 45th anniversary gala fundraiser for the LGBT legal aide nonprofit that’s fought for justice for nearly half a century; with speakers Ryan Karnoski, Sharon McGowan, and performance by Josh Klipp and the Klipptones. $350 and up. 6pm-10pm. 950 Mason St. www.lambdalegal.org/sfsoiree

Latin Explosion @ Club 21 The popular Latin club includes drag shows, with gogo guys, drink specials and table reservations available. $10$20. 10pm-3am. 2111 Franklin St., Oakland. www.club21oakland.com

The Speakeasy @ Secret Location The ongoing ‘theatre, booze, gambling and retro costumes’ participatory experience takes you back to Prohibition-era debauchery. $50-$90. Fri & Sat thru June 16. www.thespeakeasysf.com

Wuhfff @ Powerhouse Pedal Pups’ canine-themed AIDS Ride fundraiser. $5. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Sat 21 Beatpig @ Powerhouse Juanita MORE! and crew’s eclectic glam and butch queer night. $5. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

D.A.D. @ Driftwood Gay Marvine and Bus Station John guest-DJ (with residents Kelly Naughton and Michael Romano) Leon Fox’s Dudes And Disco, the popular monthly night for cubs, otters, bearded DILFs and the guys who like ‘em. $5-$10. 9pm-2am. 1225 Folsom St. driftwoodbarsf.com

GameBoi SF @ Rickshaw Stop The dance party for Gaysians and their pals lights up the Civic Center club with a “Flora & Fauna” theme. $8$15. 9:30pm-3am. 155 Fell St. www.rickshawstop.com

Mother @ Oasis Heklina’s popular drag show, with special guests and great music themes. DJ MC2 plays grooves. April 21 is a Ladies of the ‘90s tribute. $15. 10pm-3am (11:30pm show). 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Nightlife Events April 19-26

ReddRoxx @ Lone Star Saloon

High Fantasy @ Aunt Charlie’s Lounge

DJ Brd’s monthly manly night. 9pm2am. 1354 Harrison St. lonestarsf.com

Weekly drag and variety show, with live acts and lip-synching divas, plus DJed grooves. $5. Shows at 10:30pm & 12am. 133 Turk St. at Taylor. www.auntcharlieslounge.com

Velvet Variety @ Martuni’s Monthly music and comedy variety show with isa Appleyard, Ryan Patrick Welsh, Nick Leonard, Jack Sanches and Russell Deason, Samantha Rose Cardenas and Alex Gilliam. 7pm. 4 Valencia St.

The Vultures, Secret Emchy Society @ Monkey House, Berkeley String band plays bawdy forgotten classics, and Cindy Emch, “Oakland’s First Ldy of queer country,” the local Americana band, opens. 8pm. 1638 University Ave., Berkeley. www.themonkeyhouse.org

Sun 22 AIDS Walk Fundraiser @ Aunt Charlie’s

Vice Tuesdays @ Q Bar Queer femme and friends dance party with hip hop, Top 40 and throwbacks at the stylish intimate bar, with DJs Val G and Iris Triska. 9pm-2am. 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

Wed 25 A Bar of One’s Own @ The Stud Writers Happy Hour at the historic bar, with a reading by Yetunde Olagbaju. 5pm-7pm. 10pm-2am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Dick at Nite @ Moby Dick Grace Towers’ weekly drag show at the fun local bar. 9pm-12am. 4049 18th St. /www.mobydicksf.com

Royal Crown Prince Jimmy McConnell’s fundraiser for the nonprofit, with Grand Duchess 42 Roxy-Cotton Candy, raffles and prizes. Food 4pm, drag show 5pm. 133 Turk St. http://auntcharlieslounge.com/

Follies & Dollies @ White Horse Bar, Oakland

Beer Bust @ Lone Star Saloon

Freeball Wednesdays @ The Cinch

Beer, bears, food and beats at the weekly fundraiser for various local charities; April 22, SF Fog Rugby Club serves up Jell-O shots. $15. 4pm-8pm. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Free pool and drink specials at the historic neighborhood bar. 8pm-1am. 1723 Polk St. www.cinchsf.com

Blessed @ Port Bar, Oakland Carnie Asada’s fun drag night with Carnie’s Angels Mahlae Balenciaga and Au Jus, plus DJ Ion. 2023 Broadway. www.portbaroakland.com

Sunday’s a Drag @ Starlight Room The weekly brunch and drag show with a panoramic view. $45. 11am, show at noon; 1:30pm, show at 2:30pm. 450 Powell St. in Union Square. 395-8595. \www.starlightroomsf.com

Underwear Night @ 440 Strip down to your skivvies at the popular men’s night. 9pm-2am. 440 Castro St. 621-8732. the440.com

Tue 24 Dining Out for Life @ Bay Area Restaurants Raise funds for the SF AIDS Foundation while dining at participating restaurants doflsf.org/participating-restaurants

Weekly drag show at the historic gay bar. 9:30pm-11:30pm. 6551 Telegraph Ave, (510) 652-3820. whitehorsebar.com

Miss Kitty’s Trivia Night @ Wild Side West The weekly fun night at the Bernal Heights bar includes prizes, hosted by Kitty Tapata. No cover. 7pm-10pm. 424 Cortland St. 647-3099. www.wildsidewest.com

Pan Dulce @ Beaux The hot weekly Latin dance night with drag divas and goog studs, hosted by Amaya Blac and Delilah Befierce. $6. 9pm-2am (free before 10:30pm). 2344 Market St. www.clubpapi.com

Queeraoke @ El Rio Dulce de Leche and Rahni NothingMore, Beth Bicoastal, Ginger Snap and Thee Pristine Condition perform, plus karaoke for queens. 9pm. 3158 Mission St. elriosf.com

Thu 26 Betty Roi @ Feinstein’s Enjoy authentic Parisian romantic music from the Piaf-inspired singer. $19-$40 ($20 food/drink min.). 8pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. www.feinsteinsatthenikko.com/

Club Beautiful @ Elbo Room VivvyAnne Forevermore’s monthly drag show with pop-up shops and DJed grooves. $10. 10pm-2am. 647 Valencia St. www.elbo.com

Leather>>

April 19-25, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 27

Collateral damage

Daniel Samblanet

Winners of this year’s Woodies, the Golden Gate Guards’ Golden Dildeaux Awards, held at the SF Eagle and benefitting Positive Resource Center.

by Race Bannon

ne of the ramifications of badly worded legislation is that often there are unintended collateral damage consequences. Recently, the President signed into law illconceived and overly broad legislation referred to as SESTA/FOSTA, an amendment to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA). The legislation purports to target the problem of human sex trafficking by make websites, social media platforms and other online services liable for user content related to sex trafficking. The legislation is applicable retroactively. While this appears to be a good thing on its surface, enabling law enforcement to fend off the real problem of human trafficking, the collateral damage to all of us has already begun and is likely to get worse. Liz Highleyman wrote an excellent article, “New federal law spurs online sex work crackdown,” in this publication’s April 12, 2018 issue. I recommend you read Liz’s article that explains the legislation and how it impacts sex workers specifically. Here, however, I’d like to explain how SESTA/FOSTA might impact all of us who live, socialize and play within the kinky, sexuality-identity subcultures and even the non-kinky who are LGBTQ. By passing this legislation to ostensibly reduce sex trafficking, Congress has made life worse and less safe for sex workers in that line of work by choice while at the same time creating a legal atmosphere that may squelch other sexual content online, thereby impacting many of us beyond the sex work trade. Many who advocate for free speech and an open internet say this legislation could lead to censorship and the stifling of innovation. But assuming you’re not a sex worker, how might this legislation impact your individual leather, kink or LGBTQ sex life? Since leather, kink and many other sex-related sites tend to be smaller operations than the bigger online platforms, they might not have the financial resources to fight any charges brought against them due to the legislation, even if the charges are blatantly false. This sort of economic pressure could put existing sites out of business and stifle the launching of new sites in the future. Already the mere fear of such prosecution has forced Craigslist to shut down their Personals section. More drastic measures to dodge this badly crafted legislation’s tentacles are likely from other sites as well. Imagine you’re using your favorite cruising app or site. Just one of thousands of users happens to use language that alludes to sex work of

Louis Shackleton

Hardy Haberman, renowned leatherman and Co-Chair of Woodhull Foundation.

which the site operators are entirely unaware. That site could endure harsh prosecution and penalties putting a heavy burden on their finances. Some might not survive such a legal battle and go out of business. Your favorite cruising platform is no more. Now imagine you’re one of those existing sites and you want to do whatever it takes to avoid prosecution. One mechanism you deploy is the use of heavy filtering tools that might block some of the now illegal content. However, those same filters might just as likely filter out totally legitimate content because the filters end up culling and deleting content in an overly broad manner. No filtering mechanism is perfect, and they want to err on the side of caution. Those of us active on social media are already quite aware of seemingly innocent posts being flagged in violation of terms of service, or users being locked out of their accounts for often entirely unfounded reasons, with no recourse. Now imagine this happening a lot more from now on. Over-reliance on automated filters to delete borderline posts or content seems inevitable. When these platforms err on the side of censorship, marginalized voices are censored disproportionately. Make no mistake, we leather, kink and LGBTQ people are indeed still marginalized, and our online freedoms are in danger. Because our physical spaces (bars, meeting spaces, play spaces, education venues, and so on) are shrinking in number and becoming more expensive to rent, more of our communications, connections and organizing are done online today. Heavier restrictions on sexual content could easily impede our online lives and damage our communities. As Elliot Harmon wrote for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works to defend civil liberties in the digital world, “It’s easy to see the impact that this ramp-up in liability will have on online speech: facing the risk of ruinous litigation, online

Kink communities censored by federal overreach

platforms will have little choice but to become much more restrictive in what sorts of discussion –and what sorts of users– they allow, censoring innocent people in the process.” Speaking for himself and not officially for his organization, Hardy Haberman, renowned leatherman and Co-Chair of Woodhull Foundation, a national human rights organization that works full-time to affirm and protect sexual freedom as a fundamental human right, said this about SESTA/FOSTA. “This bill snuck in because of lazy politicians,” said Haberman. “The shitstorm that is Trump sucked all the air out of the media. The bill is written so voting against it was like the old question, ‘When did you stop beating your wife?’ No good answer except to vote for it. After all, who doesn’t want to stop underaged trafficking? Framing is everything. Rather than actually addressing the nuances surrounding sex work, they just tossed everything in the same bucket.” So, what can you do about this? Sadly, it’s now the law of the land. Considering the overwhelming numbers in Congress who voted for this from both sides of the aisle, Congress amending this further in the short term probably won’t happen. Our own Senators, Kamala Harris and Diane Feinstein, both supported the bill. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t let your Senators and Representatives know how upset you are with this legislation. Maybe enough pissed off voices will make them consider revising the law. Write and call your elected officials. Ask them to alter the law. Ask them to clarify if they consider all sex work to be sex trafficking. Express support for sex work decriminalization as endorsed by the United Nations and Amnesty International as a measure to fight trafficking and protect sex workers. Another hope lies in any potential lawsuits that might be filed against the legislation and, if they are, we need to support the people and organizations mounting those legal challenges with our voices and our money. Getting a Woodie Speaking of sexual freedoms, I attended an annual local event this past weekend at the San Francisco Eagle, the 46th Golden Gate Guards’ Golden Dildeaux Awards, also known as The Woodies. These humorous awards are intended to poke fun at various sexual activities while at the same time provide a unique charity fundraising opportunity. With the cloud hanging over our online sex lives right now, it’s nice to have an event that celebrates the overtly sexual and kinky among us. In 1972, the awards were created by the late Mister Marcus who founded the leather column you’re now reading. Mister Marcus asked the Golden Gate Guards in 1994 if they would continue the tradition as a fundraising activity for the AIDS Emergency Fund (AEF). In 2018, AEF became part of the Positive Resource Center (PRC), the official beneficiary of this event. People “vote” by donating one dollar for each vote cast and they can vote as much as they want because the more votes cast the more money raised for PRC. Congratulations to Golden Gate Guards for another fun event. www.ggguards.orgt For Leather Events Listings, visit www.ebar.com/events Race Bannon is a local author, blogger and activist. You can reach him on his website, www.bannon.com.

Playmates and soul mates...

San Francisco:

1-415-692-5774 18+ MegaMates.com

<< XXX Interview

28 • Bay Area Reporter • April 19-25, 2018

Adam Ramzi The smart & sexy porn stud costars at The Nob Hill Theatre

I do think it was misguided and was missing some political nuances, but also it makes me wonder sometimes. If Hillary was elected outright, there’s every chance that we’d just have more apathy among young people. Right now, young people are outraged. And they should be. And I’ve seen more people my age running for Congress in this country than, I don’t know... ever? Our generation is waking up. And that’s the weird silver lining coming out of this mess. I just hope the damage being done isn’t irreparable. Because it is certainly scary. Adam Ramzi

by Cornelius Washington

t is rare that a man in 21st-century modern gay pornography is able to balance Armani male model looks, physicality and unbridled sexuality, with a brain and degree to match. Adam Ramzi sets a standard for gay porn that is unrivaled and unabashed. In his premiere series of performances at The Nob Hill Theatre, with his equally stunning performance partner, Kurtis Wolfe, The Nob Hill Theatre will reach a new high in both pornography and performance. The Bay Area Reporter caught up with him at home, where was making homemade sambuca. You’ve lived in San Francisco for several years, and you’re finally performing at this legendary venue. How do you feel? Well, I don’t actually live in San Francisco any more, but I still consider it my home away from home. I’m very excited to come back for my first true Nob Hill experience.

What kind of performances are you looking to create with your partner, Kurt Wolfe? I’m sure Kurtis and I will discuss when we get together that weekend how we’re going to play our performance, but based on our past interaction, I can guarantee you there will be lots of chemistry. He has a very unique brand of magic that mixes very well with mine. We respond well to each other, and it feels very organic. How often have you performed live sex shows, and what interests you about them? This will be my first of its kind. Though I have an exhibitionist side, and am no stranger to the stage, I have never actually performed in a live sex show, so this will be an experience! Where are you from, and how did your upbringing impact how you’ve embraced your sexuality? I grew up in suburban Los Angeles, in an Armenian American household. Sex was never something openly discussed, but access to pornography was not at all difficult. So that was helpful, of course. You’ve worked with some really amazing scene partners! Who are your next fantasy partners? I’ll answer with a local favorite - I have no idea how the universe has allowed me to be in the industry this long without having shared a scene with Jessie Colter. We even lived in the same city for three years, and only came close once. And it was my fault, for some reason I had to back out of a shoot and we never got paired up again. Silly me. Who are your fantasy celebrity scene partners? Like... non-porn celebrities? I want to make out with Nyle DiMarco and make him laugh. My answer might be different tomorrow.

What’s most surprised you about the kinds of men who become porn actors? I love the smarties. Give me a porn star with a brain and a sense of humor, and it usually ends up overshadowing their sex appeal. But the combination doesn’t hurt, of course. You have a Masters in psychology, with an emphasis on the LGBTQ community. Please share with my readers the aspects of the community that you see your work addressing. I have not begun the process of pursuing a Ph.D. yet, but I do have the masters and am on track toward an MFT license. The recurring theme with my clients tends to be shame-based. We have a lot of shame in our community, and it affects how we connect with others, how we feel about sex, and how we self-actualize. What issues/concerns do gay men most often present to you in your practice? Without getting into too many specifics, it’s almost always relational stuff. Clients and fellas who write in to my sex and love advice column (on gay lifestyle blog, Where Gentlemen Go) almost always are exploring alternative relationship styles, and are looking for ways to feel better about wanting to experience connection outside of the normative relationship model. I feel very fortunate to be an advocate for such exploration. Socially, what do you see gay men getting right and wrong with each other? I think social media interaction has steered some of the ways we connect within the community offcourse. Maybe that’s not a gay thing, maybe it’s just the time we are living in, but it’s bled into our community and how we address issues that affect us. The people who are aware of it do a pretty good job of being kind and inclusive to all LGBTQ folk in realtime social interactions, but there’s still a long way to go for most. What’s your take on the gay porn actors who publicly support Trump (Colby Keller, Sergeant Miles)? Sergeant Miles is very sexy, but in the brief interaction I’ve had with him, as well as what I’ve seen of his twitter activity, I’ve noticed a lot of kind of obvious language and behavior. You can’t really reason with someone whose political stance is, ‘This is how I feel, and nothing you say can change my mind!’ Again, the whole social media thing has turned political discourse in this country into people just fighting for the last word. As for Colby Keller, his position was a little different. It was misguided, to be sure, but it wasn’t outright support of Trump. It was the more Sarandonian (yes, I made that up) position that he’d rather see a major shake-up in the system than follow the damaging status quo.

Returning to your personal life, what does a man have to do or be to get your romantic attention/ consider him LTR material, if you’re even interested? I will admit, this is a bit of a soft spot at the moment, as I am currently transitioning out of something long-term. So it’s kind of hard to say. I’d like to say that emotional maturity is something I look for in a man, but that’s kind of bullshit, because I tend to be attracted to man-children. I love charm. I love sparks of youthful, playful energy. But oftentimes, that does not result in long-term success. If I could find someone who blends those two dichotomies, and is competently polyamory-minded, then I’d be open to seeing where that goes. When The Nob Hill Theatre’s curtains open, its spotlight caresses your physique and its sound system begins to pump an amazing beat, what will occupy your thoughts, as you give your fans an amazing show? I’ll be nervous, at first. But then I’ll look around and remember the history of this space. I’ll look at Kurtis, and I already know he will feed me confidence with just a glance, and then I will say, “Let’s do

Adam Ramzi

this,” and we will make some Nob Hill Magic.t

Read much more with Adam Ramzi at www.ebar.com/bartab. Adam Ramzi performs with Kurtis Wolfe at The Nob Hill Theatre. Thursday, April 19 is Circle Jerk, the interactive downstairs fun ($15, 9pm). April 20 & 21 are 8pm

(Kurtis solo) & 10pm (Adam and Kurtis) shows. $25. 729 Bush St. http://thenobhilltheatre.com/ Twitter: twitter.com/adamramzixxx Where Gentlemen Go column: http://wheregentlemengo.com/ Cornelius Washington’s Erotic Photography: www.cuirphoto.com

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