April 28, 2011 edition of the Bay Area Reporter

Plan for AIDS vigil plaque

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SF International Film Festival, week 2

BARtab “Hey Bartender!” Man Behind Bars Goin’ to a GoGo The War on Fun

Sex in the city

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Serving the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities since 1971

Vol. 41 • No. 17 • April 28-May 4, 2011

DOMA law firm pulls out

Bill Wilson

Police Chief Greg Suhr is sworn in Wednesday by Mayor Ed Lee as Judge Katherine Feinstein and City Attorney Dennis Herrera look on.

by Lisa Keen

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ess than two weeks after a high-powered law firm signed a contract to represent the House of Representatives in defending the Defense of Marriage Act in federal court, it announced it was withdrawing from the case. King and Spalding, an international firm headquartered in Atlanta that boasts of its commitment to diversity and non-discrimination for LGBT attorneys, issued a statement Monday, April 25, saying it was filing Robert D. Hays Jr. the necessary motion to withdraw as counsel. “Today the firm filed a motion to withdraw from its engagement to represent the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group of the House of Representatives on the constitutional issues regarding Section III of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act,” said the statement, attributed to firm chairman Robert D. Hays Jr. “Last week we worked diligently through the process required for withdrawal. “In reviewing this assignment further,” said Hays, “I determined that the process used for vetting this engagement was inadequate. Ultimately, I am responsible for any mistakes that occurred and apologize for the challenges this may have created.” Hays’s statement raised as many questions as it may have answered. Would the firm revet the assignment in a more adequate way? What was the mistake? What challenges did the mistake create? But Les Zuke, director of communications for the firm, said he could not provide any information beyond the statement. And the lead attorney identified by the contract signed April 14 between the firm and the House’s general counsel – former Bush administration official Paul Clement – resigned immediately from the firm, saying King and Spalding’s withdrawal from the case was due to the “extremely unpopular” position the firm had agreed to defend. Clement’s resignation letter, published by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, suggests he made the decision to take the case and that he will still represent the House. “I would have never undertaken this matter unless I believed I had the full backing of the firm,” wrote Clement. “... But having undertaken the representation, I believe there is no honorable course for me but to complete it.” See page 12 >>

Jane Philomen Cleland

A ‘hunky’ Easter party H

unky Jesus contestant Antonio Naraujo, left, is greeted by John Parr at the hippythemed “Old Habits Dye Hard” Easter party in

Dolores Park Sunday, April 24. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence’s annual afternoon party included contests, and fun under sunny skies.

Suhr sworn in as police chief by Seth Hemmelgarn

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Rick Gerharter

David Gin and Tom Rogers from the Castro Lions conduct a raffle to benefit the Pink Triangle display during last Sunday’s beer bust at the Eagle Tavern.

Fate of SF Eagle is uncertain by Seth Hemmelgarn

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fter weeks of others trying to buy San Francisco’s iconic Eagle Tavern, the bar’s future remains uncertain. Mark Frazier, who owns the Dallas Eagle, had been working with Eagle manager Ron Hennis for days to try to buy the bar. But Frazier

announced this week that he’s dropping out. He expressed frustration in trying to deal with the bar’s landlord, John Nikitopoulos, who he said wants to raise the rent, among other issues. He also said Nikitopoulos hasn’t returned his calls. On top of that, Nikitopoulos apparently See page 13 >>

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ay city leaders and others in San Francisco praised new Police Chief Greg Suhr as a “cop’s cop” Wednesday morning, April 27, the day Suhr was sworn in. Suhr, who has been with the department for 30 years, said he was “humbled” by his selection. “Wow,” he told a crowd of city officials and supporters after Mayor Ed Lee swore him in at City Hall. “I can’t begin to thank Mayor Lee enough. I’m speechless. I owe him everything. This is the biggest honor.” Suhr, who choked up repeatedly while making his comments, described growing up in the city and said he’s spent the last 30 years “working side by side with the community” and the “incredible” police department. “I have the utmost respect for the officers who put their lives on the line every day,” said Suhr, who noted he’s worked in several assignments and neighborhoods during his career with the department. Most recently, he was the captain of the Bayview Station, overseeing one of the city’s most violent neighborhoods. He’s also been captain at the Mission Station, which includes the largely gay Castro neighborhood. Suhr’s also worked as a patrol officer and in the department’s narcotics unit, among other posts. At Wednesday’s ceremony, Lee expressed admiration for Suhr’s leadership skills and confidence in Suhr’s ability to bring more accountability to the department. Referring to Suhr’s Bayview assignment, Lee said the new chief “has done wonders in that See page 10 >>

<< Community News

2 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 28-May 4, 2011

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Jane Philomen Cleland

Dunning recognized by Yee

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etired Naval Commander Zoe Dunning, left, is congratulated by state Senator Leland Yee, who named her as the 2011 Woman of the Year for the 8th Senate District. Dunning, an out lesbian, has been an outspoken civil rights leader who serves on the national board of Servicemembers Legal Defense

Network, which was one of the leading organizations working to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Dunning was honored at a reception Monday, April 25 at Noble in San Francisco. Yee, a candidate for mayor, said he was proud to honor Dunning for her years of fighting for LGBT equality.

Thrift shop giving almost $95,000 to groups by Seth Hemmelgarn

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nonprofit San Francisco thrift store that works with other charities, many of them LGBT, recently distributed thousands of dollars to the groups. And there’s more to come. The news is in contrast to recent reports that other community-based organizations have been unable to make payments to their beneficiaries, as the Bay Area Reporter has reported since last summer. Corey Ruda, the marketing director for Community Thrift Store, at 623 Valencia Street, said the shop distributed a combined $94,000 to more than 175 agencies last week. The payments were for the first quarter of the year. The store “started off primarily in 1982 to raise money for HIV research, and throughout the years, it’s just grown to include every type of charity,” said Ruda, who is gay. Current beneficiaries offer services ranging from providing meals to people living with AIDS to helping neighborhoods plant trees. One agency the store has helped is the AIDS Emergency Fund, which has received about $377,000 through its partnership since 1988, according to AEF Executive Director Mike Smith. AEF received almost $3,000 at the store’s partner appreciation night last Thursday. In addition, the associated Breast Cancer Emergency Fund received about $400. Smith, who said 100 percent of the money it receives from the store goes to pay bills for clients, spoke highly of the thrift store. “We’ve always loved them,” he said. “We’ve sent people to them to drop off items all the time. ... It’s really a remarkable fundraising model that they’ve got.” The way it works is each charity is assigned a code. When someone brings donations to Community Thrift to benefit a specific group, the items are coded with that group’s number. “We shoot for 40 percent of the sales to go back to the charities,” said Ruda. The rest goes to overhead. The store welcomes a wide variety of goods, from clothing to furniture, as long as the items are clean and sellable. “If we have to throw it away, it’s an expense to us and the charities

Rick Gerharter

The Community Thrift Store held an appreciation reception for its member nonprofits last week as guests visited amidst the used furniture, clothing, and other merchandise for sale at the store on Valencia Street.

we serve,” the shop’s website says. The store, which has 23 paid employees, has an operating budget of approximately $1.5 million. That’s up from about $1.4 million last year. Ruda, 42, said that total payments each quarter are “usually close to $100,000,” so the store distributes about $400,000 a year. “We’re actually doing as well as or a little better” than last year, which he said was the shop’s “all time high.” In contrast, the LGBT Pride Celebration Committee and Academy of Friends, two nonprofits that distribute money to community partners, have struggled this past year and have not been able to make full payments. Pride interim Executive Director Brendan Behan that the board on Tuesday approved a $3,000 payment to the community partners; Behan is also donating $2,000 to supplement that amount, bringing the total payment to $5,000. Academy of Friends has not responded to messages seeking comment on its current situation. It is believed AOF has not made additional payments to its beneficiaries since December. Ruda attributes Community Thrift’s success in part to people’s recessionary shopping habits. “It’s popular to buy used, and now it’s necessary for a lot of people to buy used,” he said. He also said what’s helped is “being around since 1982 in the same spot” and covering “such a wide range of

causes that people know whatever their cause is, they can donate to us and it will help support their cause.” Community Thrift’s taking applications for new charities to join. “We’re trying not to go too much over 200 charities. There’s always a slight wait list, and charities are added and dropped quarterly,” said Ruda. Organizations receive warnings and are then dropped if they don’t make enough sales. Ruda indicated the minimum amount is $200 a month in gross receipts. He estimated three to five groups are removed each quarter. Project Open Hand, which provides meals and groceries for the critically ill, including people with HIV/AIDS, doesn’t appear to be in any danger of losing its partnership with the thrift shop. The agency is supposed to receive about $2,700 for the first quarter. Bob Brenneman, Project Open Hand’s director of development and marketing, said the store has provided his agency with almost $341,000 since 1988. “They’ve continued to be really steady and very faithful,” said Brenneman, who also has a relationship with Community Thrift as a shopper. “I love old books,” and the store is “one of the few places you’re actually going to find old books anymore,” he said.▼ For more information visit www.communitythriftsf.org.

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Community News >>

April 28-May 4, 2011 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 3

East Bay women’s cancer center celebrates its silver anniversary by Heather Cassell

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efore pink ribbons and breast cancer walks, a small, driven group of women living with cancer launched a groundbreaking organization to address the needs of women grappling with the lifethreatening disease. Twenty-five years ago, the Women’s Cancer Resource Center was spearheaded by veteran lesbian activists Jackie Winnow and Joanne Garrett, along with seven friends who were frustrated by the lack of information and support services at traditional cancer advocacy organizations and medical centers. Winnow, who was the first official coordinator of San Francisco’s Human Rights Commission LGBT Advisory Committee, launched the center with an answering machine in a Berkeley living room, according to an WCRC news release. It was important to Winnow, who was Jewish, and Garrett, who was African American, to provide education, information, and services to women living with cancer and their families – in particular underserved communities: lesbians and women of color, said people close to the now-deceased founders. Garrett and Winnow died from cancer in 1995 and 1994, respectively. “I felt like we were on the cutting edge of services for women,” said Carla Schick, 56, co-founder of

October 1, 2: annual fundraiser Swim A Mile for Women with Cancer at Mills College

“The women who founded WCRC were acutely aware of the lack of resources to women,” said Executive Director Peggy McGuire, who pointed out the value of the health center’s services. “Today there are more resources, but the system seems to be broken.” In San Francisco, Shanti’s breast cancer program is celebrating its 10year anniversary. [See story below.]

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Needs have changed

Anniversary events Events commemorating WCRC’s 25th anniversary throughout the year include:

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June 17: Golf Tournament at Tilden Park Golf Course

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November 10: a live performance at Berkeley’s Julia Morgan Theater

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February 7, 2012 a 25th anniversary gala at Yoshi’s in Oakland

Jane Philomen Cleland

Women’s Cancer Resource Center client Berlena Gullett, left, and Executive Director Peggy McGuire welcome people to Sunday’s anniversary event.

WCRC, who recalled 1986, a time when women were given information about cancer with no one or anywhere to turn to for support. “Jackie was a visionary.” One of the signature features of the organization was its focus centered on serving lesbians and women of color, said Schick. This aspect of the center was important to her as a lesbian.

“I felt very unrepresented in different areas in terms of dealing with the health system, so I felt really good to be involved in this movement,” she said. A quarter of a century later the organization has provided assistance to more than 80,000 individuals living with cancer and their families and it continues to thrive, according to the release.

For more information, visit: www.wcrc.org or contact Pat Bregant, development director at (510) 601-4040, ext. 105 or pat@wcrc.org.

To commemorate its anniversary, the health advocacy organization is kicking off a yearlong celebration with a birthday party Sunday, May 1 from 2 to 5 p.m. at is offices, 5741 Telegraph Avenue in Oakland, to honor and remember its founders. A 25-year retrospective celebrating the women who founded and made the center what it is today will be on display in WCRC’s JanRae Community Art Gallery. Tickets are $25.

While awareness of breast cancer has become a well-recognized movement within the past 15 years, the needs of women living with cancer have changed – especially for low-income women. “Our ongoing role is to identify gaps in cancer services in the community, develop programs to address those gaps, and then work to establish those programs as community standard,” said McGuire, who oversees the grassroots health center that has a nearly $1 million budget, according to its 2010 IRS filings. The center has been fortunate to attract medical and community outreach experts who make up the estimated 85 volunteers, along with eight full-time staff and one part-time employee. McGuire said WCRC has a good reputation and as a result, medical institutions See page 12 >>

Shanti’s breast cancer program turns 10 by Heather Cassell

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hanti’s LifeLines Breast Cancer program is celebrating its 10year anniversary in style with a big gala this Saturday, April 30. Guests will mark the event with live entertainment along with a chocolate tasting by CocoaBella Chocolates, and an opportunity to win more than $2,000 worth of raffle prizes. Attendees will enjoy performances by former Shanti breast cancer client and classical soprano Krista Wigle and Benny Bock and Henry Orr at the Hotel Kabuki. The event takes place from 2 to 4 p.m. Ten years ago, the San Francisco Department of Public Health discovered that low-income breast cancer patients – mostly women – weren’t accessing or completing treatment after being diagnosed with breast cancer due to specific barriers. DPH teamed up with Shanti, which at the time mostly provided services to people living with HIV/ AIDS, to create a pilot program to address issues faced by women living with breast cancer. “Breast cancer and HIV/AIDS are life-threatening illnesses that can require individuals to undergo long and rigorous treatment programs,” said Maria Caprio, director of LifeLines. In an email she pointed out that symptoms, as well as treatment, from both diseases “can be debilitating and provoke ancillary chronic side effects that leave an individual disabled, financially depleted, and emotionally isolated.” Additionally, Caprio estimated that approximately 26 percent of the program’s clients are diagnosed with a recurrence. “For them, breast cancer becomes a lifelong challenge that can require similar long-term support services needed by someone with an HIV/ AIDS diagnosis,” she wrote.

Cultural stigmas against individuals living with breast cancer or HIV/AIDS only amplify the isolation individuals feel, Caprio added. “Many of our breast cancer clients initially feel ashamed of or are reluctant to talk about their diagnosis to their family and friends and are reticent to ask for help,” she said. The plan was simple: model breast cancer programs after Shanti’s

successful HIV/AIDS programs to aid low-income individuals to remove the barriers to access and complete treatment after diagnosis. The program launched in 2001 with an annual operating budget of $100,000 and a plan to serve 100 clients. The agency’s leadership believed the free program would serve 140 clients and assumed that six to 12 months was sufficient time to navigate through and complete cancer treatment. They quickly

realized that wasn’t the case, cancer treatment wasn’t a “one size fits all” system and the average treatment period was 18 months, wrote Caprio. Today, the program operates on an annual budget of $450,000 and services are tailored to meet more than 450 clients’ needs annually through the program’s care navigation, health, wellness and survivorship series, and Shanti’s volunteer peer-support program,

according to Caprio. The program also assists individuals who speak Cantonese, Mandarin, English, and Spanish. “We believe that no one should have to face a life-threatening illness alone,” said Caprio.▼ Saturday’s gala will take place at the Hotel Kabuki, Sakura Room, 1625 Post Street, San Francisco. Tickets are $85 each. For more information, visit: 168.143.47.65/ pages/about_lifelines.html.

<< Open Forum

4 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 28-May 4, 2011

Volume 41, Number 17 April 28-May 4 2011 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Thomas E. Horn Bob Ross (Founder, 1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko Seth Hemmelgarn Jim Provenzano CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dan Aiello • Tavo Amador • Matt Baume Erin Blackwell • Roger Brigham Scott Brogan • Victoria A. Brownworth Philip Campbell • Heather Cassell Chuck Colbert • Richard Dodds Raymond Flournoy • David Guarino Liz Highleyman • Brandon Judell John F. Karr • Lisa Keen • Matthew Kennedy David Lamble Michael McDonagh Paul Parish • Lois Pearlman Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota • Bob Roehr Donna Sachet • Adam Sandel • Jason Serinus Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith Ed Walsh • Sura Wood

ART DIRECTION Kurt Thomas PRODUCTION MANAGER T. Scott King PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland Marc Geller Rick Gerharter Lydia Gonzales Rudy K. Lawidjaja Steven Underhill Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge Christine Smith

GENERAL MANAGER Michael M. Yamashita DISPLAY ADVERTISING Colleen Small Scott Wazlowski CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING David McBrayer

NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

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News Editor • news@ebar.com Arts Editor • arts@ebar.com Advertising • advertising@ebar.com Letters • letters@ebar.com A division of Benro Enterprises, Inc. © 2011 Published weekly. Bay Area Reporter reserves the right to edit or reject any advertisement which the publisher believes is in poor taste or which advertises illegal items which might result in legal action against Bay Area Reporter. Ads will not be rejected solely on the basis of politics, philosophy, religion, race, age, or sexual orientation. Advertising rates available upon request. Our list of subscribers and advertisers is confidential and is not sold. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, and writers published herein is neither inferred nor implied. We are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or artwork.

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Three cups of transparency T

he 60 Minutes takedown of Three Cups of Tea author Greg Mortensen a couple weeks ago is a lesson to all nonprofits that are less than transparent about their financial situations. We imagine that nonprofit leaders and board members who saw the piece or read subsequent news accounts of the story must have taken a deep breath. Mortensen turned his stories of mountain climbing into a multi-million dollar empire and founded the Central Asia Institute, whose mission is to build schools (mostly for girls) in Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, as 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft and best-selling author Jon Krakauer (a former supporter of the institute) discovered, it turns out that none of the money from Mortensen’s book tours goes to the institute. The report also makes a credible case that much of Three Cups contains stories that are either fabrications or outright lies. Mortensen refused to talk to 60 Minutes about the allegations, and only belatedly acknowledged that his account of his descent from K2 was a “compressed version of events that took place in the fall of 1993.” That, of course, makes the narrative of his experience inaccurate. In his book, Mortensen says that he became separated from his climbing partners and wandered into a small village. Once befriended and nursed back to health by the people, he gratefully promised to come back and build a school. It turns out that these dramatic details never happened. He actually visited that village a year after his descent, according to Krakauer. An even more important aspect to this scandal is the lack of financial accountability on the part of Mortensen and the Central Asia Institute. A few years ago, the American Institute of Philanthropy sent a certified letter to the charity requesting copies of its financial documents, including audited financial statements. When it failed to receive a response after many months, it followed up in November 2009 and was told by CAI’s operations director that there were no audits. In mid-2010, CAI did finally publish audited financial statements for its fiscal year-ended 2009. That report indicated that CAI “has an economic interest in a book written by its executive director, Greg Mortensen ... During the fiscal year-ended September 30, 2009, the organization paid $1,729,542 for bookrelated expenses associated with outreach

and education.” It also noted that CAI did not report receiving any revenue from book sales in its audit or tax form. In other words, it appears that CAI is underwriting Mortensen’s travel and other expenses but is not receiving proceeds from the book sales in order to build and operate the schools. Transparency should have been a goal of Mortensen’s from the outset. Had there been financial controls in place, and had CAI responded to the philanthropic institute in a timely manner, it is likely the huge blowup could have been avoided. Since the 60 Minutes report, CAI has taken some steps to answer questions about its finances. A statement says, “Central Asia Institute’s goal is full transparency. CAI intends to show that our supporters’ donations have been used to further our mission of education, especially for girls, in Pakistan and Afghanistan.” It also has posted 990 tax forms on its site. And it has a goal of spending no more than 15 percent of donor dollars on overhead, with 85 percent of every donor dollar going to programs. So it seems that negative press and diminishing donations forced Mortensen and his institute’s board to learn the hard way that donors deserve accurate and timely financial information. There are lessons here for all nonprofit leaders and board members: a charity’s credibility

is everything and transparency should be a guiding principle of the agency’s board. Right now we’re at the height of spring benefits in the Bay Area, and donors should certainly check up on an agency or organization before making a donation. And if an organization can’t answer basic questions about its finances, there are many other deserving groups to support. And those organizations that are in financial trouble should be honest with the public, and not react by stonewalling and denial. All agencies must be accountable to their donors and they have an obligation to their clients and the people they claim to be supporting. Financial records may be delayed, but the information will come out sooner or later. Once that happens, these agencies will either be forced to close because they have run out of money or make a concerted effort to elicit community support. In our own community we’ve reported recent examples of each. Then there are organizations that continue to hang on and hold events, without making payments to their beneficiaries or releasing financial information. But examining 990s, which are public documents, is not enough to get an accurate and current idea of an organization’s financial situation. The average 990 tax forms are nearly two years old by the time they are filed, making the information outdated in many cases. While we don’t have the resources of 60 Minutes, we will strive to keep the community informed about local organizations. Transparency keeps everyone informed and honest, as Mortensen is learning.▼

Paul Clement’s misplaced decision by Kate Kendell

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ollowing days of intense criticism, the Atlanta-based law firm of King and Spalding LLP announced this week that it was withdrawing from its agreement to defend the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, on behalf of the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group convened by House Speaker John Boehner. Paul Clement, a former U.S. solicitor general and the King and Spalding law partner who would be leading the defense, promptly resigned from the firm. In his resignation letter, Clement said he was influenced not by his own beliefs about DOMA, but rather by his view that all laws should be defended. In fact, he claimed that his “thoughts about the merits of DOMA are as irrelevant as the views [he] held about any of the dozens of federal statutes [he] defended as solicitor general.” Let’s be clear: any comparison between Clement’s decision to defend DOMA as a private lawyer and his prior role as solicitor general is utterly misplaced. As a general rule, the executive branch has a responsibility to defend the laws enacted by Congress so long as a reasonable defense is possible. The role of the solicitor general is to represent the government’s position in litigation. A solicitor general must follow the directions of the president or the attorney general about whether and how to defend a challenged law, and even the executive branch has no obligation to defend a

Jane Philomen Cleland

Kate Kendell

law that is blatantly unconstitutional. In stark contrast, apart from very narrow exceptions, a private lawyer has no responsibility to represent any particular cause, client or case. In his letter, Clement appeals to the lofty notion of defending a client, no matter how unpopular. But that principle is a feature of our criminal law system, where we have rightly determined that what is at stake is so important – a person’s liberty, or, in some cases, life – that a criminal defendant has a constitutional right to a defense. But a law is not a person. There is no corresponding right

for even the most odious and discriminatory law to have its day in court. Clement’s claim that he has a duty to defend DOMA, regardless of his own views, gravely misunderstands the legal process. In truth, in order to defend DOMA, Clement need not simply set aside his personal views on DOMA. He must set aside his respect for the principle of equality. He must be willing to argue either that gay people have not suffered a history of invidious discrimination and do not deserve heightened constitutional protection, or that the government’s discrimination is justified. There is no principled way to defend a measure that serves no purpose other than to single out a socially disfavored group in order to make them unequal to others. Clement and his defenders argue that unpopular causes are entitled to representation. For example, the American Civil Liberties Union represented the Ku Klux Klan in the late 1970s when the KKK was denied a right to march in Skokie, Illinois. But any comparison between that case and Clement’s defense of DOMA unravels immediately. In the Skokie case, the ACLU was defending the First Amendment. They rightly took the position that even a group as repellent as the KKK had a right to free speech. In this situation, there is no similar underlying principle or right at stake. No one would be bothered, for example, if an outdated Jim Crow law that had never been repealed were challenged in court and no lawyer was willing to defend that law. In order to justify the defense of a law, it must be possible to identify some principle that See page 5 >>

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Letters >>

April 28-May 4, 2011 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 5

No fan of Ted Nugent The Independent nightclub of San Francisco has always been somewhat gay-supportive. Besides a long run with the B-52s some time ago, they’ve hosted many gay performers over the years (Garrin Benfield and Spencer Day, among others). However, this July 5, they have booked a show by Ted Nugent. Here’s the problem: Nugent is a racist and a homophobe. He has made racist comments about President Barack Obama, and last week he wrote an op-ed in the Washington Times. In that editorial, he blasted the National Basketball Association for being supportive of gays (this is related to the recent Kobe Bryant incident). He said that we are the “most protected class of people in America,” even though the opposite is the truth. Not only is he a bigot, but he wrote an editorial making it very public and openly campaigns against us. So, I’ve written a nice letter to the Independent asking them to reconsider this booking. I am hoping for a positive response, as I would like to continue to think highly of the way they run their business. If you are also a fan of this establishment, please let them know that this booking is inappropriate. Nugent shouldn’t be performing in San Francisco anywhere. I would also suggest that the San Francisco Board of Supervisors should pass a resolution condemning his display of hatred toward gay people. Tony Jasinski San Francisco

obvious what Squat and Gobble has created; and it’s not a parklet [“Parklet controversy comes amidst spate of Castro closures,” Business Briefs, April 14]. Maybe the city will allow me to personally design and furnish a parklet in front of my house. I could really use the extra patio space. David Wallace San Francisco

Historical society should open up It’s wonderful that Gayle Rubin and other LGBTQ scholars can go over to the GLBT Historical Society and use the archives there whenever they want [Mailstrom, April 14]. At least she admits they don’t let everyone use them, even if they have a legitimate request, as she puts it. That’s what the others wrote you, too. I wish my experiences with them were more like hers, but they were more like theirs. Apparently if you’re not on their list of A-gays who can use the collection whenever they want, you can’t get in to use it at all. I don’t have a problem making an appointment to go there. I just don’t understand how you do that when no one there answers the phone, or calls you back when you leave a voice message, or replies to your e-mail asking when you can come in. Even if they don’t have enough time and money to fulfill every legitimate request, like Rubin says, they can at least answer you to tell you that. It might take less time not to do your job than do it, but it doesn’t cost any more money to be polite and not just ignore you. I’m glad they’re preserving local LGBT history, but it’s all our history, not just for professional archivists and scholars.

Pride and SF I wanted to take this chance for some learning on the economic opportunity missed due to the benign neglect of the San Francisco elected community on this year’s Pride event. According to a 2005 economic impact report, San Francisco’s Pride activities contribute more than $125 million into the local economy each year. If we had been looking at Pride as an economic engine and a distribution channel for the San Francisco brand to potential tourists around the globe, we would have immediately stepped in and provided the strong economic support and leadership to get the organization on the right track. We would have done this to provide a sense of certainty for potential sponsors, staff, volunteers and, importantly, tourists making their summer travel plans. By using half-measures and failing to take bold action to get Pride firmly on solid ground, we have allowed it to struggle to try to regain momentum. We have lost out on millions of dollars of potential revenue at a time when San Francisco is cutting social services to the bone. An investment by San Francisco in the thousands could have had an immediate return in the millions. The repercussions go beyond just this year. The San Francisco brand for the global LGBT community is waning. The Advocate magazine’s recent ranking of the top 15 gayest cities in America did not even include San Francisco. At a time when we are giving away millions of dollars to the hyped-up Twitter under some unproven and controversial economic impact claims, we are neglecting a tried and true member of the San Francisco family that, like the goose that lays the golden egg, continues to give and give for 40 years. I urge you all to give immediate consideration to how you can provide one-time economic support to the Pride organizers so that, with effective leadership, we can change the headline from what appeared recently in the Examiner: “With funding growing scarce, pride celebration feeling over the hill.” Don’t you think a better headline would be more like, “San Francisco Pride is back on track due to bold leadership of Mayor Ed Lee and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors; Lady Gaga returns to the event that launched her career”? Just my two cents about how I will rule the world when I am queen. Brian Basinger, Director AIDS Housing Alliance/SF

Eatery didn’t create a parklet I enjoy the many parklets that have popped up around town. They are inviting, restful, neutral spaces. With its signature cafe tables and chairs crowding every square inch, overarching light canopy, wrought iron menu placard, and eight individual signs asking people to sign a petition allowing them to provide table service, it’s comically

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Guest Opinion From page 4

deserves to be vindicated, and here, there simply is none. DOMA was passed in order to express moral disapproval of LGBT people. It does not embody conflicting principles that need a full-throated defense on both sides to produce a just and fair result. The sole purpose of DOMA is to discriminate against same-sex

Neil Lorimer San Francisco

More tax cuts for U.S. corporations and wealthy individuals On April 15, Republicans and Tea Party activists who control the House of Representatives passed a bill reducing the maximum federal income tax on the wealthiest corporations and top U.S. income earners by a whopping 29 percent. This reduction of the top tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent, according to the Wall Street Journal, will cost the federal government $2 trillion in lost revenue over the next decade. From 1992 to 2007, thanks to the Bush-era tax cuts, the highest individual wage earners have already seen their average tax rate drop from 26 percent to 17 percent. This means the wealthiest earners in the U.S. already pay one-third less in taxes than they did in 1992. During the same period, though, the average tax rate for all taxpayers went from 9.9 percent to 9.3 percent, a reduction of only 6 percent, or one-seventeenth. Another way of saying this, since 1992 and solely because of congressional tax cuts, the wealthy have seen their take-home incomes increase by over 12 percent, while the average American’s take-home pay only increased a meager 0.5 percent. This means take home pay for the wealthy increased 24 times, or 2,400 percent, more than the average Americans due to the tax code. And now Republicans and Tea Party activists want to cut taxes another 29 percent for the top earners in our country ... really? Something’s just not right here. Conservatives continue clinging to the failed model of trickle-down economics, claiming lower taxes on the rich expands the economy and creates jobs. It’s just not true. The Clinton administration added over 21 million private sector jobs when the top individual tax rate was 39.6 percent. When George W. Bush left office, after cutting the top individual tax rate to 35 percent, there were actually 673,000 less private sector jobs than on the day of his inauguration. So why more tax cuts for the wealthy? A simple probe into the personal finances of Congress tells the rest of the story. In 2009 median wealth of a congressional representative was $911,510, up a whopping 16 percent from the year before (the worst year for Wall Street since the Great Depression). And, with nearly 50 times, or 5,000 percent more millionaires in Congress than in the general population, it’s not hard to see why Congress is protecting the interests of millionaires (a.k.a. their self interests) at any cost. In the words of the honorable Bob Dole, “poor people don’t make campaign contributions. You might get a different result if there were a ‘Poor PAC.’”

couples. It perpetuates harm against an underrepresented community and singles out certain families for unequal treatment from their government. No self-respecting lawyer or law firm should be willing to tarnish their reputation by defending such an appalling law. King and Spalding’s decision to withdraw was a turning point in this struggle because it symbolized a shift in power between those who understand that simple truth and

Christopher A. Roesner San Francisco

those who do not.▼ Kate Kendell, Esq., is the executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

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<< Community News

6 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 28-May 4, 2011

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International News >>

LGBT people stage Day of Silence flash mob in St. Petersburg by Rex Wockner

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round 50 people from the Russian LGBT group Coming Out took part in a public Day of Silence action April 16 in St. Petersburg. Organizers said they were protesting “against the silencing of discrimination, humiliation and violence faced by LGBT people and their allies.” They put posters on university bulletin boards and faxed information to government officials, university deans, and media outlets on April 15. Then they taped their mouths shut and staged a flash mob the next day on the main boulevard Nevsky Prospect, distributing around 1,000 leaflets. “The reaction of most people during the campaign was positive to the extent that some passersby even joined the flash mob,” the group said. “A minor run-in with the police ended on a friendly note, with the police and the participants taking photos of each other.” There are videos at www.youtube.com/user/ComingOutSPb.

Groups lobby Obama to attend UN AIDS meeting Fifty global health, human rights and religious organizations have called on President Barack Obama to attend a United Nations highlevel meeting on AIDS in June in New York City. At the gathering, member countries are expected to commit to new actions to combat AIDS on a global scale. This year marks the 30th

anniversary of the disease, which first came to light in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publication in June 1981. “Your attendance will send a bold message that the United States commitment to the global AIDS response remains steadfast and will help to leverage high-level representation from other governments to develop a real plan for the next phase of the response,” the groups said in a letter to Obama. Signers included AIDS Foundation of Chicago, AIDS Project Los Angeles, American Jewish World Service, American Social Health Association, Catholics for Choice, Center for Reproductive Rights, Gay Men’s Health Crisis, Global Forum on MSM and HIV, HealthGAP, HIV Law Project, National Association of People with AIDS, National Minority AIDS Council, SisterLove in South Africa, Treatment Action Group, and many other groups.

Montenegro government supports Pride parade Montenegro’s government is supporting the nation’s first gay Pride parade, scheduled for May 31. Deputy Prime Minister Dusko Markovic said in a meeting with activists that the march has “full institutional support.” In a statement posted at www. gov.me, the government said, “By supporting what is to be the first LGBT rally ever staged in Montenegro ... the government demonstrates its commitment to European values of tolerance, equality and social inclusion.” The Podgorica police chief also attended the meeting and,

Fijian LGBTI student group attains university affiliation

Courtesy Coming Out

Around 50 people from the Russian LGBT group Coming Out took part in a public Day of Silence action April 16 in St. Petersburg.

according to the statement, “said that the law enforcement authorities will make every effort to ensure full safety of participants and maintain public order during the rally.” Two government officials have joined the parade’s steering committee “to help with the logistics for the event,” the statement said. Montenegro was part of the former Yugoslavia.

Activists urge Hungarian president to veto new constitution Hungary’s Parliament approved a new constitution April 18 that defines marriage as between a man and a woman, and omits sexual orientation from an antidiscrimination provision’s list of

protected traits. The Hungarian LGBT Alliance called on President Pál Schmitt “not to sign the new constitution into law, and to give a new opportunity to the Parliament to adopt a truly modern, European constitution ... instead of a political pamphlet motivated by homophobic prejudices.” The board co-chair of the European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, Martin K.I. Christensen, called on European Union institutions “to interfere with what appears to be a conscious move against principles of equality and nondiscrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the EU freedom of movement directive.”

An LGBTI student group in Suva, Fiji, has attained official affiliation with the University of the South Pacific’s Students’ Association at the Laucala campus. The Drodrolagi Movement conducted “a strong and sustained campaign” to achieve the registration, said its president, Kris Prasad. The group’s application was initially rejected by the Laucala Campus Student Council. The group appealed, and the decision was overturned by the Students’ Association Federal Council, Prasad said. He said the University of the South Pacific is the premier regional academic institution serving several Pacific island nations. It has campuses in Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Colombian court gives gay couples more rights Colombia’s Constitutional Court on April 13 extended property inheritance rights to unmarried and same-sex couples by revising Civil Code articles that limited such rights to married couples. The court said its decision was not meant to alter the nation’s concept of family as the union of a man and a woman for purposes of procreation.▼ Bill Kelley contributed to this report.

UN Plaza >>

Effort under way to commemorate AIDS vigil by Matthew S. Bajko

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raving the elements, condemnations from passersby, and failed attempts over the years to evacuate them, a group of AIDS activists held vigil in the heart of San Francisco for 10 years to protest government inaction toward the deadly disease. It was the city’s longest running act of civil disobedience, launched October 27, 1985 when two HIVpositive men chained themselves to the doors of 50 UN Plaza, a federal building facing Market Street. They were soon joined by a core group of volunteers who kept vigil 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The protest and sit-in was officially known as the ARC/AIDS Vigil, ARC standing for AIDS Related Complex. It came to an end a decade after it started when a severe rainstorm blew away the tent encampment. Just three demonstrators remained toward the end, according to media accounts in December 1995. Since then the AIDS vigil has been mostly forgotten to the history books and the fading recollections of participants. But an effort is now under way to revive memories of the seminal event in San Francisco’s United Nations Plaza near City Hall. Supporters hope to place a plaque at the location in order to commemorate what took place during the early days of the AIDS epidemic, when a diagnosis usually meant death and President Ronald Reagan refused to address the crisis. See page 12 >>

Rick Gerharter

Supervisor Harry Britt, along with Ellen Schaeffer, chained themselves to the entrance of the old Federal Building during a protest at the ARC/AIDS vigil in January 1989.

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Politics >>

April 28-May 4, 2011 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 7

LGBT Dem state caucus to elect new leaders by Matthew S. Bajko

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he members of the California Democratic Party’s LGBT Caucus will elect new leaders this weekend during the annual state convention, with the top two positions expected to go to a gay man from San Jose and a lesbian from San Diego. If the leadership elections remain uncontested, then Clark Williams will be elevated to the role of northern co-chair. Williams has served as the caucus’ northern vice chair since 2007 and succeeds Sacramento resident Laurie McBride. Last fall, he ran unopposed for a seat on the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority Board of Directors. Williams has also led a push to see Governor Jerry Brown appoint LGBT people to his administration. Joining Williams as southern cochair will be Patricia Washington, a black lesbian who lost a yearslong legal battle against San Diego State University. After being denied tenure in 2002, Washington charged she was terminated in retaliation for complaining of a racially hostile work environment. She lost her case in 2006 when the state Supreme Court refused to hear it. She has held numerous leadership positions in various LGBT, progressive and political groups in San Diego, including the San Diego Democratic Women’s Club, We Advocate Gender Equity, and the California Democratic Party’s Filipino American Caucus. Joining Williams and Washington as vice chairs will be Los Angeles resident John Cleary, who had been caucus secretary, for the southern region and Sacramento resident Heather Minton for the northern region. Cleary co-founded Stonewall Young Democrats, the youth affiliate of the LGBT-focused Los Angeles

Stonewall Democratic Club. Minton is a legislative and public affairs associate for the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence. Minton’s past jobs included being the outreach director for the Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center and as a fundraiser for Senator Barbara Boxer (D-California). Long Beach resident Cory Allen is set to become the caucus’ new secretary, while outgoing Southern CoChair Jess Durfee, of San Diego, is in line to become the next treasurer. At-large Executive Board candidates are Newport Beach journalist and editor Denise Penn; Ari Ruiz, the political vice-president of the Los Angeles Young Stonewall Democrats chapter; and retired Navy Commander Zoe Dunning, a San Francisco resident who co-chairs the national Servicemembers Legal Defense Network Board. “We made a real effort to ensure geographic diversity. Our bylaws require we have gender diversity as well,” said Williams, adding that he and Washington also wanted to recruit a mix of past leaders and newcomers for the leadership roles. “I think it is really important we continue to build our bench to create LGBT leaders in the Democratic Party.” Nominations for the positions will close at the caucus’ meeting Friday, April 29, which begins at 4:30 p.m. in Room 315 at the Sacramento Convention Center. Attendance is open to all registered Democrats. Caucus membership costs $10 and can be pre-paid online at tinyurl. com/3vj93yg. Following the election, the Legislature’s out members are scheduled to address the caucus. Other topics on the agenda include updates on DADT repeal; redistricting strategies to ensure LGBT empowerment; and LGBT legislative/congressional candidates in 2012.

Perry v. Brown >>

Yes on 8: Gay judge’s ruling shouldn’t count by Lisa Keen

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roponents of Proposition 8 filed a motion Monday, April 25 in federal district court seeking to vacate the August 2010 ruling by Judge Vaughn Walker that the initiative is unconstitutional, citing Walker’s recent disclosure that he is gay and has been in a relationship with a man for 10 years. Chad Griffin, founder of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which sponsored the lawsuit that challenged Prop 8, issued a statement saying the motion is another “desperate and absurd” tactic by the Yes on 8 coalition that campaigned for California’s ban on marriages between same-sex partners. Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, agreed. “This is not likely to win them any points with the courts, who understandably do not appreciate having the integrity of judges called into question based on such outrageous grounds,” said Minter. “This is part and parcel of the underhanded way the Prop 8 campaign itself was run – based on

Rick Gerharter

Judge Vaughn Walker is the subject of yet another legal maneuver in the federal Prop 8 case.

lies, insinuations, and unsupported innuendo.” Other legal observers also weighed in. “This reeks of a Hail Mary attempt to assail Judge Walker’s character because they are unable See page 11 >>

Clark Williams

Later Friday night the annual LGBT Caucus reception will take place from 10 p.m. to midnight at the Press Bistro, located at 1809 Capitol Avenue, in downtown Sacramento.

Redistricting may help gay South Bay Assembly candidates The decennial redistricting process could benefit two openly gay South Bay lawmakers expected to run for the state Assembly in 2012. Openly gay Campbell City Councilman Evan Low is already running for the 24th Assembly District seat, which will be vacated due to term limits next year by Jim Beall (D-San Jose). Also eyeing a bid for the Assembly seat is out Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager, who formed an exploratory committee as he weighs his options. Were the two gay lawmakers and political allies to both seek the seat, it likely could cause tensions within Bay Area LGBT political circles. While Low has begun to line up endorsements, some of his backers have indicated they would switch

their support to Yeager should he mount a campaign. Others are contemplating dual endorsements. As currently drawn, the 24th Assembly District includes sections of San Jose, the cities of Saratoga and Campbell, and portions of Santa Clara and Los Gatos. But those boundaries could change as the Peninsula’s Assembly districts are expected to move south due to the state’s changing demographics. Leaders in several South Bay cities, such as Cupertino, Saratoga, and Campbell, have expressed a desire to be combined within one district. Should the state’s redistricting commission opt for such a change, it could mean San Jose would be carved out of the reconfigured district. Should that happen, it would mean Yeager, who lives in San Jose, and Low would no longer have to compete for the same Assembly District. “Anything could happen,” openly gay Campbell City Councilman Rich Waterman told the Bay Area Reporter during a recent fundraiser Low held in San Francisco. “All of our neighboring cities that are close aren’t in the same district ... there is a school of thought to combine all the small towns.” Yeager married Waterman and his husband, and while Waterman is currently supporting Low, he demurred when asked if he would split his backing between the two if they both enter the race. “I wouldn’t speculate on endorsing both. We have to see; they may be in different districts,” said Waterman. As for Low, he was noncommittal when asked if he would drop out of the race should Yeager end up running for the same Assembly seat. “I am focused on running this race,” said Low. “As of now I am running. I would want to have a conversation with him.”

When pressed, Low responded that at this point it would be “hard to say” if he would stay in the race. He added that the redistricting talk is “all speculation right now” and no one knows for sure what will happen. “I don’t know what any of the lines will look like,” said Low. Those already throwing their support behind Low include the former holder of the seat, Rebecca Cohn; state Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco); San Francisco Board of Supervisors President David Chiu; and openly gay state Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). Leno told the B.A.R. that he conditioned his endorsement on Low’s assurance that he would not run against Yeager. “I can tell you when I had the conversation with Evan, he assured me he won’t run against Ken,” said Leno last month. As for Yeager, he said this week he is waiting to see how the redistricting commission draws the lines before he makes a final decision about the race. The preliminary maps should be released June 12. Asked if he thinks he and Low will no longer have to compete for the same seat, Yeager simply stated “definitely.”▼ Web Extra: For more queer political news, be sure to check www.ebar.com Monday mornings around 10 a.m. for Political Notes, the notebook’s online companion. This week’s column profiles gay LA-area Assembly candidate Luis Lopez. Keep abreast of the latest LGBT political news by following the Political Notebook on Twitter @ twitter.com/politicalnotes. Got a tip on LGBT politics? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 861-5019 or e-mail m.bajko@ebar.com.

<< National News

8 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 28-May 4, 2011

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Alleged kidnap accomplice charged by Lisa Keen

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man accused of helping former lesbian Lisa Miller leave the United States in violation of a court order that she turn over custody of her daughter to the child’s other mother was arraigned in a federal court in Vermont on Monday, April 25. The man, Timothy Miller (no

relation to Lisa Miller), was charged with “international parental kidnapping,” a federal criminal charge. Magistrate Judge John M. Conroy required Miller, who spent time in Nicaragua as a missionary, to surrender his passport. He released Miller into the custody of a friend, Richard Huber of Pennsylvania, who posted a $25,000 unsecured bond.

Miller is ordered to appear again in federal district court in Burlington, Vermont, on May 10. Specifically, Miller is charged with “aiding in removing a child from the United States ... with intent to obstruct lawful exercise of parental right.” An FBI statement filed with the federal district court in Burlington in relation to the arrest warrant for Timothy Miller indicated that Lisa Miller took her child to Mexico in September 2009 “with the intent to obstruct the lawful exercise of parental rights by Janet Jenkins,” her former civil union partner. Miller was under increasing pressure, in September 2009, to allow Jenkins to exercise her right to visitation with their daughter, Isabella. Miller had, with the help of a conservative legal group, Liberty Counsel, challenged court decisions in Vermont and Virginia upholding Jenkins’s right to visitation. By November 2009, however, a Vermont family court judge granted custody of the child to Jenkins, after Miller continued to resist the visitation orders. By February 2010, the judge issued a warrant for Miller’s arrest, saying she was in contempt of court. A judge in Virginia refused to issue an arrest warrant there, saying he could not be sure Miller was aware of the Vermont judge’s custody order. And Miller’s Liberty Counsel

Former partners Janet Jenkins, left, and Lisa Miller. Miller allegedly fled the country with the couple’s daughter rather than comply with a court order allowing Jenkins full custody.

attorney, Mathew Staver, said he did not know where his client was. FBI documents identify Timothy Miller as a pastor with an organization that supports charity missions by Amish, Mennonite, and Anabaptist groups and people. They also say Jenkins’s attorney, Sarah Star, received a call from someone who told her Timothy Miller sought supplies for Lisa Miller by sending a message through an administrative assistant at Liberty University Law School. The caller claimed Miller contacted the Liberty University staffer by going through the staffer’s father, conservative direct mail activist Philip Zodhiates. The caller, who is not

identified in the FBI document, said Lisa Miller and her daughter were staying at Zodhiates’s beach house in Nicaragua. The Advocate magazine reached Zodhiates for comment and said Lisa Miller and her daughter were not living at his home in Nicaragua and called the claim “absolutely absurd” before hanging up on the reporter. Staver, who is also dean of the Liberty University Law School, told the New York Times the Liberty Counsel firm had no contact with Lisa Miller since the fall of 2009 and that they knew nothing about the alleged communications between Timothy Miller and Zodhiates’s daughter.▼

Kentucky church stands for marriage equality by David Elijah Nahmod

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he church’s website reads, “Our Jesus Rages Against the Machine.” And indeed it has. Douglas Boulevard Christian Church, located in Louisville, Kentucky, a state that bans same sex marriage, has a new

policy and will no longer sign civil marriage licenses until everyone can legally marry the partner they choose. The church will perform only religious wedding ceremonies, according to its website. The congregation voted on the change April 17. This may seem like a bold move for a congregation located in an area known for it’s conservatism. Not so, reports senior pastor the Reverend Derek Penwell. The church is located in the Highlands, one of Louisville’s trendier neighborhoods. Soon after joining the congregation, which is a Disciples of Christ church, Penwell noticed that there were quite a number of LGBT people in the area. “We bloom where we are,” he said matter-of-factly in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter. At first, it was an uphill battle. Five years ago Penwell’s predecessor was in talks to make the church more inclusive. There were conflicts, and a number of people left the congregation. But on July 13, 2008, the congregation voted unanimously to be an affirming church, accepting all without regard to race, gender, or sexual orientation. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, with the church receiving many letters and calls saying, “thank you for doing this,”

The Reverend Derek Penwell

he said. “There’s a lot of bitterness toward the church,” said Penwell, speaking in general terms. “We accept responsibility to help people heal from the damage that’s been done to them.” Penwell, who has a doctorate in humanities and is a lecturer at the University of Kentucky, points to a recent poll from the Fairness Coalition: 70 percent of all Kentucky residents are in favor of extending equal rights to LGBT people. “This signals a major shift toward inclusiveness,” he said. “It’s a cultural sea change. Since pre-school, my kids had classmates with same-sex parents. See page 9 >>

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Community News>>

April 28-May 4, 2011 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 9

City celebrates century of safer sex by Matt Baume

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ne hundred years ago, the city of San Francisco blazed a trail in public health with the opening of the Municipal Clinic to address the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. In those days, it was called venereal disease, patients were referred to as “unfortunates,” and their health needs were “social maladies.” “We try to have a much more positive attitude,” said Dr. Susan Philip, director of STD Prevention and Control at the San Francisco Department of Public Health. But on other topics, she said, contemporary health practitioners would see eye to eye with their predecessors. For example, “recognizing the need for STD treatment at no cost and providing confidentiality. ... Compassionate services, free and low-cost services, expert services.” Philip delivered her remarks Monday evening at 100 Years of Sex, an event to commemorate the city’s century of STD prevention. She was joined by Steven Tierney, president of the San Francisco Health Commission, who recalled counseling a young man who later introduced him to friends as the “Good Sex Fairy.” “I’ve had a lot of job titles, and now I’m the Good Sex Fairy,” he joked. Former Supervisor and mayoral candidate Bevan Dufty addressed the crowd as well, and pledged that if elected, he would end past mayors’ practice of cutting the health budget with the knowledge that the Board of Supervisors would simply restore the funding. “That is not a chess game,” he said. “It undermines the great public health effort that we all make.” While Dufty looked to the future, other speakers recalled past experiences. Dr. Gail Bolan, currently director for the Division of Sexual Transmitted Disease Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was hired as director of STD Prevention and Control in the city in 1987. At that time, she said, she had never seen a case of syphilis, and had no experience with transgender patients. One of Bolan’s first directives was to improve women’s health – no small task in a facility that was designed for examinations to only be conducted on standing patients. The clinic faced staffing challenges as well, and Bolan recalled days where there were two clinicians for 400 patients. As part of the centennial celebration, DPH has launched an online exhibit of vintage STD awareness posters at www.100YearsofSex.org.

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Kentucky church From page 8

They’re confused as to why it’s a big deal.” Penwell was born in the mid1960s, when the possibility of an African American president was unthinkable. Now, the thought of not treating African Americans as equals is even more unthinkable. He firmly believes that the day is coming when society will feel the same about LGBT equality. “I feel less baggage about civil rights than my parents did,” he said. “I hope my kids will bear less baggage about LGBT people.”▼ For more information on Douglass Boulevard Christian Church, or to read Rev. Penwell’s sermons, please visit www.DouglassBlvdCC.com. Penwell has a blog at www.DrDLPenwell.Wordpress.com.

Health Commission President Steven Tierney addresses the crowd at the health department’s commemoration of a century of providing STP prevention services in the city.

Matt Baume

Visitors are asked to vote for their favorite poster, from “Attack of the Cursed Syphilis” to an image of a leering woman that declares, “She may be a bag of trouble.” But despite a century of fiscal, social, and political obstacles, the Department of Public Health has steadily advanced sexual health, with programs such as Youth United Through Health Education, the Healthy Penis campaign, and support for community health center Magnet.

One of the biggest changes over the last century has been addressing STDs in a social context, Philip said. “It’s not just behavior. There are social determinants in the community,” she said, such as income and education disparity. “You can’t say people are 100 percent responsible for STDs. The more we learn, the more we see other factors.” Philip added, “I don’t want to think of this as looking back. We’re not done yet. We have miles to go.”▼

www.ebar.com

<< The Sports Page

10 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 28-May 4, 2011

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Exclusive rights by Roger Brigham

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man walks into a gay bar and has trouble getting a drink because he is Asian. A lesbian tries to walk into a gay bar and is asked for five pieces of ID because ... well, because she’s a woman. A black transgender drag queen is pulled over driving to the bar because … oh, lord, so many stupefyingly inane pretenses I can’t begin to list them all. These are the lesser artifacts of homophobic prejudices that continue today (thankfully less frequently than before, but still there) and will continue until the day that everyone finally gets what “live and let live” means and the universal value therein. The hassles and harassments are battled through an exhaustive campaign of legislation and protests and civil disobedience and riots and prayer and petitions and politicking and all of the other things we do to sway those who do not see the light to turn on the switch and wake up. Activities we do not do because they are fun or easy or exciting but because if we do not do them than we shall never advance our communal being and the next generations will be two steps back from whence we started. Death to the -isms and the ghettos and the phobias that separate us! We advance gay liberation through the mechanisms of legal protections giving us the

right to be who we are wherever we want to be whenever we want to be – the most fundamental and modest of the red-white-and-blue American dreams – and through daily personal interactions with the mainstream that show we are different but we are all of one. Which is why the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance is wrong to restrict the number of straights who may be on teams playing in the annual Gay Softball World Series. Dead wrong. Practically, politically, culturally, socially, morally wrong. Whether they are also legally and constitutionally wrong a federal trial in Seattle in June shall decide. A shame if the guardians of the sport allow things to go that far. A lawsuit, filed a year ago on behalf of three San Francisco softball players after an ad hoc onthe-spot hearing determined that they were “ungay” and therefore their D2 team would have to forfeit its victories in the 2008 Seattle Gay Softball World Series, is scheduled to be tried in June in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, with Seattle District Court Judge John C. Coughenour presiding. The choice of judge alone ensures this will be a compelling trial. Coughenour, 69, was first appointed to federal court in 1981 by President Reagan; he has a reputation for excoriating illprepared or long-winded attorneys;

ebar.com

Courtesy NCLR

The D2 team following the 2007 season. Steven Apilado is kneeling, second from right. Jon Russ is standing, first player from left in front row. LaRon Charles is standing, center player in front row.

presided over the high-profile case of “millennium bomber” Ahmed Ressam that resulted in a 22-year prison sentence that was thrown out for being too lenient; and has been labeled by conservative blogger Michelle Malkin as a “moonbeam judge.” According to the lawsuit, the three plaintiffs – player/coach LaRon Charles and John Russ, who are African American, and Steven Apilado, who is African American and Filipino – were pulled in with a few other players for questioning multiple times during the championship game against the Los Angeles Vipers, a game D2 was winning at various points before losing 31-28. They say they gave the same answers as Caucasian teammates who were ruled by the panel to be “gay” while they were ruled to be “non-gay.” The case has received scant attention nationally, but media have managed to bungle a few of the details nonetheless. The reportorial missteps are worth noting as they hint at the complexities we unleash when we seek to make black-andwhite determinations on whom we accept and whom we do not – or the rights that become forfeit when we are even forced to declare who we are. Some media have referred to the men as “heterosexual.” Some have referred to them as “bisexual.” The reality is the plaintiffs have never publicized their sexual orientations and the press who jump the gun on this trample on the dignity of people’s right to define their orientations on their own terms – or to eschew labels entirely. What the three men have done, with their gay teammates in a gay league through weeks and months and years of practice, is show publicly their solidarity and support for the queer community and the right for queers to use public playing fields: a right won in places such as California and Washington by generations of queers who lived locked-out, shut-in lives. A copy of the lawsuit is available on the National Center for Lesbian Rights Web site (www.nclrights. org) for those who want to know the particulars of the allegations, the points of law cited and the damages and relief sought (including a $75,000 minimum per plaintiff, a minimal threshold for filing; and an end to the NAGAAA rule limiting participation of heterosexuals). NAGAAA’s public responses so far have been in the form of a letter sent to members a year ago after the

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Suhr From page 1

community,” and he said Suhr would also be “a reformer from the inside out.” Suhr, 52, pledged to continue working with the community and within the department to make the city safer.

LGBT praise Lieutenant Lea Militello, the out

filing of the suit and an interview Commissioner Roy Melani, who pitches for the Portland Brewers, gave to Seattle’s the Stranger this month. For the most part, the letter, available at www.rcsaopen.org/wpcontent/uploads/2007/11/nagaaaopen-letter-to-members.pdf, cites NAGAAA’s lengthy history of valuable service and sizeable membership (commendable if irrelevant) and notes that it is a cash-poor grassroots organization. “One thing is clear,” NAGAAA wrote, “if NCLR is successful, the enormous monetary damages they seek will put our very existence in jeopardy.” That statement assumes Coughenour’s court awards the total $225,000. Indeed, a $1 million settlement ordered by Coughenour against the Cult Awareness Network for violating civil rights as part of its “de-programming” efforts is considered to be what forced that group into bankruptcy, where it was bought by members of an organization it had strongly opposed, the Church of Scientology. That decision not withstanding, Coughenour has a reputation of leniency and sense of fair play in making award findings. And though it may be a damned nuisance to the association, how much is a person’s right to self-expression and selfidentity worth? The plaintiffs cite waves of depression, anger, and humiliation they suffered as a result of the inquisition; these are referred to in NAGAAA’s letter as “emotional distress, etc.” Thirty-some years after having to answer similar intimate questions from an Air Force investigator beginning the process of throwing my then-lover out of the service, I know my anger still burns with a fire a few thousand could not quench. It is never just “etc.” In his interview, Melani cites instances of homophobic language from opponents and officials when his team plays straight teams. And in the letter, NAGAAA writes, “Our group recognizes that in the arena of team sports, homophobia is still all too common. Almost daily it seems, one hears or reads of another gay bashing, often resulting in fatal outcomes. These tragedies serve as a reminder of our mission to provide a safe place for gay/lesbian players to enjoy competition while not compromising their true identity.” Hold your horses, Roy Rogers: let’s talk about that. The two most peaceful head of the department’s homicide unit and president of the Pride Alliance for LGBT officers, said in an interview that Suhr is a “great pick, an outstanding pick. He has demonstrated a commitment to diversity. He’s a community guy, a cop’s cop. He’s going to do a phenomenal job.” Militello, who has said she wants to increase staff in her unit, said she’s “certain that will happen” with Suhr

mechanisms we have on the playing field to fight homophobia and gain acceptance are the very same antidiscrimination laws the NAGAAA rule flouts, and the social interaction the NAGAAA rule would restrict. Yes, it may have been satisfying for Melani and his teammates to win their games against their hetero opponents, but did they then take the next step of filing protests with park and league authorities? No, it’s not fun, but it’s what you do to maintain what you have. Dig through the antidiscrimination laws in Washington and they boil down to protection against discrimination based on perceived sexual “identity” or “expression.” Perceived expression and identity is the very basis on which NAGAAA tossed the players: not for homophobia or intimidation or harassment (non-existent in this instance), but because a panel’s gaydar didn’t go rocketing for three men who were proud to play under a gay event label with their gay brethren. We can do one of two things: we can have isolated ghettos and worship the walls that hem us in or we can tear the friggin’ walls down and embrace all of our diversity. Not just the diversity we are most comfortable with or identify with – all of it. NAGAAA’s archaic rule would have us do the former, but progress demands the latter. Speaking of which, I presented a workshop on “Empowerment through Inclusive Sports” at the inaugural GSA-initiated Bay Area Youth Summit in San Mateo last weekend. I was fully prepped to answer every question any LGBT youth tossed my way. And then an eager young straight girl asked me, “How can I encourage more gay kids to come out for sports at my school?” Well, I thought, you don’t start with a rule limiting how many of them can play. We’ve come a long way, baby, to win the right and the respect to compete on public playing fields across the country. But that’s not the right to say, “Go away, you’re not welcome.” It’s the right to say, “Come in, friend, and join us.”

Same-sex dance nationals The ninth annual April Follies Same-Sex Dancesport Classic will be held Saturday, April 30 at Just Dance Ballroom in Oakland. The event will serve as North American SameSex Partner Dance Association’s inaugural national championship for ballroom dancing. Competition among the top dancers from Canada, Mexico, and the United States will include beginning, intermediate, and veteran couples and pro-am pairs in various international and American style ballroom events, as well as social dance styles including country and western, swing, salsa, and Argentine tango, as well as formation teams.▼ Tickets are $15 for daytime events only; $25 for evening only; or $35 for the entire day. Information is available at www.aprilfollies.com.

at the helm. Out mayoral candidate and former Supervisor Bevan Dufty said Suhr would be “one of the greatest chiefs in our department’s history.” He said Suhr has an ability “to think and work outside the box.” He also said Suhr was “an outstanding captain at Mission Station.” Dufty, who as supervisor represented the Castro and other See page 12 >>

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Obituaries >>

Phillip Eric Martin September 1, 1960 – April 14, 2011

Phillip Eric Martin died April 14 in Maui, Hawaii, close to his favorite beach. The cause was liver cancer. He was 50. Phillip grew up mostly in Fremont, California and also lived in Germany and Canada. He graduated from Mission San Jose High School in Fremont, where he earned many debate team trophies and participated in theatre. Phillip attended the Defense Language Institute in Monterey and learned Chinese to become an interpreter for the Army. After an honorable discharge, he graduated from UC Berkeley. Phillip played piano, Scottish bagpipes, was a thespian in high school and at Berkeley. He became fluent in five languages. His medical career began with work in AIDS research with Dr. Marcus Conant of San Francisco. He worked as a head medical team researcher for several clinical research organizations

and biotech companies, and continued to volunteer his Saturdays with Dr. Conant. Phillip was devoted to his community and will be missed by his many close friends but none more than his mother, Marty D. Ellis, and his dear sister, Eva Jeanne Martin.

Alfred J. O’Connor Jr.

April 28-May 4, 2011 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 11

Schram. Family and friends are invited to a memorial Mass Thursday, May 5 at 10 a.m. at Most Holy Redeemer Church, 100 Diamond Street, San Francisco, CA 94114. Inurnment to follow at Holy Cross Cemetery, Colma.

Stephen Allen Roake June 26, 1938 – April 14, 2011

December 29, 1929 – April 15, 2011

Alfred J. O’Connor Jr., a retired San Francisco Unified School District special education teacher, died in San Francisco April 15. He was 81. Mr. O’Connor, a native of San Francisco, was a passionate ice skater, skating weekly at Buena Vista Gardens. He was a U.S. Navy veteran. He was the dear brother of the late Maureen Cresta, dear uncle of Michael, Jeffrey, and Robert Cresta and Mimi Patterson; cousin of Jeannie Handley and Hank Dapkis; and a longtime friend of Doug Johnson, Sidney Modell, Buck Thibodeau, Nick Andrade, James Gatteau, and the late George Marsh and Tom (Martin)

Stephen Allen Roake, an architect and car collector, died April 14 of complications of heart disease at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. He is survived by his brother, Samuel C. Roake of San Francisco. He was 72. Steve graduated from Notre Dame in 1960 with a degree in architecture. He worked in Manhattan for several years, moved to San Francisco, and opened his own office a few years later. Steve left his mark in San Francisco, designing award-winning residential complexes. In 1979, he bought land in the Dry Creek area of Sonoma County; he designed his dream home and moved to Sonoma County in 1998.

Steve was well known and liked for his casual sense of humor, diversity of interests, and zest for life. Steve collected a number of beautiful classic cars and was active in many car clubs. He also served on the board of the Classic Car Club of America. Steve displayed his 1931 Studebaker roadster at Pebble Beach last August. Steve will be greatly missed by family and friends alike. A memorial celebration will be held at Villa Chanticleer, 1248 N. Fitch Mountain Road, Healdsburg, California, on June 10 at 2 p.m.

OBITUARY POLICY Obituaries should be e-mailed toobituaries@ebar. com. They must be no longer than 200 words. Please follow normal rules of capitalization – and no poetry. We reserve the right to edit for style, clarity, grammar, and taste. Please provide the name and contact information for the funeral home, crematory, or organ donation agency that handled final disposition of the body. This is for verification. Please submit a photo of the deceased. E-mail a recent color jpg. Deadline for obituaries is Monday at 9 a.m., with the exception of special display ad obituaries, which must be submitted by Friday at 3 p.m. For information on paid obituaries, call (415) 861-5019. Obituaries can be mailed to Bay Area Reporter, 395 9th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103. Write the deceased’s name on the back of the photo. If you include a SASE for the photo’s return, write the person’s name on the inside of the envelope flap. All obituaries must include a contact name and daytime phone number. They must be submitted within a year of the death. For archived obituaries, go to www.glbthistory.org/ obituaries.

Memorial Sun. for Carolene Marks by Cynthia Laird

A

memorial celebrating the life of longtime LGBT ally Carolene Marks will be held Sunday, May 1 at 2 p.m. at Temple Emanu-El, 2 Lake Street in San Francisco. Mrs. Marks died February 14 after suffering from several illnesses. She was 89. Mrs. Marks was the wife of the late state Senator Milton Marks and while she is credited with helping him during his political career, she had several achievements in her own right, particularly around access to health care and lesbian health issues. She also served for many years on the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women. A reception will follow the memorial.

Modern Family star to headline SF benefit compiled by Cynthia Laird

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esse Tyler Ferguson, one of the stars on the ABC hit Modern Family, will be honored for his work in support of marriage equality at Our Family Coalition’s annual Night Out gala in San Francisco on Thursday, May 5. Ferguson, who is gay, plays Mitchell, one half of a gay couple on the show. He will be joined at the OFC gala by filmmaker and honoree Johnny Symons, who has directed and produced various feature length films to educate the public about LGBTQ families. His film Daddy and Papa explores the issue of gay men raising children. The third honoree is Carolyn Laub, founder and executive director of Gay-Straight Alliance Network, which is based in San Francisco. With over 800 GSAs in California alone, Laub is working with youth on GSA Network’s Make it Better campaign in high schools. Judy Appel, OFC’s executive director, said the night will be one to remember. “When I had my first child 13 years ago, we never would have imagined that a show like Modern Family was in the realm of possibility. We have set the stage to put an end to the anti-gay stigma and bullying that is still a reality for our children,” Appel

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Gay judge From page 7

to rebut the extremely well reasoned ruling he issued last year,” said Jon Davidson, legal director for Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. In the 26-page motion filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, where the case was originally tried, Charles Cooper, lead attorney for the Yes on 8 proponents, cites the April 6 article from Reuters news service. That article first reported that Walker disclosed to a small group of reporters that he is gay and is in a relationship. “Given that Chief Judge Walker was in a committed, long-term, same-sex relationship throughout this case (and for many years before the case commenced),” stated Cooper, “it is clear that his ‘impartiality might reasonably [have been] questioned’ from the outset.” The U.S. code dealing with “Judiciary and Judicial Procedure”

Out actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson

said in a statement. The event, with out comedian Marga Gomez serving as emcee, takes place at the Wyndham Parc 55 Hotel, 55 Cyril Magnin Street near the Powell Street BART/Muni station. Night Out starts at 6 p.m., and includes dinner and a silent auction in addition to the honorees. Tickets are $125 per person and can be purchased online at www.ourfamily. org/nightout.

Karaoke party fundraiser The Coalition on Homelessness will hold its second annual karaoke

states that, “Any justice, judge, or magistrate judge of the United States shall disqualify himself in any proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned.” It also states that a judge “shall also disqualify himself ” if “He knows that he ... has a financial interest in the subject matter in controversy ... or any other interest that could be substantially affected by the outcome of the proceeding. ...” According to Cooper, “if at any time while this case was pending before him, Chief Judge Walker and his partner determined that they desired, or might desire, to marry, Chief Judge Walker plainly had an ‘interest that could be substantially affected by the outcome of the proceeding.’” Lambda’s Davidson said that reasoning, if applied, would presumably disqualify any judge – straight or gay. National Center for Lesbian Rights Executive Director Kate Kendell noted, “judges of all races

party and contest Thursday, May 5 at the Mint Karaoke Lounge, 1942 Market Street in San Francisco. Prizes will be awarded for first-, second-, and third-place winners in the karaoke contest; attendees can also buy raffle tickets for a chance to win an iPad 2. Those who are interested in entering the contest can sign up at 5:30 p.m.; the fun begins at 6:30 with special guest judge and drag personality Anna Conda (a.k.a. Glendon Hyde). The raffle winner will be announced at 8, after the contest. Those interested in purchasing $5 raffle tickets can call Lorraine at (415) 346-3740 or email development@cohsf.org.

Blatino Oasis celebrates five years Palm Springs will be the destination next month as gay men of color gather for the fifth annual Blatino Oasis weekend. What started as a men of color retreat has grown into a full-fledged party, said event producer Joe Hawkins. “Even though I was excited about starting an event for men of color in Palm Springs, skeptics weren’t so

can sit in judgment on race cases and judges of all genders can preside over sex discrimination cases.” She called the motion to vacate an attempt “to have a ‘do-over’ on a case they botched so badly it will be a future primer for first-year law students on how not to litigate the most highprofile case in a generation.” The Cooper motion asks for a hearing on the matter by Judge James Ware, the district court judge who replaced Walker when Walker retired in February. The court sent a notice Wednesday that Ware has expedited the briefing schedule and has set June 13 for a hearing in San Francisco.

Six proceedings There are now six legal proceedings pending with regard to the Perry v. Brown (formerly Perry v. Schwarzenegger case): at the district court level, the Yes on 8 motion to vacate, the Yes on 8 motion to sequester a videotape of the trial, the AFER attorneys’

The Lesbian Health Fund, a

program of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, is accepting grant proposals for research on lesbian health. LHF is especially interested in applications that address the diversity of sexual minority women’s communities and studies of health promotion and health improvement in lesbian and bisexual women, as well as studies that are potentially publishable and which are conducted as first steps toward larger grant applications. Proposals for the spring grant cycle are due on May 15. Visit tinyurl. com/3oa2fwk for information on how to apply. LHF is the only U.S. fund dedicated solely to the unique health needs of lesbians. Grants range from $500 to $10,000. Founded in 1992, LHF has given more than $680,000 to fund lesbian health research. LHF’s mission is to improve the health of lesbians and their families through investigation and research. Research goals include: determination of rates and risk factors for cancers and other diseases among lesbians; issues of access to medical care for lesbians; study of mental health concerns for lesbians and their families; definition and investigation of lesbian family issues; methodologic exploration of diversity in the lesbian population; and interventions to reduce risk among sexual minority women.▼

motion to release the videotape to the public; at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals level, Yes on 8’s appeal of Walker’s district court decision, and AFER attorneys’ challenge to Yes on 8’s standing to appeal to the 9th Circuit; and at the California Supreme Court, the question of whether California law provides any authority that enables Yes on 8 to appeal the district court’s ruling to the 9th Circuit. Before the 9th Circuit appeals panel heard arguments on the constitutional questions and the question of standing in the case, Yes on 8 attorneys filed a motion seeking to have one of the three judges removed from the case. The motion claimed that, because panel Judge Stephen Reinhardt was married to the executive director of the Southern California chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which has opposed Prop 8, Reinhardt should recuse himself. Reinhardt rejected the request, saying that a “reasonable person

with knowledge of all the facts” could conclude he will be able to “rule impartially” on the appeal. Yes on 8 attorneys did not file a motion questioning the partiality of another panel judge who graduated from two Mormon-run universities and is a Mormon, even though the Mormon Church was heavily involved in campaigning for Prop 8. “For most in the legal profession, suggestions that advocacy skill or judicial impartiality depend on race, ethnicity, religion, sex or sexual orientation, are relics of an embarrassing history out of which our profession has grown,” said Jennifer Pizer, the Williams Institute’s new legal director. “Seeing such accusations launched now in this context is sad and disturbing, but it’s not grounds to anticipate they will find receptive ears among a judiciary that has seen similar assumptions made in the past about other minority colleagues on the bench, and has learned to rebuke such attitudes firmly.”▼

sure that it would work because of the demographics of Palm Springs,” Hawkins said in a statement. But Blatino Oasis (the term “Blatino” has been used primarily in the gay African American and East Coast Latino communities since the 1980s) has become the single largest gay/bi men of color event on the West Coast. A weekend of parties begins Friday, May 13 and concludes Sunday, May 15. An awards ceremony at the Hotel Zoso will honor former Palm Springs Mayor Ron Oden, who in 2003 was elected by voters and became the state’s first out gay African American mayor. Other honorees include HIV/ AIDS advocate Raphael Gonzales of the Desert AIDS Project in Palm Springs and Jeffrey King of In the Meantime in Los Angeles. The host hotel, Canyon Club, is already sold out, but there are other accommodations available, along with event pass and ticket information, online at www.blatinooasis. com.

Lesbian Health Fund call for submissions

<< Community News

12 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 28-May 4, 2011

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Suhr From page 10

neighborhoods, said Suhr “certainly will be an advocate for the LGBT community.” Out Supervisor Scott Wiener, who succeeded Dufty as District 8 supervisor, said, “I’m thrilled that the mayor made this decision. It was a gutsy decision, because Greg is controversial.” In 2003, Suhr and other police officials were indicted on charges connected to the Fajitagate scandal, which started with a fight involving three off-duty San Francisco police officers. Charges against Suhr and others were dropped. Wiener said the controversy had been “highly unfair” to Suhr, who he said is “an extraordinary officer. ...

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DOMA From page 1

Clement has become a partner at Bancroft PLLC, the New York Times reported Tuesday. Some speculate that King and Spalding may have dropped the case not because the House’s position is “extremely unpopular.” Though news of the original contract triggered an immediate outpouring of criticism from LGBT organizations and others, some say a gag clause in the contract may have been a key factor. “I think there were a number of different factors” for why King and Spalding withdrew from the case, said Jon Davidson, legal director for Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. The contract stipulates that King

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AIDS vigil From page 6

“It is important as a city to honor what happened and recognize the importance of what took place,” said openly gay Supervisor David Campos, who arrived in the city two years after the end of the vigil. Campos’s office is drafting a resolution to seek official city support for the historical marker. His aides are also trying to determine what the protocol is to put a plaque on federal property or if there is a city-owned location that would be appropriate. The sidewalk in front of 50 UN Plaza is maintained by the city. The Department of Public Works would need to be consulted, and the Arts Commission would have to approve the plaque design, according to the supervisor’s office. He expects the board will vote on the resolution in May and has pledged to help fundraise to pay for the plaque. Terrrie Frye, who served as an on-site cook in the early years of the vigil, approached Campos to seek his support for the project. Last year,

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Women’s center

From page 3

refer their patients. These have been the key ingredients that have helped provide necessary support to women and their families – as well as a few men – from around the world to access lifesaving information and resources for the past quarter century. McGuire, who has led the organization for more than six years, is proud that WCRC has continued to expand its services for the past four years, such as its psychotherapy program launched last year, especially during a period when other women’s health agencies are struggling to survive. She noted that WCRC continues to be recognized for its work by key donors and funders, such as the San Francisco Foundation, which awarded the center a three-year grant for its work. The foundation disbursed $143,509 for the first two years of the award for 2009 and 2010, but hasn’t committed its award for this

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Sergeant Chuck Limbert, who is gay and serves as Mission Station’s LGBT liaison, said Suhr’s “always been a strong advocate of the LGBT community” both inside and outside the police department. Limbert, who said Suhr was the person who had brought him to the Mission, also called Suhr “a cop’s cop” and said, “I think we’re all looking forward to a stable environment” in

the department. There’s been plenty of turbulence in the department in recent years, including incidents of arrests by officers where video surveillance tape has allegedly contradicted reports of those arrests. There have also been changes in leadership. Former Mayor Gavin Newsom appointed the previous chief, George Gascón, to be the city’s district attorney in January, only about a year and a half after Gascón was hired as chief. Jeff Godown, whom Gascón brought with him from southern California, had served as interim chief before Suhr’s appointment. Steve Adams, president of the Merchants of Upper Market and Castro, said he’s known Suhr since he was the Mission Station’s captain.

He credited Suhr with bringing LGBT police like Limbert into the area. “He implemented the community patrols. He had LGBT officers come into the Mission District and work in the Castro,” said Adams. Adams added, “I know how [Suhr] is, and if he’s the police chief like he was the captain of Mission Station, I’m very, very happy.” Out Police Commissioner Jim Hammer said that as a San Franciscan, he thinks Suhr is “an excellent choice. He’s a great leader, and most importantly, he’s deeply committed to San Francisco.” Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Prozan has known the new chief since she served as former Mayor Willie Brown’s LGBT liaison in the late 1990s and Suhr was at Mission Station. She

and Spalding partners and employees working on the case would be barred from “any lobbying or advocacy for or against any legislation” in the House during the litigation. The contract further states that these partners and employees would also be barred from “any lobbying or advocacy” specific to DOMA in either the House or Senate. Partners and employees not working on the case would be barred from lobbying and advocacy for legislation pending before the House committee and any legislation concerning DOMA in the House or Senate. Davidson said it was “remarkable” the contract meant, “people at the firm, in their private capacity, could not call their legislator.” “I imagine a lot of people inside the firm were unhappy about that,”

said Davidson. Additionally, the firm is known for its commitment to diversity. The King and Spalding website mentions that one of its partners, Sam Griffin in the Atlanta office, is a member of the Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia. Griffin’s bio page indicates he is also a member of the National LGBT Bar Association. The website also notes that an associate in the Atlanta office, Brian Basinger, is president of the Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia. Clement, a former solicitor general in the Bush administration, signed the contract letter of engagement on April 14. It provided for him and two other attorneys to work on the case for a reduced hourly fee of $520 per hour. (Unconfirmed reports suggested the standard fee was closer

to $900.) The contract called for the firm to represent the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group as a party or intervenor in various federal lawsuits challenging the Defense of Marriage Act. The initial ceiling on attorneys’ fees was set at $500,000. The House’s action to retain private counsel came after the Justice Department in February announced it would no longer defend DOMA in court. The department said that it was up to the courts to make the final determination of whether the law is constitutional. The Obama administration also made clear it intended to continue enforcing the law until it is determined to be unconstitutional by the courts. There are currently several DOMA cases in the federal courts. The Human Rights Campaign

and other LGBT groups this week praised King and Spalding for pulling out of the contract. HRC had taken an aggressive stance last week when the contract was publicized, sending out a blistering statement that said the firm was “not required to take up this defense” and that its decision amounted to an attempt “to score cheap political points on the backs of same-sex couples.” This week, HRC changed its tune. “King and Spalding has rightly chosen to put principle above politics in dropping its involvement in the defense of this discriminatory and patently unconstitutional law,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese in a statement. “We are pleased to see the firm has decided to stand on the right side of history and remain true to its core values.”▼

to mark the 25th anniversary of the vigil’s start, Frye created a scrapbook using archival photos, journals, and materials housed at the GLBT Historical Society’s archives. During the 2010 Pride celebration, the Radical Faeries allowed Frye to display it at their village as their booth is located where the vigil took place. Now Frye is working to get approval for a more permanent reminder of how locals, fed up with governmental indifference toward people living with AIDS, took to the streets to demand action. According to the archival materials, the demonstrators listed six demands they wanted to see federal officials act on, including publicly recognizing AIDS and condemning AIDS-related discrimination. They also were calling for a “Manhattan Project” type effort to find an AIDS cure. “We need $500 million dollars in federal money for research to find a cure for ARC – AIDS Related Complex,” read one flier handed out by vigil organizers. “We make a moral appeal to the American government

to condemn AIDS hysteria and bigotry through education.” Numerous politicians joined the vigil and were arrested, helping bring media attention to the demonstration. According to old news clippings, gay former San Francisco Supervisor Harry Britt and former Berkeley Mayor Loni Hancock, now a state senator, both were arrested after chaining themselves to the building. One flier advertised a “Breakfast with Nancy” at the vigil one February, referring to Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), now the House minority leader. In the summer of 1987, two years into the vigil, Pelosi entered Congress and her main objective at the time was to demand action on AIDS. Over time the vigil turned into a place where people, whether living with AIDS themselves or struggling to care for or grieve for a loved one, could find camaraderie and comfort. “Once a man walked up, and as soon as he saw me, he started crying. He said, ‘I made his favorite dish, spaghetti and meatballs, and

he threw it at me.’ His partner had dementia,” recalled Frye, who helped prepare meals at the on-site kitchen for vigil participants between 1986 and 1991. More than just an encampment for demonstrators, who would spend the night sleeping on mattresses or inside tents, the vigil also served as a clearinghouse for people to learn the latest news about AIDS. The volunteers also used bleach to clean injection drug users’ needles and passed out condoms. “It was a great place to get information from around the world,” recalled Frye, noting the number of international visitors and tourists who would stop by the vigil. It was also a site to collect the names of those lost to AIDS, several of whom died while taking part in the vigil. Both of the men who began the protest by handcuffing themselves at the site – Steve Russell and Frank Bert – died prior to the vigil’s end, said several participants. “It’s a good idea as at least 20 people I knew died there and it’d be nice to have a memorial. And

when I say died, I mean died right at UN Plaza,” Clark Sullivan, a vigil participant, told the Bay Area Reporter. Garth Ferguson, another longtime participant, also said he welcomes seeing the city commemorate the vigil and the people who kept it going for so long. “I think it is a good idea because nobody knows what went on there because it was a while ago now,” said Ferguson, whose lover back then committed suicide after learning he was HIV-positive. “I can tell you I think it saved a lot of lives because we were not condemning people for being addicts. We wanted people to be safe and live.” Ferguson, now 65, said he remained to the very end. “I was there the whole time. There was a five-day rainstorm and the wind just took all of our stuff and blew it away. There was no place for us to stay,” recalled Ferguson. ▼

year yet, wrote Talya Gould Sanders, public affairs and communications director for the foundation, in an email.

mucus in the lungs and digestive track. The death of her first brother led her to her career, she said. “It’s meant the difference between being informed and not being informed and sometimes that can be the difference between life and death,” said Berlena Gullett, 53, an African American lesbian who lost two sisters, an aunt, and survived a form of breast cancer herself. The center was Gullett’s lifeline as a client. Grateful, she became a volunteer and joined the staff for two years before pursuing other goals. Darlene deManincor, another WCRC board member who also launched the lesbian support group, said the agency is significant. DeManincor, a physiologist at UCSF’s Department of Anatomy and Physiology and the Metabolic Research Unit, discovered in the hospital while undergoing tests during a cancer misdiagnosis that not everyone had the medical knowledge that she possessed.

Therefore the women weren’t able to make important decisions about their own health care, she said. “I was quite a happy camper,” said deManincor, 69, a lesbian, about her brief stay in the hospital, “but it was obvious to me that many of the women there didn’t know they had options.” For the past 15 years deManincor has been a major advocate for women living with cancer from sitting on boards of cancer advocacy think tanks and organizations to accompanying women to their doctor’s appointments. “I realized that I have medical knowledge that a lot of people don’t have and I have the ability to explain things in regular terms,” said deManincor. “I can’t say what my life would be like without them,” said Gullett, who continues to donate time and money to the center. “They are my foundation and I just love them.” McGuire said the lessons of WCRC are invaluable: “The lesson of this organization has been the

lesson of my life: that you can sustain, grow, and thrive even in the face of serious illness.”▼

He’s a very community-focused cop, and he is forward thinking, so I want to commend the mayor for making this decision.” “Greg Suhr is a cop’s cop, and having risen through the ranks and been in the trenches, other officers respect him,” Wiener added. Out Supervisor David Campos appeared to be a little more reserved in his comments. “I think we have to give him an opportunity to do his job and see how he performs,” said Campos. He said he’s been able to work with Suhr in the past and “I can work with him going forward.” Asked if he had any concern about Suhr, Campos said, “I think my general comment about the entire selection process has been I do want to make sure whoever the

Ray of light “It’s really hard to navigate cancer no matter what socioeconomic situation you are in,” said Meridithe Mendelsohn, MPA, WCRC board president. But it’s the additional burden of poverty that make challenging the barriers harder and WCRC’s role is to assist women with removing those barriers during one of their most vulnerable periods of their lives, she said. McGuire said that the agency tries to bring information directly to its clients. “These women are doing this work in the communities where they live, work, worship, and raise children. There is a much higher comfort level for people to turn to them for help,” said McGuire, 56, who lost both of her younger brothers to cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that causes a build up of

chief is is committed to bringing the department into the 21st century, including implementing real and meaningful community policing.” Mayoral candidate and City Attorney Dennis Herrera also was pleased with Suhr’s selection. “I can’t imagine a better chief,” said Herrera.

‘A strong advocate’

See page 13 >>

Anyone interested in helping with the plaque efforts should email ARC_AIDSvigil@yahoo.com.

Correction The April 21 article “Pay to Pee on Pink Saturday” was based in part on information from the city that turned out to be erroneous. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence do not plan to charge attendees for using portable toilets. The Bay Area Reporter had attempted to verify the information with the Sisters prior to publication, but Sisters approached for the story would not agree to an interview. Obviously, had the Sisters returned our calls prior to going to press, the story would have been much different. The online version has been updated.

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Community News >>

Suhr

From page 12

had expected to be working closely with Suhr this year in developing a new neighborhood court for the Bayview and Mission stations and had a meeting scheduled with him Wednesday until the news about his appointment was announced. “Greg has been nothing but completely supportive and nothing but understanding of the Castro and the LGBT community. I think he is a great choice and I am just really happy for him,” said Prozan. “I was all excited about spending more time with Greg and now I don’t get to.” Entertainment Commission Vice Chair Audrey Joseph is a self-declared “big fan” of Suhr’s, having worked closely with him in 2003 on that year’s Halloween celebration in the Castro. His selection is good news for the city’s entertainment and nightlife industry, she said. “Greg Suhr is the most real and reasonable human being the police department could have appointed. It

<<

Eagle From page 1

filed a lawsuit last week to evict the current owners. That effort had been on hold while negotiations involving Frazier were under way, according to one of the owners. It wasn’t clear Wednesday morning, April 27, what Frazier’s decision would mean for the bar’s future. Current owner John Gardiner said Wednesday that he couldn’t talk about what’s happening. “I’m in the middle of this,” said Gardiner. “We’re working on a deal. ... This is a very crucial time. When this is over, I’ll let you know.” Asked how much longer the bar could stay open, Gardiner said, “What did I just say?” Out Supervisor Scott Wiener, who’s been supportive of efforts to keep the bar LGBT-oriented, said last week that his understanding was what had been filed was an unlawful detainer suit. The eviction complaint hasn’t yet been publicly available, and Gardiner has declined to provide the Bay Area Reporter with a copy. Richard Romano, the attorney representing Gardiner, also wouldn’t provide a copy. The home to well-loved Sunday beer busts, which raise money for numerous LGBT groups, Gardiner and co-owner Joe Banks have been trying to sell the bar, at 398 12th Street, for more than a year. Gardiner recently said that the bar’s lease expired more than a year ago, so “I guess it goes month to month.” Community members have been working to keep the bar LGBToriented throughout the month, after it looked like it might be sold to the owner of a different bar, raising fears the business could go straight. That deal didn’t happen. There had been some hope, including on a Facebook page devoted to the bar, that Frazier entering the picture would help. But Frazier said this week that Nikitopoulos had been “uncompromising.” “There’s only so much that a business can do to break even,” he said. Frazier said the Eagle’s lost money in the last couple years. He said the bar could turn around, “but a business can only turn around if you have control over your expenditures.” He said that with Nikitopoulos “jumping up the rent to the point where it’s not feasible, that hinders your bottom line.” Even trying to communicate with the landlord was hard, according to Frazier. “He still chooses to communicate through his attorney,” said Frazier. He couldn’t immediately recall

isn’t that he will give entertainment a pass on everything, because he doesn’t. He is willing to come to the table and is willing to discuss solutions rather than just shutting you down. That, to me, is a big deal, you know,” said Joseph. “I am so excited. I can’t wait to work with him.” During the Halloween street party seven years ago, Joseph said she was impressed that Suhr, then the deputy chief of field operations, walked the streets with her that night. “He was there with the rest of the police officers. He wasn’t hiding in a van or his office. He didn’t have to; he was the command staff. But he did,” recalled Joseph. “I can’t say that of any deputy chief of field operations after that. They weren’t there; they didn’t walk the streets.” Like others, Militello voiced full support for Suhr. “I have absolutely no concerns with this man,” she said. “He’s as genuine as they come.” Matthew S. Bajko contributed to this report.

the attorney’s name. Nikitopoulos hasn’t responded to the B.A.R.’s interview requests. Frazier said he’s heard different details about what Nikitopoulos wanted for rent, but he said the landlord wanted to raise the rent to “in excess of $10,000 per month,” which he said would mean a rent increase of about 25 percent. But Frazier said Nikitopoulos hasn’t returned his calls and he’s had to negotiate based on secondhand information. The Dallas bar owner said he thinks the Eagle can stay open without him. “I think the community in San Francisco is so strong, I would hope I’m not the only viable option.” He said he didn’t know of others interested in buying the Eagle. He also said that even though he’s withdrawn himself from negotiations, “should the landlord get serious and really wants to negotiate, then I would encourage him to call me, because right now I don’t think he’s really, really interested in making this work.” Besides the rent, there were other factors that frustrated Frazier. He said there are issues with the bar inside and out, including the roof needing to be replaced and the building not being completely compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. He said the repairs would cost about $70,000. “All those things have to be up to code to make the business feasible,” said Frazier. “… Where I come from, the renter is always responsible for the interior of the building, not the exterior,” and he said Nikitopoulos wants the renter to be responsible for both. Frazier, who had planned to buy the liquor license, said he wanted to keep the Eagle Tavern where it is. One suggestion’s been to “just open another Eagle,” said Frazier. “You could do that, but you lose so much of the historical value that the current location has.” Also, he said, “The property is not going to be for sale. Even as a business person, I would question somebody’s sanity if they actually sold the property, because it is a prime piece of real estate.” But Nikitopoulos would still need to be included in the discussions, said Frazier, since it wouldn’t do any good “to negotiate to buy the business if you don’t have a lease on the place where you can conduct the business.” Frazier said he’s “open to other business opportunities” in San Francisco but he didn’t have specific ideas to share. Hennis, the Eagle’s manager, didn’t respond to interview requests for this story.▼

April 28-May 4, 2011 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 13

Classifieds The

Legal Notices>> NOTICE OF APPLICATION TO SELL ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES To Whom It May Concern: The name(s) of the applicant(s) is/are : EMPORIO RULLI ILCAFFE AT UNION SQUARE INC. The applicants listed above are applying to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control at 71 Stevenson Street,Suite 1500, San Francisco, CA 94105 to sell alcoholic beverages at 350 Powell St., San Francisco, CA 94102-1813. Type of license applied for:

41- ON-SALE BEER AND WINE – EATING PLACE APR 14,21,28,2011 NOTICE OF APPLICATION TO SELL ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES To Whom It May Concern: The name(s) of the applicant(s) is/are : PETER HARAMIS. The applicants listed above are applying to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control at 71 Stevenson Street,Suite 1500, San Francisco, CA 94105 to sell alcoholic beverages at 256 Columbus Ave., San Francisco, CA 94133-4518. Type of license applied for:

47- ON-SALE GENERAL EATING PLACE APR 14,21,28,2011 STATEMENT FILE A-033465800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE EDGE, 4149 18th St.San Francisco,CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation,signed Robert Giljum.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 04/04/11.

APR 7,14,21,28,2011 STATEMENT FILE A-033449100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as BDG – BATES DESIGN GROUP, 146 Noe St.San Francisco,CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual,signed Lawrence Bates.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 03/29/11.

APR 7,14,21,28,2011 STATEMENT FILE A-033454100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as GOLDEN GATE CONSULTING 524 Primrose Rd. #303,San Francisco,CA 94010. This business is conducted by an individual,signed Alexander Fridman. 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 03/30/11.

APR 7,14,21,28,2011 STATEMENT FILE A-033418200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as KRUEGER PR,2340 Vallejo St.,#200,San Francisco,CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual,signed Kelly Krueger.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/31/10. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/15/11.

APR 7,14,21,28,2011 NOTICE OF APPLICATION TO SELL ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES To Whom It May Concern: The name(s) of the applicant(s) is/are : MECIT ATES. The applicants listed above are applying to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control at 71 Stevenson Street,Suite 1500, San Francisco, CA 94105 to sell alcoholic beverages at 1161 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94103. Type of license applied for:

41- ON-SALE BEER AND WINE – EATING PLACE APR 21,28,MAY 5,2011 STATE OF CALIFORNIA IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE# CNC-11-547648 In the matter of the application of BRANDON JAMES WARNER for change of name. The application of BRANDON JAMES WARNER for change of name having been filed in Court, and it appearing from said application that BRANDON JAMES WARNER filed an application proposing that his/her name be changed to PAIGE MARIE WARNER. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Room 218 on the 14th of JUNE, 2011 at 9:00 am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

APR 14,21,28,MAY 5,2011

STATE OF CALIFORNIA IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE# CNC-10-547636 In the matter of the application of SUSAN VIRGINIA BASQUIN for change of name. The application of SUSAN VIRGINIA BASQUIN for change of name having been filed in Court, and it appearing from said application SUSAN VIRGINIA BASQUIN filed an application proposing that his/her name be changed to WILLIAM VIRGINIA BASQUIN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Room 218 on the 26th of May, 2011 at 9:00 am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

APR 14,21,28,MAY 5,2011 STATEMENT FILE A-033469300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as CITIREPORT – POLITICS, MONEY& ETHICS, 245 Diamond St.,San Francisco,CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation,signed Larry Bush. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/03/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/05/11.

APR 14,21,28,MAY 5,2011 STATEMENT FILE A-033479100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as 1.QUIJADA REALTY GROUP 2.BAY AREA PROPERTIES,2305 JUDAH ST.,San Francisco,CA 94122.This business is conducted by an individual,signed Elisabeth Quijada.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/11/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/11/11.

APR 14,21,28,MAY 5,2011 STATEMENT FILE A-033428600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as QCOMEDY,1045 Mission ST., Apt. 322,San Francisco,CA 94103.This business is conducted by an individual,signed Nicholas Leonard.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/31/00. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/18/11.

APR 14,21,28,MAY 5,2011 STATEMENT FILE A-033477000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as CASTRO VILLAGE WINE COMPANY, 4119 19th ST.,San Francisco,CA 94114.This business is conducted by a limited liability company,signed Todd McElhatton.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 04/08/11.

APR 14,21,28,MAY 5,2011 STATEMENT FILE A-033479800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as DOG GONE IT, 4444 17th St..,San Francisco,CA 94114.This business is conducted by an individual,signed Paul Aeschbacher.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 04/11/11.

APR 14,21,28,MAY 5,2011 STATE OF CALIFORNIA IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE# CNC-11-547660 In the matter of the application of NICHOLAS KAYE ROSING for change of name. The application of NICHOLAS KAYE ROSING for change of name having been filed in Court, and it appearing from said application that NICHOLAS KAYE ROSING filed an application proposing that his/her name be changed to RICKY DAVID WRIGHT. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Room 218 on the 14th of JUNE, 2011 at 9:00 am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

APR 21,28,MAY 5,12,2011 STATEMENT FILE A-033492100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as WAROE LLC,71 Stevenson St.,Suite 400 San Francisco,CA 94105. This business is conducted by a limited liability company,signed Daniel Asfaha. 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 04/15/11.

APR 21,28,MAY 5,12,2011 STATEMENT FILE A-033494900

NOTICE OF DEATH OF NOMAR DE LA TORRE To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both of NOMAR DE LA TORRE, who was a resident of San Francisco County, State of California, and died on March 6, 2011, in the City of San Jose, County of Santa Clara, State of California. IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the deceased, you must file your claim within four months from the date of first publication with the DERMER LAW FIRM, 15720 Winchester Boulevard, Suite 1, Los Gatos, California 95030 (408) 395-5111. Joseph D. Dermer, Esq. DERMER LAW FIRM 15720 Winchester Blvd., Suite 1 Los Gatos, CA 95030 Tel (408) 395-5111 Fax (408) 354-2797 STATEMENT FILE A-033489300 The following person(s) is/are doing business 1.BLINK, 2.BY THE WAY, 3.BTW, 522 2nd St.,San Francisco,,CA 94107. This business is conducted by a corporation, signed Bruce Slesinger.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 04/14/11.

APR 21,28,MAY 5,12,2011 STATEMENT FILE A-033492300 The following person(s) is/are doing business 1.SAN FRANCISCO REALTY, 2. .SAN FRANCISCO HOUSES, 3.BAY AREA HOUSES, 4.BAY BROKER,101 California St., #2450, San Francisco,CA 94111. This business is conducted by an individual, signed Steve Atkinson.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 04/15/11.

APR 21,28,MAY 5,12,2011 STATEMENT FILE A-033494100 The following person(s) is/are doing business JIM XU MARBLE, 1034 Sutter St.,Apt. 5, San Francisco,,CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual,signed Ji Xin Xu.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/15/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/15/11.

APR 21,28,MAY 5,12,2011 STATEMENT FILE A-033493100 The following person(s) is/are doing business 5 STAR UNITED, 3601 Cabrillo St., San Francisco,,CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual,signed Igor Belov.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/15/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/15/11.

APR 21,28,MAY 5,12,2011 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTICIOUS BUSINESS NAME: #A-0326148-02 The following persons have abandoned the use of the ficticious business name known as UNITED ARTISTS INTERNATIONAL,3601 Cabrillo St., San Francisco, CA 94121.This business was conducted by an individual, signed Igor Belov. The ficticious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/05/10.

APR 21,28,MAY 5,12,2011 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTICIOUS BUSINESS NAME: #A-0300916-02 The following persons have abandoned the use of the ficticious business name known as SUSHI FACTORY,901 Kearny St., San Francisco, CA 94133.This business was conducted by a general partnership, signed Aoieong ,Chim Peng. The ficticious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/26/07.

APR 21,28,MAY 5,12,2011 STATEMENT FILE A-033493000

The following person(s) is/are doing business J&M HEALTH SPA, 1560 Noriega St.,San Francisco,,CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual,signed Meili Ji.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/18/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/18/11.

The following person(s) is/are doing business HA TIEN HUT, 1109 Ocean Ave., San Francisco, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, signed Jerry Cheng.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/12/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/12/11.

APR 21,28,MAY 5,12,2011

APR 28,MAY 5,12,19,2011

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

14• Bay Area Reporter • April 28-May 4, 2011

Legal Notices>> STATEMENT FILE A-033461200 The following person(s) is/are doing business MEANINGLESS WORLD RECORDS, 4918 California St.,#2, San Francisco,,CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual,signed Nathan Pugh.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/01/11.

APR 21,28,MAY 5,12,2011 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTICIOUS BUSINESS NAME: #A-0320452-00 The following persons have abandoned the use of the ficticious business name known as HA TIEN HUT, 1109 Ocean Ave., San Francisco, CA 94112.This business was conducted by a corporation, signed Steve Cheng. The ficticious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/09/09.

APR 28,MAY 5,12,19,2011 STATE OF CALIFORNIA IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE# CNC-11-547677 In the matter of the application of SARAH NICHOLE MANGAN for change of name. The application of SARAH NICHOLE MANGAN for change of name having been filed in Court, and it appearing from said application that SARAH NICHOLE MANGAN filed an application proposing that his/her name be changed to SARAH MANGAN MILLER. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Room 218 on the 28th of JUNE, 2011 at 9:00 am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

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APR 28,MAY 5,12,19,2011 STATEMENT FILE A-033473100 The following person(s) is/are doing business TAJ EXPRESS INDIAN CUISINE, 525 Valencia St.,San Francisco,,CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, signed Uday Shetty.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/07/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/07/11.

APR 28,MAY 5,12,19,2011 STATEMENT FILE A-033512800 The following person(s) is/are doing business LAW’S GENERAL SERVICE, 486 Dewey Blvd.,San Francisco,,CA 94116. This business is conducted by a general partnership, signed Marco Law.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 04/25/11.

APR 28,MAY 5,12,19,2011 STATEMENT FILE A-033511100 The following person(s) is/are doing business PRECISION DENTAL CARE, 44 Monterey Blvd.,San Francisco,CA 94131. This business is conducted by an individual, signed Ronald Green Tanega. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/22/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/22/11.

APR 28,MAY 5,12,19,2011 STATEMENT FILE A-033502900 The following person(s) is/are doing business SARAH K. SPENCER PSYCHOTHERAPY, 842 California St.,San Francisco,CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, signed Sarah Spencer Weinberg.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/20/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/20/11.

APR 28,MAY 5,12,19,2011 STATEMENT FILE A-033482500 The following person(s) is/are doing business SAN FRANCISCO FURNITURE OUTLET,104 9th St.,San Francisco,,CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, signed Semi Hong,The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/12/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/12/11.

APR 28,MAY 5,12,19,2011

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www.ebar.com/arts

Vol. 41 • No. 17 • April 28-May 4, 2011

Scene from Circumstance

Watching through the final frames Highlights from the 54th SF International Film Festival, week 2 ~ by David Lamble ~ San Francisco Film Society

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he San Francisco International Film Festival’s finale sizzles with the lesbian-centered Iranian family drama Circumstance; the late Sidney Lumet’s wildly entertaining Dog Day Afternoon; the surviving lover of Yves Saint Laurent detailing life with the manic-depressive fashion maestro; a restored sci-fi film by Rainer Werner Fassbinder; and Christopher Munch’s fictional meditation Letters from Big Man, on a female hydrologist and Bigfoot. Circumstance As queer women and men come out at religious schools like Baylor, Belmont and Abilene Christian, Maryam Keshavarz plants her 16-year-old, girl-loving heroines firmly in the belly of the beast: 7th-century-worshipping, 21st-

century pop/tech-obsessed Teheran. How do young lesbians survive in a society lubricated by theology, bribes and arranged marriages? The wealthy Atafeh (Nikohl Boosheri) finds a willing playmate in orphan Shireen (Sarah Kazemy). At first the girls harmlessly bond around swimming, singing and underground dance clubs. Trouble comes knocking in the form of Atafeh’s drug-addled brother Mehran. Reza Sixo Safai is deliciously smarmy in the manner of a young John Cassavetes pimping Mia Farrow to the witches in Rosemary’s Baby. Mehran’s insidious video espionage on his family reminds us of early Atom Egoyan. Keshavarz demonstrates why a wealthy, secular-leaning family is vulnerable to the morality cops’ powers. Fear, loathing

Eclectic Betty Buckley

and paranoia are tempered by exuberant scenes of young queers dubbing a pirated version of Milk. (Kabuki, 5/1-3) Dog Day Afternoon (1975) There are serious career peaks here for Al Pacino, as a hapless, bisexual bank-robber; Charles Durning, giving an operatic twist to screen clichés about profanity-spouting Irish-American cops; and director Sidney Lumet, mixing pratfalls and pathos in a true-life story that delicately tap-dances around a minefield of homophobic innuendo. Lumet (screenplay from Festival honoree Frank Pierson, layered with comic grace notes) sets us down in a garbageSee page 28 >>

Betty Buckley

Bringing her cabaret act to the Rrazz Room ~ by Richard Dodds ~

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etty Buckley had fully expected that her upcoming appearance at the Rrazz Room would neatly dovetail into a run as Mrs. Madrigal in ACT’s musical version of Tales of the City, but alas, it was not to be. “It just fell apart for some strange reason,” Buckley said of her Tales of the City run. “I was very sorry about that because it’s a great show, and I really enjoyed doing the workshop. I think it had to do with my schedule and their needs, so we parted company.” Fellow Broadway veteran Judy Kaye, whom Buckley highly praises, now has the role of Mrs. Madrigal in the highly anticipated musical. But the good news remains that local audiences will still get to enjoy Buckley’s special song stylings during her six-day run at the Rrazz Room beginning May 3. For the Love of Broadway is the title of Buckley’s current cabaret act, which debuted last year to considerable acclaim at Feinstein’s in New York. “It’s made up of songs from Broadway shows that I

have always wanted to sing, but haven’t before had the chance,” she said from her animal-friendly compound about an hour from her teenage home in Fort Worth. “I take liberties with what songs I do, depending upon my inspiration.” A few of the songs you are sure to hear, she said, include “We Kiss in a Shadow,” “This Nearly Was Mine,” “Hey There,” “Lazy Afternoon,” “You’ve Got Possibilities,” and “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered.” She’s undecided about whether to repeat a piece of specialty material written for the repertoire’s original run in New York. That song, “When I Belt,” addresses expectations from producers, promoters, and some audiences that Buckley stick to Broadway songs and Broadway-style arrangements, even though her own musical interests are far more eclectic. “It’s been a gift and a frustration in my career because I’m definitely a child of the 60s, and my taste in music is all over the place,” she said. “If See page 29 >> Courtesy of the artist.

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<< Out There

April 28-May 4, 2011

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How to be a consummate first-nighter by Roberto Friedman

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ut There is a proud veteran of many a film festival opening night, and since we were there at the opening for the 54th San Francisco International Film Festival last Thursday night at the Castro Theatre, we thought we’d share a few tips for the aspiring first-nighter. First, arrive promptly. Even though the evening is not going to start on time, and there will be many introductions and thanks to corporate sponsors (though corporations are not individuals, they have all of the rights and none of the responsibilities of individuals), you want to stake out your seats and avoid the crush. Even though we rate VIP seats up-front, OT and our PO (plus-one) Pepi often sit up in the Castro’s balcony. The Silver Screen is just as grand, the sound comes right up there, and it’s tailor-made for a quick getaway. While you wait for the proceedings to begin, catch

up with your PO: how was his day? Describe some of the idiocy and/or sycophancy you’ve encountered in your own workday. Stay for the entire film, applaud the credits. Slip away between Q & A of the post-film Q & A because the opening-night party is always at a nightclub somewhere across town, and you’re dependent upon the good graces of Muni (knowing chuckle) or being able to catch a cab in SF (even more knowing chuckle) to get there. It’s important to arrive at the party pronto, before lines at the bars and food stations grow too long. Order two drinks, have your PO do the same, so you’re both set for two rounds. Chat about the movie with festival guests, and try to tell the filmies from the filmmakers. This year’s opening-night film Beginners, from director Mike Mills, stars Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer and Melanie Laurent. McGregor’s flight into SF was late, so

in his pre-film remarks Mills dragged a volunteer from the audience onstage and told her, as “McGregor,” what a joy “he” was to work with. The film, which gets a commercial run later this year, was also a complete joy. Plummer, as McGregor’s father who comes bounding out of the closet at 75 in the face of a cancer diagnosis, carried off the role with aplomb. San Francisco Film Society (SFFS) director of programming Rachel Rosen has the money quote: “Beginners has a playfully inventive sense of style, grounded by the film’s emotional honesty.” The opening-night party at Terra Gallery downtown was a lot of fun. In the VIP pen listening to the soft jazz of a three-piece combo, OT looked around and identified SFFS executive director Graham Leggett, benefactor extraordinaire George Grund, newspaper baron Phil Bronstein with a leggy brunette much younger than Sharon Stone – and a sudden buzz and commotion indicated the arrival of film star McGregor, looking wholesome and inhumanly attractive even after his prolonged transcontinental flight. Don’t worry: crack photographer Steven Underhill got the pic. Yes, the big film festival season has definitely arrived! It’s OT’s distinct privilege to be the first with the scoop that this year’s Frameline Award, which will be presented at the San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival in June, will go to our favorite comedian of all time, Margaret Cho. The LGBT film fest will present the new film Cho Dependent by her filmmaker buddy Lorene Machado. Details will follow in our continuing film festival coverage. Bring dem movies on!

Steven Underhill

Movie star Ewan McGregor poses for the step-and-shoot at the 54th San Francisco International Film Festival.

Wild world Earlier this month Out There was invited to a sumptuous dinner at the Americano restaurant in Hotel Vitale, where the emphasis was on creating cuisine from wild and foraged food. The meal was the creation of Americano chef Kory Stewart in collaboration with guest chef Michael Tuohy of Grange restaurant at the Citizen Hotel in Sacramento, and expert forager Connie Green, author of The Wild Table, who has foraged for such foodie royalty as Thomas Keller and Alice Waters. That’s some high-end foraging! Five delectable courses brought

Queer author William S. Burroughs: still dead.

us yellowtail crudo and oxalis in Douglas fir oil, Nasturtium tagliatelle in wild mushroom brodetto, salmon in wild fennel salsa verde, duck confit hash cake in elderberry jus, and candy cap (mushroom) custard. We were seated at a table overlooking the bustling Embarcadero with Vitale general manager Melony Williams and her partner, the handsome Chair of the SF Juvenile Justice Commission Sidney Wilson. So it was an evening of wild food from the great outdoors, served up in civilized, polished company. Much better than the other way around.

French toast Elsewhere in these pages, find a review of director Bertrand Tavernier’s new filmic adaptation of La Princesse de Montpensier (The Princess of Montpensier) in which arts writer Tavo Amador refers to Philippe, Duc D’Orleans (1640-1701). Here’s the back-story. Philippe was the younger brother of Louis XIV, known at court as Monsieur, and from childhood, encouraged in his natural tendency to be girlish. Court sources say that at 18, he was seduced by the nephew of the powerful Cardinal Mazarin. Nonetheless, he fulfilled his royal obligations, marrying twice (his first wife dying), fathering six children who survived into adulthood, and commanding the French forces to a great victory at the Battle of Cassel (1677), while making sure his wig and make-up looked good. The great love of his life was the Chevalier de Lorraine, whose interests he promoted at court. Some contemporary accounts claim that Philippe, in full drag, danced with his handsome honey at a ball in Versailles. He founded the House of Orleans, a cadet branch of the Bourbons. The last

King of the French, Louis Philippe, was his direct descendent, as is the present Pretender to the throne of France, the Count of Paris. He is also known as the Grandfather of Europe because so many royals have him in their family tree. He’s proof that being a monsieur and a queen are perfectly natural. Here’s to your memory, Philippe!

Queer again Coming up in arts & culture: this year’s San Francisco International Arts Festival (May 18-June 5) will include the restaging of the verbatim opera version of author William S. Burroughs’ novel Queer by composer Erling Wold. SFIAF is presenting the work as part of the 25th anniversary of Penguin originally publishing the novel. Remember the review the piece got in the B.A.R. back in 2001? The festival is going to be running an academic panel along with the show, and one of the questions that the panel will be addressing is fixing the position of Burroughs in LGBT history. Also, how would contemporary gay culture, fixated as it is with marriage, middleclass acceptance and respectability, respond to a man who was a selfprofessed outcast, drug addict and criminal? Food for thought. More info is at www.sfiaf.org. Correction of the week, from The New York Times’ Sunday Week in Review section: “A series of pictures last Sunday of covers of the magazine Tiger Beat, with an article about how the original teen-girl tabloid has remained virtually unchanged since its inception in 1965, erroneously included a parody cover, produced by the satiric newspaper The Onion, that featured a picture of President Obama.” Teen-girl tabloid? But we never missed an issue!▼

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Fine Arts >>

April 28-May 4, 2011 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 19

pond. Walk out to a lonely hut, the kind where you’d expect to buy tackle, and sit inside; when the rain suddenly pours down on the metal roof, the cacophony sounds like an impromptu junk band. Cast-iron skillets are scattered about, exterior walls are covered with signage and dented CA license plates. A mysterious, dingy sci-fi spacesuit hangs on a far wall; heavy, wellworn gravity boots are on the floor beneath it, vacant, waiting for their owner to reclaim them. Aristotle’s Cage (1983-88), an installation that’s part of the museum’s permanent collection, is why I first became enamored of McMillen. Underneath a sign in bold print that reads “Elsewhere,”

Courtesy of the artist

The Pavilion of Rain (1987-2011), a mixed-media installation by artist Michael C. McMillen.

Imaginary environments by Sura Wood

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icture the junction where mad science, engineering, re-appropriated junk, cinematic fantasy and good ol’ American ingenuity meet, and you have an inkling of the unique frontier that mixed media/installation artist Michael C. McMillen has carved out for himself. Distilling a Southern California wasteland of the mind and calling up 1950s/ early 1960s Hollywood, the L.A. of Chinatown, B-movies and old TV serials, the Santa Monica-based McMillen is a master of incongruity whose intriguing assemblages and imaginary environments reconfigure society’s industrial detritus in an entirely original way that suggests both the recognizably familiar and the seriously askew. Fiendishly clever Rube Goldberglike contraptions, an abandoned shack with its own climate system, and a resurrected roadside motel that harbors a dark secret behind every door – the kind Hitchcock could love, but was never a fourstar establishment, even in its prime – as well as the artist’s paintings, sculptures, miniatures and short films have been brought together for a retrospective of his nearly indescribable 40-year career, now on view at the Oakland Museum. Chief curator Philip Linhares has spread the installations and other works throughout the galleries rather than consolidating them in one area. While it could be argued that this approach mimics the experience of being on a road trip and making pitstops at off-the-beaten-track places, or participating in a surreal treasure hunt – metaphors that would likely delight McMillen – the layout, which encourages visitors to take in the museum’s diverse collections of California art, is confusing and doesn’t serve the exhibition well. Don’t lose heart: a map is available. Growing up in L.A., McMillen spent time with his father, a set designer for television, and picked up tools of the trade while hanging out on movie lots (the devil’s playground). He channeled an early curiosity about science into the film

industry, where he made props and miniatures for films that conjured alternate worlds, such as Blade Runner and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Another formative influence, a cross-country train trip that included a visit to the lurid displays at Coney Island, instilled in him a love of the carnival, and the possibilities of the tableaux format. He incorporated those interests into his first major piece, a riff on odd small-town attractions entitled The Traveling Mystery Museum (1974), which claimed to possess a bottle of water from the Titanic’s unfortunate encounter with an iceberg, evidence of a Japanese invasion of Oregon, and a mummified, fortune-telling mouse who read tarot cards from inside an out-of-order gumball machine. A few choice “souvenirs” are on display here. Amiable, balding and kind of tweedy, McMillen is like your favorite high school science teacher, the one who persuaded you that the keys to the universe could be found in his class. He shares his contagious enthusiasm for pulleys, chemical interactions, sophisticated erector sets and light-bulbs that flash on and off in the aptly titled Deliverance (1992), in which a metal chute, connected to an open junction box on the wall, delivers, at regular intervals, a single black bean to a sad green plate on a shabby kitchen table. In Train of Thought (1990), a towering railroad bridge-to-nowhere, high above an imaginary “canyon,” abruptly ends mid-span, and rather than a wreck below, there’s a powdery pile of dust, the remains of 500 lbs of macaroni. The Raft of History (1984), a model of a wooden freighter transporting unlikely cargo – the façade, steps and balustrades of a once-majestic townhouse, with sculpted mummies in sarcophagi decorating each side – could be straight out of Pirates of the Caribbean, though it was made from common objects like carburetor parts destined for oblivion and retrieved by the artist. An avid recycler long before the practice was en vogue, McMillen gives discarded, orphaned objects a second act in

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their disposable American lives. Determined to give the lie to permanence and perfection, he prefers salvaged materials marred by history and dissolution; the sun, sand, surf and swaying palm trees of his hometown are merely a backdrop for a ruined paradise. Approach via a black ramp wrung by ropes and enter The Pavilion of Rain (1987-2011), an environmental installation set in a darkened room, bordered by corrugated aluminum siding and floating in a 30’ pool of water. No, it’s not a Disney attraction, and there are no alligators in the

a squeaky screen door with holes in it leads to a small room with a diorama-like scene in the Mojave Desert. A waning, smog-infused red sunset burns the horizon, trash is strewn everywhere. Parked in the foreground is a battered pink trailer lit from inside. Behind it are oil drums made out of orange juice cans and a beat-up blue Chevy station wagon (a refugee from Blade Runner) ditched and left for dead when the engine gave out. It’s an American scene: garbage and a trashed, oncebeautiful natural landscape.▼ Michael C. McMillen: Train of Thought at the Oakland Museum of California through August 14. Info: www.museumca.org or (510) 238-2200.

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Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

April 28-May 4, 2011

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Theatre >>

Cosmology in a small container by Richard Dodds

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t is surprising, but then again not, that Angels in America is so seldom seen in San Francisco. This, after all, was the birth city of one of the most acclaimed plays of recent decades, and it is heavily invested in themes near and dear to the hearts of so many who live here. But the unsurprising rider noted above is the magnitude that comes in presenting even one part of the Tony Kushner duology that spans continents, consciousness, and characters as diverse as Ethel Rosenberg, a Mormon dowager, Roy Cohn, a drag-queen nurse, a Valium-addicted housewife, and an AIDS patient who hears angels. The fledgling troupe Theatre Shark, formed in honor of the late actor-playwright Jeffrey Hartgraves, doesn’t so much surmount the technical challenges of Millennium Approaches as it circumvents them. Presented in the utilitarian Rainbow Room at the SF LGBT Center, this is an unabashedly stripped-down version of the first of the two plays in Angels in America. But thanks to the quality of Kushner’s writing and the strength of much of the cast under Laura Lundy-Paine’s direction, many of the interlocking scenes in the three-hour play retain their arresting energies. What can go missing are the overall rhythms to let those scenes snowball into

fully satisfying climaxes. While the Rainbow Room displays its multi-purpose persona, it is quite suitable for various theater projects (good news for the cash-strapped center, as well as companies looking for performance space). In this case, a raised platform nearly bisecting the room becomes the stage, with audiences seated on both sides. This allows for a large video projection screen at one end of the playing area, though its intermittent use misses opportunities to project low-cost, mood-enhancing and scenically clarifying visuals. (At the final preview, the audio system was troubled by sonic dropouts and a general lack of theatrical force.) But such deficits are forgotten when the actors, who may play multiple roles, pull us into their characters’ worlds. That’s always the case in whatever scene Annie Larson happens to appear. Whether as a wise old rabbi presiding at a funeral, the ghost of convicted traitor Ethel Rosenberg, a doctor trying to tell the homophobic Roy Cohn that he has AIDS, or most significantly, as the no-nonsense Mormon mother who trades her beloved Utah for New York City to rescue her son from homosexuality, Larson delivers with performances that are powerful and appropriately subtle. On the other hand, Cary Cronholm has but two roles to play, briefly an amiable if corrupt

Courtesy Theatre Shark

Dara Yazdani and Adam Simpson play lovers whose lives are irrevocably changed by AIDS in Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, in the Theatre Shark production now playing at the SF LGBT Center.

politico, but more importantly as the hallucinating wife of a promising young attorney whose covert gay desires have sent her deep into the

worlds of tranquilizers and fantasies. Cronholm is wonderful as Harper, playing with harsh credibility her anguish in scenes with her husband,

and with a dreamy ingenuousness her escapist delusions that send her as far away as Antarctica. To single out these two performers is not meant to diminish the contributions of the other cast, but rather an expedient way to pinpoint some highlights of the production. For indeed, strong and passionate work also comes from Donald Currie as the frothing pillar of savage power Roy Cohn, John Steen as Cohn’s potential protégé and Harper’s guilt-wracked Mormon husband Joe, Dara Yazdani as a legal aide who is drawn to Joe while fearfully abandoning his AIDS-stricken lover, Adam Simpson as that angry, scared, and wry lover, Anthony RollinsMullens as a sharp-tongued nurse, and Liz Ryan in a variety of quirkily essayed roles. Seeing Angels in America two decades after its debut, and with its themes specifically tied to the events, politics, and zeitgeist of the mid1980s, may be bitter nostalgia for some and a jarring history lesson for others. But Kushner’s play remains a powerful document of cultures clashing at an urgent moment in history. Bravo to Theatre Shark for taking us back to the barricades.▼ Angels in America: Millennium Approaches will run through May 14 at the SF LGBT Center. Tickets are $20. Go to www.angelsinamericasf.com.

Film >>

The marriage trap by Tavo Amador

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outh, beauty, wealth, social position, native if untrained intelligence should be sufficient to ensure a woman a reasonably happy

life. Alas, in 16th-century France, it wasn’t. The perils facing even the most fortunate of young ladies in that era are beautifully shown in Bertrand Tavernier’s adaptation of Madame de La Fayette’s 17th-century novella,

La Princesse de Montpensier (The Princess of Montpensier), opening April 29 in San Francisco. In 1567 France, during the brutal religious war between Protestants and Catholics, the young Marie de Mezieres (Melanie Thierry) is the heiress to one of the realm’s largest fortunes. She’s in love with Henri de Guise (Gaspard Ulliel), to whom she has been promised. Unexpectedly, her father (Philippe Magnan), getting an offer he cannot refuse, agrees to marry her to the more politically powerful and wealthier Prince de Montpensier (a boyish Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet). Marie, heartbroken, objects, but is slapped and threatened with exile to a convent if she refuses. Guise warns Montpensier that he won’t forget this insult. The shy, seemingly gentle prince wins Marie’s affection. Their wedding night, however, is awkward. He learns that her mother gave her no instructions. Inside the curtains of their four-poster bed, with family and attendants outside, their marriage is quickly consummated, the bloodstained sheet presented for all to see. The movie opens with the Comte de Chabannes (Lambert Wilson) fighting Protestants and killing a pregnant woman. Disgusted, he deserts the royal forces. His former protégé, the Prince de Montpensier, finds him and invites him to join his household. Eventually, Chabannes becomes Marie’s tutor, preparing her for life in Paris at the Valois court of young Charles IX, who is under the influence of his mother, Queen Catherine de Medici. The king’s brother, the Duc D’Anjou (the handsome Raphael Personnaz), is soon captivated by Marie. Her jealous husband blames her. Guise remains smitten, having refused marriage to the king’s sister because of his feelings for her. Though tempted, Marie initially resists adultery with him.

Etienne George, Paradis Films

Scene from Bertrand Tavernier’s La Princesse de Montpensier.

But the prince’s volatile behavior pushes her into making a fateful decision that has tragic, unexpected consequences. Tavernier evokes the harsh realities of an era where the privileged often had great luxury but little comfort. Nobles were expected to fight well, and war was personal, grim, and dehumanizing. It was a world in which most women depended on their fathers or husbands for status. They often had influence, but little direct power. Even the Queen Mother ruled through her son, not in her own right. Madame de La Fayette (163493) knew this world well. Born in Paris to wealthy but minor nobility, she was a maid of honor to Anne of Austria, Louis XIV’s Spanish Hapsburg mother. She witnessed the political intrigues of court life. She married the much older Comte de La Fayette, had two children, and began a serious literary career. La Princesse de Montpensier (1662) was published anonymously, 16 years before her best-known work, La Princesse de Cleves. By setting it in an earlier period, she avoided perceptions that it was about Henrietta of England, wife of Louis XIV’s brother, and the Comte de Guiche. She also didn’t offend the Bourbons, who had succeeded the Valois dynasty when Henry IV of Navarre renounced Protestantism for Catholicism, famously declaring,

“Paris is worth a mass.” One of Madame de La Fayette’s contemporaries was Anne Marie D’Orleans, Duchesse de Montpensier (1634-93). Known as La Grande Mademoiselle, she was the wealthiest heiress in France, a granddaughter of Henry IV, a cousin of the much younger Louis XIV, whom she hoped to marry. When those plans failed, she rejected proposals from Charles II of England, Charles Emmanuel II of Savoy, and Alfonso VI of Portugal, instead asking for permission to marry Antoine Nompar de Caumont, Duc de Lauzun. The king refused, because Lauzun wasn’t royal. La Grande Mademoiselle died unmarried, leaving her vast fortune to the king’s younger brother, the flamboyant, cross-dressing Philippe, Duke of Orleans. Madame de la Fayette was familiar with these events, and no doubt they shaped her insights into how men controlled women. Tavernier gets uniformly excellent performances, especially from Wilson, who is exceptional as the melancholy Chabannes. The screenplay, by Jean Cosmos, Francois-Olivier Rousseau, and Tavernier, avoids anachronisms while showing how the period’s mores harmed both genders. The beautiful photography is by Bruno de Keyzer. Caroline de Vivaise designed the superb costumes. In French, with English subtitles. ▼

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TV >>

April 28-May 4, 2011 •

BAY AREA REPORTER • 21

Goodbye to all that! by Victoria A. Brownworth

AIDS-phobia. Cindy’s own niece participated in attacking her, along with an anti-AIDS group. Cindy died of the disease, but until Stuart was killed in 2009, he constantly made references to his late wife as the love of his life, and addressed AIDS as a social issue. AMC was the first soap to have a solid queer, front-burner character in Bianca Montgomery (Eden Riegel), daughter of the show’s star, Erica Kane. Bianca came out in high school, and was even married to another woman in Connecticut (the show is set in Pennsylvania) after same-sex marriage was legalized there, making their wedding the first legal same-sex marriage in TV history. The two women had a child together through AI. Bianca also had a brief affair with a transgender character, a rock star named Zarf, who later transitioned to Zoe. Both these shows have provided powerful, sustaining characters and storylines over the years. OLTL

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ome weeks we’re really grateful for TV. Even mindless, feelgood, why-are-we-crying? TV, like Dancing with the Stars (okay, we love Kirstie Alley), Secret Millionaire, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (who doesn’t want to see poor people get help, other than the Republicans?) or (sob!) Oprah. It was one of those weeks to be both grateful and wistful, because as the season winds down and our fave shows Grey’s Anatomy, Castle, The Good Wife, The Closer and The Chicago Code are about to go on hiatus until fall, some shows are simply going. For 25 years, Oprah Winfrey has defined and redefined the American zeitgeist. The quintessential ragsto-riches success story, the girl from Kocsiusko, Mississippi who grew up so poor she was dressed in potato-sacking, Oprah was ranked the wealthiest African American of the 20th century, the greatest African-American philanthropist in American history and the world’s first black billionaire. She is also credited with getting Barack Obama the extra votes that won him the Democratic nomination in 2008. Oprah was the first TV talk show host to make LGBT issues a regular feature of her show, including groundbreaking shows in the 1980s on AIDS, an annual Coming Out Day show in October, and some extremely intense and informative shows on transgender issues. The immensity of her impact on getting people to understand what LGBT is cannot be overstated. On May 25, the daytime diva leaves her talk show behind after a quarter-century and moves over to her OWN network full-time. Among the queer celebrities Oprah will do shows with are Carson Kressley, Suze Orman and Rosie O’Donnell. She also produced a documentary on Chaz Bono’s transition from female to male. In the ensuing weeks, Oprah plans to go out with a bang with shows she’s always wanted to do, bring back favorite guests and a do few final giveaways. Oprah has often been a figure of controversy, but we have worshiped at her altar unabashedly over the years. We admire her generosity (with money and spirit), and we admire her guts. She’s broken a lot of ground political and social, not to mention gender. And while we haven’t always agreed with her and sometimes felt she went too far in endorsing people we felt were spiritual charlatans, we also know she’s saved thousands of lives with her programs, especially those on abuse, homophobia, racism and mental and physical health issues. There are many Oprah shows that stand out for their poignancy and depth. Among them was a show on transgender children in which we saw a father realize that if he continued to force his son to stop dressing and acting like a girl, the child might commit suicide. Another was with a woman whose husband had murdered her children and killed himself one morning while she was out running; she was trying to help other women whose children had died or been murdered. Another was with a woman whose boyfriend had set her on fire, another whose boyfriend had killed her mother and shot away most of her face. Oprah has done many shows on international issues, many with journalist Lisa Ling, who will continue to work with her at OWN. Ling has taken Oprah’s viewers

The TV goddess Oprah: the quintessential rags-to-riches story.

into dangerous territory, including foreign countries where she’s had guns pointed at her head, and into the terrible domestic arenas of drug abuse and poverty. Oprah has championed the plight of girls worldwide, and one of her most powerful shows featured the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia. Girls are married so young, many of them die giving birth at 12 and 13. Others have such horrific labor and delivery their insides are torn up and they develop fistulas, gaps between the vagina and the rectum that cause a constant stream of waste to ooze from them. They are then ostracized by their families, and many are left to die alone in huts kept away from the general population of their villages. Oprah’s show featuring the hospital helped raise millions for the work of Dr. Catherine Hamlin, who has spent more than 50 years saving these women’s lives. One of the most powerful recent shows we’ve seen was with black actor/director/playwright Tyler Perry, who talked about being physically and sexually abused as a child. Oprah followed up that interview with a second show, cohosted by Perry, for men who had been sexually abused. Oprah has also brought her audiences myriad programs on health issues, many of them with the noted cardiac specialist Dr. Mehmet Oz, who now has his own program. Oprah has also jump-started the careers of other notables like Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray, Nate Berkus (the most adorable queer interior decorator ever, who now has his own syndicated show) and financial guru Suze Orman. Oprah’s book club got America reading everything from Eat, Pray, Love to Faulkner and Tolstoy. She actually got Anna Karenina on the bestseller list. Her final book-club selections were Dickens’ Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities. Penguin printed special editions just for her.

Soaps down Two more daytime keystones leaving the tube shortly are One Life to Live and All My Children. ABC announced the shocking cancellations of two of the longestrunning soaps ever last week. OLTL has been on the air since July 1968, AMC since July 1970. OLTL will end in January 2012, AMC will air through September. Both shows were created by the legendary Agnes Nixon and have

been groundbreaking in many ways, including pioneering stories on race, mental illness, abortion, AIDS and homosexuality. Nixon said she developed OLTL to showcase diversity in the very un-diverse, and as she noted, “WASP-y” daytime landscape. OLTL is credited with being the “first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social issues.” According to The Soap Opera Encyclopedia, the show originally concentrated on the wealthy Lord family, the less wealthy Siegels (the first attempt to showcase a Jewish family on daytime TV), the middleclass Rileys and Woleks, and the African-American Grays. Among the actors who began their TV and film careers on the show are Laurence Fishburne, Mario Van Peebles, Dixie Carter and Tommy Lee Jones. The show won a GLAAD award in 2005, and in 2009 and 2010, pioneered a gay male storyline between a cop and a petty criminal, and had the mayor of the show’s city, Llanview, pretend to be a lesbian and marry her publicist to highlight the issue of marriage equality. OLTL has also delved deeply into mental health issues as two of the show’s main characters suffer from DID (dissociative identity disorder, also known as multiple personality disorder). The show has detailed the sexual abuse of two of the main characters, Viki Lord and her brother, Todd Manning. The latter’s sexual abuse by his father, who also abused his sister Viki, was given as a reason for his raping a young woman while in college. AMC was the first daytime show to address abortion, when the show’s lead character, Erica Kane (Susan Lucci), terminated a pregnancy in 1973, right after Roe v. Wade became law. The show was also the first to portray the still-taboo subject of homosexuality in 1983. Devon McFadden (Tricia Pursley) was a divorcee who believed she was falling in love with her psychiatrist, Dr. Lynn Carson (Donna Pescow). Carson acknowledged she was a lesbian, and Devon told her she had feelings for her. No American soap opera had then addressed homosexuality. AMC took on the subject of AIDS in 1987 when Stuart Chandler’s girlfriend (and later, wife) Cindy was diagnosed with AIDS, which she had contracted from her former husband, an IV-drug user. Because there were so many misconceptions about AIDS in the 1980s, the character of Cindy was used as a conduit to spread real information about the disease. AMC took on

is currently running a bullying storyline in which Shane Morasco (Austin Williams) is being bullied at school and online by Jack Manning (Andrew Trischitta). The bullying has had a decided homophobic edge to it (one of the bullies referred to their school, St. Clare’s, as “St. Queer’s”) and has resulted in Shane being stripped naked in the school gym, with video put up on YouTube. Shane also had his asthma inhaler taken from him and nearly died. Last week Shane tried to kill himself by jumping off the school roof. This storyline has involved two of the show’s main families, and has been powerful as it explores the way teenage boys go after each other, since most bullying storylines involve mean girls. Boys are just as brutal and deadly. The power these two shows have had to address socially relevant storylines over the four decades See page 23 >>

22 • BAY AREA REPORTER •

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

April 28-May 4, 2011

▼

Dance >>

Lucinda Childs comes West by Michael McDonagh

B

y phone from Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, choreographer Lucinda Childs discussed her work, especially her 1979 evening-length collaboration with late artist Sol LeWitt and very-much-alive composer Philip Glass, Dance, which she and her company are bringing to San Francisco’s Novellus Theater at YBCA April 28-30, as the first stop on their five-city California tour of the work, the only piece on the program. Is she excited? “Oh sure,” Childs replies in a light but entirely focused voice. “First of all, I haven’t had a group in several years, and I haven’t been out there since John Adams’ opera Doctor Atomic in 2007.” But how did Childs make Dance happen? Glass, whom she’d known since they’d done Robert Wilson’s landmark opera Einstein on the Beach in 1976 – Glass wrote the music, she danced, contributed texts, and performed as an actress – and Childs decided to do another piece together. LeWitt, with whom

the two performing artists shared common aesthetic ground in the downtown New York arts world, hadn’t worked in the theatre before. But they trusted their instincts. “And so we invited Sol at the very beginning because we wanted to have him as a collaborator. He came to the rehearsals – Philip had written the music first – and chose Lisa Rinzler to shoot Dance, and he picked out scenes he wanted to film in 35mm black-and-white, with overhead angles, the dancers in costume. He worked in a very mathematical, precise way, with a mathematical structure over Philip’s structure. So there was Philip’s score, my score for the dancers – the storyboard was shown at the Whitney – and Sol’s visual score.” They’ll be using LeWitt’s restored original film here. That film, which projected a grid onto the stage for the dancers to dance on as its only decor, was shown on a scrim, and Childs says, “We’re bringing our own scrim in a fiberglass container. Sometimes you see just dancing, and sometimes

you just see film.” The intention throughout is to play with the audience’s sense of time, place, and scale, a central tenet of the trio’s minimalist aesthetic, which uses simple, repetitive forms, or in Childs’ case, pedestrian gestures like walking, which accumulate and/or disappear, as is often the case in the work of all three. Is the 104-minute, intermissionless work of five dances – three general ones and two solos – hard to perform? “I had to find dancers who could do the work, because it needs lots of stamina and intelligence,” the choreographer observes. And the difference between dancers in 1979 and 2011? “Back then, they had all kinds of experience like contact improv, but the training is different now. There’s more of a uniform look because they’ve all had Cunningham and classical ballet training,” which says a lot about our postmodern culture, where everything’s available. That’s odd because Dance, as heard on the two-CD set with six members of the Philip Glass Ensemble, including the composer

Sally Cohn

Scene from Lucinda Childs’ Dance.

and two sopranos, and the bits of it I’ve seen on YouTube, is classically “pure,” with a childlike, Mozartean tone, and clear, strong colors. When I say that the music keeps turning back on itself and shadowing itself, Childs agrees. “The dance is a tension and a dialogue with it. For me, joy is in it, and that’s of course inspired by the music.” Childs and Glass will do a postperformance Q&A on Friday, April 29,

and Glass will be giving a solo piano recital at 3 p.m. the next day, which includes the Childs-choreographed Mad Rush and the rarely-performed Dreaming Awake, which draws on the discoveries Glass made in his Oscarnominated score for Stephen Daldry’s 2002 The Hours.▼ Dance, Novellus Theater at YBCA, 700 Howard St., SF. Info: (415) 3922545, www.sfperformances.org

Music >>

Man of great longing by Jason Victor Serinus Johannes Brahms: Works for Cello and Piano - Zuill Bailey, cello, and Awadagin Pratt, piano (Telarc)

W

ho else could express sadness and longing like Johannes Brahms? The music of the man who was never free to fully express his love for pianist Clara Schumann, wife of composer Robert Schumann, unfailingly communicates the deepest truths of the human heart. Brahms: Works for Cello and Piano, the new Telarc disc from cellist Zuill Bailey and pianist Awadagin Pratt, stands in testimony to another deep, longlasting friendship. The two men met a quartercentury ago, and have spent considerable time making music together. From the sound of this recorded partnership, they know the depth and genesis of each other’s musical and emotional impulses, and have evolved a common language ideal for the passionate surges and intimate confessions of Brahms. When they play together, each of their phrases breathes as if from one mind. This wonderful CD, whose centerpiece is Brahms’ two major cello sonatas, also includes the Sonatensatz (Brahms’ scherzo drawn from the so-called F.A.E. Sonata, a gift to violinist Josef Joachim, to which Brahms, Schumann, and composer Albert Dietrich contributed), and transcriptions of seven songs. Each is a gem. Recorded close up, the CD brings to the fore the rich sounds of Bailey’s 1693 Ex “Mischa Schneider” Matteo Gofriller cello and the unidentified

piano in the Oberlin Conservatory of Music’s Clonick Hall. If I were allowed only two instrumental works of Brahms with which to spend the rest of my days, I would choose Bailey and Pratt’s transcription of Brahms’ song Lerchengesang, Op. 70, No. 2, and their heart-tugging rendition

of the first movement of Brahms’ first Sonata for Cello and Piano, the Sonata in E minor, Op. 38. In these men’s hands, both are precious jewels. The wistful poignancy of the Lerchengesang (“Lark Song”) is so simple in its expression that you might think it the product of a New Age composer. The men take it very slowly, creating an almost otherworldly feeling of suspended flight. It and Wie Melodien are the most successful of the song transcriptions. Feldensamkeit (“Solitude in the Fields”) lacks the profundity that the greatest lieder recitalists brought to it, and several other songs are presented with repeated notes strangely eliminated or altered. Pretty they may be, but they pale before the greatness of the two cello sonatas.▼

▼

Film >>

April 28-May 4, 2011 •

BAY AREA REPORTER • 23

Magnolia Pictures

Michael Angarano and Reece Daniel Thompson are old friends in Max Winkler’s Ceremony.

Bromantic comedy by David Lamble

I

n director Max Winkler’s funny and subversively sad buddy comedy Ceremony, two old friends, Sam and Marshall, having reached their mid-20s, are desperate to escape the vapid if comfy cocoon of life on Long Island. Sam is a barely surviving children’s book author, and Marshall has been living zombie-like with his parents following a traumatic mugging. This is a make-or-break moment for two resolutely hetero boy/men who are delusional enough to imagine themselves as fitting the template of Scott Fitzgerald’s tortured romantics. Sam manipulates his stillwounded best friend to drive him to a swanky part of the Island, where they crash Sam’s one-time girlfriend’s wedding to a posh, show-boating, British reality filmmaker. Winkler’s writing – shades of Noah Baumbach’s selfabsorbed, angst-ridden characters – plants the core love story firmly between Sam and Marshall: When all else fails, and it will, they’ll have each other, or will they? The boys are sunning themselves by the pool of their fleabag motel when Sam talks Marshall into infiltrating a party visible just down the beach. “Just sitting here by the pool with you is probably the most exciting thing I’ve done all year.” “There’s a very interesting thing going on down the beach over there.” “They’re all old people!” “Exactly, Marshall, they’ll love you.” “I don’t know if I’m ready to dive into a stressful social situation right now.” “Marshall, this is your coming out party.” “I can’t go over there in my swim

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Lavender Tube From page 21

they’ve been on the air (more than 11,000 episodes each) has been tremendous. Prime-time shows don’t have the time to build the kind of story arcs that soaps do, and audiences don’t have the same level of involvement with the characters. Daytime is one of the only places where older actresses can remain attractive, sexual and vibrant even into, in the case of both Erika Slezak (Viki) and Susan Lucci (Erika), their 60s. These shows will be replaced with yet another lifestyle show and yet another cooking show. How many of these do we need? (The cooking show is called The Chew. Really. Ew.) ABC cited declining ratings in their decision, but when CBS replaced As the World Turns last year with the tedious The Talk, it lost viewers. Four soaps remain: Young & the Restless and Bold & the Beautiful on

trunks, now can I?” “You brought a suit, didn’t you?” “I’d have to sticky-roll it.” “Just pretend to fit in. It’ll be like when we took steam showers with all those old guys. We’ll sneak in, and then we can peacock ourselves around. Feel free to make something up about yourself, like a job or something.” Winkler isn’t aiming for deep social satire or upper-crust bashing. While the “adult” characters – Uma Thurman, saucy fine as an aging rich girl who’s ready to settle down with her preening British boyfriend (an amusingly swaggering Lee Pace) – tolerate the boys’ antics as a hiccup in the grander scheme of things, Michael Angarano as Sam and Reece Daniel Thompson as Marshall slyly steal the spotlight with their unraveling bro-mance. Thompson, who won kudos for his plucky, stuttering boy debater Hal Heffner in the underappreciated Rocket Science, here reinvents the emotionally stunted introvert smarter than he first appears. Blessed with almost Kennedy handsomeness, Thompson can subtly undercut his physical appeal with Keaton-worthy pratfalls (Buster or Diane) that allow him to shift seamlessly between apprentice adult and adolescent basket-case. Angarano’s affectionate allusions to the depth of their relationship – “I love you, my little prince” – land softly, but we are taken aback when during their drug-addled state, lying head-to-toe in the attic bedroom of a posh mansion, Sam bursts out with a improbably generous compliment about Marshall’s penis. In his first trip to the feature plate, Winkler navigates that often imprecise line between melancholia and comedy. His stellar cast is given ample room to show who the

CBS, General Hospital on ABC, and Days of Our Lives on NBC. B&B is currently one of the most-watched soaps in the world, transmitting in both English and Spanish. But none of these shows has a queer character (yes, Rafe is queer in Y&R, but he’s also totally off the canvas). A write-in campaign to save both shows is ongoing and can be checked out at SoapCentral.com. One of the major sponsors for both programs, Hoover, has pulled all advertising from ABC in protest of the cancellations. Speaking of soap operas, April 29 begins the first episode in what is bound to be another royal drama: The Wedding of the Century, as the nuptials between Prince William and Kate Middleton have been dubbed. Twenty-two American networks will be covering the wedding. Middleton has decided not to wait to become anorexic, losing a stunning amount of weight since the engagement.

characters believe themselves to be, as well as who they sadly are. Max, son of Henry (Happy Days) Winkler, confesses that while he inherited his dad’s comedy gene, the acting one eluded him. For his debut feature, he chose a social strata far removed from his native L.A. “I grew up where people made their money in the 70s and 80s, but I’ve always been obsessed with this old money from the East Coast aristocracy. The books I’ve loved: Fitzgerald, Salinger, Cheever. I love the aesthetic of that, the repression and the wardrobe. I grew up where, while shopping for a ripped-up vintage T-shirt, you can tell friends about your therapy.” David Lamble: Michael Angarano and Reece Daniel Thompson have perfect screen chemistry.

Max Winkler: When the DVD comes out, I’ll be able to put their auditions on as an extra. Michael swallowed his gum in the middle of one of his patented tirades, and Reece had to pat his back. That was the movie to me. As I was prepping the movie, Michael and Reece had “friend” dates, they’d sleepover. They became best friends so quickly. They shared twin-sized beds in the house where we were shooting. The relationship is all but homosexual, in that it has everything but the sex – the affection, the intimacy.

Even comments on each other’s penises. It’s a very non-gay gay relationship. They really love each other in a real way, and I have that relationship with my male friends. There’s a real love that comes from knowing somebody’s secrets. The movie begins and ends as romance between these guys. There’s that penultimate scene at the end in the car where Michael – feeling how badly Sam has treated Marshall – actually starts to cry.▼

William seems only to have lost his sense of humor and more hair. According to CBS News, the wedding will cost somewhere in the billions in everything from lost revenue to the state’s payout to the Queen and her offspring. But expect to see nothing else for at least the whole of Friday, if not longer, because there’s always the recap, and recap of the recap. Which is why God invented cable. Finally, in an homage to Tim Goodman, former TV critic at the San Francisco Chronicle, we are instituting our “five shows we think you should be watching.” This week: Law & Order: Criminal Intent (back at last on USA), Nurse Jackie (can Edie Falco get any better?), The Chicago Code (this show excites us more each week), The Borgias (Jeremy Irons has lost none of his flair) and Grey’s Anatomy (full-time lesbian storyline with Callie and Arizona and their baby). With shows as good as these, you really must stay tuned.▼

bartabsf.com

24 • BAY AREA REPORTER •

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

April 28-May 4, 2011

▼

Sat 30 >> Beach Blanket Babylon @ Club Fugazi Musical comedy revue, now in its 35th year, with an ever-changing lineup of political and pop culture icons, all in gigantic wigs. $25$130. Wed, Thu, Fri at 8pm. Sat 6:30, 9:30pm. Sun 2pm, 5pm. (Beer/wine served; cash only). 678 Beach Blanket Babylon Blvd (Green St.). 421-4222. www.beachblanketbabylon.com

Big Top @ Club Eight Wendy Ho performs at Joshua J’s monthly funfest features live shows, gogo guys, drag divas, 3 Bars, 2 Floors, 2-for-1 drinks 9pm-10pm. No cover before 10:30 in drag or club kid attire. $5. 9pm-3am. 1151 Folsom St. www.joshuajpresensts.com www.eightsf.com

Company C Contemporary Ballet @ Palace of Fine Arts

Close Encounters of the Third Kind. See Sat. 30.

Fri 29 >>

1969: A Very Good Year @ Oddball Film

www.sleepwalkerstheatre.com

Kate Weare Company @ ODC Theater

Short films about the groovy year, with gay San Francisco, drugs, ad men, funny commericals, Peter Max and more. $10. 8:30pm. 275 Capp St. 558-8117. www.oddballfilm.com

New York-based dance company performs Bright Land, with live music by the bluegrass band The Crooked Jades. $15-$18. 8pm. Also April 30, 8pm. May 1 at 7pm. 3153 17th St. www.odctheater.org

Angels in America @ LGBT Center

Killer Queen @ Michael’s Boxing Gym

Local restaging of the classic Tony and Pulitzerwinning Tony Kushner play about AIDS, Mormons and Reagan’s America in the 1980s. $20. Wed/Thu 7pm. Fri/Sat 8pm. Thru May 14. 1800 Market St. (800) 838-3006. www.angelsinamericasf.com

Beardo @ Ashby Stage, Berkeley Shotgun Players performs playwright Jason Craig and composer Dave Malloy’s commissioned new play, a unique rock musical variation on the story of Rasputin. $17-$26. Thu-Sat 8pm, Sun 5pm (Wed 7pm starting April 6). Thru April 24. 1901 Ashby Ave. (510) 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org

Born and Raised @ Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, Berkeley Jon Tracy and Scott deTurk’s play about gay

Off-Center presents Peter Griggs’ unique solo show, The Story of Paco the Pink Pounder, about a gay boxer with a penchant for Freddy Mercury is restaged at the intimate SoMa boxing gym. $20. Thu-Sat 8pm. Sun 7pm Thru May 8. 96 Lafayette St. at Howard. www.theoffcenter.org

The Lily’s Revenge @ Magic Theatre Playwright-performer Taylor Mac’s large-scale five-hour hybrid vaudeville, performance theatre music extravaganza with dozens of performers explores marriage, Prop 8 and other issues with high-styled drag and lavish settings. Dinner, wine and beverages available between acts. $20-$75. Tue-Sat 7pm. Also Sun 2:30pm. Bldg. D, Fort Mason Center, Marina Blvd at Buchanan St. Thru May 22. 441-8822. www.theoffcenter.org www.magictheatre.org

Passion Play @ Live Oak Theatre, Berkeley Actors Ensemble performs the West Coast premiere of Sarah Ruhl’s new play about the meaning of devotion, identity and performance, with historic scenes set in Elizabethan England and Nazi Germany. $12-$15. Fri & Sat 7pm. Sun 2pm. Thru May 21. 1310 Shattuck Ave. at Berryman. (510) 649-5999. www.aeofberkeley.org

The Real Americans @ The Marsh Dan Hoyle’s moving and funny solo show, with multiple characters based on Midwesterners on the right and Coasters on the left, asks how a politcially divided America can survive. $25$35. Fri 8pm, Sat 8:30pm. Thru July 24. 1062 Valencia St. at 22nd. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Talking With Angels @ Royce Gallery Shelley Mitchell’s solo play tells of multiple characters searching for meaning and survival in Nazi-occupied Hungary. $21-$35. Thu-Sat 8pm. Thru May 21. 2901 Mariposa St. at Harrison. www.talkingwithangels.com www.roycegallery.com

Local company performs works by Charles Anderson: Ballet Noir (World Premiere); Patrick Corbin: Psychedelic Sixpack; James Sewell: Gamelan (World Premiere); Jodie Gates: Slip-Ring (World Premiere); Twyla Tharp: Surfer at the River Styx; and David Anderson’s Tovernon. $15-$40. 8pm. Also May 1 at 2pm. 3301 Lyon St. 978-ARTS. (Also May 7 in Yountville and May 13 in Walnut Creek). www.companycballet.org

Eadweard Muybridge @ SF Museum of Modern Art Fascinating exhibit and the first-ever retrospective examining all aspects of artist Eadweard Muybridge’s pioneering photography. $9-$18. Daily 11am-5:45pm (closed Wed.). 151 Third St. 357-4000. www.sfmoma.org

A Friend in Need @ Most Holy Redeemer This cabaret-style fundraiser benefits and honors local cabaret columnist, awardwinning director and patient-advocate Mike Ward through final the stages of terminal, inoperable liver cancer. Performers include Tammy Hall, Amanda King, Barry Lloyd, Russ Lorenson, Carly Ozard, Veronica Klaus and others. $25 and up. 7pm. Ellard Hall , 100 Diamond St. Brown Paper Tickets (Event #: 169758)

GAWK Party @ Magnet Gay Artists and Writers Kollective celebrates its 25th anniversary with host Jon Sugar, performances by Bambi Lake, Khalil Sullivan, Xavier, Jerry the Faerie and more. Free. 7pm. 4122 18th St. www.magnetsf.org

The Busy World is Hushed @ New Conservatory Theatre Center San Francisco premiere of Keith Bunin’s drama about a minister who finds her faith at odds with her estranged son. $24-$40. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm, thru May 1. 25 Van Ness Ave at Market St., lower level. 861-5019. 8972. www.nctcsf.org

Cirque Noveau @ Brava Theater Devil/Fish, an acrobatic musical theatre variety show with contortionists, aerialists and more. $26. Fri & Sat 7pm. Sun 6pm. Thru May 22. 2781 24th St. www.cirquenoveau.com www.brava.org

The Eccentricities of a Nightingale @ Aurora Theatre, Berkeley Tennessee Williams’ fascinating 1976 revision of his 1951 play Summer and Smoke. $10-$45. Tue 7pm. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm & 7pm. Thru May 8. 2081 Addison St. www.auroratheatre.org

Fri 29 May Day Concerts @ CounterPulse Enjoy three days of dance, theatre and performance, many works with a decidedly queer edge, at fundraisers with silent auctions. April 29: AXIS Dance Company, Charlotte Moraga, Deborah Slater, Lizz Roman, Robert Moses Kin, Scott Wells (photo), and Zaccho companies. April 30, Cabaret with Fou Fou Ha, Honey Mahogany, Chica Boom, Seth Eisen; MC Kamau Bell. May 1, Queer acts by Dazie Grego, Sara Felder, D’Lo, Jesse Hewit, Kunst-Stoff, Dance Brigade and more. MC Guillermo Gomez-Pena. $25$150. 8pm. 1310 Mission St. (800) 838-3006. www.counterpulse.org

Evening Sail @ SF Bay Betty’s List hosts a birthday and wine event aboard the Freda B classic schooner. $75 and up. 6:15 board at Hyde St. Harbor. Optional Blue Mermaid Chowder House dinner. 503-1375. www.bettyslist.com

The Flow Show @ Dance Mission Theatre Concert of jugglers, fire dancers (poi), step dancers, hoops and more. $20. 8pm. Also April 30, 8pm; May 1 at 7pm. 3316 24th St. www. theflowshow.org www.dancemission.com

High Speed Dating @ Mom’s Pharmacy Mini-dates with reps from Confidential Gay Matchmaking and host Cookie Dough. $25. 7:30pm. 4071 18th St. www.cgmsf.com

Into the Clear Blue Sky @ Phoenix Theater J.C., Lee’s post-apocalyptic drama where New Jersey-ites flee a melting earth for the moon. $15-$17. Thu-Sat 8pm. Thru April 30. 414 Mason St. at Geary.

Locker Room @ The Edge Michael Brandon hosts a sports-themed night with gogo guys and atheltic gear encouraged. $3. 9pm-12am. 18th St. at Collingwood.

Lucinda Childs Dance @ Novellus Theatre Acclaimed minimalist modern dance choreographer’s landmark work Dance is performed with Philip Glass (recorded and live), with original visual work by Sol LeWitt. $30-$60. 8pm. Also April 29, 30 and a recital by Glass April 30, 3pm. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 700 Howard St. 392-25 www.sfperformances.org www.ybca.org

Loveland @ The Marsh Ann Randolph returns with her solo show about a sexually frustrated woman who flies home and faces the greatest love of her life. Fri 8pm. Sat 5pm. $20-$50. Thru June 4. 1062 Valencia St. at 21st. (800) 838-3006. www.themarsh.org

Veteran actor receieves the 2011 Peter J. Owens award, with an onstage interview. $20-$25. 7:30pm. 429 Castro St. Part of the SF International Film festival events (including La Dolce Vita at the Castro Theatre May 1, 12:30pm; Serge Bromberg’s Retour de Flamme, 5pm, 13 Assassins 8:30pm, and Tindersticks performing Claire Denis film scores live May 2, 8:30pm. www.fest11.sffs.org www.castrotheatre.com

Trannyshack’s Ladies of the 80s @ DNA Lounge Special guest Stacey Q joins Heklina and the Trannygang in a drag tribute to era of high hair, shoulderpads and early MTV. $15-$20. Show 11pm. 9:30-3am. 375 11th St. www. trannyshack.com www.dnalounge.com

Twelfth Night @ Buriel Clay Theatre African American Shakespeare Company performs The Bard’s most popular comedy, re-set in the 1940s San Francisco’s club scene. $15-$35. Sat 8pm, Sun 3pm. Thru May 1. 762 Fulton St. at Webster. (800) 838-3006. www.African-AmericanShakes.org

Vice Palace @ Hypnodrome Thrillpeddlers, the fabulous ensemble that brought us Pearls Over Shanghai and Hot Greeks, now brings forth the last Cockettes musical (which originally starred Divine and Mink Stole), the saucy 1972 revue of songs and sordid silliness, a very loose Fellini-esque parody of Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death. $30-$35. Fri & Sat 8pm Sun 7pm. 575 10th st. at Bryant/ Division. Thru July 31. www.thrillpeddlers.com

Xanadu @ Retrodome, San Jose Touring production of the mirthful muse-filled musical comedy based on the strangely lovable film, complete with roller-skating disco numbers set to the original music, and a script that takes a satirical edge. $24-$44. Fri & Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. Extended thru May 8. 1694 Saratoga Ave. (408) 404-7711. www.TheRetroDome.com

Hear classic songs in a concert by the talented singer. $49.50. 8pm; April 30, 7pm & 9:30pm. 2-drink minimum. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. at Ellis. (800) 380-3095. www.therrazzroom.com

Balenciaga and Spain /Olmec @ de Young Museum Fashion exhibit focusing on the influence of Spain on the work of haute couture master Cristóbal Balenciaga. Also, Olmec, an exhibit of colossal ancient Mesoamerican face sculptures and other artifacts. $6-$17. Thru July 4. 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, Golden Gate Park. 750-3600. www.famsf.org

Bali: Art, Ritual, Performance @ Asian Art Museum Expansive exhibit of more than 100 historic art works in exhibits that showcase the practicality of the performing and visual arts in this beautiful culture. Special performances and interactive workshops throughout exhibit run. $7-$17. Tue-Sun 10am-5pm. Thu til 9pm. Thru Sept. 11. 200 Larkin St. www.asianart.org

Bare Chest Calendar Finals @ DNA Lounge Twelve finalists for the 2012 Bare Chest Men calendar compete in a fundraiser for the AIDS Emergency Fund and Positive Resource Center. $5-$10. 9pm-1am. 375 11th St. www.barechest.org www.DNALounge.com

Bay Area Teen Idol @ The Venetian Room

Double feature of Steven Spielberg classics starring Richard Dreyfuss. $10. Jaws 2pm, 7pm. Close 4:20, 9:20pm. 429 Castro St. www.castrotheatre.com

The Mills Brothers @ The Rrazz Room

Cabaret Showcase Showdown @ Martuni’s

Legendary singing duo perform classic hits, with Elmer Hopper of The Platters. $40. 3pm. Also May 1 at 3pm & 7pm. 2-drink minimum. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. at Ellis. (800) 3803095. www.therrazzroom.com

Terence Stamp @ Castro Theatre

Oleta Adams @ The Rrazz Room

Hear the Bazy Area’s best young vocal talent in a concert with 12 finalists. Judges include Michael Orland (American Idol music director), Eden Espinosa ( Wicked ) and Shawn Ryan (cabaret singer, America’s Got Talent finalist). $10 (students) to $40 (includes pizza buffet and soft drinks). 3pm. Fairmont Hotel, 950 Mason St. 927-4636. www.bayareacabaret. com www.fairmont.com/sanfrancisco

Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind @ Castro Theatre

families. $15. Thu & Fri 7:30pm. Sat 2pm & 7pm. Sun 12pm & 5pm. Thru May 8. 2640 College Ave. www.berkeleyplayhouse.org

Fri 29

Pastor Tom Show @ Live365.com

Trauma Flintstone and Katya Smirnoff-Skyy cohost the third round of the second annual singing competition; this month the theme is Best Vaudeville, Variety, Comedic, Burlesque. Contestants bring sheet music for two songs. 7pm. 4 Valencia St. at Market. www.dragatmartunis.com

Weekly LGBT-themed talk show; archived shows available, too. www.Live365.com

Classical Recitals @ SF Conservatory of Music

Pulp Fashion @ Legion of Honor

May 1, 2pm: works by Menotti. May 2, 3pm: Elgar’s Enigma Variations. May 2, 8pm, chamber music for winds. May 4, 8pm: piano and other instrumental works. May 5, 4pm: chamber music. May 6, 8pm: J.S. Bach’s Magnificat and other choral works. All free. 50 Oak St. 503-6275. www.sfcm.edu

The Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave, an exhibit of amazing paper costumes by the acclaimed Belgian artist based on classic historical royal garb. $12-$17. Thru May 6. Tue-Sun 9:30am5:15pm. Thru June 5. 100 34th Ave. at Clement St. 750-3600. www.legionofhonor.famsf.org

Retirement Boot Camp @ LGBT Center LGBT day-long workshop on making plans for retirement; with financial advisors and lunch break. 9am-2pm. RSVP 623-2450, ext. 108. 1800 Market St. www.bettyslist.com www.sfcenter.org

Spring Open Studios @ Hunters Point Shipyard 27th annual large group exhibit and studio walk-through where dozens of artists in many media work and sell their art. Free, with free parking. 11am-6pm. Also May 1, 11am-6pm. www.shipyardartists.com

Three Sisters @ Berkeley Rep Sarah Ruhl’s re-written version of Anton Chekhov’s classic drama. $14.50-$73. Tue-Fri,Thu, Sat 8pm. Wed 7pm. Thu, Sat, Sun 2pm. Sun 7pm. Thru May 22. Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. at Shattuck. (510) 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org

Sun 1 >> 3-Ring Circus of Dance @ Cell Space Queer Ballroom’s T-Dance benefit includes three rooms of same-sex and mixed dancing tango, swing, salsa, with a burlesque show, costume contest and raffle prizes. $25. 2pm-10pm. 2050 Bryant St. www.QueerBallroom.com

Sun 1 Divas and Dames @ Marines Memorial Theater Connie Champagne, Meg Mackay, Matthew Martin, Donna Sachet, Carly Ozard (photo), Wesla Whitfield and more women and drag performers sing the diva hits of the ages. Proceeds benefit the Richmond/ Ermet AIDS Foundation. $30-$50. 7:30pm. 609 Sutter St. 273-1620. www.HelpIsOnTheWay.org

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Read more online at www.ebar.com

April 28-May 4, 2011 •

How Weird Street Faire @ Howard & 2nd Streets

et’s influence on contemporary queer culture. Thru May 19. James C. Hormel Gay & Lesbian Center, 100 Larkin St. third floor. www.sfpl.org

Annual street fair takes on a ‘Mythical realms’ theme of peace and creativity, with live and DJed music, craft booths, food and more for nine blocks. Costumes encouraged. $10. 12pm-8pm. After-party at nearby Temple, 111 Minna Gallery and Harlot. $10 for all three. www.HowWeird.org

Mark Johnson @ Magnet Montgomery-Ward and the Office Adonis, the artist’s exhibit of retro ad-inspired art. 8pm10pm. Thru April. 4122 18th St. at Castro. 581-1613. www.magnetsf.org

Wed 4 >>

Outlook Video @ Channel 29 LGBT news show includes segments on the GLAAD Media Awards kick-off party, Peter Baty of the AIDS Life/ Cycle, and the Bay Area Reporter’s 40th anniversary party. 5pm. Also live-streaming online and different times in the Bay Area. www.outlookvideo.org

Double Vision @ The Garage Concert of Resident Artist Workshop pieces by Jennifer Mellor Dance Project and Jamie Venci’s dance works. $10-$20. 8pm. Also May 5. 975 Howard St. www.975howard.com

Farley Granger Films @ Castro Theatre

Sunday’s a Drag @ Starlight Room Donna Sachet and Harry Denton host the fabulous weekly brunch and drag show. $45. 11am, show at noon; 1:30pm, show at 2:30pm. 450 Powell St. in Union Square. 395-8595. www.harrydenton.com

Fri 29

Les Violons Du Roy @ Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley

Amanda King @ The Rrazz Room The Swing of Things, a concert of great swing jazz classics sung by the popular local vocalist. $30. 8pm. Also May 9 & 16, 8pm. Two-drink minimum. Hotel Nikko lobby, 222 Mason St. at O’Farrell. (866) 468-3399. www.TheRrazzRoom.com

Best of the Best @ Marines Memorial Theatre Cabaret concert benefit for Fleet Week and its emergency preparedness awareness campaign, with performers Shelly Berg, Marci Henderson, Brian Nova, Jim Salestrom, Tom Scott, Billy Valentine and others. Pre-show buffet dinner, open bar, silent auction, show and post-show dessert buffet. $95. 5:30pm. 609 Sutter St., 2nd floor. 771-6900. www.marinesmemorialtheatre.com

Geezer @ The Marsh Veteran clown and actor Geoff Hoyle’s witty solo show about his young life in England and his ruminations on aging. $25-$50. Wed & Thu, 8pm. Sat & Sun 5pm. Thru July 10. 1062 Valencia St. at 22nd. (800) 838-5750. www.themarsh.org

Sean Dorsey Dance @ Z Space

Tenor Ian Bostridge and harpsichordist Alexander Weiman join the French Canadian ensemble in a concert of works by Handel, Vivaldi, Gasparini, Geminiani and others. $38-$80. 3pm. Also May 3, 8pm. Bancroft Way at Telegraph Ave. UC Berkeley campus. (510) 642-9988. www.calperformances.org

Mon 2 >>

Hitchcock’s creepy Strangers on a Train (3pm, 7pm) and Nicholas Ray’s noir classic They Live by Night (5pm, 8:55). $10. 429 Castro St. www.castrotheatre.com

The Secret History of Love, a dance, theatre and oral history work, shares the underground ways LGBT have found romance through the ages. $15-$20. 8pm. Thru May 1. 450 Florida St. at 17th. www.freshmeatproductions.org

Night Out 2011 @ Wyndham Parc 55

Tom Schmidt @ LGBT Center Sons of God, an exhibit of stunning allegorical male nude photos. Exhibit thru May 13. 1800 Market St. at Octavia. www.sfcenter.org

West Coast Painters @ John Pence Gallery Group exhibit of realist painters, from landscapes and still lifes to portraits and nudes. 6pm. Thru April 30. Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat til 5pm. 441-1138. www.johnpence.org

Ze Frank @ Commonwealth Club Obsessive Lust & Longing on Facebook, a talk with the social media guru. $12-$20. 6:30pm. 595 Market St., 2nd floor. 597-6705. www.commonwealthclub.org

Tue 3 >> Betty Buckley @ The Rrazz Room

Marga Gomez, “the lesbian Lenny Bruce” (Robin Williams), brings her comic talents, and special guests to a weekly cabaret show. $10. 8pm. 2120 Allston Way. (800) 838-3006. www.margagomez.com www.themarsh.org

The captivating Broadway, TV and film actress performs new and favorite musical theatre songs chosen by her fans. $45-$55. 8pm. Thru May 6 at 8pm. May 7 at 7pm & 9:30pm. May 8 at 7pm. Two-drink minimum. Hotel Nikko lobby, 222 Mason St. at O’Farrell. (866) 4683399. www.TheRrazzRoom.com

Group exhibit of photos of visitors and organizers of the Castro sober space’s 28-year history. Thru May 31. 4058 18th St. 552-6102. www.castrocountryclub.org

Ten Percent @ Comcast 104 David Perry’s talk show about LGBT local issues. Mon-Fri 11:30am & 10:30pm, Sat & Sun 10:30pm. www.davidperry.com

Silk Stockings @ Eureka Theatre 42nd Street Moon’s production of Cole Porter’s final Broadway musical, about Hollywood stars and Russian spies. $24-$44. Wed 7pm, Thu & Fri 8pm. Sat 6pm. Sun 3pm. Thru May 22. 215 Jackson St. 255-8207. www.42ndstmoon.org

Thu 5 >> Assassins @ Randall Museum Theatre Teen production of the Stephen Sondheim musical about assassins. $10-$25. Thu-Sat 7:30pm. Sun 2pm (Mother’s Day Tea). Thru May 8. 199 Museum Way. 554-9523. www.yptmtc.org

Marga’s Funny Mondays @ The Marsh, Berkeley

Past & Present @ Castro Country Club

Our Family Coalition’s gala benefit dinner, with cocktails and wine, MC Marga Gomez, actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson ( Modern Family), filmmaker Johnny Symons, Carolyn Lamb (GSA Network). $125-$2500. 6pm-9pm. 55 Cyril Magnin St. www.ourfamily.org

Cryptecology @ Visual Aid Group exhibit of works by four artists combining nature and other themes; curated by Gary Weiss and Jeff Shipley of Ixia florist shop. TueFri 2pm-6pm or by appointment. Thru May 31. 57 Post St. www.visualaid.org

In Paths Untrodden @ SF Public Library Walt Whitman’s Calamus Poems and the Radical Faeries, curated by Joey Cain; an exhibit of

Cats @ Orpheum Theatre Longrunning Andrew Lloyd Webber musical based on e.e. cummings’ cat poems tours. $30-$175. Wed-Sat 7:30pm. Sun 6pm. Also wed, Sat & Sun 1pm. Thru May 15. 1192 Market St. (888) 746-1799. www.shnsf.com

Cypress String Quartet @ Herbst Theatre Acclaimed local quartet performs works by Glazunov, Schulhoff, Cotton, Bloch and Debussy. $20-$40. 8pm. 8pm. 401 Van Ness Ave. 392-4400. www.cypressquartet.com

Not a Genuine Black Man @ The Marsh, Berkeley Brian Copeland’s longrunning autobiographical solo show about racism in San Leandro. $20-$50. 7:30pm. Thursdays thru May 5. (800) 838-3006. www.themarsh.org

Our Vast Queer Past @ GLBT History Museum New exhibit from the GLBT Historical Society, with a wide array of rare historic items on display. Free for members-$5. Wed-Sat 11am7pm. Sun 12pm-5pm. 4127 18th St. www.glbthistory.org

A Place of Her Own @ SOMArts Cultural Center Opening reception for a group exhibit of art about the lives of Asian American women. Reception 6pm-9pm. Thru May. 934 Brannan St. 722-4296. www.aplaceofherown.org

The Strange Case of Angelica @ YBCA Film screenings of Manoel de Oliveria’s film about a man obsessed with a woman in his dreams. $6-$8. Thu & Sat 7:30pm. Sun 2pm. Thru May 8. 701 Mission St. www.ybca.org

To submit event listings, email jim@ebar.com. Deadline is each Thursday, a week before publication.

Tue 3 Hugh Jackman @ Curran Theatre The handsome star of stage and films ( The Boy From Oz, X-Men ) performs a musical review with a 17-piece orchestra. $40-$250. Tue-Sat 8pm. Sat & Sun 2pm. Thru May 15. 445 Geary St. (888) 746-1799. www.shnsf.com

the gay po-

For more bar and nightlife events, go to

www.bartabsf.com

BAY AREA REPORTER • 25

26 • BAY AREA REPORTER •

<< Society

April 28-May 4, 2011

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Steven Underhill

Donna Sachet appears with the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus under new artistic director Tim Seelig, last Thursday night during the concert ‘Words’ at Davies Symphony Hall.

A chorus of acclaim by Donna Sachet

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ongratulations to the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus on a complete sell-out of Davies Symphony Hall last Thursday, and kudos to the over 250 voices assembled for the incredible, chillinducing music they delivered. This was the first concert under the baton of internationally respected artistic director Tim Seelig, formerly of the Turtle Creek Chorale of Dallas, Texas. Expectations could not have been higher, yet they were reached and exceeded as the chorus expressed raw emotion, sensitive dynamics, excellent diction, and gorgeous musical harmony throughout the concert, Words. Tim’s partner Shawn Northcutt produced a hilarious video that opened Act II. His depiction of Tim’s departure from Texas and arrival in San Francisco captured both Tim’s excitement in joining the chorus and the chorus’ warm welcome. It is available for viewing now on

YouTube. During the VIP reception we reunited with executive director Teddy Witherington, previous artistic director Stan Hill, composer Robert Seeley, lyricist Robert Espindola, SF Symphony Chorus conductor Vance George, Molly McKay, Cecilia Chung, Brooke Oliver, Dr. Jerome Goldstein & Tom Taylor, Richard Sablatura, and many others. Make plans now to attend the next SFGMC concert, Hootenanny: Kickin’ Up Our Heels!, on June 17 & 18. The following night we were thrilled to join a private dinner courtesy of Ron Dumont at Prospect on Spear St., for participants and supporters of the first Bay Area Youth Summit, created by Jason Galisatus. How often does one have the chance to revel in the company of AIDS pioneer Cleve Jones, Bravo-TV’s Top Chef Just Desserts-winning chef Yigit Pura, and 14-year old activist Graeme Taylor? The food was wonderful, and the conversation wide-reaching

and stimulating. We are so rarely in the company of children that we were initially concerned about being seated directly across from young Graeme and his slightly older sister. Within minutes, however, we found them both to be articulate, thoughtful, courageous, and funny, a lesson in the folly of careless preconceptions. The Summit the next day in San Mateo also included speakers Bevan Dufty, Supervisor David Campos, documentarian Joe Wilson, and Delta Work of LogoTV’s RuPaul’s Drag Race. Immediately following dinner, we were whisked away in a limousine by friends for a surprise birthday celebration, which included stops at Marlena’s, Truck, Powerhouse, Club 8, and End Up. It is no easy feat to surprise this intrepid reporter, but Gary Virginia, Deana Dawn, Patrik Gallineaux, K.C. Dare, James Holloway, and Julian Marshburn were completely successful in planning and executing this subterfuge. Needless to say, cake was eaten, cocktails were consumed, and laughter rang late into the night! Thank you all. See page 27 >>

Coming up in leather and kink Thu., Apr. 28: Dining Out for Life at participating Bay Area restaurants. Have fun eating out while benefiting the Stop AIDS Project. Go to: www.diningoutforlife.com/sanfrancisco. Thu., Apr. 28: Hot Draw! at Mark I. Chester Studio (1229 Folsom). 6:30-9:30 p.m. Drawing group for gay male artists of all skill levels who are interested in erotic drawing. We will provide a gay male model doing erotic, leather, fetish and/or sexual poses. The group is professional, friendly and supportive. Call the day of the session to reserve a space at (415) 621-6294. Go to: www.markichester.com/hotdraw. Thu., Apr. 28: Meet & Greet the Bare Chest Calendar Finalists at the Powerhouse (1347 Folsom), 9:30 p.m.-Midnight. Benefits AEF & PRC. Go to: www. barechest.org. Thu., Apr. 28: Locker Room Thursdays at Kok Bar SF (1225 Folsom). 9 p.m. Jockstraps, sports gear, wrestling singles. Free clothes check. Hotwire on deck. Go to: www.kokbarsf.com. Fri., Apr. 29: Truck Wash at Truck (1900 Folsom). 10 p.m. Enjoy the live shower boys and drink specials. Go to: www.trucksf.com. Fri., Apr. 29-Sun., May 1: Spring FFling Weekend at the Woods Resort, Guerneville. Weekend and day passes available. Don’t miss this once-a-year fisting event! Go to: www.springffling.com. Sat., Apr. 30: Back Bar Action at the Eagle Tavern (398 12th St.). Back patio and bar open to all gear/fetish/leather. 10 p.m. to close. Go to: www.sfeagle.com. Sat., Apr. 30: Boot Lickin’ at the Powerhouse, 10 p.m. Go to: www.powerhouse-sf.com. Sun., May 1: SF girls of Leather fundraiser at the SF Citadel. 1-5 p.m. $10. Go to: www.sfgol.org.

Sun., May 1: Night Cruise Sundays at Kok Bar SF. 9 p.m.-2 a.m. $1 Bud Light or Rolling Rock Drafts plus shot specials. Go to: www.kokbarsf.com. Sun., May 1: Castrobear presents Sunday Furry Sunday at 440 Castro. 4-10 p.m. Go to: www.castrobear.com. Mon., May 2: Trivia Night with host Casey Ley at Truck. 8-10 p.m. Amazing prizes and ridiculous questions. Go to: www.trucksf.com. Mon., May 2: Happy Hour After Gym at Kok Bar SF. Mondays are all-day happy hour; $2.75 on all beer & well drinks. Go to: www.kokbarsf.com. Mon., May 2: Peer Rope Workshop hosted by Madame Butterfly & Mr. Madame Butterfly at the SF Citadel. 7:30 p.m. $10. Go to: www.sfcitadel.org. Tue., May 3: Busted at Truck. $5 beer bust from 9-11 p.m. Great music, and the notorious Truck boys. Go to: www.trucksf.com. Tue., May 3: Ink & Metal followed by Nasty at the Powerhouse. 9 p.m. Go to: www.powerhouse-sf.com. Wed., May 4: Wolf! for Furry Men on the Prowl at the Watergarden (1010 Alameda, San Jose). 4 p.m.Midnight. Adult videos of hairy guys, plus a red zone and club music. Lockers are half-off. Go to: www.thewatergarden.com. Wed., May 4: Naked Buddies at Blow Buddies. This is a male-only club. Doors open 8 p.m.-12 a.m., play til late. Go to: www.blowbuddies.com. Wed., May 4: Local Chapter of the Red Hat Society at the SF Citadel. Dress code: Red Hat Society appropriate. 7:30 p.m. Go to: www.sfcitadel.org. Wed., May 4: Bear Bust Wednesdays at Kok Bar SF. $6 all-you-can-drink Bud Light or Rolling Rock drafts. Go to: www.kokbarsf.com.

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Karrnal >>

April 28-May 4, 2011 •

BAY AREA REPORTER • 27

High-level horniness by John F. Karr

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his week’s effort at catching up with Adam Killian’s nine killer movies at LucasEntertainment leaves us only five months and two titles shy of his 10th feature, Assassin, which just arrived and is the company’s latest. All of them, as usual, are presided over by Michael Lucas, whom I nearly locked out of his own review last week. He’s not only a constant co-director of his company’s movies, but is the kind of boss who mentors his staff. Read the credits and you’ll see Mr. Pam not only co-directing, but acting as videographer and even editor, while the script for today’s first featured feature, Trapped in the Game, was written by Michael’s publicist, Nate MacNamara. The movie’s a star turn for Jonathan Agassi. It’s an overheated thriller that at first offers excitement and suspense in the mysterious web that engulfs Agassi on his visit to Berlin. Towards the end, though, the plot’s convolutions engender some incredulity, with a conclusion I found as unsatisfying in its way as Dorothy’s waking up from a dream. This is perhaps compounded by the last scene’s loosening of the movie’s propulsion. This duo for two subsidiary characters should proceed, not dilute, Agassi’s apotheosis, in the penultimate scene. It’s hot, alright, but Agassi’s is the movie’s true culmination. But why carp? Trapped in the Game is a constant barrage of heaven-storming horniness that kicks off in highest gear with the match of two guys who play on the same exalted level, Messrs. Killian and Agassi. Theirs is a real-time event, with sudden lunges and fevered action, snarling and laughs, pauses and quips. The guys are piggy and passionate. Killian clamps his mouth onto Agassi’s asshole and treats it like it was manna in the wilderness, a trumpet, an oblation. And you’ve never seen the initiation of a fuck, the introduction of cock to asshole performed with such excruciating finesse. Agassi’s a supreme top, Killian a monumental bottom. And just when Killian is practically decimated, he climbs on top of Agassi and gives him the same kind of electrifying fuck he’s just gotten. Finally, he gives Agassi a mouthful of cum. Killian cum. The movie’s other scenes are almost as hot, the slight difference being that the guys aren’t possessed like Killian and Agassi. Still, they go after great sex and get it. And they’re

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On the Town From page 26

Saturday night, over 800 blacktie guests and their well-behaved canine companions gathered for Petchitecture, the annual gala and fundraiser of Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS). There is something unique and rather jolting about entering the elegant Palace Hotel and being surrounded by sleek, pure-bred show dogs, affectionate mixedbreed puppies, lively shelter rescues, and the occasional bark and yowl rising above polite conversation! We visited with Supervisor Scott Wiener, Ken Gorczyca & Lorenz Obwegeser, Jan Wahl, Wells Fargo’s Alec Hughes and Mario Diaz, Paula West & Satchmo, Jose Cisneros, Tom Nolan, Anna Damiani, Tom Oliver, Terry Gauchat, Peter Lunny, and John Rosin. It was announced that night that executive director John Lipp will be leaving

LucasEntertainment

Jonathan Agassi, center, in Trapped in the Game.

some hung and handsome lookers, too. Ginger-haired, relative newcomer Aaron Mark’s a big, strapping bottom for high-cheek-boned, Nordiclooking blond Carsten Anderson. What a pair of uncut, butch beauties! Later, we meet craggy Hugo Martin, coupled with freshly appealing Harry Louis – springtime blossoms where he walks. And there’s another star turn for Jonathan Agassi, a threeway with big Rob Nelson and Guiseppe Pardi. Of course, there’s a DP, and I say wow! to a chain fuck that puts Agassi enviably in the middle. Mr. Killian shows up again, as well as Michael Lucas himself, in Auditions 37: Balls to the Wall. It was also filmed in Berlin, and like Trapped in the Game, features nary a German among its tasty international cast. Mike Colucci presents his sweet boy ass in two scenes, first with Harry Louis, his brown eyes gleaming. They’re sweet and tender. They’re young. Romantic. And then Louis pistons Colucci’s ass double-time, double-hard, and showers a deluge

of cum onto his face, with one nice strong shot right in the kisser. Later, Colucci gives it up to Mr. Killian, whose thick, pillow lips when sucking have never looked so – well, labial. He’s a growling tiger, tearing into Colucci’s ass, and accomplishing a penetration that’s just magisterial. We also get floridly tattooed, Mohawked Ivan Rueda, a thriller of a cocksucker, paired with Jay Roberts, a thriller of a rimmer, with an upturned cock and a rush to fuck. Finally, Michael Lucas screws the almost stunningly handsome Scott Carter, who says he likes it hard, and gets it just that way. For which he’s rewarded with a swell mouthful of cum. The industry regularly grinds out business-as-usual couplings that are athletic and energetic, but inherently unfeeling. Lucas and Pam-directed scenes, though, find an intensity of emotion and personal connection between performers that are unparalleled with such frequency in other movies I’ve been seeing. The pair constantly delivers deep, rough and romantic sex. Their movies invite repeat viewings; they’re just the best.▼

to head up a different organization soon, but with thanks from PAWS for taking this organization to new heights, including increased services, a larger volunteer base, and the purchase of their own building headquarters. Lenny Broberg once again demonstrated why he is the most sought-after auctioneer on the charity circuit, as he quickly raised thousands of dollars for PAWS. HGTV’s John Gidding and San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Cain and his wife Chelsea added celebrity appeal to the night, as well as generously contributing to the financial success of the event. This Saturday, your fearless society columnist crosses the Bay to emcee Alameda Grand Duchess Mama Portugal’s Taurus Party at the World Famous Turf Club! Food, raffles, auctions, and entertainment are promised, and we’d love to see many of our SF friends join us. The next day, Sun., May 1, is Richmond/ Ermet AIDS Foundation’s Divas &

Dames, a benefit concert at Marines Memorial Theatre starting at 7:30 p.m. Scheduled performers include Sharon McNight, Lisa Vroman, Connie Champagne, Carmen Milagro, Carly Ozard, Matthew Martin, Valerie Pettiford, La’Chic, and this humble writer. What a cast! Don’t miss it! Finally, a quick reminder about the 22nd annual GLAAD Media Awards on Sat., May 14, at the Marriott Marquis. The Local Hero Award goes to Kara Swisher of the Wall Street Journal’s San Francisco bureau, and special guests include Academy Awardwinning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, singer and actor Christian Chavez, film and television writer Lisa Cholodenko, TV’s Salon Takeover’s Tabitha Coffey, TV host Mario Lopez, and dancer Louis Van Amstel. A performance by members of the cast of Cirque du Soleil’s Zumanity will be a highlight of the evening. Will you be there?▼

www.LucasEntertainment.com

ebar.com

28 • BAY AREA REPORTER •

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

April 28-May 4, 2011

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DVD >>

Lipstick traces by David Lamble

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ne sunny day 13 years ago, I decided to play hooky from film school to catch Todd Haynes’ exploration of the brief if fabulous history of the glam-rock revolution. I slipped into the Variety Club screening room on Market Street somewhere in the middle of the glorious muddle that is Velvet Goldmine. With a lovely mythical prologue that traces glam back to the birth of Oscar Wilde, Haynes then flashes ahead to the late 1960s/early 1970s, when British pop fans, raised on a weird, macho rock theology, were suddenly confronted with defiantly fey lads who not only could sing, but had a taste for glitter and lipstick, and who indulged themselves in acts that looked revoltingly carnal. “Childhood, adults always say, is the happiest time in life. But as long as he could remember, Jack Fairy knew better. Until one mysterious day he discovered that somewhere there were others quite like him, singled out for a great gift. And one day the whole stinking world would

be theirs.” Employing a drop-dead gorgeous Anglo/Irish/Scottish/Aussie cast reaching the first peak of their talent and ability to frolic nakedly about, Haynes reconstructed the myths surrounding David Bowie and friends. Jonathan Rhys Meyers was cast as the bisexual shit-disturber Brian Slade; Ewan McGregor as his sometimes rival, sometimes lover and bandmate, Curt Wild; and newly minted Oscar-winner Christian Bale plays-Arthur Stuart, a onetime glamsmitten adolescent who grows up to be a tabloid reporter investigating the mysterious disappearance of his old pop idol Slade. Stuart’s sleuthing (a distinct nod to Citizen Kane) takes place against one of the most raging homoerotic subtexts ever created for the screen, with a glam-rock soundtrack performed by the pretty-boy actors. Be sure to see it from the beginning, and you will experience one of the all-time great rock adventures.

On the record In a recent interview, Velvet Goldmine writer/director Todd

a Toni Collette were sort of and ttogether for a year after sort o of playing Bowie and Angie iin their relationship, but it was ttouching. We were just talking aabout Cannes the other day. O Our Velvet Goldmine party aat Cannes was one of the llegendary ones.

Haynes recalled the joys of working with his vibrant young cast, especially his Bowie, Jonathan Rhys Meyers’ astonishing turn as glitter boy Brain Slade. I recalled “Johnny’s” trilogy of rockstar roles for Haynes, Ang Lee, and for CBS-TV’s Elvis Presley docudrama.

Jo Johnny’s Elvis, his Pitt, aand Velvet Goldmine are aan astonishing trilogy of performances – all like rock p stars, and for this Irish kid to nail st them barely out of his teens is th am amazing.

David Lamble: I love Johnny in Ang Lee’s Ride with the Devil, as the prototype gunslinger Pitt Mackeson. Lee uses Johnny’s Pitt the way you use him in Velvet Goldmine, as a rock star. Talk about getting Johnny for Velvet Goldmine. He carries some baggage, but he’s been brilliant.

Todd Haynes: He is brilliant, I love Johnny. I worked with him when he was 19 years old, and he was coming out of a pretty unstable upbringing. I gained such deep regard for him as a young man and the way he managed – it was worse than we were even led to believe. His relation with his mom was not a stable emergence. He was very talented, but he was very unsure – he was a kid, and

we were throwing him into this crazy world. He had been around gay men, and he was comfortable – he was skinny and beautiful and all that, and there was real ambivalence as well, and I think that ultimately deepened the performance. But he was just a lovely guy, insanely gifted because he could sing like nobody else: he had a gorgeous singing voice. Then he

I adored working with C Christian Bale, too. He played th the sort of straight man in that ggay movie, but the person who so sort of carried you through the story, the person you identified with. He’s such a devoted performer. I’m so proud of him this year [his Oscar for The Fighter] for what he does in a vehicle that gave him so much attention. ▼ Features: widescreen with original theatrical trailer. www.miramaxhomeentertainment.com

San Francisco Film Society

Scene from Incendies: ‘We want revenge, and blood.’

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SFIFF 2011 From page 17

strewn, oppressively hot Gotham just as three inept amateurs turn a penny-ante heist, designed to pay for a sex-change operation, into a media-fueled fiasco. Pacino’s Sonny – filmed at the apex of the actor’s incendiary beauty: wild-eyed, jittery and seductive, like an adult version of one of Caravaggio’s guttersnipe boy hustlers – is tragic clown, passiveaggressive conman, and feral chorus: he incites a mob to turn on the cops with the chant of “Attica, Attica.” Vito Russo accused Lumet of exploiting an incendiary queer story for a mass audience, but for once I disagree with The Celluloid Closet’s now-sacred text. In his insightful memoir Making Movies, Lumet explains his efforts to protect the story from potential audience backlash, so that when Sonny dictates his will “to Ernie, who I love as no man has ever loved another man,” the audience, inspired by what Lumet describes as Pacino’s “mad courage,” will see past the characters’ surface freakiness to reach an emotional catharsis affirming our common humanity. (Kabuki, 4/30, Frank Pierson tribute) Mind the Gap This mindbending shorts program has a large queer contingent. (Kabuki, 5/1): All the Flowers in Time Houston-raised Jonathan Caouette grew up thinking that the red-eye look in snapshot photos meant he had demons inside of him. In this funny/creepy short starring Chloe Sevigny, the creator of the hyperqueer memoir Tarnation uses awesome CGI effects and childish

pranks to demonstrate what’s missing in Hollywood scary flicks. Lost Lake “Doesn’t anyone just give no-strings-attached head anymore?” Zackary Drucker takes his LA-based performance act to the screen in this flirty, sassy homage to gender-bending sexual fetishes. Drucker has something to amuse and freak out nearly everybody. The D Train Bay Area foundfootage guru Jay Rosenblatt pulls off a scintillating memory piece of an elderly man remembering his life while taking the famous Bronxto-Brooklyn subway. The crazy quilt of other people’s lost home movies makes an odd statement about the slippery sands of time. World on a Wire (1973) Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s sci-fi cyberpunk tale is 204 freshly-restored minutes from one of the strangest and most prolific sensibilities to emerge from the ashes of the Third Reich. (PFA, 4/30) Page One: A Year Inside The New York Times Andrew Rossi tours the Gray Lady’s expensive Big Apple HQ to see how our great national newspaper is defying the death spiral of the American industry – or is it? An unlikely star emerges: former drug addict turned irreverent, hotcharging investigative reporter Dave Carr, whose expletive-undeleted lingo is not exactly fit to print. Asked if he’s afraid for his future at the embattled Times, Carr chirps, “I’ve been a single parent on welfare. This is nothing.” As he pursues an investigative piece on the frat-house atmosphere at a rival chain, he chuckles, “I have a scary voice on the phone, and it definitely scares you to get a call from The New York Times.” (Kabuki, 4/29; New People, 5/1)

San Francisco Film Society

Scene from Black Power Mix Tape 1967-1975, a dip into the archives of the Black Power movement.

Better This World Kelly Duane de la Vega and Katie Galloway offer a suspenseful, disconcerting cautionary tale of two boys from George W.’s hometown, Midland, Texas. Brad Crowder and Dave McKay find themselves in the crosshairs of an FBI terrorist probe at the 2008 GOP convention in Minneapolis. “When we left Austin, it was like a camping trip.” Brad and Dave grow up before our eyes as they acquire a radical mentor, the trash-talking Brandon Darby. “I stated they were going to put us in jail with people who would ass-rape us.” Tension mounts as Brad and Dave are charged with violent insurrection, and are shocked to discover the identity of the government’s mole. The filmmakers’ access to the defendants, the prosecutor and the mole makes this an unusually thorough and timely exploration of a high-profile “domestic terrorism” trial. (Kabuki, 4/23, 29; PFA, 4/26) Black Power Mix Tape 19671975 As I write this, I’m staring at one of the stranger pieces of 70s memorabilia: a J. Edgar Hooverauthorized FBI wanted poster for Angela Yvonne Davis: for interstate flight, murder and kidnapping. It’s one of the treats of Goran Hugo Olsson’s dip into Swedish TV’s

archive on the American Black Power movement that this may be the first time in nearly a half-century that we get to sample a vital part of the 60s unfiltered by Caucasian paranoia. Davis’ towering fro is as much a statement as her dialectical materialism. No serious political person today would be caught dead or alive under such an imposing hairdo. This splendid doc will someday make a witty double-bill with the Paddy Chayefsky/Sidney Lumet satire Network. (Kabuki, 4/30; New People, 5/3) La Dolce Vita (1960) Fellini’s spin on Rome’s burgeoning, tabloidcentered “sweet life” is an homage to the shockingly handsome and emotionally taciturn Marcello Mastroianni, then at the dawn of a fabulous reign as Italy’s most iconic male star. (Castro, 5/1) Life, Above All Oliver Schmitz’s slow-moving but harrowing South African coming-of-age drama finds a young girl facing steep odds as she confronts an AIDS-infected mom, a best friend flirting with truck-stop prostitution, a rural community indulging superstitions, and a shame-based culture’s dread of losing face. (Kabuki, 4/28) Incendies “We want revenge, and blood.” Persian Gulf headlines can numb the senses, while fiction film

can take us under the skins of victims and perpetrators. In the opening of Quebec director Denis Villeneuve’s emotionally complex mosaic on family ties as a prism for grasping almost unimaginable violence, twins Jeanne and Simon hear a garrulous notary read the baffling instructions from their mom’s will. Dead mom wants Jeanne and Simon to travel to her birth country (a fictional Lebanon) to locate a dad who’s played no part in their lives and, even more perplexing, an older brother whose shadowy existence becomes the story’s central mystery and controlling metaphor. While Jeanne embraces her punishing plunge into mom’s battle to survive as a Christian woman in the internecine struggles among as many as 17 hostile tribes, Simon is still pissed at this final obstacle to becoming a complacent Canadian. Based on Wajdi Mouawad’s play, the film is grounded in a galvanizing turn by Lubna Azabal as mom, whom we glimpse in shocking tableaus like a guerrilla army’s burning of a busload of women and kids. Incendies lures us inside an ancient culture that has made a fine art of the slaughter of innocents. (Kabuki, 5/2, 5)▼ Info: www.sffs.org

▼

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April 28-May 4, 2011 •

BAY AREA REPORTER • 29

Books >>

Faerie tales by Jim Piechota The Fire in Moonlight: Stories from the Radical Faeries edited by Mark Thompson; White Crane Books, $25

H

e calls it “the gay community’s last authentic global grassroots movement,” and Mark Thompson’s (Gay Spirit: Myth and Meaning, 1988; Leatherfolk, 2004) latest anthology The Fire in Moonlight: Stories from the Radical Faeries features essays, opinion, transcribed dialogues, rituals, and poetry encompassing the structure, the camaraderie, and the intricate essence of the Radical Faerie movement. In existence for well over three decades, the multidimensional Faerie group, partly inspired by gay author, pioneer, and 1990s San Francisco resident Harry Hay (Radically Gay, 1996), began with a singular Faerie Circle in the Arizona desert in 1979 as a “separation from a culture that has denied and repressed us, and a turning inward to find within our psyches that which

precedes patriarchal socialization.” Two hundred gay men gathered on that fated Labor Day weekend to share ideas, engage in group and individualized sexual play, and worship the planet and all its bounties. At the second gathering, participants used Faerie names, and an increasingly ritualistic Pagan approach was adopted. This literary collection features a wide array of voices, some having participated in Faerie Gatherings for decades, others just willing to share their own joys and pitfalls of the movement. Some of the more resonant pieces include awardwinning historian Stuart Timmons’ generous and fascinating excerpt of his comprehensive 1990 Harry Hay biography The Trouble with Harry Hay, and a sampling of various first-person accounts (both positive and not so favorable) of experiences within the movement. Bay Area writer Orlando reflects on his “first, long-overdue immersion in Faerie space” at the 1995 Northwest Radical Faerie Gathering in Oregon, which, though he was hesitant to participate

fearing he might be “hit on constantly,” ended up being a transcendent experience. Jonas a.k.a. Peterpansy recalls his 1993 initiation to the Faerie community at 23, and recounts the movements’ maturation from wooded campgrounds enshrouded in secrecy to being out and proud in the city streets: “In our best Faerie gender-fuck drag, we drum, we dance, we sing, we chant, we frolic.” Trebor Healy’s lush poetry describes a 10-day Wolf Creek gathering as “one long slow delicious fuck.” Many other contributing writers attest to the sexual aspects of the Gatherings, including the limitless powers of the Sexmagick training workshops focused on the investigation of “deep feelings around sex and intimacy, and to connect more fully as a result.” Thompson’s anthology fairly presents both sides of the Faerie culture experience, and includes essays that demonstrate more unflattering viewpoints of not only

the Gatherings themselves, but the participants as well. Both Orlando and Faerie writer Artwit admit that the possibility of rejection and disappointment is very real at Faerie Gatherings. “It’s very tricky,” Orlando writes, “to arrive with expectations of new and wondrous connections, and then have those expectations unmet. There’s also a

l of psychic energy flowing, lot a one has to be very careful and w with one’s self to not be o overwhelmed.” Contributor Artwit has a P Ph.D. in theoretical physics, a doesn’t believe in “spirits and o spooks,” but joined the or R Radical Faeries in the early 11980s, and offers mixed reviews o of his time with them. He w writes that sex but not intimacy w was in great supply, youthful aattraction fueled the desires o of the clan, and that while his aassociation with the Faeries was eentertaining, and for a time, sa satisfying and soul-fortifying, ““It was a love affair that ended ba badly, and now I’m grateful it’s over.” Whether the authors featured in Thompson’s erudite collection have become enlightened or embittered by their separate experiences, it remains a culture that is fascinating to read about. Still today, the group continues to redefine queer identity through spirituality and sexuality. ▼

energy – you can actually measure it.”) On the positive side, the outspoken actress loves coloring her hair, but drolly admits that, in the bedroom, “sex got over me.” MacLaine applauds the world leaders she’s been fortunate enough to meet in her varied travels, including Ariel Sharon, Mikhail Gorbachev, Deng Yingchao, and Fidel Castro, but expresses disinterest in meeting former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (“I would have been afraid I’d break her hair.”) Ruminations on Akashic Records, the Book of Life, and reincarnation (“I

believe each one of us has had both male and female lifetimes. We just don’t like to contemplate seriously that we might have been a member of the opposite sex in a previous incarnation”) may rise up and fly over the heads of readers not sufficiently spiritually equipped for this thought process, but elsewhere, MacLaine scores high points for realistic attitudes on public politeness, the importance of family, the burgeoning drama of the year 2012, and the unstoppable passage of time. MacLaine fans are certainly not “over” Shirley, and while this entertaining but somewhat frivolous book might not expand her fan base, it makes for a lively conversation piece and earns a spot next to the star’s more contemplative tomes. ▼

Above & beyond by Jim Piechota I’m Over All That by Shirley MacLaine; Atria Books, $22

W

hether playing the grouchy, twice-widowed Ouiser Boudreaux in Steel Magnolias, confessing to Oprah that her last marriage was actually an open relationship, or discussing the existence of UFOs with Jimmy Carter, the irrepressibly outspoken, spiritually-aware Shirley MacLaine never fails to enlighten and entertain. Her latest book I’m Over All That gets overtly personal with reflections on things she has overcome throughout her life, or has, at the ripe old age of 76, just finished worrying about. “I’m getting more and more free from

<<

the expectations of the external world,” she writes. MacLaine notes that travel has been her greatest teacher, and comments at length on time spent in Thailand, Peru, Russia, China, Africa, Israel, and her home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. But it’s the personal gripes that really bring home the author’s personality and feistiness. She gets frustrated with the hard plastic, “hermetically sealed” products that break her nails when opened, and pissed off with people who repeat themselves, “everything that involves politics,” clueless Radio Shack clerks, restaurant waiters, the FDA, funerals, driving at night, family holidays, and antibiotics – a subject that merits a New Age instruction guide (“Homeopathic medicines work because everything in the world has a frequency at which it gives off

Betty Buckley

documentary about Buckley when she took over from Glenn Close in Sunset Boulevard. Hess had saved his reel-to-reel recording, and played excerpts for the TV production. After that, the newly created Playbill Records released the album, then on vinyl, and now available as a CD. “When they wanted to release it, I couldn’t understand why, because I remember dismissing it and thinking it wasn’t very good, but then when I sat down to listen to it, I was really touched,” Buckley said. “It helped me bring this younger version of myself back into my appreciation of my talent as a singer.” As for her voice today, she recalled the words of a longtime vocal coach. “He told me that you can sing your entire life if you take care of yourself because the voice continues to unfold and manifest your soul.” Anyone who has seen Buckley perform in concert or cabarets knows how much of her soul she invests into each song. “The reason I sing them is because I love them and they move me, and they don’t stop moving me. I have a relationship to every song I sing, and that relationship grows and changes just like it does with people.”▼

From page 17

you aren’t in a category that’s easily identifiable, you fall between the cracks in packaging and marketing.” All she really wants is the chance to sing “really good songs,” Buckley said, “songs with a beautiful lyric, a story, a clear sense of character. It’s been frustrating, because in the years I’ve been doing cabaret and concert work, I have put together any number of collections of material, and people would say, ‘That’s too esoteric,’ or, ‘That’s too rock n roll,’ or, ‘That’s too this and that.’ It’s been mystifying to me.” For the Love of Broadway follows a cabaret show from the previous year titled Broadway by Request, but Buckley is looking ahead to the fall release of Ghost Light, a new CD she recorded with legendary producer T-Bone Burnett. “It’s a very eclectic mix of music recorded with a band T-Bone put together, and I think it’s the most beautiful album I’ve ever done. And by going back to the eclectic thing, I’m kind of stating my right to do that.” This is actually a reunion for Burnett and Buckley, who worked together when they were both in their late teens and had begun fledgling music careers. It was 1967 in Fort Worth, and Buckley’s mother wanted a recording of her daughter’s voice, and happened to know Burnett’s mother. “Our mothers got us together in a

“You can sing your entire life if you take care of yourself, because the voice continues to unfold and manifest your soul.” – Betty Buckley

recording studio,” Buckley said, and the 11-track album of standards and pop tunes had an initial release of two tape copies. One copy went to Buckley’s boyfriend at the time, and the other went to a former agent as a Christmas gift. That agent, Roger Hess, went on to become a bigtime Broadway producer who was interviewed as part of a Bravo

Courtesy of the artist

Betty Buckley: all she wants is to sing ‘really good songs.’

Betty Buckley will perform For the Love of Broadway May 3-8 at the Rrazz Room. Tickets are $45-$55. For more information, go to www. therrazzroom.com.

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